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Scribe & Quill ~ June 2005
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Volume 3 Issue 4
ISSN: 1098-6375
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MASTHEAD
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* Editor & Publisher [ON LEAVE]
Bev Walton-Porter <editor@scribequill.com>
* Guest Editor
Sonali T. Sikchi <sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com>
* Assistant Editor & Advertising Manager
Mindy Phillips Lawrence <mplcreative1@aol.com>
* Humor Editor
Jaden Trinsic <humor@scribequill.com>
* Poetry Editor
Donna "Kai" Wilson <poetry@scribequill.com>
* Book Review Editor
Sonali T. Sikchi <sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com>
* Nonfiction Columnists:
Joyce Faulkner <katieseyes@aol.com>
Jill Vaile <jill@jilleliz.com>
* Fiction Columnist
Rick Chiantaretto <rick@facadeofshadows.com>
* Humor Columnist
Sharon Wren <swren1@msn.com>
* Video Game Reviewer
Jonathan Porter <jonp@scribequill.com>
* Book Reviewers:
Barbara Ardinger <bawriting@earthlink.net>
Judith Woolcock Colombo <judithcolombo@hotmail.com>
J.M. Cornwell <jcornwell@peoplepc.com>
Joyce Faulkner <katieseyes@aol.com>
Ilona Hegedûs <fairylona@yahoo.co.uk>
Carolyn Howard-Johnson <hojonews@aol.com>
Mindy Phillips Lawrence <mplcreative1@aol.com>
Bobbi Linkemer <bobolink@accessus.net>
Anna Morvee <amorvee2004@adelphia.net>
Rita Porter <beepmybeep2@mchsi.com>
Sonali T. Sikchi <sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com>
Laura Tripp <thatgrrl@gmail.com>
Bev Walton-Porter <editor@scribequill.com>
* Guest Writers:
Alyice Edrich <dabblingmum@yahoo.com>
Matt Sinovic <sinovic@gmail.com>
D.M. Rosner <webmaster@6ftferrets.com>
* Guest Book Reviewer
Alyice Edrich <dabblingmum@yahoo.com>
* Mascots:
Isis, the Feline Freelancer <isis@scribequill.com>
Popeye, the Editing Wonder Dog <popeye@scribequill.com>
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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~Editor's Note
~Reader Praise!
~Scribe & Quill Patrons
~Scribes of Note ~ Virtual Quills
~Featured Article
Turn Your Column Into A Book
By Alyice Edrich (dabblingmum@yahoo.com)
~Featured Article
Moving Beyond the Meetings
By D.M. Rosner (webmaster@6ftferrets.com)
~Featured Column
The Writer's Tech Check Quiz
By Jill Vaile (jill@jilleliz.com)
~Featured Interview
Author: Feather
Schwartz Foster
By Bev
Walton-Porter (editor@scribequill.com)
~Featured Fiction Column
Civil War
By Rick Chiantaretto (rick@facadeofshadows.com)
~Featured Fiction
Be Careful What You Fish For
By Matt Sinovic (sinovic@gmail.com)
~Call for Submissions
~Featured Contests
~Professional Writing Courses
~Quotables
~Book Reviews
--"The Skeleton Man" by Tony Hillerman
--"Song of Susannah" by Stephen King
--"Snowed In With
Grandmother Silk" by Carol Fenner
--"Over 100 FAQs Women Asked About Writing" edited by Angel
Brown and Sheri McConnell
--"Rich Dad's Escape from the Rat
Race" by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter
--"Highway Hypodermics" by Epstein
LaRue
--"The Demon Plague" by Joreid
McFate
--"Snap Me A Future" by Connie
Gotsch
--"Once Burned" by Jackie Griffey
--"One Blue Star" by Mindy Phillips
Lawrence
--"The Stories of English" by David Crystal
--"The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds" by Peter
Bowerman
~The Last Word: Recommended Links for Writers
~Contact and Submission Information
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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
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Dear Readers,
Welcome to the June issue of Scribe & Quill and the first
summer issue by guest editors.
Our last issue received a great deal of positive
feedback. So, we are continuing the "lot more content" trend by
bringing you one of our longest issues yet.
Look for Jill Vaile's column to test your readiness
for twenty-first century technology. Guest writer D.M. Rosner presents us with
valuable first-hand advice on how to turn a formal writers' group into a
cohesive, supportive, stimulating and fun fellowship of writers. If you have a
bunch of published columns lying in a drawer, dust them off and scroll to guest
writer Alyice Edrich's article on how to turn them into a book. Don't miss Bev
Walton-Porter's interview with Feather Schwartz Foster, author of "Ladies:
A Conjecture of Personalities." Fiction columnist Rick Chiantaretto and guest
writer Matt Sinovic bring us chills and thrills aplenty. In addition, we have a
fantastic offering of book reviews.
So, close the door, choose a comfy chair and plunge
right in.
Don't forget: We'd love to write about your triumphs
in our "Scribes of Note" section. It's simple to participate. Send an
e-mail message to editor@scribequill.com with "Virtual Quill" in the
subject line.
All the best to our editor Bev for spectacular success
with her writing project.
Keep on writing. Keep on selling.
Sonali T. Sikchi,
Guest Editor
sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com
~~**~~**~~**
VOTE!
Please rate Scribe & Quill at the Cumuli E-zine Finder located at http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/vote.html?pub_code=scribe.
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PARTICIPATE!
Share new markets and/or jobs with other writers, find out the latest updates
to the "Scribe & Quill" site, announce your newest success or
swap information and advice with other writers at the new Activeboard on our
site at http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=25937.
~~**~~**~~**
COMMUNITY JOURNAL!
Scribe & Quill also has a journaling community on Live Journal at http://www.livejournal.com/~scribequill.
Come express your innermost thoughts and feelings about being a writer in this
community diary -- stream-of-consciousness and personal journal entries
relating to the ups, downs and sideways of the writing life are welcomed! This
community is exclusively for the right-brained, abstract side of Scribe &
Quillers!
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READER SUPPORT FOR SCRIBE & QUILL
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
We have the BEST readers on the planet! It's because of your encouragement that
we continue to publish our 'zine for writers. We believe in your writing goals
and we are there to support you every step of the way. Thanks, in turn, for
lending us support as well!
Here's what readers are saying about Scribe & Quill:
"This issue [May 2005] has amazing articles -- the kind one
doesn't see clones of all over the web. Congratulations. Also, your staff is
the greatest. I think I know most of them. Judith, Joyce, Mindy, etc. You do
yourself proud!"
--Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author
of "The Frugal Book Promoter" (Star Publish), hojonews@aol.com,
http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.com
"...Scribe & Quill is excellent work..."
--Rowdy Rhodes, Site Manager, Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l (http://www.fwointl.com/index.html)
"I love Scribe & Quill. It's the best-written writing 'zine
out there with the most interesting content."
--Karin Gillespie, author of "Bet Your Bottom Dollar" (Simon and
Schuster)
"I really think
S&Q has a lot to offer. I've been promoting S&Q's writing courses on my
website Femme Erotique […] with one of your banners. I started Femme for the
same reasons -- I want to help others attain their goals -- whether it be
writing fiction or just improving their lives."
--Ann Melrose, editor of "Femme Erotique" (http://www.femme-erotique.com)
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PARTNER WITH SCRIBE & QUILL
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Developing and distributing a regular publication, either online or in print,
requires time and incurs costs such as Web hosting, domain fees, program
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We are glad to deliver S & Q to our readers at no charge, but we appreciate
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Thank you for reading our magazine and for your continued
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ADVERTISEMENT
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UTNE Magazine - A different read on life!
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SCRIBES OF NOTE
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At Scribe & Quill a virtual quill is our way of congratulating scribes of
note who have made an article sale, published a book, snagged an
agent/publisher or have reported to us a number of other notable successes in
writing and publishing.
Our quills are virtual because they exist only in cyberspace. We honor the
recipients here with an old-fashioned pat on the back and publication of their
news so our readers can celebrate with them!
Have a success you'd like to trumpet to the rest of world? Send your triumph to
editor@scribequill.com with
"Virtual Quill" in the subject line.
This issue's virtual quills are awarded to:
* Mary C. Fairbanks's "The Affairs of Dragons" was
published by Zumaya Otherworlds this month. It is available in trade paperback
and E-book formats. She has also published "Murder in the Liberry Building"
and enjoys writing poetry and lyrics for children's songs.
* Robert Ferrier's
(rferrier2@cox.net ) chapbook "Rhythms"
won the trophy award as the best published book of poetry in 2004 in a regional
contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Writers Federation on April 30 in
* Martha Jette (marthajette@yahoo.com), former Hamilton, Ontario
newspaper and magazine editor, has had her third book accepted for publishing
by Saga Books of Calgary, Alberta. "Glimpses 2: It Can Happen To You"
presents an amazing 90 strange, but true, paranormal stories about ordinary
people having extraordinary experiences. From ghosts and hauntings to voices
from beyond, premonitions, angel visitations, past lives and much more, this
book is sure to captivate your imagination, if not change your views on life,
death and the afterlife forever! For more information on this author and her
books, please visit http://www.para-books.com.
* Tsipi Keller's (litwrks@yahoo.com) latest
novel "Jackpot" was published by Spuyten Duyvil, a literary press
based in Brooklyn, NY, in November 2004. To learn more about the publisher and
the novel, please visit the publisher's site at http://www.spuytenduyvil.net/fiction/jackpot.htm.
Keller is a novelist and a translator. She is the recipient of an NEA
Fellowship, as well as of CAPS and NYFA
awards in fiction.
* Joy V. Smith (pagadan@aol.com) has
published stories in two recent anthologies: "Kings of the Night II,"
an anthology of 15 tales of heroic fantasy, and "Magistria: Realm of the
Sorcerer." Both anthologies are now available in paperback. Smith's story
"The Princess Quest," a light-hearted look at sword and sorcery, is
one of the stories in the "Kings" anthology (http://www.lulu.com/content/124134).
"Seedlings," a story about plant mages and their sentient plants, is
printed in the "Magistria" anthology (http://www.lulu.com/content/125468).
Her blog at http://journals.aol.com/pagadan/JoysJournal includes helpful house
hints, links and publication news.
* Joy V. Smith's (pagadan@aol.com)
book "Building a Cool House for Hot Times without Scorching
the Pocketbook" is #8 on the Barnes & Noble list: BarnesandNoble.com /
Books / Home & Garden / House & Home / Home Do-It-Yourself /
Architecture / Domestic / Amateurs' Manuals.
* Sarah
Wagner's (twisteddragon@yahoo.com) short story "Fated" has been accepted for publication in the June
issue of "Lyrica," a quarterly webzine that specializes in romantic
fiction and poetry. "Lyrica" can be found at http://www.clik.to/lyrica. For more
information on Sarah's other published work, please visit http://www.freewebs.com/sarahwagner.
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ADVERTISEMENT
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
Looking for a great book to read?
Visit Scribe & Quill's Online Book Gallery
Featured listings include:
Coquina Key - A Novel and An
Alien To Existence:
--"Alien to Existence" by Jonathan Ark (fiction)
--"Coquina Key - A Novel" by Micah O'Brien (fiction)
--"Exploration into Poetry" by Rita Porter (poetry)
--"First Saturday" by Rosemary O'Brien (fiction)
--"The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher
Won't" by Carolyn Howard-Johnson (nonfiction)
--"Going Solo: How to Survive and Thrive as a Freelance
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~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
FEATURED ARTICLE
Moving Beyond the Meetings: Having
fun and adding quality with group events
By D.M. Rosner (webmaster@6ftferrets.com)
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In 1992, after meeting every other week for three years, The 6'
Ferret Writers' Group came to a serious decision -- it was time for a Halloween
party. While it might sound like nothing more than a fun evening, that party
had an enormous impact on the long-term success of our group. It was the first
of many events that stretched us as writers and expanded our ideas of what a
group was all about.
The Halloween party concept began during a meeting when we thought
it would be fun to write Halloween stories. We had plenty of experience doing
writing exercises -- in fact, our name came from a circle story. (That
particular story, written a line at a time by each member, continued to pass
from person to person long after it ceased making sense. The cry to kill it was
answered with, "Just then, a giant 6' ferret driving an 18 wheeler came a
long and ran them all over. The end.") A Halloween writing exercise, it
seemed, would be easy.
We all went home to write, but at the next meeting, we discovered
that none of us had a solid idea for a plot, and the party was only two weeks
away. We discussed our story fragments, hammered out a common theme, and each
wrote the same story from a different point of view. On the night of the party,
dressed as our characters, we read the stories aloud and had a good laugh. The
party became an annual tradition, and each year we print up a small anthology
of the stories for our members.
Over the years, the Halloween concept evolved, and now we often
choose an overall theme for the stories --
past themes have included
Don't think that an annual party has no real value -- what started
out as a simple extension of the group has resulted in the publication of four
of our Halloween stories. Not bad for a writing exercise.
Once we discovered that a group could be more than the sum of its
meetings, we began looking for other ways to expand our activities. The next
idea we had was something we call "Novels Days." A Novels Day is
simply a Saturday or a Sunday set aside to work on our current projects. There
is no set schedule of meeting dates -- we simply hold them whenever we feel the
need. We meet somewhere for breakfast, and chat about what we hope to
accomplish for the day or any blocks we might be having, then adjourn to a
member's home to write. It is not a time for discussion, although we do run the
occasional question by one another. We continue writing until we run out of
stamina, which is often around mid-afternoon.
After a few years, we found that a day simply wasn't enough -- and
thus, departed for our first annual retreat. We booked rooms off-season at a seaside
motel and devoted three days to our work. That weekend gave us a basic
blueprint for our retreats, and each year we refined it until we found the
atmosphere and routine we needed.
Our retreats go something like this: Get up, discuss work in
progress or read the results of writing exercises over breakfast, then write.
Break for lunch. Write. Break for dinner, then write or do writing exercises
late into the night. Sleep, rise and repeat.
We prefer bed-and-breakfast inns, because their rich atmospheres
are perfectly suited to writing. In the past, we've moved from state to state
for retreats, but in recent years we've settled on a wonderful Connecticut inn.
Staying in the same place is not only more convenient for us, but our breakfast
discussions -- often about such things as disposing of bodies -- frighten fewer
innkeepers that way.
The addition of writing time isn't the only way we've moved beyond
meetings though. Most of our members are now published authors, and as a result
we've had the opportunity to do book readings.
Our first member to have a story published in an anthology brought
the book, copies of the advertising slicks and a brief biography to her local
bookstore, and asked if they'd like her to do a reading. They agreed. It was
really that simple. Bookstores like to have authors do readings, because it
draws customers -- so don't be afraid to approach them!
Opportunities for speaking engagements are all around, too. We
have spoken at local bookstores about how to build a writers' group and were
pleased with the enthusiastic attendance. An added benefit came when two
audience members later joined our group.
If your group has an area of expertise -- perhaps a particular
genre or favorite subject matter -- take advantage of the opportunity to share
your knowledge.
So, speak out. Do a reading. Throw a party. Stretch yourselves.
Take your group to the next level, and move beyond the meetings. The results
might just surprise you.
[From "The Writing Group Book" (
BIO:
D.M. Rosner's other non-fiction work has appeared in "The Writer, "
"Writer's Journal" and "The Writer's Handbook" (2000 and
2001 editions). She also served as editor and co-author of "Don't Forget
to Write! " by The 6' Ferret Writers' Group. Her fiction credits include
short stories in the "Dead Promises" anthology by Chameleon
Publishing, Inc., the "Mensa Bulletin" and an award-winning story in
"Inscriptions Magazine."
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Turn Your Column Into A Book
By Alyice Edrich (dabblingmum@yahoo.com)
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Columnists write fresh, new
material on a daily, weekly, even monthly basis. But once the column is
written, the columnist usually forgets about the piece and moves on to other
columns. After a few years, those columns add up to a great collection of material.
That material can breathe new life in the form of a book.
Check Your Contract
Before beginning any project, always check your contracts. Make
sure you only gave up one-time rights to your column. If you gave up all
rights, you cannot resell those columns or compile them into a book, unless you
get written permission from the company who purchased all rights to your
material.
Begin With Your Column
The type of column you write will determine the type of book you
write. It will also determine how much work you'll need to transform your
column into a book.
Essayists can put together a book of essays within a week. Just
sort through your essays, find a common ground and plug them into a
word-processing document. There are several options available for essayists,
such as:
- The best of "Column Name"
- Essays by theme
- Essays by chronological order
- Favorite essays you've written, with a note at the bottom
updating the status of your life or circumstance since the time you first wrote
that essay
Essayists can even take their essays a step further by using several essays as the heart of a book
written with all new material. In other words, did some of your essays spark
ideas for new books? Can you use a few essays as the basis for chapters in a
new book?
Question and answer columnists will have a little more work cut
out for them, since their answers may not be long enough to become a chapter
all by themselves. But having done most of the research to write the material
in the first place, adding meat to the chapters should be a breeze. There are
several options available for Q&A columnists, such as:
- 105 "Theme" Tips
- X ways to "your theme"
Interview columnists can put together a book of interviews, and
increase the book's value by adding photos, background information and
lesser-known tidbits about each interviewee.
Food columnists can put together a book of their favorite recipes,
giving credit to each chef, cookbook author and restaurant. They can also put
together a book of their favorite restaurants and include interviews with the
owners, background information about the restaurant's theme, etc.
Financial columnists can put together several money books, each
book geared on a specific theme, such as:
- How to get out of debt in less than a year
- How to save for your child's college education
- How to live on XX dollars per month
- How to save for your child's college education
Format Your Book
Formatting your book makes it easier to read your material and to
find important information. Formatting your book will vary depending on the
size of your book and whether or not you'll distribute your book as an
electronic downloadable book or a print book. Formatting consists of page
layout, margin widths, font size, picture layout, chapter titles, subtitles,
page numbers, table of contents, etc.
Add More Meat
While you may want to just insert your columns and be done, it's
wise to take the time to read through your columns. Some information may be
outdated, and some information may need clarification. Remember when you first
wrote your column, you wrote it for an audience who already had some knowledge
about your topic and what your column was about. As an author of a book, you
have to take into consideration the hundreds, if not thousands, of potential
readers who know absolutely nothing about your topic and decided to pick up
your book to gain insight.
Find Expert Quotes
Since you are the columnist and the "expert," you may
feel it's not necessary to include expert quotes, and depending on the type of
column you wrote, you may be right. If, however, you feel expert quotes will
enhance the value of your book, take the extra time to include a few quotes.
And don't pull the quotes out of an already published book; try to get fresh
quotes by interviewing your sources.
Edit Your Work
Editing is very important. Taking the time to edit your work can
make a huge difference in the quality of your work. If you are an essayist and
you decide to publish a collection of essays, take the time to read through them
before you go to print. While you may feel they were edited and good enough to
go to print several years ago, your writing style may have changed. Reading
through past essays may allow you to improve those pieces.
Copyright Your Work
Your column may have been copyrighted by the publication you sold
first rights to, such as listing you as one of the "licensors." But
the material is not officially copyrighted in your name until you take the time
to register your works with the United States Copyright Office. Many columnists
will save a year's worth of columns and then save them under the name,
"Author's Name: Compilation of Essays, Year." The fee is only $30 to
register your material and will save you a lot of legal headaches should
someone try to lay claim to your work.
Sell Your Book
As a columnist, you probably have many contacts you can use to
help promote and sell your book. Take advantage of those contacts. Renegotiate
your contract to include a free advertisement in the publication that showcases
your column. If you can't get a free advertisement, make sure the byline in
your column includes information on how to purchase your book.
In a matter of 14 days you could have your very first book. Happy
writing!
BIO:
Alyice Edrich is the author of
several work-from-home e-books, including Tid-Bits For Making Money With
E-books-where parents earn hundreds of dollars selling information they already
possess. She invites you to stop by http://www.thedabblingmumpress.com
to order a copy today!
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
FEATURED COLUMN
The Writer's Tech Check Quiz
By Jill Vaile (jill@jilleliz.com)
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
Where Do You Stand?
The increase in markets for writers is in large part due to the
opportunities afforded by the Internet. Writing work in the online
community (and increasingly in traditional publishing venues) requires
technical knowledge. Rudimentary skills may be sufficient, but in the technical
world in which we operate, a little goes a whole lot further.
The questions in this quiz are designed to cover a variety of skills and/or
information that are involved in working as a writer in today's market.
It is certainly possible to successfully work in an online environment without
having much technical knowledge. However, the problem freelance writers face is
the absence of a corporate helpdesk to count on in a crunch.
Reality demonstrates that the time help is needed most is always at
the 11th hour, or when losing valuable data has horrendous results. Much
like getting your vehicle's oil changed before the engine blows up,
investing a small amount of time in understanding your computer and the
ways of the online world is only to your benefit.
This quiz will provide you with your very own diagnostic -- and you don't
even have to join AAA! (or CAA, for you Canucks!)
Find Out Your W.T.S.Q.!
(Writer Tech Savvy Quotient)
Take this quiz and find out where you stand!
Section I: Your Computer and You: How Well Do You Know Each Other?
1. Do you know where/how to find:
a. The make and model of your system? __yes ___no
b. The Operating System you use? __yes ___no
c. How much MEMORY you have? __yes ___no
2. Which Software Programme(s) do you use to compose your work? (Check all
applicable.)
a. Word Processing? (i.e., MS Word or Apple Works) __
b. Special Writer’s Software? __
c. Text Editor? __
d. Other? __
e. None of the above? __
f. What is Software? __
3. Do you have any of the following Tools or Options installed or
available to use with your composing software? (Check all applicable.)
a. Spell check? __
b. Word Count? __
c. Grammar Check? __
d. Style guide? __
e. Format? __
f. Create Plain Text Document? __
g. Create HTML Document? __
4. Of the Tools you acknowledged in #3, how many of them do you regularly
use? __(#) __(none)
5. Do you have, or have you created, template(s) to use for your writing work?
(i.e., article or query template) __ yes __no
(If you answered "yes" go to Question #7.)
6. If you answered "no" in #5, why don't you have them?
a. Can't be bothered __
b. Don't know how __
c. Don't care __
7. Have you ever created your Resume? __yes __no
(If you answered "no" skip to Question #9.)
8.a. When making your Resume, did you use a template from your Word Processing
program? __yes __no
b. Do you have more than one Resume? __yes __no
c. Is your Resume "web-ready"? __yes
__no What's "web-ready"? __
9. Have you ever posted the Resume you created to an online Job Board? (i.e., Monster.com)
__yes __no
10. If "yes" by what method did you do this? (Choose one
answer only.)
a. Cut and paste? __yes __no
b. Type onto provided form? __yes __no
c. Both? __yes __no
d. Don't know __
11. Have you ever submitted your Resume in response to an online job ad
via E-mail? __yes __no
12. Read the following formats. Check those you understand and are able to do:
a. send as an attachment? __understand __ huh?
b. send in the body of an E-mail? __understand __ huh?
c. send a link to your posted online Resume? __understand __ huh?
13. Check the Software Programmes you are able to use:
a. MS Word or Apple Works? __
b. MS Power Point? __
c. Adobe .PDF? __
d. Pagemaker? __
e. Framemaker? __
f. MS Excel? __
g. Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop CS or other Graphics Programme? __
h. Animation creator? (i.e., .gif Builder) __
i. MS FrontPage or other WYSIWYG programme? __
j. MySQL or PhP/File Maker or other database programme? __
k. STUFFIT Expander? __
l. ZipIt? __
m. Virus Protection Program? __
n. ADAWARE Detection? __
o. Spyware Detection? __
p. Firewall? __
14. Can you state the names for these acronyms?
a. HTML? __
b. CSS? __
c. MS? __
d. WYSISYG? __
e. .PDF? __
f. .DOC? __
g. .DOT? __
h. ISP? __
i. URL? __
j. FTP? __
k. RSS? __
l. RFID? __
15. By what means is your computer connected to the Internet? (Check applicable
option.)
a. Dial-up? __
b. DSL? __
c. Cable? __
d. Satellite? __
e. No idea! __
16. Situation: You are working against the clock on an important article.
Deadline is here! Suddenly, you cannot get online! Do you:
a. Know how to troubleshoot and probably solve the problem? __yes __no
b. Know how to contact your ISP for assistance? __yes __no
c. Freak out and have a complete meltdown? __yes __no
17. Do you have the following information written down and filed somewhere
where you can access it quickly if needed?
a. Contact for computer manufacturer, serial #, model #, original bill of sale?
__yes __no
b. Service contract details? __yes __no
c. ISP contact? __yes __no
d. DNS settings? __yes __no
e. IP numbers? __yes __no
f. Incoming and outgoing server settings? __yes __no
Section II: Online
1. Do you know how to access your E-mail from the online web mail at your
ISP? __yes __no
2. Do you have a Web site? __yes __no
3. Do you have a Blog? __yes __no
4. Do you own or moderate an online Group? __yes __no
5. Have you ever heard of:
a. Search engine optimization? __yes __no
b. Google Ad Sense programme? __yes __no
c. Click-thru/ClickZ programmes? __yes __no
d. Meta Tags? __yes __no
e. The "invisible" web? __yes __no
f. Cookies? __yes __no (not for snacking!)
g. Tracking beacons? __yes __no
h. Hacking? __yes __no (not your coughing!)
i. Worms? __yes __no (not your bait!)
j. EFF? __yes __no
k. Digital Divide? __yes __no
BONUS: 5 Points: If you can define and/or explain each of the above.
6. If asked by an Editor, could you:
a. Download and use the publication's article template? __yes __no
b. Download and use the publication's Editorial Calendar in .XLS format?
__yes __no
c. Submit required photos as per the publication agreement with your
article? __yes __no
BONUS: 5 points: Can you state the optimum print resolution? __
7. Do you maintain a collection of your favorite resources, research, Web
sites, and information sources? (i.e., bookmarks or dB) __yes
__no
8. Do you use an online calendar?) __yes __no
9. How do you track your Submissions?
a. A programme? __yes __no
b. Make notes (i.e., calendar) __yes __no
c. Don't track __yes __no
10.a. Do you use a Signature in your E-mails? __yes __no
b. If "Yes" how did you obtain it? (Choose one only.)
E-mail program created it? __ From scratch with HTML?__
11.a. Do you know what BCC is? __yes __no
b. If "Yes" have you ever used it to contacts editors or
magazines? __yes __no
12. Do you use your ISP's SPAM blocking options? __yes __no
13. Do you know how to obtain a receipt for an E-mail you send?
__yes __no
14. Do you know how to locate a site owner via "whois"?
__yes __no
15. Do you have a resource to verify if an E-mail is a hoax?
__yes __no
16. How often do you back up your data?
a. Once a week? __yes __no
b. Once a month? __yes __no
c. Sometimes? __yes __no
d. Don't back up data? __yes __no
17. If you do back up your data, what method do you use to accomplish it?
a. Zip drive? __yes __no
b. CD/DVD? __yes __no
c. Online site? __yes __no
d. Tape? __yes __no
18. Can you:
a. Burn a CD/DVD? __yes __no
b. View a Web site's source code? __yes __no
c. Verify links on your web page? __yes __no**
d. Verify the code your web page is written in? __yes __no**
** you need to have a Web site to answer these questions
19.a. If you quote authors and/or their works, do you know how to properly cite
them? __yes __no
b. If "yes" can you locate citations online? __yes __no
20. Are you able to comply with the AP and/or Chicago styleguides using
their online sites? __yes __no
21. Do you find yourself surfing the web when you are supposed to be writing?
(No answer required....)
The End!! Now, let's see just how you did....
Calculate Your Score for Section I
1. Score 3 points for each "yes," 0 points for
"no"
2. Score 3 points for "a," 3 points for "b," 2 points
for "c," 1 point for "d," 0 points for
"e," -5 points for "f"
3. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
4. Score 2 points for each "#," 0 points for "no"
5. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
6. Score -5 points for "a" and "b," -10 points
for "c"
7. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
8.a. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. Score 2 points for "yes," 1 point for "no"
c. Score 5 points for "yes," 2 points for "no"
and -3 points for "don't know"
9. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
10.a. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
c. Score 10 points for "yes," 0 points for
"no"
11. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
12. Score 3 points for each "understand." Score -3 points for
each "huh?"
13. Score 3 points for every "yes," 0 points for "no"
14. Score 3 points for each answer below that you got right:
a. hypertext markup language
b. cascading stylesheets
c. Microsoft
d. what you see is what you get
e. portable document format
f. MS document
g. MS document template
h. Internet Service Provider
i. universal resource locator
j. file transfer protocol
k. really simple syndication
l. radio frequency identifier
15. For "a" to "d" score 3 points
each, score -5 for "e"
16.a. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
c. Score -3 for "yes," 0 points for "no"
17. Score 5 points for each "yes," 0 points for "no"
Calculate Your Score for Section II
1. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
2. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
3. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
4. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
5. Score 2 points for each "yes," 0 points
for "no." Score 5 points for correct Bonus answer
6. Score 3 points for each "yes," 0 points for "no."
Score 5 points for correct Bonus answer (600 dpi)
7. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
8. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
9.a. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. Score 4 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
c. Score -5 for "yes," 0 points for "no"
10.a. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. Score 3 points for "E-mail," 5 points
for "HTML"
11.a. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points
for "no"
b. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
12. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
13. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
14. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
15. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
16.a. 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
c. 1 point for "yes," 0 points for "no"
d. -5 for "yes," 0 points for "no"
17. Score 3 points for each "yes," 0 points for "no"
18. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
19.a. Score 3 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
b. Score 2 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
20. Score 5 points for "yes," 0 points for "no"
End Section II
Total all your points.
Interpretation:
250-300: Congrats! You are a bona fide geek! Ever consider Tech Writing?
WooHoo!
175-249: You're good! Check the area(s) you are not quite perfect in. Soon
you'll work your way up to total pocket protector status!
150-174: Not bad, not great. Find your weak spots from your answers, and brush
up on those skills. You'll soon be earning more money!
100-149: You need to spend some quality time alone with your
computer. (Get a lot better acquainted.) Look into some basic
online skills sites, and once you know your greatest area of need, start
there. You'll be up to speed pretty quick!
0-99: Ouch! Bet you've been having trouble getting writing work! Start at
the beginning and work through these answers. Go to some online sites to get
web savvy! Practice your programmes, read up, and you’ll get the hang of it
before you know it. Then start selling some writing!
No matter your results, please feel free to contact the author at jill@jilleliz.com
with any questions, comments, or for assistance.
Stay "tuned"! The Writer's Tech Course will soon be available
through Scribe & Quill!
BIO:
Jill E. Vaile is a freelance photojournalist with a passionate devotion to
electronic rights issues. Her photographic interests range from shooting
beautiful California landscapes to her fave rock bands and her 200-pound Newfy
Companion, Ralphie (who is also the inspiration behind her design company,
NEWFAngled Designs.) Jill writes columns, articles and books on subjects,
including rights, legal issues, tech, gardening, cooking and restaurant
reviews. She is also the Editorial Manager at Moondance.org. Jill can be
contacted at jill@jilleliz.com.
You can see some of her pictures at her galleries http://www.jilleliz.com/Galleries.html.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
FEATURED INTERVIEW
Catching up with Feather Schwartz
Foster, author of " Ladies: A Conjecture of Personalities"
By Bev Walton-Porter (editor@scribequill.com)
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
Experience, coupled with 35 years in advertising and public
relations, equipped author Feather Schwartz Foster with the right talent and
experience when time came to write her first book, "Ladies: A Conjecture
of Personalities." A presidential historian of over three decades with an
extensive library spanning over 1,200 books, Feather recently took some time to
share her thoughts on writing with the readers of Scribe & Quill.
Scribe & Quill: When did you decide to become a writer?
Feather Schwartz Foster: I wrote my first song -- music and lyrics
-- when I was around 12. That did it. Writing "prose" didn't start
till much later.
S & Q: Talk about your former career -- how did it prepare you
to become a writer?
FSF: Writing songs is a wonderful preparation for writing anything
else, since it teaches you, above all, economy of words. I became accustomed to
getting the entire thought introduced, stated and concluded in 32-measures. You
cannot have any non-needed thoughts or words when you write a good song. (And
it took a long time until the songs started being good.) I have high standards.
When you transfer that mindset into prose, you can structure whatever you want
to write more easily. Once I get the
skeleton, it is easy to flesh out where I need to expand. My 35 years in
advertising and PR is also helpful vis-à-vis getting to the nub of things
quickly. I think a lot of fledgling
writers have the common problem of writing all over the place and not getting
to the real point they need to make. It takes practice.
