It's my pleasure to welcome friend and author, Greta Burroughs, to my blog today. Yay!
Greta has written 6 books. Two are for young adults, three for children
and one is a more serious book about her battle with ITP.
Right now fantasy adventure Gerald and the Wee People is on sale for 99c and it has some great reviews on Amazon! Greta is also on a mission to inspire the new generation
to read, which you can find out more about on her blog:
Take it away, Greta!!
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Greta, we all want to know, what is the most embarrassing moment of
your life?
My most embarrassing moment happened
when I was around six years old. The pastor at our church promised to take me
on a picnic. I was absolutely thrilled and started making plans. Of course my
plans were known only to me. I tied a box of Chicken ‘n a Biscuit crackers to
the back of my bicycle, and took off early one morning to pedal my way to Mr.
and Mrs. Crenshaw’s house. At that age I really didn’t consider the 15-mile
ride through city traffic it was going to take to reach my destination.
It was a beautiful warm day and I was
enjoying my trip until I saw a bright red light behind me. (At that time,
police cars had a big, red, round flashing light on top of the car.) I pulled over
to the side of the road just like any good motorist and waited for the
policeman to get out of his car.
As he approached the look on his face
told me I was in trouble. I tried to explain to him that I was going on a
picnic, but he did not believe me, for some strange reason. He also did not
understand why my parents did not know about my adventure. I tried to explain
that it would not be a surprise if I had told my mother where I was going.
The policeman took my bike, put it in
the trunk of his car and sat me down in the front seat beside him. I was very
unhappy. My picnic plans were ruined, and he crushed the box of crackers that I
had carefully and loving tied to my bicycle.
This is where the embarrassing part came
in…. He stopped at the newspaper office and unloaded my bike, and told me to sit
on it. A man took my picture and wrote an article, which was published in the
newspaper the following day. By that time my father had arrived to pick me up,
and he told the reporter that I was going to be grounded and my bicycle was
going to be put way for a long time.
Now I had a LOT of relatives who saw
that picture/article and I was laughed at by every one of them. Everybody at
church laughed at me too. The laughing continued for years afterward. Everywhere
I went someone mentioned my bicycle trip, and I just wanted to crawl into a
hole and die. Even today, fifty years later, the topic still comes up
occasionally. That is one event that will live forever, no matter how hard I
try to forget it.
Okay, I have to admit that in the history of embarrassing moments that one is up there! :)
More about Greta...
Greta Burroughs loves to read. No matter where she is, there is always a book close at hand. Her love of reading began at an early age and blossomed over time to include many different genres, her favorite now being fantasy. As a preschool and elementary school teacher, Greta tried to instill the joy of reading in the children she worked with. Books were an important part of her classroom and story time was the highlight of the day.
It has been a while since Greta was in a classroom but she had lots of experience in reading to children of various ages and remembers what they enjoyed listening to. She tries to incorporate that knowledge into her work as an author and believes it makes her a better writer of children's and young adult books. She now resides in SC with her husband, Robert and three dogs.
All of Greta's books...
Where to find Greta & her books (just click them!):
Heartaches and Miracles
“But I don't feel sick. Why do I have to stay here in the hospital?” I stubbornly asked the emergency room doctor, and he replied in an exasperated voice, “Because you are one sick chick. Your platelets are down to 2000. You are going upstairs to PCU and you are going to stay there until I say you can go home.”
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura) in April 2005. At that time, I knew very little about platelets, CBCs, corticosteroids and other factors that would play a significant role in my well-being for the rest of my life. Heartaches and Miracles was written as a form of chicken soup for the ITP soul to give encouragement and strength to those affected by this blood disorder. Reading how others have coped, hopefully will give those newly diagnosed a glimpse of what to expect and give everyone with ITP a new hope for tomorrow.
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura) in April 2005. At that time, I knew very little about platelets, CBCs, corticosteroids and other factors that would play a significant role in my well-being for the rest of my life. Heartaches and Miracles was written as a form of chicken soup for the ITP soul to give encouragement and strength to those affected by this blood disorder. Reading how others have coped, hopefully will give those newly diagnosed a glimpse of what to expect and give everyone with ITP a new hope for tomorrow.
Gerald and the Wee People
Gerald and his best friend, Vernon literally fall into a new world when responding to a plea for help. A few years prior to that, the boys had discovered an unusual clearing in the woods where only Gerald had the ability to watch the daily activities that took place in a miniature village. When creatures started attacking the village, Gerald became more and more concerned about the little inhabitants that he had become attached to. Vernon humoured his friend but became concerned when Gerald mentioned one of the villagers coming to him and asking for help. To prove him wrong, Vernon agreed to venture out to the clearing late one night and show Gerald it was all in his imagination. Instead, Vernon was drawn into the enchanted vision and both boys charged off to the rescue. While in the wee people village, Gerald and Vernon try to fulfil a prophecy overcoming many dangers and obstacles. The boys help the villagers in their fight against the misshapen ones while also trying to defeat a powerful being intent on destroying all life.
The House at Bo-Kay Lane
A mirror is found in a forgotten room in the far-seers’ training centre. Sheela, a far-seer master and Alyson, an apprentice firestarter are unwillingly drawn into the depths of the mirror and wind up in the abandoned house on Bo-Kay Lane. Sheela uses her telepathic skills to enlist the aid of Gerald, Vernon and Gerald’s father, Andrew to help find the way back to the world of the wee people. That problem resolved, they try to unravel the secrets of the mirror and find that it is a portal between their two worlds, as well as to a time in the future and possibly even to a parallel universe. They also discover that someone is trapped inside the mirror and the decision has to be made as to whether or not to help the trapped soul escape the confines of the portal.
Patchy and Calico series
Patchwork Dog has a knack for getting into trouble and his best friend, Calico Cat usually winds up right in the middle of the mess with him. Calico would rather spend her days sleeping in her nice comfortable bed, staying safe and worry free. She knows better than to follow Patchy when he is out looking for a new adventure, but she tags along anyway just in case… On the other hand, Patchy is very curious and is always investigating new sights, sounds and smells. He follows his nose wherever it goes. Sometimes that leads to trouble but other times it gives Calico a chance to play a trick on her not so smart friend. The tales will entertain children of all ages with the antics of the title characters and hopefully teach youngsters some valuable lessons on sharing and working together.
Thanks for reading :)
