Folkheart Press Book Lauded by Reviewer

Title: Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing

Author: J. Dietrich Stroeh

ISBN: # 978-0-9822888-5-6

Website: www.threemonthsbook.com

Genre: Nonfiction First Person Narrative

Reviewer: Caitlin Haley

There are few books today that allow a personal insight into death. Most of today's popular reading material focuses on finding romantic love or overcoming challenges that are far-removed from death. The vast majority are humorous like Nicholas Sparks' popular novels or Chelsea Handler's comic novels such as Are you there Vodka? It's me, Chelsea. Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing (FolkHeart Press 2012), on the other hand, focuses on author's J. Dietrich Stroeh's first-hand and first-time experience with being a caregiver for his wife of 20 years, Margaret. She was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage Four Pancreatic Cancer and three months later was gone. About her diagnosis, he wrote, "When the doctor told my wife and I that my wife had pancreatic cancer, we both knew enough about that form of cancer to know it was quite serious. But neither of us knew what the treatment options were, nor did we have a firm grasp of how her treatment would turn our world upside down."

Along the way, they did manage to understand and accept their situation. The poignancy of their time together is succinctly captured in this easy-to-read 108 page paperback book written three years after the author's wife died. Their personal story is interspersed with useful tips and practical resources that Stroeh believed would be useful for all caregivers.

Throughout the first-person narrative, the author's voice is both powerful and moving. So are the challenges that arise almost daily. A successful business man who is used to running an engineering firm that builds efficient and effective structures, he found himself facing the most difficult task of his life. He had to learn to take care of his wife as best as he could knowing that in the end he would still have to say good bye. The book's tenderness is marked by tears, frustration, and unplanned moments of laughter that kept his relationship with his wife vibrant. The key to their success was the realization that life is a gift no one gets to keep forever.

Overall, despite the sadness and grief that come with the death of a loved one, Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing is uplifting and motivational. The most fascinating parts of the manuscript were the retelling of their actual love story and the author's ability to survive the grief. " As I write this, it has been almost three years since I lost my wife Margaret to pancreatic cancer, and in some ways, it still seems fresh. At the same time, change has been an important part of the healing process. Until you have gone through the kind of loss that breaks your heart and tries to break your spirit, you can't know what gets you through it. "

The author had to abruptly relinquish control and revisit his expectations. Rather than looking forward to years with Margaret, he found he had only hours and months. A pragmatist as well as a romantic, he was forced to come to terms with life's final passage. It is non-negotiable and, yet, can still be met with dignity and humanity.

The book itself grew out of the author's need to keep busy. He compiled the "can do" tips and suggestions while learning how to wait for endless doctor appointment and test results. Thinking about how he could help himself and others in a similar situation, he began to research what options there are for caregivers to get the support and help they need to be able to handle the tasks that lay ahead of them. Along the way, his notes helped him get through some very rough patches.

Stroeh is an engineer by profession. This is his second book. His first published manuscript, The Man Who Made It Rain, chronicles his experience as water district director during an unexpected and tough drought in fertile Marin County, California.

Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing is available at Amazon (Amazon.com), Barnes and Noble (BarnesandNoble.com) and at FolkHeart Press (FolkHeartpress.com). FolkHeart Press, a boutique publisher located in Northern California, specializes in personal narratives and original folklore material. For more information: www.threemonthsbook.com.

~Reviewer Caitlin Haley recently graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in communications.

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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 :

Fantasy: One Even the Mature Reader Will Love

Title: The Otherworld

Author: Margo Martin Benning
Publisher: Advocate House,
An imprint of A Cappela Publishing, Sarasota, FL
ISBN: 978-0-9846177-8-4
$12.99

Reviewed by: Jodi Grant

Ever wished you could leave your life behind and find happiness and romance in another world? So did Jenny McQueen, 60 year old widow and former shop owner who found no sparkle to her life in Omniville, Ohio – when suddenly her damned cell phone rang yet again as she battled rain, traffic, telemarketers, and hidden keys in her effort to reach a dental appointment she was late for. This was not the usual tin can ring. It was harp music. She answered irritably, only to hear a wise wizardly voice invite her to The Otherworld.

In Jenny’s many trips to this magical kingdom she encounters mythical animals, fairy-tale people, and her own personal dragons. And, of course, Jenny ends up living happily ever after.

This wise, witty Jungian tale of rebirth and rediscovery is truly a tale of enchantment for the disenchanted.

Available through your favorite bookstore or at www.jennymcqueensotherworld.com

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       ~Learn more about the author: Margo Martin Benning grew up in Connecticut in a house with a library filled with a fantasy of illustrated books. Encouraged by her bibliophile father and her artist mother, the world of legends and fairy tales became her otherworld.

Much later, when she moved to Sarasota, Florida, she opened a small gift shop called Unicorn Crossing and subsequently several similar stores, in Sarasota and on Siesta Key. Books, mostly metaphysical, were added along with twinkling lights and ethereal music. Margo was still searching for her otherworld.

When her last shops, Daystar and Moonflowers, closed, Margo turned to some of the educational programs for retirees. She was especially interested in the work of psychologist Carl Jung, which opened up new ways of understanding the otherworld as a mirror of our own psyche.

And besides, it can be lots of fun to hang out with wizards, talking horses and techie leprechauns

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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 :

Nicole Zoltack Lauds Satisfying Sci-Fi Ending

Title: Mind Over Mind Author: Karina Fabian
Category: fantasy/science fiction
ISBN-13: 978-1897942369 (print) 1897942362 (e-book)
Format: Trade paperback, e-book
Publication Date: Aug 8, 2011
Pages: 314
Price: $19.95 US (print) $2.99 (e-book)
Available from: DragonMoon Press, http://dragonmoonpress.com  
More Info: www.fabianspace.com

Reviewed by Nicole Zoltack for her blog. 

This book was a refreshing read, both fantasy and science fiction or science fantasy. The blending of the two genres was well done, but the best part for me was the character Deryl Stephens. Strong yet unsure, Deryl learns not only how to control his powers, he also learns who exactly he is. Mind Over Mind is the first in a trilogy and a lot of times, the first book tends to just stop and not have a real ending. Mind Over Mind has a satisfying conclusion as it sets up the second book. Thank you, Karina, for a worthwhile and entertaining read.

~Learn more about the author at http://fabianspace.com, Books to challenge the mind, touch the heart, and tickle the funny bone.She also wrote  Live and Let Fly! Dragons, demigods and super-spies in a spoof that will make you laugh out loud! http://tinyurl.com/amazonllf.

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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 :

Blogger Lauds Book of Spirituality

Title: Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life

Author: Karina Fabian and Deacon Steve Lumbert
Category: Christian, devotionals, spirituality
ISBN: 9780982256534
Available from: Publisher (Tribute Books)

or Amazon or other online dealersFor More Info: http://whygodmatters.com
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/dI7jbp

Reviewd by Kathleen's Catholic originally for her blog.

Why God Matters shows us how a typical life is a doorway to Our Christ and Savior.

I promise you, it won't take much of your time to read Why God Matters, but your reward will be special. As you read Karina's and Deacon's stories, you will nod your head as you recount your own, then realize, "Ah, yes, there was Christ."

If you are feeling a little distant from God, if you think your days are filled with too many mundane tasks, or if you wonder if God is watching over you, here is a helping hand.

With a title like Why God Matters, one would expect a tome of theology and doctrine. But fear not. Karina Lumbert Fabian (a revert) and her father, Deacon Steven Lumbert (a convert) are average, every day people who discover the simple beauty of the Catholic Church and the Faith and how they are drawn to live in its midst. There are no miracles depicted here--well, perhaps I should say here are the type of miracles that come upon us gradually, most times without being noticed. This is what I would call "how grace drizzles in." No thunder and blinding lights, just ordinarly people with typical experiences our Lord hands us daily.

Small and written in quick passages, this handbook of faith can go anywhere and read at anytime you have a spare moment. Or, if you'd like, it's just as useful for deep contemplation, with the inclusion of scripture and quotes from saints and famous catechists, as well as various selections from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Perhaps take Why God Matters with you to visit our Lord at the tabernacle or at Adoration.

There is an image I like to keep in mind: When a little bird is thirsty, he dips his beak into water, then lifts his face toward Heaven to let the nourishment seep in. So, we too can do the same--take tiny bits of our Lord's wisdom, then turn our face to Heaven to let His nourishment fill us.

I promise you, it won't take much of your time to read Why God Matters, but your reward will be special. As you read, Karina's and Deacon's stories, you will nod your head as you recount your own, then realize, "Ah, yes, there was Christ."