S & Q: Name other people who have influenced your
writing.
FSF: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Alan Jay Lerner,
Stephen Sondheim and the late, and sorely missed, Fred Ebb. Those are the
lyricists. I like Gore Vidal's writing immensely -- and Max Byrd. They both are
wonderful with language!
S & Q: Of all the
traits of the successful writer, what's the one thing you must have in order to
reach your goals and succeed?
FSF: Luck helps. Luck helps a lot. So does tenacity. I wish I had
a little more of both.
S & Q: In your book,
"Ladies: A Conjecture of Personalities," your concept was to have the
First Ladies talk to each other through the centuries. Tell us about the
genesis of that idea and how you developed it.
FSF: I am a presidential historian by avocation -- i.e.,
non-academic. I am not a professor. I have, over the past 35 years, amassed a
very large presidential library of more than 1,000 volumes on the individual
presidents, plus another couple of hundred on ancillary subjects, such as
elections, the White House, the presidency, First Ladies, et al. Since my
background is songs -- and in particular, theatre songs -- I naturally planned
to do "Ladies" as a play. Anyone who reads it will immediately agree
with that, of course! It should be a play! Maybe not. I tried for five years to
make it work on stage, but: a) it was nine and a half hours long (a small
drawback); and b) very confusing -- even with nametags. In trying to make it
work as a play, I would have to lose practically all of what I wished to
accomplish: having them talk to each other. All of them. Not just a select few.
After a few readings, etc., several people told me I ought to write a book.
I'd never written a book before, and my first attempt was as
pitiful as it could be. It was just as confusing. It was boring. And I was
falling all over myself with the "she said this" and "she sat
down" or "she walked to the window." So I gave up. Then, one sleepless night, a
voice came to me. She said she was Lucy Hayes, and I believed her (after all,
why would she lie?). She said, "So when are you going finish the book, Feather?" I said never, because I just spent five years
trying to make it work and it was impossible, and go away and leave me alone.
She said, "We want you to finish the book, dear." And I said,
"If you want it done, do it yourself."
That did it. A few days later, I found myself pen in hand, writing
on the top of a yellow pad, "Lucy Hayes." And I decided that she could write her own
memoirs, so to speak. So the pen started moving, and she started writing -- not
very well; she was a poor writer. Then another voice (who identified herself as
Nellie Taft) said, "Gimme that pen, I can write better than Lucy!" So
she started writing her section. And so on and so on. Pieces of sections,
snippets of conversations, bickering, supporting, having a good time. And
that's how.
S & Q: What is the one obstacle you've had to overcome the
most in order to become the most productive writer you could be?
FSF: Laziness. And I haven't succeeded very well either.
S & Q: What's the most important lesson you've learned so far
in your writing career?
FSF: People read what they like to read. Not everybody is
interested in historical fiction -- or presidential history -- or anything of
that nature. Even my closest friends who bought my book haven't read it. They
like science fiction or murder mysteries or some such. So I write what I like,
and hopefully I will find a few others to hop on my train.
S & Q: Tell our readers about "Garfield's Train,"
due to be published soon, as well as your forthcoming E-book.
FSF: President Garfield was assassinated in 1881, after only six months
in office, three of which were spent dying. He died in Long Branch, NJ, and
when they brought him to the Shore (in was the heat of summer), the entire town
helped to build a railroad spur of 3/4 mile between the train station and the
house where he was staying. I thought it would be a great story! I originally
intended to do a serious piece of history writing, but there was very little
record about the actual night the town came together. So I invented a fictional
family to interact with the historical characters and hoped that I gave a
pretty good movie-in-the-mind of what went on in the glory days of Long Branch.
I think people will find it an engaging read.
S & Q: Anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
FSF: Read voraciously. Choose your words sparingly. And keep at
it!
S & Q: Thank you for taking the time to speak with the readers
of Scribe & Quill. I know they will appreciate it.
FSF: Thanks for asking me!
For more information on Feather, or to find out more about her
books, please visit http://www.authorsden.com/featherschwartzfoster.
BIO:
Bev Walton-Porter is a Colorado-based
freelance writer who has had hundreds of columns, articles and reviews featured
in numerous publications, both online and offline, since she began freelancing
full-time in May 1997. She is the co-author of "The Complete Writer: A
Guide to Tapping Your Full Potential" (Red Engine Press, August 2005) and
the author of "Sun Signs for Writers" (Writer's Digest Books, August
2006).
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
FEATURED FICTION COLUMN
Civil War
By Rick Chiantaretto (rick@facadeofshadows.com)
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
Dig, dig, dig. It was the
only thing on his mind. Dig, dig, dig. It consumed him; the memory of the
horrible thing he had done pounding mercilessly in his head. It hurt so badly.
He was a sergeant! How could he do this to a private in his company, even if he
was a secesh? Dig, dig, dig. Lousy confederate sympathizer.
He remembered the day well, his
company perfectly in position, ready to attack the confederate graybacks. He
gave the order, and his soldiers charged!
All except one.
Private Adams remained motionless.
His face had a blank expression that wasn't fear or pride. He flicked a lit
cigarette into the grass, then stood frozen, standing with his lips pressed
together in a smug smile. They had an argument later that night -- a fistfight,
really. The sergeant beat the mudsill until his shoddy was soaked with blood.
That was one of the voices in his head…he could still hear Private Adams
scream. Adams claimed it was respect for human life that stopped him from
charging. The battle was lost that day, and although Adams was only one man
amongst many who caused the loss, the sergeant blamed none other.
Dig, dig, dig. He had to make sure
Adams was really dead. Two weeks he had searched for his grave, two weeks he
had lived with Adams's screams in his head. Adams had plagued more than his
dreams. The sergeant would see him looking in the windows at his office and
behind him in his reflection in the mirror. He had to shut him up! Now he
finally found his grave: number A-170 at the Fort Snelling cemetery in Minnesota.
He didn't doubt Adams's death, but he had to see for himself. Searching --
being totally reclusive for two weeks -- caused a stir among the officers; they
began to question what he was looking for. Now it wouldn't matter that he had
been AWOL for the last few days, let the consequences fall where they may. He
had found what he was looking for.
A full moon had risen high into the
sky, causing shadows from the grave markers to stretch across the cold dirt.
“We finally found him, Maibe!” the sergeant gloated, glancing down into the
eyes of his trusted companion, not slowing the digging.
The red-haired Labrador just wagged
her tail and licked her chops while beads of sweat dripped from her master's
forehead. She was deftly trained, ready to do her job on her master's command.
She waited patiently, knowing full well that her time would come. Maibe knew
what to do. She yapped playfully, acknowledging her master.
The moon became darkened as a soft
cloud obscured it. Eerie mist crawled along the ground. The trees whispered
their secrets to each other in the wind while the night grew darker under a
blackened sky.
“We'll take care of it, Sergeant,”
he remembered his two trusted confidants saying -- not even he would dare to do
something like this alone. It had to look like an accident, and with Private
Adams being so bruised from the night before, his murder had to be taken care
of quickly. The Sergeant could trust those two to take care of his problem;
they were the type of men that liked devising new ways to murder. Guys like
that came in handy from time to time.
“Make sure you do,” was his
response. He didn't know what they were going to do, and he didn't want to know
where they were going to do it. He didn't want to care…until the deed was done.
The sergeant tried to justify it to himself. War is a justifiable cause, and
after beating Private Adams he had to lock him away so no one would know. If a
general found out that he had lost his temper, he would lose his status. It had
to be done.
Private Adams disappeared, and even
the sergeant didn't know to where he had vanished. Then the pounding started.
Why? Because he knew Adams was dead. Should he feel guilty? No. He didn't; he
wouldn't; his pride wouldn't let him. The pounding continued to grow intensely
until tonight when he could hear nothing else. Even when his trusted dog
yelped, the sergeant didn't hear it. All he heard was death. All he heard was
Private Adams screaming death!
So he frantically scoured paperwork, trained
his dog and searched cemeteries. Finally, after two weeks of constant hunting
amongst the pounding "death, death, death," he found him! Dig, dig,
dig. He knew he could end the pounding. He had a plan to make the pounding
stop, even if he had to beat Adams until his spirit felt it in the afterlife!
The sergeant had visited someone
earlier that week, an old friend, someone who he could trust with this kind of
matter. He asked her how to get a spirit to cross over that didn't want to --
how to force them.
Dig, dig, clunk! He let out an
audible sigh of respite. By this time his blacker-than-night hair clung to his
forehead, wet with the sweat that continuously poured down his face. His hands were
coarse, blistered by the shovel handle, and splinters of wood had chewed his
hands to the point of drawing blood. He didn't feel the pain in his hands; the
constant thumping in his head numbed them.
He tapped the shovel in a few
different places, satisfied to hear, “thump, thump, thump.” A slight grin curled his lips, and after just
a moment of hesitation, he dropped to his knees and began excitedly brushing
the remaining soil off of the plain pine box.
The night fog crept into the freshly dug hole, reaching its smoky
tentacles to aid the sergeant. Its icy fingers touched his hands, like a soul
with no body, lost and confused.
Private Adams wasn't lost, wasn't
confused. The sergeant knew Adams was plotting against him, trying to drive him
to insanity. What a beast! What a horrid person. What a man too much like
himself.
The pine box coffin was now fully
exposed. It glowed almost white under the gloomy moonlight. The sergeant lit a
small lantern, the kind with only one window that directed the light. He
examined the surface of the coffin carefully. “A-170,” he read aloud. That was
all that was carved into the wood. “Is it you in there?” the sergeant scoffed,
knocking on the coffin surface. He waited, halfway expecting a knock in
response, but heard none.
The twisted trees seemed to bend
over and peer into the open grave as the sergeant pulled a large knife from his
tall boot. He tapped the blade on the
edge of the box a few times, as if pensively deciding whether or not he should
open the lid. A blank look crossed his face as he glanced wildly around him.
“See that, Maibe? We're all alone, right?”
The dog stood, and wagged her tail
frantically with excitement.
In almost a stabbing motion the
sergeant thrust the knife under the wooden lid. Using his weight he pried the
lid upward. The nails holding down the
lid shrieked under the pressure of being disturbed, while the box seemed to
breathe in the fresh air with a deep swoosh.
The sergeant shined the light into the
coffin, partially choking on the smell of rotting flesh that begun to permeate
the air.
The body looked familiar, even with
the flesh rotting off in chunks. It had to be Adams's twisted body in the box.
His legs were dislocated at the knees. Ominously haunting, his eyes were still
open, now dry, shriveled, and as cloudy as the sergeant's judgment. A clearly
broken jaw hung loosely from Adam's swollen face, and the cold flesh on his
cheek hung limply in chunks. His face appeared twisted in horror, no doubt
frozen from the moment of his death. The sergeant chuckled slightly, happy that
this soldier's last memory was of two brutes murdering him.
“Do you know the grief you have
caused me, Adams?” the sergeant asked, looking at the tip of his knife in the
moonlight. He tapped it lightly on his
temple, feeling its cold point. “Do you know what it feels like!?” he cried,
slamming the knife through the dead body's head. “That's what it feels like.”
The body only twitched in response.
The sergeant whimpered. Using one
hand to brace the head, he pulled the knife from the skull with the other.
Then, after closing the lid of the coffin quietly, he began almost nonchalantly
chipping a shape deeply into the wood. It was something she had taught him: a
symbol, a banishment. “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” was all he could say while
he carved the pentagram. When he finished he pulled a crumpled paper from his
deep pocket. On it was a scrawled incantation she had given him. He wasn't sure
he'd need it, but he was going to try. He placed his hand on the center of the
carved pentagram and recited:
“Ashes to ashes, dust
to dust
On the power of three I
call
Take this spirit, seal
his fate
Away with him and all
his hate.
Darkness leave! Darkness fall!
In the gods I place my
trust.”
With a cry and a quick flash, the
sergeant slashed the knife through his own flesh. He yelped in pain, his dog
barked, and blood began to fill the fissures of the pentagram, outlining it in
ghoulish red. As the streams of blood completed staining the pentagram, the
throbbing in his head ceased, and momentarily, he felt the pain from the blade
still buried in his flesh.
The sergeant cried with joy,
“Silence, Maibe! Sweet silence!”
But no. It started softly at first,
lower than a whisper, "Death, death, death."
“No,” the sergeant cursed, slapping
his bloody hand to his forehead. “It's returning. We'll need the sacrifice.”
The dog slumped, as if knowing what
her master had said.
The sergeant threw open the lid and
started stabbing the body, screaming “Shut up, shut up! You secesh! You secesh!
Why won't you be silent?”
In the coffin now, straddling the
body, the sergeant continued his assault. By the time he had grown tired, his
face was red with blood, and his own clothes stained. He reached for the shovel
and placed it next to the coffin. After returning the knife to his boot, he
picked up the lantern again, turning its light to the face of Adams. “I'll
silence you one way or another.”
Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice.
“Maibe,” he said, sounding slightly
pleasant, “you know what to do.”
The dog jumped down into the grave
and bumped her wet nose kindly against her master. The sergeant unbuckled the
dog's collar and kissed her lightly on the head. “You're a good girl. I'll just
put your collar here in the coffin so they'll never find it.”
Then the sergeant put his plan into
motion: He laid down in the coffin and slid the cover over him. The dog jumped
out of the grave and went to the pile of dirt that had been created when the
sergeant started digging. The sergeant was soon listening to the sound of soft
dirt raining down on the coffin. Maibe worked frantically as she had been
trained to do. The exercise was always the same: dig, dig, dig.
When the sergeant could no longer
hear the dirt burying him, he tried pushing up on the lid to see if he could
get it to budge. He was surprised at the
speed of his wonderful dog; he was unable to push open the cover. After getting
used to the smell of the rotting Private Adams, the fresh scent of newly turned
dirt filled the coffin, and the sergeant began to relax. It would all be over
soon.
He turned the lantern toward the
body, and was startled to find Private Adams on his side, one arm propping up
his head, his eyes staring deeply into the sergeant's. “You know, I find it
interesting,” he said, “that you would really think I'd waste my time haunting
a man such as yourself.”
An uneasy feeling collected into
the pit of the sergeant's stomach, but the lack of oxygen clouded his mind.
“Shut up!”
“Just look at you now,” the private
continued with the sinews of his jaw half hanging out of his mouth, “sharing my
coffin.”
“You drove me to it!”
Adams laughed. “This is your civil
war.”
The sergeant's jaw tightened as his
eyes became wild with fury.
“Having second thoughts?” the body
asked. “Let me out, let me out,” he mocked.
“I'll defeat you!”
“In death?”
“That's what you wanted!”
“Then…I have won.”
"Death, death, death!"
“No!” the sergeant screamed,
thrashing about. “Maibe! Let me out! Maibe!”
The lantern rolled toward the
bottom of the coffin where the sergeant was unable to reach it. His body grew
tense as he saw it tip over, rolling toward his feet. The light grew dimmer. He
watched it flicker in utter dread.
The sergeant's eyes grew large….
“You're finished. Just like that
light, your life is growing dimmer….”
…then they became heavy…
“…dimmer…”
…then they glowed for a moment as
the lantern's flame danced off the wick.
“…and is gone.”
Maibe's large brown eyes surveyed
her surroundings. The large iron rod fence that surrounded the graveyard cast
prison stripes across her back. Her feet were swathed in mud, but she had done
her job. The freshly dug grave would appear as nothing more than a stray dog's
night of fun. She just had to wait for her master to come and get her. She
didn't know that this time, he would never come.
She licked her chops
and whined quietly to herself as a gloved hand patted her lightly on the head.
A man whose bruised face looked grotesque in the pale moonlight flicked a lit
cigarette into the grass, pressed his lips together in a smug smile and turned
to walk away.
BIO:
Rick Chiantaretto is a student at Weber State University where he is
studying computer science and English. His first book of fiction, "Façade
of Shadows" (a novel about vampires and Egyptian legend) has landed him a
publishing contract with American Book Publishing. He is a writer of horror and
dark fantasy, with a flair for satire. Rick is a native of West Valley City,
Utah and hopes for a career in computer security, that is, if he doesn't become
a best-selling author first. Rick can be reached at his Web site
http://www.facadeofshadows.com, or by e-mail at rick@facadeofshadows.com.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
FEATURED FICTION
Be Careful What You Fish For
By Matt Sinovic (sinovic@gmail.com)
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
When the winter chill freezes a
lake's top layer it presents a misleading image. The frozen sheet of ice helps
us forget what lies beneath -- a body of water teeming with life. Above the
ice, the lake appears completely calm and serene. Below the ice fish live and
thrive under their wintry protection. They are protected from mankind by a
sheet of ice as well as their senses. Some of them have sense enough to avoid
farcical bait in favor of real food. Most do not, however, and the ones who
don't are forced to become a meal or reside in perpetuity above a mantle or on
a wall.
Those fish
bothered other animals in Canada, where it seemed the fishermen grew in numbers
every year, in direct contrast with the number of fish. Fishermen who ate for
survival seemed few and far between. This past winter had been particularly
difficult for flocks of penguins in northwest Canada...
"Hey,
whatcha doin'?" asked the web-footed creature sitting next to him.
"Just
fishing around, gonna see if anything bites, you know?" His Canadian
accent echoed for miles around, as the only two in the vicinity were him and
this creature suddenly speaking to him. "You get a chance to fish
much?"
The penguin
shook his head, disgusted by the ignorance this man displayed. He killed for a
show of bravado. For the penguin, killing served the purpose of survival. This
hunter could never understand. He killed for pleasure without purpose.
"Not as
much as I'd like," replied the penguin with a hint of sadness in his
voice.
"That's a
shame."
"It really is. My family depended on me
and now we don't have anything to eat, I..."
"You're one
of those homeless penguins," the man interrupted. "I've heard about
you."
The twenty-four
hour news cycle and journalistic gibberish bombarding society had not ignored
the plight of penguins in northwest Canada. Numerous accounts were rehashed,
some with families in more dire situations than this penguin. The man felt a
twinge of sadness looking at what he believed to be his new friend and almost
wanted to help him.
"Unfortunately, yes, my family is still in the Yukon, while I'm
going out in search of a better place for us to live."
A better place
to live! Nearly any place would be better than the freezing cold of the western
Yukon. Ethel Lake seemed ideal, but was overrun with men like this, whose food
trophies would be the end of penguins in Canada and all over the world.
"That's too
bad."
His attention
turned quickly from the talking penguin to the fish nibbling on the end of his
line.
"Whoa! Hey!
Here we gooo... Watch this little buddy; this one's a whopper; I can feel it!
He's gonna look great on my wall!"
The temperature
was seventeen below zero; the ice was as cold as it had ever been. But inside,
the penguin's blood began to boil. He just stood there with his beak clenched
as the man ripped the fish out of the bosom of the lake, ready to mount it as a
monument to his tremendously wasteful nature. There would be no shortage of
food, concluded the penguin, if men like this could be stopped.
"Yeah, way
to go!" faked the penguin. "You got a great one there. You need any
help with that?"
"Well,
sure, I was actually just headed back to my cabin. Do you have a place to stay
for the night?"
"Actually I
don't, but that's nothing for you to worry about, I can always... "
"...You can
always stay with me," the man said as he cut the penguin off. "It
would be my pleasure."
The penguin's beak curled up in a smile
for the first time in a long while, and he went with the man back to his house.
The truck ride home was a long one, giving the world's strangest duo more time
to learn about one another. Although the penguin could see just one image while
looking at the fisherman, there was the possibility his new companion could
help him. If he could, penguins had the chance to survive and prosper more than
ever before. He would be remembered as the savior of the penguins, be honored
long after his death, even...
"...so you
wanna stop and get something to eat, or what?"
The man was
simply too rude for his own good. There was no way the penguin could be
expected to tolerate his incessant interruptions any longer. He wanted this
man's help, but not at the cost of having to put up with his ignorant jabber.
The penguin was forced to subdue his rage as they pulled up to the man's cabin.
"Well, here
we are. You're a quiet one, aren't you?" The man dumbly asked the penguin.
"Just
tired," he responded, "ready to get some sleep so I can continue my
search tomorrow."
"Well, you
just stay here as long as you like," the man offered as the two walked up
the path to his front door. "As far as I'm concerned you're my guest of
honor."
"I think I
will," smiled the penguin. "I think I will."
The man opened
the door and fumbled for the light switch. The penguin walked in and, when the
room brightened, stood aghast at what he saw.
"Ain't they
pretty?" The man asked, digging his own grave. "They're my pride and
joy, caught each one of 'em myself. Some here, some up at Ethel. You been up
there?"
The penguin's
head was spinning, his stomach doing somersaults at the horrible sight
surrounding, even taunting him: This man's -- no, this murderer's -- cabin
walls were covered from top to bottom with food. Some of the most gigantic,
delicious dinners had come to their miserable ends at the hands of this savage.
After gaining his bearings and corralling his queasiness, the penguin realized
he had been asked a question.
"I'm sorry,
what was that?"
"I asked if
you had ever been to Ethel Lake," the man said, not too keen on repeating himself.
"Hey, are you feeling all right?
You look kind of pale all of a sudden."
"I'm fine,
I'm fine," replied the penguin. "I just haven't had anything to eat
in days, and yes, I have been to Ethel Lake. It's beautiful country up
there."
"Where are my manners? I didn't
offer you anything to eat here, now did I? Let me fix you something right
up."
Instead of using
common sense and giving this wild creature his recently caught fresh fish, the
man went straight for his freezer and proudly wrestled open a package of frozen
microwaveable burritos for the two to devour. He smiled as he gave the
processed food on a paper plate to his friend of the wild, who looked
quizzically at one of man's oddest creations.
