Celebrating children with a short story and a novella FREE today only on Amazon ....

Today I am celebrating children by offering two of my Kindle Books Free.  I hope you and your children will enjoy these stories.  They are Free today only on all the Amazon sites.

AT THE EDGE OF HIS WORLD is a story written for children. Gerald is a chipmunk who quite enjoys living inside the garden wall. One day a big loud tractor arrives and the men start tearing down the wall. Oh dear! Whatever will Gerald do to save his home?

 

My story for children "At The Edge of His World" is off to a good start today in the Kindle Store. I hope you and your children will enjoy it.

#6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature

  At The Edge of His World is a short story and Beyond The Blue is a novella.

BEYOND THE BLUE is a coming of age novella. 12 year old Anthony Breckenheimer is a clever boy with blue eyes, red hair and like his father he is a little on the chubby side. He lives in the big City of Toronto with his mother, his little brother Ronald and his little sister Leona. His father died a year ago and Anthony misses him greatly especially when he is confronted by bullies on his way to and from school; the biggest and baddest one being Jerry Hasselbergen. One day while in his classroom Anthony discovers a magical window. What he sees through this window and beyond the blue changes his life forever.

Both these stories are FREE today only. I hope you and your children enjoy these stories and I appreciate your positive review on Amazon if you do.

My author page on Amazon is found at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

Kindle Books Free today and tomorrow ...........

Check it out!  Free today on all Amazon sites is the Kindle edition of one of my short stories titled, “The Face In The Mirror”.
Free tomorrow is the Kindle edition of my coming-of-age novella titled “Beyond The Blue”.
Enjoy the reading and thanks in advance for your positive review on Amazon. 

Self - publishing .............

My thanks to Liam Webb for sharing the following information on Linked In.   Wynterblue Publishing Canada has published my novels but I am beginning to realize I am in good company as I carry on self-publishing my novellas and short stories which, by the way, can all be found at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin  

" if self-publishing didn't exist, we wouldn't have works from the following, and in some cases, we wouldn't have the following names at all: Margaret Atwood, L. Frank Baum, William Blake, Ken Blanchard, Robert Bly, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lord Byron, Willa Cather, Pat Conroy, Stephen Crane, e.e. cummings, W.E.B. DuBois, Alexander Dumas, T.S. Eliot, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Benjamin Franklin, Zane Grey, Thomas Hardy, E. Lynn Harris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest Hemingway, Robinson Jeffers, Spencer Johnson, Stephen King, Rudyard Kipling, Louis L'Amour, D.H. Lawrence, Rod McKuen, Marlo Morgan, John Muir, Anais Nin, Thomas Paine, Tom Peters, Edgar Allen Poe, Alexander Pope, Beatrix Potter, Ezra Pound, Marcel Proust, Irma Rombauer, Carl Sandburg, Robert Service, George Bernard Shaw, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Upton Sinclair, Gertrude Stein, William Strunk, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoi, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Virginia Woolf."

Books by Audrey Austin - Canadian Author -- available through Amazon.com

A little bit about me .........

My name is Audrey Austin and I am a Canadian author.  I was born and raised by my parents in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

 I often describe myself as one who tends to do everything backward.   At a very early age I married and before long my two daughters arrived. Having only a high school education I waited until my children were grown before going back to school. I attended University of Toronto and later graduated from Transformational Arts College.  I have lived in Toronto & its suburbs; Prince Edward Island and in New Zealand.  I have enjoyed other international travel but only as a tourist in countries such as Thailand; Korea; Bahamas; Bermuda; Columbia, Puno and Cartagena in South America.  I have held several jobs throughout my life but basically I held the positions of legal transcriptionist; teacher and psychospiritual practitioner in private practice.  

 I always wanted to write and I did write in a small way as a hobby but I never made any attempt at publication.  It was not until I retired at an uncertain age that I finally made the promise to myself that I would fulfill my dream of being an author.  Since that day I have worked very hard though it does not feel like work.  I love creative writing and how can something one loves so much be classified as work? I have written novels, novellas, short stories, some of which are in anthologies, and some, like Daniel, which dare to stand alone.  Drawing on my experience as a teacher/therapist I put together what is so far my only book on personal growth.  

