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Blog postContinuing our visit with Barbara Ellen BrinkRead Barbara's continuation on her journey to fulfilling her dream of becoming an established writer. (And let me add here, I can personally relate to her experiences below, especially learning about the indie publication process.)
Which brings me to 2010 when I decided life was too short to continue putting out postage, sweat, and tears with no returns. When I did hear back, it took months. Once -
Blog postIntroducing a guest blogger this week, author Barbara Ellen Brink https://www.amazon.com/Running-Home-Second-Chances-Book-ebook/dp/B006LP1JSU Not too long ago I mentioned Barbara's first book in her first series. She has been a prolific and successful writer of enjoyable fiction that reflect her own healthy perspective and talent. She's going to share a bit about herself, then her journey as a writer. You'll discover just how difficult it can be!
First of -
Blog postLife Threw a Curve ball last week.....which is why my post is later than usual. When we get up in the morning, we may have our day planned, but it may not turn out that way. Last Thursday I woke up feeling a little 'off.' You probably know what I mean. Within two hours I was totally miserable, and it started to look bleak for the plans my husband and I had for the rest of the day. It turned out to be a very long day. It always is when yo
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Blog postReview of a series: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen https://www.amazon.com/Her-Royal-Spyness-Book-ebook/dp/B0015DRP1I There are currently fourteen books out there of this successful female sleuth series. After reading six of them, including number thirteen, Love and Death Among the Cheetahs, I feel justified in expressing my take.After seeing the synopsis of the first one, I eagerly dug into
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Blog postTwo books you may be interested in ... one fiction, one non-fiction.
Non-fiction: The Girl With Seven Names, by Hyeonseo Lee https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Seven-Names-Korean-Defectors-ebook/dp/B00JD3ZL9U Published in 2015, this is the second book about individuals who have lived in North Korea that I've mentioned here. Ms. Lee's personal story is vastly different than Masaji Ishaikawa's, his memoir published under -
Blog postChristmas ThoughtsA very personal thing....
The Christmas holidays are a strongly embedded fact of American culture. That is true of almost all of the western world. Even if the reason for the celebration is not acknowledged, the vast majority of households and individuals celebrate Christmas in one form or another in both Europe and in America, and many other countries as well.
Many of us know Christmas is celebrated at the end -
Blog postA problem has come to light with making comments here on Upbeat Book Talk.
Over time I've been hearing that individuals occasionally made a comment on a blog post that never showed up. It hasn't been that often, but lately I've become suspicious - and sure enough.Yesterday I explored the issue a little further, and found here on blogger.com there is a way to check comments made that haven't been approved. Since comments are supposed to come directly to -
Blog postHow Much Home Decorating Do We Do This Year?The Big Post Thanksgiving Decision.... This oh so important decision has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Not every year, mind you. As a girl there were many years when the decorating fit a certain pattern and centered almost completely around the Christmas tree. There was NEVER an artificial tree in our home when my siblings and I were growing up. It was not to be thought of! By the time there were five children and I w
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Blog postThree Book Recommendations Murder on the U.S.S. Rosa (A Ginger Gold Mystery, book I) I've read three Ginger Gold mysteries to date, and was amazed to just discover there are now over twenty! Of course giving Lee Strauss series a try by starting at the beginning is a good idea. My take is these are light cozy reads, just good fun when you need to sit back, relax, and put your cares aside to read about this very pretty girl's adventu
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Blog postA visit with Carole Sawada and her photography, Part II.
The Covered Bridge in the last post? It is in Cullman, Alabama, and I walked over that bridge during an Alabama visit about 16 years ago, so loved the opportunity to share it.The feline photo here? It is Nikki, a late beloved pet of Carole and her husband's.Continued below is the rest of the narrative of Carole's life adventures, picking up where we left off after she started a blog of her own. -
Blog postfeaturing.... Guest blogger Carol Sawada
and her fantastic talent for photography
Carole and I met in a chat room on Amazon about seven years ago. She lives on the east coast, I live in the southwest, but we have had the opportunity to meet personally on two occasions. She is a multi-talented individual who has led a very interesting life, and I've invi -
Blog postIf You Must Wear a Mask Anyway....Why not be creative?
I don't like wearing a mask. I thought those days were essentially over when I retired from my nursing career. The more I read and observe, the more my personal opinion is, it is symbolism over substance and I'm siding with the medical professionals who say they are of little benefit in screening viruses.
However, it is a current fact of life. Since wearing one -
Blog postMore Books to ConsiderIncluding two very old fashioned writesAt the beginning of another week of chaos and confusion in our society at large, I have chosen to ignore all of that in my post today. Instead, I will focus on three books that may fit the need to push aside for a little while concerns that plague heart and soul and provide the way to relax and recharge.First of all I will bring to your attention a book I haven't even read yet! I know one of you who visits here has, and given it
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Blog postTwo Fiction Reads that Stir the Mind and HeartIt seems to me it is totally fine to find relaxation in reading material that focuses almost completely on entertaining. It is equivalent to watching a bake-off or house renovation.But not all the time. Most of the books we remember speak to us; they provoke thoughts, enlarge opinions, provide knowledge or add information to a subject we knew little about. It cannot be disputed that gifted authors of fiction can do that. Here are two of th
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Blog postUpdated Thoughts and Input About Covid 19. This spring, after the lockdown was implemented, and suspecting this situation was going to go on for longer than originally thought, I put up a post on personal observations on covid19.
Now we are over seven months into living with the coronavirus. There are no indications it is going to disappear soon. But surely after this long there has been more knowledge gained. Hasn't there? My state now ranks 32nd among known c -
Blog postAwkward Situations....Like reviewing the books of authors who ask you to....
In 2010 when I published The Death of Amelia Marsh and The Disappearance of Douglas White in e-book format with Elderberry Press, it opened a whole new world to me. I had to learn to navigate the web, find book sites, and start getting exposure for my mystery series. To get the word out and obtain reviews, one of the options available was offering free books in exchange for a review. Another was -
Blog postJustice for Stacey, 8th Sally Nimitz Mystery
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Justice+for+Stacey&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss_2****
It has been two years since I put out another Sally Nimitz mystery. Life got in the way.And a sad fact made itself apparent as well: I'm not as young as I used to be, and neither is my brain! (My partner in this endeavor, who does my formatting and helped me put together my cover, has noticed the same thing.) I have had to spend m -
Blog postTwo Books by Erik LarsonFor Those Who Enjoy American HistoryLarson has several books to his credit, and I'm looking forward to those I haven't read as yet. But here are two of those that I have.
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in American History https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005PRJNCY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 My husband and I spent a few months in southeast Texas a number of years ago, and spent some free time in Galveston. There w -
Blog postThe War That Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CX9NK7K/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1At least one of you has already read this book, but I'm taking this opportunity to let all who visit this site know about this excellent read, winner of several awards. It wasn't until later that I realized it was written for children. No problem, it's written for adults like us too. and I don't want you to miss out.
True, it is written in a fir -
Blog postYou Can't Please EveryoneThis could be featured under Fun Stuff, but maybe not.
Because trying to please everyone might not be fun at all. And let's face it: usually it Can't be done at all! The glib conclusion to this dilemma might be to simply please yourself. Now that might be permissible in certain situations, but not always.
A man I know has great musical talent, and at one point he led the praise and worship at his church. In no time at all he came in for a ba -
Blog postWhat About the Authors?Have you ever explored the lives of some of your favorite authors?
Since people interest me, and history interests me, I've found the personal and professional lives of many authors almost as interesting as what they write about. Two men who became household names because of their talent, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway, were not contented people and never happy for long. Talent does not make for successful personal lives. If you read a good biography -
Blog postHousehold tasks that are..... no fun at all.And avoiding them for as long as possible.
Like most people I do my own house work. I know several people who have the financial means to pay someone to help them with that, and/or others who find a way because physically they can no longer complete some of these tasks. No one in my family or in my current circle of friends has a lifestyle where attending to household chores is of no concern, but completely handled by paid staff. Once upon -
Blog postThe Dancing Bear by Frances Faviell For a short time, as a young woman I resided in the Los Angeles, California area. I was hired at a small hospital as a staff nurse. Our unit secretary was a lady named Inge. Years earlier, a few short years after WWII, she and her family immigrated from Germany to California. She was a young woman in Berlin when the Russians came.
Memories of Inge came back to me often while I read this book. It takes place over the e -
Blog postMy Favorite Time of Year Begins.....About Now.
This photo was taken today at the state park near our house. Often I take my morning walks here. And if not here, at one of the other trails nearby. As of just a few days ago, the black-eye Susans and other wild flowers began to make a strong appearance. So did the first hint of fall, with cooler morning breezes and an unmistakable yellowish hue showing up in the leaves on the aspen trees. From now unt -
Blog postAnd Speaking of Pet Therapy.... Perhaps You Have Never Read This Wonderful Series. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060QM0AG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 It came to mind that an appropriate follow-up to the previous post about the power of a beloved pet to enrich a life would be to mention James Herriot's wonderful books about his years as a practicing veterinarian. It has already been said that neither animals or pets are a passion of mine. B
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