The 2009 WHO homeschool convention!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Real-Life Photos from the Past

It's great fun when you can find pictures of real kids from history and can use the pictures without worrying about copyrights. Going through old family pictures, we found these real-life relatives that work well to depict a couple of the characters. First, here's Andi at age 9, courtesy of my real-life great-aunt Nada. And a great picture of Chad, courtesy of my grandfather Hubert (Nada's brother).
Just for fun!

We Have a Winner!

Yesterday I printed out and cut up all the entries for the cover contest. Then my grandson folded all the little strips up. I put them in a bowl, and he drew out one name. Ready? Drum-roll:
The winner is Felicia Straley!
Congratulations, Felicia! I will send you The Trouble with Treasure next February 2010, when it is released, along with a vial of real gold flakes.

Thanks, everyone, for playing along. I sent my publisher a summary of your feedback. As soon as Kregel decides on the cover (yes, they get the final decision), I'll post the cover here.

Again, I hope you had as much fun entering as I had reading your responses!

Book 5--Cover Contest!

The draft covers for Circle C Adventures Book 5- Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure are here. You can vote for you favorite cover by leaving a comment. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a random drawing to win a copy of the new book when it is released late next fall. The lucky winner will also receive a small vial of REAL gold flakes. Why gold flakes? Well, Andi's friend Cory gets hold of an old survey map of the mountains, which shows gold diggings. Together with Andi's older brother Mitch, Andi, her new friend Jenny, and Cory head for the hills. But instead of finding gold, they find a heap of trouble!

Take a look at the covers, and then read the "Rules" below to enter:





Cover #1 (map)





Cover #2 (horse)












~ Leave a comment with your "vote" and why you picked it, along with your E-MAIL address, so I can find you if you win.
~ Invite your friends to join the fun!
That's it! Have fun. Contest ends April 20th.

My Brother Chad

My big brother Chad has one ambition: to run the Circle C ranch. He loves horses and is the best horseman in the entire Valley. He's a year younger than Justin, but he's the one who's definitely in charge of the ranch (Justin likes to do his lawyer stuff more than rope cattle). Chad was really upset when Father died, because he looked up to him. He wanted to have many more years working alongside him before having to shoulder all the responsibility. Luckily, our long-time foreman, Sid McCoy, helped Chad through the transition from a son to being in charge.

Chad has black hair and blue eyes, and he's pretty tall--about six feet. He thinks he knows everything, and tries to tell me what to do all the time. That makes him bossy, and I don't like it at all. He's got himself a temper, and I've been on the receiving end of it more than once. I sometimes feel that I can't do anything right. He's got no patience for work sloppily done or not done at all, and a cowhand caught mistreating a horse is sent packing, along with a few scorching words from the "boss."

But Chad has his secret, kind side. Behind his quick tongue, he really does have a tender heart. After all, he went out of his way to give me Taffy, and he was mighty patient when we were raising her. I've seen him carry a newborn calf just as tenderly as a mother would hold her baby. And he is funny, too. He knows how to make me laugh when I'm feeling down.


All in all, I wouldn't trade him for any other brother. I know it's partly my fault for getting him riled up on occasion. I guess we're too much alike. I think he yells at me sometimes because he's just downright worried about me getting into another fix. I love him a lot!

The Ten Commandments . . . Old West Style

1. There's just one Trail Boss . . . God.
2. Don't be hankering after other gods.
3. Watch yer mouth, partner!
4. Get yourself to Sunday meetings.
5. Honor yer ma and pa.
6. No killin' two-legged varmits. Let the law do it.
7. Don't be sparkin' another fella's gal.
8. Don't stick your brand on your neighbor's horses or cattle.
9. No tellin' tall tales or gossiping.
10. Don't hanker after another rancher's water, stock, or fancy spread.

~ loosely translated from Exodus 20 by Andi Carter

February Circle C Roundup E-zine

If you're not on my E-zine list and want to read the latest news, click on the graphic. I've finally figured out how to post my e-zine on my website:

Will Book 6 Become a Reality?

Well, some very interesting developments over the last couple of weeks. My publisher asked me to send in a synopsis and sample chapters for Book 6, Andrea Carter and the Price of Truth. There is a chance (albeit a small one) that they might want to release both books 5 and 6 close to each other.

This is great news!

Will Wonders Never Cease?

Well, this is a surprise! My publisher has decided they want to go ahead with 3 books for an Early Chapter books series, based on the characters from the Circle C Adventures. Sort of like an Adventures of Andi and Taffy. I think I'll call the first one Pony Trouble and write the story of how Andi first gets Taffy. This series would be for ages 6-8, kids learning to read. If anybody has any ideas for other books, feel free to share them. I have ideas for the first three books, but if they do well, there will sure to be more. I even have a potential illustrator. Wow. Excitement builds.

Exciting News!

It's official. Kregel Publications has accepted Book 5, Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure, for publication. What a great way to begin the new year. This newest adventure takes Andi, Cory, and Jenny (from San Francisco Smugglers), along with Andi's older brother, Mitch, up into the high country of the Sierra Nevada for a 2-week camping trip to pan for gold. But their vacation turns into a fight for survival when they have an unexpected encounter with a couple of on-the-run back robbers. I tossed in a rattlesnake and a mountain lion for "fun," although it's no fun for the kids, as Andi attempts to save her critically injured brother's life.

To help celebrate this great news, I've decided to do a book giveaway. This one will be exclusively for readers of the Circle C Roundup, the e-zine that gets e-mailed . . . well . . . not very often. But I'm getting ready to put one out next week. What do you win? Your choice of any Circle C Adventures books, autographed, of course. If you have the series already, well, it makes a nice gift for a friend's birthday. But you need to be signed up for the newsletter. To do that, go to www.circlecadventures.com, scroll down the page, and follow the instructions on how to sign up. It's pretty simple.

In other news . . . I saw the results of the poll, and since it's running 60%-40% stay on HSB, I've decided to keep the blog on BOTH places. So your pleasure. Read and comment on Blogger or HSB. Same great news. Same great pictures.

Watch for the Roundup!