SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2023
Dawn Colclasure Lauds Carolyn Howard-Johnson's "The Frugal Editor"
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Monday, June 12, 2023
How-to-Books-For-Authors
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Great Reviews For Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection
TITLE OF BOOK:
Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection (Gifts of Compassion)
ISBN-10: 149594008X
ISBN-13: 978-1495940088
ANTHOLOGY BY AUTHOR/EDITOR:
LOIS W. STERN
FAVORITE LINKS:
https:/www.tales2inspire.com
/twitter.com/tales2inspire2
/youtube.com/winningtales
ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
X Yes, I have received permission from each reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
CELEBRATING THESE GREAT REVIEWS FOR
TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE RUBY COLLECTION
TRUE STORIES OF INSPIRATION, COMPASSION AND LOVE
By Gail Sobotkin
I have read each story and can honestly say I don't have a favorite. Each and every story touched my heart deeply. If you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where people and animals are treated with compassion, kindness and love, where the human spirit rises up again and again to meet seemingly impossible challenges, where faith triumphs over despair, where young children and abused animals teach adult humans life lessons, where the homeless are treated with respect and compassion, you must read The Ruby Collection, an amazing anthology of 14 true stories that will inspire you to live your own life with an open heart--- despite, or perhaps because of, whatever difficulties you may face.
Compassion is a gift that keeps on giving; it changes the giver, recipient, and all those who witness the compassionate act. It makes the world a better, kinder place and when delivered with love, has the power to transform the globe one person, one animal at a time.
The Ruby Collection makes a great gift for children and adults. Treat yourself to a copy and buy one for your friends, colleagues and relatives. Ask them to read the book then pass it on to an institution such as a library, hospital or school so that the stories will be spread far and wide, planting seeds of inspiration, compassion and love.
INSPIRING
By Shauna L Bowling
Freelance Writer/Copy Editor
. . . a book of inspiration that uplifts the reader with each story. From human/animal spiritual connections to human/human connections, these true stories of courage, love, and strength are proof that good exists in the world. We can and do overcome the odds each and every day. If you have any doubts about the power of love, read this book. All it takes is one person to reach out to make positive changes in someone's life.
I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. It just may change your life!
ANOTHER CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
By Bani Sodermark
Reviewer for Book Pleasures and Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer
This is a feel good book documenting a collection of true stories that involve genuine empathy and kindness to other living beings including oneself. It arose out of a writing contest by an organization called "Authors Helping Author" and includes the best contributions that were submitted. The result is a very readable and well written book enshrined in the symbol of the ruby which stands for kindness and compassion.
That which is most appealing about this collection of stories is that the kindness shown at one instance of time is nearly always repaid in some way or other, forging deep and lasting bonds as the protagonists walk their life paths in tandem with one another. In some cases, they may experience a total reversal of a bodily malfunction as in the case of the first story, in which a man took care of a wounded eagle, unable to fly and nursed it to wellness. Later on, he was afflicted with cancer and he is convinced that dream conversations with his pet eagle, supplemented with chemo, was the cause of his total recovery.
A second story documents the success of a program called "Labs`n Life" in which dysfunctional children with learning and other problems are made to train Labradors. The interaction with these intelligent and loving animals, miraculously opens up these children and helps them integrate into the mainstream.
The theme of working with animals continues with the rehabilitation stories of Dusty the horse and Rae the dog who are restored to their playful selves and fulfil memorable relationships with their caregivers.
A few of the stories will touch you deep down inside. There is the erstwhile convict, Ray, who after years of confrontation with the bullying and sadistic warden of the penitentiary that he had occupied since his late teens, helped set fire to it. The warden was changed to one who had a record of successfully rehabilitating dreaded inmates and the whole atmosphere of the place changed as the convicts applied their energies to study and vocational training. There were no more incidents of arson or otherwise and our friend, Ray, after he was released was able to successfully land a job, get married and raise a family.
There is the holocaust survivor, who neutralized the actions of local politicians by going out with his own message of peaceful coexistence, ultimately reaching out to millions.
Another story that I will find difficult to forget is the story of a young African American black belt karate champion on the karate circuit, who it seems always acted rough if he or his team lost. It turned out that he had dedicated his life to saving children in the roughest quarters of Miami from a life of crime, by loading as many as possible into a van that was to take them to the tournament. If he did not win, he would have to borrow the money for the gas home.
There is the story of a former citizen of Rwanda, who returned to his homeland after the genocide and helped many people work their way out of poverty using his engineering skills and thus finding the way to his true calling. . . .
Other inspiring stories include that of a young woman who appeared in the Guinness Book of Records after running seven marathons in seven continents. There is also the unusual story of window cleaners outside a hospital dressing up as children's heroes, e.g. Batman to cheer up children suffering from debilitating diseases.
The length of the manuscript is optimal, not too long, not too short.
This book, in my opinion, the best so far, in the Tales 2 Inspire series, created by Editor, Lois W. Stern. The storytelling is chiseled and evocative. . . . One can never read too many of such stories, of seeing the way love and spirit redefine priorities and guide the human race out of black holes of its own making.
Saturday, March 18, 2023
Margot Finke Reviews Most Talked-About Book of 2023
Title: “SPARE”
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Veteran Educator Carolyn Wilhelm Reviews Third Edition of The Frugal Editor
Why is it so difficult to find mistakes in our own writing? Why is editing so difficult? Why do writers need editors - many in fact. It is because writers and authors know what they mean to say. Our brains fill in the missing words and fix errors as we try to edit our own work. It is really difficult to notice our own mistakes. Having taught first grade, I see how children learn to read and write - with plenty of errors. And teachers could not understand children’s writing without filling in mistakes and making sense of it.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson understands the great difficulty of perfect final drafts, and even books published professionally. Using tools like Word in specific ways (but never relying only on Word) she helps writers and editors by giving strategies to catch gremlins and typos. Even library books might have 5% of errors.
I was in a writing group where members would divide and conquer by separating editing tasks. One person reads for understanding, one for punctuation, one for consistency, and so on. But there are tools and tricks to weed out problems before paying professional editors. Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows them all!
Avoid publishing scams, hire help after most of the editing is done, and adapt the included sample query letters to your own style.
Great book to keep on your writing desk ad use as a reference during your writerly life.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Elise Cooper Reviews Women’s Fiction
A Wish For Home
(Secrets of Bliss Valley Book 1)
Jo Ann Brown
March, 2021
Love Inspired Pub
Women’s Fiction
Reviewed by Elise Cooper
A Wish For Home by Jo Ann Brown is a wonderful read. It delves into love, forgiveness, and second chances, something every reader can relate with. The heroine, Lauren, must reconcile her anger and resentment toward the Amish community for shunning her parents but also must deal with the boy who bullied and tormented her as a young teenager.
“Two of my children are adopted. About two years ago my son’s birth mother reconnected with him through his adoption agency. She was looking for him for a long time. It was wonderful to see the connection they made and to see how the family came back together. I am fascinated with those who are adopted and how their birth family finds them.”
The book opens with Lauren driving her 1966 VW Beetle through her old hometown of Bliss Valley Pennsylvania. Now part of the English world, she no longer goes by the Amish name Laurene, wanting nothing to do with the Amish community she belonged to. She planned on just driving through it on her way to Lancaster to meet with developers who want to build a casino. Unexpectedly, Lauren gets caught in an ice storm and hits a pothole that damages her car. At the local garage she must deal with the mechanic, Adam Hershberger, the boy who bullied her all those years ago. Life’s circumstances have changed him considerably. Now a widower and raising a four-year-old daughter, Mary Beth, he regrets how he treated Laurene. But she must also come to grips with her past and is helped by her Great Aunt Sylvia Nolt. To make matters worse, she is also dealing with the fact that she was adopted, a bombshell her parents just laid on her.
