It’s always an honor to be recognized for your work.  I don’t think anyone could deny that statement and recognition from your peers is always a grand experience.  With Danny the Dragon receiving non-stop recognition since its release, I keep thinking it can’t get better.  A few months ago, I received confirmation that my eBook about my other undeniable cause Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free living Gluten and Your Aging Body had not only been nominated, but won a Silver Medal for eBooks in the Florida Publisher’s Association’s President’s Book Awards.

The Florida Publisher’s Association is a collection of publishers, self-publishers, authors, publishing industry friends and publishing vendors from Florida founded in 1983 by Betty Wright with the intent of giving Florida’s growing group of book publishers an opportunity for education and networking.  In 2005, then-President of the group Dinah Arnette decided to start recognizing the authors and publishers of the group in honor of their 25^th anniversary, establishing the FPA President’s Book Awards.  The tradition continued and in 2011 they decided to open the competition up to the public for the first time.

I cannot express fully how honored I am to be a part of this incredible group and to be featured among the other winners.  To have two books recognized for excellence by my peers in the publishing and writing industry is the greatest honor I could ever ask for.

Thank you, FPA and thank you colleagues.  It truly is a great honor.

Tina

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

It’s been such a pleasure being able to tour around the country, and even the world, on my Danny the Dragon Book Tours. As a result of our travels, you never know in what neck of the woods Danny and I are going to be mentioned in next! What a pleasure it was discover our names in the Baytown Sun of Houston,Texas!

Juvenile book critic JoAnn Martin gave Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy a rave review! It was a delight to read, as she summarized in fun detail the story without giving it a way. My favorite parts of the review:

“Young readers will be impressed with the books message of politeness and helpfulness and such acceptance of strangely different appearances and personalities.” (I love it when readers walk away with this message!) and “Hopefully, there will be a sequel.” (Of course! There are many more adventures in story for Danny the Dragon and his traveling companion, Skipper!)

Tina Turbin

 It’s always so exciting when Danny and I are mentioned in the papers! During my Danny the Dragon East Coast Book Tour, we really made waves as reviews and news of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy seemed to pop up everywhere. I just had to share one of the articles with you that is particularly special to me!

The Dunedin Beacon of Tampa Bay not only talked about Danny the Dragon but discussed one of the causes I’m highly passionate about–deaf children’s literacy–and my DVD developed on behalf of this cause. I will never forget that fateful day of my book tour when I visited a school for the deaf and read them my book with the help of a sign language interpreter. The author of the article writes: “…she was alarmed to learn that a high percentage of deaf high school students graduate at the 4th grade reading level…This opened up her eyes to the need for materials to assist their education and raise awareness to these facts. Turbin personally produced the DVD as a result.” And what a success the DVD has been! Parents and children love it, and it’s the recipient of the Creative Child Magazine Media of the Year Award! Profits are being donated to my favorite literacy and other worthy causes.

Thanks so much to the Dunedin Beacon for mentioning Danny and me, and most importantly, for bringing awareness to this important cause!!!

Tina Turbin

As you can imagine, as a children’s author, I do a lot of reading and love to pass on to Danny the Dragon fans my children’s literature recommendations.

You’ve probably heard me talking about the illustrated kids book by Kevin and Laura Sanchez, Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure, and the amazing true story behind it. If not, here’s a refresher: Nikki the cat was separated from her family in 2008 during an evacuation for Hurricane Gustav 85 miles from home, and she found her way back 4 months later! Her owners Kevin and Laura later wrote down their imagined adventures of Nikki the Cat, and Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure was born! What’s more, half of the profits of the book are being donated to cancer research.

I published a review of this delightful book and was pleased to find that Kevin and Laura Sanchez have featured it on their website, NikkisHurricaneAdventure.com. It’s so nice that my words of praise mean so much that they’ve been placed directly on their home page. Check it out!

You can read more about the book and Nikki’s story here or at NikkisHurricaneAdventure.com. Little ones will love to hear about it, trust me!

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

 Danny the Dragon fans are the best! Hearing from them lights up my day like nothing else!

Recently a family purchased the Danny the Dragon set (the Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy softcover book and Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD). The mother, Chantelle, wrote in to tell me how happy her son Rohan was with his set, and she even sent me PICTURES!

 “We have one VERY EXCITED little boy!! ” Chantelle wrote, “He absolutely loved waking up to a package on Saturday morning.”

The Danny the Dragon set that Rohan is posing with in these pictures is available for sale here. The set is the recipient of the Creative Child Magazine Media of the Year Award!

I always love to hear from my fans, especially when they send in fun things like pictures and drawings. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

    As you can imagine, as a children’s author, I do a lot of reading and love to pass on to Danny the Dragon fans my children’s literature recommendations.

    You’ve probably heard me talking about the illustrated kids book by Kevin and Laura Sanchez, Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure, and the amazing true story behind it. If not, here’s a refresher: Nikki the cat was separated from her family in 2008 during an evacuation for Hurricane Gustav 85 miles from home, and she found her way back 4 months later! Her owners Kevin and Laura later wrote down their imagined adventures of Nikki the Cat, and Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure was born! What’s more, half of the profits of the book are being donated to cancer research.

    I published a review of this delightful book and was pleased to find that Kevin and Laura Sanchez have featured it on their website, NikkisHurricaneAdventure.com. It’s so nice that my words of praise mean so much that they’ve been placed directly on their home page. Check it out!

    You can read more about the book and Nikki’s story here or at NikkisHurricaneAdventure.com. Little ones will love to hear about it, trust me!

