Exciting News! The first FiveSibes™ Book is Available for Order. Purchases Also Benefit Canine Epilepsy Organization

Book Front Cover

 Woooo! It's a very exciting time for the FiveSibes™ and I as we are releasing our very first illustrated children's book titled, What's Wrong With Gibson? This is the first book in a series of FiveSibes™ Tales written by me, the FiveSibesMom, and illustrated by the very talented artist Michelle Littler! Working with Michelle has been such a great experience! I look forward to working with her on the future editions of A FiveSibes™ Tale books! Her work is beautiful and she "gets" my Sibes and what message I'm trying to relay via her artwork. I am so pleased to have met her and thank Road Dog Tales for originally introducing us! Check out Michelle's Etsy store, too, at littletoad. 

As many of you know, I am an author, journalist, editor, and photographer by trade; with the last 14 years spent in the educational field. For five years, I was an editor of an elementary school newspaper I started in my daughter's school where the children in grades kindergarten through fifth participated in the creative roles of writers, photographers, artists, and designers of an actual quarterly newspaper. I grew up around a myriad of pets (from dogs, cats, and horses to a bull, goats, birds, a rescued fox, a monkey, and even 77 baby chicks)! I was an equestrian in my youth when I raised, trained, and showed horses and worked with local 4H students on horse care and riding lessons - and always with a faithful adopted dog or two by my side. I like to joke I traded horses for Huskies! To be able to merge my passions for writing and animals is a true dream come true.

Back Cover

Our five Siberian Huskies that we raised since pups, and their real life antics are the inspiration to my series, and What's Wrong With Gibson is based my boy having seizures, which I translated into a short tale that makes it easy for children who may have Epilepsy themselves, or know someone who does, to understand. The tale is about how while the Huskies are out playing in the snow one day, Gibson suddenly has a seizure. As the short story unfolds, in easy-to-understand rhymes accompanied by colorfully adorable illustrations, the three young pups discover that their big brother has Canine Epilepsy and they get a hands-on lesson about care and first aid from the pack's alpha leader, Harley.

Since November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, I thought it was a perfect time to release the book. I will be doing a continuous donation of a percentage of the proceeds (after cost of publication) to the Canine Epilepsy Rescources center, a non-profit agency "designed to provide valuable information and support to those who love and care for an epileptic dog (or cat). It is scary to watch your pet have a seizure whether it be a full blown tonic clonic (grand mal), a petit mal or something in between. You feel helpless as an owner and just want to help your pet. The information on this site is provided to do just that." 

This non-profit organization, which also has a Facebook page, offers Epi-dog parents a tremendous amount of valuable information, resources, and the website is also home to the Epil-K9 List and the site is dedicated to Emma's Memorial Fund, where funds are used to help the neurology and genetics department at the Neurology Department of the Vet School at North Carolina State University with small projects or pieces of equipment. 

Your purchase of What's Wrong With Gibson helps support Canine Epilepsy awareness, research, information, and valuable resources to the public through the Canine Epilepsy Resources site! If you have not checked out this awesome website, please do so! It is packed full of helpful information, articles, and also is home to the Epil-K9 List and hosts a chat room.

While a very important topic, this a sensitive and uplifting story written in easy rhyming and fabulously fun illustrations for children (of any age!) as it shows love, compassion, understanding, and care of a loved one who is afflicted by Epilepsy. For a short time, the book will be at a special pre-season discounted price of $9.50 per book, plus shipping & handling of $6.50 in the United States. Canada and other Countries, please contact ArcticHouse Publishing for individual shipping & handling fees before ordering. Since this is the launch of my own self-publishing house, I have worked with the printer in an attempt to keep the price per book at the lowest, while the quality is at the highest. Books are currently being prepared for printing, and should be available for shipment by mid-December, but can be pre-ordered now through ArcticHouse.

While I so enjoyed working on this project, I am really happy to be using it to hopefully raise funds for a cause you all know is very close to my heart, Canine Epilepsy, by donating to the Canine Epilepsy Resources center, so all purchases are greatly appreciated! Plus, your purchase does go toward a donation to a non-profit organization, so you can speak with your tax preparer about that!

If you would like your book either personalized by me, and/or pawtographed by the FiveSibes™,  just make note of it on the ArcticHouse ordering form and we will be very happy to do so! The books should be ready from the printers for shipment in mid-December, but we are taking orders now over at the ArcticHouse Publishing website!

HELP WANTED: In an effort to help spread the word about this book as more sales equals higher donations, we would love to do a Blog Book Tour. If you would be willing to "host" us for one blog entry, please send me an Email with your interview questions at FiveSibes(at)gmail(dot)com, with "Book Tour" in the subject line. You can ask us anything you'd like - about the Sibes, Canine Epilepsy, writing, etc. I will also send you over a badge and link to post on your blog. Just tell me what date your blog will be posted and we will post a link on our page with the date of your post.

Woooo! Did you hear? Mom wrote a book about us!"

I hope you will enjoy reading What's Wrong With Gibson to your children - both two and four-legged ones! Please feel free to send me photos of your pets and children (or even yourself!) reading the book! And thank you so very much for all of your support!

Hint to Santa Paws: It would make a great holiday gift and stocking stuffer for children, as well as collectors of all things Siberian Husky and canine! And...the the great bonus is sales of this book will help improve the lives of Epi-dogs and their hu-families across the world. It doesn't get much merrier than that! 

Please be sure to hop over to some of the other blogs or even join in this one yourself! And much thanks to our hosts, Two Little Cavaliers, Life With Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume!