The Death Wizard Chronicles: Media Apperances

'Death Wizard' Captures Magic of Potter Series

By KAREN HAYMON LONG
Published: October 21, 2007
Link: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/oct/21/ba-death-wizard-captures-magic-of-potter-series/?life
The Death Wizard Chronicles: Book One — The PitBy Jim Melvin (Rain Publishing Inc.)

Adult Harry Potter and Eragon fans can get their next fix with Jim Melvin’s six-book epic The Death Wizard Chronicles. Book one (The Pit) and book two (Moon Goddess) are out now. The other four will follow once a month beginning in November.
In The Pit, Melvin's imagination and writing equal that of J.K. Rowling, author of the fantastically popular Harry Potter series, and Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and Eldest. Some of his descriptions — and creatures — even surpass theirs.
His fantasy takes place on the Triken, a world of ancient rulers, of good vs. evil, love vs. hate.
His hero, Torg, wizard king of the Tugars, is a “Death Knower,” who has died and come back to life stronger than ever many times over the centuries. Torg oversees a peaceful people threatened by an evil ruler, Invictus.
In exchange for the freedom of nuns and monks imprisoned by Invictus, Torg agrees to imprisonment in a pit in a monstrously grotesque frozen mountain called Asubha. No one expects him to survive.
But through his magical powers, great strength and by dying and resurrecting, he survives all that's thrown at him: a monstrous snow giant, demons, evil sorcerers, a cruel spider and giant worm monsters.
Melvin's descriptions of these monsters make them seem frightfully real. That's especially true of the demon Vedana, Invictus' grandmother, who forces Torg to impregnate her.
Melvin's hero may not have the youthful appeal of Harry Potter, but he's compelling enough to hook those who read The Pit.
Karen Haymon Long is the Tribune's book editor.
Book review of The Pit


Book One of The Death Wizard Chronicles
Jim Melvin
Rain Publishing
Published: Oct. 8, 2007
Link: http://virtualwordsmith.blogspot.com/2007/10/book-review-pit-by-jim-melvin.html

The Pit is the first of a six-book epic fantasy series called The Death Wizard Chronicles. It is an incredibly dark, yet inspiring book that turns the typical good versus evil parable right on its ear.
After reading the first five pages of The Pit, I wasn't sure I was going to get through it. By page six, Jim Melvin was off and running, creating a new world, new theories, new perspectives — a new twist on the age old story of good versus evil. I was hooked!
I should probably, in the interest of full disclosure, tell you I'm not a huge fan of the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre. Sure, I've read Tolkien, McCaffrey and Robert Jordan, but the only reason I stayed with them was the amazing writing, the vivid descriptions and the sheer entertainment value of each. And, oh yeah, the fact that those particular authors have always left me thinking long after I closed the books.
The Pit is beautiful — gorgeous, even — yet it is also dark and deep and vibrant. There is a fine line between love and hate. The distinction can be a bit foggy at times. Jim has illustrated that fine line. It is possible to feel sympathy for someone you hate, as well as despise someone you love.
I fell into this book. Time disappeared, as well as the chores that needed to be done, the bills that needed to be paid, and virtually everything else that had been chasing itself around in my head. This book is inspiring, entertaining, and I want to say absolute escapism, but after I finished reading I found myself pondering what I had just read. Escapism doesn't typically elicit that reaction in me.
I am purposely not sharing much about the story or the plot, because anything I say could quite possibly take away from the pleasure of discovering this book on your own. The Pit is fabulous, but don't take my word for it. Go get a copy, set aside some time and fall in love the way you did with the first book that truly grabbed you.
Mary Evelyn Lewis is editor of the Virtual Wordsmith, a popular writers’ blog
4) Jim Melvin’s newspaper features, press releases, blog appearances



Aug. 1, 2007 / Writer’s Wednesday: An interview by Allie Boniface with Jim Melvin

Hi Jim! Thanks for joining us today.

1. Can you tell us a little about your background?

I was born in … (complete interview here:
http://allieboniface.blogspot.com/2007/07/writers-wednesday-interview-with-jim.html)


Sept. 11, 2007 / Feature in the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail
PENDLETON, SC — Sitting on the table in front of Jim Melvin is a book. Its cover is black and reads: “The Death Wizard Chronicles.” It shows a simple picture of a wizard at the bottom of a long, narrow pit.
Mr. Melvin lifts the book … (complete story here: http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/sep/11/clemson-author-sign-first-work-his-six-book-series/)


Oct. 10, 2007 / Q / A with Mary Evelyn Lewis of the Virtual Wordsmith

1. Who are you?

I was born in … (complete interview here: http://virtualwordsmith.blogspot.com/2007/10/interview-jim-melvin-author-of-pit-book.html)



Oct. 26, 2007 / Front-page feature in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times
To write his six-volume epic fantasy series The Death Wizard Chronicles, Jim Melvin followed the usual method: Think about the books for 25 years, leave a stable career to write them in your mid-40s, study Buddhism, read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Martial Arts and Horses for Dummies.
And, of course, create a compelling main character … (complete story here: http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/26/Books/Novelist_grows_into_t.shtml)

Oct. 27, 2007 / Book Talk blurb in the St. Petersburg Times
Jim Melvin (The Death Wizard Chronicles), 3 p.m. today, Barnes & Noble Tyrone, 2501 Tyrone Blvd., St. Petersburg. Link here: (http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/28/Books/Book_Talk.shtml)

Other quick mentions:
On SFsite.com
The Pit: The Death Wizard Chronicles, Book 1 by Jim MelvinRain Publishing (trade, 290 pages)Publication date: September 2007, Canada & USA

In the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times
DEATH POWER: Jim Melvin presents “The Pit,” Book one of “The Death Wizard Chronicles,” at Cyrano’s Bookshop, 390 Main St., Highlands, 1-3 p.m. 526-5488.


Oct. 10, 2007 / Mr. Media audio interview:
http://www.mrmedia.com/2007/10/jim-melvin-001-death-wizard-chronicles.html


Oct. 24, 2007 / Liquid Lunch radio interview with Thatradio Show:
http://media.podhoster.com/thatradio/liquid_lunch_2007-10o-24_-_author_jim_melvin_singer_jordan_faye_liz_welsh_who_send_out_cards.mp3


Oct. 26, 2007 / Tampa Bay’s Media Talk video interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diwrV1x_bcA


Nov. 9, 2007 / Blog Talk Radio interview with Michele Paiva, Part 1:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yoga/2007/11/09/Author-Jim-Melvin


Nov. 18, 2007/ Blog Talk Radio interview with Michele Paiva, Part 2:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yoga/2007/11/19/jim-melvin


Nov. 19, 2007 / Let’s Talk About It with Tilly Rivers radio interview:
http://media.podhoster.com/thatradio/lets_talk_about_it_with_tilly_rivers_2007-11n-19.mp3
10) Jim Melvin’s readings, signings, events


Sept. 13: Reading and signing, Pendleton Books and Baskets, Pendleton, S.C. (864-646-5893)Oct. 6: Reading and signing, Osondu Booksellers, Waynesville, N.C. (828-456-8062)Oct. 14: Signing, Cyrano's Bookshop, Highlands, N.C. (828-526-5488)Oct. 20: Signing, The Open Book, Greenville, S.C. (864-235-9651)Oct. 27 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Talk, reading, and signing, Times Festival of Reading, St. Petersburg, FL (727-893-8523; www.festivalofreading.com)Oct. 28: Signing, Barnes and Noble, St. Petersburg, FL (727-384-5200)

Mary C White: Tales of A Half Shell-WCLM Radio

Mary C White
Radio Interview December 19 2007

Wednesday, December 19th, from 6:35 - 7pm ET
Tales of the Half Shell, Gateway to Terror'.


Gloria on
WCLM Radiohttp://www.gloriatayloredwards.com

The Voices from the Drum Radio Book Club welcomes Mary C White

Mark your calendars and pass the word to tune in

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 from 5 - 7pm Eastern Time to

SPEAKING FROM THE HEART and
the VOICES FROM THE DRUM RADIO BOOK CLUB
on WCLM 1450/AM Radio, hosted by
GLORIA TAYLOR EDWARDS
(Tune-in information below)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
5 - 6pm Eastern Time

The Voices from the Drum Radio Book Club welcomes...

Guest: KING DAVIS, Ph.D. / Executive Director -
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health Services, Research, Policy and Education
and co-author of: The Color of Social Policy
For information about Dr. Davis, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/ssw/faculty/davis/

****************************************************
6 - 6:25pm Eastern Time

A Speaking from the Heart Commentary...

Topic: Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?
Commentary Remarks, courtesy of E. JOYCE MOORE,
Poet, Freelance Journalist, Political Commentator, and author of
'GETTIN' TO THE GOOD WOOD: Unlocking the Mystery of Relationships'
For information about Moore, visit: http://rockpublications.com/the.authors.e.joyce.moore.html

Call in with your comments/opinions: 1-800-806-6723

****************************************************
6:30 - 7pm Eastern Time

The Voices from the Drum Radio Book Club welcomes...

Guest: MARY C. WHITE, Horror Writer and
author of: Tales of the Half Shell, Gateway to Terror
For information about White's book, visit:
www.rainbooks.com and
http://www.webclassifieds.us/index/listings/page93792.htm


***********************************************************
Show Tune-in information:
Local tri-cities (Richmond Virginia area) only radio dial tune in:
WCLM 1450/AM
Internet/ World-Wide tune in to listen live:
http://www.wclmradio.com/asx/WCLM.asx
(Windows Media Player Required)
Toll-free call-in during 'live' broadcasts: 1(800) 806-6723
***********************************************************

'SPEAKING FROM THE HEART' and the
'VOICES FROM THE DRUM' Radio Book Club
Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday, from 5 - 7 pm EST, and
Every 2nd, 4th and 5th Wednesday, from 6 - 7 pm EST
on WCLM 1450/AM Radio and
on the Internet: http://www.wclmradio.com/pages/home.html

***********************************************************
For more information about Gloria on WCLM 1450/AM Radio, broadcasting out of Richmond, Virginia, click the 'Gloria on WCLM' tab at: http://www.gloriatayloredwards.com
***********************************************************
To be removed from this distribution, send an email to gloriaonwclm@aol.com with
'Remove from Distribution' in the Subject Line

Author and Poet Lucille Gang Shulklapper

Author and Poet Lucille Gang Shulklapper

Author and Poet: Lucille Gang Shulklapper

Children’s Picture Book; Out of Bed Fred, Rain Publishing, 2008

In school, I could never draw a straight line or sing on key, but in my head, I drew word pictures and heard them sing. Paper dolls spoke, clothes moved on my bedroom chair, a stuffed elephant named Umbriago dried my tears. My father encouraged me to write poetry and stories from the time he saw my childish scrawl. Living up to traditional expectations after his death led to working as a salesperson, model, realtor, teacher, and curriculum specialist throughout schooling, marriage, children, and grandchildren; limiting my story-telling to scraps of paper in a drawer.After writing countless stories and poems for my students in an effort to get them to read ...perhaps 500 a month... I successfully sent my own work out when I retired; but, my greatest success was with reluctant readers.

I once brought in a model kit for a student who was an electronic whiz who refused to read. Instead, he took one look at the pieces, and assembled them without reading the instructions. Somehow, I finally enticed him to read. Today, he heads an automotive plant. I love to experiment, and never drive home the same way if I can help it, so Out of Bed, Fred, a picture book began as another challenge. Poor Fred, started with that pitiful name. He farumphed, galumphed, harrumphed, and desperately tried to get out of bed. Then, he sang to me, and the word pictures drew themselves.

I was born and raised in Jamaica, N.Y. I hold a B.A. From Queens College of the City University of New York, and an M.A.

In reading from Manhattan College. I taught school in the Blind-Brook Rye School District inNew York where I developed and wrote a formal reading curriculum, ran a resource room program, and linked reading skills with literary skills. I prefer to think I taught children, and that learning to read taught them how to find pleasure and knowledge.

