Tag Archives: Molly

Pedrata reading My Life as a Mule

Labor Day Giveaway

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Final FINAL and Free Ebook

Dear Friends,

I promise that this will be my final FINAL notice about a revision/change/adaptation of Molly’s story in my first book My Life as a Mule.

On Wednesday, June 29th the idea plopped in my head to MOVE the bonus story “Can You Keep a Secret” from the back of the 2nd edition version to the FRONT and call it the PROLOGUE. As soon as I did, I felt the earth shift on its axis one millionth of a millimeter—it’s finished, it’s finally finally finished!

Why am I telling you?

I’ll be having another free Kindle book promotion on September 3 to 7 (based on Pacific time starting and going till midnight) where you can download an ebook version for free. If you did this last year (or purchased a Kindle version at any time), you can remove the book from your device and then re-add or sync it again to get this final FINAL 2nd edition version.

The one CATCH is that I ask you to please write a review on either Amazon (scroll down towards the bottom of the listing and look for Review this product on the left)

or Goodreads (or both) if you enjoyed any aspect of my first book.

I’m not on Facebook these days, so if you feel the desire to share my free ebook giveaway on your page, go for it. Please know that your time and effort are much appreciated.

Thank you for reading this far.

With love and gratitude,

Sj

p.s. I am working on Mr. Tafferty’s tale . . . it will take however long it takes to come to its final FINAL version. Really enjoying the process. ;-)

p.p.s. One of the challenges of being a self-published author is getting the necessary feedback during the draft writing process. If any of you wish to be a reader during this phase, please let me know. Mahalo nui.

***I’m heading to Europe for a few months for a 40th reunion with college gal pals (we met in Bonn, Germany) and other adventures. I’m no longer on fb, so I won’t be posting any photos there. I will possibly post on my blog now and then (subscribe to sjlehoven.com if you want to be included), BUT I will definitely post photos of my traveling companion Pedrata on Instagram (#travelingstuffedrat or @travelingstuffedrat).

Merci beaucoup!

131 votes for My Life as a Mule

Mahalo for your support!

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Thank you friends for supporting my first book My Life as a Mule in the TaleFlick Discovery contest.

We landed 8th out of 40 books with 131 votes. Not too shabby! ;-)

And . . . in the eleventh hour I received the most AMAZING review from an acquaintance.

I met this “true reader’s heart” (how she described herself : ) years ago when I was the waterfront director at a camp for diabetic children, * TCDC. She was a camper. I haven’t seen her since (many, MANY moons!), though I have a wispy memory of her wide, vibrant smile!

Here is what she wrote:

“There have been several great stories told from the perspective of animals that gently urge us to take a look at ourselves. (Charlotte’s Web, Animal Farm, and Watership Down come to mind.)

Now, we have “My Life as a Mule.”

This book, told from the perspective of Molly, leads us to confront our own thoughts regarding class conflict, race relations, anxiety, bullying, self-doubt, and fear. Are our perspectives our own? Or are they the ones forced upon us by those around us that became comfortable because we’ve stopped challenging our values?

Molly is a delight as she moves through the challenges of her life and matures as her understanding grows.

Thank you, Ms. LeHoven, for daring us to look at our belief systems in such a non-threatening manner. It is a book you will love reading over and over again, but also one that you will share with loved ones and strangers, alike.

Open your mind and your heart. Molly is waiting.”

Wow, thank you Ms. Marquis for taking the time to find me on facebook, buy my book, AND . . . read it!  May Molly be a lifelong companion as you continue on your way. <3

With MUCH love and GRATITUDE for you ALL,

xoxox Sj xoxox

* I’m in that black and white photo from 1981 shown on the TCDC Alumni page. ;-)

Molly Needs Your Help

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In getting the word out of her journey of LOVE

as told through her memoir:  My Life as a Mule.

Starting January 15th at 10 a.m. PT & ending Friday, January 17th at 4 p.m. PT YOU can VOTE that you would like to see her story adapted to the screen.

Hollywood producers will be following how many votes each story receives in the TaleFlick Discovery contest AS WELL AS the conversations revolving around each story.

How can you help?

By voting for My Life as a Mule (one vote per person). AND even more importantly, by participating in the conversation regarding Molly’s story.

Click on the icon on the right of the box for My Life as a Mule to vote and click on the conversation bubble to leave a comment or ask a question.

Last week’s winner garnered 4,448 votes. We’ll be jazzed to receive 100! But . . . if you can participate in the conversation and let people know how Molly’s story touched YOUR HEART, we would be most appreciative. <3

Molly's Epiphany Tea

Molly’s Epiphany Tea

With love and aloha from Molly and me,

xoxox Sj xoxox

P.S. And . . . if you want to share this with your friends, well, that would take the cake!!!

Mahalo nui loa!

Prints Now Available

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Jocelyne Champagne Shiner’s AMAZING ILLUSTRATIONS

from My Life as a Mule are now available for purchase by clicking HERE.

Choose either 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 for your high quality Art Paper prints.

They will definitely bring warmth to your home as you savor Jocelyne’s masterful drawings.

Mahalo for your continued LOVE and support.

Wishing you the BRIGHTEST of holiday seasons.

xoxox S j xoxox

Reading 'My Life as a Mule' on an airplane.

Summer Reading Fun

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Whether you’ve got a long flight to somewhere,

or are hanging at the beach with your toes in the sand,

or . . . just want to beat the summer blahs,

Molly the Mule’s journey as experienced in ‘My Life as a Mule’ is the perfect companion.

But don’t take my word for it, read the lastest review on Amazon.

Happy reading . . . and here’s to an awesome 4th of July!

xoxoxo Sj xoxoxo

Radio Interview on KKCR with Tracey Schavone

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Kaua‘i Vibrations’ Host Tracey Schavone Interviews Local Authors on an Upcoming Book Signing & Reading Event on Friday, May 3rd from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists Gallery at the Kukui Grove Mall.

Authors Sj Hylton LeHoven (My Life as a Mule) and Laurel McGraw (The Tale of the Savannah Coin) pair up for an interview with KKCR host Tracey Schavone.

Also included in the May 3rd event are FOUR MORE local female authors (click on their name for access to their book/s):

Carol A. Peacock-Williams

Dawn Kawahara

Pamela Varma and

Sally Jo Manea

Come out for an evening for FUN!

Children are welcome!

Green Pueo's 5 star review

“Molly becomes a representation of the enlightenment available to anyone, at any moment.”

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OMG, Green Pueo,

That Molly’s story speaks to you so . . . warms the cockles of my heart. <3

Godspeed on YOUR journey, Green Pueo!

May you SPREAD YOUR WINGS WIDE and SOAR to HEIGHTS BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS!

✫Sj✫

* A Pueo is “a subspecies of the short-eared owl that is endemic to Hawaii.

5 star review by Green Pueo on Amazon

“This book came to me when I needed it most. It is a romp through Molly’s pastures as she travels along the road to self-discovery. It is less than a novel and more of a journey, a pilgrimage diary whereby a donkey attempts to determine how he feels about issues of personal priority. Rather than following the opinions of a delightful set of brilliantly written animal characters, Molly listens to echoes of her own inner ear signaling to the reader that we each have that power as well unless we choose to surrender it.

This is a world where animals can speak and make us feel that we have entered a safe space where their actions and decisions impact us in new and surprising ways. We read books to escape our fears and the darkness of everyday life, and this book is a positive way to discover that we each have an inner message we are obligated to share with others.

Not sure if this book is autobiographical, but Molly doesn’t surrender to peer pressure or the ordinary life.

The story is a timeless refreshing breath of simplicity and creativity. I enjoyed the short chapters and fun illustrations.

The imagery the author creates reads like an old mythic tale. The playful dialogue told with simple descriptive prose helped me to picture Molly’s world as being hand drawn. Like the step-by-step lines of the pencil, the “Aha” moment comes only after watching a foundation of underlay develop on the author’s canvas. Molly becomes a representation of the enlightenment available to anyone, at any moment.

Molly speaks for us all, lets us know we are each on a different path and when she speaks, it doesn’t sound exactly like a donkey or a horse. Instead, a mule makes a sound that is similar to a donkey’s but also has the characteristics of a horse, starting with a whinny, and ending with a hee-haw! Therefore at the moment of refusal, disappointment, or when we are faced with self-evaluation, one is capable of ‘waking up’ as an individual and seeing the interconnectedness of everything. Molly not only “whinnys” with lightheartedness but also punctuates her message with Hee Haws in the short chapters of this book. Readers of all ages will most likely discover within ‘My Life as a Mule’ that her voice resonates in much deeper ways.”

