Author: Tanya

It’s hard to believe that on July 13, 2020 we got my handsome Big Boy!

He has changed so much and come so far in such a short time. I’m so proud of this big fluffy goof!

Free on Kindle unlimited right now!

http://author.to/TanyaPackerbooks

1) I love cats! We have two rescue kittens that were so tiny when we first got them that I could pick them both up with one hand. My son named them: Felix Potvin and Jose Theodore. He Cheers for Montreal and my husband cheers for Toronto. I often post pictures of my two little writing buddies!

2) I love dogs! Last July we got a rescue/reclaim dog who is being trained to be my service dog. He is a strong willed, long coat Akita. This big goof tries to sit under my desk when I work. He hasn’t gotten the memo that he is NOT a lap dog!

3) I’ve always had a house full of pets and all my books have animals or pets in them that share character traits from those pets!

4) My son shares my passion for art and writing. I love when we sit together working on either an art project or our writing.

5) I have limited to no musical abilities! My son plays by ear and sings. I could spend all day listening to him play the piano or sing. I have a character that shares his musical abilities in my mg fantasy.

6) I have a middle grade fantasy series all planned out. Book 1 is in for its final proofreading. Book 2 is on chapter 4 and I have so many spin offs in their first outline drafts. I’m super stoked for my mg fantasy. The young betareaders loved it and all but one asked me when book 2 was coming out!

7) I now have celiac disease that was triggered due to my cptsd. Autoimmune diseases suck!

8) Writing my middle grade fantasy got me through the first half of my healing journey after I was diagnosed with cptsd and had my first breakdown. I’ve been off work for 3 years and just now slowly starting to venture out.

9) This month I opened up an online store to sell life inspired book clothes and accessories. I’ve always wanted to do this and my middle grade fantasy lends itself beautifully to all kinds of merchandise!

10) Thanks to Bane’s breeder and trainer it’s also a way to fund Bane’s service dog training and to give back to other people in need of a service dog!

Hurry on over to your kindle unlimited and grab your copy of Timothy’s Adventures for $0.99 !

And sale 2!

Free shipping on Canadian orders of $100.00 or more. So pop in and check out the store. Sale goes until July 1st.

#kidlit #kidlitauthor #kidsliterature #kidsbooks #antiracism #antibullying #stopbullying

I have exciting news to share!

Today I sent Nadira’s Storykeeper to have its final proofreading edit done! The count down is on now for a release date.

I also added some new products to my Cedar Hill Dog Academy collection and one of my designs from yesterday finally got approval!

Be sure to pop in to the store to take a peek.

#booklover #booknerd #bookaddict #writingcommunity #writers #kidlitauthor #kidlit #kittens #catlovers #fashion #fashiondesign
#middlegrade #fantasy #kidlit #kidlitauthor #mgbooks

For some time now I have dreamed of having an online store to sell t-shirts, hoodies, bags, and stuffed animals for my books. Well, I’m happy to say that that dream is now a reality! Or at least part of it is. No stuffed animals yet.

I had to rush the start up date, so I’m still working out some kinks, but do stop by and share your thoughts on my site!

tanyapackerstore.com

In my experience there were two times of year that brought out the most nightmares: Halloween and back to school. According to the sleep experts, the reason our little loved ones wake us up as we’ve settled into a nice deep sleep is that nightmares happen during REM when the brain is active. But nightmares can strike at any time and any age. Over this past week, I’ve been plagued by anxiety nightmares. And I can tell you, my body is exhausted, but my brain is mush!

Our dreams and nightmares are our brain’s way of processing thoughts and emotional situations that we have faced during the course of our day. Nightmares may be more frequent during times of stress or when dealing with change or events that have been unsettling. They can be a reaction to real life trauma, reading a scary book, or watching a television show that has aroused an emotional response.

Nightmares are hard to deal with, no matter how old the inflicted person is. Emotions are real, and when you’re woken from a nightmare, the feelings are fresh and raw. Little ones may not understand the difference between a nightmare and real life due to how real the emotional response is.

Both Timothy’s Adventures and Kaylee’s Adventures have chapters that you can share with your little ones to help them deal with nightmares. Be sure to check them out!

So how do we help our little ones go back to sleep after a nightmare?

• Reassure them that you’re there for them.
• Label it as a nightmare.
• Offer them comfort and love.
• Check places that they are afraid of, i.e., under the bed, the closet or behind the door.
• Provide a nightlight or flashlight.
• Help them settle back in with a comfort item, i.e., dream catcher, soft music, stuffy.
• Talk about the dream they might like to have.
• Give them a kiss to hold while they sleep.

* Most important, be a good listener and if need be, in the morning, help them process by talking, drawing, or writing about it.

How can we help prevent or limit nightmares?

• Help them relax and unwind before bedtime.
• Try to establish a routine and schedule.

These help children to feel safe and secure!

• Try to avoid scary triggers before bedtime.
• Try to provide space to talk about their day openly and honestly with you.
• Children’s bedrooms should be a safe place. It should be a place of comfort and peace. Never use their rooms as a place of punishment.

* Most nightmares are not a cause for concern, however, if the nightmares present with other emotional or behavioral trouble, seek professional guidance.

This year, more than ever, we need good friends in our lives. Over the years working with young people, I have had many discussions on the topic of good friends and bad ones. True friends are our most treasured gifts and can have a significant impact on our success and happiness, where a bad apple (or lousy friend) can infect a group of friends or ruin a young person in many ways.

Unfortunately, most of us have had to learn the hard way that someone wasn’t a true friend, so how do we help our young children to learn the difference?

By using their television and book heroes to open conversations, and by role modeling the characteristics we want them to cultivate we can assist young people in learning to identify and nurture the key character traits that make good friends. As parents, we need to be starting conversations early with our children on what makes good friends. Young people watch us like a hawk, and this means that we must put into practice, in our everyday lives what we say. Actions speak louder than words.

Good friends motivate, encourage, inspire, and support us to be the best we can. They help us to celebrate our achievements and help us to feel valued. Our bad friends do the complete opposite. They are jealous of accomplishments, offer little support or encouragement and are often bitter and resentful.

Everyone needs friends who listen and share without distractions or interrupting. These friends understand that friendship is a two-way street. There is also a difference between active listening and distracted listening. Active listening is engaging with the speaker to clarify, and validate, while distracted listening interjects an occasional “uh huh” to sound like they’re listening.

Listening has become harder with the introduction of cell phones and social media. Cell phones are a distraction for everyone (from senior citizens to children as young as 7 years of age have phones) these days. I often challenge parents to put their phones away and be present for their children no matter what their child’s age is. If a friend is always distracted or disinterested in hearing what you have to say, then it is time to evaluate your friendship.

Young people are generally good at seeking advice from people they trust, however, sometimes they have a hard time understanding what secrets are okay to keep and what secrets they need to share with a trusted adult. But everyone, not just young people, needs someone they trust to share with, and a true friend would not gossip. If you have a friend who talks about someone else when they aren’t there, then you can be sure that they will be talking about you when you aren’t there.

Both Timothy’s Adventures and Kaylee’s Adventures have chapters that you can share with your little ones to help them learn what a good friend is. It’s never too early to cultivate good friend character traits. Be sure to check them out!

Five key traits:

1) Trustworthiness

2) Honesty

3) Dependability

4) Loyalty

5) Stands up for you when you are being hurt, emotionally or physically.