Presently, I'm a workshop leader for the Florida Center for the Book, the first affiliate of The Library of Congress. My fiction and poetry have been anthologized, and appear in numerous publications, including Still Going Strong, Poetic Voices Without Borders, Jerry Jazz Musician, Common Ground Review, The Meridian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, and Gulfstream. I have won awards and competitions, and am the author of three poetry chapbooks: What You Cannot Have, The Substance of Sunlight, and God, It’s Not Hollywood.I'm a member of The Mystery Writers of America, The Academy of American Poets, The Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation, and an active member of Poets and Writers.

I live in Coral Springs, Florida with my husband, a retired pediatrician, and my cat OBE (yes, OBE spells her name in capital letters for Old Blue Eyes). I love my children, grandchildren, reading, volunteer tutoring, movies, clock collecting, museums, bookstores, music, sweets, and steamed lobster.

http://www.mipoesias.com/Poetry/shulklapper_lucille.html
http://www.poetrymagazine.com/archives/1999/january/shulklapper.htm
http://writersagainstwar.com/lucilleshulklapperfall05.html
http://members.aol.com/acinquain/WINTER-07/shulklapper.html
http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/mainHTML.cfmpage=shulklapper.html
http://cgreview.org/PoetryContest.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/jnh/archive/vol6no1/v6i1p3.htm
http://millerspondpoetry.com/index.phppage=vol7_3webhttp://www.princetonol.com/groups/artsreview/

Author Jeff Yosick Launches New Website

Jeff grew up in the small town of New Washington, Ohio. He began writing poetry while in high school and early adulthood before being inspired to write children’s stories. He credits all of the wonderful moments spent with his three children for that.
Jeff believes that most of life’s greatest spiritual and everyday life lessons can be found between the covers of a book. It is his goal to write stories that will inspire, offer hope, and a sense of direction that will make a difference for the children of this generation and for those to follow.
Jeff currently resides in Blacklick, Ohio, with his wife and three children.


New Website
Children's Book Author Jeff Yosick; Timmy and the Storm, Madison's Special Dolly, Running the Race, Bryanna and the Sand ( 2008), One Penny One Hope ( 2008), When Daddy Comes Home (2008) has launched a new website at: http://jyosick.com/!

Holiday Poem from Mary Brunini McArdle

This holiday poem won an Honorable Mention in Traditional Poetry at the Alabama Conclave this year. (2007)

~ Mary Brunini McArdle

The Legend

of

The Christmas Kitten

Only the tabby was little enough
To burrow into the hay;
Donkeys and cows are much too large,
And the Baby’s feet were frightfully cold
Where Joseph put Him to stay;

Angels sang chorus and shepherds brought lambs,
As three kings knelt to pray;
Mary His Mother was quite worn out;
She attempted to swaddle His tiny limbs—
The covers kept slipping away;

But a long-ago kitten cared deeply enough
To ease the family’s way;
Offering the Child the warmth of its fur
In that freezing stable in Bethlehem
Where our Lord and Savior lay.

Mary then marked it with an “M,”
To commemorate that day;
Look hard and long and you’ll find it too,
For all cats are basically tabbies, somehow;
At least so the experts say.

Even the solids were blessed by her hand:
The blacks, the whites, and the grays;
No cat has escaped it, none is without it;
Subtle symbols on the front of their heads;
That initial’s there to stay;

“M’s” fixed between tiny pointed ears,
Made on that first Christmas day;
To last as long as all animal life--
And honor the common domestic cat
In this most harmonious way.


~happy holidays~

Introduction to Idea; Cyber Charter School

INTRODUCTION TO IDEA
CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL


The mission of the IDEA Charter School is to treat education as an holistic paradigm; addressing its students individual academic, social and emotional needs while recognizing individual life experiences. It is imperative that the staff and faculty of IDEA will assist our students in personal development from their life experiences and challenges. As we instill in them the belief that they have the capacity for self-actualization and the responsibility to be productive, students will become contributing and accountable members of society.