“Amish romance is incredibly popular the last five to ten years. Writers of this genre realize that the simpler and quieter life of the Amish is attractive. Of course, there is the illusion that the life is simpler. I live in a small town and have Amish neighbors, so I understand that feeling. But when I lived in larger cities, I realized you do not know your neighbors. Readers of Amish stories also like the sense of community and how the Amish want to keep the family and community together. I live in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. There are casinos here. One is being built in the city of York. Because they pay taxes the Amish can go to meetings and have a say.”
The other piece to the story is a gripping mystery. Someone is starting fires at Amish homes, a serial arsonist. Since Adam is a volunteer firefighter, he intends to find the person behind the fires. Although he and Lauren are reconnecting and having some romantic feelings toward each other they must overcome the past and the present, where he resents her for encouraging a casino in the area.
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Kudos to Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot, Winner of the Tales2Inspire Reviewer-of-the-Month Award
NAME (AUTHOR OF BOOK):
An Anthology of stories collated by author/editor Lois W. Stern
GENRE OR CATEGORY:
Non-fiction anthology of short stories
FORMATS:
Paperback, Kindle
NUMBER OF PAGES
230
ISBN-13 : 978-1505558166
ISBN-10: 1505558166
PUBLISHER:
Self-published by Tales2Inspire viaAmazon.com
AMAZON LINK:
https://www.amazon.com/Tales2Inspire-Diamond-Collection-I/dp/1505558166/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1669911629&s=books&sr=1-4
REVIEWED BY:
Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot
YOUR BEST REVIEW:
The short story continues alive and well, and Tales 2 Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I. The overriding factor which struck me while reading Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I was that these writers were living, breathing people with relatively ordinary backgrounds. At the time of their experiences, they were everyday people struggling to understand their own circumstances. No one was paying them millions of dollars to act on the silver screen or to throw or catch a ball on a field of athletic play. Rather, these were ordinary people who faced challenges that came their way. What made them courageous and/or heroic was that they did not back away; they did not cower in the face of adversity. They accepted what was not asked for and they made their way through to moments of personal victory.
MORE ABOUT LOIS W. STERN
After twenty years as an active educator, Lois continued to pursue her love of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular Long Island web-zine. As she created and authored her column Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, she began to solidify her special niche of investigative journalism, and put those same talents to work while writing Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, for which she interviewed over 100 women about some of the most intimate aspects of their lives. She followed up with her second book, Tick, Tock, Stop the Clock. Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour to address many of the less invasive paths to beauty.
Tales2Inspire began a whole new chapter in her life.
Visit her website at: https://www.tales2inspire.com to learn about her he Tales2Inspire® books, contest and ghostwriting services..
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
A clinical psychologist until retirement and prolific author. (See more about thus reviewer following this review, below)
YOUR FAVORITE LINKS:
www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2
wwww.facebook.com/tales2inspire
ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
X Yes, I previously received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
REVIEWER’S BYLINE
Clinical psychologist, author
BOOK COVER
Dr. Pirnot has worked with children and their families through the Department of Human Services, the Juvenile Justice System and in private practice. Until her retirement she treated special needs children as well as those with transitional life issues. Dr. Pirnot established a thriving private practice in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but eventually relocated to Sarasota Florida to be close to her family. A prolific writer, she has published over forty books, many of which reflect her personal experiences in and out of private practice. Several titles include: Nothing Left To Burn, a journal of sorts, detailing her experiences with her husband during his slow decline with Alzheimer’s disease; Benny and the Butterfly, the story of an eight-year-old boy, unable to use his hands, who used a laser device affixed to his head to make pictures on the computer; The Blue Penguin, a great lesson to young readers that it is okay to just be YOU! The Ghost of Gasparilla: A Silky and Sly Adventure, is an imaginary tale of an old offshore shipwreck and the adventures and courage of the children who discover it; Just a Common Lady, a story of the weathering process of tragedy and opportunity. When not writing or gardening, Karen takes great pleasure in her grandchildren and the many projects and adventures they share,