Ernie 2 is finally here!!

I am so excited to announce that my next children’s fiction book is now officially launched!!

‘Escape from Paradise’ is the second book in the Ernie Gonzales series, third if you count the literacy workbook I created to go with the first book. It’s about a heroic and determined Spanish snail named Ernie.

Ernie first came to life in December 2012 when ‘The Determined Dreamer’ was released, following this came the workbook which was created to pull out the strong morals hidden inside the book to encourage kids to be determined in pursuit of their goals. This new book; ‘Escape from Paradise’ came about by popular request from the pupils I visited in schools and is slightly more edgy than the first. Packed with loads more adventure and exciting twists and turns, this story sees Ernie having to let go of his prized dream garden to rescue his friends before they are cooked and eaten in a giant paella at the summer fiesta in the town of historic Comares. Many young readers have since asked me why is he escaping from paradise, my answer is; you have to read it to find out!

My first book was set the small Spanish village of Vinuela. A stunning place which I was lucky enough to live in for a while. This is where I got my idea for the story and began putting ideas to paper. However it was at least 4 years before I held the finished book in my hands. I began writing ‘Escape from Paradise’ in 2014 after spending time with my family in the beautiful village of Comares situated in the mountains near Malaga, Spain. In this story the snails begin in their home of Vinuela, but when the snails wake up one peaceful morning in their paradise garden they discover a shadow looming over the whole garden. It’s not long before they realise that the shaddow is caused by a chef from a local restaurant who is poised to scoop them all up in a net and carry them off to the Comares Fiesta. Ernie and his grandad; Manuel are left behind and are the only ones who can rescue them from a steaming, spicy fate.

Comares is a beautiful village, a real unexplored gem nestled high up in the mountains, a perfect place to sit and write. The beauty of this village was captured wonderfully by the illustrator; Anait Semirdzhyan, and many of her drawings were inspired by actual pictures of the village.

This book hasn’t event been out at month and kids are already asking me if there will be a third book in the Ernie series. Well I am off to Spain soon so who knows what adventures I will find out that Ernie has been up to since my last visit.

If you would like to read some sample chapters of my books go to: http://www.erniegonzales.co.uk. My books are available on Amazon and Kindle or signed copies via the Ernie Gonzales website.

Created to make a difference!

As the author of 2 kid’s books, soon to be 3 and one of them being a literacy workbook, when I heard about the ‘Read Baby Read’ project I wanted to help.

The ‘Read Baby Read’ project has been set up by The Hillsong Africa Foundation and aims to help improve literacy levels in some of the most deprived schools in Africa, by equipping teachers with educational resources and training.

My life-times dream has always been to help kids who are unfortunate enough to be living in extreme poverty, and having visited Africa a couple of times it has become a place that is special in my heart. I have pondered many ways I could be involved in helping to make a difference out there, however, once I became an author I realised that I could use my books to make a difference. So when I came across ‘Read Baby Read’ I didnt hesitate and got busy fundraising, and ‘Ernie Books 4 Africa’ was created.

‘The Well of Dreams’ was written specifically with this purpose in mind, and also with the purpose to give the young reader an understanding of a different way of life, with the hope of teaching empathy and showing them that everything we do to make a difference has an impact in more ways we can imagine.

Soon I had a short story which I wanted to use to fundraise to send copies of my books to ‘Read Baby Read’, however, I had no idea what to do next or exactly how it could be a fundraising tool, let alone find an illustrator to bring it to life. That’s when I came up with the idea to run an illustration competition. The comp ran from Oct 2015 – Jan 2016 and a total of 5 schools in my local area participated. Each pupil paid £1 to enter and I successfully managed to raise £216 towards ‘Ernie Books 4 Africa’.

I aim to gather enough funds to buy a good few hundred. I also plan to visit the project and help distribute them myself. All the profits raised from the sale of this book will go to send books to Africa, click here, to buy a copy. There is an option to also donate to this project should you wish to.

Thanks and keep believing your dreams!

The entries have arrived!

It’s been a long wait but finally I have all the entries back from my Illustration competition which I launched end of last year. Five primary schools have participated, with pupils mainly from years 3-4, and there are so many amazing illustrations it’s going to be tough to decide. Even with a bit of help from Bazil the scruffy mutt.

The competition raised £218, which is good start and enough to buy a box of books to send out to The Hillsong Africa, Read Baby Read project in Cape Town. However, this is just the first step in this exciting project, as once the winners have been chosen and the book has been created, I will have a book to use as a fundraising tool to hopefully raise more money for the this project.

All money raised will be used to buy copies of my book; ‘Ernie Gonzales: The Determined Dreamer’ and my accompanying literacy workbook (at cost price) to be sent out and distributed to some of the most deprived schools in Africa to help improve literacy levels.

The entries are so good that I have decided to have quite a few runners up and will put them on display in my website www.erniegonzales.co.uk by the end of this week.

Look out for the finished book; ‘The Well of Dreams’, coming soon, it’s going to be amazing!

Thanks to all participating schools; Elmgrove (Harrow), Longfield (Harrow), Edge Grove (Aldenham), St John’s (Harrow), Kenmore Park (Harrow).

If you would like to help this project you can buy a book on behalf of the project at; http://www.erniegonzales.co.uk/apps/webstore/products/show/6608843

 

Kid’s to Illustrate my New Book

As I now have a book and an accompanying literacy workbook under my belt, and another kid’s novel on its way, I felt it would be a good time to make a dream of mine come true. Having always wanted to do something to help children living in extreme poverty and being able to buy copies of my own books at cost price, I realised I had an opportunity in my hands. Soon helping to improve literacy levels in some of the most deprived schools in Africa so children have a chance at a better future became my focus and my dream.

Immediately I began fundraising; Zumba tea parties, a donate button on my website, however, being so busy working on finishing my second kids novel; ‘Escape from Paradise’, I just felt I needed something bigger. I prayed for an idea and left it for a while. Then one day, sitting in the sauna at my gym a great idea came into my mind, you know the ones that make you heart beat fast as you know it’s something wonderful. So with a bit of preparation, and a lot less work than I thought, I wrote a short story about a girl in Africa, set up a competition pack and approached schools in my area inviting them to participate in a competition for pupils to illustrate the story.

I split the book into 16 paragraphs and a paragraph per page, so I could offer pupils a choice from 16 different pages to illustrate. I could picture the book in my head, a wonderful mismatch of kid’s drawings to illustrate a story which teaches gratitude, empathy, faith, hope and determination. I knew the book itself had the power to impact lives in a positive way, however I wanted this project to help in more than one way, so set the competition up with a fee of £1 to enter. This meant that I could use the funds raised to funds the books to go to schools in Africa, and once the goal is completed feedback to school as to the impact they have had.

So far pupils from Kenmore Park, Longfield and Elmgrove have all participated and other schools have recently got on board. I launched it in October last year and since then I have gone into schools to read the story to the kids and I was encouraged by the response from the pupils to such a mature story. It showed to me that kids are more sensitive than we realise to this kind of thing, and have a natural desire to make a difference in the world. When they realised that the very competition they were partaking in was going to help children just like Ann, the girl in the story, I saw a genuine excitement from them.

The story is called; ‘The Well of Dreams’, and is about a young girl from a village in Africa and the struggles she faces living in poverty. Although the story is fictional, I have had many people approach me saying that it reflected their experience of growing up in Africa. Ann, the main character, describes her love of school and learning, something we in privileged countries often take for granted, and how she feels when she is no longer able to go to school and has to work in the fields. The brilliant school Edge Grove, in Aldenham have recently got on board and S. Robinson the Head of lower school, encouragingly said, ‘I think this is such a wonderful initiative as the children get the opportunity to have their illustrations published whilst raising money and awareness for a good cause. When I read through the story with the children, there was clear empathy and sheer delight at the happy ending.’

Every competition needs good prizes, and whilst the reward of making a difference in the lives of children who are really in need is an amazing price in itself, the wonderful effort from the children deserves to be rewarded. So what better prize than having their winning illustration used in the finished printed book and receiving a signed copy from the author, plus their image printed and mounted. Also, I hope to return and share the book with the schools and show photos of the kids in Africa receiving the books.

I came across ‘Read Baby Read’ project at a girl’s conference last year. The project was set up by The Hillsong Africa Foundation, which delivers needs-based projects in slums and impoverished communities. ‘Read Baby Read’, works with schools that have a high need of literacy advancement. ‘Many of the pupils there face extreme socio-economic challenges, including malnutrition, heightened crime, gang prevalence and child-headed households. As a result, the children of these schools often fail to advance in areas of basic education, namely literacy.’ (‘Read Baby Read’ project booklet). The project aims is to equip teachers with literacy resources, support them with reading campaigns, assist with teachers training and help parents by facilitating parenting courses and creating a reading culture from early on. ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’ Nelson Mandela. I also hope to visit the project and help to distribute the books and inspire the kids to engage in reading and creative writing.

