Fall 2017

 

This year 2017, my canvas paintings and stationary cards for Arkansas cotton was selected to be displayed in the Plantation Agricultural State Museum in Scott, Arkansas.

These are are some of the artwork that is displayed. My father’s first job as a young boy was picking cotton. This state attraction is located south of Little Rock, Arkansas at 4815 AR-161 in Scott.

Rod and I also sang there for the tractor expo, and sold some books, paintings and music.

Then it was time for story-telling and “The Happy Pumpkin” storybook, which I revised this year into a BIG BOOK and added some more art.

I have a great deal of fun reading this story and singing through harvest time, Halloween and into Thanksgiving about a Pilgrim named Jack who sails to the new world to plant a pumpkin seed with a big idea about sharing his pumpkin seeds. A tribute to the American farmer. Oh my, Jack must water through the intense heat and watch over that little sprout through wind and weather till it finally grows to be a huge happy pumpkin. Thank you American farmers for all you do. Jack, like you, had a desire to feed a nation. Then, in his sharing, he receives what he hoped for most, someone to share his life with. Oh the simple pleasures of life- FAMILY! A wonderful book about hard work, sharing and faith. Book also has some healthy pumpkin treats, and see the seeds come out and a jack-o-lantern with a candle made into this happy pumpkin. Celebrate Thanksgiving by reading this book to your family year after year.

click link below to see all my storybooks.

https://www.amazon.com/Carol-Dabney/e/B0056B1AFW

 

Thank you for supporting artists like myself. To all Happy Fall. -Carol Dabney

https://www.amazon.com/Carol-Dabney/e/B0056B1AFW

There were fall festivals and schools and libraries to read and sing at.

I teach music at my school in the mornings, but if you live in central Arkansas, I am available to come and read for your child’s classroom, school assembly or event in the afternoons. Let me know. Have a bless fall.

Holiday Books written and illustrated by Carol Dabney.

Advertisement

Recording character voices at the Studio

Children’s authors Donna Watkins and Carol Dabney working together on audiobook adventures for children.

Rod Ragsdale, Cindy Reyes and I traveled to Austin, Arkansas this month to Blue Chair Recording Studio to record voices for Donna Watkin’s Duck Adventures of Cheese and Quackers. An entertaining children’s story about migrating ducks. Rod had us tickled a couple of times with his British accent as Cheese. Cindy did most of the narration and then added a squeaky high voice for a small tea-cup piglet. I was the voice of the fluffy white duck Quackers with a slow southern draw.
Soon children will be able to listen to the story as well as read offered online at http://www.amazon.com

Recording voices for Donna Watkin’s Duck Adventures of Cheese and Quackers

Carol Dabney and Cindy Reyes having a little fun outside Blue Chair Recording

Here is the story by Donna Watkins.

Also on the audiobook Cheese and Quackers is a inspiring original song called “on The Wings Of Dreams” words by Donna Watkins and music composed by Rod Ragsdale, which accompanies the story.

Summer Music Programs at Clinton’s Children’s Library

Rod Ragsdale and Carol Dabney play music for children’s hour at the Hillary Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center

Carol Dabney and Rod Ragsdale will be playing music during children’s story hour Monday August 3 and Monday August 10th at 10am and 11am Summer Children’s programs at the Hillary Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Dabney and Ragsdale compose and record music and audiobooks for children. They also teach music on request guitar, piano, harmonica and ukulele. They sing at private birthday parties, luaus and special events.

Children enjoy interactive music time with Carol Dabney and Rod Ragsdale June 30

children singing and dancing with Miss Carol

Carol Dabney and Rod Ragsdale having fun playing music for children

Carol Dabney and Rod Ragsdale having fun playing games during story hour at the Children’s Library June 30, 2015

Carol Dabney and Rod Ragsdale will be playing interactive music with children again August 3 and August 10th and 10am and 11am at the Hillary Clinton Children’s Library.

http://www.amazon.com/author/dabneycdbooks

Hale Kula School Readings

Singer – author Carol Dabney visits schools in the Hawaiian Islands from Jan to march 2013 to present her Patriotic program and share a preview of her new holiday books coming this fall. Students at Hale Kula Army Barracks and Stg Yano Library children’s story hour, Kaumana Keikiland, and Ewa Beach Elementary’s Read Aloud America all enjoyed Harold the Christmas Mouse in “Twas The Mouse Before Christmas” “The Happy Pumpkin, Patch” and “Military Mommy”
(pictures provided with permission

Author and singer Carol Dabney reads for Army families in Hawaii March 2013

Author Carol Dabney reads her new bedtime storybook “Twas The Mouse before Christmas” for a classroom at Hale Kula in Feb (6 months before it’s launch date) and introduces Harold, the adorable mouse who stars in the book. He was a big hit with the kids.

