Sally Ember's Blog, page 113
June 4, 2014
#Review of #THISCHANGESMYFAMILYANDMYLIFEFOREVER, Vol II, #THESPANNERSSERIES
TITLE HERE
June 4, 2014
“Clara Ackerman Branon is back, and Earth’s Transition continues.
cover art by Aidana Willowraven
“I actually read Vol I and Vol II back to back, so for me it was like I’m reading one continuous book. I think though that one would need to read Vol I really to fully understand what is going to happen.
“In this volume, we get introduced more to Clara’s family (they are a large family!) who all get interviewed about how they experienced Clara’s first contact with the aliens and earth’s transition (when the news first broke, what changed for them, any difficulties, what are they planning for the future). One of the main narrators is Clara’s nephew, Moran, a Rabbi before Transition, who will now become the Chief in the fight against those who resist and fight the transition. There is also more info about Clara, snippets about her life from young woman to past transition, we learn about her jobs, relationships with both man and woman and in communes, what does she listen to, read etc. Though I’m still confused about her relationship with her lover / not lover, Epifanio – but hey, more volumes are to come.
“One thing I like very much about The Spanners Series is the message that we can all live together in peace, learn from each other, be there for each other. All differences (religious, racial, gender, and even between species and inhabitants of other planets) are overcome. I mean, how cool would that be to be able to communicate with animals – and not in a jokey, Eddie Murphy Dr Dolitle kind of way, but accept them and their needs / interests as equal to humans. And those people who resist change (yes, there will always be those, even if it is clear that the change is for the better) will not be eliminated, but gently persuaded to recognise at what is best for them.
“Another thing I really like is the cover artwork and I hope the author doesn’t change the cover art throughout the series, that would be a shame. It’s pretty , imaginative. once you read the first few chapters and about the first encounter with ‘The Band’, have a look at the cover again and you will go ‘ahhhh’.
“I very much enjoyed this series and the somewhat unusual structure of the book with interview. It is blurring the lines between fiction and non-fiction. One of the great pluses for me was that abbreviations or foreign language used (one of the main characters is Hispanic) are always explained in brackets straight away. Because of the non-fiction style, it does not halt the flow of the story at all, but is in fact very helpful. On the minus side, as there are several of Clara’s relatives are interviewed, it can sometimes be a bit ‘samey’ at some stage. But the writing is easy to read, so it is not a big deal and I found myself skipping over a few pages.
“A satisfying continuation from Volume I – let’s see what’s coming up in the next volume.”
[NOTE: Please forgive her English mistakes: English is not her first language.]
Visit Peggy Farooqi’s Reviews and blog: http://thepegsterreads.blogspot.co.uk
and on Amazon.com
Her review of Vol I, This Changes Everything, appears last month (May, 2014)!
TCE is PERMAFREE everywhere; TCMF&MLF is in Pre-Orders through 6/8/9 @$1.99 and releases @$3.99 6/9/14. Links, excerpts, more reviews and info: http://www.sallyember.com/spanners
Filed under: Reviews, The Spanners, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, Volume II of The Spanners Tagged: aliens, Book Review, Buddhism, Clara Branon, Judaism, Moran Ackerman, paranormal, romance, Sally Ember, sci-fi, The Spanners Series, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever
June 3, 2014
4-Star #Review for #THISCHANGESVERYTHING, Vol I, #THESPANNERSSERIES
Sci Fi which challenges your ideas
May 26, 2014
“Finally, a Sci-Fi Series that is not exclusively aimed at teenager. Don’t get me wrong, there is a market and this book can be read by everyone. But it does challenge you mentally. What I like is that the main characters are not teenagers caught in some intergalactic wars.
cover art by Aidana Willowraven
“Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, a middle-aged, Ph.D., school teacher, narrates the book (in most parts). She gets contacted by aliens from the MWC = Many World Collective. Led, Mick, Ringo and Janis – Diana (as Clara names them *geddit?*) appear to Clara in her bedroom as holograms and tell her that she is chosen to be earth’s first Chief Communicator with the MWC. They have come to prepare earth for membership of the MWC. Clara is not too spooked by their appearance, as she had visions since childhood. For me, she is a very likeable character and I took to her straight away – she has a great sense of humour.
“These aliens are actually friendly, and want to help earth and all its inhabitants (and that incl human and all other life) to live peacefully together. Reference John Lennon and “Image” here! Being aware of everything that went on at earth, they feel now the time is right to come forward and help earth with its transition to a more peaceful future.
“While the book in most parts is narrated by Clara, the chapters are also interlace with interviews, press conferences and diary entries written by others. This may sound confusing and it was at first when I read the contents pages. But the title of each chapter, whilst long, explains exactly what it is, so you will always now where and when you are. And there are a lot of ideas to take in, so a very helpful section at the end explains main phrases / concepts / abbreviations. But while it challenges your reading experience, it is not difficult to get your head around the ideas presented here.
“I found the idea that the MWC have been watching earth and are responsible for some of the disasters on earth (when things have gone wrong…) thought-provoking and absorbing. The concept of ‘timulting’ was more difficult for me to take in – Clara (and others) can see different timelines at any one stage. And than there is Clara’s love interest Epifanio whom she is / isn’t married to depending what timeline she is in and I struggled a bit with it. But I think I ‘got’ it at the end.
“I loved the idea of a ‘re-set’ on your life where you can change an event once. For Clara, that was the fact that she had a car accident as a teenager which left her with a degree of disability, which than ruled her life. When she can ‘re-set’ this event and watches how her life plays out without this disability in a different timeline, she realises that she would certainly be more outgoing, but the life of those around her (mostly her son) would also change significantly – at a price.
“Loved that. So, would you ‘re-set’ if you could?
“This book is the foundation for The Spanners Series, and while I understand that the following books can be read independently, I really think one ought to read Vol I to get the main ideas and concepts on which the author can now build upon. There is certainly a lot of scope to develop the ideas introduced in Vol I.”
[NOTE: Please forgive her English mistakes: English is not her first language.]
Visit Peggy Farooqi’s Reviews and blog: http://thepegsterreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/review-this-changes-everything-by-sally.html
and on Amazon.com
Her review of Vol II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, appears later this week!
TCE is PERMAFREE everywhere; TCMF&MLF is in Pre-Orders through 6/8/9 @$1.99 and releases @$3.99 6/9/14. Links, excerpts, more reviews and info: http://www.sallyember.com/spanners
Filed under: Reviews, The Spanners, This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Tagged: aliens, Book Review, Clara Branon, Sally Ember, sci-fi, The Spanners Series, This Changes Everything, Volume I, WillowRaven
June 2, 2014
Essay and Memoir Writing Competition…
#Authors: Another writing contest! Go for it!
Originally posted on Author Ingrid Hall:
Following the success of our recent Short Story Competition, I am pleased to announce that I have once again teamed up with The Writer’s Drawer to bring you an Essay and Memoir Writing Competition!
All submissions will be posted in the Essays and memoirs sections of The Writer’s Drawer, subject to the conditions laid down in the creative writing section (no erotica or entries that offend religious, ethnic or religious sensibilities). The essay/memoir should be an original piece and not appear elsewhere either in published form or on the internet.
The prizes for the winning entry are:
A LIMITED HARD COPY, and beautifully illustrated edition of Scorpion Soup, by best-selling author Tahir Shah;
· A print (paperback) edition of the children’s/YA story Fraud at Snowfields, by Indie and Proud author Daniel Klock;
· A print (paperback) edition of my novella about a Near Death Experience, The Tunnel Betwixt…
· A…
View original 214 more words
Filed under: Writing
May 31, 2014
How to Get More Blog Followers
Qaudruple re-blog! Well worth it!
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
My dear friend MMJaye published this awesome blog post today, titled 13 Strategy-Altering Blogging Stats, that was based on a post by Mitt Ray of Social Marketing Writing. Mitt has taken all blog-related statistics he could lay his hands on and created a superb infographic that is an excellent resource for all us bloggers.
Along with the blogging stats, Mitt has provided some tips on how they can be used to create a better blog. He also lists his original sources, which is a great idea for anyone looking for some extra reading into this. I have converted these to easy-to-follow links, for your convenience. I suggest you take a look whenever you have some free time to spare; they make for a fascinating read. On the other hand, the most important lessons are already included in Mitt’s infographic, so even if you’re pressed for time (and who isn’t?), you can just look at…
View original 96 more words
Filed under: Writing
Alternate Visions: On Diversity in Science Fiction
LOVE this! Thanks, Antariksh Yatra!!
Originally posted on Antariksh Yatra:
I was recently in the remote Alaskan town of Barrow for an academic project. Barrow is profoundly different from any place I have been: at 71.3 N latitude, it perches at the edge of the Arctic Ocean. During April, when I visited, the ocean is frozen as far as you can see. The tundra is white and flat, and there is no vegetation. Most of the people who live there are Inupiat Eskimos. It is as far removed as you can imagine from Delhi, where I grew up, or for that matter, Boston, near which city I now reside.
I was wandering through the bright hallways of Ilisagvik college in Barrow, looking for someone with whom I hoped to speak, when I found an efficient young administrative assistant. She assured me she would find the person I was seeking, and took my name down. As is usual in…
View original 7,477 more words
Filed under: Writing
May 29, 2014
A Neuroscientist Explains How Meditation Changes Your Brain – BBN News
Even better info on #meditation/brain changes.
Originally posted on The Only Buddhist in Town:
A Neuroscientist Explains How Meditation Changes Your Brain – BBN News.
Filed under: Writing
Seven Ways To Garden Like You Know What You’re Doing
For newbie #gardeners or those who want more tips!
Originally posted on Inspired Journeys:
Ever wanted to have your own little garden but didn’t know where to start? These seven tips could be just the information you’re looking for.
Click here for more information.
Filed under: Writing
NoiseTrade: Build Audience While Boosting Your Mailing List
Love the graphic! Want!
Originally posted on David Gaughran:
What if I told you there was a cool new way to share your work with the world that could help you build audience, boost your mailing list, and make money at the same time?
Welcome to NoiseTrade.
The idea is simple. Authors can upload ebooks (and audiobooks) and NoiseTrade’s community of readers can download them for free – for as long as the author wants. There is a tip-jar, and you can suggest a figure, but it’s not compulsory.
So it’s pay what you want, but with a killer twist. In exchange for the download, the reader provides their email address to the author (in full knowledge they will be contacted in future).
In other words, it’s a smart way to boost your mailing list, with the possibility of making a little money on the side too.
NoiseTrade is quite well established in the indie music scene…
View original 719 more words
Filed under: Writing
Strange! It’s a Mystery Why a 50 foot Maple Tree Fell in Downtown Vancouver Trapping Two Men
The trees are ATTACKING! I told you so!
Originally posted on This and That:
The tree just started shaking then fell. They said the roots don’t appear to be rotten. Weird!!
To read the article go to
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tree-falls-on-car-and-truck-trapping-2-men-in-vancouver-1.2656211
Filed under: Writing
Book Marketing: Twitter vs. Facebook
Interesting research and helpful recommendations for #authors, #musicians, #poets, more. Thanks, @Nicholas!ARossis
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
As you know, there is research being done about pretty much everything nowadays. I recently came across an interesting research by Michelle Bertino on Klout, that studies the reactions on Twitter and Facebook according to different subjects. Nice guy that I am, and since a large part of it has fascinating repercussions for our book marketing efforts, I thought I’d share. So, let the battle begin: Twitter vs. Facebook!
Photo: articlemarketingco.com
Top 10 Subjects
The research categorized the subjects that get a noteworthy reaction on Twitter or Facebook. As you can see, music, television, holidays and celebrities have the greatest engagement. Amazingly enough, religion is in the top 10 of engagement in Facebook - something I did not expect, since the contrast with the previous subjects is quite amazing. Apparently Facebook attracts many different people!
Research by Michelle Bertino, Klout
I carefully glance through the list, expecting and hoping to see books…
View original 574 more words
Filed under: Writing
