Jacqueline DeGroot is a prolific self-published novelist who specializes in erotica. She calls herself “Jack,” saying that the nickname is a result of being in auto sales. Ben Steelman, feature writer with the Star News in Wilmington, N.C., recently dedicated a column to her. Despite her popular sex scenes in “Climax,” “Barefoot Beaches,” and her latest “Tessa of Crooked Gulley,” one book in the Widows of Sea Trail series, my favorite book is “For the Love of Amanda.”
In this novel, the protagonist, Michele Moore, wants to save her daughter, Mandy, from dying of leukemia. One way is to harvest stem cells from an umbilical cord. The problem is that Michele is a widow whose husband, Kevin, died in an airplane crash. Michele is desperate, though, so asks Kevin’s twin brother, Michael, for his sperm. Michael agrees.
I like the story because it approaches love from several angles. The reader admires Michele for her love of Amanda and praises Michael for his love of Michele. Then you have Mandy and her friend Gabby and her cousin, Sam.
Jack does her research and knows what she’s talking about when she delves into the medical field. Michael is a physician, which can be complicated if the writer doesn’t know procedures, techniques and medical terms. Jack knows all about these, and I give her credit for writing so lay people can understand what she’s saying.
Jack is also wonderful at self-promotion. She attends festivals, book discussions and book signings where she sells a good number of her books. Her dozen titles are available at amazon.com and on her Web site at jacquelinedegroot.com.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Amazon, book reviews and HCRW
It came to my attention that I was reviewing the same books on this blog as I was reviewing on amazon.com. I had hoped to give more coverage to little known books that are worth reading, but amazon gets a lot more readership than my blog does. So in the interest of efficiency, I will only review books occasionally.
There are dozens of books being published that are excellent reads. Heart of Carolina Romance Writers in Raleigh, N.C. is one group with talented writers. The organization, a chapter of Romance Writers of America, promotes its membership and their books. A list of the nearly 50 authors in HCRW is at heartofcarolina.org. More information about the authors is available by clicking on their names.
Other information is at the Web site as well. Nonmembers can read about the organization, which meets the second Saturday of each month, usually at Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. Nonmembers can also take online classes HCRW offers.
There are dozens of books being published that are excellent reads. Heart of Carolina Romance Writers in Raleigh, N.C. is one group with talented writers. The organization, a chapter of Romance Writers of America, promotes its membership and their books. A list of the nearly 50 authors in HCRW is at heartofcarolina.org. More information about the authors is available by clicking on their names.
Other information is at the Web site as well. Nonmembers can read about the organization, which meets the second Saturday of each month, usually at Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. Nonmembers can also take online classes HCRW offers.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
My Best Seller Contest!
Have your book reviewed on my blog! Five people will receive the honor.
I’ve read excellent books that don’t get the publicity they deserve. More people would buy them if they heard the title and read glowing comments about them. You can increase sales and advance your career if your book gets good reviews. It doesn’t matter if the book is nonfiction or fiction, an e-book, soft cover or hard cover, published by a small publisher or self-published. But it must be published!
To enter the contest, submit one paragraph of 50 words or less saying why your book deserves to be read. Include publisher and where the book is available. The criteria I use is that it better be good! Compelling motivation and believable characters, if it’s fiction. Informative, if it’s nonfiction. I have examples of my reviews right here.
Enter today by e-mailing me at jamathews124@aol.com. Put “contest” on the subject line. Deadline for entry is Nov. 20. You will be notified by e-mail if you are one of the five chosen.
I’ve read excellent books that don’t get the publicity they deserve. More people would buy them if they heard the title and read glowing comments about them. You can increase sales and advance your career if your book gets good reviews. It doesn’t matter if the book is nonfiction or fiction, an e-book, soft cover or hard cover, published by a small publisher or self-published. But it must be published!
To enter the contest, submit one paragraph of 50 words or less saying why your book deserves to be read. Include publisher and where the book is available. The criteria I use is that it better be good! Compelling motivation and believable characters, if it’s fiction. Informative, if it’s nonfiction. I have examples of my reviews right here.
Enter today by e-mailing me at jamathews124@aol.com. Put “contest” on the subject line. Deadline for entry is Nov. 20. You will be notified by e-mail if you are one of the five chosen.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
PASTA FOR MEN ONLY by PATRICIA GAMBARELLI
“I know recipes that work,” Patricia “Pat” Gambarelli told me.
That’s the kind of chef I like to be around!
PASTA FOR MEN ONLY is a collection of recipes with easy-to-follow directions, tasty dishes, and, as an added treat, some background information.
