Angie Gallion's Blog, page 4

Dust in My Pack by Nancy O'Hare

Nancy O’Hare’s Dust in My Pack is part of a new generation of travel books. This book, and others like it, is an adventure log, a testament to a life well lived. The book is divided into subject chapters for ease of use: Boat Trips, Multi-day Treks, Getaway Adventures, Ancient Cities, Animal Encounters and Unforgettable Accommodations, to name a few. Each chapter is then sub-divided into a particular destination, with a synopsis followed by the adventure. It’s a very clever way of organizing this book. I particularly loved the visually descriptive manner in which O’Hare takes us on these adventures. I felt I was able to walk along with her as she journeyed.   Dust in My Pack is a beautifully imagined and implemented work. Nancy O’Hare’s voice and attention to detail are just what I want in a travel log. The cover art is wistful and beckons the inner adventurer. O'Hare has chosen locations that are not particularly "touristy" so the flavor of the culture and surroundings is all the more authentic for not having been adjusted to suit the traveler. That is not to say that the locations were not welcoming of travelers, just that travelers have not corrupted the experience to be had. I doubt that I will ever get the opportunity to travel to Cambodia to take a boat ride to Stung Proat, surrounded by grey monkeys and great black and white birds with massive wingspans; nor will I probably ever snow shoe in Switzerland, but O’Hare did, and she was kind enough to take me along. Dust in My Pack is a treasure for any person who lives with unrequited wanderlust. I hope O’Hare continues her adventures and continues taking me along, because there are so many more places I want to go. 

Talking Sense About Politics by Jack Meacham

Jack Meacham’s new book, Talking Sense About Politics, How to Overcome Political Polarization in Your Next Conversation, is an enlightening journey though American history to the present, in an effort to help the reader find a little "perspective."  Meacham utilizes historical characters to demonstrate the four “American Perspectives,” that he discusses in his book.  His premise is that we are not right vs. left, we are not conservative vs. liberal, we are not Republican vs. Democrat.  Instead we are a compilation of these four American Perspecitve:  Loyal, Tactful, Detached, and Caring.  Once he has outlined his Perspectives he then moves into the meat of the book, demonstrating techniques to have fruitful conversations with any person bearing any of the above perspective.  Talking Sense about Politics is about reading people, relearning how to listen to people who hold different opinions and beliefs, and knowing how to effectively communicate with them in a manner that will not cause a family feud.  I found Jack Meacham’s book,Talking Sense about Politics, How to Overcome Political Polarization refreshing. It is timely in the current, high tension political environment.  Every person, who is paying attention and aware of politics has undoubtedly been confronted with an uncomfortable situation when politics have arisen in a conversation.  Meacham reminds us that we must relearn the art of debate, we must discard the labels  and judgements that segment us.  Meacham does a fine job of reminding us that spouting our own beliefs without allowing others to participate in the dialogue is not a conversation.  He cautions us against making assumptions and rightly states that very few people fall in a straight line with any political party.  By the time I finished his book, I didn’t know what Meacham believed politically, I don’t know who he voted for in the last election or how he feels about any number of hut button issues.  What I do know is that he respects discourse, and that he has a very solid grasp on human nature.  I know many people who could benefit from some time spent contemplating Meacham’s Talking Sense about Politics. 

Mercy's First Semester by W. M. Bunche

I would like to preface this review by telling you that I read this book twice.  It was good, very good in fact, and it was profoundly relevant to the world in which we live.  It was a book that gave me an expectation, and then completely blew me away by the experience it took me on.   The book opens with the people who love our hero, Mercy, and are reminiscing about their experiences with him.  I expected this to be a story about a troubled man finding his salvation, and in some ways that is exactly what I got, but there was more.  So much more. W.M. Bunche tells the story of a young man, home after two tours as a Cavalry Scout in Iraq, Joshua Mercier, "Mercy."  Mercy is intelligent, passionate, complex.  He suffers with PTSD and as part of his therapy he is encouraged to take a writing class at a local college.  Much of the story is told through Mercy's writings for a creative writing class.  Although the timeframe of the book actually last for only a period of months, just a little more than a college semester, the story that is told goes far back into Mercy's childhood.   We are with Mercy in Iraq, we know the people he knows and I feel a little PTSD for having walked with him through it.  This book reads as an honest compilation of a life.  I want Mercy to survive, I want him to succeed at finding the answers he needs, even as I understand that his psyche is fragmented, even as I understand that the there are no magic buttons. I desperately wanted to press on for him.  I don't want to give away how the beginning comes to the end, because it's a journey everyone should take, with an honest open mind.  I was heartbroken at times, as this novel unfolded, and Mercy felt every bit as real to me as if I had grown up with him down the road.  This is not your typical war story, it's not your typical recovery story, it's not your typical reminiscent story.  There is nothing at typical about this book.  It is a book that should not be overlooked.  

Aaru by David Meredith

David Meredith contacted me for a review during the time I was taking a hiatus from reviews to work on my own next novel, so there has been a little delay in getting into his book. I really needed to wait to read it when I could give it my full atttention.David Meredith's novel Aaru, sets the stage by putting us in the mind of a child dying of leukemia.  It is brutal, her suffering, and Meredith does a very good job of displaying all the many emotions, from anger and grief to regret and finally acceptance.  His young protagonists, and there are two, Rose, the dying girl and her younger sister, Koran, are distinct and different.  They are nicely portrayed.  As I got into this novel I found that it was not what I expected.  I thought it was young adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy when I first started reading, but it really settles itself nicely in the New Adult/College category.  It is complex and has very heavy questions and situations.  It is a book for thinking, and it certainly made me think.   The story line is  delves into the concepts of immortality, exploitation, obsessive behavior, and the fallacy of good intentions.  What if our consciousness could be retained after our bodies failed? What would it mean to have neverending life in a utopic and multidimensional space?  What are the consequences of children being dressed up and displayed to adult audiences for mass consumption.  What are the responsibilities of parents to their children? Who's job is it to protect them?  Is it acceptable for an adult to attack, verbally and with malicious intent, a child because they represent something they oppose?  I found Meredith's spot on portrayal of the power of social media in our lives intensely disturbing.  The girls' progress after Rose's death and ascent to Aaru in very different fashions.  Rose learns the intracacies of Aaru and Koran becomes a spokesmodel for the company Elysian Industries, the developer of Aaru.  She is barely a child herself but is exploited in the most abhorant ways.  She is dressed in seductive clothing, she is in "showbiz" now and everybody, including her self serving parents, encourage her to go along with it because that's the way it is done in "showbiz."  I don't know if Meredith intended to make a commentary of the exploitation of children in marketing, but it rang a loud and strong chord with me.  I have a daughter who wants to act in all of the Disney shows, Jessie, Bunk'd, the Descendants, and I'm sure the camera would love her and I know she can put on a good show, but it's an industry that chews people up and the idea of putting her anywhere near it is terrifying. Koran, and by extension, Rose, ends up with a stalker, a terrifyingly plausible creation.  Meredith writes this book in the thrid person but does a good job of putting you inside the mind of his characters.    Magic Man made my skin crawl and I wanted nothing more than to get out of the inside of his head.  Rose grows and develops inside Aaru, developing frindships with others there.  Koran transforms in giant leaps and bounds and ultimately is more adult that either of her parents.  Bill and Gypsy Johnson are self-serving to the end and I was grateful that I didn't have to spend any time inside of their heads, because I wanted to slap them every time they justified what was being asked of their young daughter because it met their needs.There is a lot of information in Meredith's Aaru and his explanations leave you believing that all of this could be possible.  He provides a lot of information within the framework of conversations or interviews, and I found myself more than once straying from his print to actually imagine what he was explaining.  It's a great jumping off point for a number of concepts.  What are the consequences of man playing God?  What would be possible if death were no longer part of the equation?  How would the created environment succeed and where would it fail.  Meredith has thought through all of these questions and much more.  

Under-Worldly by Kristie Betts Letter

Kristie Betts Letter drew me into her work of poetry from the very dedication of her collection, Under-Worldly.  There is a whimsical playfulness in Letter’s words that is often contradicted by the gripping images that her succinct phrases elicit.   This is not poetry of the old school, this is verse that expresses and expands, pulling images and emotion from a variety of familiar songs, literature, and phrases.  Letter utilizes lines from great literature and popular music to set the stage for her poems and often interweaves the lyrics right into the piece.  It is an effective weaving and Betts will draw you through her book as she delves deeper into all thing “under.”  Under-Worldly deals with love and loss, of growing old, of eugenics, birth control.  Letter draws up our lost puppies from childhood, she explores Purgatory and Paradise, and pays tribute to the 80’s hair bands and delves into the social norms, acceptable behavior, the failures of a government to its people, the heartbreak of a dying mother, the stark recognition of abortion.  I enjoyed Kristie Betts Letter’s technique in Under Worldly.  It was powerful, the way she created full color, full imagined stories with the fewest of words.   She does a masterful job of telling a story, which you may not fully appreciate until you reach the end.  Letter’s poetry is clean and precise and very evocative. I lingered on within the pages, pausing over the lines of print and drawing a small set of words to a fully developed scene.   “Brick House” took my again to my own childhood home, and it will probably take you to yours, too.  While many of Letter’s poems were simple to process, others I read through several times, pausing and appreciating the rhythms caused by my voice rising into the air, before the comprehension dawned and the fog shifted away.  It’s a collection well worth recommendation.

Malikah Harris - Taking it to the Prisons

Malikah is one of my Gallion Picks Authors, and while I found her book, Generational Curses, to be a disturbing cross section into a culture in crisis, it's what she's doing to heal that culture in crisis that puts her in my People Who Inspire List.  Malikah has a sister production called Blood Sisters, the Musical, based on her book, and she is opening conversations with each performance.  Now, all of that could simply be self-promotion, the more you have to offer, the more attention you get, right?  Maybe, but what sets Malikah apart, in my my mind, is her prison outreach.  She is actively pursuing an audience with local correctional facilities where so many inmates suffer from their broken childhoods.  She is promoting forgiveness as the key to healing inner wounds.  She is positive and encouraging and is making it a mission to help those suffering from hidden wounds, she is a person willing to climb down into the chaos to help a fellow traveller out of it, for that, Malikah hits my People Who Inspire list. Can you tell me a little about your early life?Born and raised in Newark New Jersey I am the youngest of four children. Talent came at an early age as I got my talent of singing from my biological father Craig Sr. Harris and my creativity from my uncle Troy Harris. What did you want to be when you were little? I always wanted to be a lawyer I felt I could talk my way out of anything and people actually listened to me when I spoke.When did you realize you had something that needed to be written and shared?I've always had the gift to write as I started with songs. I always felt my songs hid a deep message in them. Working on this project just brought it to a different level of responsibility.What was the writing process like for you?Writing this amazing work took on years of letting go and letting God do what he does best BIRTH! I started out with writing the music for the Musical first. Then started to combine a story that was so relatable entitled Generational Curses. I ended up writing the last Journey first then piecing the puzzle together. It was very interested how it all came together.Can you tell me a little about your body of work?  Who is your target audience?The work is to help people heal from their past life of upbringing. As so many of us suffer from abuse, neglect, betrayal, and so many other things. This project is universal as we all need to heal from something.Did you self-publish or are you with a legacy publisher (traditional publishing house)?I found an amazing small publishing company called Light Switch Press that is also a free publication with small terms to meet. I truly enjoy working with them.What do you want to inspire with your work?  What do you hope to achieve? I want to inspire people to understand forgiveness is the key to facing all fears. I pray that this project does exactly what God allows it to do...... Bless others and keep them wanting more of the messages so they can spread them too. Is there any one person in your life that inspired a change in you that led you to your current path?Oh yes so many people to even name but the one person I have to give so much credit to is the inner child in me. I promised her that I will make her so proud one day and pay her back for all the abuse and pain she endured in her life.Do you have an organization you would like to bring attention to, as an ancillary to your writing?Yes my Entertainment Company Mother Earth Productions LLC is a non-profit company that gives back to the community by showcasing comedy, novels, movies, and musicals  just to name a few. With this company we plan to take great percentages of our company and apply it to our and your communities. Our first event was to showcase our show Blood Sisters the Musical and novel Generational Curses into the prison system for the inmates for free! Our successful event began on August 24, 2017 at the Regional Jail in Portsmouth Virginia. And I have to say it was Awesome.  What are you offering in the prison outreach experience?I'm basically showing a Life Changing Presentation to the inmates and helping them face their fears. Which we all have and most come from a childhood lifestyle. By showcasing my show Blood Sisters the Musical and novel Generational Curses I believe most of the people will be able to relate and forgive so they can Let go and Let God. My many goal is to package this presentation and send it to jails and detention centers all over the world. I also pray that this novel continues to help heal people of all nations that is why I will be translating my book into different languages. I also see my show on Broadway healing people as well. I just know this project is so much bigger than I.  We have a Go Fund Me page to help with the expences incurred in the outreach.  If you would like to contribute please do so: Malikah's Go Fund Me PageWhat is the one piece of advice you most often give?Live Life...... don't let Life....... Live You!Malikah Harris Contact Infowebsite: http://motherearthproductionsllc.come...  motherearthproductionsllc@gmail.com

Janet Fix - Champion for Authors

I'm starting the People Who Inspire series by highlighting one of the people who have given me this platform. My editor, Janet Fix. As most of you know, I don't write in a necessarily typical fashion, I like to call it present tense immediate. Most editorial instincts would be to transform it to something more typical, maybe more marketable, and it was one of my biggest concerns when seeking an editor. Janet was put in my path by another self-published author. When I approached her to look at my book, Intoxic, I expected a list of things that should be changed to make it more mass-market friendly; what I got was an editor who embraced my style of writing and helped me make it better, just the way it was. She didn't want to change the way I write to suit the norm and has been an amazing sounding board for me this past year. That, though, is not why she is on this list; that is just to tell you why she is first.Janet Fix hits this list because she is so incredibly positive and encouraging. Even when she has to slash through something I've written with a big red pen, she does it with so much respect that I almost don't mind. Janet has incredible literary instincts, and without a doubt, she has improved my body of work by being on my team. She has a keen mind and is willing to share it with others to help them find success. She works very hard, and I know her work is mentally exhausting, but she is always positive and ready with a suggestion to turn a closed window into a fire escape.  Janet owns and operates thewordverve, a small-press publishing house out of Canton, GA, that is transforming from a hybrid model into more of a legacy house. She also works as a professional editor for a myriad of authors outside her published authors. She puts out quality books and supports her writers every step of the way. Jan is a powerhouse, and I think thewordverve is going to continue to grow and thrive under her leadership.  She's a testament that hard work and perserverence can pay off.   Thanks, Jan for participating in my People Who Inspire series. Can you tell me a little about your early life?I have only recently wondered where I get my “word” roots from. Are there any other writers in my family history? That kind of thing. After about ten years of working on my family’s genealogy, I still haven’t discovered any fellow wordsmiths. Seems like I’m a lone ranger in that department. At least as far as I know to date. Of course, my parents did encourage my interest in books and writing, so perhaps it’s not such a mystery, but a gift from them.I’ve been reading since I can remember anything in my life. I started writing poetry in sixth grade, twelve years old. From there, I went on to writing short stories, to writing articles for the high school newspaper, to being editor of the high school paper, copy editor for the yearbook, and then copy editor for my college paper at University of South Florida. I also did a bunch of photography work, thanks to my dad’s generosity in allowing me to use his Pentax. I had a freelance journalist job at the St. Pete Times/Clearwater Times when I was just seventeen years old. I wrote Sports and Feature articles. I was treated like a “regular,” and I was amazed by the process of producing a newspaper. All these years later, and I am a publisher, editor, and author. It’s my dream come true. What did you want to be when you were little? A writer. (not kidding you)When did you realize you had something that needed to be written and shared? I guess it was first in high school, per above. In the last decade, I’ve published my children’s book series: Ranch Hero (and I’m so proud of it) . . . but I also have many fiction novels scattered about, not yet published. I can’t seem to get past the “editing myself” mode. But I will get there. Timing is everything. I publish my children’s books under my name, Janet Fix. My novels and other such writings will be published under a pen name, Helen M. Ruby, which acknowledges the three grandmothers in my life. Not a hiding-behind-a-name thing, but instead a nod to these women who contributed to my life in some way, for better or for worse. What is the writing process like for you? I could write all day and night if I had the time. Honestly, I have not experienced such a thing as writer’s block. When I sit down and grab the time, the words flow easily for me. If only I can stop editing them, ha ha. Ultimately, I will hire a professional editor to do the real deal for me. There is nothing like a professional editor—this coming from a professional editor, who knows better than to edit her own work. In the end, I know my writing will benefit immensely from an editor’s input other than my own. I’m looking forward to that moment when I submit a manuscript to an editor, like so many authors do when they submit their work to me. Entrust their work to me. Author-editor relationships are amazing.Can you tell me a little about your body of work? Who is your target audience? The Ranch Hero series is obviously targeted toward kids. It’s about losing a pup and then that pup turns out to be a guardian angel for farm pals everywhere. It’s silly and fun. It gives us a chance to think outside the box . . . that, should a beloved pet die, he just might be a guardian angel—his calling. As for my fiction works via pen name Helen M. Ruby, these are more geared toward the fantastical or psychological type of stories—sometimes via a 50-something woman (ahem) and sometimes just in general. I find myself drawn to write about life’s woes and how someone gets through them . . . in unconventional ways. Did you self-publish or are you with a legacy publisher (traditional publishing house)? Since my business, thewordverve, is a publishing house, I published through them. So that’s kind of a weird mix, I know. What do you want to inspire with your work?  What do you hope to achieve? Oh man. I want to elicit passion and compassion and a relatability to what I’ve written. Some things people don’t want to talk about. I write about those things. Is there any one person in your life that inspired a change in you that led you to your current path? My high-school journalism teacher, Ken Henderson. Hands down. #gospongers What is the one piece of advice you most often give? Live for today. But I never do that, so that’s not a good one. For my writers, for whom I edit, I say: If it doesn’t add to the main thread of the story in some way, get it the hell out of there. There is a tendency for us writers to be more verbose than necessary. I’m probably one of the worst offenders. Readers in general expect their authors to stick to the thread, and every bit they read contributes to that thread. It’s kind of an unspoken deal between authors and readers. If you, as an author, nix on that deal, it’s not a good thing. Oh, and for sure this advice: Do what you love!Just a little more about my business, thewordverve inc. We started as a strictly hybrid publishing house (Champion for Authors! Is the Verve in You? #teamV) back in 2010. Since then, we’ve gradually moved toward a more traditional style of publishing, which has always been my dream for the business (more vetting, prime product). It’s like the “less is more” concept. And it’s working. Our authors are truly the cream of the crop. Janet Fix - Contact info: Email: writenow@thewordverve.comWebsites: www.thewordverve.comwww.ranch-hero.co... Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewordvervewww.face... @thewordverve

The Borman Factor by Robert Lalonde

At the beginning of the summer I had started reading The Borman Factor: A Nick Borman Thriller by Robert Lalonde.  It was a little outside of my comfort zone, being a thriller, but I found nothing to put me off.  The writing was good, the characters were well developed, so I continued.  Then I stopped.  It's a complex story, with a number of characters that weave through and connect.  At the beginning of the summer, with my girls home for the summer and my attention regularly pulled away, I found that I couldn't give it the attention it deserved.  I set it aside, with the promise that I would come back to it in the fall, if I had an interest.  My girls went back to school a week ago and I was drawn back to Lalonde's book.  I started again at the beginning, and in the quiet of my daytime home all the connections linked, the characters fleshed, and the mystery unraveled and tied itself up again.  Lalonde's style is dialogue heavy, which may also be common on the genre.  Almost all of the forward motion is brought through verbal communication.  Lalonde is a no frills kind of writer, much the way news reporters used to be, it's just the facts all the way through, with a few healthy twists and turns and more than one unexpected murder.  Nick Borman is a an investigator brought in when a well connected reporter is murdered in broad daylight, and the powers that be refuse to look into the slaying although all the signs for foul play are there.  The family hires Borman to get to the bottom of the murder and Borman, in his terse, yet affable way, does just that, and uncovers the cause of the cover up along the way.  Borman has all the characteristics of a successful serial.  Lalonde is currently at work on the second of the Nick Borman Thrillers, with a working title, Jinxed.  If you like a good thriller, you should get to know Robert Lalonde and his Nick Borman.  They'll keep you on the edge of your seat. 

People Who Inspire

I am exhausted by all the negativity being piped into our homes every day.  I am exhausted to the point that I have completely tuned out.  I am fed up with opinions being pushed as fact and insulted that they think we can't tell the difference.  So I have tuned out.  I am no longer watching any television except for that which comes without commentary and includes actors.  My most current streaming was Ozark, which I highly recommend, and we just started Stranger Thimgs, which is proving to be quite a treat.  That's about the extent of my immersion in television content.  It's working, I feel less exhausted.  I am sleeping better.  I am less anxious.  If the apocolypse comes now, I'll be one of the last to know and I think that suits me just fine.   I hope that gives you an idea of where I've been.I say that to tell you this, last weekend I attended the Dekalb County Public Library Inagural Autho Expo and I was amazed at how much love, respect, creativity, and general awesomeness was contained in that one building.  During a time when we are being led to believe that there is nothing but division in our country, I in my daily life see no signs of such.  It's not that I live out in the boondocks and never see another person.  I live in the Atlanta metropolitan area.  Surely this diverse culture would be a hotbed for the division.  Maybe there are pockets of animus, and I just don't know because I'm not part of it.  But what I found at last weekend's event was acceptance, respect, love, kindness and above all else, inspiration.  These people inspired me to believe that the world is really not the hateful and horrid place the 24x7 opinion outlets would have you believe.  People who inspire a sense of being part of something bigger.Not everybody I met last week had a book that required a book review.  There were many people who had written childrens books, self help guide books and health and wellness books.  Yet, I couldn't keep these amazing people from popping into my mind and I didn't really understand why.  The other night, while I was sleeping, I understood.  They inspire positivity.  That, in this time of extreme negativism, should be celebrated.  I want to celebrate it.  I want to put some positive into the world and maybe, in my very small way, counterbalance some of the negative.  Keep an eye out, sometime in the next week, you'll see a post from me with the tag line People Who Inspire.  It's not all going to  be writers, it's going to be people from all walks of life that I encounter who are doing good in the world.   People who are looking for ways to help other people feel better, succeed more, thrive. 

Two Natures by Jendi Reiter

One of the things I try to do when I am accepting books for review is to not only review the type of books I would write.  When Jendi Reiter contacted me to offer her book, a gay love story with a Christian undertone, I didn't know what to expect from Two Natures, but was happy to give it a go.    What I got was a well written novel with enough descriptive detail to let me walk the life of the main charater Julian.  The novel begins in new York City in January 1991.  Our protagonist is a fashion photographer in New York, and yes this is during the height of the AIDS epedimic. This book offers a brutal, but not unkind vision of early 1990's.Two Natures is a very honest bildungsroman, a coming of age novel, with all the key factors, finding your path, breaking with your parents' traditions, learnig to stand independent, with a healthy side of Southern Baptist guilt and a childhood fractured by abuse. His journey is complex and the people that populate his life are founded and defined.  Julian is a serious person, and artist, a person sometime prone to self reflection.  He felt familiar to me, just like an old friend.   There are no caricatures here, no one sided coins. This book could have been about my college friend, who was coming to terms with his own sexual identity during the years I knew him, the same years this book covers.  He was creative and passionate, and a little awkward about who he was recognizing as himself, just like we all are.  Julian touches the underbelly of New York City, and we are witness to it.  Reiter does a great job of bringing the city, and all of her locales to life.  She gives enough description and flavor that I got to be there without having to examine every blade of grass along the way.  Reiter does exactly what I like in a book, she lets me walk as the character.  I am Julian as he struggles against the traditions of his family and the calling of his own soul.  I feel his tormoil as he moves through this time in his life and I feel his heart break, along with his joy.   This book is complex, with religious, political, and social realities in the mix.  Reiter paints the deminsions of her characters with a very fine brush, capturing their shadows and scars very nicely.   This book does not shy away from anything, but it also doesn't make you wallow.  There were scenes that made me uncomfortable, in my middle aged, traditional soul, and the very next scene would remind me again of all of our shared human condition.  People are people, regardless of their trappings, we all want the same things of lives, to be safe, to know love, to be accepted.   You will cheer for Julian in his triumphs,  You will weep for him in his dispair.  You will know him. Two Natures but Jendi Reiter is a good book with a really big story.  It is published by a small publisher out of Hilo, Hawaii, Saddle Road Press.