New Story Release! Fibbing Fisherman

New Release! The fifth book in the Devonians children’s series ~ check it out!

November 25, 2018

New Story Release!

 

Greetings!  I’m so excited about the fifth book in the Devonians Series!  One of my illustrators (Rebeccah) did an amazing job of sketching out a scene for cover art again! This time her scene sketch is within the village of Covenant instead of along the banks of the Creek.  It’s currently available in ebook format on nook and kindle.

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The Devonians are space castaways who have developed a colony on a strange new planet (they name it Devonia).

This newest story, Fibbing Fishermen, begins after Alena’s Baby.

Michael Summers, who loves to go fishing, is listening to a Meeting lesson about Peter and the other fishermen who followed Jesus long ago on Earth.  He starts daydreaming about going fishing.  He knows they will have a long week or two of planting tubers so figures he’d better go fishing right now!  But he doesn’t get permission.

For a peek into this newest story, read this excerpt from “Fibbing Fishermen!

The big barn was open at the middle with the two big ladders and as tall as three houses stacked together!  Michael had three fishhooks in his pocket. He always carried stuff in his pockets.  He discovered a roll of the very slender braided twine in the big barn.  While he was cutting two lengths of the twine that were twice as long as his arms outstretched, as his dad had taught him, Stephen Taylor showed up.

“What are you doing with fishing twine?” Stephen demanded.

Michael froze.  He stammered, “nothing, why?”

“Nothing?” Stephen snorted, “looks like you’re going fishing to me.”

Michael didn’t say anything for a moment.

“If you let me go along, I won’t tell your dad,” Stephen offered.

“You don’t have permission to go fishing,” Michael said.  He started looping the cut twine into a coil.

“Neither do you.”

Michael stammered, “I’m just fixing stuff.”

“You’re lying.”

Michael weighed his options quickly.  No, he hadn’t yet left the meetinghouse grounds, so he wasn’t technically doing anything wrong yet.  He could stop now and go back to listen with the others.  But then he remembered how much work there was to come in the next week or two and how he wouldn’t get another chance to go fishing until all of the planting was done.

“I’m going to Ice Cube Creek to help with dinner,” Michael sighed, “two fishermen would catch more fish.”

Stephen smirked.  He knew Michael didn’t have permission either.

The two boys sneaked off to the creek with their fishing gear.

 

Michael wasn’t sure what time it was, but his stomach was saying it was nearly suppertime.  He’d skipped out on lunch, anyway.  But they hadn’t caught any fish.  His excuse didn’t really work without any fish.  Michael was wondering if God had ordered all the fish to stay away from the two disobedient boys when a rustling disturbance pulled him from his thoughts.

 

… (be sure to find out what “disturbance” they encounter and continue reading Fibbing Fishermen here!  Or browse all my titles and formats here!)

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

 

New Release: Alena’s Baby

March 28, 2018

New Story Release!

Yippee!  My illustrator team (Christina and Rebeccah) did some awesome cover art again! This time for the fourth story in The Devonians series!  It’s currently available in ebook and paperback format.

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The Devonians are space castaways who have developed a colony on a strange new planet (they name it Devonia).

This newest story, Alena’s Baby, begins a few days after the end of A Foundling Furball.

It seems that Joseph Taylor has been leaving his work because he knows his younger brother, Charley, will do it.  Charley thinks he’s tricking Joseph into having to take him fishing in the afternoon since he does Joseph’s chore.  Both boys think they are tricking the other; they are manipulating, and that isn’t right.

Alena and her sister, Janine, and brother, Michael, are taking care of Tawny, Alena’s baby dengee.  The children had rescued her from Ice Cube Creek (this story is in A Foundling Furball!) a few days ago and want to ask the council for permission to raise her.

In the afternoon, while Janine is catching a fish that almost takes her into the creek, the Taylor children’s father comes and gets to meet Tawny.

For a peek into Devonia, read this excerpt from “Alena’s Baby!

“I’m always funny,” Janine giggled, made a funny face that only little sisters can make, and skipped back toward the house. 

Sandy smiled.  “Michael,” he grabbed the attention of both boys and Alena, “Tawny is a growing infant.  Think about how most babies grow.  They grow far more quickly in their first few weeks with the growth rate slowing down as the baby ages.”

Sandy balled his fist, “see, if you could draw a circle around the first joint in her paw like a fist, that’s approximately the size of her stomach.”

“Wow,” Joseph gasped.

“Don’t baby animals digest milk quickly so sometimes they eat more than their stomachs can hold?” Alena asked.  She remembered something about that from raising the rejected lambs.

“Very good,” Sandy nodded, “yes, they do.  Milk is usually a perfect food for the baby.  Since this is Brown-Sheep milk and Tawny is a dengee, she may not digest it as easily as she would her mother’s milk, but she’s appearing to do rather well.”

“So, we should feed her until she doesn’t want any more?” Michael asked.

“Yes sir,” Sandy nodded, drawing out the word “sir” into two syllables, “she won’t take any more than she needs.  You have to care for her completely until she can eat herself,” Sandy reminded as he stroked the tiny blind creature.  Tawny mewed gently, pawed Sandy’s hand, and attempted sucking on his knuckle.  Sandy chuckled, “once she opens her eyes, she’ll start to get some independence.”

“Daddy,” Alena sighed, “she can’t even crawl well yet, she scoots like she’s swimming.”

“And lambs are not born blind.” Michael added.

“They are up walking just after they are born,” Joseph remembered.

“Yes,” Sandy was walking about, checking the lambing boxes to see if any ewes had birthed, the children trailing behind him. “In the wild, Brown-Sheep are born in the meadow or forest without any protection so they have to be able to follow the herd.  Dengees stay in one area and mark a section for their den where the pups are born and cared for until they can leave to join the pack.”

“So how long do you think Tawny will be an infant?” Alena asked.  Michael had refilled the bottle with a little milk and returned it to Alena.  She was now feeding her gurgling dengee pup.

“A few days at least,” Sandy replied, “maybe a few weeks; we’ve never been able to study a dengee pup.”

“So you’ll be my baby for a long time,” Alena whispered to the brown-tan blob of soft fur.

… (continue reading Alena’s Baby here!  Or browse all titles and formats here!)

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

 

New Paperbacks!

Introducing the paperback versions of The Brown Sheep Prank and A Foundling Furball!

January 17, 2018

New Paperback Books!

Introducing the paperback versions of The Brown Sheep Prank and A Foundling Furball!  These two short chapter books are parts 2 and 3 in The Devonians (following #1, Daydreamer).

Christina Tart did the illustrations except for Rebeccah’s design of Tawny, the “foundling furball” in book 3.

The Devonians are space castaways who have made their own life on a new planet called “Devonia” in a village named “Covenant.”  Each book follows the adventures of some of the younger colonists.  Daydreamer introduced the Taylor family with their five boys and baby Rose.  The Brown Sheep Prank highlights on the Summers’ family farm because Alena’s family keeps the only herd of Brown-Sheep.  Alena Summers and Joseph Taylor are best friends.  Alena gives readers a tour of her snug little house and you get to see where Alena, her two sisters, and younger brother, Michael, sleep.  In A Foundling Furball, the older of the Taylor and Summers children find a strange orphan animal at their favorite fishing spot!  Matthew Taylor and Janine Summers have a fun way to catch fish using teamwork.   Mr. Summers, Alena’s dad, tells the children stories as he tries to decide what they have to do with this unexpected little creature.

Enter the world of Devonia and be ready for engaging stories of adventure and friendship.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

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