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.

Showing posts sorted by relevance for query inspiration. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query inspiration. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Terri Mari Cheers Her Way to YOUR Success

Title: Your Inner Cheerleader Author: Terri Marie
Author's web site link: www.yourinnercheerleader.com
Genre category: Self-help and business strategies
ISBN 978-094347727-5

Blurbs/Endorsements:

The charming Inner Cheerleader in Terri Marie's book will seduce you to success with her heart, her strategies, and her spunk. Let a cheerleader show you how to use potent strategies to create a game in business or life that will support you in being the best "You" that you can be!" ~ Janet Bray Attwood - New York Times Co/author of The Passion Test

Instead of rah rah motivators, “Your Inner Cheerleader” delivers brilliant strategies for creating the best internal friend you’ve ever had. I especially loved the “Magic Moment” that a cheerleader takes before she acts. Terri Marie’s book is easy to read, and clear to follow, but the concepts are beautiful game changers. ~ Catherine Van Dien,(Oxenberg) Award-winning Actress


"Your Inner Cheerleader is well written, clear and easy to understand. It will undoubtedly help harness a person's greatest (and little understood) power of the subconscious mind. Congratulations on a fine piece of work!" ~ Ted Nicholas, The Success Margin
thin the pages of Terri Marie s Cheerleader book is a technique that can blast you into success. Hold on, get ready, you are about to change your whole game. See you in the winner s circle!" --John Assaraf, One Coach


"Terri Marie reveals a way for you to develop, own, and have push-button ready, your own cheerleader. It s a new voice in your head. It s a new you. It s the you that believes in you, your dreams, and your goals. It s your authentic self. It s more akin to your spirit."  ~ Joe Vitale, The Attractor Factor


Reviewed by Kelli

Terri Marie does it again! I loved her first book, and now she follows with "The Inner Cheerleader" which takes your own game to a new inner level with simple but profound techniques to use daily on your journey to your personal dreams. These are proven and practiced techniques Terri Marie has used for herself and coached others to their success.


The Inner Cheerleader shows how we need to not only cheer ourselves on continually and gives specific processes to do that, but how we also need to surround ourselves with other cheerleaders for our game. It tells about the value of alignment and giving ourselves positive energy on our journey. How to believe you can WIN at life and harness the powers within to support your life path.


The book shows that we each have a unique "Life Formula" we can discover and that we need to commit 100 percent to ourselves and gives us the tools to accomplish these goals. I am sending this book to several friends on their own personal journey of discovery and entrepreneurship. I now have notes from this book all around my home for my own journey. Another winner from a great cheerleader herself. Go Terri Marie!!!


~ The author Terri Marie, White Wing Entertainment, is an award-winning producer and author.
Visit
http://www.spiritualarena.com and get a "Weekly Motivational Dose" of inspiration and Encouragement so you can tackle all those dreams of yours. Find her on www.facebook.com/pages/Terri-Marie/172305228839.


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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The New Book Review Is Now Brilliant! (-:



My The New Book Review, www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com was named a Brilliante WebBlog Premio 2008 award. Nikki Leigh at www.nikkisreviews.blogspot.com nominated it because it features "reviews for all sorts of authors, not just big name authors." She also noted that the instructions for submitting are clear.

The Brilliante is a sassy little award, a recognition that lets peers award peers. One of the benefits of being so named is that authors may nominate blogs, too. So here are mine in no particular order:

Nicole Williams for her Step of Faith blogspot for meticulous blog-keeping and lovely writing. I'm encouraging to use her writing skills in other areas. http://stepofaith.blogspot.com

Kathe Gogolewski for a combination personal blog and professional blog that works!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/A21V32M89BJ4ZD/ref=cm_blog_blog

Joyce Faulkner for a bit of humor in For Shrieking Out Loud, a blog named after her book of humor. You'll love her funny bone. http://www.forshriekingoutloud.blogspot.com

Allyn Evans for her Happily Ever After Today blog about blog about epiphanies, spilled milk, and finding happiness. It is inspiration without preachiness. www.happilyeveraftertoday.blogspot.com.

Here are the suggestions for those nominated, so they can pass on the joy:

Rules for next recipients of the Brilliante Weblog Premio:

1. The award may be displayed on a winner's blog.

2. Add a link to the person you received the award from.

3. Nominate up to seven other blogs.

4. Add their links to your blog.

5. Add a message to each person that you have passed the award on in the comments section of their blog.

And there you have it. Congratulations!

PS: For an idea of how authors might use this award idea to promote, go to www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Jim Cox Makes Midwest Reviews Easier for Indie Authors

I ran this--with permission of course--in my Sharingwithwriters newsletter and received more thank yous from grateful indie authors for doing it than most anything else I have run.  So thought I'd share it with my blog subscribers and visitors, too.


Midwest Book Review Assures Review for Deserving Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This good news from Jim Cox at Midwest Book Reviews is reprinted from the Midwest Newsletter with permission.

 

By Jim Cox

 

It's a new year and I've developed a new policy here at the Midwest Book Review that went into effect on January 1st. It all started a few weeks ago when I was doing some office work and received five phone calls during the morning from five self-published authors wanting a status report on the books they had submitted for review.

 

In each case I had the unfortunate responsibility of informing them that although their books had arrived safely and passed our initial screening process, they were unable to achieve a review assignment in the allotted time (14 to 16 weeks) simply because we had too many books being submitted for review consideration (an average of 2000 a month) and only 81 reviewers.

 

Then with the fifth of those phone calls I got a sudden inspiration. So here's the new policy based on that idea:

 

Any author or publisher who has submitted a book for review consideration to the Midwest Book Review and whose book passed our initial screening and simply did not get reviewed because of "too many books, not enough reviewers", that author or publisher can submit the MBR a review from any other reviewer or review resource, as long as they have that reviewer's permission to do so. We will run the review in our monthly book review publication "Reviewer's Bookwatch" on behalf of that author or publisher, under that reviewer's byline. (Of course, the reviewer retains all copyright and ownership rights to their review, just like any other contributor to the "Reviewer's Bookwatch".)

 

I'm making this policy retroactive, so if you have ever submitted a book to the Midwest Book Review in the past and it failed to achieve a review assignment from us, then this offer is open to you.

 

Here is a link to our "Reviewer Guidelines" that I provide anyone seeking to submit reviews to the Midwest Book Review -- feel free to use it if you are recruiting your own reviewers:

 


 

So now our online book review 'audience' of booksellers and the general reading public, including our network of libraries and librarians, is open anyone whose book was good enough to pass our screening process but didn't make it all the way through because of our limited reviewer resources.

 

This new policy is in service to our overall goal of promoting literacy, libraries, and small press publishing.

  

All of the previous issues of the "Jim Cox Report" are archived on the Midwest Book Review website. If you'd like to receive the "Jim Cox Report" directly (and for free), just send me an email asking to be signed up for it.

So until next time -- goodbye, good luck, and good reading!

Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI, 53575
http://www.midwestbookreview.com

 


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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.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fictionalized Biography of Hatshepsut Wins Nod from Egypt Then and Now

Title: Truth is the Soul of the Sun - A Biographical Novel of Hatshepsut-MaatkareAuthor: Maria Isabel Pita
Genre:Historical Fiction
Isbn:1448652685
Reviewer: Ben Morales-Correa

Reviewed by Ben Morales-Correa for EGYPT THEN & NOW



Historical objectivity and sensuality of expression interweave across the entire span of Truth is the Soul of the Sun, Maria Isabel Pita’s new biographical novel of Hatshepsut, arguably the most powerful woman of all time. We can tell that Pita worked tirelessly and with the same level of passion with which she communicates human emotion in her erotic literature to construe how a woman was able to break the long line of male kings and wear the double crown of the Two Lands as Maatkare, hence the title.

Granted, Truth is the Soul of the Sun is a chronological narrative of love and power with little suspense, but this is more than compensated by the parallel metaphysical world that Pita evokes with her magnificent and prolific use of imagery. The queen who would be king might be the main official character, but it is Maat, the spirit of beauty and order, a transcendent creative power breathing life, that is the true catalyst for the author’s inspiration. Thus, the novel demands a slower pace of reading, heightening our senses as we turn every page and imbue ourselves in the realm of beauty and spirituality of 18th dynasty Egypt.

Paradoxically, Maatkare Hatshepsut’s unique achievement of becoming a female Horus did not lead to any further break of tradition. In fact, once pharaoh, Hatshepsut limited herself to preserve Maat, exercise sekhem and perform heka and did not do anything different from previous rulers. Her greatness is inextricably attached to the support of two loyal and powerful male characters, whose relationship with the female king allows us to experience her womanhood.

Pity that these two men, important figures in the novel, one a commoner who rises to the highest positions on account of his intelligence and creativity, the other a direct descendant of ancient aristocracy, do not engage in a conflict of ideas leading to explore opposing views of ancient Egyptian social and political structure. We only encounter them together for a brief moment when they are involved in nedjemit with the female king.

To truly appreciate Truth is the Soul of the Sun, the reader must have a reasonable knowledge of Egyptology, as Pita thoroughly explains the symbolism and the neteru (she prefers to use neters) of Ancient Egypt, and names the cities and villages in the original Egyptian language. However, the publication includes references and more than a hundred footnotes.

In conclusion, Truth is the Soul of the Sun is a fascinating, well-researched and richly narrated biography in the historical fiction genre recommended for anyone interested in strong women in history.

Purchase this book at Amazon.

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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 loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index 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.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Review of Novel Inspired by Music Greats

Title: Saving The Innocents
Author: Randall Kenneth Drake
Author’s Web site : http://rkdrake.com
Genre/category: Mystery/Suspense/Action
ISBN: 0-9747161-0-3
Only $5.99 only at author's Web site

Reviewed by Dianne Donovan originally for Midwest Book Review


Saving the Innocents is all about courage, strength, and personal effort;
and as it chronicles the life and efforts of one Mary Jane Chevalier (an
'everywoman' who feels powerless but in fact is powerful), it also reflects
modern society's milieu - and thus will resonate with readers looking for
positive stories about courage and determination in the face of impossible
odds.

But Saving the Innocents isn't a story without violence: indeed, the first
paragraph has Mary Jane facing death with little more than the snap of her
gum as a response: "She thought it funny . . . what went through her mind
while waiting for the bullet. Time slowed down in that moment. Several
thoughts and feelings flashed - alternating waves. Her body felt relaxed at
first, as though relief had finally come. Freedom. And she welcomed it."

The first striking thing to note about Saving the Innocents is its attention
to detail and description, which capture powerful images with a pen finely
honed by the moment: "The sound was like a bumblebee as it split the
smoke-filled air. She swung her body around with a gathering force, and
brought the cue from behind her like a broadsword - the way a Viking
marauder would in the long ago of Scotland. The wooden blade made a
thunderous crack into the side of the big man's knee, the cue splitting
apart."

Mary's passion for finding her father is only equaled by her determination
to save the weak who, much like herself, have limited choices when facing
violence. And so her very nature inevitably becomes linked to two very
special people who enter her life on the run and who create a double mystery
for her to pursue. True to her helpful nature, Mary Jane feels compelled to
assist; and that action in turn will transform her own life as she becomes
absorbed in a deadly manhunt,  determined to save the innocents she's
stumbled upon and, ultimately, herself.

Mary Jane feels like an unknown: while she makes efforts in life, she
largely feels her achievements are too little . or so her conscious says.
Her decision to search out an absent father who changed her life through his
actions is what results in the unexpected: the discovery of a man and a
little girl hiding out because they have seen too much.

Now, some notes on this novel's unusual roots: they were inspired by the
author's infatuation with movies and with the songs of Sarah McLachlan,
Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow. Parts of this story actually came to him
in a series of flashback-like scenes which he dutifully penned as they came;
but it was McLachlan's music that prompted a flood of inspiration prompted
by a realization that each line of one of her songs described one of the
scenes Randall Kenneth Drake was already writing.

And it was Morisette's song 'Mary Jane' and 'You Learn' combined with Crow's
lyrics in 'Am I Getting Through' which both contributed to the character of
Mary Jane Chevalier. Listen to this music for further insights into that
protagonist and her origins - at the risk of gaining advance insights into
where the plot is going. In fact - listening to the music of all three as
background to reading provides a kind of multimedia experience that any
singular song, artist or the book alone couldn't impart.

The scenes originated with a story Drake stumbled upon in a bar, of an
abandoned child left by her mother in front of the 'best house she would
like to live in'. And so psychological and physical abandonment are one
element in a novel that weaves a complicated story line powered by a woman
who is strong, but believes herself to be weak. It's unusual to find a
strong female heroine in a novel but Mary Jane IS that heroine, fighting for
the weak and making a difference not just in her world, but in the worlds of
others.

To add a dose of complexity, the protagonists all hold names indicative of
their underlying roles in the story line: thus Delphia acts as an oracle and
seer, Chevalier is actually a knight in disguise, and Mary Jane (much to the
reader's surprise) embodies ALL these qualities, exhibited during the course
of her quest.

It's all about a quest involving 'finding an angel', fantasies designed to
cope with soul-threatening encounters, issues of death and values in life,
and an epic quest disguised as a search for meaning. In this case not only
does Mary Jane find her cause and meaning from life, but events come full
circle in posing an angelic presence for Sera, the little girl who needs
rescuing.

Saving the Innocents is also about preparing for battle, caring for self and
strangers alike, and what motivates the deepest of emotions: "All her life
she had wanted to be noticed - to love and be loved - to be someone's
champion. The answers had come from the most unexpected sources. Nick,
Delphia, Jack, and Sera. An ex-fireman, a crippled, blind woman . . . an
odd, devoted, loyal man - and a little girl."

As protagonists join the story and begin their dance of interaction and
influence, readers are treated to much more than a mystery or crime story:
it's a story of courage, survival against all odds, and revelations that
change everyone involved. The heart and soul of Saving the Innocents lies in
Mary Jane's choices and determination which create a true heroine's journey
in which Mary Jane's emotions and observations act as a driving force behind
an epic quest for salvation that spills from the personal to (ultimately) an
entire circle of characters.

Any looking for a novel that wraps its reader in a cloak of complexity and
warmth will find Saving the Innocents filled with satisfying twists, turns,
and protagonist interactions that create scenarios of understanding,
connection and, ultimately, redemption.
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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.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Kudos to Emily Jane Hills Orford - Winner of the Tales2Inspire Reviewer of the Month Award



TITLE: Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series V


SUBTITLE: Stories of Turning the Page 


SERIES TITLE: Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection 


AUTHOR: Anthology of authors of contest winning inspiring stories


AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: https://www.tales2inspire.com 


GENRE: Inspirational, non-fiction personal stories 


AGE / INTEREST LEVEL: 21 + 


PAGE COUNT: 236


PUBLISHER: Independently Published


PURCHASE LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Tales2inspire-Diamond-Collection-Moonstone-Collections/dp/B09MBVRB2S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1649016550&s=books&sr=1-3


REVIEWED BY: Emily Jane Hills Orford

REVIEW LINK: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/tales2inspire


X  PERMISSION RECEIVED FROM REVIEWER TO REPOST THIS REVIEW


Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

“Change is the current that drives our lives.” Janet Rice wrote these poignant words in her creative nonfiction story, Bygone Brooklyn. Change is also what makes our stories so empowering, so sensitive and compassionate, and so important. Life is all about stories; it’s what defines us as humans. Stories reveal our history, but stories also heal, nourish, and make us whole, make us complete, like the protective powers of the moonstone. Stories like a father hearing for the first time from an adult daughter he never knew existed; a woman who explores her connection to Holocaust survivors after attending a talk given at her grandson’s school; a child who blends in well with children of different races and doesn’t experience her own sense of alienation until her comfort zone, her home, changes; a teacher struggling with the pandemic-infused new teaching format and, stressed to the limits of endurance, seeks another path to follow. Powerful stories and there are many, many more that will open your hearts and minds to the depth of the human spirit and the strength to survive against all odds.

Lois W. Stern’s book, Tales2Inspire – The Diamond Collection - Series V, is a compendium of stories from the two Moonstone Collection anthologies. The stories collected cover a number of topics, from grief to love, from family tragedies to triumphs, and so much more. The binding theme of these stories is the ability of the author of each story to overcome the trials, the challenges, and to find another way forward, to accommodate the change that life presented. Like the heartwarming stories of Chicken Soup for the Soul and many others like Trisha Faye, these stories will have you laughing and crying and often cheering on the author, as we all can relate to these life-changing, challenging moments. Coupled with photographs, these stories are meant to be savored and enjoyed, one at a time.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Star Cynthia Brian Presents New Book for Teens

Be the Star You Are! for TEENS
By Cynthia Brian with 38 contributors
304 pages
Morgan James Publishers
Teen/Young Adult $17.95 ISBN: 9781600376320
Starstyle® Productions, LLC


It’s tough being a teen in the 21st century. With so many restrictions, requirements, and reality television obsessed with cultural messages focused on fame, fortune, beauty, and sex, it’s no wonder teens feel helpless, hopeless, and stressed out. Empowerment coach, TV/Radio personality, and best selling author, Cynthia Brian has worked tirelessly over the past two decades to encourage young people to reach for the stars. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 , a new book boasting thirty eight contributors from around the world, Be the Star You Are! for TEENS, will be released with all proceeds benefitting the charity.


Olesya Rulin, actress and star of High School Musical 1, 2, and 3 stated, " I wish I would have read this when I was a teen. It would have encouraged me to let go and be me. Individuality is crucial in life. This book helps explain why it is so important to stay true to yourself."

Be the Star You Are! for TEENS is a refreshing escape from sermons and rules. Instead you’ll read real life stories with real issue tools. Each easy to read short chapter is jam packed with simple strategies that you can implement immediately to survive and thrive. The book encourages you to embrace your individuality, find your passion, and ignite the flame that burns brightly within. “ In this book, Cynthia Brian provides stories and tools that will help teens honor their individuality and uniqueness while learning to deal with peer pressure in a positive way,” stated Patty Hansen, author of Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul.

Besides contributions by renowned best selling authors such as Dr. Bernie Siegel, M. J. Ryan, Libby Gill, and C. Hope Clark, teenagers from around the country are making their writing debut.

This book has garnered rave endorsements from educators, authors, celebrities, and CEO’s. Pro-surfer and teen inspiration, Bethany Hamilton, who suffered the loss of her arm from a shark attack wrote, “When I read a book it has to be like talking to a friend...this is it! Made me smile and surf a bigger wave!” Cassidy Freeman, Star of CW’s SMALLVILLE said, “I'm glad there's a book to help people of all ages realize that joy is more important than status and absolutely no one is better at being you.”

Whether you are a teen looking for answers, a parent, teacher, grandparent, or advisor searching for communication guidance, Be the Star You Are! for TEENS is a teen survival guide with pro-active positive steps in learning to major in success. Cynthia shared, “I’ve always strove to help young people uncover their inner genius. And as a woman who loves to garden, my real goal was to grow people.”

Be the Star You Are! for TEENS is in full bloom. Proceeds from the sale of this book benefit Be the Star You Are!® 501c3 charity. (www.bethestaryouare.org)


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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 loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index 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.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Terry Whalin's Jumpstart Will Jumpstart Any Author's Book

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Title: Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams
Subtitle: Insider Secrets  to Skyrocket Your Success
By Terry Whalin
Publisher: WTW Press, Scottsdale, AZ
Author’s  Web Site: http://jumpstartdreams.com
ISBN :9781935085546
Available on Amazon
Also available as an Audio Book
Review originally published on Amazon

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi award-winning author of fiction, poetry, and the HowToDoItFrugally Series, one series for writers, one for retailers

Terry Whalin’s Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams is a book that can truly give any writing career a nudge, but it will be invaluable to those who write nonfiction. For inspiration we have a foreword that tells the unforgettable success story of the Chicken Soup series  from Mark Victor Hanson. It illustrates his theory that persistence counts. He says, "I believe if at first you don’t succeed, so what?” He also uses his story to show writers how we must be ready to change our course if we want to succeed.

So here’s the thing. Once you’ve hopped on the wagon to success like Hanson suggests, Terry Whalin tells you how to steer it, how to keep  it in repair, even how to put it in the race. You’ll learn how

·        to plan,

·        how to get experience,

·         how to strengthen your story,

·        how to build your platform,

·         why you should get an agent

·        and how to get a good one. 

Even better. Whalin provides resources to help you along the way. Both in this book and to reliable sites online including his own helpful blogs and Web site. It sort of doubles the bang for the buck...er, book.

And here’s the real beauty of this book. It is based on Whalin’s real life experience in the publishing industry. We should not take lightly the advice offered by someone who knows, rather than someone who has merely researched, stirred, and served up the same old, same old hash.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson an author who has published every which way—from self-publishing to traditional. And in many genres—from poetry to nonfiction including the multi award-winning Frugal Book Promoter. She has taught for nearly a decade at UCLA Extension renowned Writers’ Program and was named Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by members of the California Legislature.  She reviews books on writers' craft and marketing.
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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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

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 Magazinehttp://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:

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 NewspapertheProse.comSynchronized ChaosGuardian Liberty VoiceCinematographEye on Cinema, ZEALnyc,AfricinĆ©, 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:



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 herehere 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


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