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Showing posts from September, 2014

Review of Mystery of the Witches' Bridge

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I came across Mystery of the Witches' Bridge by accident. I had been searching for other books written by May Nickerson Wallace, author of The Ghost of Dibble Hollow . Anyone who uses Amazon is familiar with their “You might also like . . .” feature. In this case, I mistakenly thought Mystery of the Witches' Bridge had been penned by May Nickerson Wallace. As it turns out, the actual writer is Barbee Oliver Carleton http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Witches-Bridge-Barbee-Carleton/dp/0590413988/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412080124&sr=1-1&keywords=mystery+of+the+witches+bridge I can see why Amazon linked these two books. Both are about young boys who go to an unfamiliar place for the summer only to encounter a mystery involving family rivalries from long ago. I'm a sucker for these types of novels. I love the idea of solving a mystery over a summer and the search for lost treasure which which exonerates those who have been wrongl

Freaks and Geeks

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I'll be the first to admit I'm often late in coming to the party as far as social trends are concerned. In the case of the TV show, Freaks and Geeks , I'm about 14 years behind schedule. Thanks to my recent decision to get Netflix on my TV, I finally discovered the comedy gem others have been gushing about for more than a decade http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193676/ Freaks and Geeks isn't just another funny show about teenage angst. There are some important life lessons imparted here, especially as it relates to bullying and social pressure. As a writer, I'm impressed with how these issues are handled within the contexts of a sitcom. Besides the brilliant plots, Freaks and Geeks has a laundry list of fabulous actors: James Franko, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel just to name a few. Linda Cardellini, the star of the show, really shows off her acting chops in this show. Cardellini has such a wonderful way of expressing her befuddlement at the situ

Review of The Racketeer by John Grisham

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I'm always happy when I discover one of my favorite writers has come out with a book in paperback. It's not that I'm opposed to paying full price for a hardbound book, it's just that they're heavy and hard to read in bed! Needless to say, I was thrilled when I came across John Grisham's novel, The Racketeer, in paperback http://www.amazon.com/Racketeer-Novel-John-Grisham/dp/0345530578/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410873178&sr=1-1&keywords=the+racketeer+john+grisham I've heard some literary types poo-pooing writers like Johh Grisham, though I often wonder why. For starters, anyone who can pump out as many best selling books as Grisham must be doing something right. More importantly, Grisham has a gift of sucking readers into the lives of his characters within the first pages of every book he's ever written http://www.jgrisham.com/ Writing is about communication, not flowery words. Grisham puts a fine po

Meet Steve Campbell

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Steve Campbell (Old Doc Pinkerton) has been singing and acting all his life.  In the 60’s and 70’s he acted in plays and performed on radio and television and motion pictures. Commercials, voiceovers, modeling, traveling the country dong Industrial Shows.  He sang with a “Big Band” in Detroit Michigan for six years.  since moving to St George in 2002 he and his wife Cindy Have been working as Realtors at ERA.  His real love is still singing and acting.  He has done a few commercials and professional voice work since moving to St George but you may know him best from his stage performances with Dixie State University, St George Musical Theater, Space In Between, Broadway West, Hurricane Valley, or singing at various events or at the public library on Monday mornings doing “Story-time “for the kids.  It has been a real treat for him to work with talented Adele Park and her wonderful audio books.  He says “It’s a blast!” A Note from Adele I've had the pleasur

And So it Came to Pass

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In my world, the phrase, “and so it came to pass,” usually doesn't refer to deadlines. As someone who spent nearly 20 years working as a reporter and news anchor, deadlines are sacred to me. That's why it was especially painful to miss a deadline that has been in place for nearly two years. One of the challenges with the type of work that I do is that everything is a long term project. It takes at least a year for me to write an audio book and another one to produce it. Originally, I had set September 22, 2014 as the deadline to release Gadzooks! Another Quirky Audio Book . Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be a reality. While I'm in the final stages of finishing Gadzooks! I'm afraid to set another deadline, still stinging from missing the first one. I try not to be too hard on myself, remembering that I've put forth a major effort to meet my original deadline. I just didn't anticipate the final stages of this project w