To date on Amazon I have available forty-two offerings which include novels, novellas, an anthology, a self-help book and many short stories.  My current work in progress is book number seven; a novel titled Crabapple Court .     My author page on Amazon is found at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin


I have also compiled three books titled SOCIAL STUDIES - Books One, Two and Three .  I am in the process of formatting these books and soon I will be uploading them to Create Space.  Once this is achieved my book count will have reached ten.

I have no diplomas or degrees in creative writing.  I have only the imagination and the desire to allow the wonderful characters I create the freedom to express and the time to tell their stories.  I do my best to keep up with the characters and I hope you will enjoy what I write."

IN THE FOREST - a narrative poem

I like to write novels, novellas and short stories. Occasionally I also like to try my hand at poetry. Tomorrow only one of my poems; a narrative poem that is 15 pages long will be free on Amazon.

It is a challenge to write a lengthy narrative poem particularly one that examines spousal abuse in a young couple's marriage. IN THE FOREST won first place in a WynLit 24 writing competition and has been previously published by Wynterblue Publishing Canada in an anthology titled Confab 2.

For something a little different I hope you enjoy reading my poem tomorrow. You can find it at any Amazon site. My author page is at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

Self-publishing - a new adventure on Create Space ....

Does self-publishing diminish a writer's work? In my opinion, for whatever it's worth, definitely not. A story is written. It is published. Whether it is published by an independent author or a publishing entity doesn't increase or decrease the value of the story. With rare exceptions it is my understanding that indie authors earn as much or as little as those hired by a publishing house. As for me at my age it seemed ridiculous and a waste of my time to spend it soliciting publishers with my stories. I am grateful to Wynterblue Publishing Canada Inc. who have been my great support. Soon I plan to self-publish for the first time on Create Space. I hope I don't mess it up. My joy is in the writing and I am grateful to be living in this wonderful age where I can pursue my joy and share the results with others all around our world. My hat is off to writers everywhere; whether you are an indie author or otherwise. Keep that ink flowing and God bless us all,

SOCIAL STUDIES - Books 1, 2 and 3 are coming soon via Create Space

It is very exciting for me to announce that very soon I will be self-publishing on Create Space (for the first time) a trilogy of short story anthologies each focusing on Social Issues.

Special thanks goes out to Susan Ruby K. for her amazing cover designs.  Check out her website at http://yuneekpix.com  

 

 

I currently have an anthology of short stories titled The Silent Star plus a Dozen available in Kindle format on Amazon

 

My author's page on Amazon is found at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

Participation in Creative Connections 4 ...

Participation in this year's Creative Connections 4 Opening Reception and Exhibition is an honour, a privilege, not to mention lots of fun.

I participated in two projects.  The first oroject was with artist Susan Krupp whose amazing work can be viewed at Yuneekpix.com   This collaboration was such a pleasure.  Inspired by Susan's designer umbrella I wrote a short story for children titled The Last Drop which is now available at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin   

Susan designed the book's cover and created the illustrations throughout.

What a special treat it was to have the story book read by eight year old, Grace Catherine Crocker who is an award winning public speaker.  Her performance wowed the audience at the CC4 Reception.

 

 

 

 

 



The second project I was involved with was a first for me.  I was thrilled to write the lyrics to a song; music composed by John Cal, professionally known as Johnny Tyger.  

The song is titled Listen To Love.   At our CC4 Reception John gave an amazing performance before a very appreciative audience.   It was pure joy.

John R. Cal / Johnny Tyger

There were many amazing projects undertaken by the authors, visual artists and performing artists of Elliot Lake.  

It was an enjoyable talent-filled afternoon and I am very grateful to be a part of this great event.   

Here is a photo of all the artistic participants.

 

 

The Creative Connections 4 Exhibition is on display until March 15th at the Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre, Highway 108, Elliot Lake.   Take some time out to visit the Exhibition.  You will be glad you did.  Some of the art pieces are for sale.

And CD or MP3 players are there for you to enjoy the music created by local artists.

While you are in the Civic Centre visit the Gallery At The Centre where you will discover outstanding art work created by local artists on display for your pleasure and enjoyment.

