TITLE OF YOUR BOOK:
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Monday, March 18, 2024
Book Review:: DESPERATELY SEEKING PERSEPHONE by Janet Rudolph
TITLE OF YOUR BOOK:
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Book Review: The Famous Phoebe of Long Isand
THE FAMOUS PHOEBE OF LONG ISLAND: Phoebe's Adventures at Sailors Haven
AUTHOR OF BOOK's NAME: Jean Derespina
AUTHOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS jeand.tmg@gmail.com
AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS: www.FamousPhoebeofLI.
ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
__Yes, I have received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Rita Plush, Fire Island News Book Review Columnist
INCLUDE THE REVIEW ITSELF
Long Islander Jean Derespina, a writer of marketing materials, has brought her affection for Fire Island and its seashore to the pages of a children’s book.
This is a story about Phoebe, a puppy who is adopted from a shelter and has adventures on Sailors Haven with her new parents, Jeana and Frank. It is a warm and engaging story that will resonate with anyone who has a dog or is thinking of adopting one. But the book is more than that. It’s about feeling loved and protected, and though the tale is told from a puppy’s point of view, it could very well be a child who is telling the story.
Phoebe is “the luckiest puppy in the world because out of all the puppies in the shelter, I got picked by the nicest family. They love me very much.” And off they motor in their boat into the Great South Bay, Phoebe “more than a little scared at first,” but Jeana held her close while Frank drove.
Phoebe has many experiences at Sailors Haven. She makes friends as children do, and her excitement is palpable when she learns she can swim. In the forest she comes upon animals she has never seen before. “A long, skinny animal that didn’t have legs or paws wiggled right by us!”
On the walk back to the beach, Phoebe notices three deer grazing and makes the connection that her parents are going to have their dinner too, linking humans to the animal world.
Venturing out on her own, Phoebe dashes down the beach after a bird in flight. After the bird is out of sight she worries. “Where was everyone? Where was I? I was alone, and I was really scared,” her doggie brain thinks, but her fears could just as well be the fears of a child.
I can see a parent reading this story and saying to their little one. “You must never run away or go where we can’t find you,” the child nodding solemnly.
The soft watercolor drawings by Amelina Jones play on the easy narrative. Jones uses blues, blue/greens for water, and browns for the puppy and vegetation in many of the illustrations, but she is not confined to a limited palette. Variations of yellow and yellow/greens come up in a spread where the family is walking through Sunken Forest, the prose set on the page as if illuminated by the sun. On the other end of the spectrum is black, used lavishly in a dramatic nighttime scene. The pages come to life with little pinpoints of white like “millions of stars lighting up the sky.” The boat’s “gentle rocking kept [Phoebe] asleep all night,” as the family headed back to shore.
And that’s what this book is: a gentle story about family, with little Phoebe its centerpiece.
Link to the review: https://www.fireislandnews.
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Rita Plush has been the book reviewer for The Fire Island News since 2015. Learn more at her website https://ritaplush.com/about, or at https://www.fireislandnews.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHOSE BOOK IS BEING REVIEWED:
Jean is a member of the SCBWI and is on the Board of Directors of the Long Island Author Group.
For years, Jean held positions as a corporate content developer. During her marketing career, she always made timeto indulge in her passion for writing children's stories. In 2014, Jean left the corporate world to start my own company, The Marketing Gig, LLC. After an encouraging start, she was seriously injured in an accident that required over a year’s recovery. Writing played an instrumental role in her healing process.
Post rehabilitation, Jean released two self-published two picture books, which have sold over 1,500 copies. They are in circulation at approximately six libraries and on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. Learn more about Jean and The Famous Phoebe of Long Island at https://www.famousphoebeofli.
Twitter @JeandAuthor
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Laura Sturza Recommends The Frugal Editor to Her Students
Title: The Frugal Editor
Subtitle: Do-It-Yourself Editing Secrets
Edition: Third Edition
Publisher: Modern History Press
ISBN: 9761615996001
Available on Amazon Hardcover, Paperback, E-book
Awards:
USA Book News, Reader Views Literary Award,
Next Generation Marketing Awardm Next Generation Indie Book Award,
Dan Poynter's Global E-Book Award
Reviewed by Laura Sturza originally for Amazon
I am a writer and a writing teacher and I highly recommend this book to my students. It is particularly helpful for those writing a book as it includes detailed information about presenting the best version of one's manuscript when submitting it to agents and publishers. There is also lots of information to help those submitting work to magazines and newspapers so that editors don't reject an excellent story because it includes editing errors. While I have been steeped in the writing business for decades, this book taught me so much and helped me refine other essentials, such as decisions about a book's layout. Years ago, I met the author when she ran a writing group. By using personal stories and humor, Howard-Johnson brings that same, warm, conversational style to relaying information that I have found challenging to absorb from other sources. There were grammar corrections she covered that I have struggled with for years, and which she simplified. The book is also full of resources to further explore the topics covered. My copy is full of sticky notes to help me as I continue to edit my first book. When it is published, I have the author to thank for helping me create the strongest possible version of it so that readers can enjoy the story without the distraction of editing flubs.
Disclaimer: I received a book from the publisher of this book so I could write a fair and honest review.
