Joseph Foster's Blog: Hobbs Goblin Books

I was lucky enough to have my book Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure Adventure reviewed by Picture Story Ebook and Elsa Takaoka. I have kept in contact with her since the book debuted and was eagerly awaiting her feedback. I couldn't have been happier to receive the review in the inbox tonight. Make sure you check her out at her blog


http://www.picturestoryebook.com/

Below is the review! 


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Ahoy Matey!

Today I will be introducing the work of Joseph Foster a debut children’s author/illustrator of Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure Adventure. Author Joseph Foster has done an excellent job with his first book, he has managed to break free of the all too common ‘problem, solution, morale’ of first time children’s authors and has created a book  that invites the reader to partake in the story as the adventure unfolds. The book is engaging, action packed and age appropriate, understood by the youngest of readers and liked by older readers for its friendly non-condescending narrative. The best part of the story has to be the brilliant surprise ending which holds ‘treasures untold’ and is sure to warm the heart with a feeling of contentment. 

About the author:

I have kept an eye of this debut author and have learned a thing or two from him, Joseph Foster has created such a wonderful presence in social media, the launch of his book has been a great success, ranking in many five star reviews and a quickly grown fan base. Of course I believe the book is fresh and wonderful and a great start, but what stands out about author Joseph Foster is his enthusiasm. His confidence and love for what he does radiates! A truly passionate and creative individual who is also confident and energetic the perfect combination for the making of  a successful Indie Children’s Author- well done Joseph, keep up the good work and keep going! I’m cheering for you and your little Goblins.
Hobbs Goblin 
Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure Adventure: Joseph Foster: 9781499299984: Amazon.com: Books

Greetings all you little goblins!

My name is Chris, aka @Theatre_Blogger and I'll be appearing on here as a guest blogger for Joe. I had a good chat with him about his book (which is very good I might add!) and the prospect of sharing my views and opinions to a different audience was one I couldn't turn down.

So.. About me.. I co-own a theatre company called C&D Productions. It is a brilliant job to have and I wouldn't trade it for anything else. We started out with a few clear goals and I'm pleased to say we've stuck by them. We aim to help charities and community projects in the areas we go and perform in, which allows us to engage with those communities and gives us a really good feeling about what we're trying to do. We also try to encourage new people to become involved with theatre, as a performer or as someone who assists at rehearsals and backstage. We're set to perform at the Camden Fringe Festival in August and having visited both theatres we're performing at, I can honestly say I feel blessed with this chance I've been given.

Could everyone reading this show some support and encouragement by following us on Twitter (@CD_Productions1) and especially 'Like' us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/CD-Productions/1471381116426289 It would really mean a lot to me as I'm so passionate about helping charities and producing great quality theatre!

As a blogger I like to focus on theatre and entertainment, however the latter is a very fuzzy term that can encompass anything from films to football (or soccer to those state-side!) I was born in the 80's so have a natural love of films in that era and the same applies to books. I love post-apocalyptic novels that explore what life would be life if something 'bad' happen to the planet, but then I love the classics of Beatrix Potter, C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien. My head was full of orcs, elves, dwarves and dragons when I was at school, so it's little wonder I'm loving watching and reading George R R Martin's 'Game of Thrones' book series. I'm really enjoying watching the TV series as my house-mate hasn't read the books so doesn't know what will be happening etc, so it's fun to discuss all the 'what if' scenarios with him. The series has had such an impact that to quote my friend, 'I know more about GoT's politics then that of real life!'.

I'm off now to embark on a great adventure that is 'Guys & Dolls' the musical, that I'm performing in this week. My character, Nathan Detroit is the comic lead and I'm having a great time playing him. I'm performing Wednesday through to Saturday so my articles might not be streaming through in the next few days, however I'll probably write an article about my experiences this week, both on-stage and backstage!

Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you in future. If you have any particular topics you'd like me to discuss and explore then do feel free to email me at theatrethoughtsuk@gmail.com and do please follow me on Twitter (@Theatre_Blogger) and give my blog a look over - www.theatrethoughtsuk.blogspot.com

Chris

Hi, my name is Bobo  is a cute and nostalgic tale of the weekend of a 5th grader living in Chicago. The story takes you back to the late 70’s (possibly early 80’s) where The Love Boat and Superfriends were the ideal weekend splendor. It’s truly is a trip down memory lane and takes you back to when life was just a little more fun and simple. By the end of the story, you feel invested in this boy’s life as if you are his friend. I especially enjoyed the shout out to his mother’s cooking…smart kid. I also like rice, corn and broccoli. Whether it is drinking gobs of chocolate milk, mixing the flavors of Kool Aid for delicious refreshment or watching television with the family, Bobo is always finding fun things to do. This story was unique and quite funny at times. I would give it 4 stars. 




