Writing Belle: July 2019

Title: Resurrection: Fall of Man

Author: Summer Lane

Series: Resurrection Series #4

Get it on KINDLE and NOOK (in the Barnes and Noble store) !

Synopsis

EVIL HAS A NEW NAME, AND CASSIDY HART IS ABOUT TO FACE HIM DOWN.
Ares.
A single, chilling name. The new face of evil.
Stranded in London with her team, President Cassidy Hart is faced with a new horror as a technological nanovirus begins to spread throughout the globe, driving survivors of the Great War to extreme violence and suicide.

An offer presents itself: meet with Ares, the creator of a wave of technologically-created plagues, and attempt to negotiate for peace.
But peace is only an illusion. Ares is out for blood.

In Greece, Cassidy, Uriah, and their newly minted ally, Ayad, discover the truth about Ares' origins and his plan for the future of the world. The militias try one last time to fight back against the forces of evil...but is it too late? Will Cassidy and Chris reconcile? Can Cassidy forgive Uriah for his previous betrayal? Is there any hope left for the world in the face of this new, terrifying enemy who has sworn to bring about the final fall of man?

Perhaps. The key to protecting the future...is in the past.
The ancient world may hold the answers for Cassidy and her friends' salvation.
Or it may bring the destruction.

The fourth installment in the bestselling Resurrection Series from Summer Lane, the #1 bestselling author of more than 20 hit titles.

THE PRINT VERSION WILL BE AVAILABLE IN AUGUST 2019. THIS RELEASE MARKS THE DIGITAL LAUNCH ONLY.

Thank you so much for supporting my writing dreams and allowing me to continue to go on an adventure with Cassidy Hart and crew! This was a fun book to write, albeit a bit dark. It is longer than the previous installment, and it really digs into the reality of a post-apocalyptic world, and how, sometimes, you have to win some and lose some...before you can really win in the end.

Have fun with this one, and I can't wait to share what I'm working on next with ya'll!

Have a GREAT weekend, and happy reading!

Also a huge shoutout to my proofreaders, ARC reviewers, formatters, and publicity peeps who help me launch every novel. You guys are the BEST! And in case you didn't notice, my rockin' cover artist returned for this installment, and I'm so in love with this cover!

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Here are the facts: I taught writing and grammar for six years. Over the course of those six years, I worked with kids ranging from kindergarten to high school. I specialized in teaching children how to take the imaginative ideas inside their heads and place them on paper in an organized and coherent fashion that both educated and entertained the reader. It was a blast, and I certainly plan to continue doing writing instruction on some level for the rest of my life.

As a writing and grammar teacher, I emphasized the importance of reading above all else. Typically, I would have each of my students read one book per week during the school year (sometimes one book every two weeks if it was a particularly long-winded book), regardless of their age or reading level. If I had a younger student, naturally they would be reading a shorter book. Older students would read more "difficult" books. By the end of each semester, each student would always show a profound improvement in their vocabulary, sentence structure, and creativity. Reading, in many ways, did more for their writing skills than writing itself. Why? Because reading is a doorway to language skills. It's the doorway to structuring a cohesive form of communication. Reading ignites imagination, stimulates intellectual thought and reasoning, expands the reader's internal cache of terminology and wisdom, and best of all: it literally teaches you how to write. Through reading, we learn how to tell a story, and how to create characters who matter to our readers.

Because of the integral part that I believe reading plays in educating children, I am a massive supporter of reading aloud to little ones, even babies. Especially babies, as a matter of fact. I have been reading to my daughter since the day I brought her home, when she was just three and a half days-old. I read everything aloud to her: poetry, board books, magazine articles. Her sharp, inquisitive mind is soaking it all in, and inside her rapidly growing brain, she is cataloging the language skills that reading brings to the table. She's already emulating many word tones and sounds, and although she may not understand what I'm saying to her quite yet, she will. Soon.

I always encourage parents to read to their children. Try not to be offended, but I can't imagine anything worse than giving my child an iPad. Digital stimulation like that is not meant for little minds. Books, board games, fresh grass and basketballs is how a child should grow up, and storytelling is an imperative part of a healthy childhood. Stories relate ideas about the world around us in terms that a child can connect with. A book will not just entertain your kid...but it will educate them, as well. I'm firmly and unyieldingly against young children playing video games or having smart phones (this is my opinion, of course, so feel free to disagree, but I will happily debate this point), as I feel that the stimulation a child receives from the over-the-top graphics and animation of this age will only feed their future boredom. A kid who is only entertained by CGI and iPads is far less likely to be interested in a book than one who doesn't go to the computer for entertainment.

This is all up for debate, of course. There are a lot of studies and articles out there that look at the effects of a modern, digitally saturated world on children (see this article on Psychology Today). In 2018, The Telegraph reported that "Fortnite and other addictive video games can have a similar effect on children's brains as drug abuse or alcoholism, MRI scans reveal." (See the full article HERE) This is a serious matter, friends, and it only makes reading all the more appealing, in my opinion.

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to read to your children. Whether you're a parent or an aunt/uncle, a cousin, a friend, a godmother, a foster parent...whatever you are! Read to your children. Below, I have compiled a little list of my top favorite children's books (and by little, I mean I kept it under 50).

Questions or comments? Please feel free to share your thoughts via Twitter, by tweeting me @SummerEllenLane. Remember to keep your commentary kind and respectful. Thank you, and have a wonderful week!

My Favorite Children's Books

Biscuit, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type, by Doreen Cronin

Duck for President, by Doreen Cronin

The Little House on the Prairie Series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Jamberry, by Bruce Degan

The Giant Jam Sandwich, by Janet Burroway and John Vernon Lord

A Fly Went By, by Michael McClintock

Harry The Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion

Over In The Meadow, by David A. Carter

Corduroy, by Don Freeman

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

Coat of Many Colors, by Dolly Parton

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, by Laura Numeroff

Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey

Pete the Cat Series, by Eric Litwin and James Dean

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter (and all of Potter's works, of course, are beautiful and whimsical)

The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper

The Cat In the Hat by Dr. Seuss (I was particularly fascinated by Wacky Wednesday, Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, and Green Eggs and Ham, when I was a kid)

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

Big Dog, Little Dog, by P.D. Eastman

The Gospel Story For Beginners, by Jared Kennedy

Johnny Appleseed, by Reeve Lindbergh

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You can pick up all of these titles on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Simply visit their website to check out each title!

(I am not being paid to promote any of these. I genuinely love each and every one of these books, and encourage you to add these amazing additions to your home library!)