Mascot Blog

“I hope that America continues to be a beacon of hope for immigrants from all around the world. I hope that the idea of the American Dream—the idea that you can come to a place, work hard, create opportunity for you and your family regardless of background—remains a perpetual part of America’s narrative.”Our January featured title is Our American Dream by Fiona McEntee! Upon its release, Our American Dream was the #1 New Release in the Children’s Tolerance and the Children’s Books on Immigration categories on Amazon! We chatted with Fiona about her experiences as a naturalized U.S. … read more

We are all writers. Whether you write short stories, blog posts, or full-length novels, we all have room to grow and improve upon our prose. From mastering the semicolon to developing the perfect hook, ring in 2020 with our New Year’s writing resolutions below!1. Master the coveted em dash.The em dash is a daunting yet wonderful writing tool—and when used properly—can sprinkle variation and emphasis into your sentences. This is not to be confused with the hyphen—a shorter, frequently-used symbol to connect two items to serve as a joint modifier. Nor is it to be confused by the en dash—the … read more

New year, new me, new resolutions! If reading more is one of you New Year’s resolutions, then we’ve got you covered! Check out our full list of January book releases below.January Featured Title: Our American DreamBy Fiona McEnteeImmigrants come from countries far,to dream their dreams beneath American stars.Let’s see who’s here in this great place,a land of diversity: the United States!Our American Dream is written by Fiona McEntee, an award-winning nationally recognized immigration lawyer. As an immigrant, mom of two young children, and lawyer who fights for justice every day, Fiona wrote Our American Dream to help explain the importance of a diverse … read more

“We have a chance to transform our pessimism into optimism; our confusion into clarity, our passion into action; and our potential into real life success.”Our December featured title is Joy of Financial Planning by Jason Howell! We chatted with Jason about his extensive political and financial career, his involvement as an alumnus of George Mason University, and how we can reclaim our American Dreams through financial planning. 1. As President of the Jason Howell Company, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a former U.S. Congressional candidate, you have a very extensive background in finance and politics. What inspired you to share … read more

The holiday season can be a great time to release a book, but it requires some planning! Check out our 5 tips below on how to publish a book in time for the holidays.1. Determine if your book has a significant tie to the holidays.Before you settle on publishing a book during the holiday season, stop and think. Will your book directly relate to the holidays? Is this a significant time of year to you as an author? Do you think that your book could be sold just as successfully in the spring?While many of our books like and … read more

Celebrate this holiday season with new books! From children’s titles to nonfiction, our December releases have something for every reader’s wish list.December Featured Title: Joy of Financial PlanningBy Jason J. Howell, CFPCan you still achieve the American Dream?You don’t have a pension. Social Security and Medicare may not be there when you need them. You pay much more for housing, even adjusted for inflation, than your parents ever did.  College education prices have skyrocketed. You may have gone to a good school and you may make good money (even saved some of it), but this is not the life you … read more

“It was such a fun, true story and I immediately thought it would make a great children’s book.”Our November featured title is Darcy and Daisy the Christmas Puppy! We chatted with author Karin Hoving about her inspiration behind the book, Darcy & Daisy’s extremely popular Instagram account, and whether she herself is more like Darcy or Daisy. 1. You lead a very interesting career. As a TV Producer, you’ve done everything from holding baby chimps to filming on the site of an active volcano. What made you want to embark on a new journey and write a children’s book?I … read more

On Veterans Day, we recognize our United States military veterans for all of their sacrifices and contributions for our country. To honor this special day, we’re highlighting some of our notable wartime and veteran titles. By Erin MorrisAbout Who is Sam the Solider?Ever wonder what a soldier actually does? Why does he dress that way? Could I be a soldier one day? Private First Class Sam Smith is a soldier in the U.S. Army. Come along with Sam as he tells all about what it’s like to live, work, and (even) relax like a soldier.Why We Love ItAuthor Erin Morris served … read more

To a first-time author, the award submission process can seem daunting. To shed some light on the subject, we chatted with Lori Orlinsky, #mascotauthor of Being Small (Isn’t So Bad After All) and the recent First Place Winner in the Children’s Category at the Author Academy Awards! She shared her award selection process, best practices for researching awards, and her tips for future award-winning authors.Q&A with Lori:What was your award selection process like for Being Small?Because Being Small is a bullying prevention book, I submitted Being Small to a number of awards that have categories in that realm, such as school issues, social/emotional issues, … read more

It’s November, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. What are we thankful for? New books!Check out the full list of our November book releases below.November Featured Title: Darcy and Daisy: The Christmas PuppyBy Karin HovingDarcy the dog is so happy to have found his forever home with his human and animal siblings. But one thing is missing: Darcy wishes he had someone to play with! With Christmas around the corner, will Darcy’s wish come true?By Elaine BamfordEveryone knows Sidney is a kind and helpful squirrel, but it wasn’t always that way…Sidney loves spending time with his mom over a … read more