Author/artist Susan Ruby Krupp's Umbrella Exhibition will be an exciting adventure .. hope to see you there ....

Marlon de Souza on Homelessness

Homeless

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Just another average person

This morning I got on the train and right there on one of the seats was a homeless man, with a trolley filled with his stuff, numerous giant plastic bags and a couple of smaller ones. He smelled. I looked away from him as I wanted to get away, to another car, or at least to the other end of the car I’d entered. I don’t know how he came to be homeless, or if he was mentally and psychologically beyond being able to help himself. He probably was. What can I do for him, more than helping him with a dollar or some food, I thought. I found a seat about twenty feet away and kept leaning forward to see his face, but he was hunched over. There were other people seated closer to him. Like me, no one did a thing. No one can do anything, I thought, to bring about lasting change to someone in this situation. Unless you dedicate all your energy to saving someone. Then maybe. But if they’re not saving themselves or if they’re not able to or have any desire to, what then? What can be done? What can be done? What can be done if, like me, you choose to not devote all you have to helping the homeless or those in need who cannot help themselves? I don’t know. It’s a good question to contemplate on, I now feel.

I looked into my bag to see if I had a piece of fruit or food I could share, but all I had was bread and an avocado. And I didn’t want to give away all my bread and the man had no teeth, I remembered from the very brief glimpse I got of him earlier. I was aware I was justifying my not wanting to share the bread I really liked. But also, when I’ve tried to share my food with toothless homeless people, they’ve often declined the food and asked for money instead. I wanted to go up and talk to the man but what if he didn’t want to talk to me? I didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the other people in the car, people I would never again see and whose opinion of me did not and should not matter. But it also could have been intrusive to go up and talk to a homeless person just because the person is homeless…what if he saw it as pity, what if it was pity – I don’t like to be pitied when I’m down, not sure that others do…it’s not like I was sitting next to him and starting a conversation just like that.

I decided to give him some money instead. My stop was coming up, so I walked up to the door nearest the man and gave him the money. He thanked me in what sounded like a female voice. I looked at the person’s face. It was a woman. She was old and wrinkled and she had no teeth. She looked tired and weary. She looked at the bill I gave her. I tried to not stare at her and instead looked at her from my peripheral vision. I wanted to talk to her…to talk to her. I looked out from the corner of my eye to see if others would be inspired to give her money too. No one else did, at least not until I got off the train. I wish I could have spoken to her for a little bit. I wonder if she feels alone. I wonder how she feels. I’ll never know. I realized that even if I gave her a hundred dollars, it probably would not change her situation. Still, it’s not enjoyable to have no place to live and no one to take care of you or to be unable to take care of yourself. No one consciously chooses to be homeless. Things happen. It could be me. It could be me. I wish you comfort and peace, lady.

© 2014 Marlon de Souza. All rights reserved

Marlon de Souza writes. Among his teachers are water bodies, Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, e.e. cummings, Pete Seeger, His Royal Highness Wolfgang the First, Leonard Cohen, and his friend and dog-child, Jules. More of his work can be found on
http://www.facebook.com/l/pAQGfxNsiAQE0c8RxHivSrRnbijiqPHUQCpLjPViF3mrJyQ/www.JustAnotherAveragePerson.com

My thoughts on PSWs and nursing/retirement homes

Personal Support Workers in hospitals and especially in retirement homes are overworked and underpaid.  It is painful to think of the terrible fire in Quebec where there are 52 people; some in walkers and wheelchairs; some who cannot move fast enough to escape the fire. On staff  we are told there were only two people. Do we really think two people should be able to handle 52 patients in an emergency situation at night? Are the staffing odds any better here in Elliot Lake? We expect way too much of our PSW's. And yet we pay them a pittance for providing a much needed service. Don't we care about our mothers and our grandmothers; our fathers and our grandfathers?  Don't we want them to have the best possible care in their very old age?   Certainly we want them to have better care than they are receiving, don't we?  And don't we care about the people who take on the job of caring for them? I guess not. For shame!

