Book Review: I Am Bold by Andie Powers Illustrated by Betsy Peterson

Bea is not loud — she is BOLD! Sometimes, people tell Bea she’s just too much. Whether she’s bugging her brother like a buzzing bee, helping out a bit too much in class, or blasting her trombone as loud as it goes, she is often misunderstood. While grownups and even other kids might see her as loud, we know that she’s got stuff to say, things to do, and friends to make!

This story is for the child who lives out LOUD and boldly use their voice to be heard above the crowd. Bea’s story shows us that when the strongest voices are celebrated, their boldness inspires beauty and positive change.

From the acclaimed I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert In All of Us, Andie Powers brings us I Am Bold for the kids that tell it like it is. That may be told they are just too much…

Read the full review featured on Medium.com (leave a clap)

I AM BOLD is available now on AMAZON

Book Spotlight Thursday: Eternally Artemisia by Melissa Muldoon

Catching in my spotlight eye today is the whimsical Eternally Artemisia by Melissa Muldoon. Because. some loves, just like women are timeless.

Eternally Artemisia

They say some loves travel through time and are fated to meet over and over again. For Maddie, an art therapist, who wrestles with the “peculiar feeling” she has lived previous lives and is being called to Italy by voices that have left imprints on her soul, this idea is intriguing. Despite her best efforts, however, proof of this has always eluded her. That is, until one illuminating summer in Italy when Maddie’s previous existences start to bleed through into her current reality. When she is introduced to the Crociani family—a noble clan with ties to the seventeenth-century Medici court that boasts of ancestors with colorful pasts—she finally meets the loves of her life. One is a romantic love, and another is a special kind of passion that only women share, strong amongst those who have suffered greatly yet have triumphed despite it. As Maddie’s relationship develops with Artemisia Gentileschi—an artist who in a time when it was unheard of to denounce a man for the crime of rape, did just that—Maddie discovers a kindred spirit and a role model, and just what women are capable of when united together. In a journey that arcs back to biblical days and moves forward in time, Maddie encounters artists, dukes, designers, and movie stars as well as baser and ignoble men. With Artemisia never far from her side, she proves that when we dare to take control of our lives and find the “thing” we are most passionate about, we are limitless and can touch the stars.

Check out Eternally Artemisia Available on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Muldoon is the author of four novels set in Italy: “Dreaming Sophia”, “Waking Isabella”, “Eternally Artemisia”, and “The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola.” All four books are set in Italy and tell the stories of women and their journeys of self-discovery to find love, uncover hidden truths, and follow their destinies to shape a better future. For more information visit: MelissaMuldoon.com

Melissa is the author also of the Studentessa Matta website, where she promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog written in Italian and English (studentessamatta.com). “Studentessa Matta” means the “crazy linguist” and has grown to include the podcast “Tutti Matti per l’Italiano”, and the “Studentessa Matta” YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Instagram feed. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Programs, which she co-leads with Italian schools in Italy to learn Italian in Italy while immersing in language and culture. Through her website, she also offers Homestay opportunities to live and study in Italy in the private home of a teacher.

Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history and European history from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master’s degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence. She is an artist, and professional book designer, and designed the interiors of all three of her books as well as illustrated their covers. Melissa is also the managing director of Matta Press.

Learn more at Melissa Muldoon