Wednesday, November 24, 2010

OUR GIVING THANKS MESSAGE!



THANKS GIVING 2010

So much to Give Thanks for this year,
It’s hard to know where to begin.

We’re thankful for all of the calamities that turned out to have
Happy endings.
Like Deb not dying when they thought she might!
And the incredible experience of your love, prayers, and healing energies,
Which were, without any doubt, the deciding factor in that miraculous healing.

For Jen’s good news, we Give Thanks.
And for Abe’s successful surgery, we Give Thanks.
And for Sal’s plan to live to be 103 (beginning to be very careful at 102), we Give Thanks.
And for everyone’s continued good health, we Give Thanks.

We’re thankful that the sun continues to rise in the east
Particularly on those days when we’re not quite sure it’s going to.
We’re thankful for the wind that blows away all concerns, leaving only clarity.
We’re thankful for the rain that washes the world clean.
Snow, well, we haven’t quite gotten to being thankful for that yet, although it can be pretty.

Most of all, we’re thankful for the wonderful forever family we’ve found
Amongst people we didn’t used to know only weeks, months, or short years ago.
We truly are blessed to know you all.
And for that, we Give Thanks.

Much Love and Happy Thanks Giving,

Deb & Phil

DAY UNTO DAY



Authored by Louise Lenahan Wallace

With the Civil War behind them, Ethan Michaels, a widower with a young daughter, and Larissa Edwards, whose husband was killed in the war, look forward to living out their days on the
family farm in Ohio.Fate, however, has other plans. Larissa's daughter survives a deadly illness, but with
tragic, far-reaching consequences.Larissa and Ethan have planted their marriage in the rich soil of shared love, but when someone from Larissa's earlier life appears, the roots stretching deep into their separate pasts yield heartbreak that threatens to destroy their new-found happiness.

About the author:
Louise Wallace has always enjoyed writing, but never dreamed that "I could do it for real." Her
first novel was published in 2000, just a month before her younger daughter's 25th birthday.
Her advice to beginning writers? Don't be discouraged. It takes time and perseverance.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

KUDOS FOR FLASHES

"I have to say that I have never read "flash" fiction before. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find.

Inside the pages of this book were many short stories, but not the kind I was use to reading. It took me a little bit to sink my teeth into them, but when I did I just let myself go and enjoyed.

The stories are wild and wacky, scary and secretive, magical and free. Many make no sense to the natural realm, yet pull at the imagination within you and beg you to fly away with them. Others tenderly pulled on my heartstrings, and some made me giggle. Yet others held a hint of true sadness. It was like a smorgasbord of many delicious treats that beckons you to partake.

Different, fresh and inviting. Thank you Julie for sharing."



Shirley Johnson/Senior Reviewer

MidWest Book Review

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Ink Slinger's Whimsey: A Year in Review: WITS' Top 15 Book Picks for 2010

Book Title: Memoirs from the Asylum
Author: Kenneth Weene
ISBN: 978-0984421954
Publisher: All Things that Matter Press, 2010

This tragi-comedic novel takes the reader inside the asylum, inside the worlds of three central characters: a narrator who has taken refuge from his fears of the world, a psychiatrist whose own life has been damaged by his father's depression, and a catatonic schizophrenic whose world is trapped inside a crack in the wall opposite her bed. The best aspect of the book is how the author has written from the perspective or inner thoughts of the characters. This is done with such realism, understanding and truth that it is easy to relate with the patient’s fears, frustrations, joys and triumphs. It is obvious that the author is writing from a deeper understanding of human motivation and psychosis. His treatment of his characters is compassionate and without judgment, allowing the reader to formulate their own opinions and confront their own preconceptions and prejudices. Well crafted, Memoirs from the Asylum proves itself in the great tradition of writing.

Thank you for this great review!

FREE READ OF THE SWINDLER

For a limited time you can click the following link and read the book, THE SWINDLER by Michelle Malsbury. We are sure that you will like it as it deals with the ins and outs of the machinations of Wall Street and Ponzi schemes that have affected so many in the current economic crisis. So take a free look!
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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Five Star Amazon Review


Five Star Amazon Review- “Playing With The Plumbline”
5.0 out of 5 stars Playing with the Plumbline, November 2, 2010
By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) – See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Flashes from the Other World (Paperback)
A Plumbline is defined as a line directed exactly toward the Earth’s center of gravity. As a plumbline swings it circles around momentary paths that are inevitably pulled back to the gravity point, the center – it is a scientific fact. Reading Julie Ann Weinstein’s collection of brief ‘flash’ stories is like moving out, away from the center where most stories dwell, uncontrolled by the laws of gravity, picking up momentary fragments of reality and then spinning out of control to create a place where Weinstein can create a brilliant moment of her own brand of reality that floats along seducing the reader on every page to this collection of FLASHES FROM THE OTHER WORLD. It is wonderfully off-centered.
Many authors will admit that writing short stories is more difficult than writing novels: ideas must be molded and embellished with a beginning and an end in a fairly short period of space. Take that one step further with the definition of flash fiction, ‘ flash fiction (AKA sudden fiction, microfiction, micro-story, short short, postcard fiction, prosetry and short short story) – is complete stories of 1000 or fewer words’, and there are few practitioners who can accomplish these guidelines. Weinstein just happens to be one of those writers gifted with the ability to present terse explosions of stories that haunt the readers mind as much as any extended novel. She takes a word or a noticed piece of detritus and boom! out flows a complete story that is unafraid to employ the realm of magic/imagination/surrealism/magic realism to embellish her tale. This particular collection of flash fiction (not confined to stories of 1000 words always) is divided into three parts: Paranormal, Relationships, and Surreal. And these sectional titles offer a bit of help in approaching the many stories that follow. In the first section she offers such quickies as ‘Camp Ghosts’ a story only a half page long but one that reenacts the adventures of little girls off at summer camp dealing with a mysterious swimming incident. In the Relationship section she makes an entire revelation of two people over the disparity of shoe types in ‘Itchy Feet’, while in ‘Sangria Mischief’ we get to know a couple who base their wedding on stolen items form other brides – resourcefulness!

For this reader the most successful section is titled Surreal – and it is here that delicious little moments of inspiration develop into ‘Flowers in the Alleyway’ (a sniper’s gun seems to shoot out roses and daisies to a hidden girl’s memory instead of the reported deaths0. Or in ‘Of Bees and Trucks’ where an observer watches as bees fill a plastic truck with honey: ‘Bees, they know it all. They see life between the sweetness of honey and the sour sting of death. Yes, the sting hurts them more than you. The pain today in your shorts is their death. Did you thank the bee for giving up its life so you could dance on the street? I didn’t think so…etc’ Every page of this polished book is rich with imagination that takes us on a journey to dreams and beyond – to the impossible … or at least implausible. This is a book that, despite its idea of very quick stories, will call you back for re-reading many times. It is like Rod Serling meets Emily Dickinson! Grady Harp, November 10

Sunday, October 31, 2010

REVELATIONS



 NEW RELEASE!
Authored by Sandy Cohen

Travel along with Manny Markovitz and his guide, Abis -- part Native American, part madman -- as they take you on a wild, always funny, sometimes poignant journey from the wilds of Greece to the bogs and barrier islands of south Georgia, USA in search for Abis's boss, Willy Love. Enter with them into a world of imagination, wild adventure and absolute delight as Manny wakens back to life and love after a great personal tragedy. Perhaps you will, too. Critic Erwin Ford calls Revelations "a Candide for the 21st century."

