Mother/Daughter Writing Team Dedicate Book to Adopted Children Everywhere

Title: A Mom
Authors: Daughter and Mother team, Betsy and Carolyn Wilhelm
Genre: Children's Picture Book, Children's Literature
Illustrator: Pieter Els
ISBN: 978-0-9997766-5-0
Dedicated to adopted children everywhere

As an educator holding a masters degree in gifted education, Carolyn Wilhelm's books for children are filled with subtle lessons with an emphasis on the word "subtle." That the protagonist in this book shares what she thinks a "mother" does is Asian and the mother is Caucasian is a subtext. The story is really about a mother and daughter relationship and love. The underlying message is discernible through the lovely, simple illustrations by Pieter Els and a gentle allusion to "color" in the text that the reader might easily miss. Which is how it should be. After all, that is the point of this lovely little eighteen-page booklet which is just the right size for a just-one-more-story at bedtime.

MORE ABOUT THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER WRITING TEAM

I. Reid is the pen name of the daughter of this team, who happens to be adopted and look quite different from her mother.  Carolyn Wilhelm is the other half of the team who, as an educator, recognized the need for gentle stories about adoption and about interracial adoption in particular. This book is dedicated to "All adopted children everywhere." You can find Reid blogging at https://www.thewiseowlfactory.com/guest-posts-by-i-reid/. Find Wilhelm's teaching aids for teachers and parents at The Wise Owl Factory on Pinterest and she tweets @WiseOwlFactory.

MORE ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Pieter Else has a long list of experience from thirty years plus studying and working in graphic design and educational technology.  Find his clip art at http://surferkiddies.com and reach him by e-mail at surferkidsclipart@gmail.com.

MORE ABOUT THE NEW BOOK REVIEW 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.

Publishing Professionals Share Publishing Experience

TITLE: The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan

SUBTITLE: The Professional Guide to Profitable Self-Publishing

AUTHORS: Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk

PUBLISHER: Authority Publishing

ASIN: B07H39LPSX

ISBN:  978-1-949642-00-1

PRINT LINK: https://amzn.to/2Jq5Sic 

GENRE: Nonfiction

CATEGORY: Publishing

Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk have written The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan. Stephanie founded the Nonfiction Authors Association and is this decade’s expert. Today there are many go-to experts, but no one can exceed her experience. Paluchuk is an ideal partner for such an all-encompassing project! 

This Book Publishing Plan (it will work just as well for creative works as nonfiction!) says it all. I always suggest that authors read more than one book on any publishing topic, but this is the perfect place to start for anyone considering publishing of any kind. In the first chapter it takes the reader through some of the trials experienced by anyone approaching the publishing industry with the old model in mind. I have a few horror stories of my own, but Chandler and Palachuk quickly move into how nonfiction authors in particular will benefit from self-publishing and takes them well beyond—starting with titles and subtitles, bylines and moves on to giving an author enough information to get a great start on a marketing plan.

I believe in reading books to get the expertise needed for publishing—even traditional publishing. Don’t be fooled that readers can get what they need piecemeal from the Web (it is hard to ascertain credibility with so much conflicting advice!) or even to choose what to read from extensive tables of contents (which would be better titled “Contents” to avoid redundancy). This is the place to start. These authors complement one another. It is full of memorable experiences and anecdotes you won’t forget as well as specific advice. At the beginning of this review, I said it is the place for new authors to start, but seasoned authors in any genre (seriously!) will find inaccuracies they have come to believe gently corrected and comfort knowing that many of their instincts have been right all along. 

Hint: Notice how Palachuk and Chandler weave their biographies—read that experience—into the first chapter and how well that works in a book covering a difficult and far-ranging genre like a how-to for the publishing industry! 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 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.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

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The Olivia Lauren Series Increases Knowledge of STEAM

Title: Things We Wear

Series: Olivia Lauren

Author: Melissa-Sue John, Ph.D. 

Paperback: 32 pages

Price: $11.99 Now $6.28

Publisher: Lauren Simone Publishing House

Website: www.laurensimonepubs.com

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780997952018

ISBN-13: 978-0997952018

ASIN: 0997952016

Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.1 x 8.5 inches

Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0997952016/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4

Synopsis: 

Olivia Lauren’s "Things We Wear" is a story about a child model and her friends exploring the different things people wear. Olivia Lauren and her friends tell us about the when, where, and why regarding the things we wear. Children will increase their vocabulary and curiosity about fashion, tradition, and the significance of clothing.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa-Sue John, Ph.D. is a psychology professor, mom of two girls, wife, and author of children’s literature. She is on a mission to increase literacy and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) appreciation. Her goal is to create children’s literature with diverse characters with the aim of increasing knowledge of and representation in STEAM.

The protagonist of the series, Olivia Lauren,  is a energized and focused child who enjoys writing stories and drawing. She also models, acts, and loves science and engineering. Learn on these social networks:

Instagram: @laurensimonepubs @olivialaurenj

Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurensimonepubs

Twitter: laurensimonepub

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 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.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

A Book About Depression for Everyone!

Title: From Depression to Contentment: A self-therapy guide

Author: Bob Rich, Ph.D.

Reviewer: Theresa Hortley I

Author Website: http://bobswriting.com/psych/depression.html

Genre: Nonfiction: Psychology self-help

ISBN-13: 978-1-61599-435-9 

Rating 5 stars

Buy link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1615994351/    

Reviewed by Theresa Hortley 

I don't suffer from depression, but read this book because I am privileged to be one of Bob Rich's beta readers. All the same, "From Depression to Contentment" has proven to be immensely useful to me personally.

Depression is everywhere. Every year, a distressingly high proportion of the kids I teach are obviously depressed. Friends, relatives, colleagues -- it's all around me. Now, I can understand where they are coming from, and can be more effective in helping them, though not as a therapist of course.

But this is far more than a self-help book. It is an inspiration. One sentence late in the book has captured me: "knowingly or unknowingly, all of us are apprentice Buddhas."

Depressed or not, if you read this book, you will become a better person.

You wouldn't expect a book about depression to be humorous, but in typical Bob Rich style, he got me chuckling time and again. Just one example: a patient told Bob that he'd known all his life that he didn't matter. Bob's reply: "Right. You crawled out of the womb believing you didn't matter?"

All of Bob's novels I've read are full of therapeutic lessons. Here is a book designed as a set of therapeutic lessons that is as enjoyable to read as any novel.    

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Theresa Horley is a high school teacher of English which makes her a formidable beta reader.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Bob Rich, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in psychology in 1972. He worked as an academic, researcher, and applied scientist until “retiring” the first time at 36 years of age. Later, he returned to psychology and qualified as a Counseling Psychologist, running a private practice for over 20 years. During this time, he was on the national executive of the College of Counselling Psychologists of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), then spent three years as a Director of the APS. He was the therapist referrers sent their most difficult cases to.

Bob retired in 2013, but still does pro bono counseling over the internet. This has given him hundreds of “children” and “grandchildren” he has never met, because many of these people stay in touch for years. His major joy in life is to be of benefit to others, which is why he wrote a book that’s in effect a course of therapy.

You can get to know him well at his blog, "Bobbing Around," https://bobrich18.wordpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobswriting and find his newsletter at https://bobrich18.wordpress.com. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 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.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

Be Inspired and Feel the Goosebumps of Amazing Coincidences

Tales2Inspire ~ The Emerald Collection: Beyond Coincidence

• Series: Tales 2 Inspire
• Paperback: 124 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1492321397
• ISBN-13: 978-1492321392

Link to the paperback

Link to the eBook

Be prepared to feel goosebumps while reading about amazing coincidences beyond belief -- except each story has actual proof. Actual proof is not usually available in anthology stories. It is fairly easy to find stories that are rather amazing and think, "Oh, sure, nice story." However, this book is not like others in that proof in the form of photos is included in each story.

From Carolyn Wilhelm's review on Amazon

My favorite quote from the book is as follows:

"There can be a silver lining after the storm. Just promise yourself and your loved ones that you will seek it out.” 

Each story is amazing, and when I thought a story was over the best part was yet to come! Incredible and true reading.

Reading the stories is one thing, but towards the end of the book, the author tells how writers can be part of the Tales2Inspire series. The requirements are strict and explain why each story is so wonderful. The rules for story submission impressed me even more, as I realized what each author went through to be accepted in the anthology. There is no fee for submitting a story, just an amazing coincidence. Reading the rules was what hooked me!

*Each submitted Tale must be an original, non-fiction story.

*Tales2Inspire ™ strongly encourages authors to include author owned, relevant images to enhance the impact of their Tale. 

*NOTE: The power of included images is factored into the final scoring, with the exception of the humor category, where no photos are requested

*It is the author’s responsibility to be sure any such images do not violate copyrights. 

*As an Authors Helping Authors Project, each author will judge three other ‘tales’ 

This particular collection is authored by Stern, Lois W.; Cupery M.D., Stan; Hofstadter, Cami Ann; Kosal Ph.D., Erica; Chippas (a.k.a. Martina Nicholas), Tina; Knorr, Anne; Osborne, James; DuPree, Heidi; Gustman, and Fran; Surface, Donna. 

Do you have an amazing coincidence in your life that you would like to share? Find out more at the following sites, and get a free eBook while you are visiting. 

GET A F*R*E*E TALES21INSPIRE E-BOOK AT:

www.tales2inspire.com/gift

Tales2Inspire website: http://www.tales2inspire.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2
Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire
Tales2Inspire trailer: https://youtu.be/FuDgXkYMHvo
Blog: http:://www.tales2inspire/blog

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.

Carolyn Wilhelm's Early Learning Interracial Adoption Story

Title: Alex Asks About Auntie's Airplane Day
Subtitle: An Adoption Day Story
Author: Carolyn Wilhelm
Illustrated by: Pieter Els
An Easy Reader Book (2017)
ISBN: 9780999776612
Reviewed from a paperback copy.

Forever the teacher, Carolyn Wilhelm writes not only for the story but also to build vocabulary. Interest builds as children ask, "What is an airplane day?"  Ever the teacher, Wilhelm also introduces a child to terms they may not have yet learned like "lug wrench."  This story will help any young reader or listener know more about adoption, understand it better, and helps prepare them for accepting diversity no matter what their color, too.

The illustrations are reminiscent of color paper cutouts, colorful and graphics.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The idea for this book occurred to Carolyn Wilhelm when she saw her two-year-old grandson watch his Auntie Betsy from South Korea and seemed to wonder how she fit into the otherwise white family. Wilhelm says, "who knows shat he was thinking, but it appeared he was noticing Auntie
s eyes and skin color.  Wilhelm decided a book could help her grandson and other young children with older, adopted relatives understand a little about adoption. The author runs Wise Owl Factory, LLC, Minnesota. Readers, teachers, and parents will find her Wise Owl teaching materials, many of them absolutely free on Pinterest. Learn more about the author at www.thewiseowlfactory.com

MORE ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Pieter Els also illustrated "Surfer Kids Clip Art." "Jeffreys Bay," and "South Africa." Learn more at www.surferkiddies.com

In the time-honored tradition of the publishing industry, the reviewer of this book received a copy of the book at no charge..

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.

Leslie C. Halpern Collects Her Best Columns on Life and Entertainment Industry

Scantily Clad Truths

Subtitle: Essays on Life with Clothes (and without)

Author: Leslie C. Halpern

Cautious Optimist Publishing 2018

ISBN: 9780999376331

Genre: Essays/Memoir

Contact Reviewer: HoJoNews@aol.com

Rating: 5 of 5

                  From Bill Cosby to “Homeless and Sexy” 

 

Veteran Journalist Shares Memories 

True to journalistic ethics, here, a disclaimer. I started out in journalism. Printers ink has colored my thumbs (and given me asthma) since I first wrote kitschy columns for my high school newspaper, and I loved fashion and New York even in its grittier days when I was a publicist for the firm that developed the “10 Best Dressed List” and ogled the samples of Christian Dior samples in the stockpile of “props” the business kept for photo shoot emergencies. 

Perhaps this disclaimer explains why I was hooked from the first moment I heard the title of Leslie C. Halpern’s slim book Scantily Clad Truths. Add that to the amazing list of media outlets Halpern has written for and this provocative teaser on the back cover of the book: “What really happened when this young entertainment journalist in a sexy gold dress rode the elevator with Bill Cosby?” and I was ready to have some fun. 

It turns out Scantily Clad was not quite what I expected. It was much more. Call it a memoir of a journalist presented in a permanent collection of her best material. Bit by bit, a reader becomes familiar with Halpern. Her exceptional sense of detail. Her humor. Her occasional bravery about drawing conclusions about life as she explores life-altering anecdotes. And, yes. They somehow all have something to do with clothing from Mary Lou’s red lace panties to Homeless and Sexy’s no-shirt-at-all.

Because Halpern had to select only the columns and essays that fit with her theme, it made me wonder how many more books are to come. Halpern’s work is easy to read, refreshing. Most of us probably need her gentle take on life and humor in these political times.  

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a multi award-winning author of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her HowToDoItFrugally series of books has helped writers and retailers worldwide. She runs this blog with lots of generous contributions from Carolyn Wilhelm and Lois W. Stern. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 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.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. C. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Carolyn the link to this post, too!