The Day After Christmas

My family and I made it on time to Mass Christmas morning, and we spent the rest of the day quietly at home with extended family.

I'm excited that my website (http://www.estherlocascio.com/) is up! Many thanks to Chuck and Chris!!!

Thanks to Sarah for decorating my blog!

Time Flies!

Where do I start? So much has happened in just a few days!

I received a small batch of books a few days ago, and just today I spoke to some students about my career as an author! Of course, I explained that being an author is a new career for me and I've only written one book.

My book, Ebram's Story: Book 1, The Haunting, is now available for purchase on my publisher's website, http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61566-164-0. It has an official release date of February 23, 2010.

November News

It's that time of year when darkness sets in early and falling temperatures chill the night air. Thanksgiving will be celebrated next week, and then the Christmas season will be in full swing!

My book, Ebram's Story: Book 1, The Haunting, is nearing the end of the production cycle. This means a release date will be scheduled soon, and I will be attending book signing events!

The book is targeted at the 10 to 13-year old age group, but an audio version is coming soon that will make it attractive for readers of all ages. The book includes an e-Live feature, or free download of the audio version of the book! The book can also be purchased as an ebook download directly from my publisher.

The story's strengths lie in its:

• Promotion of strong family values
• Highlighting of challenges faced by students in a middle school environment
• Embracement of cultural diversity
• Promotion of community service

New October

My book is almost at the end of the production phase. It will also be available as an audio book, and I enjoyed listening to reading selections from prospective narrators. Chuck and I chose three we thought were right for this particular book, and Tate Publishing will choose one of the three to narrate an abridged version of the book.

September News

We finally got some rain! It's brought the morning temperatures down a little bit, just in time for fall.

I'm waiting for my editor to send the final draft of The Haunting. The manuscript was originally around 75,000 words, and I brought it down to around 55,000 before I sent it to my publisher. In its final form it will be reduced further, to about 46,000 words.

Next Step

The kids are back in school, adjusting to a new routine. Hard to believe, but football season is already in full swing; the first high school game will be held Friday!

It's been a busy month, but I did meet my Aug. 15th deadline. While my manuscript is back with the publisher, I plan to work on a webpage.

New Book Title

I'm almost halfway in making changes to my book. It will get a new title, Ebram's Story: Book 1, The Haunting. The Shroudas will not be the focus of the other books I plan to write in the series, hence the title change.

Shroudas are members of a youth group of various Christian denominations who serve their communities through service projects.

Read the book to learn more!

Blog Break

My editor has given me a tight deadline of Aug. 15th for editing and revising, so I will be focusing on changes to my book from now until then. It will be a busy two weeks because Sarah and Matt have Open House at their schools. Time to get ready for back-to-school already!

Book Edits

My manuscript was in the editing phase in July, and just yesterday it was returned for improvements. There's a lot to do before the book hits the market!

In the first chapter, readers will learn that the Casas-Treski children grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. As a former military family, one of our assignments was next door to Omaha, Nebraska. We think fondly of the Midwest; it's a great part of the country for raising a family.

The children's maternal grandparents, fluent in Spanish, hail from Mexico. But the children themselves don't know much Spanish. Neither do my kids.

Book for Middle School Students

I've written my first children's book titled, Shroudas: Book 1, Ebram's Story. It's a fictional work with parallels to real personal experiences. The main character is Ebram Casas-Treski, a lively sixth grader who signs up for band so he can learn how to play the saxophone. As part of a musical family (who play trumpet, baritone, trombone, piccolo, guitar, piano, drums, clarinet, and saxophone), it was only natural for Ebram to be a musician, too.

Musical Family

We are a family of 6: Mom, Dad (Chuck) and four kids--Remy, Chris, Matt, and Sarah. Remy and Chris are local college students, Matt is in high school, and Sarah is in middle school.

A couple of years ago, Sarah was assigned a school project to make a visual symbol of our family to share with the class. She crafted a mobile with pictures of various musical instruments hanging on strings. It's definitely a symbol that fits us well!