Leslie C. Halpern Shares MyShelf Review of Jendi Reiter's Short Story Collection

 Author: Jendi Reiter

Title: An Incomplete List of My Wishes

Genre: Literary short story collection

Publisher: Sunshot Press

ISBN: 9781944977207

Purchase at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944977201/

Reviewed by: Leslie Halpern for MyShelf.com

http://myshelf.com/literary/15/anincompletelistofmywishes.htm

Reviewed by Leslie C. Halpern originally for MyShelf.com

This collection of eleven short stories by award-winning poet and novelist Jendi Reiter focuses mostly on interpersonal relationships and overcoming grief, fear, and isolation. Several stories include gay characters struggling with their homosexuality, and adolescents contemplating how their religious backgrounds fit into their evolving self-image.

The length and style of these stories varies, but an underlying sadness permeates most of them. The language mixes pop culture, erudite allusions, and poetic expression for an interesting combination that requires careful attention. For instance, in the story "An Incomplete List of My Wishes," a divorced woman onboard an airplane reflects on her experience at a funeral, her divorce, a family member's death, and the solemn occasion to which she is headed. Most of the story consists of her reflections with no action occurring until the end. Filled with great sadness, flashes of anger, touches of humor, and ultimately, a revelation expressed as a metaphor, this story packs a memorable punch in just 10 pages.

Other stories explore family dynamics, adultery, aging, and infertility, although each selection includes multiple subtexts. For instance, in "Today You Are a Man," written in a stream of consciousness style, a gay Jewish boy fantasizes about comic book superheroes to help him deal with his tumultuous coming of age, his father's infidelity, and his shaky understanding of Judaism, marriage, and homosexuality. Usually associated with a Bar Mitzvah, the term "Today You Are a Man" means something different in this story.

Complex and lovely, this collection is the kind of book where readers will stop reading after each story and think about how the characters mirror their own lives. These are stories to be savored.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jendi Reiter is the author of the novel Two Natures (Saddle Road Press). It is a multi award-winner:

Rainbow Award winner, Book Excellence Award,  and National Indie Excellence Award finalist

See the book trailer at http://bit.ly/twonaturestrailer

"Intense revelations about what it means to be both Christian and gay...a powerful saga"  --Midwest Book Review

MORE ABOUT THIS REVIEW BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Carolyn Wilhelm Loves Tips in How To Get Great Book Reviews

Title: How Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically

Subtitle: How to get and use book reviews as part of a biable and ongoing campaign for self-published and traditionally published books

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Published: HowToDoItFrugally Publishing

Series: The multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers

ISBN: 9781536948370

Purchase as e-book or paper on Amazon 

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm originally for Amazon

I like the writing style of this book as it has some humor. 

The author asks, “WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO REACH REVIEWERS ON YOUR LIST? I’m glad you asked.” There is specific and down to earth advice such as: “Don’t say your book is “entitled.’ That’s the wrong word.”

I appreciate the index which makes the book quickly searchable. Put it in the research section. 

Reviews have no value if they can’t be trusted. This book is not about how to manipulate the system. It’s about how to up your chances of getting reviews. Howard-Johnson suggests not sending you romance book to a highly literary reader of Russian poetry, for instance. 

Terms you have maybe heard but do not understand are covered such ad print-on-demand (POD), sell sheets, industry standard, what metadata includes, how to emulate the process that big publishers use, and what great ratings can do for your book and how to manage them. She explains what Amazon Vine is all about, too. What is a praise page? How to quote with permission, and when is permission necessary? 

Should you allow the look inside feature for your book on Amazon? Perhaps there are worries about plagiarizing—but think about it. In stores, people can open and read books. Should you pay for ads or not? What is a digital footprint on search engines? How should negative reviews be handled? What is the Amazon toolbox and how can it help? Do you know how to register a hashtag? How can you get a press pass? Authors want to know.

What is the right category for your e-book on Kindle? What about voting on Amazon? You have a choice to vote helpful (or not). Actually, voting “helpful” for reviews is Karma. What to do if a book is badly written or not worthwhile? What about catalogs — how-tos advantages and disadvantages? 

The Q and A section is very helpful and is like having a conversation with an expert.

