Month: April 2022

Reviews for “The One We Forgot to Love”

/ Diane

Author Sandy Totten has received many reviews for her first novel, The One We Forgot to Love. She’d like to share a few that have been sent to her personally.

Kerry: I sat down tonight and read your book cover to cover. Such a powerful, relatable, insightful novel. So very well done. This is a must read, far and wide. Brilliant job!

Natalie: I couldn’t put it down. I was always an avid reader my whole life but this is the first book I’ve read in over 15 years. Life got too busy. I really enjoyed the book.

Tammy: I loved your book. I laughed, I cried; I felt every emotion under the sun. The different perspectives from each person in the family gave such insight to how we all handle and see/feel situations differently, and the lines at the end, “You can’t have the wonderful moments without the pain. We learn from the harder moments, don’t we? I learned I need to see the beauty in times of grief.” is perfect. Love, love, love your book.

Stephanie: I just finished it. I laughed, I cried, I got mad, I laughed and cried some more. What a beautiful story. It was so touching. You can feel the love they all have for each other. I felt in some ways I could relate to parts of the book not just as an adult and parent but also as a child growing up and as a wife just trying to get through. The emotion in the pages is so raw and so real. I can’t say enough good things.

Kendra: Your book was amazing.

Where to Buy the Book

Printable Formatted Sheet to Make Your Own Phenology Notebook

/ Diane

Phenology is the study of nature’s cycles and how they depend upon and respond to each other. Nature lives by seasons and its calendar doesn’t always correspond with society’s, and it differs from one region to the next.

If you love to keep track of nature, when the first robin appears in spring, when the first frost arrives in autumn and a hundred other events during the seasons, the Phenology Log Book by Diana Tibert is the book you’re looking for.

This log book is formatted to record events in nature for three years. There’s space in the table to record the event, such as the blooming of dandelions, and the date it happens each year for easy comparison. Seven pages at the end of the log book are left blank for notes.

Not ready to buy the book but still want to record nature’s events or want a larger form? We created a printable phenology page formatted in the same style of the book. You can download it and print as many pages as you want and put them in a binder.

This is a great exercise for children to do to connect them with nature and to help them understand the changes in the seasons.

Find the formatted sheet on the Phenology Log Book page.

“Fluid of Life” by Diana Tibert

/ Diane / Leave a comment

COMING SOON: Diana Tibert’s Fluid of Life. A little book that may change your life.

For almost 40 years, Diana has struggled with low iron. It wasn’t a problem when she was younger and before she had children but shortly after her second child was born, she felt drained. Doctors and blood tests found nothing wrong; she was only borderline anemic.

During hospital visits to give birth to three children and to remove her gallbladder, she found nuggets of wisdom that helped her live with anemia. It wasn’t until a friend suffered a life-threatening health issue with her blood, that Diana found the true source of her problem. Once identified, the battle began.

Fluid of Life is Diana’s journey to learn about anemia and how it affected her body. The book contains information on blood health every woman in mid-life needs. Diana shares the pieces of the puzzle that empowered her to regain control of her life, to disperse the fog and start living. These were key pieces not given during her many doctor visits.

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Meet Author Sandy Totten

/ Diane / 4 Comments

A few days ago, The One We Forgot to Love by Sandy Totten was launched. During all the final reads, tweaking of covers and final design changes, I had a chance to talk with Sandy about her book. Like every new author holding their first book in their hands, she was overjoyed.

I asked her what had inspired her to write The One We Forgot to Love, and she said what I heard many writers say: “I have always wanted to write a novel.”

Saying that and doing it are two very different things. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone proclaim, “I’m going to write a book,” I’d have oodles of cash.

However, Sandy did write the book.

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Seeking Similar Adventure Stories for Children

/ Diane / 2 Comments

Mystery Light in Cranberry Cove by Candy McMudd is a story for ages 10 and up. It’s about Prim, who is 12, her younger brother Henry, age 10, and their mother who arrive at their cottage in Cranberry Cove to spend the summer. Her cousin, Shona, who is the same age, comes with her.

They meet up with another cousin, Ellis, also the same age, and together they stumble onto the biggest mysteries of the cove.

It’s a story about adventure, ghost stories, pirates, searching for treasure, seaside exploring and discovering family history. It takes place in the 1990s and returns readers to a simpler time when kids enjoyed outdoor activities and were not tied to screens.

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