PRAISE FOR SANDY COHEN AND REVELATIONS:

"I love it! And I'm jealous. . . you're quite a writer. Such pure, unadorned dialect; good strong story. Your characters live."
-- Janice Daugharty, author of Earl in the Yellow Shirt (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize)

"Moving . . . powerful. . . ."
-- Elizabeth S. Morgan

"A fine prose-poem."
-Wayne Brown, author of On the Coast (winner of the Commonwealth Prize)

About the author:
Before Revelations, Sandy Cohen published two books in Europe plus stories, articles, poetry, and essays in journals and magazines in the United States, Canada, China, Germany, England, and Greece. His work, critical and creative, has drawn praise from, among others, Norman Mailer, Bernard Malamud, Patrick White and Isaac Beshevis Singer. He has been a professor, jazz musician, bookbinder, actor and, for almost two decades, a humorous commentator on public radio. He appeared in his own mini-series for public television and in a feature film, Do Not Disturb, filmed in northern China, where he lived for a year. He currently resides in southwest Florida with his nearly-perfect family.

KARMIC WHEEL TOUR SCHEDULE!

 STOP IN ON THESE SITES AND SEE WHAT MONICA BRINKMAN HAS TO SAY!



Monday, November 1
Book Reviewed at Five Monkies
Tuesday, November 2
Interviewed at Five Monkies
Wednesday, November 3
Guest Blogging at
Five Monkies
Thursday, November 4
Book Spotlight at
Review From Here
Friday, November 5
Guest Blogging at
Lori’s Reading Corner
Monday, November 8
Guest Blogging at
Thoughts in Progress
Tuesday, November 9
Interviewed at
Pump Up Your Book
Wednesday, November 10
Interviewed at
Allvoices
Thursday, November 11
Interviewed at
As the Pages Turn
Friday, November 12
Interviewed at
Personovelty
Monday, November 15
Book Reviewed at
Tell Me a Story
Tuesday, November 16
Guest Blogging at
Tell Me a Story
Wednesday, November 17
Guest Blogging at
Divine Caroline
Thursday, November 18
Book Reviewed at
Stiletto Storytime
Guest Blogging at
The Book Faery Reviews

Monday, November 22
Book Reviewed at
My Reading Room
Tuesday, November 23
Interviewed at
My Reading Room
Wednesday, November 24
Book Reviewed at
Emeraldfire’s Bookmark

Sunday, October 24, 2010

SOME THINGS THAT MATTER TO AUTHOR Jesse S. Hanson



When I read a book, or when I’m thinking of reading a book, I find that I would love to know more about the author.  What do they think about? Why should I care about what they have written? What insights can they give me about their process, characters, and reasons for even putting their words on paper and sharing with others? Here are some questions I have asked some of my favorite authors. I hope you enjoy their responses as much as I have.


Why should I read your book?
            I hope people will see it as a bona-fide alternative example of spiritual fiction about the human condition and our relationship with our Creator. It’s not just another sensationalistic story about some crazy people and some guy from outer space or something who thinks he’s God.

Do you listen to music while you write, or do you require total and utter silence?
            Not total and utter. Some sounds of nature, birds, the wind, rain, things like that are nice. Or even the normal sounds of people going about their business—not everybody’s lawnmower at once, not the sound of them drilling for gas in my back yard. I never listen to music when I write.

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
            It came to me as I was finishing another novel, one that is, as yet, unpublished. It is a fairly common notion that the material world­, the cycle of birth and death in the world, is a prison in many ways—that spirituality, not just any kind of spirituality, mind you, but that the success of spirituality is freedom from this prison. This crazy prison.
            Not entirely sure why my allegorical prison became a skyscraper. But it seemed to fit nicely with the different planes of existence that are manifest in creation, the different levels of existence.
            Of course, as I explain in the author’s note at the beginning of the book, George, the character, George, has to dwell in the same conditions, have the same problems as the other prisoners or patients, just as did Lord Jesus, Lord Buddha, Kabir, and so many other Holy Men throughout history.

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?  If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
            I don’t feel at home in this world. So I’m seeking a better one. I’ve been convinced that this is not our real home. It’s the only subject I’m interested in, although genre can change. Genre is just backdrop.

How long have you been writing?
            I’ve been writing all my life. Mostly songs. I’ve written a whole lot of songs. Want to make a book of them also. For the last five years or so, I began to focus on prose, to the frustration of my musician companions to some degree.

What cultural value do you see in writing/reading/storytelling/etc.?
            I like this question. I’m going to sound like a snob here, though it isn’t my intention. I feel that writing, art, music, all the arts, that their main purpose should be to elevate the human spirit in some way. Not just entertainment. I can feel the pies, the rotten vegetables, hitting me in the face as I say it. Boos and catcalls too.

How does your book relate to your spiritual practice or other life path?
            Only in the sense that, just like the poor folks in my book are spiritually rescued by George (I’m not giving anything away here, that information is right up front in my story) I was and am spiritually rescued by my spiritual Master, Ajaib Singh Ji, who has, to my deep despair, left the world physically.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them? 
            The questions keep getting better here.
            I feel I have achieved them personally, but that is so subjective. I know some people have gotten a lot from the story, but it’s just been published. I guess that if anyone at all gets any hope or inspiration from it then my intentions are achieved. Numbers aren’t important in that regard, but of course they come in handy in terms of getting paid for my work and being able to do more work. And to get published again, perhaps.

What are some of the references that you used while researching this book?
            Sol Wachtler’s book, After the Madness: A Judge’s Own Prison Memoir, was a kind of catalyst. Otherwise, I did mostly internet research­—there’s a whole lot of material on the prison/mental facility phenomenon.
            But I did do a nine week stint in a state hospital “drug ward” myself as a very young man. After the first couple of weeks of virtual imprisonment, we got to wander all around, visit the crazies, act ridiculous. We were just confused teenagers, you know.

What was the hardest part of writing this book? 
            Dealing with the idea that I didn’t know if my own spiritual Master would approve of it.

What inspires you?
            Love

What are some day jobs that you have held?  If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.
            I always used to say I was an artist trapped in a blue collar body. I’ve worked in welding, shipbuilding, mechanical maintenance, farming, construction. As of this writing, I work in a retail furniture store. Had to get out of industry for my health.

For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where should they start?
            Well there’s three subjects really. There’s prison, your can explore that quite easily by becoming a criminal. There’s mental illness, you don’t want to go there. And there’s spirituality, that takes sincerity, just like I wasn’t being in the three sentences before this one. Spirituality is not for the faint of heart. I’m being sincere now.

What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
            In terms of books dealing with spirituality, it’s old fashioned, as opposed to new age. There’s a lot of fluff out there, from self-made spiritual guides, etc. My book shows spirituality as a gift from God. Duck, here come the rotten vegetables again.

What are some ways in which you promote your work?  Do you find that these add to or detract from your writing time?
            There’s no question but what promotion seriously cuts into writing time. I’m not sure what to do about that. Anyone want to do my promotion for me?

What projects are you working on at the present?
            I’m working on an earlier novel re-work, re-polish, about a multi-faith spiritual community, and I’m working on a new novel which I do not care to disclose much about yet. I will say that both of them are primarily rural settings. I can only stay in the city for so long.


What did your character do that totally shocked and surprised you and caused you to revisit your book?
            The hardest thing for me was to portray George as a fully enlightened God Man and at the same time as a destitute with a severe mental illness. The whole concept of a man who is also God or conversely, God becoming a man is a miraculous thing quite beyond intellectual understanding. So when George would do something very human-like, it would kind of freak me out.






Friday, October 22, 2010

Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires BLOG TOUR

Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires - Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient

The Civil War Draft Meets Immigrant Coal Miners

Fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty risks job, family, and eventually her very life to rescue a lifelong friend. Disguised as a draft resister, Katie infiltrates a secret Irish organization to prevent bloodshed. Tragedies challenge her strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can Katie balance her sense of justice with the law?

Call Me Kate is suitable for readers from eleven to adult. The story is dramatic and adventuresome, yet expressive of daily life in the patches of the hard coal region during the Civil War era. This novel will appeal to readers of the Dear America series, as well as more mature readers who will enjoy the story’s rich context and drama.