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Laura Sturza is a writer/teacher living in Rockville, Maryland after 20 years in L.A., which remains her other home. Her work is published in The Washington Post, Shondaland, The Boston Globe Magazine, AARP's The Girlfriend, The LA Times, Lunch Ticket, and Hippocampus, among others. Laura is completing the memoir, Better Late: My Midlife First-Time Marriage. She was a nonfiction editor on the forthcoming book, Transformation: A Women Who Submit Anthology. She wrote, produced, and starred in the one-woman show, Finding the Perfect Place to Live in 111 Gyrations laurasturza.com
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Another Tales2Inspire Jewel: Tales2Inspire ~ The Jade Collection (True Adventure Stories)
Author’s Name: Lois W. Stern (Creator, editor, contributor)
Author’s email: tales2Inspire2@gmail.com
Title of Book: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE JADE COLLECTION
Subtitle: Amazing Adventures
Award winning stories of varied adventures: joyful, challenging, light hearted, risky, . . . but each ultimately emerging as a story that has enriched that author’s life in some unique way: travel adventures, from childhood memories of climbing mountains beneath waterfalls, to the journey of three adventurers traveling from their hometown in Venezuela to Detroit, Michigan, simply to meet their inspiration, Henry Ford; challenging adventures, as the aspiring videographer stranded in Iceland, just below the mountain peaks where The Game of Thrones was filmed; to the fun filled antics of the young American hired to teach his Japanese students how to have fun.
Number of pages: 129
Age/Interest level: 10 +
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Tales2Inspire-Jade-Collection-Amazing-Adventures/dp/B0CGL85TK2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=TALES2INSPIRE&qid=1696604837&sr=8-1
Formats being offered: Paperback, Ebook, PDFFriday, November 10, 2023
Review of The Heiress in Kent by Gregory Kopp
AUTHOR OF BOOK's NAME: Gregory Kopp
AUTHOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS greg.kopp@kopp-company.com
AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS:
Website: https://www.kopp-company.com/
Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/stores/
ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
_X_ Yes, I have received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
REVIEWER’S BYLINE: DoannĆ© Deventer for Readers’ Favorite
INCLUDE THE THE REVIEW ITSELF, of course! Gregory Kopp's novel The Heiress in Kent takes place in 19th-century London and New York. Sir Richard Mayne and Her Majesty the Queen ordered Scotland Yard detective Richard Cordwell to investigate urgent matters regarding the British throne's financial investments in the American railroads. During a global financial crisis, Cordwell embarks on his journey to uncover the truth and meets new and interesting people along the way. The handsome detective is entrusted with a secret mission from the queen herself that keeps him on his toes. While traveling to different towns to investigate the financial fraud that could negatively impact Britain's economy, he finds himself in challenging situations to complete this secret mission. The burning question on everyone's mind is, who exactly is The Heiress in Kent?
The Heiress in Kent, a historical mystery novel by Gregory Kopp, is a delightful and easy-to-read book. Kopp skillfully introduces several characters in the plot, including two based on his great-grandparents. He has portrayed the era and two different countries remarkably well and has also conveyed the challenging times faced by the characters to the reader in a touching manner. The financial difficulties that the characters experience are relatable to our current economic situation. Kopp has conducted extensive research on the eras and history of both Britain and America, which is evident from the detailed annexures containing references to some of the characters and other relevant information. The book is fast-paced, and not overly complicated. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey it took me on.
REVIEWED BY: DoannĆ© Deventer for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating: 4 Stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHOSE BOOK IS BEING REVIEWED: Gregory Kopp is an Amazon and Goodreads 5-Star Author, Graduate of Northwestern University and a Principal Consultant for Kopp Company, a privately held firm. Gregory is also a Talent Ambassador for The Walt Disney Company. The Amazon and Goodreads 5-Star acclaimed Kopp Chronicles series of novels have been nominated for Reader's Choice Awards, Goodreads Choice Awards and have received glowing reviews and been featured in “First Lines” of "BookLife Publishers Weekly" (,https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-981089-24-6) an international news website of book publishing nd bookselling and by Readers’ Favorite respected by renowned publishers such asRandom House, Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins. They have also received numerous "Cover of the Month" & "Book of the Day" Honors.
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
This Review for Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series II Says It All!!
Author’s email: tales2Inspire2@gmail.com
Title of Book: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE DIAMOND COLLECTION - SERIES II
The complete editions of the Ruby (Gifts of Compassion) and Sapphire (Timeless Memories) Collections under one coverNumber of pages: 268
Age/Interest level: 10 +
- ISBN-10 : 1507618050
- ISBN-13 : 978-1507618059
Amazon link: bit.ly/3sQ8AbO
Review: Tales2Inspire: The Diamond Collection - Series II is created by Lois W. Stern is a riveting collection of nonfiction short stories by award-winning authors. Each story inspires consciousness, empathy, and appreciation for the little things we take for granted. The book is divided into two sections. The first part focuses on stories of compassion while the second one is about timeless memories. In one story, we see how training dogs helps in teaching dropouts to be responsible. Another story reveals the effect of the horrors of the Holocaust on a survivor. An assistant DA shares the values he stands by while relating an encounter with some good-looking burglars. As these stories are told, each author is introduced with an "about the author" page that follows their brilliant contribution. We experience their amazing stories and connect with their important memories, as well as the life-changing messages they hold.
I found several parts of the book quite relatable, especially being judged by a lover's parent for having different hair. Additionally, I loved that each story doesn't have too many characters or themes but maintains a concise structure that allows for quick assimilation and deep intrigue. The collection includes themes of family, loss, health challenges, pets, sports, mental illness, and romance. Apart from the stories, readers are engaged with the book's other fantastic features, including book club discussion questions, pictures of protagonists and authors, and an "about" section. I loved all the tales so much that I am now convinced that everyone should tell their story. Like the authors in Tales2Inspire: The Diamond Collection Series II, everyone has a profound experience of life that sheds light on what truly matters. All nonfiction short story fans will be happy to read this beautiful, heartwarming book by Lois W. Stern.