Finally I have finished my second novel, and I am now busy running a Crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds needed to publish the book. If my campaign is successful and the next book comes to life, I will be very excited to add the book to my one and the workbook and send to the project. Two stories are better than one! If you would like to help this book come to life go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erniegonzales/escape-from-paradise-a-story-for-all-determined-dr Both books are for 7-11 years-olds the new one, if successfully funded will be released in May with publishing company Instant Apostle. If you would like to find out more about my books and the competition go to: http://www.erniegonzales.co.uk

An amazing entry by Ayanthi from Kenmore Park Junior School, Harrow

Bio: Beth currently lives in Harrow and in between writing and visiting schools, she teaches Zumba Fitness classes and works part-time at Choices 4 All, a charity for young adults with learning difficulties, where she teaches drama and Zumba.

Second Time Lucky!

My second run at a crowdfunding campaign is well under way, and looking like it has a good chance of succeeding.

I am running a campaign to fund the costs of publishing my next book; ‘Escape from Paradise’, an exciting adventure story for 7-11 year olds. I started this journey back in November 2015, on the popular Crowdfunding platform; Kickstarter. It started well and however, as it drew nearer to Christmas thing slowed considerable as people’s thoughts turned to presents. This time its a new year and a new approach; lower target amount.

Having been able to fund the illustrator myself, to get the ball rolling while I run the next campaign, it meant I now had a lower target, making it easier to achieve my goal. I have offered people clearer rewards, including copies of my new book which people will receive before its even out in the shop. However, this time I have added something a little different. I am also fundraising to send copies of my books out to schools in Africa, and knowing that not everyone has a kid in their life to buy a book for, I have added a special reward where backers can buy a book on behalf of a child in Africa.

So good so far, and the campaign is sliding towards its goal at promising pace. If you would like to find out more, back this campaign or even just support it by putting a post on your Facebook (every little helps), then go to; https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erniegonzales/escape-from-paradise-a-story-for-all-determined-dr

Thanks and keep dreaming!!

Beth

New cover Image;

Slip, sliding & squelching to the Sequel!

Following on from my first kid’s book; ‘Ernie Gonzales: The Determined Dreamer’ published in 2012, I decided to continue Ernie’s journey and write about his next adventure. So I got busy typing away on my ipad in various cafes, where possible every day, however little did I realise how much faith and determination would be needed to bring it to life.

After about a year and a half I finally had the finished manuscript in my hands, however, as much as I like to think of myself as a determined dreamer I struggled to see how the finished book would materialize. Firstly because I had no idea how to find someone to illustrate it who is good as the illustrator for the first book; Lisa Buckridge.

Anait

Then one sleepy morning over a cup of coffee I checked Facebook, and a post on a writers group caught my eye. It was from Anait Semirdzhyan, a self taught artist, her post read that she was looking to illustrate her first book. I looked at her art work and I thought it was incredible. Not only did I love her work but I also really admired the fact that she was self taught.  Being a self taught author, I love the whole; ‘Start small, dream bit, believe anything is possible’ philosophy. So quickly, I sent her an email, we clicked straight away and before long we were embarking on the fun and exciting journey of bringing my book to life through the art work. We have now decided on a cover design and this week, as I write, this Anait is working on the final art work to send to the publisher. So I finaly have the first part of the puzzle in place.

First Draft Cover Design by Anait Semirdzhyan

However, now over one hurdle I find myself faced with another; how to fund the project. To make this dream a reality I need to raise all the funds to pay the illustrator for her amazing work, the publisher to work his magic and to buy 350 copies of the book up front. Yes, these days publishing a book cost for those of us who are still working our way up the ladder. After doing the maths, once again seeing this book come to life became suddenly seemed an impossible task, but I can hardly write a book about a determined snail that relentlessly chases his dreams, if I can’t do the same. So after giving it some thought I decided to launch a Crowdfunding campaign, this way people arn’t just donating but they are actually getting something in return and actively being part of the publishing of the book, by pre-ordering a copy. You can see my Campaign by going to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1161983103/the-sequel-to-ernie-gonzales-the-determined-dreame I am so close to reaching my dream and can’t wait to see two years work come to life, to hold the book in my hand and read it to kids.