Students meet Harold, author Carol Dabney’s Christmas Mouse in her new bedtime Christmas book, “Twas The Mouse Before Christmas”. Learning about writing and illustrations.

Author and singer Carol Dabney using her ukulele to sing “Imagine That America” and a few other fun songs for students at hale kula school March 2013

Lt Melissa Dabney when she was just a cadet graduating from bootcamp in 2006. Her son, Noah came to help her celebrate and show her that he was walking.

Another Military Mommy stops by at the school to pick up her children and enjoys reading Military Mommy

Author Carol Dabney read to students at Schofield Army Barracks about her grandson Noah, who now attends Hale Kula, about his own true story “Military Mommy”

Thanksgiving holiday bedtime story by author illustrator Carol Dabney for elementary school age children. The Happy Pumpkin, Patch about sharing… to be published this fall. Shared a preview with classes at Hale Kula classes.

Learning sign-language to God Bless America

Janet, Hale Kula Librian. Love this wonderful lady. She became my good friend and had a hand in helping me produce “The Happy Pumpkin, Patch” Jan-March 2013

Playing ukulele at Hale Kula School

“Christmas In Your Heart” song produced in the Hawaiian Islands. Composer and Recording Artist Carol Dabney, arranged by Alwyn Erub. on the Picture of You album. available at https://www.amazon.com/author/dabneycdbooks and CdBaby.com

From Janurary through the month of March 2013 I read from classroom to classroom in the Hawaiian Islands. Hale Kula at Schofield Army base in Oahu, and Kaumana Keikiland in Hilo. I read with the Read Aloud America program at Ewa Beach Elementary.

I wanted to thank all the teachers for asking me to read for their classrooms. Thank you also to all the children who wrote cards of thanks to me along with their own artwork.

Every classroom has their own personality set mostly by the teacher in the way she helps her students learn, enjoy and deals with discipline. It’s not easy being a teacher. I know I have been a sub teacher and a resource teacher for over 20 years. Oh the things that can happen when you enter the world of children. I read and I sing a veteran song on my ukulele and show them how to do sign language to “God Bless America”.

I presented my story of Military Mommy at the Army base at Hale Kula school and shared about my grandson Noah and his mom and what its like to be a military family. Of course no child at Hale Kula is a stranger to military life. Some of them have moms, some have dads and yet others have both parents in the military. I express how important the children of military families are. The sacrifice and committment to their American Soldier is their contribution to our country, and they should be proud. The book Military Mommy is about my daughter LT Melissa Dabney and her son. It begins when she leaves for bootcamp at Fort Jackson South Carolina in the summer of 2006. I sent her a picture of Noah every day for 12 weeks. She missed his first steps and his first birthday. Sacrifice, its a big part of an American Soldiers life, as well as their families. The cover photo is of Cadet Melissa Dabney graduating from bootcamp and her getting to see Noah walk for the first time. Then she headed off to AIT for 27 more weeks. At the end of that she returned to Arkansas and finished college, graduating and commissioned a second lieutenant. Then she Noah and I headed off to their first duty station in Hawaii.

I have to say a high praise to the transitional teacher Kelley Jeans and other transitional counselors for helping Noah cope with all the changes of moving from his southern roots to the Pacific Islands. They help children on a daily bases who are coming into the base. With the military, the kids are moving around alot, and it’s tough. Noah and I walked 30 minutes to school every day and walked past Army tanks at the Tropical Lighting Museum, as well as soldiers marching in Army gear. We created the Military Mommy story together on those walks. I read at the schools about Noah, at the end they will often asked, “Where is Noah now?” well he is in second grade at Hale Kula. Because of those questions I wrote a series called “The Adventures of Noah” Cadet Dabney has been LT Dabney and working as rear support for the unit while they went Afghanistan. Soon Melissa will be captain and she and Noah will be moving to their next duty station.