"You're not
hungry?" asked the man. "I thought you said you wanted something to
eat."
"I must
have lost my appetite," said the penguin as he turned away from the half
burned, half frozen burrito on his plate. "I think I will just go to
bed."
"Well, suit yourself. My bedroom's
right in there if you need anything," the man said as he opened a door.
"Just make yourself comfortable."
Night moved
swiftly. Frosty weather entrenched itself in the man's log cabin and even
further within the penguin. His shivers turned to twitches, which developed
into full body movements jerking him awake in the darkest hours of the morning.
He looked around, into the vacant eyes of those who had gone before him. They
had been less lucky, less intelligent, but no more deserving of their
unfortunate fate than he would be. Those animals just chose a different path,
he resolved, a path he refused to walk. They refused to take their life into
their own hands. The penguin got up and searched for the fishing equipment he
saw the man using earlier. He rummaged through his toolbox and finally found
the gutting knife. With knife and fishing pole in hand, the penguin went into
the man's bedroom full of hope for his family's future.
As he waddled up
to the bed, the man jolted awake in a cold sweat.
"What, uh,
what are you doing with those?" he stammered through what he hoped weren't
the last words of his life.
"Could you
show me how to use these?" asked the penguin. "That would help my
family a lot."
"Oh,
definitely!" blurted the man, relieved. "I sure can. Let me get my
shoes on. Is that all you wanted?"
The penguin's
eyes were as black as the frozen night. The bitter frost had slithered its way
to the depths of his being. He curled his beak in an evil smile.
"No,"
the penguin said, as he stabbed the man dead with his own knife.
BIO:
Matt Sinovic is a
student at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He was honored as one of 50
semifinalists in the "Speak out for the Future" speechwriting
competition out of over 1,100 participants. In addition, Matt is the founder
and editor of http://www.PoliticsKS.net.
He can be reached at sinovic@gmail.com.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
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Submissions are now being sought for two
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Submission Deadline: October 1, 2005
Note: Deadlines are sometimes extended.
Additional volumes (themes to be determined) are planned.
Stories must be original (not derived from
another published work), true, positive, in English and 1000-2000 words. Open
to aspiring, unpublished and published writers.
Payment:
One $500 grand prize per book; $100 each, all other published stories,
plus copy of book.
Guidelines: http://www.cupofcomfort.com
(click on "Share Your Story"),
or email request to cupofcomfort@adamsmedia.com.
A Cup of Comfort is published by Adams
Media, an F+W Publications Company, and edited by Colleen Sell (wordsinger@aol.com).
~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
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* Length of 60,000--125,000 words
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* Submission fee may be paid
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* Hard copy submissions must be bound.
Send hard copy manuscripts to Acquisitions Editor, Red Engine Press,
* Include name, address, telephone number
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BOOK REVIEWS
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
RATING LEGEND:
**** Quills = Excellent
*** Quills = Good
** Quills = Fair
* Quills = Poor
~~**~~**~~**
"The Skeleton
Man"
Author: Tony
Hillerman
Reviewer: Judith
Woolcock Colombo (judithcolombo@hotmail.com)
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Adult,
Fiction, Hardcover, 241 Pages, 2004, $25.95
ISBN: 0060563443
Rating: * * * *
Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0060563443
In 1976, I went to
the Brooklyn Museum to see an exhibition of American Landscape Art. This show
was part of the country’s bicentennial celebration of America’s birth as an
independent nation. I was struck by the compelling beauty of many of the
paintings; especially those depicting the majestic mountains, sun-swept valleys
and plateaus, and deep canyons of the Southwest. My interest in the beauty of
the Southwest was again awakened while reading Tony Hillerman's latest mystery.
Skeleton Man is not only a good story, but it is also a tour through one of
Southwest's most spectacular landscapes: the Grand Canyon.
The novel opens in
the Navajo Inn diner. Retired Navajo Tribal Police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is
narrating his latest post-retirement adventure to Captain Pinto and some of his
other friends over coffee. Leaphorn tells of coming out of retirement to help
investigate what he thinks is a simple trading post robbery. Billy Tuve, a
simpleminded young man, is blamed for the crime in which the store operator was
killed and some jewelry stolen. Billy becomes a suspect in the robbery when he
tries to sell a diamond worth thousands for twenty dollars. Billy insists that
he did not commit the robbery; an old man, who lives at the bottom of the Grand
Canyon, gave him the diamond in exchange for his knife. His cousin, Deputy
Sheriff Cowboy Dashee, asks both Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee for help in
verifying Billy's story. However this undertaking proves far from simple.
Although the boy's
tale seems farfetched, Leaphorn hears a similar story from Shorty McGinnis who
tells the lieutenant that he traded food and a ride in his vehicle through a
snowstorm with a cowboy for a diamond. The cowboy then claims that he swapped
his old knife with an old man who lives in the canyon for the diamond. Further
investigation leads to the discovery of an airplane crash over the canyon fifty
years ago. One of the 172 passengers was a diamond merchant who had an attaché
case filled with diamonds handcuffed to his wrist. This gives credence to
Billy's and the cowboy's stories. Cowboy Dashee, Chee and officer Bernie
Manuelito, Chee's fiancée, set off down the canyon in search of the old man who
gave Billy the diamond. They think that he is a former Hopi priest who is
trying to revive the cult of The Skeleton Man, the Hopi guardian of the
underworld.
Also searching the
canyon is the diamond dealer's illegitimate daughter who hopes to find her
father's body to establish her claim to his fortune. She is being followed by
an unscrupulous man whose task it is to see that she does not succeed even if
he has to kill her. When all the characters converge on the same spot, the Hopi
priest's cave, a furious rainstorm hits the canyon. Who will die, who will live
and who will be brought to justice is no longer in the hands of Sergeant Chee
and his colleagues. That is now being determined by the storm.
This tightly woven
tale moves quickly toward the expected conclusion. Although an enjoyable read,
there were no surprises in this story. This work’s true power lies in its
silent hero, the Grand Canyon. Hillerman infuses life into this landscape by
painting a picture of a harsh and unrelenting land, beautiful but treacherous
at the same time. In the end, it is the terrain of this land and nature’s
temperament that determines the outcome of the story.
BIO:
Judith Woolcock Colombo is the author of "The Fablesinger"
and "Night Crimes." For more information and sample chapters, visit
her web site at http://odin.prohosting.com/~night01,
or send her e-mail at judithcolombo@hotmail.com.
~~**~~**~~**
"Song of
Susannah" (The Dark Tower Book 6)
Author: Stephen
King
Reviewer: Judith
Woolcock Colombo (judithcolombo@hotmail.com)
Publisher:
Scribner
Format: Adult,
Fiction, Hardcover, 432 Pages, 2004, $30
ISBN: 1880418592
Rating: * * * *
Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1880418592/scriquil
One of the things
that writers, such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Octavia Butler and Stephen King, have
proven is that if you write a good series and create a world that is enticing
with characters that an audience can identify with, readers will look forward
to the next installment. In his "The Dark Tower" series, Stephen King
created such a world, a magical place where the gunslingers Ronald, Eddie,
Susannah and Jake travel through doors to different earths and different whens
all in an effort to reach The Dark Tower and save the earths.
"Song of
Susannah," the sixth book in the series, although not as good as its
predecessor, is well written and held my attention. It begins where "Wolves of The
Calla" left off. Susannah Dean, under the influence of Mia, the
demon-mother who possesses her, has used one of the magical doors to travel to
the when of 1999 New York City. Ronald, the leader of the gunslingers, Eddie
Susannah’s husband, Jake, Father Callahan and Jake’s pet, the billy-bumbler,
all enlist the help of the Manni, a mystical brotherhood who travel between
whens, to go after Susannah.
Trapped in 1999
New York, Susannah tries to delay the birth of Mia’s son and to leave behind as
many messages as she can for her rescuers. In the mean time, Mia leads Susannah
towards the Dixie Pig and the henchmen of the Crimson King.
Although all the
gunslingers intended to follow Susannah, only Father Callahan, Jake and
billy-bumbler Oy are transported to 1999 New York City. There they quickly
follow clues left for them to track Susannah down and rescue her. Meanwhile
Ronald and Eddie end up in 1977 Maine in search of bookstore owner Calvin
Tower. Before they reach Tower, they engage in a gun battle with the mobster
Enrico Balazar and his gang, who are also looking for Tower. After their
business with Calvin Tower is completed, Eddie and Ronald have an interesting
encounter with the author Stephen King, who is at first scared speechless when
one of his creations turns up on his doorstep.
“Song of Susannah”
was interesting and at times exciting. Despite its length, it was an easy read.
I thought that Susannah came into her own in this book. (It’s about time.) She
is finally learning to come to terms with her split personality and to use the
different personas that inhabit her to her advantage. I also found Mia, mother
of one and daughter of none, a sympathetic if pitiable character. The
characters of Eddie and Jake are also more developed than before. They have
become gunslingers in their own right.
Although this book
is well worth reading, I did find Stephen King’s role in the story
disconcerting. By placing himself in the novel as the creator, he destroyed the
suspension of belief we all enter into willingly when reading a fantasy novel.
We all know that King wrote the series, but to have him in the story as the
progenitor of the world robs the characters of their integrity. We are
hard-pressed to see them as anything else but puppets. However, King has one
more chance to rectify this in the final book of “The Dark Tower” series.
~~**~~**~~**
"Snowed In With
Grandmother Silk"
Author: Carol
Fenner
Reviewer: Ilona
Hegedus (fairylona@yahoo.co.uk)
Publisher: Puffin
Books
Format: Children,
Fiction, Paperback, 80 Pages, 2005, $6.99
ISBN: 0142404721
Rating: * * * *
Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0142404721/scriquil
Carol Fenner is
the author of many popular children's books, including "Tigers in the
Cellar"; "Gorilla, Gorilla"; "The Skates of Uncle
Richard"; "Randall's Wall" and many others. She is a talented
teacher, writer and journalist who is also well-known as an illustrator.
"Snowed In
With Grandmother Silk" is the seemingly boring story of a little boy Rudy,
who has to spend ten days with his
grandmother and is not very happy about it. Though the cook is always kind to
him, he does not like to be there, as all his grandmother seems to care
about is being extremely well-dressed,
wearing high-heeled shoes and looking perfect. She does not like the noise made
by him, and she has rather old-fashioned views on many things. In her house,
Rudy is deprived of all forms of entertainment except for reading, because this
is a place where even the television is rarely used. Suddenly, a blizzard cuts
them off from the outside world. It's only the two of them in the house now,
and they are forced to pay attention to each other and get to know each other.
In the end, both think of this period as a happy one.
Carol Fenner's
book is for small children. It is easy to read, and the style used is very
enjoyable. The main merit of the book is that it teaces respect for the
elderly, even though the generation gap is so big that it often makes
communication difficult. The writer firmly believes that by spending some time
together and paying attention to each other, it is possible to bridge the gap,
and by doing so, the main characters also stop being strangers to each other.
She also points out that not knowing today's new technologies does not make old
people less intelligent; what's more, we can all learn a lot from them.
The writer uses a
country setting -- the discovery of which is a special experience for both the
main character and the reader. Parents may find it embarrassing that the
grandmother is so well-off that she can afford to have a cook and a driver.
"Snowed In
With Grandmother Silk" is a well-written and nicely illustrated book for
today's children with today's problems. It is a good read for girls and boys
alike.
BIO:
Ilona Hegedus (fairylona@yahoo.co.uk)
is a young Hungarian writer and translator, writing mainly Science Fiction,
Fantasy and Horror. Visit her on the web at http://ilonahegedus.topcitiescom.
~~**~~**~~**
"Over 100 FAQs Women Asked About
Writing"
Editors: Angel Brown and Sheri
McConnell
Reviewer: Carolyn
Howard-Johnson (hojonews@aol.com)
Publisher: National Association of Women
Writers (NAWW)
Format: Adult, Nonfiction, Paperback,
200 Pages, 2005, $12.95
ISBN: 0971477531
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.naww.org/generic110.html
A compilation of the
questions asked by writers who belong to the National Association of Women
Writers, "Over 100 FAQs Women Asked About Writing" is a good book for beginning writers to
brush up on publishing, promoting and writing issues.
The question and answer format of the book
a la "Dear Abby," is meant to give an overview of the
basics of writing, such as defining genres and choosing a point of
view. The chapter covering making money as a writer offers hope and practical
advice. I found that the chapter on the business side of writing addressed
subjects seldom seen in articles on the web, or in books for writers. As you
would expect from an author who has a book on promotion of her own, I found the
answers to questions in that section sketchy and suspect they will not satisfy
readers. What the book will do, is at least introduce new authors to
the fact that they must learn to promote if they expect their
book to be successful. In fact, they must learn to market, if they
are to make that first sale to an agent or a publisher.
Think of this book as the perfect gift for
the beginning writer. The advice provided by NAWW regulars, Patricia Fry and
Shirley Jump, will give beginners the jolt they need to succeed. From there,
they will want to explore the big, wide universe of publishing with books that
go into more depth; they may also decide to join this organization for the
support they need on the new path they have chosen.
BIO:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the
award-winning author of "This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of
Stories Remembered." Her
poems and short stories appear frequently in literary journals and
anthologies. "The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher
Won't" is the winner of USA Book News' "Best Professional Book
2004" and is stuffed full of practical, success-driving advice for
writers. Learn more at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.com.
~~**~~**~~**
"Rich Dad's Escape from the Rat Race: How to Become a Rich
Kid by Following Rich Dad's Advice"
Authors: Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter with Rantz
Hoseley (Illustrator)
Reviewer: Carolyn Howard-Johnson (hojoreviews@aol.com)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Format: Children, Fiction, Paperback, 64 Pages, 2005, $9.99
ISBN: 0316000477
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0316000477/scriquil
With all the hullabaloo over graphic novels, the idea of a comic
book for kids has been relegated to the equivalent of "no news at
all." "Rich Dad's Escape from the Rat Race" is about to change
that. How can it not? Here is a revival of comic book kitsch put to good, solid
(but still entertaining) use.
Robert T. Kiyosaki has written a New York Times Bestseller before.
With that kind of fanfare, this one is sure to follow. With Sharon L. Lechter,
he presents the kind of financial wisdom that goes way beyond, "Take care
of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves" that most of
us were raised on. He introduces terms that some children never hear until they
take their first economics class and shows -- pictorially, of course -- how a
youngster can put the concepts they represent immediately to work. For good
measure, he also throws in a couple of subtle lessons on values and ethics.
The story is illustrated in two different styles. I prefer the one
that looks vaguely like a Tim Allen movie -- artistic washes and subtle tones.
I wasn't as taken with the brightly colored character segments. They were a
little too Ninja Turtleish for me. But, I am sure, kids will love them and more
importantly -- for the parents, at least -- the kids are sure to absorb some
sound ideas about ensuring their own financial futures.
This book is one of a series of books that teaches children about
money, including "Cashflow for Kids"; "Cashflow 101" and
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens."
~~**~~**~~**
"Highway Hypodermics: Your Road Map to Travel Nursing"
Author: Epstein LaRue
Reviewer: Carolyn Howard-Johnson (hojoreviews@aol.com)
Publisher: Star Publish
Format: Adult, Nonfiction, Paperback, 148 Pages, 2005, $22.77
ISBN: 1932993169
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1932993169/scriquil
"Highway Hypodermics" by Epstein LaRue may be a
one-of-a-kind book. That is a rarity but apparently true. After a search on
Amazon and a couple of other online bookstores, I found nothing on the subject
of making "nursing-on-wheels" a career.
LaRue says she wrote this book so that a professional nurse
"can make an informed decision about [...] career change into travel
nursing." But "Highway Hypodermics" will also be valuable for anyone considering a
nursing career of any kind, for LaRue doesn't mince words. She tells all she
knows about the distractions, difficulties and benefits of becoming any kind of
a nurse, as well as fully informing readers about a nursing niche that few
others could tell them about.
LaRue's strength is twofold.
She speaks from experience -- lots of it -- and she speaks in a casual,
straight-from-the-heart voice with impeccable honesty. My favorite chapters are
those in which she reveals her own journals. By doing so, she opens a window
into her world -- both personal and her chosen career. We often look to memoirs
to learn more about ourselves; perhaps all those considering nursing will find
it an advantage to do that before they choose this difficult but rewarding
field. By combining this mirror into her life with a how-to book, LaRue offers
up a nursing guide like no other.
~~**~~**~~**
"The Demon Plague"
Author: Joreid McFate
Reviewer: Rita Porter (beepmybeep2@mchsi.com)
Publisher: Zumaya Publications
Format: Adult, Fiction, Paperback, 42 Pages, 2001, $17.95
ISBN: 0970486863
Rating: * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0970486863/scriquil
Reporter Crystal Donovan hears a loud boom and heads out to explore the
cause, hoping to beat all the other reporters with being the first to report
the story. Unknown to her, she is swept up into a situation that crosses
timelines and bounds of believability. Rescuing a man she believes to be a
witness from the explosion, Baron Kane, she takes him to the emergency room and
then home with her, hoping to get the scoop from him. Crystal’s life is set on
a path of total confusion and life-threatening circumstances, when Kane asks
her to help him locate his lost wrist ornament that seems to be a scuba watch.
With the loss of an old family friend, Ba Tuti shows up on Crystal’s
doorstep, saying that her aunt sent her. She claims to know things that her
family had taught her since her birth to ready her to help Crystal, such as how
she is the moon and Crystal is the star. Both must stay together, help fight
the evil and safely keep the crystal that Crystal’s grandmother left to her.
Both have a certain style of birthmark marking them as the ones to inherit the
responsibilities.
Being chased by a demon of sorts and cops, and not knowing whom to
trust, leaves Crystal and Ba Tuti pretty much on their own, with only the aid
of
With a small cast of main characters and very few minor ones, the
characters are overall well-scripted. Crystal’s character is well-written, with
believable traits for one with a mystical side. Ba Tuti was all together
different, and with a lot left unsaid about this character, the reader is
somewhat left thinking that at times she is not all together there. Kane
confuses the reader at first, which is a basic ploy of some writers keep the
reader guessing as to which is which.
While Joreid McFate has written a science fiction story here, it is a
very quick paced and not overly descriptive to drown out the whole theme of the
story. With a twist near the end of the book that could confuse readers, McFate
has done a good job with the switch up. Simple wording makes for an easy read,
with an easy plot to follow.
~~**~~**~~**
"Snap Me A Future"
Author: Connie Gotsch
Reviewer: Rita Porter (beepmybeep2@mchsi.com)
Publisher: DLSIJ Press
Format: Adult, Fiction, E-book, 278 Pages, 2004, $6.85
ISBN: 1932014144
Rating: * * * Quills
http://www.dlsijpress.com/all_ebooks.shtml
Being a reporter, even one who just writes society and art fest
pieces, is not always as simple as it looks to an outsider. First you have
interns to look after, and once in a while, you have to deal with those who
slip through the cracks and are not good at their chosen career choice, not to
mention, bosses who feel they own you.
Making the decision to change employers, Shelby McCoy has managed
to make a few unknown enemies in the process. Life as Shelby knew it is taking
a curve ball, throwing off vibes in every direction, personally and otherwise.
Her long time fascination with Benjamin Keith is finally starting to look up.
The new job is giving into her need to be a true journalist and not just a
fluff writer.
With the break-ins happening at Kirby Towers, an archaeology site,
Shelby is drawn in to reporting and breaking the story just by happening upon
key elements. Someone starts warning her off; vandals hit her house, steal her
dog, and in general, terrorize Shelby. While repairs are being done to her
house, Shelby moves in with Benjamin Keith, and their relationship grows.
The combination of characters works well with each other, lending
strength where one might have been lacking, enabling the strength of each to
show through, and connecting like a well-knitted community. Not all is rosy
perfect though; each character has its faults, which leave the reader without
the total loss of reality.
Connie Gotsch has written a very good
mystery, and does not away the whole whodunit too soon so that the reader does
not get bored early on. "Snap Me a Future" is full of intrigue and
mystery, not just in the basic overall plot, but the many minor
inter-relationship ones -- things most of us deal with on a daily basis -- that
help make this a moving book.
~~**~~**~~**
"Once Burned"
Author: Jackie Griffey
Reviewer: Rita Porter (beepmybeep2@mchsi.com)
Publisher: Zumaya Publications
Format: Adult, Fiction, Paperback, 213 Pages, 2005, $22
ISBN: 1554101301
Rating: * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1554101301/scriquil
Chris Lovell stares at the most gorgeous man she has ever seen,
then runs away. Betrayal by men, which started when her father left her mom and
her, has hurt her to the point of being afraid of any depth of feeling for the
opposite sex. She works for a small insurance claim company owned by friends
working to help settle claims sent out by bigger companies.
She finds that playing hide-and-seek with Mr. Handsome causes her
anxiety level to grow. Having never thought to run across this man at work, she
is shocked beyond belief when she comes face to face with Richard Duffle while
working on a fire claim -- the same man whom she has run from and gone out of
her way to avoid at all costs. Getting to know one another during the
investigation and finding out that Richard seems to be as good as he appears,
scares Chris.
When things start looking like insurance fraud, Chris jumps to
conclusions, running away once again without confronting the issues. Taking her
boss up on the offer of fieldwork, she leaves town to help out during the busy
season.
Jackie Griffey makes strong character points with Richard, though
some of the strength should have been shared more with the opposing character
Chris. Instead of leading the reader to think that Chris is insecure, her
background write-up left the reader thinking she was standoffish so as to make
herself appear unappealing to the opposite sex. Richard fit his write-up well.
The supportive ones fell into suit in such a way that they blended well with
the story.
The plot was slow to build to the climatic top, but once well on
the road there, the pace picked up with good twists in the plot so that the
reader did not get bogged down in descriptive writing. Griffey writes a decent
romantic suspense, so as not to offend the pure mind of the reader, nor scare
them beyond their own imagination.
Overall, this reader enjoyed it as a very
light and somewhat humorous story, though lacking in some of the depth I
generally look for. I would recommend "Once Burned" to anyone who is
looking for a touch of simple romance with some twists down the road.
~~**~~**~~**
"One Blue Star"
Author: Mindy Phillips Lawrence (mplcreative1@aol.com)
Reviewer: Sonali T. Sikchi (sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com)
Publisher: Red Engine Press
Format: Adult, Poetry, Paperback, 68 Pages, 2004,
$9.95
ISBN: 0974565253
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0974565253/scriquil
Till I read Mindy Phillips Lawrence's work, I remained
convinced that the art of evocative, multi-layered poetry died with the Romantic
Poets. Lawrence has convinced me otherwise with her "tour de force"
-- a haunting collection of poems in which every word has been chosen with care
and placed just so, to create beauty in the midst of the sorrow and ravages of
war.
Even as Lawrence prays for the star on the banner
hanging in her front window to stay blue and for her soldier son to return
safely home from the battlefields of Iraq, she is waging a private war inside
herself for her diametrically opposing views of war. Throughout the war, she
has supported the efforts of our troops while questioning why our young men and
women were put in harm's way.
Of her soldier son Grant who was in the war in
The stark horror of the battlefield is brought home to
us by the spare poem "Media War," which describes the fate of an
embedded journalist. It highlights the casual careless cruelty of war where
human life is cheap. Soldiers make fun of horrific things, like the hand lying
beside the road in the poem "The Handshake," to relieve the
unrelenting stress of mind-bending sights.
In the poem "The Reservist," Lawrence talks
about the attractive but false recruiting strategies employed by the armed
forces for kids in high school. The lure is "a few weekends for money for
college, maybe a car." Well, reality is far more brutal: repeated
protracted dangerous assignments in a foreign land in the thick of combat with
a high risk of fatal injury, only to return home to: no job, few friends,
possible disability and a government who pays scant attention to the sacrifice
performed on their orders.
The poem "Babylon is Falling" is an
historical detour to the cradle of civilization to give a sense of the number
of human souls who have passed through the land, in whose footsteps our soldier
are now following. It establishes a connection with the humanness of the Iraqi
people, rather than the daily vilifying of them by the media.
Whenever I hear reports of war on the radio or the
television,
In the poem "Worth Fighting For," Lawrence
reminds us all of the problems indigent to our country that don't require guns,
but are in dire need of minds, words and diplomacy. Those are the problems of
poverty, illiteracy and racial discrimination, to name a few.
After reading every poem, I paused to draw in breath
after painful breath as I struggled to assimilate all the emotions that
Lawrence drew out of me with her sensitive and poignant writing. With her
poems, Lawrence has captured my thoughts and feelings -- even the elusive ones
I had not been able to express.
BIO:
Sonali T. Sikchi is a Seattle-based freelance writer
with feature articles and book reviews published in national and regional
magazines, such as History Magazine, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Horizon Air
Magazine, American Women in Science magazine, Scribe & Quill, uncapped,
Citysearch, WritersCrossing, and others. As a freelance editor and proofreader,
Sonali works with authors, magazines, book publishers, and nonprofit
organizations. She also manages projects that involve research and copywriting.
Sonali has earned certificates in writing and editing from the University of
Washington. In her earlier career, she was a software engineer at Microsoft.
Sonali can be reached by e-mail at sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com.
~~**~~**~~**
"The Stories of English"
Author: David Crystal
Reviewer: Sonali T. Sikchi (sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com)
Publisher: Overlook Press, New York
Format: Adult, Nonfiction, Hardcover, 584 Pages, 2004,
$35
ISBN: 1585676012
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1585676012/scriquil
"The Stories of English" should ideally be a
textbook for the "History of the English Language 101" course.
However, Crystal's superbly crafted and meticulously researched tome makes
complex linguistic theory readily accessible even to the armchair enthusiast
through masterful storytelling. Interwoven through the evolution of Modern
English is the history of the dialects of the world.
The standard history of the English language starts
with the arrival of the Germanic tribes and proceeds along predictable
Anglo-Saxon rails: Old English, the Norman influence leading to Middle English,
the Renaissance leading to Early Modern English, the discovery of printing
leading to dictionaries and further standardization and eventually to the
emergence of Modern English by 1800. This is the story of only one kind of
English and only in England -- Standard English -- and even that ignores early
Celtic and later East Indian influences, to name two.
However, as Crystal points out, there are three
observable problems with this history: most English speakers don't speak
Standard English, a significant number of writers don't write it and it is not
used in a large percentage of online interactions. Regional, socio-cultural and
ethnic dialects and accents reveal the true linguistic history, as does the
study of language patterns in say, the Caribbean, South Africa, the United
States, India, etc.
Most people are taught Standard English in school and
tend to use it in most formal settings. However, they also have command over
different informal styles of speech; for example, at lunch with work
colleagues, at a party of high school buddies, at a gathering of parents, your
child's friends and their parents, etc. No historical account of English can or
should ignore the entire gamut of the language's formality range.
Crystal's history of English starts with the existing
Celtic and Pictish languages in Britain before the arrival of the Romans. Old
English emerged as a polyglot of the Celtic Roman, Germanic and Nordic Viking
tongues, not to mention some Frankish and Frisian influences thrown in by
traders. Even as Old English was coming into its own as a language, lexical
diversity was already present depending upon who spoke it: a Dane, an Angle or
a Saxon.
And so the story goes on to the tales of a trilingual
nation (English, French and Latin) in the High and Late Middle Ages that led to
the emergence of Middle English. The first written record of dialect is in
Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," where Chaucer uses dialect to express
character. This period also sees the start of linguistic discourse and dialect
groupings by occupation, social structure, regional location, etc. These
dialects were also readily reflected in the written language, because the
language in those times had not yet become prescriptive.
During the Renaissance, the
By Shakespearean times, English was a rich language
with thousands of words, and all writing (formal or otherwise) was conducted in
Early Modern English. Writers then began devising new literary forms, inventing
new words and using old words in new senses, thus, contributing greatly to the
lexical expansion.
The age of colonization and the industrial revolution
saw the incursion of words from the following languages into English: Greek,
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, AmeriIndian languages, Middle Eastern
languages (such as Turkish, Hebrew and Persian), East Indian languages (such as
Hindi, Tamil, etc.) and other Asian languages (such as Tibetan, Malay, Chinese
and Japanese).
Johnson's dictionary as well as the later Bibles were
instrumental in shepherding in Modern English, and that transition happened
from 1700 to 1800.
"Early [medieval] manuscripts had no punctuation
marks or even spaces between words." However, ever since punctuation marks
were introduced as oratory guides, the Lynne Trusses through the ages have
whinged and argued about their usages.
And to all the readers who run away in horror from
split infinitives, and consider them a transgression of the computer age,
Crystal has a little snippet from the anthology of "Punch" magazine,
titled "Mr. Punch in Society" (c.1870) that shows that Victorians,
too, shuddered from them while their writers just as cheerfully employed them.
"The Stories of English" is a groundbreaking
history of the language in a compelling narrative of a truly global adventure.
For the first time, regional speech and writing command center stage. With
examples from Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation"
(8th century) to "Lord of the Rings," David Crystal underscores his
theories and conclusions.
~~**~~**~~**
"The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds"
Author: Peter Bowerman
Reviewer: Alyice Edrich (dabblingmum@yahoo.com)
Publisher: Fanove Publishing, Atlanta
Format: Adult, Nonfiction, Paperback, 284 Pages, 2004, $19.95
ISBN: 0967059852
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0967059852/scriquil
"The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds" is full of great
insider tips to succeeding as a freelance writer, whether you're looking to
write commercials, advertisements, marketing materials or website copy.
Did you read "The Well-Fed Writer" only to put it back
on your shelf without a second glance? Did you find the information in the
first book exciting, engaging and full of great information, but still weren't
convinced it was the right business for you? Dust off that book, give it
another read-through, then pick up a copy of "Back For Seconds"
today.
"Back For Seconds" offers personal insight into the
careers of many successful freelance writers -- often making between $30 and
$200,000 per year. Not only does Bowerman get them to spill their guts on what
they make, but he gets them to share tiny morsels of information, like how they
broke into their industry niche and how they earn repeat customers. But it
doesn't stop there. Bowerman also explains the importance of writers' groups
based on the same playing level, networking and writing for the consumer, not
your ego.
The information in "Back For Seconds" will not only
inspire you, but will ignite a renewed fire under you. You'll walk away
realizing, "Yes, it's hard work. Yes, it takes time to build a business,
but the rewards are great. If they can do it, so can I."
BIO:
Alyice Edrich is the editor of The
Dabbling Mum.com -- where BUSY parents find balance (http://www.thedabblingmum.com). She is also
the author of several work-from-home e-books, including one that allows parents
to earn $50 in two hours without joining an MLM or home party business.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
ADVERTISEMENT
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
"An Alien to Existence by Jonathan Ark"
Publisher: Icena Books
ISBN: 1587364158
Newell is a genius, too advanced for his time, strung out between
fantasy and reality. He creates artistic projects that are superb but
unappreciated; his autobiography is a piece of the finest writing ever put to
paper. But he can't find a medium to get it out into the world. Severely
depressed, suffering from headaches most of his life, Newell has a nervous
breakdown. Under its spell, and with the help of guides on a higher plane, he
learns the secret of existence. Unfortunately, it might be too late for mankind
to learn from the knowledge he has gained.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
THE LAST WORD ~~
RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR WRITERS:
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
Absolute Write http://www.absolutewrite.com
Arts & Letters Daily http://www.aldaily.com
BookWire http://www.bookwire.com
The Burry Man Writers Center http://www.burryman.com
CreativityforLife.com http://www.creativityforlife.com
Done Deal http://www.scriptsales.com
Fiction Addiction http://www.fictionaddiction.net
FundsforWriters http://www.fundsforwriters.com
HollyLisle.com http://www.hollylisle.com
Hollywoodlitsales http://www.hollywoodlitsales.com
MediaBistro http://www.mediabistro.com
Mom Writers http://www.momwriters.com
National Writer's Union http://www.nwu.org
Poetic Voices http://www.poeticvoices.com
Publishers Lunch http://www.publisherslunch.com
Romance Central http://romance-central.com
Spicy Green Iguana http://www.spicygreeniguana.com
Visual Thesaurus http://www.visualthesaurus.com
Will Write 4 Food http://www.willwrite4food.com
Word Dragon http://www.worddragon.com
Worldwide Freelance Writer http://www.worldwidefreelance.com
The Writer Gazette http://www.writergazette.com
Writers Weekly http://www.writersweekly.com
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
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