MAHALO for sharing Molly’s story with friends!

xoxox Sj xoxox

My Life as a Mule is available through Amazon.

Molly's Epiphany Tea

Molly’s Epiphany Tea

Now available on Kindle.

Kindle version of “My Life as a Mule” now available

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Read “My Life as a Mule” on your phone or tablet.

For only $7.77 you can now get your own Kindle version of My Life as a Mule.

And…the MatchBook price is only $1.99.

What’s MatchBook? A program through Amazon.

Kindle MatchBook:

“For thousands of qualifying books, your past, present, and future print-edition purchases now lets you buy the Kindle edition for $2.99 or less. (Textbooks available for $9.99 or less.)

  • Thousands of books are eligible, including current and former best sellers.
  • Look for the Kindle MatchBook icon on print and Kindle book detail pages of qualifying books. You can also see more Kindle MatchBook titles here or look up all of your Kindle MatchBook titles here.
  • Read the Kindle edition on any Kindle device or with a free Kindle Reading App.
  • Print edition must be purchased new and sold by Amazon.com.
  • Gifting of the Kindle edition at the Kindle MatchBook price is not availabl

Learn more about Kindle MatchBook.”

Mahalo for supporting Molly and her friends!

xoxoxoxo

Simply Molly

Simply Molly

3 Gal Pals EACH Publish a Book in 2018!!!

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And each book is about LOVE!  <3 <3 <3

1. Experience Molly the Mule’s coming of age  (and the realization of the LOVE that she is) in Sj’s book My Life as a Mule

Available at Amazon

“In a five star review on Amazon, Claire Morris-Dobie posted, “It’s tough to pin down Sj’s Mule to a specific audience. I loved it and so did our 9 year old grandson. It’s entertaining and educational on so many levels and for ages eight to 80.

On the surface, it seems like such a straightforward story with adorable talking animals but there is so much more to it. I now see it as a coming of age allegory with family members and everyday joys and mishaps that we can all relate to…There were plenty of times during the read that I had to stop and think about the deeper meaning of a passage.

Sj tells her story using animals just as Orwell did in Animal Farm but thankfully, there are revelations rather than revolutions, and compassion conquers tyranny…This is a sweet and sad, and often laugh out loud read and somewhere in the middle, I forgot all the characters were animals.”

Claire Morris-Dobie, author of Dear God, Got a Minute? and Slam: A New Way to Tell the Truth

2. Join friends, family, and strangers at the table where mostly LOVE is consumed in Timi O’Malley‘s book Consuming Love: The Joy of Sharing Meals.

Available at Amazon.

Author Timi O’Malley

“These wonderful stories take us around the world in Timi O’Malley’s unifying voice of love. The spiritual lessons are rich and gratifying.”

Miranda Macpherson,
author of “The Way of Grace: The Transforming Power of Ego Relaxation” (Sounds True 2018

3. Learn tools to better navigate the loss of a LOVED one (and help make the process more peaceful) in Anne Vlahos’ book, To Die For: The Gifts of Being Present Through Loss and Grief

Available at Amazon

Author Anne Vlahos

“Anne candidly shares not only her pain and anxiety, but her journey to weave together beliefs, spiritual encounters and hope as she faced the deaths of her parents.”

Dr. Heidi Horsely,
Internationally Known Grief Expert, Co-host of the Award-Winning TV and radio show, Open to Hope

 

Three friends. Three unique voices.

ALL sharing the LOVE that they are.

BFFs: Molly & Harriet

Just in time for the Holidays!

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Molly and her many friends look forward to meeting you and sharing your (or your friends’) personal space!

You can now bring Molly’s LOVE into your home by ordering PRINTS of Jocelyne’s most magnificent drawings (feathered in the funny, light, AND deep book, My Life as a Mule).

The unframed prints are available in two sizes: 5×7″ or 8×10“.

There’s even an author’s set if you’re having trouble deciding which ones to pick!

Click HERE and you’ll be taken directly to the the digital store.Mahalo for supporting Molly and her friends. They’re sooooo looking forward to being a part of YOUR life!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

✫Sj✫

Easter Bonnet Molly

Easter Bonnet Molly