#76 Elaine Kaye
Elaine Kaye is the author of A Bad Fairy Adventure series and A Gregory Green Adventure series. She first created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup, thus inspiring the story Pea Soup Disaster. He had a Cabbage Patch doll named Sammy, and that’s how Sammy the teddy bear came to be.
Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher’s assistant in elementary schools in the Sunshine State. She currently lives in Florida, but she has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.
She is a grandmother to three boys and one girl.
You can connect with her here:
Website: https://elainekaye.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Elaine-Kaye/e/B06X42CV9R
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elaine-kaye
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elainekayeauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16488350.Elaine_Kaye
THE STORY BEHIND ELAINE KAYE’S PAYLOAD:
A Gregory Green Adventure Series – When I wrote the first story in the A Gregory Green Adventure Series (Pea Soup Disaster) in the 1990s about a little boy who turns green from eating too much pea soup, I had no idea that this story would end up on the Moon and be read by “little green men.” What a book club!
The stories included in this file are: Pea Soup Disaster, Doctor Mom, Halloween Ride, The Missing Alphabet, and Sleigh Ride.
Also included is The Story of Sammy, which chronicles how I created Sammy the Teddy Bear, inspired by my son’s Cabbage Patch Doll also named Sammy.
You can even see a picture of Sammy the Teddy Bear and Sammy the Cabbage Patch Doll together in the photo album for Sammy that I added. Sammy the Teddy Bear loves to take over my Instagram account and is always posting pictures of himself and the many adventures he gets into, so he wanted to show you all the fun he has.
Oh, and Sammy is so excited to go to the Moon!
A Gregory Green Adventure Series: https://elainekaye.com/a-gregory-green-adventure-series/
A Bad Fairy Adventure Series – A Bad Fairy Adventure Series is a series of middle grade chapter books for children ages 8-12 that follows Thistle, a fairy with the reputation of being a Bad Fairy. Book One is called Bad Fairy, and Book Two is Bad Fairy Strikes Again. Thistle and her Flutter Club friends get into a lot of mischief, solve mysteries, and help out their fairy community. Thistle and the Flutters are excited about creating a fairy grove on the Moon and solving intergalactic mysteries.
Slow Poke by Elaine Kaye – Slow Poke is a picture book I first wrote when my kids were little. I published it when my grandchildren were young. As a matter of fact, my two oldest grandsons (Mello and Carmello) are in the picture book illustrations with their turtles (Speedy and Patio).
Poetry Collection by Elaine Kaye – I’ve written poetry for as long as I can remember, but haven’t done much with them, so I wanted to include my poetry collection for future poets and poetry lovers to enjoy. The first poem is called A Grain of Sand, which is perfect for this occasion.
A Grain of Sand
A grain of sand is washed away,
Waves rolling in and out in symmetric rhythm.
A mighty ocean deep blue, dark and wide;
covering the Earth, blending into the sky.
The sun sets as a new moon peeks through,
making black that sea of blue.
stars filling the heavens like fireflies,
some fall and disappear while others get bigger and brighter.
Planets trailing the powerful sun;
a dot in a galaxy of our own.
One galaxy, then another, maybe millions;
in a universe that is never-ending in our bright blue sky.
We see, as we raise our eyes, knowing but wondering-
Just what is out there?
Some things we cannot understand,
as we wiggle our toes,
catching a grain of sand.
Flash Fiction and Short Stories by Elaine Kaye – I had a lot of fun writing these weird suspense stories, as well as simple and sweet romance stories. There’s a little something here for everyone, for a quick read on the space station or on a space ship.
Stranger from the Woods by Elaine Kaye – This is a western romantic-suspense novel about a man and a woman who meet as strangers in the woods. They get caught in a blizzard together and fall in love (no longer strangers), but so much more happens. I wanted to include this story so if it doesn’t get published on Earth, it will at least be published on the Moon for future readers to enjoy.
