November 2015 - Pearl Lewis

NEW RELEASE: Color the Realm of Fractonia

6 March 201817 November 2015 by Dr Lewis

The ORIGINS of COLOR the REALM of FRACTONIA

“FRACTONIA” is a sci-fi adventure story for pre-teen and teen readers. To tickle the imagination a little more, some chapters also include line illustrations. The style of the illustrations and the story they are able to tell on their own, without text, encouraged the release of a book of ready-to-color illustrations, “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA“.

FRACTONIA’S COLORING BOOK

“COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA” (by Pearl R. Lewis) is a small-format, modern-style coloring book for “big” kids (and those who are young at heart). This coloring book matches the design and size of the paperback, “FRACTONIA“, and is also perfect-bound. The coloring book references the novel, and is the logical accompaniment to “FRACTONIA“, particularly if you prefer to give physical books as gifts or prizes. The size of the coloring book makes is convenient and light-weight to slip into a backpack or take along on a car trip.

What is inside “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA”?

The book starts with a brief reference to “FRACTONIA” as a way of introducing the characters that are waiting for your color input. You will encounter all of your favorites: King Spudski, Matthew Roberts, Merc, QM, the memory beasts, and the Parts. Each character has a part to play, but you are the one in charge of how they look when they play that part. While the book does hint about the appearance of the characters, you are free to paint these strange beings in colors that you believe belong with them. No restrictions. You color them as you think they should look.

Of course, King Spudski, Merc, QM, Matthew, and the fraction folk are not new to you. You met them in “FRACTONIA” and ended the book with an idea of how they looked. What “FRACTONIA” failed to reveal was that there were other Fractonians lurking in the shadows that did not get featured in the novel. As a special bonus, “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA” introduces you to a few new characters that you may not have noticed before: Diffractoids, Angularicans, the Master of Relativity, and the curious young Nietsnie.

How do I use “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA”?

If you have never heard about the Realm of Fractonia, but enjoy coloring strange creatures you know little to nothing about, this book is for you. Man those colored pencils and colorize the world and the creatures of Fractonia without another moment’s hesitation. There is, however, an advantage to first reading “FRACTONIA” before you attempt to color the pages. Submerging yourself in the story allows you to approach the coloring from a position of familiarity. The illustrations won’t just be lines and forms on the page, but personalities you have come to like or dislike. Having an emotional connection with the characters can help to make your coloring more expressive – you will probably feel more engaged, and might find it easier to daydream about the story as you color. Parents and teachers may prefer to read “FRACTONIA” out aloud to a younger audience. The children can use the telling of the story as a way to stimulate their creativity while they color pictures from “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA“.

Is this a coloring book for little children?

Anyone capable of coloring a line illustration can add color to this book. It was, however, created as a supplement to the book, “FRACTONIA“, so the ideal user of the coloring book will be pre-teen or older. Yes, adults are welcome to indulge in a little coloring.

Should a teen be seen with a coloring book?

Yes, but only if they are smart. Adult coloring is rapidly gaining ground as a healthy activity: it reduces stress, stimulates creativity, and encouraging physical and psychological healing. If adults are recognizing the health benefits of splashing color on the page, smart (i.e. cool) teens will do the same. “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA” will appeal most to youth that are interested in science fiction or fantasy. Coupling the coloring book with the novel produces an interesting gift set for the young and curious in your life. It’s a great way to get readers to explore art, and artists to indulge in a little reading.

Where can I buy a copy of “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTION”?

The conveniently sized 6″ x 9″ paperback version of “COLOR THE REALM OF FRACTONIA” is currently available from Lulu. You can also find it at other online book stores such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Ingram, and The Book Depository.

Art Therapy Adult Coloring Kit

17 November 2015 by Dr Lewis

“Healing Patterns: A Coloring Book for Adults” has become the focal point for a new art therapy kit. The scripture-centered coloring book, which has been available since May 2015, has now been released as part of a ready-to-give gift set. These gift sets are currently sold in ETSY’s Zisubu Artique craft store.

While using a book like “Healing Patterns: A Coloring Book for Adults” is relaxing and therapeutic no matter what your state of health, adult coloring books are especially beneficial for those facing illness or battling through a difficult recovery period. Often people are unsure of what gifts would be appropriate for someone who is ill, facing surgery, in a rehabilitation facility, or confined to a sick bed. An adult coloring book is a great way to combine entertainment with health benefits. It doesn’t require a great deal of concentration to color an illustration, so even those too medicated to enjoy much reading may still be able to engage in coloring. And an illustration can be colored in tiny increments, so a patient can do as much or as little coloring as they have energy for. An earlier blog post entitled “The Effect of Art of Healing” details some of the physical health benefits of an activity like coloring.

The HEALING PATTERNS art therapy kit was created to take the work out of getting started with therapeutic coloring. The kit brings together everything you (or the person you gift it to) will need to start coloring. Inside each gift set (packaged in a clear, re-sealable plastic bag) you will find:

One SIGNED copy of “Healing Patterns: A Coloring Book for Adults” – I have made signed copies (with a short hand-written message) available for these art therapy kits so the kits offer something different from what is available directly from the book stores (e.g. Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Lulu, Ingram, The Book Depository) in USA and Europe.
One ready-to-color greeting card and envelope – the front of the greeting card displays a design that brings together elements of one of the illustrations in the book and a scripture (Mark 10:27). The card can be colored and framed as an artwork, or used a greeting card (with or without coloring it). The card is blank inside to encourage the user to express their own thoughts, write poetry, or simply jot a note for someone else. Part of the joy of being creative lies in sharing your creative efforts with others. This greeting card is a simple opportunity for the user to benefit from a coloring exercise, while also making something useful to share with someone else.
One Healing Patterns postcard (4″ x 6″) – the colorful card is printed with a variation of the image from the back of the coloring book. The reverse side of the postcard has space for a message, an address, and a stamp. The postcard can be mailed using a standard postal stamp.
A set of pre-sharpened colored pencils (12 pencils)
A pencil sharpener (because pencils won’t stay sharp on their own) – anticipating that this kit may be given as a gift to people who are not necessarily in their own home where they have access to everything they need, we included a small pencil sharpener in the kit. That way, there is no need to give up your coloring time just because a pencil tip broke or wore down.

If you don’t want to try coloring for yourself and you don’t know anyone you could gift an art therapy kit to, consider donating one or two kits to your local clinic/hospital or assisted living facility. Many churches also have hospital visitation programs – drop some art therapy kits at your local church and ask them to distribute the kits to people during their hospital or home care visits. Zisubu Artique ships these art therapy kits worldwide.

FRACTONIA at Amazon

15 November 2015 by Dr Lewis

“Fractonia” is now available for Kindle e-book readers. Unlike Google Play, Amazon is not offering a special introductory price for the ebook. However, Amazon has enabled the popular ” text-to-speech” option for this book. “Text-to-speech” is available on the following devices: Kindle Fire HDX, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle (2nd generation), and Kindle DX.

Amazon does offer a preview of the book, albeit disappointingly short. If you are interested in seeing a little more of the book before you decide to purchase, I recommend a visit to Lulu. Lulu is offering a more detailed, downloadable preview of the book in ePUB format. You can also purchase the ebook or the print version of “Fractonia” directly from the Lulu bookstore.

Purchase the Kindle-formatted version of “Fractonia” from Amazon.com.

FRACTONIA at Google Play

15 November 2015 by Dr Lewis

Android loyalists can relax. It is your turn. Apple Stores are not the only device stores to stock “Fractonia“ . If you own an Android device and usually shop at the Google Play Store, you can now purchase a copy of “Fractonia” at Google Play. Google is currently offering a new release price, so you can add the book to your e-library at a significant discount.

Books purchased from the Google Play Store are not only readable on tablets and phones. You can settle back and read these books on your computer using your computer’s web browser.

Join the Fractonian adventure. Take the journey with the lead character, Matthew Roberts. Explore a new world. From silent beasts to the talkative representative of the Royal Service Extraordinaire, there is no shortage of the bizarre and the wonderful in the world of Fractonia. There is much to distract a curious mind in Fractonia and it is easy to fall prey to the passing of the yonkinots. Will Matthew be distracted from discovering the real reason that he was invited to this world? Are you willing to find the answer? The clock is ticking, and time is running out – for Matthew and for Fractonia.

FRACTONIA in Print

14 November 2015 by Dr Lewis

“Fractonia” has been available for some time from e-book stores around the world. You can read the book on your computer, your tablet, or your phone. But if you are not a fan of virtual books, then this post brings you good news. Paper rules! “Fractonia” is a available as a REAL, tree-based book. You can now purchase your PRINT (paperback) copy of the book, and turn those pages the old fashioned (best) way.

The 116-page illustrated paperback is printed in the easy-to-handle (and slip into your bag) 6″x9″ format.

If you are new to the title and have not been following the development of this project, you can read more about “Fractonia“ in the book section of my website. The book is suitable for middle school (advanced) readers, high school students, and adults. While prior knowledge of very simple fraction algebra is a plus, it is not essential. If you previously avoided mathematics as if it was the enemy, and have little to no recall of algebra, you are the perfect reader for this book.

“Fractonia” is an adventure story that demonstrates that mathematics can be visualized as something quite different from a stack of numbers and equations. While not all students think “in pictures”, many who are turned off from more traditional ways of approaching mathematics can benefit from exploring topics in an image-centered way. Even though this book is advertised as a children/teen book in many places, this book is a good way for parents and teachers to explore the concept of visualization in mathematics.

Go on – give it a try. If you discover that you cannot connect with the strange characters or that the odd reference to a mathematical term is frying your brain, you can always donate the book to your local school library. Take a break from whatever you have planned this weekend, and go on a mind adventure – you know you want to do it.

FRACTONIA at iTunes and iBooks

14 November 2015 by Dr Lewis

“Fractonia”, the math-centric adventure for curious minds by Pearl R. Lewis, has found its way into the iWorld. If you use a Mac computer or your Mac or iOS device to read e-books, you can now purchase a copy of “Fractonia” directly from iBooks or iTunes.

You will find “Fractonia” listed is the Sci-Fi and Fantasy category of the iStores, in the English language division.
To view this book, you must have an iOS device with iBooks 1.3.1 or later and iOS 4.3.3 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OS X 10.9 or later.