The New Book Review

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.

MORE ABOUT THE 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!

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Dr. Wesley Britton Reviews First in Dragonlite Legacy

Title: Lumina, Volume 1 The Dragonlite Legacy

Author: PADDY TYRRELL

Publication Date: December 1, 2019

Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC

ASIN: B0827TDXQM

Purchase on Amazon

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

The first pages of Paddy Tyrrell's Lumina are a perfect model for how to start a novel. First, we're dropped into the middle of an action scene. Second, we are vividly introduced to two of the book's primary characters. Third, we immediately get insights into one of the main conflicts of the book, a cultural clash that defines a world in turmoil.

In but a few pages, we get striking samples of Tyrrell's descriptive gifts and begin to see the themes of intolerance and prejudice that are analogous to too many eras of our earth's history. I liked the fact this is the breed of science-fiction where character, world building, and cultural interaction are the thrust of the story and not exotic weaponry, space flight, or really strange creatures, although we get no shortage of the latter. I admit, these days I dread the idea of yet another overused dragon in my reading, but I have to say Tyrrell has a number of clever ways to play with dragons and baby dragons in her yarn.

Very quickly in Lumina, we can see the various paths of various distinctive characters in what opens up to be an other-worldly epic although many of the plots seem very grounded in earth lore. For example, one storyline involving the royal court of one country seems based on the life of concubines in an ancient Asian country. Other stories are obvious takes on the heroic quest involving the search for a lost brother, finding unlikely allies in a brewing war, and overcoming intolerance between humanoid species, especially against the golden-skinned genetically-engineered "Bronzites" who are excluded from human society.

So many characters in this book are memorable, some extremely admirable, such as Davron Berates who has to choose between friendship and his people along with his internal conflict over accepting his love for a strange Bronzite woman, the magical Chrystala who transforms in ways no one expected. Then there's my favorite, the lovely Salazai who suffers from the slowest-acting poison ever conceived. These characters and their friends and enemies are all center stage as war explodes in a multi-layered conflict spreading over a very wide and bloody canvas. The carnage of the climatic battle scenes is so epic it's amazing how this volume of the series could end on such a gentle note.

While this volume is a very long read, it's a welcome thought to know there is more to come that will hopefully resolve issues set up in the final chapters of book one. I want to know what will happen to the survivors of the war that left many heroes dead on the battlefield.

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.

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

#TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Tess Thompson's New Legal Mystery Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

Title: Cold Vengeance
Authors: Tess Thompson (Sisters Charlene Tess and Judy Thompson)
Publisher: Independently Published

Genre: Legal Mystery
Publisher Email Address: novelsbytessthompson@gmail.com

ASIN: B087QSJVMV

Price $2.99 Kindle
Formats (Kindle)

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

Book three of the Angel Falls series does not disappoint, and the characters we know face more difficulties.

Two men, one an attorney and one a detective, have argued (fairly) in court before, but only “respect” each other. Angel Falls is not a large town, so the sister of the attorney happens to be the one Detective Flores turns to for help when his ex-wife disappears. His sons are worried, and her behavior is not typical. He cannot believe it when Kim, the private investigator, and sister of the attorney, suggests the sons may know more than they have shared with him.

Events progress, and eventually, the detective is accused of murder. Then, Kim asks her brother to required. What can Detective Flores do but go along with the plan? How will he get out of this tight spot?

The real killer takes the sons up in the mountains, and the situation turns dire. The ending is shocking and tense, although things do work out. The reader will not be able to see what is coming next.

This book is a satisfying read, of course, from Tess Thompson, but only after many twists and turns do the characters land safely.

Highly recommend!

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carolyn Wilhelm has an MS degree Gifted Education and MA in K-12 Curriculum and Instruction, and a BA in Elementary Education.

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 Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

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

Monday, May 4, 2020

Free Book for Home Schoolers, Teachers, and Parents

One of the books I recommend for teachers and homeschooling parents is “Climate Change Captives 2035.” It is a YA novel valuable for environment studies but also useful for spurring conversations about sheltering, isolation, and disappointment in this time of #CoronaReading, #CoronaVirus. The Author is offering the ebook free on May 4-5-6-7-8.

Wilhelm is a teacher as well as a publisher of teacher’s aids which she often provides free on Pinterest. Find a review for this book at Midwest Book Review and here:
https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2019/10/climate-change-captives-2035-and.html and more information at Wilhelm’s blog at https://www.thewiseowlfactory.com/climate-change-captives-2035-and-project-save-for-middle-grades/

Download the free student pack at the link below:

climate-change-captives-2035-novel-student-pages

And here is the link for the free e-book.

https://www.thewiseowlfactory.com/climate-change-captives-2035-free-ebook-and-novel-unit/

climate-change-captives-2035-free-e-book-May-4-5-6-7-8-2020-and-always-free-curriculum

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

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Invitation to Upper Michigan for Writers' Conference and a Review...

...of the flagship book in my #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books now in its third edition and published by Modern History Press. In time, I hope for you to make reservations for the conference in June. If you won't be there but have other writers' conference plans--and I hope you do--this review will remind you to learn more about making writers' conferences more successful in #TheFrugalBookPromoter. Just use the index to find plan-ahead suggestions, conference possibilities you may not know about and a whole lot more!

Please scroll down for details on the writers' conference and here is the review from MyShelf.com with many thanks to reviewer Leslie C. Halpern:

The Frugal Book Promoter, 3rd editionHow To Get Nearly Free Publicity On Your Own Or By Partnering With Your Publisherby Carolyn Howard-Johnson Modern History Press / Reader’s Digest September 2019/ ISBN 978-1615994694 Nonfiction / Writing / Publishing Reviewed by Leslie C. Halpern
From the author’s popular “How to Do It Frugally Series,” comes this third edition of The Frugal Book Promoter, a nonfiction guide to getting no-and-low-cost publicity. As the publishing industry has changed over the years—primarily because of the internet—each new edition provides updates accordingly. This latest version of the first book in the series has been reorganized to help readers better understand promotion, and provides up-to-the minute advice on producing effective media releases, query letters, and media kits. Divided into seven sections (along with helpful appendixes with writing samples and an index), the book focuses on getting started, using publicity basics, working independently or with a publicity partner, promoting a book through writing other material, understanding the media, standard promotions that still work, and tips for rejuvenating earlier publications. Sections are broken down into chapters, and chapters are further broken down into subheadings and bulleted points. These methods of dividing material into smaller chunks of information should keep the abundance of advice from overwhelming readers. Some of the updated internet information is contained in Chapter 21 “Game Changers.” Howard-Johnson, an award-winning author and former publicist, encourages writers to consider blogging as a social network where they can establish their personal brand, promote their work, build name recognition, and network with others in the publishing world. The chapter provides specific ways to begin a blog, find content for posting, and nearly a dozen ways to promote it. “We use our blogs to promote, obviously. What isn’t so obvious is that the blog itself must be promoted. One of the most important ways to do both things is to integrate it with all the other entities you use for networking on the web.” Whether authors are first-timers or adding the next book to their series, this book offers helpful suggestions for authors of fiction and nonfiction (and all genres within these categories). The book also provides links, publication titles, and other helpful resources for additional information. All authors who want to spread the word about their publications should have a copy of The Frugal Book Promoter on their bookshelf.
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER Leslie C. Halpern is the author of four nonfiction books, including 200 Love Lessons from the Movies and four children's books, including Silly Sleepytime Poems. MORE ABOUT UPPER PENINSULA PUBLISHES WRITERS' CONFERENCE The 21st annual Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA) Spring Conference will be held June 6th 2020 at the Olson Library on the campus of Northern Michigan University, Marquette Michigan. Attendance is free for UPPAA members and $50 for non-members. The Spring Conference will be preceded by a pre-conference Fiction Writing Workshop hosted by Red Ore Writers. Authors who attend will learn best practices for writing, marketing, and selling their work from a broad selection of industry professionals. This year's special topics include: romance writing, children's picture books, social media marketing, and writing/researching your historical fiction/non-fiction books. Our keynote speaker is Carolyn Howard-Johnson who will present "Your Frugal Book Launch: The first 100 days to success". Updates will be posted at www.UPPAA.org

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 #writersconferences

Friday, May 1, 2020

Carol Smallwood Interview Poet Jaylan Salah

Print Length: 67 pages

Publisher: PoetsIN, 2019

Language: English

ASIN: B07YMZVDGL
Purchase on Amazon

Interview by Carol Smallwood

Award-winning Jaylan Salah is a Writer, Poet, Translator, Content Expert and Film Critic.Workstation Blues is a collection from the cubicle which resonates with white-collar workers worldwide passing the time between meetings and computer screens. The poems blur: monsters are replaced by monitors, flame-throwers by LED lights and swords by client comments. Cristina Deptula, executive editor of Synchronized Chaos Magazine, http://synchchaos.com

commented: “With energy and spunk, Jaylan Salah celebrates imagination, beauty, and most of all, freedom through her poetry and prose.”

Smallwood: What is your educational, literary background and when did you begin to writeprose and poetry?

Salah: I graduated in the faculty of Pharmacy at a prestigious private university in my hometown Alexandria, Egypt. You see, being a pharmacist and learning all the drugs in the pharmacopeia have nothing to do with literature or poetry, but it all started with school years at Sacred Heart Catholic School when the Sister senior encouraged me to be the next William Wordsworth and my mother told me to write the book I wanted to read.

Smallwood: Please share with readers what motivated you to write Workstation Blues? How long did it take you to write it?

Salah: A grueling, awful year of being bullied while working at a corporate. I faced multiple difficulties and threatening situations. A tough tooth to pull. I didn’t expect the worst when I first applied to the job as a medical copywriter of course. But the experience overall was demanding, abusive and emotionally-draining. I wanted to cope with the toxic work environment so I wrote a poem a day until I had a notebook containing 200 poems. It took me one year to quit the job and have my manuscript ready for publishing.

Smallwood: How do you decide if something should be prose or poetry? Please include apublished sample of each kind of your writing:

Salah: There are texts that you plan before sitting down to write. But others drag you into a mud fight and leave you breathless at the end.

Workstation Blues is the sample of poetry which requires inspiration but the planning and editing processes are heavily sought out. This piece of prose on the other hand, is a real trip:

https://theprose.com/post/25099/poof-vagina

Smallwood: In a poetsin.com interview, you shared: “My first heartbreak, pain was so demanding and incomprehensible. The only way with which I overcame its heaviness was through drafting my first short story collection which went to win a major national literary prize.” What was the major national literary prize and what are some awards have you won?

Salah: I won 2 major prizes in my home country, the Young Talents National Competition for my short story collection titled “Thus Speaks La Loba” and 2nd place in the Organization of Cultural Palaces Competition for my novel titled Bogart…Play a Classic for Me.

I also won the “Bleed on the Page” Competition for Poetry and Prose organized by theProse.com for my poem “Poof, Vagina”.

Smallwood: Please tell readers about your work as a translator, content expert, film critic:

Salah: My translation career started with Goethe Institute where I translated articles, press releases and booklets. I became specialized in film criticism translation from various English and French publications to Arabic through my work with the Jesuits Cultural Center Publication, El Fim, in addition to Cinematograph Online Magazine. My big break came with Cairo International Film Festival when I translated prolific film critic,Mahmoud Abdelshakour’s book, Mohamed Khan: Searching for A Knight. My work as a content creator started in 2017 when I started my fulltime career at medical companies creating, curating, editing and translating content.

Smallwood: What do you think of the role of women today?

Salah: I think women have a long way to go, especially if they are not White or Western.

Smallwood: What are some magazines in which you’ve appeared?

Salah: My writings were featured in multiple national and international publications such asAl-Ahram National Newspaper, theProse.com, Synchronized Chaos, Guardian Liberty Voice, Cinematograph, Eye on Cinema, ZEALnyc,Africiné, Elephant Journal, Vague Visages, and Cinema Femme Magazine.

Smallwood: Please share something about your love of animals:

Salah: I have always had a spirit animal, even way back before I fully understood the concept. My dream job is anything related to the care and rescue of animals; dog trainer, wolf reservation intern, cat hugger. I find myself in the company of animals—dare I say—more than that of humans. I have not known a love beyond my family that is stronger, purer and more earthly than that of my feline, canine and feathered buddies. You can read this to reflect on what I mean: https://theprose.com/post/26944/we-need-to-talk-about-the-frog

Smallwood: Has your writing appeared in audio?

Salah: Yes, some of my articles have audio versions:

https://soundcloud.com/cinemafemme/third-world-as-we-do-not-know-it-by-jaylan-salah

https://soundcloud.com/cinemafemme/strong-island-documentary-filmmaking-as-a-coming-of-age-tale-by-jaylan-salah

Smallwood: What are you working on now and what is your writing schedule?

Salah: Currently I am working on a writing project, for which I have not yet decided a description nor a solid genre. The preliminary title is “Zorro”, it will be in Arabic and contains 4 main characters; 3 women and the titular male protagonist. I am also preparing my second English poetry collection. My writing schedule is not as you would expect. There is daily writing involved of course but it is not consistent. I do not have a certain time of the day where I am more productive. I also invest heavily in the creation, preparation and research processes which include meditation, self-care and talking to strangers.

Smallwood: Please list links for readers to learn more about you:

Salah: Interviews with me can be found here, here and here.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carol Smallwood, MLS, MA, Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, is a literary reader, judge, interviewer; her 13th poetry collection is Thread, Form, and Other Enclosures (Main Street Rag, 2020).

Carol Smallwood Interview Poet Jaylan Salah