Press Releases for books written by Peggy M McAloon
Plus additional photographs and Tip Sheet
Plus Interviews & Articles (links below)
Press Release for Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE August 2, 2014
CONTACT: Peggy M McAloon, 715-962-2301, peggymoundmcaloon@gmail.com
Newly released fantasy empowers victims of child abuse and bullying to seek assistance. MENOMONIE, WI – August 2, 2014 –
Roughly three million cases of child abuse are reported every year and more go unreported. A new book has been published to help kids survive and thrive in a world filled with social injustices. The fantasy includes action, adventure, and a touch of magic to help kids understand that abuse and bullying must be reported to a trusted adult or friend.
Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals, written by Peggy McAloon, is about a Wisconsin girl who encounters winged creatures from another dimension. She captures one of the creatures entering Earth through the reflection of a child (reflective portal) in Lake Menomin. She is enticed to help the creatures protect the children of Earth by becoming an Earth Guide.
Will Elle be brave enough to oppose the evil forces that do everything in their power to keep guides like her from offering support to those in need?
This book accomplishes several important goals for child safety:
- Provides a story kids in trouble can relate to outside of classroom instruction on safety.
- Gives hope to kids who have recently lost a parent, are keeping their “secret” of abuse, or who are being bullied.
- Creates an escape for kids in trouble by providing hope.
- Offers role models who are normal kids.
“When people ask me about the book,” says author Peggy McAloon, “I tell them it is about the best friend we all dreamed of having as children. My hope is that every child who reads this book will learn to follow Elle’s example and ‘Have a Kind Heart’.” McAloon is also seeking funding to provide the book free of charge to women’s shelters in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and beyond.
Author Peggy McAloon is retired from the field of commercial credit, is the author of The Art of Business Credit Investigation, and is a recognized trainer and speaker. Her own journey through child abuse, depression, and a debilitating car accident elevated her desire to help children cope with their challenges in a way that will inspire and empower them.
Co-author Anneka Rogers (twelve) acted as a consultant on the book.
Catherine Gruener M.A., M.A., LCPC, NCC has prepared a two-page discussion sheet based on the story for parents. This is a free download on Peggy’s website under the Book Tab. Ms. Gruener is a licensed clinical professional counselor and a nationally certified counselor. She has experience with anxiety, depression, and adjustment issues with adults and children
Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals (Publisher: Wheatmark, Juvenile Fiction, Trade Paperback & ebook, 6×9 inches, 274 pages, Suggested Retail Price: $13.95 paperback, $2.99 ebook, Author: Peggy McAloon and Anneka Rogers, ISBN: 978-1-62787-056-6 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-62787-090-0 (ebook), LCCN:2014937880 It is available at online booksellers.
http://peggymcaloon.com/ Wheatmark: http://bit.ly/1mDlP1K Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qQKir8Contact: Peggy McAloon, 715-962-2301, peggy@peggymcaloon.com # # #
Tip Sheet for Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Name: Peggy McAloon Phone Number: 715-962-2301
E-mail: peggymoundmcaloon@gmail.com
10 Tips to Combat Child Abuse and Bullying:
The United States has one of the worst records of child abuse among all industrialized nations. Annual reports of child abuse in the U.S. number approximately 3 million each year and affect nearly 6 million victims. Those statistics only reflect actual cases reported. Millions of additional children are sexually assaulted or verbally abused each year in cases that go unreported. When we add the cases of suicide and injury each year as a result of unchecked bullying the results become staggering.
Peggy McAloon, the author of Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals, a book designed to empower children in trouble to seek help, says that parents need to help put an end to this trend by finding new ways to communicate about these tough topics with their children.
“I am convinced I would have told the truth about my abuse if anyone had asked questions when I was small; I certainly exhibited enough symptoms to have raised the concern of others,” said McAloon. She offers the following tips for adults who want to help stop abuse and bullying:
- Teach your children who they can trust within the community. Make certain you know the individual well and have seen them interact with your children and others in appropriate ways. Keep in mind that many of the individuals in positions of power are the same individuals who abuse our children. (It doesn’t have to be a single person, it can be the staff at the library or the owner and a clerk of the grocery store.)
- Determine where your child can go to summon you if they are in trouble. Make certain it is a place where there is more than one individual in attendance at all times.
- Ask your child if anyone has hurt them on a regular basis. As an abused child, McAloon states that if anyone had asked if she were being hurt during her childhood she would have told the truth. Utilize the discussion sheet by a licensed clinical professional counselor and a nationally certified counselor on the author’s website ( www.peggymcaloon.com ) to elicit discussions with your child about abuse through discussions about the characters in the book.
- Learn to recognize the signs of physical abuse: (a) unexplained bruises or welts (b) burns (c) unusual patterns of bruising indicating a belt, cigarette, or iron was used to create them
- Learn to recognize changes in behavior that might indicate abuse: (a) excessive shyness or aversion to physical contact (b) changes in behavior: sudden aggressive behavior, withdrawal, depression or regression (c) descriptions of injuries that don’t match the look of the injury
- Learn to recognize the signs of sexual abuse: (a) unusual bleeding (b) torn or stained underwear (c) aversion to physical touch (d) depression, aggression, regression, withdrawal (c) sexual diseases (d) pregnancy
- Learn to recognize the signs of verbal abuse: (a) Bedwetting (b) cruel behavior to pets or younger siblings (c) thumb sucking (d) eating disorders (e) stomach aches, hives (f) speech disorders
- Learn to recognize the signs of neglect: (a) truancy (b) unusual hoarding of food (c) poor hygiene (d) older sibling taking too much responsibility for younger siblings (e) indications of prolonged exposure to the elements ex: sunburn (f) lack of adequate immunizations
- Teach your children that bullying is an unacceptable form of abuse. (a) unexplained injuries (b) inability to sleep or nightmares (c) torn or lost personal items (d) Unusual degree of hunger after school (e) loss of friends or avoidance of social events (f) frequent headaches or stomach aches / illness that will prevent them from having to go to school.
- Discuss the current rules on bullying with your school system.
Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals is the first book in the Elle series by McAloon. Elle is a normal girl who discovers winged creatures from another dimension with magical abilities used to protect the children of Earth. It includes the types of problems our children face in a society that has not found a way to reduce abuse and bullying. McAloon gently takes children through these tough issues with the love and insight that can only come from someone who also suffered childhood abuse and bullying. The book can be found on Amazon and other online retailers in both ebook and softcover. For more information go to www.peggymcaloon.com and click on the books tab.
Additional Press Pictures
Press release for Missing
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE June 2, 2016
CONTACT: Peggy M McAloon, 715-962-2301, peggy@peggymcaloon.com
Minnesota Honor Student Sustains Brain Injury – Accident, Bullying, or Hazing?
MENOMONIE, WI – June 2, 2016 –
A sixteen-year-old honor student in a Minnesota school suffered a concussion this past fall, and now struggles with PTSD and seizures after an incident at a sporting event. The girl was knocked down several tiers of bleachers by a group of athletes in what is alleged to have been a hazing incident by the victim and an accident by the athletes.
“This type of activity without concern for the consequences is the reason I created the character of Elle Burton,” author Peggy M McAloon responds. “It doesn’t matter what excuse the group of athletes use, a young girl’s life has changed forever. How much courage does it take for a group of boys to gang up on a young girl? I believe kids today need a role model who isn’t afraid to fight against bullying, hazing, and other forms of abuse.”
Missing, written by Peggy McAloon and Anneka Rogers, is about a girl from Menomonie. Elle Burton’s baby brother, JJ, 
has been kidnapped from the Dunn County Fair. As a newly designated guide, sworn to protect the children of Earth, she’s desperate to get him back. Elle teams up with the winged warriors from Fiori to save him … but JJ isn’t the only one in danger. What will Elle need to sacrifice to bring her brother home?
This book series accomplishes several important goals for child safety:
- Provides a story kids in trouble can relate to outside of classroom instruction on safety.
- Gives hope to kids who have recently lost a parent, are keeping their “secret” of abuse, or who are being bullied.
- Creates an escape for kids in trouble by providing hope.
- Offers role models who are normal kids.
“As a child who suffered abuse, my goal has always been to inspire kids to be kind and help each other. This second book in the series has been completed as the story in Minnesota unfolds. The victim in Minnesota is the daughter of very dear friends of mine. She has missed several months of school since last September. It breaks my heart. She and her mom were fans of the first book in the Elle Burton Series. Hazing and bullying continue to escalate in an environment that appears to condone this type of behavior. This is exactly the type of thing I’m hoping this book will help reduce.” McAloon said. She is seeking funding to provide the first book in the series, Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals free of charge to women’s shelters in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and beyond.
Author Peggy McAloon is retired from the field of commercial credit, is the author of The Art of Business Credit Investigation, Gloriously Gluten-free Sweets & Treats, and is a recognized trainer and speaker. Her own journey through child abuse, depression, and a debilitating car accident elevated her desire to help children cope with their challenges in a way that will inspire and empower them.
Co-author Anneka Rogers, who attends Middle School in Menomonie, acted as a consultant on the book. Missing can be found at Bookends on Main in Menomonie and at the Menomonie Public Library in both softcover and Ebook formats.
Missing (Publisher: PMac Press, Juvenile Fiction, Trade Paperback & Ebook, 6×9 inches, 260 pages, Suggested Retail Price: $9.50 paperback, $2.99 Ebook, Author: Peggy McAloon and Anneka Rogers, ISBN: 978-0-9627792-1-3 (paperback), ISBN: 978-0-9627792-0-6 (ebook), Missing is available at Amazon.
Review for Missing from Erica Mae
Amazon: ViewBook.at/ElleMissing
Contact: Peggy McAloon, 715-962-2301, peggymoundmcaloon@gmail.com
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Cosmo Is Adopted
Adoption became a legal process in American in the 1850’s. It has evolved and changed over the years, allowing an average of 135,000 children to find a forever home each year. Approximately 1 out of every 25 families includes an adopted child. Nearly 40% of those adoptions come from our foster care system.
I watched our newly adopted grandchildren as they tried to adjust to a new family and overcome the fears they carried with them, and I realized our little blind dog experienced many of the same fears and frustrations. Originally, I wrote this book as a powerpoint presentation the grandchildren could read on their iPads. They were so enchanted with Cosmo’s story that their mother asked me to publish it for other children who had lived in foster care before coming to their new families.
I expanded on the original story by contacting Catherine Gruener, LCPC, to add questions to the story which could be used by parents and grandparents to help children explore their feelings. My author group suggested I also insert some information on the breed and rescue organizations and Cosmo is Adopted was published in the spring of 2017.
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Additional Information:
Peggy’s interview with Dominick Domasky on his special Christmas Show “One Kind Voice” on Blog Talk Radio.
5-Star Review from The Red Headed Book Lover Blog for “Missing”
Author Peggy McAloon Spotlight on Pam Torres “So I’m Fifty” Website
ETP Spotlight on “Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals”
2011 Christmas Story, Dunn County News: A bit of ‘home’ for the holidays.
National DAR Conservation Award
“Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals” Excerpt on The Fictional Cafe’
Self-Publishing Review of “Missing”
The ‘I Can’ Inspirational Chapter by Peggy M McAloon in Best-selling Author Joel Comm’s collection: So What Do YOU Do? Vol 2
Minnesota Honor Student Sustains Brain Injury – Accident, Bullying, or Hazing? PR News Wire Press Release, Peggy McAloon 2016
Author Shout Interview of Peggy McAloon
Surviving Child Abuse, Living With Lupus, and Pondering Their Connection CancerIncytes.org Interview with Peggy McAloon
MISSING: LESSONS FROM FIORI BOOK 2 Alex McGilvery’s World
Carpinello’s Writing Pages: Meet Children’s/MG Author, Peggy McAloon
August 2010 – Less P Is Key – Controlling phosphorus remains a key to improving health and water quality. Interview with Peggy M McAloon, Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
Peggy’s Photography for the Associated Press
Blue-green algae blamed for dog deaths – US news – Environment …NBC News – Associated Press Release
Fantasy Fun Reads – Interview and overview of “Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals”