Gina Rae Mitchell

Olive and the Valentine’s Spell by Helen Millman | Author Interview, Giveaway, & Review

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour.

Book Details

Olive and the Valentine's Spell by Helen Millman
Published by Mascot Kids on 02/01/2022
Genres: Children's Picture Book
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 38

Olive is a sweet elementary school boy who is afraid to go to school on Valentine’s Day. . .because he thinks he’ll have to get married!

Olive’s mom joins in his fight to defeat the “princess of love,” but along the way he learns an even bigger lesson, discovering the true meaning of love.

Olive and the Valentine’s Spell is an inspiring children’s book for all ages that shines a humorous light on Valentine’s Day and overcoming your fears.

Source: iRead Book Tours, Received from the author or publisher for review.

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Purchase Links for Olive and the Valentine’s Spell

Amazon      BookShop/IndieBound

Mascot 

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My thoughts on Olive and the Valentine’s Spell

Olive is a little boy who is facing some major fears about the Valentine’s Day celebration at his school. He fears this means he must get married!

His mother comes to his rescue and helps him face his fears and learn to ask questions about his fears rather than hiding under the bed.

You never know what misconceptions can lurk in a young child’s mind. This book encourages discussions between adults and children.

This hardcover book by Helen Millman is perfect for families with young children, especially those that fear the unknown.

I think libraries, daycares, and schools would benefit from owning a copy.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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Book Trailer

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I love to read books through my  Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription. 

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Author Interview

What made you write about the book?

During Valentine’s Day last year when my son, Ben, and I were Preparing the exchange bags for his class. The little notes that kids often find in their exchange bags say things like: “Be mine, Be my Valentine”. To grownups it’s a fun tradition and yet I found that for children it can be a bit intimidating; “I have a crush on you – kind of expression”.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

Most certainly from my interaction with my kids. I have three boys that keep me on my toes LOL! I continue to explore creative ways of interacting with them.

In your book you make a reference to Olive being a kindergartener afraid of love. “He has all this homework” you suggest – Why is he afraid of love and why does a kindergartener have so much homework?

The first part of the book is meant to create the idea that fear makes everything appear much bigger or more extravagant than what it truly is. I wanted to create the emotion of humor for the parents with some sort of curiosity in the identification for the children. Most fears about that come from the idea of being rejected. I felt that giving my readers the opportunity to discover love from a context that “Love is in everything that we do” allows the meaning of love to reveal itself with a light and tender place in their eyes.

If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?

The mother most certainly. It has been my experience that there must be a balance between what the child wants and how I can provide my parenting and rules with making my child feel. How can my kids get what they wish for within the parenting boundaries? I many often discover that It is important to leave room for mistakes. I love placing the ball in their hands and seeing what they do with it …

How long have you been writing?

I began writing when I was 8 years old after my father’s sudden death. I remember asking my mother “if I were to write my dad letters and leave them in his grave, will he read them in heaven?” She said yes! I thank my mother for that because I have been writing ever since. I wrote all sorts of things from quotes to poems and even lyrics.

What makes your creative voice valuable, different, and unique as an author?

Every artist is unique in their own way, so I do not consider myself more special than others. I always loved to inspire, and I learned at a very young age of my ability to influence. To have people listen to my advice and help them feel motivated. I think that my superpowers are being optimistic, friendly, and loving. It is important to look at the bright side of life. I don’t think that I would have emotionally survived had I seen it otherwise. My kids say that my superpower is my hugging and kissing LOL.

Other than being an author; are you celebrating years of marriage, navigating the milestones of parenthood, or journeying through self-growth?

I have been with my husband for almost 17 years, married 15.5 years, and we have 3 kids: 13, 11, and 6. Consciously I have been participating in the realization of self-growth since my early 20’s. I began a spiritual journey with holistic healing therapy, and I learned to embrace my desire to explore the world in depth. I later discovered other things that helped me find balance such as yoga, reading inspiring books, participating in seminars of that nature, creating music, and now my continuous writing.

Sometimes other interests may grab a reader’s attention. Are there additional hobbies or interests that you wish to share?

I like doing voice overs Lol – It is how I used to read to my children … by changing my voice to match the character and to add fun. They always giggled 🙂 Today they sort of read on their own, but they still remember it. I probably would like to do public speaking one day – for sure! I love motivational speakers and powerful books. I believe in the law of vibrations. Love is a vibration 150%.

You often say that you like to make a positive impact on others. Is there anything that you recall at some point in your life that had an impact on you?

Absolutely, more than once; however, if I were to choose one for this moment, I would say it’s a movie that I watched when I was 11 years old. The movie was sad, and the character was strong pushing through life from a young girl to a grown mother of two. One day her son points at his mom’s old house and asked: “Momma, is this your home”? she answered, “NO! A home is a place where you are loved”.

I still get the chills when I think about it. To me, the heart is our home. We must nurture it.

What kind of readings impact you?

Real-life stories for sure; however, I love quotes. I sort of collect them lol. Something short and powerful memorable and often comes in handy during difficult moments. There is one that I absolutely love and discovered in my mid 20’s by Rainer Maria Rilke: Don’t search for the answers which could not be given to you now because you will not be able to live them, and the point is to live everything.

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Purchase Olive and the Valentine’s Spell online from a local book store.

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Easy Amazon Links

Olive and the Valentine's S...Shop on Amazon

For International buyers, the US link should open to your home country’s Amazon page. Please let me know if it doesn’t.

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Giveaway!

Enter to win a signed copy of Olive and the Valentine’s Spell (one winner/USA only) (ends Feb 21)

Olive and the Valentine’s Spell by Helen Millman Book Tour Giveaway

Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!

Official Tour Page

Full Tour Schedule:

Feb 1 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 –Lisa’s Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 2 –Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Feb 2 – She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 3 –Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 3 – The Momma Spot – book review / giveaway
Feb 4 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
Feb 4 – icefairy’s Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway
Feb 7 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / author interview / giveaway
Feb 7 – Sandra’s Book Club – book review / giveaway
Feb 7 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – book spotlight
Feb 8 – Reading is My Passion – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 8 – fundinmental – book review / giveaway
Feb 8 – Lynchburg Reads – book review / giveaway
Feb 9 – Pause for Tales – book review / giveaway
Feb 9 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
Feb 9 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 10 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
Feb 10 – Westveil Publishing – book review / guest post / giveaway
Feb 11 – Older & Smarter? – book review / giveaway
Feb 11 – Kam’s Place – book review
Feb 11 – Captive Dreams Window  – book review / giveaway
Feb 11 – Books for Books – book review
Feb 14 – Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Feb 14 – @twilight_reader – book review

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