About the Author
James Gordon, also known as G.P.A. (Greatest Poet Alive), has written and published 4 books. In 2011, he received the Black Essence Award for Poetry and Charity.


You can purchase Hi, My name is Bobo: A Weekend in the Life of a 5th Grader here:


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Today we are reviewing a children’s picture book called “Neighborwood: Earth Literacy for Kids”by April Manning. This book was really cute and had some great information attached to it. I always love when a book has a purpose aside from entertainment. Neighborwood does that beautifully. The book teaches children about the environment via The Land Ambassador dubbed Lamb. She takes you off to see habitats with forests, trees, animals and more. I especially loved that she used animals as teaching guides .   kept my 3 year olds attention and I loved that Lamb explained and defined certain keywords. It is easy to follow and has neat childlike illustrations.                                                             
I would give it 5 stars! 


From the Author: 

"My intent and vision for the Neighborwood series is to connect children and nature to teach earth literacy to them. I have acquired my MA in earth literacy, and my thesis was teaching earth literacy to kids. My project was this book (Neighborwood: Earth Literacy for Kids), and I have many ideas for the series. Here is my abstract from my thesis: Abstract The themes presented in the earth literacy program are concepts that need to be taught at the beginning of one's education, not at the end. This is the vision behind Earth Literacy for Kids. The Neighborwood series will consist of sets of books that will illustrate the various earth literacy master's program themes, such as the importance of diversity, recycling, and sense of place. The animals that reside in the forest of the Neighborwood are the characters that will be learning the themes along with the reader. The guide through the journey will be the Neighborwood land ambassador, a girl whom they call Lamb. The first book will be part of a pen pal series that shows the importance of niches and diversity in communities. This book will have a country mouse and a city mouse as pen pals learning how they are similar and how they differ. The rest of the pen pal series will include land turtle and sea turtle pen pals, and mockingbird and African gray parrot pen pals"


Buy Neighborwood: 
http://www.amazon.com/Neighborwood-Earth-Literacy-April-Manning/dp/1466988010/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401918530&sr=8-1&keywords=neighborwood

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Neighborwood

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17993861-neighborwood

Gofundme: http://www.gofundme.com/281ubs Get free premium widgets for your blog and website.

        I think I am getting more comfortable reading to people that aren't my own kids. My first reading - nervous wreck. My most present reading - I felt pretty good.


        I got into contact with a school teacher in Pennsylvania via twitter about two weeks ago who was interested in having me read via Skype to a few kindergarten  classes.  After hammering out a few details and talking for a bit we set it up for today.


        The kids were great! After reading  the story we had a Q&A session where they asked me things like 'how long have you been drawing' and 'when did you decide to become an author'. I didn't really know how to answer that last one - I never decided to become an author. It just sort of happened (I intend to keep going now that my toe has become acclimated to the water).


        Then, seemingly without fail, a little girl asked to see my son (the lady killer!). So I told the class 'Sure - but only if he puts on pants'. That boy and clothes... like oil and water. It's like asking Steve Jobs to wear shoes, from what I understand. After Gabriel agreed to wear pants he sat in front of the camera with me and told the class there was a giant mountain behind them.


        They all looked.
       Tectonic plates shift - you never know from one minute to the next if a mountain range has formed by the classroom bookshelf (I looked too - just to be sure).


        From there we said our goodbyes. Once again, if you are reading this - THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT AUDIENCE, CLASS!

Ah yes! My book. Why do a blog on my own book?


Because it is my blog. 


And I can do that :)


Hobbs Goblin has become quite a hit with the kiddies. They love it. 
I have done a lot of readings in elementary schools and it is amazing how well the kids respond to it. I am even in the process of making "Little Goblin" merchandise. 


Nifty huh?


     
Do you have a "Little Goblin" at home who likes reading, adventure, goblins, pirates and adventure?


Yes?


Then Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure Adventure is for you. 
This bestseller would look great on your child's bookshelf.
Hobbs brings your child on an interative adventure and YOUR CHILD is a part of it. 
The book is written in a way that prompts the child to respond to Hobbs and follow him on 
his journey. With reading taking a backseat in this technology based world. Hobbs Goblin in The Treasure 
Adventure is the best way to get your child into reading again.


Are you sold yet?


Good. Join the Hobbs fan club. You can purchase here

http://www.amazon.com/Hobbs-Goblin-The-Treasure-Adventure/dp/1499299982/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401826371&sr=8-1&keywords=hobbs+goblin


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Is there any day better than dress up day? Not a chance! Tina Marie Kaht reminds us of this in her children’s book ‘Dress Up Day’. In this story, BEAUTIFULLY illustrated by Hatice Bayramoglu, we are reminded that dressing up and pretending to be everything we imagined we could be is what brought childhood to life. You could noble knight, a fairy-tale princess, a firefighter or scientist – you could be a scientifically firefighting knight!

Every page of ‘Dress Up Day’ invites your child to stop and think of the possibilities – the story makes mention of some of the tasks and duties of each role while the illustrations bring those roles to life!

Colorful, imaginative and though provoking; your child will dream up all of thing things they aspire to be! I give it 4 stars!
About the Author: 


Tina Marie Kaht grew up in the country when electronics were not so prevalent in a child's life. To her a box is still a castle, car, or fort. Mama's purse and Daddy's boots are still favorite toys, and she hopes her stories encourage parents and children to                                                 play and pretend again and always.




Buy Dress Up Day: 
http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Day-Tina-Marie-Kaht/dp/1495983021/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401816486&sr=8-1&keywords=dress+up+day

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dress-Up-Day/264215120397818?ref=bookmarks

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/books/37324019/Dress-Up-Day

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Written by Joseph and Heather Foster
*Note: My wife signed off on all of this. She laughed. I am not sleeping on the couch. Remember that this is satire lol*


So, I have a son and a daughter. Gabe will be 4 in August and Emilia will be 1 in July. My wife being pregnant twice made me realize how strange expectant mother rituals are. Being a dad and a previous expectant father, I have a unique perspective on this.Now to be clear, they are odd. Don't get all upset about it, it is fact that these things happen. If they didn't...they wouldn't be on the internet. Here is my list of weird things expectant parents do.

1.) Showing off the pee stick to the world
 Seriously. This really happened. My wife did this with my son and daughter. She took a picture of the pee stick in all its ammonia saturated glory for the world to see. The caption on the pregnancy test picture should have been "I am pregnant, but don't take my word for it...here is my urine!". Us men will never understand why a "I'm pregnant" Facebook post wouldn't suffice, but either way...you have to admit it is a little odd. 

Exhibit A: The first picture of my daughter Emilia

2.)Trying to guess EXACTLY when the sperm hit the egg
Heather and I were "trying" when she got pregnant with Emilia. And when I say "trying" I mean she became a mathematician, endocrinologist, OBGYN, and fertility specialist. I have to give it to you mom's who tracked ovulation to get pregnant...it is defiantly an art. Back to my point. Obsession. There are so many calculators and predictors and psychic readers out on the internet for women to just bang their heads against trying to figure out THE EXACT day of conception so they can engage in a futile attempt to figure out THE EXACT due date of the baby. My wife spent a lot of time trying to figure this out...as did a lot of other women on her *shout out* August 2013 BabyCenter Birth Board.  Don't believe these things exist?


Exhibit B: 
http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-due-date-calculator
http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/pregnancycalendar/l/blpregcalc.htm
http://www.whattoexpect.com/due-date-calculator/
http://www.firstresponse.com/due-date-calculator.asp


3.) Trying to predict the gender
Good God! This was probably the worst of all. Predicting the gender. It wouldn't have been as bad if there weren't a billion other people saying "You're having a boy" "It's a girl" "There is a little prince in there". Again with the weird calculator thing. Ever heard of a Chinese Gender Predictor? Yeah...me either. My wife is an amazing researcher. You must first ACCURATELY predict your conception (See Step 2) or your due date (not advised because doctors could be wrong lol) and your age and conception and VOILA! You have your baby's gender. Because Chinese Lunar Calendar Medicine told me so. To be fair, the websites do say it is a 50/50 accuracy. But ladies...be careful. You can't just do one! They are all different and some are accurate and others aren't! Make sure you do them all...for good measure and complete accuracy. *Note: They were wrong...both times. Wanna know who was right? Heather's gut instinct....maybe we should market that!?)


Exhibit C:  "One" of the gender predictors (Copyright of  todays-parents.com) 4.) Trying to predict what the baby will look like
Gone are the days where you assume your baby will look like either you or your wife. You need a picture. You need evidence. Well guess what! The interwebz has that too. Heather dabbled in this around 6 months after she found out we were having a girl. We didn't keep the photo because it scared us and we were reconsidering whether we could consider ourselves "good looking" anymore. Here is the Frankenstein version of me and Heather and then a picture of Emilia. We call the other photo EmiliaStein! 


Exhibit D: Creepy picture of what our daughter was supposed to look like via http://makemebabies.com/ 5.) Analyzing the ultrasound in PAINSTAKING detail!
Ultrasounds are pretty cool honestly, you get to see a little skeleton terrorizing your wife's innards while she tries not to pee on the tech. But! Once she gets her hands on that ultrasound...you are screwed. #1 She is going to post your baby's downstairs on her Facebook. Yep, it will happen. I have proof. #2: She will look at the pictures to try to count the baby's toes and fingers and do a general "inspection". Lord help you if there is a shadow over the pinky finger! I suppose men look at ultrasounds differently, just like women don't understand why we don't always fall over ourselves with emotion over a photo of a creepy skull (I know it is a baby...but it is still creepy to see a human skull...if it were a pudgy cute baby ultrasound like those 4D thingys that would be different). Wanna know my favorite ultrasound photo of Emilia ?(I don't love her more, I love Gabriel too, I just don't have any of his ultrasound photos on my computer lol) the one where she looks like a Star Wars Imperial AT-AT Walker! 


Exhibit E:  Emilia the Imperial AT-AT Walker! 6.) Inducing....naturally of course!
This is where things got really weird. Heather was miserable at the end of each of the pregnancies. She nearly had pre-eclampsia with Gabriel and she had Gestational Diabetes with Emilia. PLUS they were both summer babies. Her poor feet looked like footballs. I can see the appeal in wanting to get the baby out. See, I remember when she was pregnant with Gabriel her OB said to me when she was 39 weeks pregnant that we should have sex a lot to ripen the cervix. I was like "SWEET" . No...it wasn't sweet...it was a transaction and reminiscent of trying to get pregnant. When we were trying to get pregnant it was "HURRY UP I'M OVULATING" now it was "HURRY UP I WANT TO HAVE THIS BABY". It always came out of the blue...and I was used for my...well you know. Sexy right? Then there was all of the research again. Bouncy balls, Castor Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Coffee Potty.


What.


Yep. 


I said it. 


Coffee Potty. 


The Pièce de résistance


Now I love coffee. I love coffee alot. But when Heather came to me with this coffee potty induction method all I could think of was..."You are going to do WHAT with my coffee"? So here is what coffee potty is.


Coffee Ground Inducing Method:

1. Place plastic bowl in toilet.

2. Heat up water in tea kettle, pot, whatever.

3. Place 1 cup to 2 cups of ground coffee into plastic bowl. (Use 2 if you're not feeling anything or if you may want stronger contractions.)

4. Pour hot water over the coffee grounds.

5. Squat over the bowl and steam your lady bits for about twenty minutes. Repeat as much as you'd like if you're getting results.
Yeah. That happened. I caught Heather doing it when she was about 39 weeks. It did nothing but waste a pot of coffee and make her smell like a steamy cup of Joe for her next OB appt. I wonder if he noticed? 


So. That is my list of 6 Weird Things Expecting Mothers Do. Regardless of all of the strange rituals you ladies go through, just know that what you do to carry and have our babies are totally worth going through 9 months of crazy with you! 


Don't forget to share! 


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Guess who hit the Top 20 Amazon Large Print Children's Book Best Seller list? Yep. That would be me. I don't have much else to say about it...except for WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


I have to pinch myself when these things happen. Amazon is such a large site with millions of books and I always think to myself "How the hell can my book be better than any of those other ones"? I have no answer. I will just smile and hope it keeps coming!







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First name: Joe
Nickname: Joe
Astrological sign: Libra
Birthplace: Westland, MI
Eye color: Hazel
Hair color: Brown-ish?
Height: 5'10
Pets: 3 cats. Gir, Johnny, Minnie

1. Do you have a best friend? 
Honestly, my wife Heather. 

2. Name one thing you can do better than any of your friends. 
Hackey -sack 

3. What's the best gift you've ever received? 
My wife bought me a key and wallet finder for Christmas last year. It is the best thing
ever created! 

4. When you grow up, what do you want to be? 
An astronaut? Who ever said I wanted to grow up?

5. You can't wait till the day you... 
Don't have to respond to ridiculous requests from my kids. Like getting my son out of the crib 
he just got into himself.

6. Worst habit: 
Walking out the door forgetting at least one thing I needed...without fail.

7.What is one secret about you that only your closest friends know? 
That question is a paradox because if I answer that question it no longer becomes a secret only my 
closest friends know. So I will never actually be able to answer that question.

8. What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you? 


9. Heroes: 
..of Might and Magic

10. Person/People you'd like to meet: 
Jhonen Vazquez (creator of Invader Zim), Phil Anselmo (Singer of Pantera)
Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye The Science Guy, Seth McFarlene.

11. Celebrity crush: 
I don't really have one. I don't really celebrate celebrities that much.

12. What nail polish shade are you wearing today? 
What's today? Sunday? Oh, its a man day.

13. Are you pierced? Where? 
Ears 3x, Septum, although I never wear it.

14. One word that describes your personal style: 
Lacking. 

15. One word that best describes your personality: 
This is starting to sound like a dating profile. I would say: Continuous? 

16. Favorite lip gloss flavor: 
Cherry Berry Explosion?

17. Fashion icon: 
Tim Gunn? I don't idolize him. He just happens to be the only one I know of. So this answer
is more of a statement instead of a defining factor about me. 

18. Favorite color: 
Infrared 

19. If your shoes did the talking, what would they say about you? 


20. How do you want to celebrate your next birthday? 
Preferably alive. 

21. What is your favorite thing in your room? 
Uh. I have a TV, a bed, and a mountain of clothes. My favorite thing...the door. 

22. When you can't fall asleep, what do you think about? 
It's never been an issue. 

23. Favorite way to spend a rainy afternoon: 
In the rain.

24. Car you would like to drive someday: 
A GTO

25. Favorite book: 
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by: Douglas Adams

26. Three things you can't live without: 
Family (Sappy, I know), Fantasy Adventure Themes, Peanut Butter

27. Which was your favorite subject in school, and which did you like least? 
Favorite classes were any Computer Programming based classes and coincidentally my least favorite 
classes were Math.

28. Gym class is... 
Is where I got a D grade by honing my hackey sack skills instead of running laps and playing floor hockey.

29. What sports do you play? 
Hackey sack?

30. What do you like to do after work? 
What's after work?

31. What's your favorite after-work snack? 
Peanut butter sandwich and Chocolate Milk

32. Favorite food: 
Peanut Butter..I thought we have been through this.

33. The yummiest ice cream flavor: 
What kind of questions are these? I don't know: Blue.

34. The yuckiest vegetable: 
No such thing exists.

35. Favorite pizza toppings: 
Bacon and Pineapple.

36. You can't leave home without... 
Forgetting my car keys.

37. Genre of music you listen to: 
Speed and Death Metal. I know I am not really selling the "children's book" author image.

38. What is your best physical feature? 
I plead the 5th as to not incriminate myself as a vain person.

39. What is your guilty pleasure? 
Horrifically bad Sci-Fi Movies

40. What is your favorite movie? 
I don't have a favorite movie, but I have a long list of movies I like. But in the ranks of those
movies: Full Metal Jacket, Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Howell's Moving Castle, 
Spirited Away.

41. What is your pet peeve? 
Clutter.

42. What *doesn't* come easily to you? 
Prioritizing and Spelling.

43. If you found 10 dollars on the street, what would you do with the money? 
That's kind of a loaded question but provided there was no one apparently looking for something:
I would pocket it. 

44. How would you react is someone cheated off your work? 
Frankly, I would be completely indifferent to it. Because at the end of the day, if we are competing for the 
same job, I did the learning and they just copied an answer. 

45. What most often gets you in trouble? 
Misplacing things.

46. Favorite season: 
Any season that doesn't involve snow.

47. Do you speak any languages besides English? 
Yeah, I speak mumble and programming. 

48. Where do you want to live when you grow up? 
I'm starting to believe that this survey is geared towards a 9 year old girl. 

49. If you were stranded on a desert island, which three things would you want to have with you? Why? 
I would have rum, a scabbard, and a triangular hat. Because if I am stranded on a desert island, I may as 
well be a pirate. 

50. Did you enjoy this survey? 
No, not at all. 

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