A Different Thanksgiving Cake

 Hello Readers,

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. If you're like us, you aren't a fan of the turkey or green bean casserole. You would rather have a sweet treat at the end of your feast! We have a recipe for you to make your own Different Thanksgiving cake. Our recipe includes 3 components: the cake itself, the frosting, and the picture. First, you make the cake. After that, you make the frosting. You can make the decorations any time you want. 

Part 1: Making the Cake

You can make the cake however you want to, but we recommend the Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Premium Cake mix. 

Step 1: First, get out your ingredients. You will need: 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup oil, 3 eggs. Fun fact: Scarlett's favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs. If you don't have eggs:, you can use 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt. Gobble Gobble loves yoghurt and he once stole all of the yoghurt out of their fridge! If you don't have oil, you can use 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. You will need 2 9-inch round pans.

Step 2: Set the oven to 350°F. Coat the bottom of the pans with no-stick cooking spray or shortening and a flour dusting. 

Step 3: Beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs in bowl with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the pans). That beater sure spins fast. Mouse and his siblings love to play a game called spinny spin spin. They spin very fast!

Step 4: Bake for 29 to 33 minutes at 350°F. Doreen's family used to have all their Easter egg hunts outside, but it got too hot, just like the oven, so they moved it inside. Stick a toothpick into the cakes. When the toothpick inserted the center comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from the pan. Cool the cake completely before frosting. 

Part 2: The frosting

We like to buy frosting because it is delicious and convenient. Our favorite frosting is Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Milk Chocolate Frosting. You can get whatever is available at your local supermarket. 

Part 3: The decorations

You can draw Rosie's family or to be even more creative, you can draw or print out a picture of your own family! We will show you how to draw some festive decorations of Rosie's family. 

Step 1: You will need 2 pieces of paper, markers or crayons, 5 popsicle sticks or toothpicks, tape, and scissors. 

Step 2: Draw the characters or people in your family. Here's how mine turned out!

The final step is to put it all together! 

Step 1: Slice the top off of one of the cakes so that it is flat, rather than rounded. Spread frosting heavily on top of that cake. Put the second cake on top of the frosting, making sure that the flat part of your second cake is on the bottom. The only rounded part of your cake should be at the top. Now your cake has 2 layers!

Step 2: Spread frosting all over the sides and top of your layered cake. You can put sprinkles on if you would like to. 

Step 3: Tape the popsicle sticks or toothpicks to the tape. Put the picture on the cake. Be sure to stick the popsicle sticks or toothpicks into the cake so that it stands on its own. 

Now you have a festive Thanksgiving cake! The last step is to gobble gobble it up!

Sincerely,

Bethany and Mika

Q&A with the Author and Editor Part 2

Hello Readers,

We were so excited to read all of your questions. Let's get started!

Q: Hannah is quite a handful and Scarlett really has a huge amount of patience. How does she just not lose it with her?

A: When I was making Scarlett in my books, I always imagined her as very responsible and very patient. She also has had a lot of practice taking care of animals, which can be a lot of work. Being patient with animals helps her be patient with Hannah. She also takes piano and violin lessons, which help her practice her patience. I am considering writing a prequal when from Hannah was six and learning how to be patient with her sister.

Q: Do Hannah's parents ever discipline her?

A: Yes, but they are not very effective. 

Q: Rosie has a pet turkey. Do you recommend a turkey as a pet? Did you write this because you always wanted a pet turkey?

A: I do think that turkeys are very cute, but I personally prefer fish for pets. Turkeys prefer to roam free instead of being pets. If you would like a companion, we recommend fish, bunnies, and dogs. 

Q: Do you do all of your own illustrations?

A: So far, we have done all of our illustrations ourselves. Mika did the illustrations for A Fishmas Carol, and Bethany did the illustrations for Doreen's Easter, A Different Thanksgiving, and Mouse's House. Mika might be doing the illustrations for Bethany's new book, Meet Hannah. 

Q: Do you think it's better to do the pictures first or the writing first?

A: All illustrators have different ways of planning their illustrations, but I personally think it is better to do the pictures first. I think that pictures really help describe details in the stories, especially when a book has fewer words, like in Mouse's House. There's a lot of details that I don't describe in words, but can be found in the pictures. This is a great book to read over and over again and see what you can find. When you read it, it might be different every time. 

Q: What would your ideal guest list be for your own Thanksgiving dinner?

Bethany likes to dine with her mom, dad, and fantastic sisters. Mika wishes she could invite the pandas who have lived at the Smithsonian Zoo for over two decades- Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, along with their youngest child, Xiao Qi Ji. Mika is a berry big fan of pandas. She would have to buy a lot of bamboo for their Thanksgiving feast!

Thank you for giving us these questions!

Sincerely, 

Bethany and Mika

Polly and Penny Read Along: Chapter 3

 

What do you think will happen next? Let us know in the comments section!

Sincerely,

Bethany and Mika

Exclusive: Q&A with the Author and Editor

 Hello Readers,

Do you have any burning questions about any of the books by Bethany and Mika? Now is your chance to ask away! Ask your questions in the comments section, and we will respond in a post by Tuesday, October 3rd.

Sincerely,

Bethany and Mika

Advice for Aspiring Authors

 Hello Readers,

As you remember, there were two winners for the recent trivia contest: Brianna and Born Buckeye. The winners got to choose the topic of one of our blog posts. Born Buckeye asked what advice we have for aspiring authors and editors. Usually, Bethany writes the books and Mika edits and publishes them. Thus, Bethany will write from the perspective of an author, while Mika writes from the perspective of an editor and publisher. 

Advice for future authors:

1. Get yourself a notebook to write down your book ideas. On days when you want to write but can't think of any ideas, you can check your notebook for inspiration.

2. Read lots of books. When you read other people's books, you get inspired, and stories might start to rush into your brain. You should also go on lots of adventures, that way you have interesting experiences to write about. 

3. Don't be in a rush with your books. Make sure you don't work on multiple books at a time, or you'll get very stressed out. By just writing one book at a time, you can be more focused and less stressed. 

4. It's easier to work in a team. For instance, if you want to have a book that includes lots of real-life pictures, you should hire an experienced photographer. If you are publishing ebooks, it is good to have someone in your team who is good with technology. 

5. Before you start writing, you need to find your style. You can read different kinds of books and decided which ones you like best. You might love writing long chapter books, or you might like making nature books, or beautiful drawings in children's picture books. 

Advice for future editors and publishers:

1. The first step to editing a book is finding an author who needs an editor. Try to find an author who writes interesting books, that way you have more fun.

2. Communicate with the author about what you both would like from your partnership. Does the author want you to give constructive criticism about the plot or characters or do they just want you to do spellcheck? How much control does the author want in the process of publishing the book? By talking about what you want, you can avoid conflicts and have a more productive relationship.

3. Before publishing your book, make sure you have reviewed it with several methods. Use spellcheck on your computer, read it out loud to yourself, and have a trusted friend read it for more feedback. As more sets of eyes look at a manuscript, you are more likely to notice what needs to change.

4. Publishing an ebook on Amazon is very easy! You can self-publish using KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). You do not have to pay the company upfront; they just take a percentage of the profits you make from book sales. This way, you don't have to worry about losing money by paying to print a bunch of books that might not sell. For more information, check out this link: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G202172740). Amazon has an application called Kindle Create that you can download to your computer that will help you format an ebook for kindle. For more information, skim through this https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GYVL2CASGU9ACFVU. 

We hope this advice is helpful. The most important thing is to have fun!

Sincerely,

Bethany and Mika

Millie's Majestic Reviews

 Hello Readers,

The winner for the trivia competition was a tie between Born Buckeye and Brianna. Since Brianna entered first, she got to be the first to choose the topic of our next blog post. She suggested that Millie review our books. Millie is a giraffe who loves money. She has lived with us since December of 2019. She is married to a unicorn and currently has 8 children. She is a follower of our blog. We decided to ask her to speak her mind about our books.

Mika: Hi there Millie, thank you for joining us today. My question is, which of our books is your favorite?

Millie: Millie really likes the Millie Book. 

Mika: Can you tell us what it's about, Millie?

Millie: It's about Millie. 

Bethany: In this story, Millie decides to buy very expensive shoes and a dress on Cupcake the Unicorn's anniversary. Cupcake is sad Millie spent all her money. Millie and the family decide to enter a fashion show to earn the money back. 

