The 4th Annaul Military Auction Event

Karate Cat was recently apart of major charitable event that I would like to take a moment and give a quick shout out too. The 4th Annual Military Child Education Coalition SIlent Auction was recently held at the annual conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All the proceeds from the silent auction are designated for the Bernard Brown Scholarship Program. This exciting and educational experience provides opportunities for scholarships for children, grades 6 through 9, to participate in the NASA's Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

I donated copies of Karate Cat to the auction which was one in over 160 items donated that raised over $12,500 dollars which was enough to send 8 kids to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in the future. This is amazing news and Karate Cat was proud to be apart of this event. Karate Cat will for sure be a repeat supporter, and if you are interested in supporting this cause, the 12th Annual Conference will be held at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in the Washingston, DC area. Lastly, thank you all to the readers who continue to purchase and enjoy Karate Cat!

Visit for more info on the organization:
http://www.militarychild.org/

Book Drive Event

Karate Cat has participated in a book drive to benefit the kids and families at Miami Childrens Hospital.

Miami Childrens Hospital provides hope through advanced care for children and families. Thanks to Kevis Hendrickson, author of The Legend of Witch Bane, has organized a book drive where each book donated will be put in their library and shared with the kids in the facility. If you yourself would like to help out, you may participate as well! The office manager at Miami Children's Hospital is Grace Copeland. Her contact information is below:

Grace Copeland
Office Manager
Community & Volunteer Resources
Miami Children's Hospital
3100 SW 62 AVE / Miami, FL 33155
(786)624-4431 Fax: (305)662-8356

Karate Cat book was proud to be a part of this worthy cause, and if anyone at the hospital is reading this, you have my many thanks and I hope everyone enjoys the book as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Thank You!!

A special thank you to Mrs. Rozar's class at Bleckley County Primary School for their special letters and thanks!

I received a heart-warming reception from this great class in Cochram, GA with a giant envelope filled with letters from each of these great kids. They shared with me how they felt about Karate Cat and how much they liked it. This so far has been the greatest thing that has happened as a result of my book. You guys rock!! Thank you so much!

I'm a Bestseller!

Happy New Year everyone! Just a quick update to thank you guys for making Karate Cat a national bestseller on Amazon's top 100 list this holiday season. I was right on the heels of Alice in Wonderland! Pretty good for a relatively unknown author. So thanks again everyone and I wish everyone a great 2009!

Praise for Karate Cat!

The Third Annual Cybils Awards, the premier Web awards for children's literature. My book was nominated by readers and now the bloggers, are busy reading them and will eventually hand out prizes.Oct. 1-15: Nominations are open. Jan. 1: Finalists announced. Feb. 14: Winners announced.

I am also registering my book to compete in the 13th Annual IPPY Independent Publisher Book Awards contest, which is among the largest and most recognized book awards events in the world, and all independent, university, small press, and self-publishers who produce books intended for the North American market are eligible to enter titles copyrighted or released in 2008. I missed out on this years Moonbeam children's book awards so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Wish me luck on both!

Also, this week I was featured on the front page of the Harker Heights Evening Star publication. Now through December 5th you can pick up the paper and read my full page interview about Karate Cat.

Happy Holidays!!

More Karate Cat News!

Hi guys! Just some Karate Cat updates! I have been interviewed by Crystal Adkins and Melanie Anderson regarding Karate Cat. If you are interested in reading my interview from both of these Author Interview Bloggers you can check them out here:

http://interviewswithauthors.blogspot.com/2008/11/marcello-milteer.html

And

http://authormelanieanderson.blogspot.com/2008/10/interview-with-marcello-and-karate-cat.html

Also some news regarding the Hardcover edition of Karate Cat over at http://www.blurb.com/. I now have a paper upgrade option available for the book. Premium Paper is the crème-de-la-crème of the paper offerings. This 100-pound text silk-finish paper is 35% heavier than the standard paper, featuring improved opacity and stellar image quality to make the illustrations in the book shine. Remember, just select “purchase with Premium Paper” at check-out to have your paper upgraded, and the best part is it is only $3 extra. You can find the hardcover edition here:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/339818

Lastly, as weird peice of news, I have found out that a company out of England, Langton Info Services, has started selling my book. I am not afilliated with this company in any form, and it seems they have came up with their own price system for my book too (they accept paypal!). So if you are in England you can now attain my book. Just thought this was interesting news. My book is available globally now! From India to England, to the United States, Karate Cat is doing big things!! You can check out the link here:

http://www.langtoninfo.co.uk/showitem.asp?isbn=1440415161

Thats all for now, thanks to everyone who has supported this project and enjoyed this book, it is overwhelming to hear such good things about something I put so much passion into. Until next time!

Reader Reviews

Karate Cat has been out for a month now and I am hearing so much great feedback I didn't want to keep it to myself! So here are a few things people have sent me throughout the last month who have read and ordered Karate Cat:

"My kids LOVED the book!!! The illustration was amazing and the reading level was perfect for my 2nd Grader."
-Bobby Ozuna

"Karate Cat is full of style, spunk and choc full of attitude. My son loved it, he cant stop asking me to re read it to him. I'm very pleased with the story and I just love the rich and colorful characters within the book. I enjoyed this book and would definately recommend it."
-Jenna

"I got your book the other day and I am impressed. Great book, hope that is not the last one. I really loved the art work and the quote in the back was brillant."
-Sheena

"You're talented. I hope the right people see it because that's easily inspiring. 10/10!"
-Marlon

"Yes I read your book. I got it in the mail last Saturday and loved it!!!
-Koko Brown

"The reader will find some well-known narratives as well as some delightful, little-known underlying messages aimed to highten a kids self-esteem. It is amazing that he also illustrated this book. His paintings are simply gorgeous--vibrant, luminous, and full of detail. The cat's expressions are extremely engaging and well-done. Highly Recommended."
-Barbara

"Okay, I told my husband that I bought this book for the kids, but in truth I wanted it for myself. I was drawn in by the vivid art and found the story to be charming and classic, a must read for children and adults alike. I'm anticipating more great books from this talented young writer and artist in the (hopefully) near future."
-Amber Rich

"Karate Cat is an awesome book. The book has a great inspirational story and imaginative, captivating pictures. 11 and 5 year old both loved the book. I definitely recommend any parent to buy this book for their child. In fact I am ordering another copy for my niece."
-Amy Combs