The back of the book includes useful materials, such as: a list of further reading (including websites as well as books), the Anima Christi prayer, the Prayer of St. Francis, and Deacon Steve's Prayer for Enlightenment.
Why God Matters has received the seal of approval from The Catholic Writers’ Guild.

Author bios:

Deacon Steve Lumbert and Karina Fabian are father and daughter who came to their faith in different ways. Karina was raised in it, while Steve discovered his calling later in life. Steve is a Deacon and parish administrator in Pueblo, CO. Karina is a writer, military wife, and mother of four.

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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 :

Marketing for Writers Book Gets 5-Star Review from Veteran Reviewer

The Frugal Book Promoter

Subtitle: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author's Web site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Genre: Nonfiction/How-to/Business/Book Marketing/ Book Promotion/PR
Available paperback/Kindle www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo

Reviewed by Robert Medak

The Frugal Book Promoter is a book every author needs in their library for consultation when promoting their book without spending every dime in their piggy bank.

This copy of The Frugal Book Promoter is a revised and expanded work by Carolyn that tells it like it is as only she can.

This reviewer read and reviewed the original copy of The Frugal Book Promoter, but his copy holds even more information than the original with links to more information, people you might want to contact for help with book covers and marketing your book, which authors need to take on in today’s publishing environment.

It is a sad fact, that publishers are not what they used to be as far as publicity and marketing for your book. More responsibility rests on the shoulders of authors for getting out and making your book sell. The more you can do on your own will save you money, which most authors do not have for hiring a publicist or marketer. It is now up to the author to learn how to do this.

Yes, authors are no longer just authors. They are authors, salespersons, marketers, publicists, and anything else to get their book into the hands of readers.

In The Frugal Book Promoter, authors will find frugal ways to market and promote their books.

Authors need to add The Frugal Book Promoter to their required reference books in writer’s library.

This reviewer highly recommends The Frugal Book Promoter as a must read for anyone thinking of writing a book and getting it into the hands of readers.

The Frugal Book Promoter receives a five out of five star rating from this reviewer who is adding it to other reference books in his library.

~Robert Medak, Freelance Writer/Editor/Reviewer/Marketer

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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 :

Mother's Day Poetry Just Add a Rose

"She Wore Emerald Then"
Reflections on Mothers and Motherhood
by Magdelena Ball and
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Photography by May Lattanzio
ISBN 9781438263793
Copyright 2008
Available as an e-book. .
Learn more on the author's Web site.
Award of Excelence from Military Writers Society of America

Review by LB Sedlacek
This poetry book is split into two
sections: "The Genetic Code" (Ball)
and "Dandelions in Autumn" (Howard-
Johnson) with each section title
page perfectly accompanied by one
of Lattanzio's pictures.

In "Coil of Life," Ball punctuates
her "The Genetic Code" section with
a jolting look at creation. "Take a
single cell/tinier than the tip of a
pencil/in its nucleus the DNA blueprint/
six billion pairs of nucleotides." The
poem continues further on with "Binary
fission/mitosis and cytokinesis/the
cervix thins and dilates/the dreaming
and waking cerebral cortex/already
perfect signals uterine contractions/
the Big Bang." Each poem weaves vivid
layers (somewhat of a verbal voltage)
of life and existence. From "The
Fading": "eyelids closed tightly
against life/you create your own
shadow/the steel bars/of your deviant
past/shatter the illusion of freedom."
Ball writes with a punch -- you won't
fast forget her words.

The "Dandelions in Autumn" section
(Howard-Johnson) is more focused
on the later years of motherhood
and/or mothers themselves. In
"Mother and Daughter, The Thing I
Learned from Depends and Other Events,"
Howard-Johnson's poem deals with a
daughter taking care of an elderly
mother "... she cannot find/her words,
or the beans/on her plate. Now merely
a leafhusk,/I cannot find the strength/
to place her head upon a pillow.//I
pre-order stew with chunks/chopped to
the size of peas." Each poem seems to
pull from days gone by capturing a
daughter's journey from child to
caretaker of one's mother. The
visuals - "offers us her favorite
dish, whipped/cream, crusted Heath
bars, melted/Marshmallows (without
the rum Mother/would have added)"
from "Across the Hall from Mother" -
are stunning and leverage accordingly
within each line.

Lattanzio's pictures add a blast of
scenic flavor to the book. They
are chosen and placed at just the
right spots.

"She Wore Emerald Then" is a
tribute to mothers everywhere.

_____________________________________________

L.B. Sedlacek's poems have most recently
appeared in "Ginosko," "Pure Francis," and
"Testing the Waters" poetry anthology.
L.B.'s latest chapbook is "I Am My
Neighborhood Watch."
http://wordpress.lbsedlacek.com
www.lbsedlacek.com
Twitter: @lbsedlacek

This review first appeared in The Poetry Market Ezine: Each monthly issue features poetry markets and poetry contests plus news and a review of a poetry book or chapbook. Free to subscribe. To subscribe, send any email to poetrymarket-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
 or log onto http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Poetrymarket/join For general information visit our website at www.thepoetrymarket.com
 or email tpme@thepoetrymarket

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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 :

K. M. Weiland Reviews Little Booklet on Editing and Wordtrippers

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips

The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avloiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Genre: Nonfiction for Writers/Editing/Grammar

ISBN: 9781450507653

Available on Amazon in paperback or for Kindle

Paper: $6.95, Kindle $2.99

 

Reviewed by K. M. Weiland

 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is well known among writers for her helpful book The Frugal Book Promoter, and she continues to encourage and guide writers through her many other projects, including this fast read (56 pages), which she advertises as a supplement to her book The Frugal Book Editor. After opening with an intro, reminding authors of the importance of crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s in both our queries and our published works, she launches into the meat of the book: page after page of handy references for spotting and fixing tricky word pairs.

Organized alphabetically with word pairs separated by slashes (e.g., “bereft / bereaved”), the book makes it easy to look up definitions and identify which word should be used in specific circumstances. Although the book’s diminutive length prevents it from anywhere close to exhaustive, it’s a good starting place and can easily be backed up with the more complete list in The Frugal Book Editor.

Priced reasonably (especially the Kindle version) and packed with lots of writerly wit and humor, the book makes for both an enjoyable read and a worthwhile reference manual.

K.M. Weiland is the author of the historical western A Man Called Outlaw and the medieval epic Behold the Dawn. She enjoys mentoring other authors through her writing tips, her book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success, and her instructional CD Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration.

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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 :

Celebrate Earth Day. Give a Book to a Kid

Because Kathy Stemke is an author who has written about Earth Day for Children, I asked her to share with my New Book Review Readers. Her essay will be interesting to all. Her book will be the perfect gift for any child who is destined to grow up in this world.  Keep scrolling for ways to celebrate Earth Day and ways to share with a child.

 

The History of Earth Day

 

 By Kathy Stemke, author of  Trouble on Earth Day

The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.

At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity.

The idea of Earth Day came to the founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.

Senator Gaylord Nelson said, “At a conference in Seattle in September 1969, I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance.”

As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

In time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995) -- the highest honor given to civilians in the United States -- for his role as Earth Day founder.

With Earth Day Approaching on April 22nd it's time to focus on educating our children about conservation. Troubleon Earth Day would be a great resource for this purpose and a super addition to any school or home library.

Learning how each of us can take steps to protect our environment is important for children and adults alike. It will take all our efforts to help improve the environment for a healthier tomorrow. Trouble on Earth Day is a great start for children.

Here’s an excerpt from the resource section
of Trouble on Earth Day:

A-Z Let’s Go Green

Arrange a wildlife refuge in your backyard with a birdbath, nest building project, bird feeder, and plants that attract birds and other animals.

Bicycle instead of using a car.

Create posters about caring for the earth.

Don’t leave water running when brushing your teeth or bathing.

Eat organic foods.

Feed the birds.

Grow a flower or vegetable garden.

Hold on to your helium balloons that can hurt animals when they fall to the ground.

Insulate near doors and windows.

Join with your friends to clean up the neighborhood.

Keep stuff in a box until you can reuse it.

Light your home with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Make scratchpads with old paper.

Nurture the soil with coffee grinds, eggshells and other compost.

Omit aerosols because they damage the ozone layer.

Plant a tree.

Quit wasting food.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Stop throwing out old toys. Donate them instead.

Turn off the lights.

Use paper on both sides.

Visit a recycling center to see all the things that can be recycled.

Write a letter to the newspaper encouraging your neighbors to recycle.

eXercise your body while collecting tin cans.

Yell, “I love the Earth!”

Zero in on helping the earth!

Trouble on Earth Day is available at a discounted price on my blog: http://educationtipster.blogspot.com and through Amazon, B & N, and other online stores.

Sh Sh Sh Let the Baby Sleep is available through the publisher, http://guardianangelpublishing.com/shshsh.htm and through Amazon, B & N, and other online stores.

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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 :

Book Tour: Inspirational Thought Leader

Become an Inspirational Thought Leader, Turn Your Setbacks Into Opportunities and Change the World with Your Gifts
By Marcia Bench

BECOME AN INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT LEADER

Become an Inspirational Thought Leader gives you the right words to express your Inspirational Message, helps you be more compelling to the perfect people for your business or cause, and makes it easy to market and deliver your services! This book helps readers become truly inspirational, exceeding the awareness and ability of ordinary experts. Written for entrepreneurs, nonprofit directors and corporate leaders, you will find Marcia's paint-by-numbers system to be a comforting solution to the overwhelm, stress and confusion many thought leaders feel. Get ready to exponentially expand your impact, income and influence as you read and apply the principles in this book!

Do you have a calling but can’t quite make the dream happen?

Could your message change the world?

Then become an Inspirational Thought Leader!

If you feel the calling to inspire others and become a recognized leader in your profession without compromising your integrity or having to use hard selling in the process, then this book is a must read. It elegantly combines a heart-centered marketing system with quantum physics, laws of success, and personal growth principles.

The result?

You literally change the world through your work!

In Marcia Bench’s new book, Become an Inspirational Thought Leader, Turn Your Setbacks Into Opportunities and Change the World with Your Gifts, you’ll learn how to:

• Turn your setbacks – as well as successes - into the foundation for a thriving business
• Design your Inspirational Message and package it into multiple “Inspirational Income Streams” you love
• Clear any remaining beliefs or energy blocks to your Inspirational Message
• Reach exponentially more people with your work using online and offline strategies
• Become the go-to expert in your niche and virtually eliminate the competition!
• Navigate the 5 Phases of Inspirational Thought Leadership and expand your business globally.

Navigate the 5 Phases of Inspirational Thought Leadership and expand your business globally.

Let your true spirit be expressed!

By reading this book - and doing the exercises and meditations provided - you will:

(1) be recognized as the go-to person, the expert, the guru

(2) feel more empowered and accept the power of influence you have,

(3) feel more connected than ever with a Purpose bigger than you are

(4) communicate your Inspirational Message to the world in a powerful way!

Inspirational Thought Leadership is not just for the CEO's and "top dogs." It's for anyone who wants to be a force of influence, inspiration and impact in their personal or professional sphere. And when you buy the book today, you'll claim more than $3500 in great bonuses!

http://bit.ly/GTgHam

 About the author:

Author of 24 books, Marcia Bench is known as the Inspirational Messaging and Marketing Mentor™ and as a professional coach, author and speaker she has worked with entrepreneurs, corporations, nonprofits and government clients for more than 25 years. She is the CEO of InspirationalThoughtLeader.com and Marcia Bench Enterprises as well as the Founder/Director of the worldwide training company, Career Coach Institute. http://bit.ly/GTgHam

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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 :

Inexpensive Love Gift For Moms in Your Life?

By

Cherished PulseSubtitle: Unconventional Love Poetry
Authors: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
Genre: Poetry/Love
Author's Web site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm
Available on Amazon as paperback or for Kindle www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse

Reviewed by Mark Logie (London), originally for Amazon

 

Magdalena Ball's poems in this collection display a considerable interest in, and enthusiasm for, nature, both on this planet and in space. This is appropriate for "unconventional love poetry" as love for someone else often makes them seem to be everything (ie, the universe); it is also not what we expect since, on the face of it, love has no connection with outer space or the natural world on earth. This particularly appeals to me.

The awe in which we hold the cosmos together with its beauty and loneliness also make it ideal for poems about love. For instance, "Galactic Collision", one of my favourites, is about the virtually catastrophic fusing of two people in love with each other. The comparison of a human heart to a black hole is amazing, bold and apt: after all, a black hole is so powerful that nothing -- not even light -- can escape it. And true, deep love, draws us in and won't let go. She then goes on to underline this by going to the other end of the scale: light ("black hole/ expanded into a cartwheel blaze"). Love it.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, on the other hand, explores the inner recesses of the human world: the heart, the mind and the home, neatly complementing and counterpointing Ball's macroscopic world-view (or should that be "universe-view"?). As they say, "Home is where the heart is".