For example:
· “ Dos and Don’ts for Perfect Pasta” — 10 tips
· “Tomato—the Magical Fruit” — the nutritional value and more
· “Basil: King of the Realm” — history and facts about this herb, such as:
► Tear it don’t chop it
► Add it the last five minutes of cooking because heat destroys the sweet flavor
Each recipe has a brief introduction, e.g., page 20: Tomato Sauce with Sweet Sausage.
“I always look for sweet sausage that doesn’t contain fennel.” Pat tells more in four sentences. Fascinating!
What is remarkable about this slim, 124-page book is its numbered steps in the instructions. Pat has made cooking as simple as 1-2-3. Let’s take a peek.
Tomato Sauce with Sweet Sausage
1. In a large saucepan equipped with a cover, heat the oil.
2. Brown the sausage.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes and salt.
The instructions have 6 more steps. You are never left to wonder what to do.
Each of the recipes is paired with a suitable wine. This one suggest Zinfandel.
You can imagine that this book isn’t only for men. Women will love it, too.
You can read how the book came about, order the book and read Pat’s blog at her Web site: patriciagambarelli.com. You can e-mail her at letscook@atmc.net.
That’s the kind of chef I like to be around!
PASTA FOR MEN ONLY is a collection of recipes with easy-to-follow directions, tasty dishes, and, as an added treat, some background information.
For example:
· “ Dos and Don’ts for Perfect Pasta” — 10 tips
· “Tomato—the Magical Fruit” — the nutritional value and more
· “Basil: King of the Realm” — history and facts about this herb, such as:
► Tear it don’t chop it
► Add it the last five minutes of cooking because heat destroys the sweet flavor
Each recipe has a brief introduction, e.g., page 20: Tomato Sauce with Sweet Sausage.
“I always look for sweet sausage that doesn’t contain fennel.” Pat tells more in four sentences. Fascinating!
What is remarkable about this slim, 124-page book is its numbered steps in the instructions. Pat has made cooking as simple as 1-2-3. Let’s take a peek.
Tomato Sauce with Sweet Sausage
1. In a large saucepan equipped with a cover, heat the oil.
2. Brown the sausage.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes and salt.
The instructions have 6 more steps. You are never left to wonder what to do.
Each of the recipes is paired with a suitable wine. This one suggest Zinfandel.
You can imagine that this book isn’t only for men. Women will love it, too.
You can read how the book came about, order the book and read Pat’s blog at her Web site: patriciagambarelli.com. You can e-mail her at letscook@atmc.net.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
A BETTER MAN by KELLY JOHNSON
I wrote about A BETTER MAN by KELLY JOHNSON on my blog before I switched to writersforever.blogspot.com, but that post was erased, so I thought I’d give more people a chance to hear about the book.
KELLY JOHNSON, writer, lawyer and speaker, wanted to direct her five sons, as well as other boys aged 12 through their teens, to worthy role models. She said that currently boys are looking at musicians, actors and other high-profile men 24 years and younger as role models. She believes men have to have life experiences well beyond their twenties before they can be noteworthy examples for young adults.
After doing research and consulting others, she chose 26 men who fit her criteria. A BETTER MAN is a compilation of essays about and interviews with these men. JOHNSON’S “Editor’s Note” after each entry gives some background about the man and explains why she chose him as a role model. The Honorable HARRY L. CARRICO, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, was the first man to accept JOHNSON'S invitation to be part of the book. She clerked for him after she graduated from law school and writes that he is “the most decent person I’ve ever met.”
JOHNSON’S final list includes men in a wide variety of professions from athletics, the military, politics, the arts and education. Among those featured in the book are former President GEORGE H.W. BUSH, who responded with a letter of his own; former NBA star DOMINIQUE WILKINS; Seattle Seahawks quarterback MATT HASSELBECK; and actor TIM REID. She also wanted to include someone from a faith community, so she asked REV. HECTOR LACHAPELLE, a Catholic priest, for an interview, which he granted.Kelly gets to the heart of the matter in each interview/essay and includes exactly what makes these men remarkable. RISING WRITERS who want to break in by writing essays or by interviewing people can use Kelly's book as a guide. She's a talented and creative writer, who herself can be included in a book on women role models.Information about KELLY JOHNSON and A BETTER MAN, are available at http://www.abettermanbook.com. Let me know what you think about all of this at http://www.jamathews.com.
KELLY JOHNSON, writer, lawyer and speaker, wanted to direct her five sons, as well as other boys aged 12 through their teens, to worthy role models. She said that currently boys are looking at musicians, actors and other high-profile men 24 years and younger as role models. She believes men have to have life experiences well beyond their twenties before they can be noteworthy examples for young adults.
After doing research and consulting others, she chose 26 men who fit her criteria. A BETTER MAN is a compilation of essays about and interviews with these men. JOHNSON’S “Editor’s Note” after each entry gives some background about the man and explains why she chose him as a role model. The Honorable HARRY L. CARRICO, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, was the first man to accept JOHNSON'S invitation to be part of the book. She clerked for him after she graduated from law school and writes that he is “the most decent person I’ve ever met.”
JOHNSON’S final list includes men in a wide variety of professions from athletics, the military, politics, the arts and education. Among those featured in the book are former President GEORGE H.W. BUSH, who responded with a letter of his own; former NBA star DOMINIQUE WILKINS; Seattle Seahawks quarterback MATT HASSELBECK; and actor TIM REID. She also wanted to include someone from a faith community, so she asked REV. HECTOR LACHAPELLE, a Catholic priest, for an interview, which he granted.Kelly gets to the heart of the matter in each interview/essay and includes exactly what makes these men remarkable. RISING WRITERS who want to break in by writing essays or by interviewing people can use Kelly's book as a guide. She's a talented and creative writer, who herself can be included in a book on women role models.Information about KELLY JOHNSON and A BETTER MAN, are available at http://www.abettermanbook.com. Let me know what you think about all of this at http://www.jamathews.com.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Undaunted Heart: The True Story of a Southern Belle & a Yankee General by SUZY BARILE
I am using my Blog to review some books by local authors, and the latest I’ve read is a wonderfully crafted addition to the host of books surrounding the Civil War, "Undaunted Heart," subtitled: "The True Story of a Southern Belle & Yankee General" by SUZY BARILE.
The book tells a love story that involves:
* prejudice
* politics
* family
*values
—topics in the news on a daily basis.
The Yankee general is Smith Dykins Atkins from Freeport, Illinois, and a volunteer for the Union cause.
The southern belle is Eleanor “Ella” Hope Swain, daughter of David Lowry Swain, governor of North Carolina from 1832-1835 and president of University of North Carolina from 1835-1868.
BARILE writes, “Ella did the unthinkable: She married a Yankee general at the close of the Civil War.” A North-South marriage was as offensive to the general public in 1865 as a black-white marriage was in the 1960s.
The angle is unique to books concerning the Civil War, and BARILE does a fine job of recreating the attitudes of the times and capturing the spirit of Ella and the general.
BARILE has an extraordinary perspective. While searching in her mother’s attic, BARILE found a box of Ella’s letters. BARILE is the great, great granddaughter of Ella and the general.
The book tells a love story that involves:
* prejudice
* politics
* family
*values
—topics in the news on a daily basis.
The Yankee general is Smith Dykins Atkins from Freeport, Illinois, and a volunteer for the Union cause.
The southern belle is Eleanor “Ella” Hope Swain, daughter of David Lowry Swain, governor of North Carolina from 1832-1835 and president of University of North Carolina from 1835-1868.
BARILE writes, “Ella did the unthinkable: She married a Yankee general at the close of the Civil War.” A North-South marriage was as offensive to the general public in 1865 as a black-white marriage was in the 1960s.
The angle is unique to books concerning the Civil War, and BARILE does a fine job of recreating the attitudes of the times and capturing the spirit of Ella and the general.
BARILE has an extraordinary perspective. While searching in her mother’s attic, BARILE found a box of Ella’s letters. BARILE is the great, great granddaughter of Ella and the general.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
September 8, 2009 - The Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully
It happens that I have gotten several assignments from The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (where I am a free-lance feature writer) to review books or to attend seminars when a book is discussed. A recent panel discussion concerned “The Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully” by Joan Chittister.
The U.S. Census Bureau projects the population over 65 years will be 72 million people by 2030, about 20 percent of the total population. This is twice as many senior citizens as in the year 2000.
Few people look forward to aging, especially when they consider its effects: slower movements, medical problems, sagging skin, bulging middles, gray hair and most importantly, diminishing respect from younger people.
American culture concentrates on youth and beauty and doesn’t give much value to aging. Chittister acknowledges the disadvantages age brings, but she suggests people consider its benefits:
· Beginning of a new life
· Time to think of your purpose
· Wisdom of years
· Freedom, primarily from work, raising children and other restraints
· Developing another kind of usefulness
The list goes on. What’s the benefit of reading the book? A new perspective on aging.
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