Lit Pick Review: Guinea Pig Power

When night falls, these two furry companions turn into superheroes

Right from the start, you hear and see the rhyming of the words and can’t help but fall into a sing-song cadence as you read along.

Disrdstang for LitPick

Fuzwald and Rex, two adorable guinea pigs, live an ordinary life with their family by day, but when night falls, these two furry companions turn into superheroes because of special food the family feeds them, Guinea Pig Power Chow. The family thinks they are feeding them healthy, delicious food, but unbeknownst to them they are actually feeding them superpower food which helps Fuzwald and Rex turn into caped crusaders. They help kittens stuck in trees and even stop angry squirrels from brawling with each other. Does their family ever realize they have two special superheroes in the family?

Continue reading “Lit Pick Review: Guinea Pig Power”

Everest Value School – Reading Event

Find out more above this live appearance

I was invited to join Everest Value School for a special reading event for students and parents Saturday January 25th. This literacy event will include educational activities related to reading and writing, as well as a giveaway.

For more information check out the poster below.

The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards recognizes Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town

Congratulations to all the 2024 winners

The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards is an international contest that celebrates excellence in books across a variety of genres, including children’s literature. Open to authors, illustrators, publishers, and self-publishers, the program welcomes entries from any publishing year, ensuring a dynamic range of submissions.

Books are judged on their content, originality, readability, with an emphasis on creativity and innovation. The panel of judges includes teachers, librarians, and subject-specific and industry experts, making this recognition truly meaningful.

I’m pleased to share that my latest book, Cowboy Cooper, earned recognition in two categories! The book received an Honorable Mention in Picture Books 5 and Younger and took home 1st Place in the Western category. Cowboy Cooper & the Ghost town is the first children’s picture book to win or be recognized in the category.

Continue reading “The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards recognizes Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town”

SCBWI drawing prompt December.

My entry into the “ugly sweater” #scbwidrawthis challenge

I hadn’t done a drawing prompt in a while because I was so busy putting the finishing touches on some other projects and promoting “Guinea Pig Power”, but I wanted to finish off the year participating in one more #scbwidrawthis

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.

Sincerely,

Ben St. James

SCBWI Kite Tales Blog Shout Out.

SCBWI loves celebrating members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!

Guinea Pig Power was featured in the news round-up for this quarter, celebrating the September 1st Readers Favorite win. Read more here!

Shoutout LA interview

Take a look at the “local stories” feature I was included in.

My journey has taught me to stay adaptable and always learn from each step.

Ben St. James

Shoutout LA is part of the Los Angeles based Voyage Group of Magazines and their flagship publication, VoyageLA was started in 2015.  Since then they have grown to almost a dozen cities, generated millions of page views and helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and creatives share their stories.

Find out what Shoutout LA asked and what I had to say below.

https://shoutoutla.com/meet-ben-st-james-cartoonist-author/

A New Hero Approaches and a New Adventure Awaits!

Get ready to hop into a story with even more action!

The next installment in the Fuzzy Heroes universe will dive deeper into the themes of friendship & heroism — while teaching young readers to embrace each other’s differences & get along.

Stay tooned for more information.

Celebrating a New Milestone for Guinea Pig Power: A PenCraft Award Win!

Guinea Pig Power has been recognized as the Runner-Up Winner in the Children – K-3rd – General Genre category at the 2024 PenCraft Book Awards for literary excellence! This award is especially meaningful because it highlights stories that resonate with young readers and exemplify quality and creativity.

Continue reading “Celebrating a New Milestone for Guinea Pig Power: A PenCraft Award Win!”

Happy Halloween

Here is a ghostly image from Bodie

I wanted to share this low-fi analog film 🎞 photo from Bodie California a real life ghost town.

Visiting ghost towns in the U.S. is a lot of fun and always educational. I’ve been to a few and they all helped inspire my story “Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town”.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween, whether you are trick-or-treating with family and friends or staying in and watching a spooky movie.

Sincerely,

Ben St. James

Cover Reveal

October Surprise! New Book Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town

After a long night of registering works, I’m excited to announce the launch of my latest book, Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town! This story follows a young boy named Cooper, whose love for the Wild West has earned him the nickname “Cowboy Cooper” from his family and friends.

After school one day, Cooper sets out on an adventure to explore a nearby ghost town, hoping to find treasures to share with his class. However, he soon discovers that the town’s past inhabitants aren’t entirely gone and learns an important lesson about preserving history.

Due to the unique print specifications of this project, Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town is available exclusively through Lulu Press. Grab your copy today!

Get the book here!

Guinea Pig Power featured in 2024 Readers’ Favorite Awards

Honorable Mention at Readers’ Favorite Awards

Today, Guinea Pig Power was honored with an Honorable Mention in the Children – General category at the Readers’ Favorite Awards. This is the largest competition the story has been featured in so far. I’m grateful to be acknowledged alongside so many talented authors.

Readers’ Favorite offers five award levels in each category: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honorable Mention, and Award Finalist, with the first four categories named as winners. This year’s contest saw a record number of entries, featuring participants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities.

Continue reading “Guinea Pig Power featured in 2024 Readers’ Favorite Awards”

KDP – Giveaway is Complete

Guinea Pig Power Reaches #1 on Amazon in Canada and the USA as top a free eBook.

Guinea Pig Power has reached #1 in two categories on Amazon in both Canada and the USA, thanks to our recent Amazon KDP Giveaway.

Guinea Pig Power has engaged readers with its funny story and cuddly characters, earning top spots in the Children’s Cartoon Books and Children’s Super Hero categories. Parents, aunts, and babysitters who received promotional copies via KDP and Goodreads have left positive reviews on both platforms.

If you received a free copy don’t forget to leave a review as well!

The response has been fantastic, and I appreciate the support from everyone who participated and shared the promotion.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being part of our community!

CAN Amazon Kindle

U.S.A. Amazon Kindle

My First Ever GoodReads Giveaway is Wrapped!

Thank you to everyone who entered to win 1 of 100 free “Guinea Pig Power” ebooks in my first ever GoodReads giveaway.

982 readers joined to win and a few were savvy enough to find the KDP Giveaway link on my profile. If you weren’t selected in the GoodReads giveaway there is still time to claim a free “Guinea Pig Power” ebook on Amazon.

https://a.co/d/fTjgn0o

Be sure to leave a rating and review on Amazon if you can. That helps a lot!

Free “Guinea Pig Power” Coloring Page

Download this fun printable coloring page based on the book “Guinea Pig Power”.

Download Here!

Feel free to print and share these as much as you like! With family, friends, and even classrooms.

This is free to use as long as the QR code is attached. Please respect the fact that it is a promotional item and if a certain amount of attention isn’t brought to the book and certain metrics aren’t hit there won’t be opportunity or incentive to create more.

Thank you!

Ben St. James

Guinea Pig Power in the news!

Unveiling “Guinea Pig Power” by Ben St. James: A Tale of Tiny Heroes

New Release by North Hollywood based author Ben St. James Captures Hearts with Adorable Heroics and Rhythmic Charm

by Shannon Carrington


“Guinea Pig Power,” the latest children’s book by author and illustrator Ben St. James launched here in North Hollywood this month! The charming and heartwarming story follows the adventures of Fuzwald and Rex, two ordinary guinea pigs by day who transform into unlikely superheroes by night. With a special lab-made treat, they tackle daring missions, rescue kittens, and maintain order in their tiny world. Their story, told in delightful rhymes, is sure to tickle your funny bone and warm your heart, reminding us that even the smallest among us can be the mightiest heroes

Continue reading “Guinea Pig Power in the news!”

Guinea Pig Power eBook #1 in two new categories

Two unlikely heroes power up as Hot New Releases on Amazon U.S.A.

After some challenges with the eBook launch due to Amazon’s AI mistakenly flagging it as “not possibly mine” (despite allowing the paperback), I’m happy to report that the issue was resolved just in time for the book launch party. A big thank you to the team at Amazon for resolving this within 24 hours instead of the original 5-day estimate – your quick action is much appreciated.

The stats are in, and Guinea Pig Power debuted at #1 in both “Children’s Cartoon Books” and “Children’s Superhero Books” Hot New Release eBooks on Amazon U.S.A.

Additionally, the book reached the top 5 in “Children’s Humour eBooks” new releases, alongside series “Dog To The Rescue” & “Ronin The Minecraft Samurai”.

Update: Guinea Pig Power held the top spot in Children’s cartoon ebooks for 3 days straight!

Guinea Pig Power #1 Debut

The story also ranks in the top 10 for Children’s Superhero Fiction and Early Learning Beginner Readers.

Guinea Pig Power has made an impressive debut on Amazon! The paperback has reached #1 in the Children’s Cartoon Humor Books Hot New Releases category. It also ranked #10 in Children’s Superhero Fiction and #8 in Early Learning Beginner Readers Hot New Releases.

Guinea Pig Power is now live!

Exciting News: Guinea Pig Power is Now Available as a Paperback!

GET IT ON AMAZON.COM!

Dear Readers,

I’m thrilled to announce that my new children’s book, Guinea Pig Power, is now live and available in paperback! Guinea Pig Power is a heartwarming story that encourages young readers to embrace the idea that even the smallest among us can be mighty heroes, making it a perfect addition to any child’s bookshelf.

You can now hold the magic of Fuzwald and Rex’s adventures in your hands, as the paperback edition is available for purchase. Enjoy reading this fun and inspiring story with your little ones, and watch their faces light up with every page turn.

eBook Promotion Update

I also wanted to share an important update regarding the eBook version of Guinea Pig Power. Unfortunately, the eBook promotion is currently on hold due to an issue with Amazon’s system. Despite having successfully published the paperback version, Amazon has mistakenly flagged the eBook as not being my work and questioned my authorship and ownership.

I am in active discussions with Amazon representatives to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Once rectified, I will announce a special eBook promotion. Your patience and understanding during this time are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy the paperback edition of Guinea Pig Power. Stay tuned for more updates on the eBook release and future promotions!

Warm regards,

Ben St. James

A Wonderful World of Words Blog review

My granddaughter had no complaints. 

She enjoyed reading it back to me (she is only 3 so it was her version of grandma’s version) and pointing out the exciting bits in the illustrations

A fun read that is perfect for the prebedtime tale or any time really

I do hope the author chooses to continue sharing  Fuzwald and Rex’s adventures with us

A Wonderful World of Books

Looking for New Releases? Cover Reveals? The latest Book News? How about Author Giveaways and Promotions? Want to find it all in one place? Follow “A Wonderful World of Words” – Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance and more

See the full post here!
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