The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Monday, July 6, 2020

The Magic of Book Reviews ~ With Lessons From the Little Red Hen



THE MAGIC OF BOOK REVIEWS ~ WITH LESSONS FROM THE LITTLE RED HEN

by Lois W. Stern

Your #Authors Helping Authors NewBookReview

Acquisition Coordinator



As authors, we know the importance of getting book reviews. We ask our friends and personal contacts to write reviews for us, post notices about our books on author friendly websites, upload our e-books to sites that invite us to do so . . ., all in the hopes of attracting potential reviewers. Sometimes we even pay companies to review our books, while enticing others to do so. 

Hey folks, maybe we are overlooking the greatest source of all, the one right at our fingertips - our fellow authors. 



So what’s with this Little Red Hen

In the childhood fable, The Little Red Hen, when the hen asks a cat, dog and mouse for help planting, harvesting and grinding the wheat, she gets no takers: "‘Not I!’ said the cat. ‘Not I!’ said the dog. ‘Not I!’ said the mouse." So she ends up doing all the work herself. But when the preparation was all done, even though all the barnyard animals were eager to share in the feast, she did that part all alone as well. 

We have an Authors Helping Authors platform right here. So let’s build an Authors Helping Authors mindset right now. Read through the brief synopses you see listed below. A least one of these books surely will pique your interest. Contact that author for a FREE copy with an understanding that you will review their book within 30 days..

On a time crunch? Aren’t we all! So today I would like to share some ideas to keep your reading and review writing time both Frugal and Ethical. 
  • Read the Amazon posted synopsis of the book first for an understanding of that book’s content.
  • When you contact the author for a free copy of the book you are reviewing, ask them to also send you any promotional materials they have on hand for a quick overview of content and style.
  • Ask the author of that same book to suggest about 50 pages to give you its style and flavor. 
  • Write a first draft of your review. It doesn’t have to be long or flowery. (A review of 150 words or more is fine.) It doesn’t have to be 5 star either. (Just be sincere, yet kind. And if you think this book deserves less than four stars, decline to review it, but give the author some helpful hints on what they could do to improve it.)
  • Try using your review to help promote yourself. (When I add my photo to the review image box, my name, and the words, Author, Creator of Tales2Inspire® seem to pop right into the box.)

Let me help you with my regular post of free books to review right here on #TheNewBookReview. 
Here is the link on how to submit your book to get FREE reviews (except for the cost of a book):


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MORE ABOUT YOUR TRUSTED REVIEW ACQUISITION COORDINATOR


Lois W. Stern is a multi award-winning author whose work has been featured in The New York Times, on Local Access TV, and in live presentations in many varied venues. She has now published ten Tales2Inspire books of her contest winners' stories. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul are particularly enamored of Tales2Inspire books, because aside from their dynamic inspirational themes, they are filled with original photos to enhance the power of each story. Lois invites interested readers to get a FREE Tales2Inspire sampler book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts and to learn more about entering the next Tales2Inspire contest at: www.tales2inspire.com/contest. She is also a regular contributor to this blog. Learn more about her at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire
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More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 





The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers . Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission form . 

Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors"  project.

Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find Carolyn's also blogs at SharingwithWriters and The Frugal smart and Tuned-in Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing #amwriting

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Author Linda Wilson Reviews New Children's Book on the Environment

Title: The Adventures of Planetman
Subtitle: The Case of the Plastic Rings
Author:  Karen Cioffi 
Illustrator: Thomas Deisboeck, 
Genre: Fiction, 6-8-years-old, picture book, 
ISBN-13: 978-1950074174.
Reviewed by Linda Wilson
The Adventures of Planetman: The Case of the Plastic Rings, by Karen Cioffi and illustrated by Thomas Deisboeck, is a compelling blend of adventure and factual information, suited for children 6-8, which sends an important message to children about ways they can help our planet.  
Thomas hears a noise coming from outside. He and his buds Nick and Luke come to the rescue and the three superheroes save the day. After the story, children will enjoy learning about the peregrine falcon, facts about solid waste materials, what readers can do to reduce waste, ways to help our planet, and more. The book is an excellent resource to teach childrenmethods of conservation for parents, teachers, and librarians. And good news, there are more Planetman books to come!

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, successful children’s ghostwriter, and author/writer online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move. You can learn more about Karen at: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and Institute of Children’s Literature graduate, has published over 150 articles for children and adults, several short stories for children, and now her first book, Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery is available on Amazon. Find her fun for readers and tips for writers at https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com and learn more about her on Facebook at http://facebook.com.lindawilson.kidsmysterywriter.com37017794 and twitter under the moniker @LinWilsonauthor. 


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series of book for writers. How to Get Great Book Reviews is the third in the series. Learn more at her website, https://howtodoitfrgually.com .

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

White Fragility: Why it is so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism Book Review


We live in interesting times. We are living through history, of course. A pandemic, politicization of germs, and protest marches, to name a few. Some movies and books are being released for free rental by Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and others. I just watched Just Mercy and The Hate U Give. Excellent movies! The local library has released more copies of books about racism. It was easy to get the Kindle version of White Fragility. Because they won't accept any book returns, I hesitate to participate in a curbside pick-up at the library. Supposedly they won't be charging fines but I've never had a book out for several months before now.


White Fragility: Why it is so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism is a highly-rated and popular book at this time. The author, Robin DiAngelo, has years of experience as a diversity trainer. She asserts the society of the United States is based on white supremacy. She says all humans have prejudice. She states American life is shaped by segregation, and racism-free upbringing is not possible. Whites benefit while people of color suffer. Whites could not be “superior” unless there were others. 


DiAngelo thinks whites are “fragile” as they have not had to deal with issues of race. When told of their racist statements or actions, white people take it to mean they aren’t being nice or good. Most whites will say they are not racist. They get upset or defensive, instead of listening to the reasons their statements or actions were hurtful and learning from the situations. Yes, whites face barriers, but not racism barriers, and benefit from unearned advantages.


The author argues she thinks white progressives cause most of the daily damage to people of color. She argues reverse discrimination is not possible in our social system. She feels white people think they have nothing to ever learn about race. She says there is no color-blindness. American individualism, romanticism about the good old days, and the desire to be comfortable with the way things are helped form systemic discrimination. 


This book would be helpful for diversity training leaders, people unfamiliar with white privilege, those wanting more insight about racial relations, and for people who would like to work on recognizing their own microaggressions. There are checklists to consult for discussion, thinking, and learning. Clear analogies are made to further explain the points she makes. 


“The failure to acknowledge white supremacy protects it from examination and holds it in place,” according to DiAngelo.


Review by Carolyn Wilhelm

Carolyn Wilhelm is the author of The Wise Owl Factory site and blog. She has an MS in Gifted Education, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12, and has completed the KHT Montessori 12 month program. She makes mostly free resources for teachers and parents. Her children's books are available on Amazon. 

white-fragility-why-it-is-so-hard-for-white-people-to-talk-about-racism


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. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Friday, June 19, 2020

Poet Carol Smallwood Interviews Author of Peeping Sunrise


Title: Toward a Peeping Sunrise
Author: Carole Mertz
Paperback: 17 pages
Prolific Press, 2019
ISBN 9781632751898
$7.95
Purchase Prolific Press
                                                                                                                                                                          Interview by Carol Smallwood

Carole Mertz, author, poet, and editor, has had works published in literary journals, U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Africa. An Oberlin College graduate, she’s Book Review Editor for Dreamers Creative Writing;reader of prose and poetry for Mom Egg Review; member Prize Nomination Committee for Ekphrastic Review; advance reader WNBA 2018 Poetry Contest. Kendra Boileau, Penn State University Press noted: “Mertz is a master of poetic form, imagery, sonority, and wit.”

Smallwood: Your poems show a knowing of the darkness but also of the sunrises while “…searching for a distant view of everything.” The poems encompass childhood, courtship, marriage, maturity, and the reader is advised to “hang on to your memories.” How did you decide the chapbook’s title?

Mertz: Thank you for searching out my themes and encapsulating them so well. I suppose I wanted a title that would show a kind of awakening. For Toward a Peeping Sunrise I borrowed a line from one of the poems. 

Smallwood: You’ve said your chapbook follows an arc. What do you mean by that?

Mertz: I suppose there’s an arc to the thematic subdivisions, simply beginning, middle, end. But what I mean has more to do with the tempo of the poems. Progressing from one to the next with a rising tempo, as in “Dolly’s Broke” moving faster and louder into the implied dangers in “Ballast.” These urgencies settle down in the two final poems toward a quiet diminution, as if equivalent to a musical crescendo and decrescendo.

Smallwood: What have you learned from creating this chapbook?

Mertz: Selecting from fewer number of poems made it easier for me to arrange them around given themes. (When I worked with larger selections, I found I was unable to organize the greater number of poems coherently because too much of my work was as yet eclectic and impossible to group.) I also learned lessons after the chapbook’s publication—that you’re never prepared enough for the PR work that must follow. Writing is only the beginning; marketing and continued networking are additional responsibilities. These inevitably intrude on the writing time. Learning to balance these activities is always a challenge.

Smallwood: When did you begin writing poetry? Was it the first genre you used?

Mertz: I began writing poetry about twelve years ago, though I was then taking a course in writing short stories. A first poem about a snowstorm was accepted by a small digest. The success of it and seeing my name in print got me hooked on poetry, though I hope vanity was not the only motivator at the time. Soon a mystery won second place at the Toasted Cheese Literary Journal. But doing poetry became and remained the dominant genre for me.

My very first serious work, however, was writing nonfiction. After a week-long course at Concordia Publishing House, my writing, and that of my husband, was accepted for publication by CPH. During this shared project, we each wrote on 15 separate themes. I must admit, I enjoyed the subtle competitive element that entered in— I wanted to write as well as my husband.

Smallwood: Why did you choose the particular publisher for your chapbook?

Mertz: When Prolific Press chose my manuscript, I was approaching one of my decade years. Their acceptance came as a nice birthday present. The owner of the press promised a deliberate schedule that he followed throughout, meeting every one of his projected deadlines. Working with Prolific Press for a first volume was a pleasant way to learn the steps needed in matters of cover design, collection of blurbs, and decisions about layout. A former writing school instructor had persistently advised students to self-publish and I had planned to do that. But everything requires time and know-how. Working with Prolific Press was a non-stressful alternative.

Smallwood: What are some magazines/anthologies where your essays, stories, poetry, appear?

Mertz: Going back a few years, I’ve had work in Arc, Copperfield Review, CutBank, Conium Review, and World Literature Today. More recently I’ve published a series of reviews at Mom Egg ReviewEclectica, and Dreamers Creative Writing, with poetry at Indiana Voice JournalThe Write Place at the Write Time (recently discontinued), EclecticaThe Ekphrastic Review, and elsewhere. I was pleased to have a poem included in Journal VII, the 2019 anthology issued by the Society of Classical Poets, an online poetry site I regard as one of the finest. 

Smallwood: Why is that site of interest to you?

Mertz: The Society of Classical Poets furthers the writing of poetry in classical forms. I regard the preservation of these techniques as important as, for example, the retaining of classical forms in music. One cannot perform an Aaron Copland, for example, before one has studied a Beethoven Sonata or perhaps a Debussy Prelude. I don’t mean to preach, but I believe unless we preserve the old forms, we lose a great deal. A number of fine poets today are writing sonnets of equal caliber to Keats or Shakespeare, though written in contemporary language. The Society promotes these modern-day writers. The Society also values the concept of beauty which seems so lacking in much contemporary work I read.

Smallwood: Where are your most recent publications?

Mertz: In addition to Toward a Peeping Sunrise, recent reviews appeared in Main Street Rag, Into the Void, and Dreamers Creative Writing. I like the method of publication at Dreamers. First a 300-word review is published in the print edition. This is followed by a 700- to 1000-word review printed online. I like the process of writing on the same material in both the shorter and longer form. The long form first, and then condensed. But sometimes the process is reversed.

Smallwood: What poetry writing challenges have you won?

I was happy to win several poetry challenges issued by the Wilda Morris blogspot. Morris’s imaginative orinots differ each month. They taught me new ways of approaching poetry. One could write about colors, or about “memories of my father”, or use of numbers in poems—simple approaches, but they always taught me to innovate and also introduced me to classical poets and contemporary poets I hadn’t yet known. 

Smallwood: What’s your association with the Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria?

Mertz: My studies at the Academy gave me a year of learning not only in music performance (I’m a professional pianist and organist), but also in European history, the fine arts, and the German language. Seeing major artworks face-to-face in the museums of Paris, Vienna, Florence, and Rome created impressions during my early student days that have remained throughout my life.

Smallwood: You write with ease poems based on a picture. How do you select the pictures and what’s the name of this poetry form?

Mertz: In my family, two sisters are visual artists. Not a painter, myself, it became very satisfying to write my own impressions of paintings in poetic form, though initially I knew nothing about ekphrasis, which is an artist’s interpretation of another artist’s work. During 2019, I suddenly encountered all these wonderful works at The Ekphrastic Review, both the writers’ and the painters’, and began submitting my own poetry there. Lorette C. Luzajicowner of the review, makes it all very inviting. She simply requests poems (preferably unrhymed) or nonfiction pieces based on what you see or feel when viewing a work. “Have fun while you write,” she says. At her site, you can select a visual of your own choice or respond to one of her bimonthly ekphrastic challenges. These have ranged from works by Rothko to Joan Miro to Franz Kline. I’m musing here, but I suppose one could also write ekphrasis based on aural works, as well, or based on architectural constructions. Camille Paglia, for example, wrote an astonishing ekphrastic essay on the altar and the Pope’s Chair at the Vatican. Similarly, passages within a novel I’m reading (Josephine Wilson’s Extinctions) are written as ekphrasis on Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair, photos of which are included in the novel.

Smallwood: In the first poem in Toward a Peeping Sunrise, a chapbook divided into three sections, “Singularity” appears in the title—a word often used in physics. How did you come to select it? 

Mertz: I hadn’t thought of “singularity” as a physics term. I merely wanted a word to indicate something unique, something happening only once. If I may add something about that poem, “Seeing to the Singularity…” it’s almost shocking to me that I should have published a poem of self-affirmation. 

Smallwood: Why does that surprise you?

Mertz: In my old Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing, there was always the underlying tenet, spoken or unspoken, that one should avoid bragging in all its forms. This comes from the religious restrictions I experienced at the time. 

Smallwood: What are some of the topics you cover in your essays?

Mertz: I like to offer tips I think might be of use to beginning writers. I’ve written about how to establish good relations with editors of literary journals, the importance of MOOC learning, meeting writing deadlines, how a bird can teach you about persistence, about the selection of nominees for the Pushcart and other prizes, etc. But writing reviews is an entirely different matter.

Smallwood: Please explain MOOC learning:

Mertz: Many MOOCs are offered online free of charge. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. A participant simply logs into the website to sign up. Through interactive participation the writer MOOCs put writers in contact with numerous other writers across the globe.

Smallwood: Please tell us what you mean about a bird’s persistence:

Mertz: I wrote an essay that drew the parallel between the patience required of the writer and the persistence of the robin, sitting on the nest until her fledglings are hatched. The writer must use the same persistence as the bird, remaining at the desk until the work is completed. The bird sits long hours, she doesn’t run off for a “snack” until the male robin appears to take her place on the nest. Our writing requires similar care and devotion. 

Smallwood: What appeals to you about writing reviews?

Mertz: Each volume taken up is like receiving an entire new personality into my life. I’ve reviewed collections by Mary Jo Bang, Layli LongSoldier, Judith Swann, and Dovali Islam, for example. Each artist has her unique view, style, and content. It’s like entering a new country, each time. I don’t critique until I feel I’ve become thoroughly immersed in the given work, and personality, to the extent possible. Reading contemporary artists is what makes this business of writing such an adventure.

Smallwood: You look squarely at time and the importance of memories in free verse and formal. Your poem “Waking” is in a form reminiscent of Emily Dickinson. The poem looks at space, time, and “tiny tufts of pure thought.” Who are your favorite poets?

Mertz: Dickinson is certainly a favorite. But there are so many. Among the classics, Keats in particular. Then Whitman and Frost. Of late, Stafford, W.S. Merwin and Bishop. I’ve loved Wallace Stevens who always gets at things “not quite sayable,” to quote Carol Frost. And then contemporaries such as Gluck, Harjo, and so many others.

Smallwood: What are you reading now?

Mertz: My latest are Joan Gelfand’s You Can Be a Winning Writer (I hope its wonderful title rubs off on me!) and Clive James’s Poetry Notebook in which he offered reflections on the intensity of language.

Smallwood: Are you working on another chapbook or poetry collection? 

Mertz: It’s my intention. As I write more, it’s fun to consider how certain themes might combine into a cohesive whole. April Ossmann, author of Event Boundaries, a poetry collection, offers strategies in the ordering of poems in a collection. These useful tips appeared in The Practicing Poet, Diane Lockward, Editor.


HOW TO REACH THE INTERVIEWEE 

Readers can view Mertz's profile writer at Poets & Writers. Her website, as yet under construction, is www.carolemertz.com

 MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER

Carol Smallwood, Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, is a literary reader, judge, and interviewer; her last poetry collection is Chronicles in Passing.

Poet Carol Smallwood Interviews Author of Peeping Sunrise


MORE ABOUT BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG


 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!
 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Dr. Bob Rich Praises New Self-Help Book: "Lyrical Language," "Transparent Honesty"

Title: Awakening to a New Reality
Subtitle: Conscious Conversations across the Horizon of death.
Genre: Spiritual, Self-help, After-Death Conversation
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-8380152-0-6
Reviewer website:  https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/
Publisher:  Sleepy Lion Limited  
Some Purchase links:

Reviewed by Dr. Bob Rich 

I have the benefit, and used to have the handicap, of a scientific training. I don’t believe anything, but have created a tentative and always evolving model of reality. As new evidence came in, my reality progressed from complete scepticism to seeing the Universe as alive, and made of the unconditional Love all the great religions and philosophies describe. 

Janice Dolley’s account of her conversations with her friend Ursula Burton, before and after Lady Burton’s death, fit perfectly into my current model. I cannot treat it as evidence, because it is a personal claim that is only hearsay in the scientific sense, but it is the kind of thing that fits my understanding of Reality. 

If you are open to a more complex yet simple, holistic and sacred view of reality, if you agree with me that death is not the end of a book but the end of a chapter, then Janice’s (and Ursula’s) book will speak to you. 

Add to that the beautiful, clear, lyrical language, and a transparent honesty, and you can enjoy having your eyes opened (or, as with me, your established beliefs confirmed) in a most pleasant way.
All the same, the basic claim of conversations with a dead friend made me entertain the possibility that the book is a cleverly done fantasy. Even if it were, it presents Truth, and joining Janice’s Reality will make you into a better person. However, a simple internet search provided many bits of corroborative evidence, so I am confident that Janice honestly believes her account. As I said, my scientific training prevents me from saying more, but her account is so inspiring that it honestly doesn’t matter."

About the Author


Janice Dolley is the co-author of The Quest: Exploring a Sense of SoulAwakening to a New Awareness: Stories of Contemporary Christians and Christian Evolution. She is Development Director of the Wrekin Trust, which started as a spiritual education charity by Sir George Trevelyan in 1971 and she now travels the world, such as arranging the international conference on The Emerging Spirituality Revolution: Embodying the Spiritual imperative of our Time and has been a lecturer at the Open University for thirty years. Furthermore, she is director of the Findhorn College and Trustee of the Findhorn Foundation. Finally, she is the President of CANA, or Christians Awakening to a New Awareness, and she is striving to bring a holistic spirituality and positive message to many in the newly emerging future. As a Trustee of WYSE international, she aims to promote co-creating and encourages young leaders to rise to a greater potential. Bridging old and new faiths, her latest book aims to encourage everyone to create a better future and to reach authentically within themselves for truth and personal growth. Find her at:




MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Bob Rich is a visitor to this planet. At home, he is an historian of horrror which is why Earth is his favorite place in all the universe. It is the only place where sentient beings play a game where points are scored for the number of civilians killed (they call this “war”), where child-raising practices are designed to damage the children, and above all, where the global economy of an entire species is designed to destroy their life support system. This background is why he is interested in the opinions of another traveler, who has left, but still chatting with one of her friends. You can learn all about Bob at his popular blog, Bobbing Around https://bobrich18.wordpress.com and find him on Twitter, too, @bobwriting.

Awakening-New-Reality-Conscious-Conversations


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Grab One of These Books for FREE. Help Another Author and Watch Them Return the Favor.



Plus Hint Number Seventeen for Getting Them

Carolyn offers some hints for helping potential reviewers  say yes to you when they already feel stressed to the max. Here are two of them:

* Suggest your prospective reviewer include their expertise in the review. Example: "I am a chiropractor and found lots of new ideas for marketing my business, without seeming unprofessional, in this book." 

* Suggest your reader write a review between 100-450 words. This one bit of information can make them look more professional and they'll be grateful for that."  

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically  - page 132
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
________________________________________________________

Here is our Authors Helping Authors Way to Getting FREE Books 

and FREE Reviews.  

STEP 1:  Read the descriptions to discover a book that appeals to you.
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Sunday, May 31, 2020

Dr. Wesley Britton Reviews Star Trek Actor's New Book

Beaming Up and Getting Off: Life Before and After Star Trek
Walter Koenig
Publisher: Jacobs/Brown Press (April 24, 2020)
ASIN: B087N1HHFC
Available on Amazon


Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

Without question, the primary audience for Walter Koenig's new update to his 1999 memoir, Warp Factors, will be Star Trek fans who remember Koenig best for his role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek along with aficionados of his role as the evil Alfred Bester in Babylon Five.  Such fans shouldn't be disappointed, even those who previously read Warp Factors.

There may be those who question the value of a new version of Koenig's autobiography as it might not seem, at first glance, all that much has happened in the actor's life in two decades. Well, that's only if you are looking for insights into popular screen roles.   In fact, Koenig has much to talk about in an additional 100 pages that is new and does so with his very engaging writing style. In fact, I'd say Chekov and Bester aside, any reader wishing for insights into an actor's life in Hollywood from the '50s to the present should easily enjoy Beaming Up.

That's mainly because Koenig is a very expressive writer, his story full of self-deprecating humor,  lots of colorful imagery,  and the fact he doesn't merely recite events and anecdotes but shares his feelings and reactions to the moments, people, triumphs and missteps that impacted his life. Among other topics, He discusses his Jewish cultural background and his work ethic, his lesser known projects, including those never produced or those seen by small audiences. But never does the reader sense an agenda, a venting, a man settling any scores. We meet a man presenting himself openly and honestly with a wisdom accrued from experience with a lively approach to his craft and behind-the-scenes life.    

I'll admit, the story lags from time to time, mostly during his recounting of his appearances at fan conventions.  Those were anecdotes he couldn't not include, of course, and I noticed one story he told an audience at a convention I attended wasn't included in the book. He did retell it later in a radio interview I had with him and hope to get him to retell in a similar interview soon. As they used to say, stay tuned . . .

True, Koenig's descriptions of his early years as Chekov on Star Trek are not the long heart of the book some might hope for. But that is more than made up for in his tales regarding later projects, such as his working in fan-made web-episodes and his thoughts about Anton Yelchin taking over the Chekov role in the 2009 reboot trilogy. I think I already knew this, but I was surprised to read Koenig was 31 when he was cast to be Star Trek's answer to Davy Jones of The Monkees. Among the disappointments of his professional life, the purpose of his casting became a bit muted when CBS shifted the show's time slot to Friday nights when the young audience Chekov was supposed to appeal to weren't watching. At least, not then. 

But any reader interested in an autobiography well-told that is guaranteed to be entertaining should give this one a try, whether or not you're a fan of sci-fi television. There's so much more to the life and times of Walter Koenig and so much surprising wisdom to enjoy.  Beam on up  and get off with Walter Koenig for your summer reading and beyond--
   


MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Wesley Britton is an author in his own right and a longtime reviewer for reviews sites like #TheNewBookReview and #BookPleasures.

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