Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

 

                    

I cannot possibly review this book. Night was powerful. If you haven't already done so, I suggest reading this novel.

If you follow along with me on Instagram or on Facebook you might catch my "what I'm reading" posts. This summer, I have dedicated myself to Holocaust survivor stories. Starting first with The Pianist, then to Anne Frank, then to Night and I am currently reading Schneider's List. I've spent countless hours watching survivor documentaries - each one beginning and ending in my tears. And currently I am taking part in a 22 video series on WWII . It's not the prettiest way to spend a summer, but I am a lifelong learner and have set out to learn about these lives and the losses from this event. I simply cannot wrap my head around the amount of loss caused by The Holocaust and I don't think that I will ever be able to fully understand why it happened, and for so long, and why so many souls had to die.  I'm sad. Hate confuses me. I don't think I possess the ability to hate. I have never hated anyone before. I simply don't understand it. 

I am grateful to survivors like Elie Wiesel for their strength and their ability to share the darkest and most horrifying years of their lives with the unknown public so that we may learn from this.

Master Class Reveiw with James Patterson

Recently, my old high school english teacher posted a link to my facebook page suggesting that I look in to Master Class.  This English teacher is a personal favorite person of mine. She knew me and loved me when I was at my very worst. She saw the best in me and without her, I don't know if I would be able to have achieved my writing goals. I graduated 13 years ago, and this teacher still holds my attention and respect. She has moved from teacher to mentor in my world and I thank her in every book I publish and plan to continue to do so until the day that I die.  So when she suggests something - I listen. After all, this smart and funny woman brought A Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm and The Odyssey in to my life. She hasn't steered me wrong yet.

So, I pulled up Master Class and sure enough, the idea intrigued me. I love to be intrigued. Master Class claims that their instructors are the best in the world.  If you want to learn the craft of acting, take a class with Dustin Hoffman. Wow. Somehow Serena Williams can teach you how to play tennis and Annie Leibovitz can teach the art of Photography. My niche is writing and it so happens that the best selling author of all time, James Patterson teamed up with Master Cass and lent his time and vast knowledge for a 22 class session.  So I took the bait and for a $90.00 fee, I became one of James Patterson's students.
Ninety bucks isn't bad. In fact, its a steal. A class at a university would typically cost much more, and I'm not too sure they could offer any more helpful information than that of James Patterson.
The class was fun, I enjoyed each session, I took away much more than what I thought I would have.  Patterson hit home on several points that really helped me polish my craft.  In the sessions, Patterson emphasizes the need for passion and habit, he talks about finding and using book ideas, the importance of pace with a plot, the absolute need to research everything - a few times he mentions research everything right down to the bee sting - this could not be more true. Patterson spends two sessions on outlines - a blessing for me. He touches on character development, dialog, editing, getting published and even dealing with Hollywood.  With the lectures, is a follow along workbook, a Q&A, and opportunities to join the writing community with conversations on each subject.
This class gets my approval. I would suggest Master Class to any of my writer friends. I ended each session with a boost of confidence and walked away as a better writer because of it.
Check it out  by clicking here --> MasterClass and let me know what you think.

2015 Best of Springfield VOTE FOR ME

I am from the greatest state in the USA. Illinois. Please do not pronounce the 's.' In Illinois, we have fields, countless fields. Rows of corn that go on further than the eye can see. In Illinois we have cows that rarely moo, chickens that scatter when we drive down dusty roads, and dogs that do nothing but lie underneath  some of the prettiest blue skies you might ever see. We fight over baseball teams and sit in garages for fun. Illinoisans celebrate their home grown goodness and we take great pride in supporting our locals. I can attest to this.
Yearly, the Illinois Times puts on the "Best of Springfield." We encourage people to log on and vote for their favorite local...everything - food (a lot of food), shops, musicians and artist. This year, I happen to be on the ballot for the Best Living Writer/Author and I'd b beyond happy if I were to win this Illinois Honor.
If you happen to see this blog post then it's likely that you are bored and in search of something to kill some time, so I urge you to VOTE FOR ME. You don't have to be from Illinois and really voting is super easy and takes nano seconds. Follow the link I've posted below and enter your name email and city. You can find me under the section about people - and I am under Best Living Local Author.  Select my name and submit your vote. that it!
Thanks again to everyone for so much support. I have said this before, but the support I receive is mind boggling. I'll let y'all know if I win. Fingers crossed.
http://fb.illinoistimes.com/survey-12-best-of-springfield-2015.html

Review: Luckiest Girl Alive By Jessica Knoll

 

          

3 out of 5 stars

Ani is difficult to like - too much talk about body image, superiority and her desire to be so much better than anyone she meets. Barf. Ani’s relationship with Luke seemed borderline irrelevant to the rest of the story and in a way, their relationship details became filler. I understood Ani’s struggles so I forgave her for some of her faults as an adult. The storyline had some holes and that bothers me to no end. I hate flaws in a story line, but it was entertaining nonetheless. The writing was solid – Jessica Knoll is clever but I think this could have been much better than what it was. Again, I am having issues with publishers stacking too much weight on average books making them much bigger than what they should be.