Mika: What about this book is so special to you, Millie?

Millie: Because it has Millie in it.

Bethany: That's nice Millie. Have you entered any of the contests on our blog?

Millie: Millie entered in the trivia contest. 

Mika: Yes, and you did great. In A Different Thanksgiving, Rosie's mom doesn't want her to invite a lot of guests to the Thanksgiving dinner. You answered that question correctly. What do you think about the mom's decision?

Millie: Millie doesn't like it, no Mika sir.

Mika: Millie, I'm a girl. 

Millie: Millie know, Millie being silly. 

Bethany: Speaking of silly, Hannah in the Scarlett and her Pets series is a silly willy. Just like Millie. What is the silliest thing she did?

Millie: Hmm. Millie says Millie doesn't like banana muffins either. Millie thinks that Hannah should have got to put chocolate chips in the banana muffins.

Mika: How is that a silly thing that Hannah did?

Millie: It's not, Millie just like it. Millie do great at this quiz!

Mika: You are. In Mouse's House, Mouse tries to find his home. Have you ever gotten lost from home?

Millie: Millie has only left the house two times. Millie does not like to get dirty. Millie is tall, so she can see the house from anywhere. Millie never gets lost. Millie love to spend lots of money on things, so Millie bought a million copies of Doreen's Easter. 

Mika: In Dorean's Easter, Doreen is so focused on helping her family members find their Easter eggs that she doesn't have time to find her own. Do you ever neglect your own needs to take care of others?

Millie: Nope!

Cupcake: That sounds a little bit like what I do!

Bethany: That does sound like you, Cupcake. Since Cupcake's here, maybe we should ask you about our books. A Fishmas Carol is inspired by A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickins. Which do you prefer, our version or the original?

Cupcake: Cupcake does not get bored easily, but I fell asleep immediately after I started the original one. But your version was amazing, and I read the whole thing in bed in one sitting! 

Bethany: Thanks Cupcake and Millie. And thank you to our readers for participating

If you enjoyed hearing from Millie, you'll love to have a reminder of her in your own house. I, Mika, have painted a portrait of her. As you can see, she is a very glamorous giraffe. You can buy Millie merch at my Redbubble store: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/149901644. I especially recommend the magnets and stickers. 

We hope you enjoyed this look into the perspective of Millie. If you want to hear more from Millie, let us know in the comments section. 

Sincerely,

Bethany and Mika

Mouse's House: Behind the Scenes

 Hello readers,

Today, we are going to talk about some things you may not have noticed in the book Mouse's House. There is more to this book than meets the eye, and you may have to read it several times to find all the hidden details.

Page 3: You can see the birds from page 5 in the bird's nest in the tree. Later, on page 5, Mouse pretends to be one of the baby birds. 

Page 6: There is a beehive and a mother bee at the top of the page. On the next page, Mouse tries to find his house in this beehive. 

Page 7: On a branch, Mouse pretends to fly by attaching himself to a string on the tree. 

Page 9: Mouse is swinging on a swing at the top of the page because he is trying to be a monkey or a sloth.

Page 10: In the corner of the page, Mouse's mother is looking at him when Mouse is sad. She just found him!

Page 11: You may not have noticed that all of Mouse's family is thinking about their house and their family. You can see their thought bubbles all have houses. On the top section is Mouse's brother, George, with the brown belly. He plays Minecraft with Mouse, as you can see in the post "How Would Our Characters Play Minecraft?"  The mouse in the middle of the page, climbing the rope, is his sister, Henriette. On the left corner is Mouse's mom, from the page before. She has long blonde hair, like Rapunzel. On the right corner is Mouse's dad, who has green hair and a beard. Mouse is taking his spot in his prized cup. The cup has a picture of a mouse on it. Mouse is so happy because he finally found his family!

Page 12: On the bottom left corner of the house has a crack, where Mouse's family lives. You can see the outline of 5 little mice. The big house is actually where Scarlett and her family live! 

Page 13: On the last page, you can see the returning characters from the other pages. 

We hope you learned something new from this post. Let us know what your favorite Mouse's House secret is in the comments section!

Sincerely, 

Bethany and Mika