"The writing style employed in the book entertains, educates and communicates to the reader a general understanding of the hardships of life in the anthracite coal fields of northeast Pennsylvania in the nineteenth century and Irish-American history." - Bill Strassner, Museum Educator, Eckley Miners’ Village

"Call Me Kate absorbs the reader into a tightly woven narrative of tumultuous times in the anthracite region. Through Kate, the reader becomes a participant in that story." - Ruth Cummings, Museum Educator, Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum

"The Lackawanna Historical Society is always pleased to see new and creative ways to promote an interest in our local history. A young adult historical fiction like Call Me Kate is a wonderful example of this! We are delighted to know that local authors are using their heritage to develop new publications." - Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus, Executive Director, Lackawanna Historical Society

This review is from: Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires - Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient (Paperback)
I found Call Me Kate a very interesting book, not only because it is based on the author's ancestors, but it opened my eyes to the upheaval over "Lincoln's War" by the northern states. I had no idea that the North was so adamant towards the war. This was a great way to learn about the Civil War era without reading a dull history book!

The deplorable conditions of the mines in Northeast Pennsylvania, where this story opens, creates a dramatic background to the plight of the people and the lengths they went to stay out of the war.

Young Katie McCafferty is one of three daughters who gets herself involved, initially unintentionally, while off working to help her family financially after her father's injuries. The lengths she went are difficult to comprehend when you remember this is during the Civil War times where I only remember men going off to war.

Katie's ingenuity and intensity, as she worked along the men, was part of the reason things happened as they did, and I found it very interesting. She looked at the situation from a different perspective than the men, which was refreshing.

Definitely a good book to bring history to life.

Monday, October 18, 2010

God's Vacation


Authored by Michael Davis

What happens when God develops a split personality, takes a vacation, is reborn as Spencer Perry, Gabrielle/Gabe Stevens, and Vrum, ends up in San Francisco, and forgets who S/he is?
Hell breaks loose!
Spencer Perry becomes Chairman and CEO of the
Global-Government and Business Alliance, and the most
powerful man on Earth. His government rules with an iron fist;those close to him call him Father.
Gabrielle Stevens gets a sex change and becomes Gabe. He lands a job at Upside Down Books, meets Carlos Martinez, and falls in love with a beautiful Jewish woman named Naomi Peterson. They join the revolutionary movement to take on Spencer Perry's fascist regime.
Vrum, a member of a race of androgynous aliens called the Ekawa, discovers the Focal Point is located in San Francisco and travels across the galaxy to bring Gabrielle and Spencer back together, but fails. The problem is, they don't want to be God.
Legend says there's another way to put God back together, but it's a long shot. If 144,000 people can become wholly enlightened at the same time, they can insist that God become whole, and S/he must comply.
GOD'S VACATION is a fast-paced, off-beat dystopian thriller set in 2031 when global warming has wreaked havoc and outsourcing has left most people jobless and hungry. It is complex, political, philosophical, psychological, and satirical. It is a new take on an old story. It is timely and empowering.


About the author:
Michael Davis is a retired educator. He was a political columnist and served two terms as a city councilman. He has studied western and eastern religions, mysticism, psychology and the occult. He and his wife live in northern California, where he is currently working on another novel.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

SOME THINGS THAT MATTER TO JEAN RODENBOUGH

Questions regarding to my book, Rachel’s Children: Surviving the Second World War:


What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you believe you achieved them?

I felt compelled to write about the time of World War II, in part because I was a child during that time and lived in Honolulu when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese military. My purpose in gathering the stories of other children and their experiences was to illustrate the need for an end to wars, in light of the horrors perpetrated on non-combatants as well as the military.
There has been a growing volume of books which deal with that time, and I wanted to tell the story from my perspective as presented by the stories.
The test of whether my goal has been achieved will be the reactions of the readers of the book.

Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

I met Walter Falk, who now lives here in Greensboro, whose name was given me as one of the children in the Kindertransport, a rescue operation for (mostly) Jewish children in Germany and Poland, sending them to Great Britain, most of them to England but also to other countries in the British realm. Once the war began when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the program was ended. Walter and I have become friends and after getting his story, detailed previously in a feature by one of the writers for the local newspaper. We now meet occasionally and share our stories and also current activities. He is in his mid-80’s and remains active and interested in news events here and elsewhere in the world. His wife died a few years ago, and he lives alone in his home.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Making decisions about what to include. I found a number of collections of stories told by those whose childhood was spent in the midst of that difficult time. At first I extracted some of their experiences, but then realized these stories had already been made public, so I took them out of the book and simply summarized their circumstances. Instead, I was able to get stories from those I knew personally for the most part, and made their experiences the relevant ones. I still had to decide what to include and how to use them. The book took such a long time to write chiefly because of these decisions.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Aside from the sense of accomplishment in fulfilling my goal of writing about the children of that war, I had a variety of other good feelings in writing it. I felt strongly about making a case for never having another war, a hope that so far has not been fulfilled. Another major enjoyment, or at least satisfaction, was using my poetry as commentary on events and situations described. There are times when poetry can speak to deeply emotional conditions of hardship better than prose, whether in narrative or in historical detail.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

MUSICAL CHAIRS-BOOK REVIEW


This review is from: Musical Chairs (Paperback)
Through the palpable voice of a runaway teenage girl, Musical Chairs delivers a powerful punch and ultimately inspiring portrait that transcends every parents' nightmare. With a raw terrible beauty and razor-sharp prose that often lifts the reader toward a magical dreamscape, Jen Knox not only re-creates her troubled youth, but brings her childhood self back to independent life. The author, Jen Knox, recedes, and this little skinny waif, Jenny begins to breathe in the rarefied atmoshere of a dark Salinger tale. Sometimes reminiscent of Holden Caulfield, with mascara and bubble gum, Jenny, no matter how much booze she consumes or 'dances' she performs, is always an innocent child. Vulnerable in a world of menace and mayhem,, Jenny never succumbs to a seemingly insurmountable fate. Mental illness,the great crippler is also the last great frontier. Hers is a desperate need to overcome who she is, and the intelligence of her quest to understand her rebellion. As a parent, and father, I could not understand the crime which drove her out of the house. Though emotionally vacuous, her father did not deserve that fate. Except, isn't that the ultimate expression of teenage angst? Haven't so many of us left home in all but the body?
Jen Knox has created Jenny, a tough kid out of dark streets around the glitter of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, who only bends but never breaks.She is uncompromising and brutally frank. Yet her intelligence and grit take her on an outer journey exploring inner worlds. That dynamic makes Musical Chairs a noteworthy, controversial, exceptional but disturbing work of fiction-- it is about coming of age and alienation, isolation and the need to be recognized. Usually told from a male perspective, Musical Chairs lifts gender related issues toward a more balanced presentation. The heroine here is also the author whose child within, we hope, has finally found safe passage and a happy home.

Robert Rubenstein
Author, Ghost Runners
Now on Amazon

REVIEW-SOUTH WIND RISING

 
 
David Housel, retired (2006) Athletic Director at Auburn University, posted this review on Amazon today:
 
 
If "South Wind Rising" is any indication, we are in for many more great books by a new name to the literary scene, Frederick W. Bassett.

For a first time effort, this is exceptional--for a writer of any degree of experience, this book would be exceptional. For it to come from a first-time author it is especially remarkable and holds out the hope/promise of many more to come. Let's hope he is as prolific as he writes.

"South Wind Rising" is a coming of age story in a more simple time, but the trials, tribulation, angst, hope and wonder of that terrible yet wonderful time of change is effectively captured in this book...as much here as in any book you will read for a long time.

Loving told, beautifully written. These characters will stay with you a long time---and in each of them, you will find a bit of yourself.