A SAWEET SYNOPSIS: Set in the seaside town of Port Townsend, Washington, Saltwater Taffy follows the lives of five friends as they uncover a treasure map that once belonged to the ruthless New Orleans pirate, Jean Lafitte.  The discovery thrusts them from one treasure hunting adventure to the next as they try to out-wit, out-think and out-maneuver everyone from a one-legged junk yard man and an overbearing town bully, to the creepy old man living at the top of the hill.  Saltwater Taffy is a race to the finish adventure that will capture your heart, again and again!


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FEELING GREAT: IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

When you say nice things to yourself about yourself, you will feel the amazing energy of confidence, which is one of the main reasons I wrote the adventure novel Saltwater Taffy.

Through the story of adventure, I am able to showcase how great life is when you have confidence about who you are.  The more you learn how to talk nice to yourself ABOUT yourself, the happier you will become.

When you talk to yourself in a kind and loving manner, you are developing one of the strongest mental muscles… Continue reading

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Essay Contest Extension to JULY 7, 2012

Because of the recent explosion of sales in the Pacific Northwest and New Orleans, LA…we are extending the National Essay Contest until the 4th of July weekend, 2012!

Entries already accepted are eligible for rewrites, which we highly suggest.  Remember, writing is rewriting.  With 750 words to choose from, you get to craft your story much like a book report.  Writing something in narrative form is hard to get your story idea across with only 750 words.

WRITING TIPS:

* Think BIG.  The bigger the idea, the better chance you have.
* Don’t repeat what you already read.  New material is KEY!!!!
* Watch your spelling!!!!  Our readers have noted some entries have spelling errors!!!
* New bad guys are KEY!!!!   Old Man Sheesley is still with us, but new bad guys!!!
* Show your teacher…they will have suggestions for you!
* Take your time and come up with the best idea you can!!!
* Previous entries can be rewritten!

GOOD LUCK!

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SALTWATER TAFFY’S 7 STUDY SECRETS FOR TWEENS

7 STUDY SECRETS FOR TWEENS

It’s hard to imagine, but you can actually learn how to study and get amazing results in the process.  Saltwater Taffy’s 7 Study Secrets for Tweens will help you today and all the way through college.

One of the biggest hurdles for students is the fear of failure.  I don’t think anyone wants to fail a test, but if you don’t study… Continue reading

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HAVE YOU LICKED A DOORKNOB LATELY?

Self-doubt, also know as ‘bad habit thinking,’ can be a killer of our future dreams, regardless of our age.  If left unattended, a runaway thought of self-doubt can trick us into thinking the thought is actually real.

Isn’t it funny (or tragic) how fast we can move away from a point of feeling great about ourselves to a point where we think we are anything BUT great?

One minute we are on top of the world and then a runaway thought of doubt slips into our consciousness or someone says something mean about us in the lunchroom of life and BOOM, we find ourselves locked in a never ending game of mental tug-o-war.  Back and forth we go, where we end up, is NOWHERE.

Never forget how powerful our thoughts can be!

The activity of thinking we are less-than has the potential to act like a virus inside of our minds.  The more we do it, the sicker we get mentally.

If we knew licking a doorknob was the best way to get the FLU, would we ever go around licking doorknobs?  Of course not!  One would have to be crazy to want to lick a doorknob, especially if it makes us sick.

Well, thinking or engaging in self-talk that tricks us into believing we are less than can not only make us feel sick (Depression), but it one of the biggest wastes of time there is.

Life is our opportunity to create and craft out our very own amazing adventure, but if we are stuck in the bad habit of licking doorknobs, we are missing out on all the fun!

Eric “Uncle E” DelaBarre is an award winning filmmaker and the author of Saltwater Taffy, the middle grade fiction novel that has been endorsed by 10 Teachers of the Year.  Copyright October 12, 2011.  All Rights Reserved.

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READING SALTWATER TAFFY TO KIDS

Composed with footage from tour stops in Fresno, California, Port Orchard, Washington, New Orleans, Louisiana, Bremerton, Washington, and Dallas, Texas, this three minute video shows how much the kids love Saltwater Taffy (and how much I enjoy reading it to them).

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A LETTER FROM TEACHER OF THE YEAR

October 3, 2011

Dear Eric,

I sat down at 10:00 this morning to read Saltwater Taffy.  I intended to read a chapter or two and then do some of the errands that always get delayed until Saturday.  Yet, by page 7, I was hooked.  I didn’t stop when I finished chapter 2; I read until I reached page 252 and that was 4 hours later.

Where was this book when I was a kid?  I would have… Continue reading

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Inspiring Kids with Saltwater Taffy

A quick peek at some of the stops on the SAWEET Saltwater Taffy Tour!

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TWEEN ADVICE – How SAWEET It Is?

If you’re a fan of Saltwater Taffy, by now you know much we love to say SAWEET about anything and everything. The question you probably have is “how does this fit in as advice to you for becoming a thriving TWEEN?  Well, the SAWEETER you talk to yourself, the SAWEETER your life will get.  Some of you tough guy tween boys might…

Continue reading

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AS GREAT AS YOU WANT TO BE: Yes, it’s a mental practice!

Feeling good about yourself can be a challenge, but it is possible and up to each and every one of us.  Why not?

Have you ever notice moments in life where you feel really excited about who you are? You know those moments where you feel really connected, filled with direction and have an overwhelmingly high sense of self-assuredness?   The reason these moments arrive in our lives is so we can realize how… Continue reading

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7 AMAZING HAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

I know what you are going through.  Being a Tween-Ager can be confusing, challenging, and sometimes…well, for lack of a better word, it can downright SUCK.  That being said, there are some amazing happiness secrets for tweens that can help make this time feel more like an adventure than an ongoing nightmare.

Being happy in life takes practice.  It is an ongoing choice we all get to make, day in and day out.  No matter what you go through in life… Continue reading

Posted in Children's Books, Confidence, Creativity, Story for tweens, Tweens, creative children | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment