Short Review, Great Referral

The Kahills of Willow Walk
S.K. Hamilton
Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 0-9769989-2-0

Reviewer: Gwen Austin, author
http://www.angelfire.com/wa/austinawe

I stayed up late last night because I couldn't put this book down! That rarely happens so the author should pat herself on the back. The characters were well-defined and believable, the situations so well set up and carried through, and the ending just perfect. I didn't find any places where it lagged at all. This is such a satisfying book to read. S.K. Hamilton even created the delightful cover. Really good job.

Gwen Austin, author

Calfornia's Erma Bombeck Sees the Funny Side

title: Who, Me? Paranoid? Humor Humor Everywhere
author: Erica Stux
genre: Humor
ISBN: 978-1-58736-676-5
reviewer: Lenora Smalley, former president of California Writers Club, San Fernando Valley chapter
review first appeared on www.lenorasmalley.com



Erica Stux has a new book whose title immediately gives readers an idea they have found a funny and entertaining collection. In a style reminiscent of the late Erma Bombeck, Erica writes about events and relationships which confront us all. There are entries with intriguing titles such as The Care and Feeding of Dishwashers, HairDo's and Don'ts, New Math for the Family, May I Have My Attention, and an especially humorous tirade on Phantoms in My Fridge.

We have dibs, dabs, little jars or packages hiding in niches and corners in our refrigerator. I loved Erica's comment, "There could be a jar in one of those niches containing, for all I know, a hitherto unknown Dead Sea Scroll." She writes about many things we all know to be true. How major appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines always break down on weekends, especially long holiday weekends. How stoves usually quit on Christmas or New Years Eve. She extols the virtues of a good plumber or handyman, saying we should hang on to them because they are "worth their weight in drill bits."

I laughed reading the episode The Dinner Party I'd Most Like to Forget. It was one of those times when anything that could go wrong did, including spilling a drink on a guest and having the coffee pot blow a fuse, crashing the party into temporary darkness. She writes about events that make us want to laugh or cry, but Erica makes us laugh and helps us see the funny side. Read this book and the next time the groceries fall out of the bag onto the sidewalk or the ice cream scoop drops off the cone, remember Humor Humor is Everywhere.

The Perfect Storm-of-a-New Kind

Storm
By Joyce Anthony
Star Publish Books, 2007
Author's Website: http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/

This review is by Jamieson Wolf. It originally appeared on The Book Pedler

Storms are bringers of many things; winds that rip the sea apart, dark skies that foretell danger, limbs ripped from trees and rain that pummels down all around us. But what if a storm brought something else all together? What if a storm brought something that would change your life?

This is what happens to Sam. A lighthouse keeper, he takes his job seriously. He is the last thing between a ship and the rocks of the coast. Playing solitaire as a fierce storm rages outside his lighthouse, he is thankful that he is safe inside. What he does not know, however, is that his life is about to change forever.

Going outside the next morning to survey the damage, Sam comes upon a wicker basket. Inside is a baby that stares at Sam with eyes that are wise beyond their years. Sam wonders how anyone could have gotten the child onto the island; they are surrounded by nothing but water, clam now that the storm had passed.

Deciding to take care of the baby, he calls the child Storm, naming him after what brought him to the island in the first place. Thirty three years later, Storm rests by Sam’s side as he lies dying. No matter what Storm does, Sam is not comfortable. A chill has invaded his bones and he knows he is not long for the world.

Knowing this, Sam tells Storm that he is meant for great things. “Follow the railway tracks and seek the whirling rainbow. There you will find what you are meant to be.”

After Sam’s death, Storm finds himself in a small town where he hears a voice in a dream telling him that he must find his destiny. He finds the railway tracks that Sam spoke of and soon meets a pure white dog with amethyst eyes. When the dog leads Storm to a battered woman by the train tracks, Storm has no idea that he has found his destiny.

The dog with the amethyst eyes leads him down a path that will change his life forever and will challenge everything he knows. And Storm must rely on all of his strength if he is to help others and to survive…

This was one incredible read. From the first words, I knew I was in for a literary treat. After reading the first chapter, I knew I was in for a life changing experience. Rarely does a book come along that speaks to me so clearly, so beautifully and I was blown away by the beauty of Storm.

Part parable, part fantasy, party mystery, part spiritual quest, Storm is unlike anything you have read or will read. Ever. I can’t even come close to describing the beauty and depth of this novel, the sheer gorgeousness of it. I am still haunted by this novel, thinking of it, dreaming of it. You will find yourself thinking of this book well after you have turned the last page.

What I love most about this book is the story. It’s so simple yet it manages to touch on every emotion you can name. I laughed and cried while reading this novel. It’s written with such a depth that it’s hard to believe this is Anthony’s first novel; she writes with a maturity of a seasoned writer and the beauty of her words is breathtaking.

Even though there is a spiritual message in this book, it doesn’t hit you over the head. Storm makes you think and it makes you feel and that is the true power of a book. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so affected by a novel, so moved by words I’ve read.

This is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to read. I can’t get Storm or those amethyst eyes out of my head and I don’t think I’ll ever want to. Storm helps reshape how you look at the world, how you look at others and, perhaps most importantly, how you look at yourself.

Storm is an enchanting work that I will read again and again for years to come.

Stem Cells: How To Form an Ethical and Reasoned Opinion

Title: Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America
Author: Yvonne Perry
ISBN-13:978-1-933449-41-8
Publisher: Nightengale Press
Pages: 324
Price:$19.95
June 2007

Reviewed by Cheryl Ellis, www.allbooksreviews.com

If you have been unable to settle on an educated opinion concerning stem cell research, this well laid out book should end your dilemma.
Stem cell research is being conducted for both medical and scientific reasons. It could be the answer to many debilitating and terminal afflictions including Cancer, Parkinson's Disease, Arthritis, Spinal Cord Injury and many more.
It is clearly evident that Yvonne Perry has spent countless hours researching the two categories of stem cells; adult and embryonic. “Adult Stem Cells” are harvested from umbilical cord blood, the placenta, amniotic fluid and bone marrow. “Embryonic Stem Cells” are harvested from fertilized eggs created in-vitro (outside the body). It has already been proven that adult stem cells can repair and regenerate diseased cells. Stem cells contain pertinent information as to how the cell develops. From this information the scientist can learn what is needed to prevent genes from becoming dysfunctional or produce drugs or treatment to cure the ones that are already diseased.
Without overstepping, Yvonne Perry presents both religious and political opinions. The facts that she enlightens us with are enough that we should all ponder what is really going on in the name of religion and politics. Just how much either can control our present and our future.
The author, Yvonne Perry has surpassed her goal of educating each reader with an honest evaluation of this controversial subject. Stem cell possibilities are without a doubt a realistic aspect of our future yet an ethical and political debate in our present. ‘Right to Recover’ is complete with Index, Appendix and Bibliography, with well laid out current information. She is a freelance writer, author, keynote speaker and ghostwriter. Her books are evidence of her natural desire to assist people along a spiritual path, as they are well researched and challenge people’s belief systems.
I would highly recommend everyone read this book. Reviewer: Cheryl Ellis, Allbooks Review
Available through Amazon or order from your local bookstore.

Wondering About Authenticity? Ask a Historian!

There's Something About CAVE CREEK (It's The People)
By Gene K. Garrison
History, memoirs, lifestyles, humor, characters
ISBN: 978-1-4303-0982-6
Marshall Trimble, Official Arizona State Historian
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/legacies/AZ/200002721.html

Cave Creek is a one-of-a-kind town. In a Valley whose cities are
becoming more homogenous with each passing year Cave Creek has retained
its unique character. In time it too may become more like Scottsdale,
Carefree, Tempe, Mesa, and the other cities down below, but if and when
that time comes the old stories will keep the memories alive.

My earliest memories of the town are of the mid-1940s. My
uncle and aunt, Russell and Jeffie Talbott, owned the Golden Reef Mine
north of town. Later, my brother Dan opened an equine veterinary
practice in the area. Soon after my parents retired and joined him and
his wife Mary. I spent many hours traveling around with Dan on his
calls to the ranches north of town and many more sitting on a bar stool
at Harold and Ruth Gavigan’s Cave Creek Corral. It was here I met many
of the people in Gene Garrison’s book, including George Mileham, Jim
Hardy, and Logue Morris. There were others too, with colorful names
like O. K. Charlie, and Leadpipe.

Cave Creek is home to folks with wide interests. Geoffrey
Platts was a desert preservationist who gave his life to save a friend
in a flash flood and Catherine Jones was a colorful pistol-packin’
deputy sheriff who once shot a piece of the ear off a troublesome
bootlegger.

Cave Creek has produced some of the West’s best cowboys.
Anyone who’s ever chased a wild steer down one of those cactus-strewn,
steep-sided canyons north of town can attest that anyone who cowboyed
around Cave Creek could cowboy anywhere in the world. George Mileham
was one of the best. Jim Hardy was one of the first to be born in the
little town of Phoenix and he was still spry when Phoenix celebrated
its 100th birthday. And some say Logue Morris was the inspiration for
the great western song, “Man With the Big Hat.”

Gene has pulled these stories together into a wonderful
book about the characters and places that made Cave Creek one of the
state’s most colorful towns. It may change some in the future but the
people have left an indelible mark on the area.

Marshall Trimble

Official Arizona State Historian

Ahhh, Those Controversial Whales!

Whale Song
By Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Kunati, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-60164-007-9
Copyright 2007
Trade Paperback, 200 pages, $12.95
General Fiction/YA

Reviewed by Mayra Calvani, www.mayracalvani.com

Whale Song is a beautifully written novel that deals with a controversial subject and combines elements of myth, legend, and family drama.

