Catching UP!

Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

 THEN CAME HEAVEN, by Gilda Arruda.
   Then Came Heaven is a source of inspiration and guidance; it serves as a loving example of what it means to live no matter where the truth may lead you or how difficult it may be. It is also a lesson on the patience of change. Each page is the embodiment of hope, trust, knowledge, and self-acceptance to develop a sense of worth within ourselves.

Gallies that went out, or went out again, this week:

BOOTS and the BRANCH BOYS  by Marjorie K. Doughty  

   The Branch Boys served in WW II, then returned to maryland to renew their friendship with Boots, a young woman who finds them changed irretrievable.  The man she loved is no longer the same and she marries someone else but finds his lifestyle much different than she expected and less joyful than she had hoped.

 

Work began or Continued on the following books:

WHITE TAIL: A Collection of Poetry by Bobbi Sinha-Morey

    New age poetry at it's best.
 

STATION 1260--1270, SQUAD 1260, by Tom Ward.

   Volunteer firefighting paramedic Robert J. Doyle and his crew are back again. He is still struggling with his inner demons, the result of an incident in war-torn Lebanon, when he ordered the destruction of a complete village. As he walked through the carnage, Doyle vowed one day to pay for the loss of so many innocent lives.

 

IRIS DESTINY, Iris Series, vol. 1, by Daniel Carr

   Colin Craft is an average kid in the ninth grade. With his normal life, he has a somewhat normal love; a hidden love. Jessica Waters...
   Perfect was the only way to describe her. Colin is her math tutor, and that one hour each day of his life is the best. However one day, his one hour gets better when he is dared to kiss her. At the touch of their lips, something happens. Looking into her eyes, Colin realizes a unique design... His design!

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, by Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis

 

 

REVEREND CASTLE'S CRISIS, Rev. Castle series, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.  

Jack's News!

  by your bookstore cat, 
and gossip columnist!

Members of The Writers Bloc report that they have no entries for their new anthology, to be titled Eastern Shore Noir, yet, but they are indeed welcome. Send them to Tom Taylor: taylortok@yahoo.com  I think you have to be a dues-paying member, but anyone is welcome to join... https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Writers-Bloc/129094617133744

NEWS for Jack!

From: Virginia Winters

I am getting a new book trailer made to promote my latest Dangerous Journeys title A Child on the Terrace.  Here's the LINK:
 https://youtu.be/K1XvrZIvM1Q

You can e-mail me at: vwinters@sympatico.ca
Please let me know what you think. Does it sound interesting???


 

Please don't forget to let me know 

what you are all up to! 

Just send me an e-mail with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and 

I'll make sure it shows up right here. 

  Thanks!

A Good Read and a Recipe

I thought it was the dumbest thing I ever had to do! Becoming a different person even for a week was a joke, I told myself as I stood in the meeting room of the Litchfield Historical Society in Litchfield, Connecticut. Looking at the small paper cards with large black names boldly printed on them, I froze. Most of the other students in Mr. Cappella's class had already taken one, and I scanned the names again. The voice of the museum's Education Coordinator, Mrs. Burke, echoed in my head. "Just read the names, not the information on the card. Let the name tell you which one to pick. Make it a gut reaction."

Smoked Asparagus

Ingredients 

Original recipe makes 1 1/2 pounds asparagus 

• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
•  2 tablespoons lemon juice
   
• salt to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed

**  1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

• PREP
  20 mins
• COOK
  1 hr
• READY IN
  1 hr 20 mins

Directions

1. Place the charcoal into the bottom pan of the smoker. Light the coals and wait for the temperature of the smoker to come to 240 degrees F (115 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the garlic and cook over low heat until just tender. Remove from the heat and mix in the lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
3. Arrange the onions in the bottom of a large cast iron skillet or heat-resistant glass container. Spread asparagus spears over the onions. Drizzle the butter and garlic mixture over the asparagus. Place the uncovered skillet or baking dish on the top grate of the preheated smoker.
4. Close the smoker and cook the asparagus until tender, about 1 hour
   
   ** If you don't have a smoker, you can  do this in the oven. Just add: 1/4 cup water and 1 and 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke flavoring to the butter/garlic mixture and stir well.
   
   Set oven to 240 degrees and place onion slices and asparagus in a covered casserole sprayed with Pam.
   
   Sprinkle with the butter/garlic/Liquid Smoke/ water.
   
   Cover and bake for about an hour, or until asparagus is tender.

Happy Memorial Day and a writing tip

Real letters written by a French Soldier during the First World War. Touching letters written to his mother and other loved ones sharing his thoughts, feelings and fears from August 14, 1914 to his disappearance on April 6, 1915.
Question from the e-mail: What are the most common mistakes you see in the manuscripts you receive. I don't expect you to answer all at once, but if you could put one up on your blog every few days, I will compile my own file of "What NOT to dos!" I'm getting it, Keep Sending Them!!

Answer: Missing Commas

A goodly amount of advice has been handed out to learning writers about leaving out commas as unnecessary. I've been told the "slow the action" or "get too pedantic" or "Don't really need to be bothered with, by teachers through the years, though that is not advice I have ever given as a teacher.



Commas are used to indicate a short pause, just enough time for a reader to take a breath. They also enclose parenthetical phrases, separate descriptive words in a series, and attach adverbs that would normally require a pause. Because the general public reads at a fifth grade level, most readers will not notice a missing comma.

And in some cases, as in the separation of descriptive words, it may not actually confuse a read if you write:
   He drove a fast blue car.
   Instead of: He drove a fast, blue, car.
  On the other hand people who may have English as a second language might s top and ask themselves, "What color is fast-blue???

Critics will revile missing commas, and in some cases  they can certainly lead to confusion in the reader. For those who don't know, to confuse the reader is writing's greatest sin.

And commas can be very important. A Single missing comma can change the whole meaning of a sentence. Take a look at the following:

“Shoot John!”




Since there is no comma, there is no pause in the sentence. Without any pause, John is clearly the target!

But in:

“Shoot, John!”

The second example, it is clear that John is the one who is ordered to shoot.  Makes quite a difference -- especially to John.

Catching UP!

Books that went press, or back to press this week:

WANTED: ROYAL PRINCESS OF CONVENIENCE, Royal Hearts of Mondoverde Series, Vol 2, by Anna Dynowski.

   Prince Cristiano, the “spare” prince, does not carry the firstborn’s pressure of the HSH title and legacy that goes with it, but he still works diligently in the Cabinet of the Prince as the Minister of Finance, Tourism and Sports while maintaining a tireless schedule of royal social appearances. Tall, dark, handsome, and a prince, he’s considered by the female population of Mondoverde to be quite the catch. But can he find a woman who doesn’t care about his title or position and who will appreciate the man underneath?

 

THEN CAME HEAVEN, by Gilda Arruda.
   Then Came Heaven is a source of inspiration and guidance; it serves as a loving example of what it means to live no matter where the truth may lead you or how difficult it may be. It is also a lesson on the patience of change. Each page is the embodiment of hope, trust, knowledge, and self-acceptance to develop a sense of worth within ourselves.

Gallies that went out, or went out again, this week:

BOOTS and the BRANCH BOYS  by Marjorie K. Doughty  

   The Branch Boys served in WW II, then returned to maryland to renew their friendship with Boots, a young woman who finds them changed irretrievable.  The man she loved is no longer the same and she marries someone else but finds his lifestyle much different than she expected and less joyful than she had hoped.

 

 

Work began or Continued on the following books:

 

STATION 1260--1270, SQUAD 1260, by Tom Ward.

   Volunteer firefighting paramedic Robert J. Doyle and his crew are back again. He is still struggling with his inner demons, the result of an incident in war-torn Lebanon, when he ordered the destruction of a complete village. As he walked through the carnage, Doyle vowed one day to pay for the loss of so many innocent lives.

 

 

WHITE TAIL: A Collection of Poetry by Bobbi Sinha-Morey

    New age poetry at it's best.

 

IRIS DESTINY, Iris Series, vol. 1, by Daniel Carr

   Colin Craft is an average kid in the ninth grade. With his normal life, he has a somewhat normal love; a hidden love. Jessica Waters...
   Perfect was the only way to describe her. Colin is her math tutor, and that one hour each day of his life is the best. However one day, his one hour gets better when he is dared to kiss her. At the touch of their lips, something happens. Looking into her eyes, Colin realizes a unique design... His design!

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 1

   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, by Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis

 

 

REVEREND CASTLE'S CRISIS, Rev. Castle series, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.  

Jack's News!

  by your bookstore cat, 
and gossip columnist!

 

Members of The Writers Bloc report that they have no entries for their new anthology, to be titled Eastern Shore Noir, yet, but they are indeed welcome. Send them to Tom Taylor: taylortok@yahoo.com  I think you have to be a dues-paying member, but anyone is welcome to join... https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Writers-Bloc/129094617133744

No e-mail for me again this week. Please be sure to send me news for my column, folks. If you are making a personal  appearance, attending a fair, or book signing, or giving a speech somewhere, I do want to know about it. Truly, it would cheer me up.

Please don't forget to let me know 

what you are all up to! 

Just send me an e-mail with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and 

I'll make sure it shows up right here. 

 
Thanks!