So, I was shopping in the mall in Albany today with my family. As usual, we ended up in the bookstore. I was browsing in the gardening section and came across copies of The New Kitchen Garden on the shelf. That’s the first book I worked on as contributing writer for Hatherleigh Press! Seeing my work on the shelf was beyond amazing, and I wanted to share the news with my readers.

Check it out here:

The Kitchen Garden is now in Borders!

And here:

Hey! That's my name in the book on the shelf.

What a nice motivator to keep writing and working even harder. This is just the first of what I hope will be many books bearing my name to grace store bookshelves!

*Paperback: 260 pages
*Publisher: Twin Trinity Media; First edition (August 24, 2009)
*ISBN-10: 0984209506
*ISBN-13: 978-0984209507

Well, if a picture is really worth a thousand words, then this video made by Twin Trinity Media to promote their Elements of the Soul anthology should be worth several thousand of them! And it is – 260 pages worth of beautiful words to be exact.

The authors and poets whose works are published in Elements of the Soul all gained their spots in the anthology by competing and placing in the Accentuate Writers Short Story Anthology Contests. The authors with short stories in the book are: Steven Thor Gunnin, Jennifer Walker, Rissa Watkins, Lindsay Maddox, George Kramer, Lucinda Gunnin, Jo Brielyn, M. Lori Motley, Susan Sosbe, and Laurie Darroch-Meekis. Also included in the anthology is winning poetry from featured poet, Laurie Darroch-Meekis, as well as: Randy Barefoot, Jo Brielyn, Susan Sosbe, Angel Sharum, and Felicity Tillack.

Elements of the Soul, the first anthology in the Elements series, is available for purchase directly through Twin Trinity Media, Amazon, Books-A-Million, and Barnes & Noble. The book may also be ordered through local bookstores.

Check it out the video, and then go buy your own copy:

Listen to Jo Brielyn's interview on Will Blog for Kids tomorrow, February 7th!

As many of you may already know, I’m the host of the radio show, Will Blog for Kids on Blog Talk Radio. Tomorrow (Friday, January 7th), my lovely co-host Michelle Debenport from SomeGirlsWebsite, and I will be kicking off 2011 with a bang! For our first show in the new year we thought it’d be fun to let our listeners learn more about us, so we’ll be interviewing each other. I’ll be talking about my writing career and Creative Kids Ideas blog. I’m really excited – and a little nervous – about this and would love your support.

Here are the show details:

On the first Friday of every month at 11 am Central, experienced mommy bloggers, Jo Brielyn and Michelle Debenport, dare to delve into the world of blogging for or about children with their radio show, Will Blog for Kids. Start 2011 off by getting to know the hosts better. In January’s edition, Jo and Michelle will switch things up a little and interview each other! They will also be chatting about their new goals for their blogs, families , and lives in the New Year. And feel free to call in and share your own goals with Will Blog for Kids’ listeners!

Link to the show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2011/01/07/rfk–will-blog-for-kids

Date: Friday, January 6, 2011

Time: 11:00 AM Central/Noon Eastern

Show length: 1 to 1-1/2 hours

Call-in number: (646) 595-4478

*Online chat is also available during the show, so be sure to log into Blog Talk Radio before the show begins.

This should be a fun show! I’d love to see you in the chatroom. Don’t forget, call-ins are welcome too!

**This same link will work for tuning in to the live show or listening to the archived version at a later time.

My blog posts here have been sporadic, I know. But, I assure you I have definitely not been slacking off! Would you like to see what I’ve been busy working on lately?

Take a look at these two recipe books. They are the first two books in the new Farmstand Favorites series. They’re also two of the writing projects I recently completed for Hatherleigh Press. I’m a contributing writer, so I wrote the opening content for both books. I also had the privilege of dealing with some of the local and regional associations and groups to collect the apple and pumpkin recipes included in the books. Each book contains over 75 delicious recipes!

Aren’t they pretty? (Click on the image for a better view.)

Farmstand Favorites: Pumpkins and Farmstand Favorites: Apples

Here’s what Hatherleigh Press has to say about this new series:

“The Farmstand Favorites series was created to encourage buying local and buying fresh. More than ever, we strive for a better understanding of where our food comes from, and for many of us this means shopping at a farmers market or farmstand. By supporting your local farmers and producers, you are also supporting a livelihood which is vital for a healthy, sustainable future.”

The exciting news is that as of yesterday (November 16, 2010) they are both available for sale, just in time for the holidays. You can learn more about Farmstand Favorites: Apples and Farmstand Favorites: Pumpkins and how to purchase them on the publisher’s website. The books are also available through Random House, Amazon, Borders, eBay and various other companies.

Also, if you are a health or food writer/reviewer and are interested in reviewing either book, please contact Jo Brielyn (that’s me) at jo[at]jobrielyn[dot]com to learn how to obtain a review copy.

Living with a Type 1 Kid

According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, almost 24 million Americans live with Diabetes. Almost 3 million of those people have Type 1 Diabetes, which generally strikes children, teenagers, and young adults (it can also be diagnosed in adults). More than 15,000 kids are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes each year in America alone. That’s about 40 kids every day! Yet, despite these numbers, Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes still receives far less media attention than necessary to inform our nation’s parents and families and facilitate a change.

Emily and Sue, Photo courtesy: Sue Ayers

Sue Ayers is a mother who knows all too well what it’s like to have a child affected by Type 1 Diabetes. Her 11-year old daughter, Emily, was diagnosed with Type 1 on January 22, 2010. Tomorrow, on my blog talk radio show, Will Blog for Kids, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sue and chatting with her about Emily, life since the diagnosis, what she’s now doing to raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes, important facts about Juvenile Diabetes, and much more.

My co-host, Michelle Devenport, will also be talking with Lisa-Jo Baker from The Gypsy Mama about her recent trip to Guatemala as a Compassion International blogger.

You won’t want to miss this show! I hope to see you in the chatroom tomorrow.

Here are the details:

Link to the show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2010/11/05/robin-falls-kids–will-blog-for-kids

Date: Friday, November 5, 2010

Time: 11:00 AM Central/Noon Eastern

Show length: 1 to 1-1/2 hours

Call-in number: (646) 595-4478

*Online chat is also available during the show, so be sure to log into Blog Talk Radio before the show begins.

Edited to add: The link above also works for listening to the archive version of the show.