Howard-Johnson's skill is in choosing original settings for poems that address different sentiments from the expected. It is also evident in her relaxed style, which cuts to the emotional crux of her works in a simple yet elegant way and embraces the real issues rather than the simplistic pseudo-sentiments of most commercial greetings cards. For example, the bittersweet "Dreaming Lilacs", primes the reader to expect a poem about intoxicating, fulfilled love through its vivid evocation of place and utilisation of all the reader's senses ("It's you who had me dreaming lilacs,/ breathing April's sweetest tears, tasting sugared lemon rinds,"), then reveals that it is really about expired or unrequited love ("... As if you/ were with me,/ as if you loved me."). Brilliant.

All in all, a superb collection: different yet not totally unfamiliar.

Roll on the next collection!

~Mark Logie is an award-winning poet & short-story writer;. He is the author
of "On the Road to Infinity" & "You Have No Power Over Me"

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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 :

The Feel-Good Guide for Getting a Job In Bad Times and Good

How to Interview Like A Pro

Subtitle: Forty-Three Rules for Getting Your Next Job [Kindle Edition]
Mary Greenwood. JD. LLM (Author)
Published by iUniverse
Kindle Edition
ASIN: B004JHZ26C

Who would have guessed.

I read this book because I thought I might be able to recommend it to my retail clients, but it turns out, getting a job is very like selling a book! So it’s suitable in many ways for my author-clients, too.

Getting a job isn’t much different than it was in the back in the days when I interviewed at PR firms and magazines like Good Housekeeping. Though we have many tools at our disposal that weren’t available back then, the basics are similar. And industry to industry, we can learn so much from the general (yet detailed!) information Mary Greenwood gives us in How To Interview Like a Pro. Basic business skills like Mary imparts here, are useful for at some level for about anyone who must earn a living.

Mary’s number two rule is that a job hunter must “prepare a good elevator speech.”  It’s a subject (along with pitches in general) that I cover in depth in my book, the new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) .

She also says “Make a list of everyone you know. Well, if authors had followed my advice on building contact lists in that same book, they’d already have a list of everyone they know. A job hunter would only need to review that list to find influential people with contacts of their own who will lead them to other jobs, recommend them to others, and generally hold their hands through the process.

Going hand in hand with this process is Mary’s rule “Telling everyone you know you are looking for a job.”  Mmm. Chapters in The Frugal Book Promoter on networking, too! Greenwood, of course, expands this rule to “Tell everyone you would like to know you are looking for a job.” Here she covers making new contacts using social networking.  Yep, industries are all pretty much the same. We can surely learn from one another!

Mary’s rules are born of experience, both general and legal. Her book moves us along from rule to rule—lickety split—right down to the never-nevers like “Never say you don’t have any more questions.” Interviews go both ways. If they don’t, the interviewer may form some opinions you’d just as well he or she didn’t.

One of the reason things move so quickly are Greenwood’s anecdotes. You’ll come away from this book feeling as if you aren’t alone in your search and knowing how to make sure you aren’t. You’ll know the basics and the details, like how to answer about any question an interviewer is likely to ask.

One of the best things about this book is Greenwood’s Introductory Rule: “Getting a job is like parking. You have to be at the right place at the right time.” If you keep that in mind—along with her little protractor story (yes, this is a tease—I think you should read this book!), you’ll hang in there and know one day you’ll be exactly in that place at that time.

Now, here’s the thing. I believe that almost anyone in the business world could benefit from this book. From interviewee to interviewer. From author to retailer to IT guy or gal. Sometimes the books we get the most from are the ones we don’t think we need in the moment.  Have it ready. It’s way more than a get-a-job book.

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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 :

Fantasy Novelist Called Genius

Mythica: GenesisScott S. Colley, author
www.krullstonepublishing.com
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-9833237-0-9

This review appears on Amazon by Bonnie S. Curley:
I just finished reading Mythica Genesisl and I loved it from the beginning to the incredible ending. I am so impressed with the brilliant writing of Scott Colley. He is a genius and a very talented writer. The story was so compelling and easier to follow than I thought it would be when I first started reading the novel. The vocabulary, the descriptions and details of the terrain, the weather, the characters, their surroundings, the fight scenes were amazing. The characters were so believable and I loved the bond between the brothers. I absolutely loved every page of this book and am hooked on his style of writing and will eagerly await his next book. What a creative imagination! I absolutely recommend this book to everyone looking for a great story and a brilliant writer.


~Submitted by Krullstone Publishing, LLC
Charlotte A. Ivey, charlotte@krullstonepublishing.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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :