ARIZONA DAILY STAR NEWSPAPER

MOONLIGHT AND MOLLY

By Maureen Harris (Hobo Publishing.)

You can make your wishes come true if only you believe. This is the message Sierra Vista resident and author Maureen Harris hopes to impart to young readers; she herself is realizing a long-cherished wish with the publication of this children’s book, the first in a planned series. It introduces Molly, a lonely and imaginative child, who is playing by herself in the woods one day when a magnificent white horse appears. Amazingly, it is an exact replica of her favorite Christmas gift. Molly can scarcely believe her eyes, especially since no one else can see her forest friend…or can they? If wishes were horses, indeed! Startling, computer-generated illustrations give a tech-y, modern vibe to this age-old theme of children’s literature.

Helene Woodhams

June 13, 2018

HERALD/REVIEW MEDIA

MOONLIGHT AND MOLLY

By Maureen Harris (Hobo Publishing.) 

For as long as she can remember, Maureen Harris has dreamed of writing children’s books.

And now, that dream has come true.

Today, Harris is holding a book signing to kick off “Moonlight and Molly,” a whimsical series about a magical horse named Moonlight and lonely girl named Molly.

“The story is based on a wild mustang named Moonlight that I adopted,” Harris said. “Moonlight, who served as the inspiration for my book, now lives in northern Arizona with another mustang.”

The book’s theme centers on a girl and magical horse who team up for adventures that restore lost imaginations of people young and old.

“Life’s experiences sometimes become so overwhelming they drain the magic and creativity from hearts and minds,” Harris said. “Together, the story’s main characters, Moonlight and Molly, take readers on a journey to bring the magic back into the lives of those who need it most.”

The duo’s wanderings take them into the Land of Imagination, where they go on exciting adventures, with creativity as the focus of everything they do.

“My goal in writing ‘Moonlight and Molly’ was to create a fun, magical fiction series to inspire children of all ages to create their own imaginative ideas,” Harris said.

While she now lives in Sierra Vista, Harris was born in Illinois and raised in Arizona.

“I grew up in Tucson, but moved to Williams in northern Arizona with my husband, Russ, who is now deceased.”

Weary of cold winters, after 22 years, the couple moved to Phoenix, which is where they met NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon.

“We handled his fan relations,” Harris said. “We had the largest personal-touch, fan-based relations in the history of NASCAR, through his national fan club.”

Harris published her first book — “Jeff Gordon on a Chance” — in 2012, a profile about working behind the scenes with the racing superstar.

“And now, at 60 years old, I’ve switched gears and have published that children’s series I dreamed of doing,” Harris said. “It has been quite the journey. I had to teach myself how to do the graphics for the artwork while completing the three books.”

Available in hard and soft cover, the “Moonlight and Molly” series is sold in bookstores throughout the country, as well as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

At today’s book signing, children will have an opportunity to meet Harris and receive pages of the books’ characters to color.

All the books in the series will be available for purchase.

MARK LEVY

Sierra Vista HERALD/REVIEW 

June 7, 2018

AMAZON REVIEWS

MOONLIGHT AND MOLLY

By Maureen Harris (Hobo Publishing.)

ggrace

A Magical Read

May 23, 2018

This is a wonderful book about imagination and love. The graphics are well done and the book is easy to read. It is a sweet story about a young girl who finds the perfect imaginary friend - a horse! Or is her friend imaginary? Excellent fun book for children!

A Baughman

This is a perfect book for children

May 7, 2018

This is a perfect book for children but even more so for a child who loves horses. It has a strong message about using our imagination, young and old. Well done Maureen!

FACEBOOK REVIEW

Diane Erwin recommends Moonlight and Molly™, wonderful series of story's for a 9 year old. She can't wait for the next volume.

JUMPINTOABOOK.com

BELIEVING AND IMAGINING WITH MOONLIGHT AND MOLLY

They say it’s never too late to start your author journey. I couldn’t agree more since mine (Becky) didn’t start until age 53! 

Another great example of making the leap into the children’s book publishing world later in life is author, Maureen Harris. At 60 years young, Maureen began chasing her dream of writing a children’s book series.  Inspired by her adopted mustang, Moonlight, Maureen crafted her Moonlight and Molly picture book series with love and passion for all things magical and fun.

Moonlight and Molly™ will take children, young and old, to the forgotten Land of Imagination. A land where things that are imagined to be real or true, do exist.

Moonlight and Molly™, helping to inspire kids of all ages to create their own imaginative ideas and build their real-life skills of creative thinking and visualization.

If your readers are fans of magical fairies, smart and sassy youngsters, protective guardians, and a story that will sweep them away, this series is a “must have.”

A few things I noticed that parents might one to take note of is that there is quite a bit of text per page so this book would be best for confident readers. The illustrations are computer generated art so some of the images appear stiff and flat. The story is written very well and Moonlight is a simply beautiful magical horse!

THE MOONLIGHT AND MOLLY SERIES OF PICTURE BOOKS

Moonlight and Molly™ Book 1: Molly meets the magical horse Moonlight and they become friends.

Moonlight and Molly™ Secret Revealed, Book 2: Moonlight reveals her secret to Molly. She is really a Unicorn from the Land of Imagination, and that she would like for Molly to help her restore imagination to young and old alike.

Moonlight and Molly™ Shamrock’s Magic Returns, Book 3: Moonlight and Molly™ help Shamrock re-unite with the girl who gave him his magic.

Moonlight and Molly™ Santa’s Visit, Book 4: Santa visit’s the Land of Imagination for Moonlight and Molly’s help.

SOMETHING TO DO

Maureen’s website has all sorts of exciting book-related activities that help bring her series to life like this downloadable coloring page of Moonlight.

RECREATE THE MOONLIGHT AND MOLLY CHARACTERS WITH YOUR OWN FINGERPRINTS!

The book Finger Print: Princesses and Fairies and 100 Other Magical Creatures, has wonderful ideas of how to use your own fingerprints to create art!

Imagine how much fun it would be to create fingerprint versions of these Moonlight and Molly characters:

• Moonlight
• Molly
• Katie
• Shamrock
• Mila the Fairy
• Ethan the Woodland Nymph

In celebration of believing in unicorns, I think it’s time we make one of our very own. We’re making ours a reading unicorn and it’s present at every family read aloud. I found this absolutely delightful felt unicorn tutorial at Where Wishes Come from. Click the link or the image to get started on creating your own unicorn companion for this story!

 Happy reading! 

Becky Flansburg

Jump Into A Book

April 4, 2019

STORY MONSTERS INK MAGAZINE  

Moonlight and Molly series

by Maureen Harris (Hobo Publishing)

Reviewer: Diana Perry

This is a delightful early reader series that would make a great gift and is perfect for bedtime stories. There are four books in the series about a young girl named Molly, and her magical horse Moonlight, and their wonderful adventures. The stories inspire imagination in children and adults and are perfect tools to help kids practice their reading skills. The series includes Moonlight and Molly, Secret Revealed, Santa’s Visit, and Shamrock’s Magic Returns. (Ages 5-11)

MAY 2019 Issue