Book News from author Ronald Sieber: Progress with Illustrations

Hello, fellow readers, and - hello, June!

Boy, it seemed like a mild, rainy Spring was just going to continue on into September down here in the Carolinas. And then, like a 2x6 in my face - Wham!

Hot temps, high humidity, beaucoup sun; welcome to summer in the South!

But there's no sense in complaining. I just sip my favorite beverage on my shady porch and read a book or magazine when I'm not writing, or doing chores, or visiting friends. I enjoy my blessings and try to share them with others, as I hope you all do too.

Book Progress

Here's an image of what the book will look like.

Blue Bug, The Story of a Girl and a Car, is going to the book designer on July 1. The illustrations are DONE, and =Boy!= do they look great! To recount the synopsis:

Hélène is a young French girl who loves a very special car that she calls "Blue Bug."

She dreams every night about Blue Bug and wishes to own it one day.

Are her dreams all for naught?

Will her wish come true?

Here's a little plot snippet for you to enjoy:

While on a trip to see a doctor, Hélène meets a famous woman named Helle Nice. Helle is a team Bugatti racing driver who encounters Hélène and Blue Bug the Bugatti. Hélène is sitting in Blue Bug while waiting for her father Emile, who is in the pharmacy getting medicine. Helle admires the beautiful car and tells Hélène about her own Bugatti story. Hélène tells Helle that she dreams of owning Blue Bug one day, and Helle encourages Hélène to dream big and hold onto her dreams, that they will come true one day. Then Helle departs and Hélène returns home with her father.

What happens next in the story?

Well, you'll just have to read the book when it comes out. And I think you will like reading it to your favorite children. I know of two little grandchildren that I'm going to read my copy to!

When will it be published?

Right now we are on track to have it available in several formats by November 1. Please refer to previous blog posts for more details; they should be linked to this current post.

Blue Bug will be sold on this website, but it will also be offered on Amazon KDP. We'll share more news each month as we make progress, so stay tuned to this channel!

Meanwhile...

Below is a book image from when Helle introduces herself to Hélène. Alex has done a marvelous job of illustrating the pages. Don't you agree?

After introducing herself, Helle Nice admires Blue Bug while Hélène tells Helle about it.

And don't forget:

If you need a great book to read for yourself or that special someone, hop on over to my other website and pick up a copy of Classic Speedsters.

Click https://www.classicspeedsters.com/ to go visit that site.

Happy roads,

=rds

Book News from author Ronald Sieber

May 2025

Happy Spring to everyone from Hillsborough, North Carolina!

Just a short note to update you on Blue Bug's book progress:

• We are about 2/3 done with the book images.

• Completed image files go to the book designer June 1.

• I plan to launch my Kickstarter fundraiser for Blue Bug on August 4 and run it for 3 weeks. Funds from this will be used to defray publication costs. Supporters will have first dibs on the book when it is published.

• We are shooting for a print date of September 1.

• We plan to go on sale November 3. The book will be available in several formats on this website as well as on Amazon KDP. Stay tuned for more details of that...

Below are a couple of finished drawings from the desk of Alex Wakefield:

The Countess at home in her favorite place, her garden. In the background, some of the staff's children play.

Hélène watches her father Emile as he works on a car. Emile is the mechanic and chauffeur for the Count (seen above), who works from his office in his chateau. The Count is almost never happy!

Alex is doing a great job with the illustrations, all of which are hand-drawn. I'm really excited about this project and look forward to sharing the completed book with you.

In closing, don't forget to check out my other website, www.ClassicSpeedsters.com. It would make a great present for someone in your life!

Happy roads,

Ronald Sieber

Book News from author Ronald Sieber

April 2025

Blue Bug is now live on Kickstarter!

This is the cover of my new children's book, Blue Bug, to be published in September, 2025.

Hello, fellow readers! I'm sharing this exciting news about my upcoming book in hopes that you will help me out a bit while I bring it to publication, which will occur in the fall. My plan is to have Blue Bug for sale by November 2025, but it needs a little push to get it there, and you can provide that.

I put Blue Bug on Kickstarter, a fundraising platform for creatives, to attract new readers and raise funds to defray the associated costs with producing a book. It is currently in "pre-launch," a stage in which the book is displayed but not yet published, and potential supporters or purchasers of the book are encouraged to click on the "notify me" button to follow its progress.

When the actual campaign begins (August 2025), Kickstarter will email interested parties that the fundraising campaign has begun, and potential backers will then be encouraged to contribute. Rewards are offered at different contribution levels, and I will be offering copies of my book in different formats. (This is an easy way to get a copy of your choice.)

For now, all I ask is a small favor from you: please visit the site and click on the "notify me" button at the right of the screen. There is no further obligation from you, but this action will alert Kickstarter that there is interest in this project, and they in turn will send traffic to view it.

The more people that visit the site (and follow), the greater Kickstarter's support becomes.

The link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ronalddsieber/the-importance-of-dreaming-big

 Please share this link with your friends and let's get that count up! 

Don't forget - look at my book's page and click to follow!

Thanks in advance for your support,

=Ronald Sieber

www.ronaldsieber.com