Elaine Ambrose

Bestselling Author, Ventriloquist, & Humorist

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“Your Journey is Your Story” Webinar Attracted 70 Storytellers

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“Your Journey is Your Story” Webinar

My storytelling webinar on November 18 attracted 70 registrations from people across the USA and from two other countries. We talked for an hour about the importance of leaving a legacy through telling and writing stories.

Using music, humorous anecdotes, and group discussions, I challenged participants to end the year on a positive note and write a December letter for family and friends. The goals of the webinar were to prompt writers to share personal stories with others and to consider a writing routine that could lead to publication.

Judy Carter and me at the 2016 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.

I learned how to format and present a live webinar on Zoom after attending a Master Class online from Judy Carter and Nina Segura. I met Judy at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop in 2016 and have followed her career. In addition to being an internationally popular comedienne and speaker, Judy is an excellent online instructor and helps people find and promote their unique messages. The Master Class involved 12 weekly classes from July through October, and we learned how to prepare slides to present in a live free webinar to promote our paid services.

It’s time to tell your story.

One slide in my webinar features a graphic of a woman peering into an hourglass. My target audience is women over age 55, and I wanted to convince them time is running out and they need to commit to creating, telling, and writing their authentic stories. I intend to promote more webinars in the future under the theme of “Your Journey is Your Story.”

Many women (and men) feel invisible and irrelevant after their kids are grown and their careers are ending. Many are lonely and lack self-confidence due to months of home confinement during Covid-19. I hope to coach them how to believe in their journey and share their legacy through storytelling for future generations. Writing journals, stories, and memoirs will provide a creative, healthy, and healing activity for many retired people.

70 people registered for the webinar.

Near the end of the webinar, I included a selection of my online services and classes. Details are listed on the Eventbrite invitation. Options include personal calls, professional story editing, and tools to create and write an eBook for online sales.

Finally, I encouraged participants to learn new technology. Many of us began our careers using manual typewriters and learned on the job how to use computers with all the upgrades and constantly evolving features. We’re still learning, and now that we’re home, we can take online classes to learn more. Knowing how to create and present a live webinar on Zoom proves that even after six decades, our journey is not over.

Virtual Premiere Party Nov. 14 for Children’s Book

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“Don’t forget me, Sweetie Pie.”

Idaho author Elaine Ambrose will introduce her latest children’s book at a virtual and drive-by event on Saturday, November 14 at SpurWing Country Club. Proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Idaho. People can view online Eventbrite details or stop by Spurwing, 6800 N Spurwing Way in Meridian, between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm to purchase an autographed book and two toys for $20. Due to social distancing regulations, masks will be required and there won’t be a program.

Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Idaho

The book tells the story of a ten-year-old girl with Down syndrome who meets a talking bird named JuJu. Using a 3D printer, they create a magical flying machine. Slant3D in Nampa manufactured toys with a 3D printer to accompany the book. The 88-page chapter book is written for ages seven through eleven and includes creative illustrations by Idaho artist Caroline Zina. The book was published by Brown Books Publishing and also is available in eBook format and in audiobook read by the author. They are available online or can be ordered from local bookstores and libraries.

National professional reviews have been positive. Publishers Weekly awarded the book with a “lightning bolt” designation, indicating an “Editor’s Pick for a Book of Outstanding Quality.” The review to be published in the November issue of Publishers Weekly noted that: “Award-winning humorist, memoirist, and children’s author Ambrose adds another hit to her roster with a third children’s book.” Kirkus Reviews  wrote the book “is a joyful, well-told story that celebrates the power of imagination.”

Melody and JuJu with 3-D printer

Readers within the Down syndrome community also gave positive reviews. Allison Zoccola has an adult brother with Down syndrome and sent these remarks: “WOW – your book is incredible. I can imagine reading this to my daughter with so much joy and pride in having the main character proudly represent such an underrepresented population of phenomenal people. The illustrations are marvelous with so much depth, and truly enhance and bring more life to the words on the page.  The descriptions are peppered with realistic details and mannerisms – like fidgeting with the strings on her outfit – and bring so much life to the story for me. Having a brother with Down Syndrome, I know all too well the habits, repeated routines, safe places etc., that make up the day of an individual with Downs. I genuinely enjoyed reading it and I can’t wait to read it again.”

Slant3D of Nampa, Idaho, manufactured 3D toys for the book.

Ambrose is the bestselling author of ten books, a viral blogger, and certified workshop facilitator. She has won national writing awards for books in three genres: humor, memoir, and children’s books.

Melody the Storyteller
Melody the Daydreamer

Publishers Weekly Names Children’s Book as “Editor’s Pick”

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Illustration of Melody

Professional reviewers from Publishers Weekly reviewed Melody’s Magical Flying Machine by Idaho author Elaine Ambrose and awarded the book with a “lightning bolt” designation, indicating an “Editor’s Pick for a Book of Outstanding Quality.”

Publishers Weekly is the international news platform of book publishing and bookselling. It was founded in 1872 and published continuously since then and includes business news, reviews, bestseller lists, and commentaries.

The review to be published in the BookLife feature of the November issue of Publishers Weekly noted that: “Award-winning humorist, memoirist, and children’s author Ambrose adds another hit to her roster with a third children’s book.”

The story is narrated by a girl with Down syndrome. She meets a talking bird, and they use a 3D printer to create a magical flying machine to soar over the playground, scare a group of bullies, and prove that Melody is brave and magnificent. Besides her tall tales and colorful stories, she also shares facts about Down syndrome.

The review gave A ratings for copy and editing and an A- for illustrations. The review mentioned “vivid prose” and “imaginative tapestry that is Melody’s magical adventure.” The review concluded: “This charming flight of fancy with an equally charming protagonist will delight readers who want to be both educated and entertained.”

This positive review follows another national critique by Kirkus Reviews that wrote the book “is a joyful, well-told story that celebrates the power of imagination.”

Ambrose will introduce the book in the Boise area on November 14 with an Open House at SpurWing Country Club in Meridian. Social distance requirements will be observed. Participants can register, pay in advance, and come inside to receive autographed copies and 3D toys created for the event. Proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Idaho.
Melody’s Magical Flying Machine will be available in November in paperback, eBook, and audiobook read by the author.

“Melody” Ready for Pre-Order in Paperback and eBook Formats

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Sample eBook page for “Melody’s Magical Flying Machine”

Melody’s Magical Flying Machine is almost ready to fly into the hands and hearts of adults and children eager for a positive, imaginative story. The book, eBook, and audiobook read by the author will be available in November, but orders are being accepted now.

Click here for the paperback edition available for pre-order.

Click here for the eBook edition for Kindle.

The story features a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome who meets an enchanted talking bird. Using a 3-D printer, they create a magical flying machine pulled by two dragons so she can soar freely through the air, amaze her friends, and scare a group of bullies. Kirkus Reviews wrote “the book is a joyful, well-told story that celebrates the power of imagination.”

Kirkus Reviews wrote illustrations by Idaho artist Caroline Zina are “beautifully textured and shaded, with a magical quality that deftly matches the text.” The manuscript was professionally edited and published by Brown Books Publishing. The author employed the assistance of five children between the ages of eight and twelve to make suggestions and approve the final version. Talented people at DesignWorks Creative in Boise designed the interior layout for the eBook. With the release in November, the author will offer 3-D toys for purchase to accompany the book. The toys are being manufactured by Slant 3D in Nampa. The audiobook will be produced by Drew Allen Brown of Nampa. The cover art by Wayne Anderson is courtesy of Bridgeman Art Gallery in New York. Proceeds from the initial launch in November will be donated to Special Olympics Idaho.

Menopause Still Sucks after a Dozen Years

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Elaine Ambrose, author, “Menopause Sucks” – 2008

I hosted the premiere party for Menopause Sucks twelve years ago on August 8, 2008 in Eagle, Idaho. I was divorced then, and my children helped me organize the event. The book was cowritten with bestselling author Joanne Kimes, and my literary agent was Andrea Hurst. The publisher was Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Since then, I’ve written and/or published 14 more books, two grandbabes were born, I met a guy I call Studley, and we moved to a golf course. Menopause sucks less.

Here are some excerpts from Menopause Sucks.

Warning: Over 38 million women are going through menopause, and some of them are really irritated. If you’re one of them, you know that it’s a crying shame that you could live to be 100 but only twenty of those years come with youthful vigor, shiny hair, smooth skin, multiple orgasms, and a flat stomach. To understand what is happening to your mind and body, just put down that shotgun and find a cool spot to read the book Menopause Sucks by menopausal maniac Elaine Ambrose. You’ll find answers and laughs as you learn about hot flashes, incontinence, hair loss, age spots, flatulence, mood swings, and hot sex after forty. This isn’t your mother’s medical manual.

While it is better than dying too young, living past forty often comes with unpleasant and bewildering challenges. For the most part, every single symptom of menopause is caused by one reason, and one reason alone: hormones. It seems that your body makes several different kinds of hormones that love to cavort through your body and play havoc with your sanity. Two major players are called estrogen and progesterone. In medical terms, estrogen is produced in your ovaries and acts as a chemical commander in chief, telling your female body what to do. In not-so-medical terms, imagine a teeny tyrant running through your brain yelling, “Grow pubic hair now!” “Ovulate from the left ovary!” or “Make that boob bigger than the other one!” As with most power-hungry rascals, estrogen likes to change the rules every now and then just to confuse you.

As perimenopause begins, your ovaries are tired of taking orders, so they decide to reduce the production of estrogen. “Attention All Sectors. Estrogen is leaving the body. Farewell party at noon in the pituitary gland.” Then all hell breaks loose and you start to experience symptoms of perimenopause. The fact that you live through this chaos is definite proof of your magnificence. A lesser species would have become extinct millions of years ago.

It’s a rather cruel trick of nature that you could be raising teenagers and caring for aging parents while your Generalissimo Estrogen is barking orders at your female parts, your Busy Bee Progesterones are frantically fixing up the uterus for the Sperm and Egg Combo, and your Naughty Testosterone is working your libido like a tigress in heat.

Need more sassy information? Read the book! I have some and would love to autograph one and send it to you for only $10. Email me at Elaine@test.elaineambrose.com.

New Children’s Book to Feature 3-D Toys

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Melody and JuJu with 3-D printer

Melody’s Magical Flying Machine features a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome as the narrator. With the help of a magical bird and a 3-D printer, she creates a flying machine pulled by two dragons. The book written by bestselling author Elaine Ambrose will be released in November by Brown Books Publishing. The positive story is a beginning chapter book for children ages 7 through 11.

Ambrose contracted with Slant 3D in Nampa, Idaho to design, engineer, and produce 6” plastic toys of the main character and of the flying machine. This first prototype of the girl is in the final design process.

3-D prototype of Melody
Illustration of Melody

The color of the toys could be blue or yellow, the official colors for the National Down Syndrome Society. Toys will be offered during premiere parties, book signing promotions, and charity events for the book. Illustrations for the book were created by Idaho artist Caroline Zina. The manuscript was read by five children between the ages of 8 and 12. They offered suggestions for the story before giving their final approval.

Slant 3D operates as a 3D printing manufacturer producing parts and products for companies all over the United States. Its first factory is the largest 3D Printing Farm in the country. In addition to printing, the company develops technologies and software to improve commercial 3D printing.