D.G. Kaye's Blog, page 62

The Eyes Have It – How Many Eyes are Watching Us?

Scary Alexa – Digital Footprints – All eyes on us   Lord knows with the amount of time I spend on the computer, I’m enabling my digital footprints to stretch far and beyond.  We’re caught in a web of  our personal lives, living somewhere in the digital library of bits and pieces of everyone, somewhere. We are losing that ability to remain anonymous as digitalization progresses. Privacy is quickly becoming obsolete in today’s digital world.    Do you ever think about the fact that anytime we go out in public we are susceptible to being videoed and/or recorded?  Anyone, anywhere can take our picture and use it however they deem. Nary a public place is without a camera for their ‘security’ purposes, but nonetheless, we’re recorded. Personally, I feel there’s wayyyyyy too much information for strangers to have access to and then to do what they please with it. I don’t like it! Maybe we’re just getting too complacent and don’t pay enough attention to it anymore, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.  There is nowhere safe anymore it seems. And this isn’t just about once we step into the outside world, but we invite the same into our own homes – some unknowingly and others quite willingly. Just think about all the digital gadgets we all have in our homes. From computers with webcams and microphones to our phones tracking our every move, and Smart TVs – there are potentially eyes on us if we  don’t remain cognizant about smart digital use such as turning off mics and covering up webcams when not in use. And as if we don’t have enough technological spyware following us, enter Alexa.  I refuse to have one in my home. I feel there’s enough ‘big brother’ going on in our personal lives and I’m doing my best to keep from being spied on as best I can in the cyberworld, but let’s face it, if we work on computers daily, the best we can do is help minimize the invasions.  All these digital methods come with way too much convenience in exchange for our digital footprints being sold to third parties to be shared, often exploited, and lord knows who else, so they can follow us around on our digital apparatus and flash advertising at us. The way I see it is, if I have a computer, Ipad and cell phone  within reach, do I really need to purchase an Alexa bot to move into my home so I can ask it to do things for me? Am I too lazy to Google something myself? Am I too lazy to press a button myself to turn on music or turn off a light? Do I really need to place an order on Amazon with a bot? The answer to all above are no. Besides, I’d much rather log onto Amazon and search around for things myself, and do price comparisons, and of course, read reviews before purchasing anything – not just a book.  I personally don’t enjoy a bot living in my home listening to everything that transpires in my life, my phone calls and personal discussions, because you can be sure it’s being stored in someone’s archives. No thanks. I’m not interested in living under surveillance more than I already must. And if the day comes that I’m too lazy to get off a couch to press a button, then there’s something really wrong. Everything we can imagine is at our fingertips – literally.  Who would imagine with so many newfangled freedoms of technology we’d have to give up more of our privacy with everything we order, signup up for or merely browse. It’s the price we pay to be part of the digital movement. And if I can find ways to eliminate digital footprints I will. So how do we attempt to keep the exposure down? Notice I said down, and not off, because in today’s world, if you have a digital gadget there’s never going to be a way to remain completely anonymous. But there are some things we can do to keep the invasion at bay:   Cover your webcams with a post-it-note Turn off the mic on computer/tablets when there’s no need to use it Turn off the location on your cell phones so Big Brother doesn’t follow you everywhere and only turn on when using maps for navigation Sign out of your TV apps when not watching them Use browsers that don’t track you like Opera or Duck Duck Go Don’t leave your Alexa on all the time (if you must use one)   Another note of caution when house hunting – Beware when viewing properties. Many homeowners have their webcams or apps on their phones set up to view inside their homes while away, similar to Nanny cams. We don’t often think about these things when we’re in the moment and focused on the task of checking out a property, while it’s very likely the current owner has their cameras set up so they can listen to feedback from potential buyers. The days are gone where we can freely check a property and voice our concerns or comments without them being listened to. Pay attention to what you talk about while viewing, particularly, snarky comments and conversations about potentially placing an offer on the property. Save all that for once outside the home. Trust me, I have first-hand experience at this! Do you have something you’d like to add to this conversation?   ©DGKaye2020  

Sunday Book Review: Something a Little Different-Reviews by Sally Cronin and MJ Mallon

Welcome to Sunday Book Review. Although it’s me who usually reviews a book here on Sundays, once again, I haven’t finished one of the two almost 400 page books I’m reading so I’m going to share a couple of book reviews today by other authors for two of my own books – Twenty Years: After “I Do” and P.S. I Forgive you, plus reviews for Robbie and Michael Cheadle’s – Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Dough Bees, and Frank Prem’s – Small Town Kid. Thank you to Sally Cronin and to Marjorie Mallon for reading and reviewing and for sharing on your blogs

Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge – Synonyms Only

It’s been awhile since I jumped into one of Colleen Chesebro’s Tanka Poetry Challenges. This week Colleen invites writers to choose a form of syllabic poetry and use synonyms only for the words BOLD and HINT. I’ve written a Tanka.   WELCOME TO TANKA TUESDAY!   This week, Annette Rochelle Aben selected the words for the syllables only challenge. That means you can’t use those two words. You must find synonyms to replace them. Fun, right?   Here are your two words: Hint & Bold   Visit Colleen’s Original Post for rules and feel free to join in!       The Oracle   History reveals, Heroic efforts by some, Law and order broke. Protecting ersatz leaders, Actions tantamount to crime.   ©DGKaye2020  

Foundations of Storytelling – #Loglines – #Blurbs by Sean Carlin

  Screenwriter/author, Sean Carlin wrote this gem of an article on Loglines. He states in his informative post that successful stories should emerge from a logline (elevator pitch) and outlined around the logline. This is a fascinating post from the always informative and articulate Sean, who is as generous with this replies to comments with nuggests of worthy information as he is with his succinct and in-depth posts on the various aspects of writing. Sean breaks down each stage of writing beautifully with examples.   This is the first post in an occasional series. With the Second World War looming, a daring archaeologist-adventurer is tasked by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant—a Biblical artifact of invincible power, lost for millennia in the desert sands of Egypt—before it can be acquired by the Nazis. On Christmas Eve, an off-duty police officer is inadvertently ensnared in a life-or-death game of cat-and-mouse in an L.A. skyscraper when his wife’s office party is taken hostage by a dozen armed terrorists. Over the Fourth of July holiday, a resort-island sheriff finds himself in deep water—literally—when his beach is stalked by an aggressive great white shark that won’t go away. All of the above story concepts should sound familiar—that’s why I chose them.  Yes, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Die Hard, and Jaws are all popular—now classic—works of commercial cinema.  But they are also excellent exemplars of storytelling at their most basic, macrostructural levels, as demonstrated by the catchy summaries above, known in Hollywood as “the logline.” THE LOGLINE AS A SELLING TOOL The logline is a sales pitch:  In a single compact sentence, it conveys the protagonist (respectively:  the adventurous archaeologist; the off-duty cop; the beach-resort sheriff), the antagonist (the Nazis; the terrorists; the shark), the conflict and stakes (possession of the Ark for control of the world; the confined life-and-death struggle; the destruction of a man-eating leviathan), the setting (1930s Egypt; an L.A. skyscraper at Christmas; a summer resort), and the tone/genre (action/adventure; action-thriller; adventure/horror).  You can even reasonably glean the Save the Cat! category of each: Raiders as Golden Fleece (Subgenre:  “Epic Fleece”) Die Hard as Dude with a Problem (“Law Enforcement Problem”) Jaws as Monster in the House (“Pure Monster”) A cogent synopsis like any of the above allows a prospective buyer to “see” the creative vision for the movie, ideally triggering the three-word response every screenwriter longs to hear:  “Tell me more.” Note what isn’t included in the logline:  The names of any of the characters.  Thematic concerns.  Emotional arcs.  Subplots.  Descriptions of particular set pieces.  That’s the “tell me more” stuff, and none of it is necessary—it is, in fact, needlessly extraneous—for the “elevator pitch,” so called for the brief window one has to hook to an exec before he steps off onto his floor (read:  loses interest).  The point of a logline is to communicate the story’s most fundamental aspects, and to capture what’s viscerally exciting about the premise. . . Continue Reading at Sean’s blog   Note: Don’t forget to read the comments under Sean’s article, they are also filled with tips.   Source: Foundations of Storytelling, Part 1: The Logline as Both a Sales and Writing Tool   ©DGKaye2020  

Sunday Book Review – Made in Acapulco – The Emilia Cruz Series

Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. I came across this series when the title grabbed me in a list of free books for the day I receive from Reading Deals. As a person who loves Mexico and has been to Acapulco many moons ago, and knowing how Acapulco, once the number one party vacation destination has sadly, turned dangerous to visit this past decade, I was curious to read this crime/mystery series. This book, Made in Acapulco – The Emilia Cruz Series is a prequel to the rest of Amato’s 8 book series, and I believe it is perma-free as an introduction with short stories from some of the other books in the series. The author Carmen Amato is an ex CIA officer! I love police procedural mystery solving and Amato brings it plus, through Emilia’s tough, smart and sexy character in a world full of dirty cops and criminals.     Blurb: Acapulco never had a female police detective before . . . And nobody wants one now. How did Emilia Cruz fight to become the first female police detective in Acapulco? This collection of prequel stories goes behind the scenes of the award-winning police series!   “A thrilling series” — National Public Radio   MADE IN ACAPULCO is a collection of 5 stories that introduce Emilia Cruz, the first and only female detective on the Acapulco police force, and her first cases: The Beast captures Emilia’s struggle to become the first female police detective in Acapulco. It previously appeared in The Huffington Post’s 50 Featured Fiction showcase. The Disappeared sees Emilia search for a friend who goes missing. Those who have gone missing amid Mexico’s drug war violence is a continuing theme throughout the mystery series. The Artist was inspired by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia’s efforts to bring awareness to the plight of families impacted by the drug war violence and references photos of some of the rallies held in Mexico in recent years. The Date explores the downside of a job that pits Emilia against Mexico’s enduring culture of machismo, while also drawing on real events that occurred in a nightclub in Mexico in 2006. The Cliff is the original Emilia Cruz story. Written for a literary critique group, the story introduces hotel manager Kurt Rucker. It became the first chapter of CLIFF DIVER, the first Emilia Cruz novel. Grab your copy today With hot nights on the beach and suspense straight out of the news, the series goes inside Mexico’s drug war with a fearless style and a woman who will be hard to forget. Poison Cup award for Outstanding Series — CrimeMasters of America Author Carmen Amato is a former CIA intelligence officer who uses her own counterdrug and espionage experiences to craft intrigue-filled crime fiction that keeps you guessing until the very end. Amato is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. If you love international police procedural series by Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo, Ann Cleeves, Peter May, Louise Penny, and Jussi Adler-Olsen, you’ll want to read the Detective Emilia Cruz series. It’s a must-read for fans of Don Winslow’s cartel and border thrillers set in Mexico. PRAISE FOR THE DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ SERIES CLIFF DIVER “Consistently exciting.” ― Kirkus Reviews HAT DANCE “Emilia . . . is a force to be reckoned with.” ― MysterySequels.com DIABLO NIGHTS “Amato’s unique setting, realistic characters, and intriguing plot set her apart.” ― OnlineBookClub.org KING PESO “Danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away.” ― Kirkus Reviews PACIFIC REAPER “A thrill to crime-loving aficionados.” – Latina Book Club 43 MISSING “Astounding.” – Nightstand Reviews The Detective Emilia Cruz series CLIFF DIVER HAT DANCE DIABLO NIGHTS KING PESO PACIFIC REAPER 43 MISSING RUSSIAN MOJITO MADE IN ACAPULCO   My 5 Star Review: Detective Emilia Cruz is the protagonist of the series, and it didn’t take long for me to get hooked. This prequel gives us the beginnings background of how she made detective in a city where the cartel have infiltrated, in a male dominant police force where it’s difficult to learn who is corrupt and who to trust. In this 8 book series, I believe they are each stand alone stories featuring Detective Cruz, and this prequel will give you enough background history to for reading the books randomly.  Emilia is a brave female cop in a man’s world facing having to deal with some gruesome crimes – murders, kidnappings, and counterfeits, and often not knowing who she can trust both, at work and in her personal life. The scenery descriptions are beautiful as is Acapulco, makes me sad of the political happenings that changed the landscape from the fun, safe party vacation town to a dangerous place for tourists. Amato keeps the stories interesting with pace and action, and rich and authentic descriptions of locations and real events. These short stories kept me glued with wondering – how do you know if you can trust your own colleagues? I am looking forward to reading more in this series as two of Amato’s books already await me. ©DGKaye2020  

Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring Diana Peach and Hot #NewRelease – Liars and Thieves

Welcome to September Q & A where I’m thrilled to be featuring Fantasy writer and world-builder extraordinaire, Diana Peach on blogtour now with her hot new release, Liars and Thieves – the first of another riveting trilogy, in the Unraveling the Veil series. And of course after the book intro, Diana will share some of her own thoughts on her writing.     About Diana: D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life after the kids were grown and a move left her with hours to fill. Years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books, and when she started writing, she was instantly hooked. Diana lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two dogs, bats, owls, and the occasional family of coyotes.         It looks as though Diana fans are in for another riveting read! I already have my copy and for all you fantasy reader addicts, Diana’s book is still on pre-order price, so grab your copy for .99 cents!   Blurb: Behind the Veil, the hordes of Chaos gather, eager to savage the world. But Kalann il Drakk, First of Chaos, is untroubled by the shimmering wall that holds his beasts at bay. For if he cannot cleanse the land of life, the races will do it for him. All he needs is a spark to light the fire. Three unlikely allies stand in his way. A misfit elf plagued by failure—When Elanalue Windthorn abandons her soldiers to hunt a goblin, she strays into forbidden territory. A changeling who betrays his home—Talin Raska is a talented liar, thief, and spy. He makes a fatal mistake—he falls for his mark. A halfbreed goblin with deadly secrets—Naj’ar is a loner with a talent he doesn’t understand and cannot control, one that threatens all he holds dear. When the spark of Chaos ignites, miners go missing. But they won’t be the last to vanish. As the cycles of blame whirl through the Borderland, old animosities flare, accusations break bonds, and war looms. Three outcasts, thrust into an alliance by fate, by oaths, and the churning gears of calamity, must learn the truth. For they hold the future of their world in their hands.   First Review: Jacqui Murray VINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing fantasy world you won’t want to miss Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020 D. Wallace Peach’s latest fantasy novel, Liars and Thieves (2020), Book 1 in her new fantasy series, Unraveling the Veil, is one of those stories you wish you could read again for the first time. The concept is simple–bad guys cause havoc and good guys must stop them. What makes it a story you won’t forget is how Peach reveals the characters, the plot, and the amazing world where they live: “…they fed the Veil’s mass with heat harvested from the mountains’ core, from pristine forests and wildflower meadows, from creatures of hoof and wing. All withered, browned, and blackened. Then they stole the light from the dawn.” “The Veil thinned and solidified, releasing the energetic mass that had fortified it against the storm.” Her choice of words, always spot on, are never wasted: “…the ambition of a well-fed cat on a sunny sill.” “Then they stole the light from the dawn.” “He sniffed the air. Scents of blue snow and dank earth mingled with something new—the electric tang of power.” The stunning reality she has built includes an eclectric mix of elves, changelings, and goblins, some purebred and others mixed, and all the problems and challenges that go with different cultures intermingling. To stop chaotic events that could destroy the world, these folks find themselves working with old enemies, relying on those they previously distrusted, and discovering new alliances. Though presented as a fantasy world, it will remind you of real-life. As you read, you will never really know what the truth is, when something you thought you knew turns out to be upside down. This made for an excitingly fresh tale like few I’ve ever read. The detail she includes is riveting and in large part why you will think this world could really exist. To give you an example, read Diana’s explanation of what happens to an individual’s bones, hair, organs, and muscles when switching from animal to human. “The skeletal changes came first. He sank to his knees as his oblong skull crushed inward at the muzzle and bulged in the cranium. His neck compressed. Shoulder blades and ribcage shrank while hip bones expanded and rearranged their connections to fibulae and spine.” As with every book Peach has written, her world building is believable, her characters likable, and her plot never stops surprising readers. Grab a copy, sit back, and enjoy.   Excerpt: (In this scene, my characters just discovered that they’re stuck with each other. It’s not pretty.)   A shower of sand rained from Alue’s hair as she scraped her fingers over her scalp. The endless heat and humidity, the dirt and sweat, fouled her mood as much as it fouled her nose. She needed a hot soak with oils and soap, a hair wash, and something to eat that didn’t taste like an unwashed shirt. Arianna had released the three of them onto the trail heading north to the railway spur, a three-day walk. Any deviation from the path, any mention of what had occurred in the jungle would result in a gruesome death, and Alue didn’t doubt the queen’s willingness to see the threat through. Still a day from the spur, Talin led them to another tree-stand, the changelings’ method of spending a night safe from cats if not insects, snakes, and monkeys. She sat on the platform’s edge, one leg dangling, while she attempted to lob balls of light from her fingers—without them disappearing the instant she let go. The goblin wrinkled his nose. “What is your problem?” she snapped. He scowled at her. “You have the odor of an ape.” She gaped at him. “I haven’t had a chance to bathe.” “Elves always smell like apes.” Talin blurted out a laugh. He sat at the platform’s other end, eating some kind of hideous, withered root. “Is that so?” Alue was tempted to push Naj over the side, but he sat against the tree in the middle of the platform. “And I suppose goblins smell like jasmine petals.” “Goblins don’t sweat,” Naj informed her. “Changelings bear the scents of animals, but not as pungent as elves.” “You can’t smell your own breath,” Talin said. “It reeks from eating meat.” “Speaking of food…” Alue plucked up one of the roots Talin had gathered for her and tossed it over the edge. “I’m famished.” “Don’t throw good food away,” Talin muttered. “You’ll be forced to ask Naj to spear you a snake.” “Don’t make me vomit.” Alue shook her head when Naj glanced her way. His glaive had been confiscated in Glenglisan along with her pulser, and though he acted as if its loss didn’t matter, the ropey muscles in his neck tightened at its every mention. “I thought changelings forbade the killing of animals?” “We do.” Talin brushed the dirt from a flesh-colored root. “We never know when one of us might be mistaken for a wild creature… like a panther.” Alue stared at him, her empty stomach rolling over. “Was that… was the panther…” “A man named Janu.” Talin slouched, dark eyebrows lowered in her direction. His chin bristled with rough scruff, and his long hair needed a comb almost as much as hers. “You shot him near the falls, and Naj finished him off.” “I ate his…” Alue’s hand slapped to her mouth, and she closed her eyes, reeling. If Naj hadn’t gripped her arm, she might have fallen. “He was the aggressor,” Naj said as if somehow that justified chewing on a man’s heart. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Alue shrieked. “I ate a changeling, a person!” “Thank you for acknowledging that we’re people,” Talin said. “Gah! I never said you weren’t. We’re all people. And that’s beside the point. You tricked us.” “I saved your life,” Talin yelled back. “I didn’t need to do any of it. I could have left you in the pit, left you in the cell. Gone on with my life.” “Why did you help us?” Naj asked. Talin crossed his arms. “I thought I knew. Now I don’t remember.”   And now that we’ve all had a delicious sampling, let’s get to know a little bit more about Diana and her personal thoughts on why she prefers self-publishing, and she shares some worthy advice for writers – seasoned and new.    What’s your opinion on self-publishing? I love self-publishing. I started out on the traditional route, and overall, the publisher was honest and cooperative. But after six books, I cancelled all my contracts and self-published. I haven’t regretted it for a moment. In some ways, self-publishing is more work. I’m responsible for every step of the process and every cost from engaging with an editor to hiring a cover designer. I have all the responsibility for the final product, and there’s definitely more upfront cost. But here’s the thing… after I switched, not only did my sales and margins go up, my covers improved, I didn’t have to pull teeth to promote, and marketing was much LESS work. A lot less. How is marketing less work? I was responsible for that chore either way. Marketing is easier if you have control over pricing, which allows you to discount and promote. Traditional publishers control pricing, and in my experience, they don’t like low prices and are resistant to discounts. At full price, promotional opportunities are limited and a lot of work. Low prices, discounts, and promotions are a great way to get readers if that’s your goal. You’ll have a much larger distribution, and though your prices are lower, you’re not sharing the profits… which meansyou have more revenue for more promotion and more readers and more revenue. Thus, the cycle continues. D.G. – I appreciate your thinking, these were my same thoughts when I decided to do my own thing on my own time. Oye! Nope, I’m happy to control my own publishing too and not collect 1000 rejections waiting, lol. But it’s nice to hear it from someone who moves from trad to indie.   Do you have any advice you can share for new writers? I’d suggest that every serious writer seek out criticism, not from our moms or best friends, but from other writers.  Join a local writer’s group, find critique partners online, pay for an in-depth edit of your first three chapters if it’s all you can afford. Ask for tough love, soak it up, and painstakingly apply the principles. Of course, positive comments are nice. But the most valuable feedback you’ll ever receive is constructive criticism. I was a member of a writers’ critique group for five years, and I never would have landed a publisher without feedback from my fellow writers. I longed to improve and grow, and to accomplish that, I needed to know everything I was doing wrong. I learned a tremendous amount about the craft and had an opportunity to find my voice. Now, I’m not suggesting that anyone provide an unsolicited critique of someone’s blog post! But when requested, private, constructive feedback with contextual examples encourages growth. Though I’m no longer part of a group, I do swap editing projects with a writing partner or two. I’m still learning! D.G. – I love your answers Diana. We are always learning, and if we aren’t then we’ll get left behind. The best education came from my own editor, teaching me how to properly self-edit learning from her feedback.   If you’ve published more than one book, do you find or notice your writing changes or evolves with each new book? Oh,...

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – D. G. Kaye Explores the Realms of Relationships – August 2020 – #Intuition – Do you trust your gut instincts? | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Welcome to my August edition of Realms of Relationships, my monthly column I write for Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Invitation. In this edition, I’m discussing Intuition and tips to learn how to learn to trust your own intuition.   Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – D. G. Kaye Explores the Realms of Relationships – August 2020 – #Intuition – Do you trust your gut instincts?   Welcome to my August edition of Realms of Relationships. Today I’m going to talk about our intuition, how to trust it, and how to sharpen our own intuitive skills.   Intuition   What is intuition? There are a plethora of descriptions and explanations for intuition. But the basic mechanics of how it works is with our natural instinctual reaction – memories usually trigger something from a past lesson, which the mind often overlooks. In the same way we know when there’s danger around, intuition or our 6th sense, is automatically activated within us. The term ‘gut instinct’ is often associated with intuition. But did you know there is a physical connection between the brain and the gut? This is no myth. Deep within the tissue of our guts is what’s called the enteric system. There is a scientific explanation for the correlation of things we feel internally, which are connected from the brain to the gut. When my intuition is trying to get my attention, it feels like an intestinal tug in the stomach is how I explain it. Thus, the said correlation between the brain and the intestines is a sign for me.     We’ve all had that ‘familiar’ feeling, often labeled as a déjà vu moment when our instincts pick up on a remembered moment from the past – which doesn’t necessarily mean the triggered sense of familiarity occurred in our present life, but perhaps from a past life? Déjà vu translates to ‘already seen’ from French. It’s a common term we all use when we come upon a moment that feels so familiar, having us feeling as though we’ve already been in or experienced that precise moment, quite possibly from another place and time, as it’s an inexplicable feeling without an exact recollection of where the experience was first felt.     Intuition is often referred to as ‘non-conscious emotional information’. Einstein had referred to it as a gift. It’s a sense of knowing without a rational and sometimes inexplicable fact. Many say that only psychics and mediums are guided by intuition, but intuition is a culmination of all things we’ve learned in our experiences that are stored in the archives of our minds, which quite possibly become the catalyst for our heightened alert system, ignited by a situation that feels remembered. Material retained is deeply buried within us, although we’re unaware of the influence the sum of our memories have on us. . . please hop over to Sally’s blog to continue reading.   Source: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – D. G. Kaye Explores the Realms of Relationships – August 2020 – #Intuition – Do you trust your gut instincts? | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine   ©DGKaye2020  

Announcing #BookPromo for Linda Bradley’s FREE book – Maggie’s Way

Today I’m giving a shoutout to fellow author Linda Bradley for her book Maggie’s Way, which is on FREE promotion right now and tomorrow only, so get your copy NOW! Time sensitive!       About Linda: Linda’s inspiration comes from her favorite authors and life itself. Her women’s fiction highlights characters that peel away outer layers of life to discover the heart of their dreams with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her writing integrates humor found in everyday situations, as well as touching moments that make readers connect with her characters.   Get Your FREE copy now, just click the buy button above!     Maggie’s Way is book 1 in Linda’s Montana Bound Series. She wrote this book after being diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. Writing about Maggie provided solace and spurred (pun intended) Linda to venture west to explore her own Montana Bound adventures. She is cancer free and happily writing at home with her husband and rescue dog.     Blurb: Middle-aged, Maggie Abernathy just wants to recuperate from cancer during the solitude of summer vacation after a tiresome year of teaching second grade. Maggie’s plans are foiled when precocious seven-year-old Chloe McIntyre moves in next door with her dad, John. Maggie’s life changes in a way she could never imagine when the pesky new neighbors steal her heart. With Maggie’s grown son away, her ex-husband in the shadows, her meddling mother’s unannounced visits, and Chloe McIntyre on her heels, somehow Maggie’s empty house becomes home again.   Maggie’s Way is a heart-warming tale of love and loss, fear and friendship. With charming characters and a moving plot, Linda Bradley’s lovely debut gently reminds us that it’s never too late for second chances. ~ Lori Nelson Spielman, International Best Seller, Author of The Love List and Sweet Forgiveness   Review: Alyce-Kay Ruckelshaus 5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Summer Reading Reviewed in the United States Great summer reading.  Fairly light, with enough depth to keep it interesting.  The main character is so different from myself.  You would think that would make it hard to relate, but she’s intriguing.  There are some really sweet moments, some frustrations, a little romance.  But most of all, a middle-aged woman finding answers to her struggles through the wisdom of a 7-year-old girl … and learning that it’s really not such a great idea to try to do it all alone.  I liked the way this one ended.   Find Linda on Social Sites:   Maggie’s Way on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Maggies-Way-Mo... Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Bradley/... Author Website: https://lindabradleyauthor.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LBradleyAuthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindabradle... Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...   ©DGKaye2020

Sunday Book Review – Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump

My Sunday Book Review is for one of the Best Selling books of 2020 – Mary Trump’s tell all – Too Much and Never Enough – How my family created the world’s most dangerous man. I will preface my review here by saying that this book was a beautifully written memoir-ish lowdown about Mary’s life, growing up Trump, family horrors and dysfunct. The story takes us into the lives of several Trump members. We learn how disobeying will get you disowned – like Mary’s father Freddie Jr., the makings of DJT, how he got himself into the public eye, his manipulations and unorthodox tactics, and a deep look into his lack of morals and compassion and narcissism with Mary’s analysis on the reasons that influenced DJT to become who he is. With almost 29,000, 4 and 5 star reviews for this book, it commands attention, not just for Americans but globally because what happens in the US often affects the world. My review below is probably the longest one I’ve written, but I included a lot of pertinent quotes from the book. And there were many faceted stories that I tried to encompass as snippets and highlights. This isn’t a fairytale with a happy ending, but stories about one dysfunct family of broken people where power and money takes precedence over human emotions. The review below is quite lengthy at over 3K words. I’ve written it as more of a synopsis for those who wish to learn more about the Trump dynasty and how it evolved with central characters and points candidly shared by Mary Trump.     Blurb: In this revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him, Mary L. Trump, a trained clinical psychologist and Donald’s only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric. Mary Trump spent much of her childhood in her grandparents’ large, imposing house in the heart of Queens, New York, where Donald and his four siblings grew up. She describes a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse. She explains how specific events and general family patterns created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office, including the strange and harmful relationship between Fred Trump and his two oldest sons, Fred Jr. and Donald. A firsthand witness to countless holiday meals and interactions, Mary brings an incisive wit and unexpected humor to sometimes grim, often confounding family events. She recounts in unsparing detail everything from her uncle Donald’s place in the family spotlight and Ivana’s penchant for regifting to her grandmother’s frequent injuries and illnesses and the appalling way Donald, Fred Trump’s favorite son, dismissed and derided him when he began to succumb to Alzheimer’s. Numerous pundits, armchair psychologists, and journalists have sought to parse Donald J. Trump’s lethal flaws. Mary L. Trump has the education, insight, and intimate familiarity needed to reveal what makes Donald, and the rest of her clan, tick. She alone can recount this fascinating, unnerving saga, not just because of her insider’s perspective but also because she is the only Trump willing to tell the truth about one of the world’s most powerful and dysfunctional families.   Note: This review contains slices of just some of what’s revealed in the book. And since it’s not a novel, and more like a tell-all written style, with events leading up to the eventual writing of this book, much of the review is taken from context in the book. Facts could be considered spoilers for some.   My 5 Star Review:  I’m giving this book 5 stars – certainly not for the subject matter, but because Mary Trump’s excellent and easy writing and presentation, and her courage to write and publish this book. The book begins with a quote from Victor Hugo in Les Miserables: “If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.” The prologue takes us into a visit to the WH by the Trump family in honor of celebrating sister Maryanne Trump’s birthday, a place to show off as DJT adds “This place has never looked better since George Washington lived here.” Yes, the WH didn’t exist when Washington was president. The story begins with Mary sharing a conversation she had with her Aunt Maryanne when Maryanne stated, “He’s a clown.” They discussed DJT as a faded reality star and failed businessman that would surely doom his run for president. Nobody in the family could conceive the thought he would get elected. Mary recalls how at every family meal Trump would disparage women, calling them denegrading names, and when he spoke of anyone more accomplished than himself, they were referred to as losers. Mary asserts that nobody in the Trump family except his children, supported his campaign. Mary dives into the history of ‘the father’ Fred Trump and the heartbreaking story of how her father, Freddie Trump Jr.’s lineage was wiped out after Freddie’s tragic death in 1981.  We’ll learn how DJT’s reckless hyberbole hides his pathological weakness and how he became his own cheerleader. And she continues by saying that none of the Trump siblings were unscathed by Fred’s sociopathy, especially DJT and her father Freddie Jr. Mary also provides the evidence, as a clinical pyschologist, how DJT fits every criteria of being a narcissist and that he meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder, sociopathy, criminality, arrogance and disregard for the rights of others. Mary delves into his pathological ways about dividing the country, petty revenge and his withholding of pertinent information. “Fred created the monster,” Mary adds, “There would be no love for Donald, just his agonizing thirsting for it.” And states that he is running the country like her ‘malignantly dysfunctional family.” Freddie Trump Jr. died beneath Fred’s cruelty. Mary tells us the division her grandfather created among his own children, “…is the water Donald always swum in.” Mary continues to tell us that DJT understands nothing about history, principles, geopolitics or diplomacy and his presidency is purely financially motivated, thinking the US Treasury is his personal piggy bank. Mary adds that the events of the last three years compelled her to write this book because four more years of DJT, ” . . .would be the end of American democracy” with his hubris and willful ignorance, reminding that he had never had to negotiate alone. “Donald, following the lead of my grandfather and with the complicity, silence, and inaction of his siblings, destroyed my father. I can’t let him destroy my country.” Mary’s grandparents – Fred and Mary were absent parents. Mary – a mother who never knew how to comfort or stand up for her children, and Fred – a sociopath with a lack of empathy, a penchant for lying, indifference to right or wrong, and a lack of interest for anyone but himself, proving apples don’t fall far from the trees. The home, the children alienated from one another and their neediness housed a dangerous tension. Mary continues by saying DJT’s lack of mothering had him going to Fred for solace, becoming the source of DJT’s terror. His needs weren’t met and was deprived of love, which would become the scars of his life. So DJT developed  an increasing hostility to others. Eventually, Fred Trump championed the traits that made DJT unloveable. Mother Mary was a frail woman with multiple illnesses that had her frequenting hospital stays. Fred was barely at home, out wheeling and dealing, using government loopholes to obtain loans and free money, to build his empire. From Fred’s father, down the line to all the Trump boys – nobody served in the military. Mary and Fred Trump wed in 1936 and moved to Queens, N.Y. Mary migrated to US from Scotland. She went from being live-in help to running her own household, although Fred was the boss, and she became quick to judge others who came from her same beginnings. Fred became well-connected with politicians, the mob, and government handouts for his building projects. Fred set up ‘trust funds’ for all his children, a parking spot to avoid paying income tax. With plenty of government funding, Fred was building on the taxpayer’s dime. Other than for business, Fred was known as a miser with his money. Fred wasn’t humble and loved to show off. He loved to brag and send out press releases every time he completed a new project. (Sounds familiar.) Fred wanted to prime his eldest son, Freddie Jr. to get involved with the business, but Freddie had other aspirations, which left 2nd son Donald to be groomed and Freddie to pay dearly for disappointing his father. For DJT, lying was a way to self-aggrandize, for Freddie, lying was his weapon of self-defense from his father. Weakness wasn’t tolerated by Fred and he abhorred Freddie’s gentle nature, and DJT followed in Fred’s footsteps. Fred devalued and degraded Freddie for wanting to become a pilot instead of his yes man, and DJT relished in it, and this pleased his father. Sowing division is an old game for DJT, passed down from his father. The house rules dictated: be tough at all costs, lying is fine, apologizing and kindness is weakness, there can only be one winner and everyone else is a loser. Donald was a bully to his two brothers, and never reprimanded for it. Fred admired Donald’s disregard for authority. And encouraged by his father, Donald began believing his own bullshit. Freddie Jr. referred to his brother as ‘the great I am’. DJT drove his mother crazy because she couldn’t control him. He talked back to her, contradicted her, he was a slob, teased children and bullied them, and could never admit when he was wrong. His mother eventually sent him to military school, hoping he’d become a better person. We all know how that turned out. Father Fred had no use for the military. Fred Trump was basically a slum landlord and taught his son Don how to do it. Freddie Jr. was appalled at his family’s behavior and did his own thing and paid for it dearly, eventually ostrasized by his father and the whole lot of them. According to father Fred, being a pilot was being a “bus driver in the sky”. The banishment and belittling of Freddie by his father was the beginning of Freddie’s alcoholism, and the eventual end of his pilot’s license, and ultimately, his marriage, overtime. Freddie lived in one of his father’s slum apartments and caught pneumonia from the decripit apartment in sore need of repair and drafty windows, and his dad even gave him a discount on the rent! The Trump daughters had their share of rough times financially too, and they didn’t dare ask their father for help. Heir apparent, used his connections with shyster lawyer Roy Cohn to get his sister Maryanne on the bench as a judge. Maryanne was a District Attorney in New Jersey at the time – early 80s. Cohn arranged with his buddy, then President Ronald Reagan. Why would Donald do something so kind? Because Maryanne did all his homework for him. But she couldn’t write his SATs for him, so, she told Mary he paid his good friend Joe Shapiro to write his entrance exams. Fred knew his son Donald didn’t have the attention span to run his business, but made him president of Trump management. Fred thought his son had a lot of nerve, plus he was good at selling snow to Eskimos so Don came in handy for smooth-talking bankers and weedling his way into upper echelon circles. And the Trump rule was ‘no renting out apartments to black people’. This act got both Fred and Donald sued in 1973 for violating the Fair Housing Act – one of the largest...

#WATWB – We are the World Blogfest Face Masks Help the Hearing Impaired Community

Welcome to this month’s #WATWB – We are the World Blogfest. This is a collective effort by many authors who’ve joined in to share something good, inspiring and uplifting going on around the world to deflect from the negative, every last Friday of the month.   In this post I’m sharing a beautiful initiative taken on by  17 year old Isabella who is making masks to help the hearing impaired. She first began sewing masks when the Coronavirus broke out then switched to making masks for the hearing impaired. Below is Isabella’s story. The article is from Goodnet.com, written by NICOLE NATHAN BEM.       “Wearing a face mask is mandated in many countries around the world, providing well-needed protection. Yet people who are hearing impaired and rely on visual cues and lipreading, are having difficulty communicating with those who wear masks. Isabella Appell, a compassionate 17-year-old teen from Thousand Oaks, California, has decided to lend a hand. She is voluntarily sewing transparent masks and donating them, reopening the world to the people who are hearing impaired. Isabella, pre-coronavirus, had been attending high school by day and sewing by night. When the pandemic first arrived, she started sewing regular face masks for other people. She was soon troubled to hear there were no transparent masks readily available to assist people who need to lipread. As a result, she decided to make them herself and created a home-grown venture called Talking Masks. Her home-made vinyl masks are specially coated with an anti-fog spray that enables people to clearly read lips. . .”  please continue reading Isabella’s story   If you’d like to contribute to #WATWB with a story of your own, you can add your link HERE to share a good deed in the #WATWB Facebook group.    Source: 17-Year-Old’s Clear Face Masks Help the Hearing Impaired Community – Goodnet   ©DGKaye2020