The author says a great cover design is essential, but it will be more effective if you use a three-dimensional one. She gives access to an offer to her readers — a special price to create one.

Remember, honesty is especially important in a business that abounds with scams.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carolyn has a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Special Studies of Gifted Children, and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12. She has been providing mostly free educational materials online since 2008. Carolyn is a wife, mom, and grandmother, and an advocate of life-long learning.

Carolyn Wilhelm Curriculum Writer and Blogger, Wise Owl Factory cwilhelm@thewiseowlfactory.com The Wise Owl Factory | Reminiscing Writers

Career Speaker Reviews New How-To Take Terror Out of Public Speaking

Title: Would You Rather Be in the Coffin Than Give the Eulogy
Subtitle: how to take the terror out of public speaking and advance your career and social network: A Choker’s Guide to Public Speaking.

Author: Jan Hurst-Nicholson

Website: www.just4kix.jimdo.com

Genre: nonfiction

ASIN: B07FJVP47B 

Format: E-book 
Publisher: Just4kix Books
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJVP47B

Reviewed by Karen Siddall originally for Goodreads and Amazon

As a career public speaker, I can say that this book was an awesome little breath of inspiration and renewal. Good, common-sensical tips are presented in a practical way. Very helpful and refreshing and full of good ideas that I wish I’d had when I was just starting out. I especially enjoyed the asides of actual experiences “on the road.” I recommend this book especially to those that find themselves having to speak up and speak out at public gatherings of any kind! There is even a section regarding being chosen to say grace before a public meal.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jan Hurst-Nicholson grew up in the UK but now lives in sunny South Africa where she is personal chef and doorman to a dog that is forever on the wrong side of a door.

Jan has been writing for about 35 years, beginning with articles, humorous articles and short stories. She then moved on to write novels and children’s books.  It was when she began winning awards and was asked to give talks about her books that she realized she needed to learn some public speaking skills and joined a club. Her involvement in the club, and her experiences giving talks at numerous events led her to write this practical guide to help others new to public speaking. Learn more at Jan’s Amazon author page and Jan's website https://just4kix.jimdo.com/about-the-author/

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Karen Siddall has worked in the public sector as a speaker and trainer for over 40 years in the fields of law enforcement, fire prevention, water conservation, and environmental education. She currently serves as the Public Relations and Education Administrator for the Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District in rural north central Texas. She is one of the many authors of Urban Environmental Education (Cornell University).


MORE ABOUT THIS REVIEW BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

.

Invaluable and Engaging Read for Editing Books with Excellent Advice

The Frugal Editor: Do-It-Yourself Editing Secrets, from your query letters to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller.

Title: The Frugal Editor

• Series: HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers
• Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1505712114
• ISBN-13: 978-1505712117
• 
  

This book is engaging and fun to read. It answers the questions you have been considering researching someday as you write and wonder if you are doing the right thing. As I read, I learned answers to questions I didn’t know I had been thinking about.

This book will help you be frugal with your time. It may be used as a research book by consulting the index for all your projects.

Don’t turn in any manuscript without first reading this book. This book will help polish any writing piece.

The author suggests it is important to be open to accepting suggested edits. The difference between an editor and a someone who reads to find typos is well-explained in this book. You might need both!

The author explains:

*Writers should use Word editing, but not rely on it alone.

*Manual and digital proof-reading and editing are both important.

*Step-by-step information is provided for editing in Word.

*Books and web sites that will help a writer are recommended, as well.

*The difference between save and save as when naming manuscripts is explained. This is important to know so work is not accidentally lost.

Howard-Johnson explains why a manuscript should be edited for only one with one kind of edit at a time. The editing is never done!

Did you know the whole publishing world dislikes the term fictional novel? Novels, by definition, are fiction. Other terms the “whole publishing world” dislikes are also discussed to help writers avoid newbie mistakes.

To start a book title with the word the, or not? Certain issues arise if the title of your book starts with the (or a or an).

The author divulges agents’ pet peeves!

The book includes humor, such as this sentence: “Though find function is not a therapist, yours can help you with your personal oddities.”

Howard-Johnson explains the passive voice isn’t all bad, and examples of times it can be used are provided. The author gives the link to Rutgers University, which gives examples of how politicos and others use passive to weasel out of stuff. 

If you write nonfiction exclusively, did you know more nonfiction writers are using dialogue than ever before?

Ten easy ways to improve your dialogue are listed and explained.

Maybe you want to “Get Rid of Dialogue Migraines?”

Legitimate uses for the ampersand are given. Who knew?

Avoiding the green grocer’s apostrophe is discussed to avoid phrases such as, “Avocado’s Sold Here.”

Howard-Johnson says rules and guidelines for print and the Web are galaxies apart, and to think of them as different genres. Speaking of the web, she explains: 

1. How to avoid Internet shams and scams.

2. Guidelines for sending your submission packages by e-mail or snail mail are also discussed.

This book is invaluable!

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

This review was originally posted on Goodreads and Amazon by Carolyn Wilhelm of Wise Owl Factory. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG 

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Synopsis for Brand New Sci-Fi Billed "Sci-Fi and So Much More"

Alpha Tales 2044

Wesley Britton 

Print Length: 173 pages

Publisher: Alien Vision (December 9, 2018)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC 

Language: English

ASIN: B07KJBSQG5

Available on Amazon Dec. 9 at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KJBSQG5

SNEAK PEEK SYNOPSIS

Alpha Tales opens on Beta-Earth when two genetically-enhanced mutants are forced to recover a stolen secret, the cure to the ancient Plague-With-No-Name that defined a planet for millennia.

Then we jump across the multi-verse to our earth forty years in the future where police Captain Mary Carpenter infiltrates a gang of White Supremacists who want to purify Texas of undesirables after decades of climate change and weaponized plagues.

Still on Alpha, we leap ahead in time where Mary Carpenter joins up with four aliens, two from Beta-Earth, two from Serapin-Earth.      All four share the same father, The Blind Alien from Alpha-Earth. They’ve traveled across the multi-verse to tell us about their worlds.

But Alphans, scarred by the devastations to our world, are unhappy about learning about very different cultures from anything we’ve ever known and especially hearing about multiple deities. So the alien band are forced to go on the run and take sanctuary in a First Nation domed city in British Columbia.

But their sanctuary doesn’t last long. Forced to travel further into the Canadian wilderness, the family encounters a pair of Sasquatch who change everything for them. They learn about the many definitions of what it means to be human.

A cornucopia of surprising stories, Alpha Tales 2044 is science fiction written by Dr. Wesley Britton and published by Alien Vision. The tales include sci-fi, murder mysteries, social commentary and horror. The tales are full of adventure, unexpected twists, and will leave you awestruck! 

Sold by Amazon Digital Service LLC, this is the seventh volume of the Beta-Earth chronicles series. The stand-alone book is currently available to preorder and will be released on 9th December 2018. 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of The Beta Earth Chronicles and reviewer for BookPleasures.com. 

For more information, please visit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KJBSQG5, 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

Check out Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

Enjoy the videos at Wes Britton’s YouTube Channel:

Print and Kindle Editions of Wes Britton’s Alpha Tales 2044: Beta-Earth Chronicles are All Set to Be Published on December 9, 2018

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as a way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Award-Winning Author Reviews Award-Winning Author

Finding True Home

Series: Book 2 of American Dream series

Author: Heidi M. Thomas

http://www.heidimthomas.com

Genre: Women’s Fiction

ISBN: 978-0999066317

https://amzn.to/2SY7nIR Kindle

https://amzn.to/2ATsvZQ paperback

Reviewed by Karen Casey-Fitzjerrel originally for Amazon 

This book, based on life experiences of the author’s mother, is an emotional journey start to finish. Anna is a new bride of German descent in rural America a few years after World War II ends. She feels left out of the community lifeline where she and her husband have settled. At times she senses discrimination and believes she is the topic of gossip. The story opens as Anna finds out she is pregnant for a third time. The pregnancy is difficult with complications, including toxemia. To make matters worse, the child, a daughter, is plagued with colic, sleeplessness, and fits of screaming that last throughout her childhood.

In the rest of the story Anna slowly realizes her children have far different directions in mind for their lives than the one she has imagined. She struggles to understand why, in her view, her children have all gone wrong. A boy who leaves home as soon as he is of age, a first born daughter who goes away to college and has no plans to return to rural life, and lastly the youngest daughter who is willful beyond reason into adulthood.

For me, the book came full circle in the last pages but I don’t want to give a spoiler here.

This addition to Heidi M. Thomas’s body of work is sure to captivate readers as much as her previous books in which she offers readers rich and accurate accounts of obstacles young women faced eighty, ninety years ago. Young women who desperately want to step out of society’s restrictive molds. Thomas’s earlier books show us how Montana women, aspiring to participate in male dominated roles, faced their fears and naysayers with determination and courage. However, in Finding True Home, Thomas writes about a struggling mother and wife, new to mid-century America, who must examine her own thoughts in order to live in harmony with her family and community.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

 Karen Casey Fitzjerrell is the author of Forgiving Effie Beck, winner of the Will Rodgers Gold Medallion Award. It was named Kirkus Reviews Best Independently Published Novel of 2015.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heidi M. Thomas grew up on a working ranch in eastern Montana, riding and gathering cattle for branding and shipping. Her parents taught her a love of books, and her grandmother rode bucking stock in rodeos. She followed her dream of writing with a journalism degree from the University of Montana. Heidi is the author of the award-winning “Cowgirl Dreams” novel series and Cowgirl Up: A History of Rodeo Women. Seeking the American Dream and Finding True Home are based on the author’s mother who emigrated from Germany after WWII. She is the author of

Cowgirl Up! A History of Rodeo Women (Winner Global e-book Awards)

1.Cowgirl Dreams (EPIC Award Winner)

2.Follow the Dream (WILLA Award Winner)

3.Dare to Dream (Finalist  International Book Awards)

Learn more about her at 

http://www.heidimthomas.com and  http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Midwest Book Review Loves New Literary Memoir

Book Girl
Sarah Clarkson
Tyndale Momentum
c/o Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496425805,
$15.99, PB, 288pp
www.amazon.com

Reviewed by Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief at MidwestBookReview.com

Synopsis: When you hear a riveting story, does it thrill your heart and stir your soul? Do you hunger for truth and goodness? Do you secretly relate to Belle’s delight in the library in Beauty and the Beast? If so, you may be on your way to being a book girl (or boy!).

Books were always Sarah Clarkson’s delight. Raised in the company of the lively Anne of Green Gables, the brave Pevensie children of Narnia, and the wise Austen heroines, she discovered reading early on as a daily gift, a way of encountering the world in all its wonder. But what she came to realize as an adult was just how powerfully books had shaped her as a woman to live a story within that world, to be a lifelong learner, to grasp hope in struggle, and to create and act with courage. She’s convinced that books can do the same for you.

In the pages of "Book Girl: A Journey through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life" readers will join Sarah in exploring the reading life as a gift and an adventure, one meant to enrich, broaden, and delight in each season of life as a woman.

In Book Girl, reader's will discover: How reading can strengthen your spiritual life and deepen your faith; Why a journey through classic literature might be just what you need (and where to begin); How stories form your sense of identity; How Sarah’s parents raised her to be a reader -- and can be done to cultivate a love of reading in the growing readers around us; and some 20+ annotated book lists, including some old favorites and many new discoveries.

Whether you’ve long considered yourself a reader or have dreams of becoming one, "Book Girl" will draw you into the life-giving journey of becoming a woman (or a man!) who reads and lives well.

Critique: Although primarily written for female readers as reflected in the title, "Book Girl: A Journey through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life" by author, blogger, and student of theology Sarah Clarkson is an extraordinary read that is very highly recommended to the attention of all dedicated bibliophiles regardless of gender. Rarely has a truer portrait of the joy and influence of a literate life been so well exemplified or showcased.

While "Book Girl" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.44) for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialists general readers with an interest in the subject. Librarians should note that "Book Girl" is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781982558284, $34.95, CD).

And for the record, I have no personal or professional relationship to Sarah Clarkson and wouldn't recognize her if I were to pass her on the street.

MORE ABOUT MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

When you subscribe to Midwest Book Review's newsletters from--either the one edited by Jim Cox or Beth Cox--you get reviews directly to your e-mail box.  Jim's are always (most always?) related to reading or writing in one way or another.  He often ends the editorial portion of his letter with, "Now on to reviews of other new books with particular relevance and interest for authors and publishers: The Writing/Publishing Shelf." midwestbookreview.com

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.