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To place an order for any of our books, email melissa@luckypennypress.com.
]]>“Olé’s Dark Sky Journey” is the 10th installment in Lucky Penny Publication's national park series. The first book of the series, “Buzzy and the Redrock Canyons” was published in 2016, and features Buzzy, a honey bee, which takes readers on a tour of Utah’s five national parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion’s.
Other books of the series include 2019’s “The Secret Life of Phil” where an endangered black-footed ferret explores the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota, and her last book, “The Bird That Lives in Paradise,” which is about a red-shafted northern flicker that tours the Washington State Parks and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
While “Olé’s Dark Sky Journey” is available on Amazon and Luckypennypublications.com, it is already available at a number of Utah State Park visitors’ centers including Edges of the Cedars, Fremont Indian, Antelope Island, Goblin Valley as well as Capital Reef National Park and Zion Mountain Ranch near Zion’s National Park, which have all ordered copies.
“One of the joys of the print-on-demand model is that we can change the cover to match the areas where the books are being sold,” Marsted said. “Also, if readers find inaccuracies, we can make changes in the next printing within 48 hours.”
To place an order for any of our books, email melissa@luckypennypress.com.
]]>Ole's Book Description:
Who doesn’t love to look up at the night sky and hope to see a shooting star? We bring you the tenth book in our Wildlife Adventures for Young Readers series that focuses on Utah, which has more International Dark Sky Parks than anywhere else in the world. With more than 195 International Dark Sky Parks worldwide, by the end of 2022, Utah is home to 24 dark sky places where almost no light pollution exists.
Ole, an endangered Mexican spotted owl, flies from one park to another and introduces our readers to unique geological features and constellations, exploring places like Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, and Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Will Ole meet his mate along the way to conserve the Mexican spotted owl species? Read along to find out where Ole travels and whoo, whoo, whoo he meets along the way.
To order on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Oles-Dark-Sky-Journey-Wilderness/dp/1938136721/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RRO9MS18N0TF&keywords=Ole%27s+Dark+Sky+Journey&qid=1674658159&sprefix=ole%27s+dark+sky+journey%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1
]]>I tried to see as much as I could along the way, but the only place to walk my dog, Clover, was along the Pacific Coast Trails which also cuts across Highway 20.
This photo was when I finally got to see Diablo Lake which our amazing illustrator, Cait Irwin, captured perfectly for our book.
I was drawn to flickers on my property as the bird to use as the primary character and narrator for this book, instead of the American Goldfinch which is the state bird of Washington.
Enjoy!
By the way, it was over 90 degrees in the parking lot when this photo was taken so it was a rush to get back to the van for Clover!
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"Black-billed Magpies live among the meadows, grasslands, and sagebrush plains of the West. Their nesting territories often follow stream courses. Though they like open areas and are not found in dense woods, they stay close to cover for protection from raptors."
"Black-billed magpies range in the north from coastal southern Alaska, central British Columbia, and the southern halves of Alberta, southern half of Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and west through the Rocky Mountains down south to all the Rocky Mountain states including New Mexico, Colorado, UTAH, and Wyoming."
"The Yellow-billed Magpie lives only in California -- in an area about 500 miles from north to south and less than 150 miles wide."
And a cool fun fact found on Wikipedia: "Magpies are one of only four North American songbirds whose tail makes up half or more of the total body length (the others being the yellow-billed magpie, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, and the fork-tailed flycatcher)."
By the way, a lot of people don't particularly like magpies, but I do!! I love their magnificent tails!
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Did you know the sparrow symbolizes power, creativity, community, simplicity, and empowerment? They also signify friendship, caring, persistence, productivity, protection and joy. "In Chinese culture, the sparrow is an auspicious symbol of happiness."
"The sparrow teaches us to use our creativity to get around in life - think outside the box, and be creative in solving our problems." (From the website What's Your Sign)
Ashford Creek Gallery, 30510 SR 706E, Ashford, Oregon 98304
Located on the Mountain Highway near the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park
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"Teaching our children to love and protect nature is one of the most important actions of our time. This book draws you into the world of the pika, and builds understanding and compassion for the species and its home. I can't wait to share it with others!"
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Then Story: Working for Arts and Education Non-Profits
Now Story: Children’s Book Author and Founder of Lucky Penny Publication
Curb Moments: When a combination of a series of devastating circumstances and a need for adventure sparked the need for change
Sometimes curb moments include an equal mixture of devastation and inspiration. When Melissa’s path hit some rough territory, including losing her home in a California wildfire, this competitive athlete put her grit to the test and turned her part-time passions for outdoor excursions and writing nature-inspired children’s stories into an exciting career adventure!
]]>Lucky Penny Press, the innovative publisher of eBooks and print books for children, is pleased to announce the release of Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons, a fast-paced, illustrated tour of Utah’s five national parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion.
Along the way, kids see the fantastic geologic formations that characterize these parks and learn about magpies, marmots, mule deer, bighorn sheep, falcons, condors and other park inhabitants.
The book is written by Lucky Penny founder Melissa Marsted, illustrated by artist Izzy Greer, and designed by Pamela Beverly-Quigley. It will be available online through Amazon, at National Park Service gift shops in Utah and at other select retailers throughout Utah.
David Nimkin, senior regional director of the southwest region of the National Parks Conservation Association, wrote, “Wow! I just loved this book. It is filled with wonderful illustrations and stories that engender great wonder and joy for our most special places — Utah’s national parks.”
“Through the great lessons of Buzzy and her cast of native wildlife creatures, this book’s illustrations capture the marvelous and reckless beauty of Utah’s parks with graceful lessons of geology, cultural histories, night skies and all the qualities and values that make Utah’s national parks some of our most iconic places,” he continued. “This book elicits a childlike fascination, curiosity and affection for our parks ... for all ages. And thank you for endorsing our work to protect these fragile and special lands.”
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park System, Park City, Utah-based Lucky Penny Publishing is planning an entire series of children’s books on the parks.
The second book, Chloe the Quail Cruises California, takes a tour of California’s nine national parks — from Yosemite to Death Valley, Joshua Tree to Sequoia & Kings Canyon.
Future titles include Molly the Meadowlark’s Magical Mountain Adventure through the national parks of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming; and books exploring the national parks of Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons is Marsted’s fifth children’s book (other titles include Pablito and the Speckled Bear, Emily and the Shackelford Horses, The Lucky Penny Christmas Story and The King’s Balloon, due in May).
A transplant to the Beehive State after her Montecito home burned down in the 2008 Tea Fire in Santa Barbara, Marsted has fallen love with the beauty of her adopted home. A long-distance runner, she has completed several races through Utah’s canyons. Describing the beauty of the state’s national parks in an illustrated book for children was a natural for her.
Greer, the book’s talented illustrator, has been painting for most of her life and studied art in college. Currently a San Francisco resident, she has previously lived in Massachusetts and Utah and has been illustrating Lucky Penny Press titles for more than six years. Click here to purchase prints of her lush illustrations for Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons.
Like all Lucky Penny titles, a portion of book sales will benefit a nonprofit organization. Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons will benefit the National Parks Conservation Association, which works to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations.
Lucky Penny Press began as a children’s eBook publisher founded by Marsted in 2010. The company became Lucky Penny Publishing LLC, in 2013, offering two imprints: Lucky Penny Press, publishing children’s e-books, and Silver Dollar Press, which publishes adult-oriented memoirs, autobiographies and nonfiction. The company added the print division — offering softcover editions from Amazon — in June 2015.
Click here for more information about Lucky Penny Press. Connect with Lucky Penny Press on Facebook. Follow Lucky Penny Press on Twitter: @luckypennypress and Instagram: @luckypennypublishing.
]]>The National Parks Service turns 100 in August and that milestone was part of the inspiration for Park City-based author Melissa C. Marsted’s new book "Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons."
"I have lived in Utah for only three years, and as a long-distance runner, I have become fascinated with the state’s national parks," Marsted told The Park Record. "I was on a run one day, I think it was the Antelope Island 50k, when the ideas coalesced. I thought about Utah’s five national parks and the 100th anniversary and wanted to see if I could do this."
"Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons" is a children’s book written and published by Marsted through Lucky Penny Press, the children’s book imprint of her company Lucky Penny Publishing, which also publishes nonfiction and memoirs with the Silver Dollar Press imprint.
"I have made plans for more stories about the other national parks in the nation, but ‘Buzzy’ starts it all off," Marsted said.
"Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons" follows Buzzy, a honeybee, as he takes readers on a tour of Utah’s five national parks — Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion.
"There was so much that could have been in the books and it was tough figuring out what I should include, but once I got started it wasn’t that difficult," Marsted said. "When you start to research the national parks and start to learn about them, certain images come to the forefront."
The first goal of the book was to include places that parents and their kids could visit.
"I also added some places that aren’t as well known, such as Kolob Canyon, which is more of a secret gem," Marsted explained. "So, in doing so, I ended up putting in a mixture of places."
The author enjoyed writing about these places in a way that would be easy for children to understand.
"The book is basically for kids ages 3 to 8," Marsted said.
Still, with six other children’s books under her belt, Marsted knew there also had to be an educational component to "Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons."
"I have historical facts and used them fictitiously in the past," she said. "I approached ‘Buzzy’ in a similar way. There are some historical parts in there, but it’s a little more geography and animal related."
The bee visits the national parks and, within each park, meets different animals, including the bighorn sheep, the mule deer, Mexican spotted owls, a magpie, a condor, the desert cottontail, a peregrine falcon and the marmot.
Marsted wanted to use the animals as a vehicle to teach the young readers life lessons.
"For example, when Buzzy meets the big-horned sheep, they talk about their horns," She said. "They talk about how a sheep may defend itself, but would rather use grace to solve problems and things like that."
Another example is the condor.
"They teach kids to raise their heads with confidence," Marsted said. "These are the little messages that I spread throughout the book. And that was fun to do."
The condors also serve as another educational element.
"Both that bird and the spotted owls that appear in the book are endangered species," Marsted said. "It’s important for kids to know this."
After meeting with Michael O’Malley, the director of marketing for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development a year ago, Marsted began writing the book in January.
"We met again in the winter to see if the state would commission my book, but as the illustrations came in, I decided to just commission the artist," Marsted said.
A family friend, Izzy Greer, illustrated the book.
"It was Izzy’s parents who are the reason why I’m in Park City now," Marsted said. "Her parents were part-time Park City residents and lived in Santa Barbara where I lived. They still own property here, and they brought me to Park City." Marsted mapped out the book after looking at the geography of the national parks and sent the story to Greer.
"I didn’t give her a lot of direction, but she would do an illustration every other night and text me the pictures," Marsted said. "I would just get chills. I didn’t say anything else, but how much I loved the illustrations and to keep going."
Colorado resident Pamela Beverly-Quigley conceived the book’s design.
"She and I met at a TEDx conference here at the Montage two years ago and then ran into each other again in August or September," Marsted said. "She has designed a series of books for us in the past, and with this one, like what happened with Izzy, I told Pam about my idea of the national parks books."
Marsted was floored by Beverly-Quigley’s design.
"What she did with the book design was wonderful," she said. "I gave her the text and illustrations and she went to town and used her unbelievable artistic integrity."
The three worked on the book through March.
During that time, Marsted received approval from the state’s legal council and the Utah Office of Tourism to use the phrase "Mighty Five," which refers to Utah’s five national parks.
"We wrote and illustrated and then we designed the book in April and the book was loaded three weeks ago," Marsted said. "It was as if the universe helped us."
In addition, because Marsted’s background is in grant writing for nonprofits, all of the Lucky Penny Publishing books are associated with a nonprofit.
"The one for ‘Buzzy’ is the National Parks Conservation Association," she said.
"Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons" is available on Amazon, Ingram Spark and at select retailers in Utah. It is available locally at Jans Mountain Outfitters, the Swaner EcoCenter and the Mirror Lake gift shop.
The book can also be found at Trailside Elementary and Weilenmann School of Discovery and The Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch.
"My goal is to have every elementary school and library carry it," Marsted said.
The next book in the series will be called "Chloe the Quail Cruises California."
"It will focus on California’s nine national parks from the Redwoods to Yosemite and Joshua Tree," Marsted said.
For more information about "Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons," visit luckypennypress.com.
]]>Contact: Melissa C. Marsted / melissa@luckypennypress.com
Silver Dollar Press announces the eBook title: The Man Who Lives in Paradise: The Autobiography of A.C. Gilbert
Erector Set toymaker was lifelong inventor, adventurer, and entrepreneur, recently inducted to the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame
Park City, UT—Silver Dollar Press, a division of Lucky Penny Publishing, has published the autobiography of A.C. Gilbert, a native of Salem, OR, as an eBook—a format targeted to a new generation of readers. The Man Who Lives in Paradise: The Autobiography of A. C. Gilbert tells the story of an individual best-known as the inventor of the Erector Set, the Gilbert Chemistry Set, and the maker of American Flyer toy trains.
A lifelong inventor, Gilbert acquired over 150 patents during his career—an accomplishment resulting in his induction into the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame in October 2015. Gilbert was also an adventurer and athlete, winning a 1908 Olympic Gold Medal in pole-vaulting and setting several world records in other sports. Most importantly, he changed the way toys—and boys—were made, influencing the development of several generations of young people.
His autobiography was originally published in print in 1954, but Lucky Penny Publications acquired the eBook publishing rights and chose it as the company’s first release under its new Silver Dollar Press division, which focuses on memoirs, autobiographies, and family histories.
As reviewer William Brown, director of the Eli Whitney Museum, wrote, “The Man Who Lives in Paradise is a complete history of the creative lives of the generations that thrived before television arrived as a thief of time and attention. Paradise is also an account of the power of playfulness, which is evident in Gilbert’s long reign as one of America’s great toy-making entrepreneurs. The love of adventure and experiment that animated Gilbert’s toys runs through every chapter of his life. Congratulations to Lucky Penny Publishing on the eBook, keeping his legacy and spirit of entrepreneurship alive.”
Melissa Marsted, the founder and publisher of Lucky Penny Publications, also happens to be Gilbert’s great-granddaughter. “When my house burned to the ground, along with 220 other homes in the Santa Barbara Tea Fire, in November 2008,” she says, “I lost so many documents and pieces of my family’s history. Publishing my great-grandfather’s autobiography as an eBook helps me preserve his remarkable life and legacy for a whole new generation of readers. Following my great grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit was one of the factors motivating me to start my company.”
A.C. Gilbert died in 1961, robbing Marsted of the opportunity to know her great-grandfather. Nevertheless, “he inspired his daughter, my paternal grandmother, to start her own business—the Toy Barn in Hamden, Connecticut. When I was growing up we were allowed to pick out toys from her store. My father, too, helped to develop a company as an early partner. My great-grandfather’s legacy continues.”
Another Gilbert, David T., has been pleased to see his grandfather’s story make the transition to online publishing. “A.C. would be proud of his great granddaughter’s passion for keeping the Gilbert family legacy alive for future generations,” he wrote.
Joanna Engle, executive director of the Gilbert House Children’s Museum, which carries on the Gilbert legacy through their mission of inspiring children to learn through creative play, wrote in a review: “A.C. Gilbert championed the rights of children to play because he believed play is essential to learning. This book is an in-depth look at an inspiring man whose life reflected the American spirit of ingenuity.
Bruce Watson, Gilbert’s biographer and author of The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made: The Life and Times of A. C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas, wrote, “A.C. Gilbert made the first Erector Sets and those sets made generations of boys. Gilbert’s autobiography, The Man Who Lives in Paradise,” tells how he made his greatest invention—himself.”
Like all Lucky Penny Publications’ titles, Silver Dollar Press eBooks are currently available for immediate download from the publisher’s website: www.silverdollarpress.com, under the under the Silver Dollar Press link. Sales from the book will benefit the A. C. Gilbert Children's Museum of Salem, Oregon; the Eli Whitney Museum in New Haven, Connecticut; and the A. C. Gilbert Heritage Society.
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Lucky Penny Press was launched in 2011 as a children’s eBook publishing company, founded by Melissa C. Marsted, author of Pablito and the Speckled Bear. Lucky Penny Publications is now the parent company of both Lucky Penny Press, the children’s book publisher, and Silver Dollar Press, publisher of memoirs, autobiographies, and family histories for adults. As part of LPP’s cultural fabric, each book is connected to a non-profit organization, which receives a portion of book sale proceeds. LPP sells eBooks in numerous eReader formats including those for iPads, iPhones, Kindles, Nooks, and MP3 players.
]]>Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons makes the Park Record, Park City, Utah
POSTED: 05/24/2016 04:42:51 PM MDT
Parkite Melissa Marsted, seen here at Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, has penned and published a new children's book called "Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons." The 100th anniversary of the National Park Service was the inspiration for the book. (Courtesy of Melissa Marsted) The National Parks Service turns 100 in August and that milestone was part of the inspiration for Park City-based author Melissa C. Marsted's new book "Buzzy and the Red Rock Canyons."
Read the full article here >
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