Eye Drawing by Carmello – Carmello is one of my grandsons, and he is talented at drawing. He was eleven years old when he hand-drew this eye.
Photo Contributions from Mello – My oldest grandson wanted to contribute a couple of photos to my payload. In one, he and his brother are dressed up for Halloween. Mello (about five years old) is Iron Man, and Carmello is Spiderman (three years old). The other photo is of their dog Troy, a Boston Terrier.
The Great Kitty Rescue + Cat Memorials – Cats should be on the moon, I think. The Great Kitty Rescue is a true story by Chrys Fey about how she rescued four cats (Cole, Clover, Milo, and Otis). After the story, there’s tributes to cats that have blessed my life and the lives of my family members: Rosie, Lucky, Angel, Bapbe, and Tomas.
Fay Williams and the Zombie Frogs by Chrys Fey – Chrys Fey is my daughter and an author. Fay Williams and the Zombie Frogs is a (currently unpublished – 2021) paranormal mystery middle grade chapter book that follows twins Fay and Jay as they go to a new school. The twins are mixed race, Jay is wheelchair-bound, and Frances (their new friend) is from France, creating a diverse cast of friends for a Goosebumps-meets-Kim-Possible read. Oh, and there’s zombie frogs, too. Who wouldn’t want zombie frogs on the Moon?
Joe and Chip in Quarantine by Toi Thomas – The Writers on the Moon project was created by Susan Kaye Quinn in response to the 2020 pandemic, when there was a need for positivity and hope and creativity. Joe and Chip in Quarantine is also about the 2020 pandemic. It’s a picture book written and illustrated by Toi Thomas that teaches kids in a gentle way about what was happening and why they had to wear masks, etc.
Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China by Sherry Ellis – Bubba and Squirt dig a hole that opens up a portal to China. When thinking about sending books to the Moon, I immediately thought of sending Bubba and Squirt on a new adventure to outer space, and it’s my belief that the portal in their backyard could probably get them to the Moon.
Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker – I love ballet, and Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker is a great story about a young ballerina named Lindsey, but…it takes a turn with wickedness and a mystery when students in her ballet class begin to disappear. I can’t help but wonder what ballet would look like on the moon and couldn’t resist sending up this fun story for future ballerinas to read and enjoy.
Some Very Messy Medieval Magic by C. Lee McKenzie – Going to the Moon sounds like magic, doesn’t it? In Some Very Messy Medieval Magic by C. Lee McKenzie, her characters don’t go to the Moon. They go to 1173 England and have an adventure. Maybe next time they’ll go to 3020 and wind up on the Moon. Hey, anything is possible when you’re dealing with some very messy magic.
MEET ELAINE KAYE’S STOWAWAYS:
JOE AND CHIP IN QUARANTINE
Joe and Chip in Quarantine: https://etoithomas.com/books-by-toi-thomas/childrens/
TOI THOMAS
A self-proclaimed techie and foodie, Toi Thomas was born in Texas, U.S.A. but considers Virginia, U.S.A. to be home. She enjoys reading, cooking, painting, geek culture, collecting vinyl records and action figures, and spending time with her family. Currently working as a Behavioral Support Clinician, Toi and her husband, Eric, share their home with a tortoise named Betty and a Redbone Coonhound named Margie.
Toi writes clean, adult multi-genre fiction ranging from science fiction to romantic comedy (as Glorie Townson), nonfiction, as well as writes and illustrates children’s picture books. Toi Thomas is also the founder of Lit Carnivale and the creator of Carnie the Bookworm.
You can connect with her here:
Website: https://etoithomas.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/toithomas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToiThomasAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carniethebookworm/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1ooking4ha99iness
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6012241.Toi_Thomas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToiThomas
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/toinette_thomas/
Personal Message (Toi Thomas) –
I was elated when I learned I had a chance to stow away on a time capsule to the Moon. The lunar orb has always had a special place in my heart and I’m happy to share my stories with its possible future inhabitants, whether they be earthlings or other. Whether from the Earth or not, I believe all beings are connected and are more alike than they are different. In my story Joe and Chip In Quarantine, I help explain to young children the why and how of surviving an epidemic. Inspired by the pandemic of 2020, COVID-19, the book doesn’t get into specifics, making it an ideal lesson for any time in history. With this story, and my five other picture books, I was excited to help young readers, and even their families, delve into tough topics such as: changes, the circle of life, needs, wants, and diversity. It was an honor to dedicate this book to teachers around the world but at the end of the day, all my works are dedicated to my loving and supportive family: Dennis and Navonia Thomas, Eric and Tori Jones and the three Jones Kids, all my In-Laws in Lee County Virginia, and all my extended family in Texas including my grandmother Naomi Hatch. Most of all my work is dedicated to my husband, Eric Thomas, who’s stood by me from day one and who I thank God in Heaven for every day.
BUBBA AND SQUIRT’S BIG DIG TO CHINA
Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China: https://sherryellis.webs.com/books
You can’t dig a hole to China!
Squirt doesn’t believe Bubba can dig a hole to China. But when the hole swallows them, the kids find themselves in Xi’an, China, surrounded by Terracotta Warriors.
It gets worse when the ghost of the first emperor of China appears. He tells them they can’t go home until they find his missing pi. The kids don’t know where to begin until they meet a girl and her grandmother who promise to help find the pendant.
Soon they realize they are being followed. And they are no closer to finding the missing pi. Will Bubba and Squirt ever make it back home?
SHERRY ELLIS
Sherry Ellis is an award-winning author and professional musician who plays and teaches the violin, viola, and piano. When she is not writing or engaged in musical activities, she can be found doing household chores, hiking, or exploring the world. Ellis has previously published Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure; Don’t Feed the Elephant; Ten Zany Birds; That Mama is a Grouch; and That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN. Ellis lives in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information about her work, she invites you to visit her website at www.sherryellis.org
You can connect with her here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/513sherrye?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherryellisbooksandmusic/
Personal Message (Sherry Ellis) –
I loved writing, even at a young age. But I never thought I’d be an author. I wanted to be an astronaut. Even though I didn’t quite make it to the moon, I’m thrilled that my book did! I dedicate this to my own Bubba and Squirt who were the inspiration for my writing.
MUSIC BOXES
Music Boxes: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41452109-music-boxes
“I only desire your talent…”
Twelve-year-old Lindsey McKay’s biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.
When she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who offers her classes for free, Lindsey can’t believe her luck. In exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not right…
One by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine herself.
TONJA DRECKER
After finishing her BA in International Studies at the University of Denver, Tonja Drecker spent many years in Europe devouring chocolate, cheese and wine while investigating the birth places of myths, legends and mysterious tales.
Currently she runs a small farm somewhere in the Ozarks and tries to keep up with her prize winning review blog, Bookworm for Kids.
Her debut novel MUSIC BOXES (Dancing Lemur Press, 2019) was named by BNKids Blog as one of the ‘5 New Middle Grade Summer Reads for Campfire Chills’.
You can connect with her here:
http://www.tonjadrecker.blogspot.com
http://www.bookwormforkids.com
https://www.facebook.com/TDrecker/
Personal Message (Tonja Drecker) –
“Then let us pause a spell to write
that future youth may know,
Those valiant men who strove with might
to lay the forest low.”
I learned about the existence of this poem, written by my great grandfather in 1956, on the same day Music Boxes joined the list of books going to the moon. He used this poem to lead into the non-fiction history of his town, and while Music Boxes is a modern fairy tale for children, his words fit to both. His poem could probably be used to introduce every work headed to the moon and speaks to readers today, those of the past, and those of the future.
I’m more than honored to have my debut novel included along with so many other talented artists of our time. But then, this isn’t an adventure, which any of us could have reached alone. I not only thank Chrys, Elaine and Susan for the opportunity but have so many in my private world including my parents, Ryan and Roberta, Sean, Joy, Meghan, Stu, Stephen, Tasha, Toni, Mike, Anna, Gabe, and those one the other side of our Earth…Gisela, Klaus, Andreas, Sigrid, Patricia, and Joerg. But most importantly, Dancing Lemur Press, Stefan, Daniel, Autumn, Jeanette, Brandon, Mick and Lea. There are many, many more, but it would take a book to list them all. If nothing else, future readers should know that nothing is accomplished alone…even a trip to the moon.
SOME VERY MESSY MEDIEVAL MAGIC
Some Very Messy Medieval Magic: https://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/middle-grade/
Pete’s stuck in medieval England!
Pete and his friend Weasel thought they’d closed the Time Lock. But a young page from medieval times, Peter of Bramwell, goes missing. His absence during a critical moment will forever alter history unless he’s found.
There’s only one solution – fledgling wizard Pete must take the page’s place. Accompanied by Weasel and Fanon, Pete’s alligator familiar, they travel to 1173 England.
But what if the page remains lost – will Pete know what to do when the critical moment arrives? Toss in a grumpy Fanon, the duke’s curious niece, a talking horse, and the Circle of Stones and Pete realizes he’s in over his young wizard head yet again…
LEE MCKENZIE
I write contemporary/realistic novels that tackle today’s issues of young adult earthlings, but I sometimes write middle-grade fiction, and Some Very Messy Medieval Magic is one of those. It’s the third book in the series I’ve called The Adventures of Pete and Weasel. My middle-grade books are all about fantasy and the adventures I dreamed of when I was kid. I’m shifting gears this year and collaborating on a women’s fiction novel. I have no idea what will come next, just as I had no idea I’d be sending Pete and Weasel off to the moon in 2021!
My credits: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative, Sudden Secrets, Not Guilty, Alligators Overhead, The Great Time Lock Disaster, Some Very Messy Medieval Magic. Sign of the Green Dragon.
If you ever land on earth, please connect with me on my social media so we can talk about writing on an interplanetary scale.
Website: http://www.cleemckenziebooks.com
Amazon Author Page: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2809083.C_Lee_McKenzie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleemckenzie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleemckenzie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleemckenzie
Personal Message (C. Lee. McKenzie) –
I’m still awed by Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moon walk, so when I had the chance to stow away my favorite characters and rocket them into space, I had to say yes. If Pete lives up to his reputation, he’ll stir up some lunar trouble, but Weasel will be with him, and do what Weasel always does—save the day.
The alligators (essential to the plot) are already packed—they travel lightly—and because they’ve been on earth since the Cenozoic Era, they have a different perspective about time and space than the humans on this journey. They should fit in nicely because obviously they’re adaptable or they wouldn’t still be around. I’m so glad I didn’t include a Saber-toothed tiger in this story.
I dedicated Some Very Messy Medieval Magic to my husband, and so he’ll be taking this trip with my other boys. This is a perfect way to pay tribute to a special man in my life and to his memory.
Bon Voyage to everyone and greetings to future Moon Dwellers.
FAY WILLIAMS AND THE ZOMBIE FROGS
CHRYS FEY
Chrys Fey is the award-winning author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She also authored Write with Fey: 10 Sparks to Guide You from Idea to Publication. Catch the sparks you need to write, edit, publish, and market your book! She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads.
Fey realized she wanted to write by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen.
Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes.
You can connect with her here:
Website: http://www.ChrysFey.com
Blog: http://www.writewithfey.blogspot.com
Newsletter: https://chrysfey.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fa9b44362c041ead027392a6a&id=df45eb9607
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrysFeySparks
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/chrys-fey
Amazon: https://www.authorcentral.amazon.com/chrysfey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ChrysFey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrysfey/
Find Elaine Kaye’s stories here.