If you would like to pledge and get yourself a copy, then no worries if you haven’t read the first as its written as a standalone book, then here is how the campaign works; all you need to do now is make a pledge for your chosen amount (as little as £5). Then if the campaign is successful and I gather enough pledges to reach my fundraising goal, only then will the money be taken from your account (after 18th Dec) and you will receive one of only 350 signed copies of my book before it’s out in the shops, plus other goodies.
I have until the 18the Dec to gather pledges and reach my goal, so if you want to support this project then don’t delay as every pledge is one step closer!!
Thanks for your time. Beth

Help me to illustrate my next book!

Hi, I have recently launched a competition for kids 5-12 years and all the poceeds raised from it will fund books to be send to some of the most deprived schools in Africa. I so far have quite a few schools involved and I cant wait to see the entries and to finally be able to send those books out.

31st Jan-CompPoster

Not only is it for a great cause but also the winners will see their drawing in the finished published book (with their name and school), plus other goodies. To find out more info and to download the forms go to; http://www.erniegonzales.co.uk/illustration-competition

Happy drawing!!

Ernie Workbooks now available!

Workbooks and resources for teachers available at: https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=beth+shepherd&type=

Since Ernie Gonzales: The Determined was first published in December 2012, I have been lucky enough to have teamed up with head of literacy and primary school teacher Diana Mendonca, and create some fantastic resources for both parents, children and teachers to use in the classroom and at home for independent study. Last year, the children’s guided reading and comprehension workbook was launched as paperback book, and since then has sold well with children through school visits.

In March this year both the book and workbook was endorsed at the Harrow Literacy Coordinators meeting by Maggie Crawford, English Adviser, Harrow School Improvement Partnership, and here is what she had to say;

‘This story about Ernie Gonzales, a snail who sets out to realize a long-cherished dream, captivates children as they follow his adventures, mishaps and triumphs along the way. Ernie is determined to reach his dream’s end, come what may, taking the reader with him and willing him to keep going through his many setbacks. Beth Shepherd‘s book delights and entertains children while also showing what can be achieved with ambition, patience and perseverance.

The accompanying comprehension book by Beth and Diana Mendonca, a Harrow teacher, English Curriculum and Year 6 Leader, has been tried and tested in her school. Together they have created a range of thought-provoking questions and activities linked to the Assessment Focuses for reading, which accompany each chapter. These activities could be used in class and by individuals at home. They are devised to support the children’s understanding helping them to gain more insight into the theme, characters, setting and plot while also having fun!’

Recently, the book has been uploaded for sale as an eBook, and added to this are two other books; a Teacher Guide and a PHSE guide, both for use within the classroom when using Ernie as a guided read. However, after feedback from schools I have recently added all three books into one to make a copyright free book for schools.

All these books are now on LULU.com (see the link below) for a low price and bulk copies of my book can be brought via http://www.erniegonzales.co.uk I look forward to hearing feedback from teachers who have enjoyed using them it their classroom.

Keep dreaming and believing!

https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=beth+shepherd&type=

My second book published; Elvis; The Cat From Down Under

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426882

Elvis; the cute and lovable cat from down under has arrived!

I am so excited to announce that yesterday afternoon I self my published to SmashWords my first book (my second to be publish, but first self published). What a great feeling, made even better by the fact that by the end of the day yesterday I had already sold my first copy. I wrote these stories years ago and they have just been sitting on my laptop going nowhere, now they are out in the world thanks to E Publishing.

Here is a bit about them:

Elvis is a laid back cat from down under with a passion for food, especially for Vegemite on toast. One day his life is changed for ever when he discovers that he has been shipped off to live in cold and rainy England, with nothing but a toy Kangaroo for company. This is a collection of stories of Elvis’s adventures to get his paws on his one and only love; food, and to somehow find his way back to the warmth of sunny Australia.

 

‘The Arrival’

In this first book of the series, Elvis wakes to enjoy another lazy day in the sun in his much loved home in Australia, however things are strangely turned upside down when he is snatched off by ‘Alien Invaders’ and taken to what he believes is an alien planet. Little does he know he is about to start a new adventure in England.

This is the first book in a series of short stories for kids 7 – 11 years. Available for download for only $0.99 at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426882

Story from my local paper…..

A story to encourage children to dream. Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ernie%20gonzales%20the%20determined%20dreamer&sprefix=ernie+gonza%2Caps%2C511&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aernie%20gonzales%20the%20determined%20dreamer