I've never been a PSW but I can imagine that if I were I would not want to be one of only two people on staff at night ....... or imagine, horror of horrors, being the only staff person on duty at night. Elderly people do not always sleep soundly and also it is said that the older we get the less sleep we require. I don't picture the one or two PSW's having little to do throughout a night. Staffing in all retirement homes should be at a higher level overnight in my opinion. It is a shame that most elderly people dread the thought of having to go into a home in their very old age. We need to do better for our elders in this country. 

PSW's need to be more highly paid and respected for the training they have received and for the work they carry out. Privatized and indeed all retirement homes need to have more strict inspections and higher standards for their residents and for their staff.

Possibly things are relatively quiet between midnight and 5 a.m. but few PSW's work less than an eight hour shift ..... and when they are not interacting with patients I understand they are kept busy doing housework and laundry. I can't comment on conditions in U.S. but here in Canada I know that generally speaking the personal support workers are overworked and definitely underpaid for all that they are expected to do. From the standpoint of safety I believe that more than two people should be working the night shift and I believe it should NEVER  be one person on her/his own. What if that one person is ill or endangered in any way? Big change is needed in retirement homes; especially those that are privatized. And all nursing/retirement homes should have functioning sprinkler systems throughout. 

The fact that half the sprinklers in the Quebec retirement home were not working has resulted in an even greater tragedy.  

My heart and my thoughts are with these  residents and with their families.

And my thoughts and respect are with the personal support workers across this country who dedicate themselves to caring for our elders.  Their business is to offer support.  How sad that they receive such little support in return for all that they do for us.

While I have been discussing PSWs who work in retirement homes, I am reminded that we cannot forget the home care PSWs who go alone into homes often not knowing what they are walking into and, yes, they go into these homes alone. I understand they also do transfers alone and while their scope of practice expands their wage rates are capped.  They are left to struggle on insufficient pay to support themselves and their own families.  Why is it that PSWs are not deemed essential services like doctors or nurses? Where would we be without them and their dedication? There is no question that health care in Ontario and in all of Canada needs reform.

Change is needed and it is needed now.







 

Books by Audrey Austin - Canadian Author -- available through Amazon.com

Books by Audrey Austin - Canadian Author -- available through Amazon.com

Kindle Promotion this weekend ..

Kindle edition of short story titled "Quest for Cammirand" is free tomorrow, Saturday January 4th.

Then on Sunday, January 5th enjoy "Keeping It Simple", Kindle Edition, free for one day only.

Check them out  at my author page  http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

 

 

A review of Quest for Cammirand: 

 

I read the very exciting and mysterious story. You did a wonderful work Audrey, and you amaze me how you do it. I like the way you brought in Elliot lake, Toronto, Sudbury the soo and even Brian lol. Seriously Audrey it was an excellent story but was unable to give a review other than the 5 stars.....Eleanor Lambert, Bermuda.

Happy New Year!

http://youtu.be/z_iQe-WJRW0

Books make for great gift-giving at New Year and throughout the year.

Happy New Year to all!   I hope 2014 is your year to realize all your dreams.

To my writer friends, keep that ink flowing.  :-)

 

 

 

"Joshua's Journey", a Kindle short story free today and tomorrow Kindle edition of "Reawakening" is free for one day only

Today on Amazon.com enjoy some free reading.  The Kindle short story "Joshua's Journey" is offered free today (Saturday, Dec. 28th) only.

Tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 29th) enjoy the Kindle edition of my second novel "Reawakening".  Free for this one day only.

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

Cover design by Yuneekpix

Free Kindle Books on Amazon ........

Today only (Sunday, November 17th not only one of my novellas, a coming of age story titled "Beyond the Blue"  but also one of my short stories, part of the social issues series, titled "Chanti's Escape" are free on Amazon.   Check it out at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca  or Amazon.uk  or Amazon for whichever country you are resident.

My author page is at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

Amazon Promotion -- free books

Today enjoy REAWAKENING free.

Tomorrow (Sunday, Nov. 10th) enjoy ELLEN AND THE HUMMINGTREE free.

 

 

Check out this promotional offer at my Amazon author page  http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin

I'm very happy with my promotional video ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_iQe-WJRW0&feature=youtu.be     is the link.  I hope you will enjoy the video too.  

Special thanks to John Cal for putting it all together.