The story begins when thirteen-year old Sarah Richardson moves with her family to Vancouver Island, leaving behind her old life and best friend. In spite of the fact that not all of her new classmates offer her a warm welcome, Sarah soon makes a good friend, a native girl called Goldie. A white girl where most of the people are Indian, Sarah soon experiences prejudice and racism. Her escape is her loving home, her friendship with Goldie, and her love for the killer whales that inhabit the island waters. From Goldie’s grandmother she learns many legends and Indian myths about these magnificent, intelligent mammals.

Then disaster strikes and all that Sarah holds dear is snatched away, leaving her enveloped in a dark vortex of confusion and loneliness. As her life abruptly changes, the issue of racism is replaced by a much more controversial one. Does the end justify the means? Does love justify breaking the law?

The story is told in the first person by Sarah herself; the reader is drawn into an immediate intimate rapport with the young protagonist. The language, in its simplicity, heightens the strong moral conflicts which carry the plot. In spite of the family drama, no silly sentimentalism mars the prose, and Sarah possesses a strong voice that is both honest and devoid of embellishments. The author has managed to create a sense of serenity and beauty that has to do with the mythical setting and the ‘parallel’ presence of the killer whales and wolves.

Consider this excerpt taken from the prologue and which sets the tone and mood for the rest of the story:

I once feared death.

It is said that death begins with the absence of life. And life begins when death is no longer feared. I have stared death in the face and survived. A survivor who has learned about unfailing love and forgiveness. I realize now that I am but a tiny fragment in an endless ocean of life, just as a killer whale is a speck in her immense underwater domain. (p.9)

A sad yet uplifting novel, Whale Song is about the fear and innocence of a young girl and about coming to terms with the shocking and painful truth one often must face. Above all, it is a novel about forgiveness and forgiving oneself.

How To Beat Six Million Other Writers to the Publish Line

The Frugal EditorPut your best book forward to avoid humiliation and ensure success.
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
ISBN 978-0-97851-7-4
Red Engine Press
Reviewed by Billie A Williams
Listmom at Word_mage@yahoogroups.com

In this day an age, when according to some studies, over 81 percent of Americans feel they should write a book and more than six million of them actually have at least written the manuscripts. What are your chances of getting published when that is just over two percent of the population? Most of these manuscripts however, are doomed to failure because they don’t understand the intricacies of polishing (read that as editing) their manuscripts before sending them out, and/or hiring an editor to give it the final tweak before they send them off.

According to a recent article by Robert McCrum in The Observer and I quote,
“…according to the New York Times, there's a new book published in the United States every half an hour, and - wait for it - that's just fiction. RR Bowker, the company that compiles the Books in Print database in the USA, has calculated that no fewer than 175,000 new titles were published in 2003. That's one book roughly every 20 seconds.” And as you can imagine that trend has only increased since then. As McCrum says, the new books have the shelf life of yogurt, but that quality will always stand above the rest and will persevere. So how do you bring that quality to your own work?

The Frugal Editor by Carolyn Howard-Johnson is like having an editor in a box, or more correctly, between two covers of a book. Concise down-to-earth advice about how to edit your manuscript before you even begin to think about sending it out into the red pencil world of publishers, where their editors get the first chance to evaluate your hard work.

Frugal Editor is a veritable thesaurus of how to spot the gremlins that can mess up your prose. If edits and editors paralyze you with fear, take heart. Carolyn Howard-Johnson makes the whole process palatable. She intersperses her directives with light hearted humor making the whole process nearly enjoyable.

If there is an error your manuscript could contain, you’ll find the method for search and eradication in this delightful book. You’ll want to read it cover to cover, but then you will keep it by your side as you write, rewrite and edit so you can be frugal when you do decided to hire that editor to give it one last polish before you submit it anywhere. As Howard-Johnson says; “The lesson here for all of us is that attention to detail and craft counts, and that even experienced writers can flub an opportunity if they don’t pay attention to the last great step toward publishing, a good edit.”

Howard-Johnson explains the difference between and editor and a typo hunter. She also cautions that “…no matter how skilled an editor is, the author needs to know a lot about the process too. The cleaner the copy you hand over to your editor, the more accurate she can be and her edit may cost you less in time and money.” When Howard-Johnson says frugal in her book titles she means it and she goes to great lengths to insure the reader gets her/his money worth by providing resources with links, examples of the often scary Query letter construction, and more. She doesn’t leave the reader high and dry at any point. Further advice or learning is a matter of using the comprehensive index to find the detail you need and then following the advice, link or resource mentioned to guide you in your search for excellence.

The twenty plus pages of appendices is not mere fluff or padding of book length or word count, it is more than a bibliography of recommended reading (though it also contains that). You will find samples and links such as the query letters mentioned above, helpful groups to investigate, grammar helps and books. It’s hard to believe more could be contained in any book on your shelf. Spare no gremlin—search and destroy, polish and perfect before you send out your hard work. This book is the tool to help you do that. I highly recommend this power house of methods and means that will not only enhance your chances of publication, it will help you make any publishing house sit up and take notice – perhaps even pushing your book to the coveted best-seller lists faster than you ever imagined.