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

Danny the Dragon is quite the worldly traveller–he’s made the news in Iran!

www.ibna.ir, the Iran Book News Agency, has reported that I took first place for Best Illustrations in the Five Star Publication Purple Dragonfly Awards for my illustrations  by Aija Jasuna.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Turbin’s illustrations were enthusiastically praised by the judges who praised them as ‘outstanding.’ They went on to say, ‘Not only are the illustrations charming and expertly rendered, the paintings practically leap off the page! Rather than static or two-dimensional, they are full-bodied, full of movement and motion. They speak well to the story and would engage the imagination of old and young alike. An excellent job!’

“Turbin searched far and wide with uncompromising standards for an illustrator who could bring her vision of Danny the Dragon to life, connecting with Aija in Latvia, Europe. ‘It’s so gratifying to see the book and illustrations have resonated so deeply with another judging panel as they have with our public. It really goes to show that the author and illustrator are quite a team in picture books.’”

You can read the full article here: http://www.ibna.ir/vdcba8b8wrhb8zp.4eur.txt

What an unexpected pleasure it was to discover this!

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

I consider myself truly blessed for the kind words I hear from Danny the Dragon fans. They write in to tell me how special Danny is to them and their families. It’s quite something to see that something from my own imagination can capture the imaginations of so many children!

My favorite feedback I get, however, is from aspiring authors (kids and grown-ups alike) who not only enjoy my Danny the Dragon series but are inspired by my story of how I became an award-winning children’s author.

Take a look at the review below to see how I’ve inspired aspiring writer Theresa, mother of eight children (wow!) and product reviewer for Faith and FamilyReviews:

http://faithandfamilyreviews.com/2011/04/04/2010-award-winning-author-an-inspiration/

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

I was honored and touched by the review of the first book in my children’s book series, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, by book critic Gerardine Baugh of the Chicago Examiner. She had nothing but praise for my story, its themes, and the award-winning illustrations by Aija Jasuna.

     Among her many kind words, Ms. Baugh wrote, “Each time a child opens this book they will see something to count, or laugh over…I recommend this book as a birthday or holiday gift, or just a special bedtime gift. What a sweet way to lull your child to sleep.”

Regarding its themes, she wrote, that she “was equally impressed by how the writer, Tina Turbin, who in her story telling, showed me this sweet family working together and helping each other with manners and love…” I’m so glad that Ms. Baugh has appreciated the theme of family togetherness in my book. As the mother of three (now grown) children, it’s important for me to pass on to my readers the importance of mutual kindness and helping as ingredients in a strong, happy family.

You can click on the link below to read the whole review:

http://exm.nr/oDGELS

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy has been honored by Creative Child Magazine with the 2011 Media of the Year Award

Los Angeles, CA -

The multi-award winning illustrated kids book Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy by Tina Turbin has been honored by Creative Child Magazine with the 2011 Media of the Year Award in the category of Reading Interactive Picture Books. This prestigious prize is one of many that have been awarded to the critically-acclaimed author for the first book in her Danny the Dragon children’s book series.

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy has already been honored by a number of esteemed awards programs including the iParenting Media Awards, the International Book Awards and the Mom’s Choice Awards. Most recently the title received First Prize for Best Illustrations in the prestigious Five Star Publications, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for its illustrations by Aija Jasuna, which the judges praised as “outstanding” and “expertly rendered.”

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy tells the story of how Jimmy and his family come across Danny the Dragon and his traveling companion, Skipper, at the beach and the blossoming of their friendship. It is celebrated by critics and readers for its pro-family themes and messages promoting mutual kindness. Turbin’s award-winning book has been released in a number of multimedia formats including a Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy DVD, which features a reading of the book with sign language interpretation as well as a Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD, which contains a set of ten original compositions by up-and-coming composers followed by a reading of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy.

Creative Child Magazine, a national publication published bi-monthly with the leading information on how parents can nurture creativity in their child, is now celebrating its eleventh year while its circulation continues to grow throughout the country. Their Awards Program stands apart from others for the fact that submitted products are reviewed by parents, educators, and professionals—the people who purchase them. Creative Child Magazine announced Turbin as the 2011 Multimedia Set Winner on July 20 for her Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy book and CD set.

Turbin has had a busy year with her West Coast book tour and dealing with the intense media interest generated by the author’s release of a groundbreaking iPad app for deaf children, which was developed by iStoryTime, the app developer for How to Train Your Dragon. The first of its kind, Turbin’s app contains a reading of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy with sign language interpretation. Profits are being donated to support literacy and other worthy causes while Turbin’s tour moves to European countries.

“It’s such an honor to have received this award from Creative Child Magazine,” Tina said. “It was important to me to make Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy available through a variety of media. I’m thrilled that the Danny the Dragon multimedia set has been so well-received.”

To book Tina Turbin for an interview or speaking engagement: Contact ImaginationPublishingGroup(at)gmail(dot)com

To learn more about Danny the dragon: Visit http://www.DannytheDragon.com.

To purchase Danny the dragon products: Contact Imagination Publishing Group at ImaginationPublishingGroup(at)gmail(dot)com or call 888-701-6481. Also available through: Amazon.com, Victory Multimedia, Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster Video, Baker and Taylor, and other major distributors.

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy DVD: 837654741191, $24.95
Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy paperback: 978-0-9800-721-0-5, $8.95
Danny the Dragon Dreams CD/Audiobook: 978-0-9800-721-3-6, $8.95

DVD profits are generously donated by the author to support causes to improve literacy and education.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please call Alan Wayne 888-701-6481 or ImaginationPublishingGroup(at)gmail(dot)com.

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