I got alot of great advise from Hale Kula’s librarian Janet. She and I just hit it off and she suggested a smaller chapter book size for my newest holiday Thanksgiving bedtime story book “The Happy Pumpkin, Patch”

I brought my little Christmas mouse into the classrooms to showed the children my Christmas book “Twas The Mouse Before Christmas” Harold was a hit! In Fact the children asked me to read it, so I previewed the story in Feb (6 months before the launch date) Imagine that, Christmas in Feb. it was fun for all. The kids loved touching Harold and taking pictures wuth Harold too. When I left I received mail asking me, “How is Harold doing?”

Harold came to me at my sister’s cabin in Northern California during Christmas time and he was sitting next to my bed stand when I woke up one morning. It was snowing outside my window and it was magical. My sister barbara and I helped Harold bake the chocolate chip cookie recipe that is in the back of the book and I must say they turned out delicious. The book is bilingual written in Spanish, translated by my sister in law Cindy Reyes. The book also has a wonderfully fun original Christmas song I released several years ago. The song “Christmas in your Heart” is doing well in Europe and plays in Germany all year round. It’s very exciting.

I retunred back to the studio in Honolulu to record audiobooks of my Christmas bedtime storybook with old friend arranger Alwyn Erub, who will be the musician and engineer on the project.

https://www.amazon.com/author/dabneycdbooks
CdBaby.com
caroldabney.wordpress.com
Carol Dabney online shop at Etsy.com

to contact Carol for readings at your school email at carol.dabney@yahoo.com

Author Linda Nance

Author, illustrator,story-teller, friend

Author Linda Nance and I met at the Jonesboro Library author’s meet and greet some years ago. Since then she has mentored me and many others in the Northeast Arkansas Writers Club that meets once a month (and other times just for fun.) She calls me to encourage and shares everything she knows freely. Whenever I call to ask her questions, she always stops whatever she is doing and we talk for hours. She’s fun and informative and she writes the most interesting ideas about life and other things that I would never have thought to write about. I know that you will enjoy her many wonderful stories and books. http://www.amazon.com Linda Nance.

More About the Author
› Visit Amazon’s Linda Nance Page
Biography
Linda Nance writes, paints, loves arts and crafts but is inspired by the love of family and friends especially those grandchildren.

Linda writes many things including Novels, short stories, poetry, essays and many other writing pieces. The covers to her books reflect her love of art as she shares drawings, sketches, photos and some of her paintings. She feels she can create something special from cover to cover and share it with all.
Her writing has versatility to tell a good story to entertain while sharing other things with the reader. In some of the stories she hopes the tales will also inspire thought concerning many issues that may be problems at one time or another in life.

Her books themselves are her way of making her dreams come true and an example to others to never give up with their own dreams.
——————————————————————————————–
Book Description
Publication Date: March 7, 2012
Life is a journey. There are times that the path is smooth and well traveled and others it seems steep and difficult…but if we do not give up, there is so much more that awaits us. I love to paint paths that lead to ?… I hope they will lead to where we need to go in life. I hope there is love, hope, happiness, and wonderful new things that await us at the end. I want to look for and find the beauty in life and find love and hope. This book is not just the wonderful moments to show only the smiling, happy, marvelous and inspirational times…I am trying to make it real and share a piece of my heart, life, thoughts, feelings and so much of who and what I am. This may be my story, but I hope in sharing it you will find meaning, hope and knowledge that we will not give up…Not today. This book is shared from the heart.
——————————————————————————–
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Linda Nance writes, paints, loves arts and crafts but is inspired by the love of family and friends especially those grandchildren. Linda writes many things including Novels, short stories, poetry, essays and many other writing pieces. The covers to her books reflect her love of art as she shares drawings, sketches, photos and some of her paintings. She feels she can create something special from cover to cover and share it with all. Her writing has versatility to tell a good story to entertain while sharing other things with the reader. Her books themselves are her way of making her dreams come true and an example to others to never give up with their own dreams. The author explains: Life is a journey. There are times that the path is smooth and well traveled and others it seems steep and difficult…but if we do not give up, there is so much more that awaits us. I love to paint paths that lead to ?… I hope they will lead to where we need to go in life. I hope there is love, hope, happiness, and wonderful new things that await us at the end. I want to look for and find the beauty in life and find love and hope. This book is not just the wonderful moments to show only the smiling, happy, marvelous and inspirational times…I am trying to make it real and share a piece of my heart, life, thoughts, feelings and so much of who and what I am. This may be my story, but I hope in sharing it you will find meaning, hope and knowledge that we will not give up…Not today. This book is shared from the heart.

——————————————————————————–
Review
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating essays observations and experience, May 5, 2012
By S. Deeth “Sheila Deeth” (OR, USA) – See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME) Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: I Will Not Give Up… Not Today… Life Is A Journey (Kindle Edition)
I don’t read many memoirs, but this mix of memoir, essay and depiction of the road to publication is a very pleasing book to dip into, and I valued the chance to get to know the author better. Linda Nance has had many reasons to give up but, deciding in mid-life that “I’m not dead yet,” she decides to go to college and hone her writing skills, publishing novels with Createspace, and now adding this memoir to her repertoire.

“A person is many things,” says the author, and we define ourselves by profession, salary, or what other people call us. Wives and mothers will easily relate to the author’s vital commitment to family. But, more than mother and wife, more than survivor of cancer and car wreck, Linda Nance is a keen observer of the beauty of the world, and a woman who’s always wanted to write.

The story of the author’s recovery from injury is harrowing and inspiring. Her interaction with a small child who tries to hide from her “monster” face is a high-point of this book, and offers wise lessons for all. And her “old lady cranky” self as she deals with university bureaucracy is pleasingly real and forgiving. The author likes happy endings. Sounds good to me. And she writes a happy middle in this book, not giving up.

Disclosure: I was lucky enough to get a free ecopy of this book. reviews
__________________________________________________________________________________
Review
5.0 out of 5 stars Such an Inspiration!, April 28, 2012
By Sage – See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: I Will Not Give Up… Not Today… Life Is A Journey (Kindle Edition)
I just couldn’t put this book down! If you are facing any struggle in your life this is the book to read. Linda shares in detail her struggles and pain through situations that seemed insurmountable and yet she survived. This book really puts things in perspective and you will want to read it from cover to cover.
——————————————————————————————————–
Review
4.0 out of 5 stars From the heart, April 16, 2012
By Mrs. Ma Taylor Darko – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: I Will Not Give Up… Not Today… Life Is A Journey (Volume 1) (Paperback)
After reading Linda’s book I felt humbled. What she passed through is enough to break anyone and yet she continues to have faith and strength. I have learnt from this book that nothing is impossible if you believe and nothing is impossible if you have love around you. Never give up! Linda, you make my complaints seeem so insignificant…I will also not give up, not today or ever. Life truly is a journey….Thank you for the inspiration
———————————————————————
review
5.0 out of 5 stars Arkansas Reviewer, February 27, 2012
By Arkansas Reviewer – See all my reviewsThis review is from: I Will Not Give Up… Not Today… Life Is A Journey (Kindle Edition)
Nance is at it again, writing top notch reads. Nance is very eclectic in her writings, from children’s books to suspense novels, and now, this heart grabbing true life memoir of her struggles through cancer and serious car accident which could have left her debilitated, yet, she would not give up on life. She especially would not give up on her dreams. One of those dreams was to become a writer. And, become a writer she did. This book is very inspirational. It encourages people to never give up on life nor their dreams whatever comes their way. I highly recommend this read.
______________________________________________________________________________________–

From Linda: Linda Nance Blog
When I published that first book I told my family, if I managed to survive I was going to one day fill a whole book shelf with the very best books I could write. They smiled tolerantly and with worried expressions were concerned with living and staying alive from day to day.

It seemed as if I have fought for so many years to stay alive. Even with the excitement of the book Danny I had the idea for the book I Will Not Give Up…Not Today…Life Is A Journey and could not get it out of my mind. I was not sure what I wanted to write because the idea of writing my own story had never entered my mind. It was more the opposite. There are some things in life we may survive but do not always want to focus on and dwell with such intensity as to find words to describe and explain. We lived it once and do not want to live it again.

Why then did I write the book? I felt I had to write it and hope it would do more than entertain or tell my story. I wanted and want it to help others.

When I wrote the other books I wrote and rewrote and edited. I added or deleted and worked for a long time. I even went back to school before I finished the first novel to try and learn more to make my writing more than what I had been able to accomplish. When I wrote this book it was different. It was very different. I was not creating a book, I was sharing heart and soul.