In order to accomplish these goals, the core values and beliefs, vision and mission of IDEA Cyber Charter School will be a dynamic, operating, democratic model, serving to empower students and staff to create a sense of community allowing students to grow, while functioning daily in a microcosm of American society. By permitting an active role and voice in the decisions that directly affect their education and lives, our students will develop a sense of ownership in their education and their school, while demonstrating an increased commitment to their education and lifelong learning. Aligned with the Pennsylvania Standards and Benchmarks, personalized to and derived from individual student goals and interests, interwoven with real life opportunities that stimulate creativity, each student’s innate genius will be maximized. Finally, IDEA Charter School will motivate each student to be all they are capable of being through encouragement, inspiration, imagination, succor and social responsibility.

Several distinguishing characteristics make IDEA uniquely advantageous to all students:

1) 7 Habits and Love & Logic are foundational philosophies that allow students to learn and grow in a goal-directed environment - beginning with the end in mind.
Students are free to try new things and experiment in a safe environment where
mistakes are viewed as acceptable learning opportunities. Students learn from
their mistakes rather than feel humiliated, and ostracized by them.

2) Using Understanding by Design as our foundational pedagogy, student lessons are
designed to be relevant, interesting and exciting to the students doing the work.
Students know ahead of time what is expected and are provided with the steps
appropriate for them to succeed yet not patronized with information they don't
need so that their individual creativity and genius can develop.

3) Every student will have a customized plan of instruction based on the way they learn, their interests, academic level and life goals.

4) Every student will have a placement team to evaluate their academic levels and
their interest inventories and learning styles with them, guide them as they write
their personal mission statements and assist them in selection of their courses.

5) Lessons are available in a variety of formats; i.e. LAPS – where students are
given a folder of lessons in categories (projects, research, writing, art) and may
choose 2-3 from each category to complete a course/term.

6) Touchstones (who will become Keystones when they successfully complete the
highest level of training and supervision) will be a part of the placement team,
will build relationships with students and their paraeducator/parent to nurture their
development educationally, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually; to hold
together the overarching philosophies and pedagogy of the school.

7) IDEA’s Virtual Family Program is available to provide a virtual family to
students who have lost parents (institutionalized, by death or some other
circumstance) to nurture, guide, support, tutor and meet other needs such as wise
counsel.

8) Idea is a year round school where students will be able to choose the 180 days
they attend (with flexibility so every student can attain perfect attendance).

9) Camps where students will come together for placement, educational experiences
(carpenter/cooking/sewing math, performing arts, fine arts, and science to begin)
and for socialization within their geographical area and statewide/school-wide.

IDEA is also unique in its business plan. We have designed IDEA to operate using a teamwork strategy. The Executive Team is made up of the Executive Principal, Executive Director and Vice Principals of the grade and high schools is weighted on the education side. All departments are likewise designed to function as teams. Teachers will be team teaching and Touchstones/Keystones will work in teams so that every course is covered and every student’s needs are addressed with consistency throughout the year.

Choice is embedded: Students are able to choose from a variety of curricula, lesson plan opportunities, and which days they attend school; teachers get to choose the days they work in cooperation with their co-team-teacher and are free to unleash their genius and creativity as they teach.

On October 16th we submitted our application to the PA Department of Education and on December 4th we presented and defended our application before a panel of educators at the PDE. We anticipate that we will receive a letter from the PDE by the middle of January letting us know specifically what we need to fix, add, do to be granted a charter. We have already been given some direction from the PDE Panel for things we must do and have begun an ambitious plan to complete all those things in this month.

We are in the process of funding our $13,000,000 budget and marketing our school. If you would like to be a part of this exciting educational venture, please visit our website www.IDEAcybered.org and leave a message. We are an energetic, intelligent, passionate coalition of founders who are eager to meet and include lots of new people and ideas for IDEA.

There's a First Time For Everything

There’s a First Time For Everything
My Firsts All Happened in One Week
By Krissy Brady

First Book
My first book Tidal Wave was launched through Rain Publishing of Burlington. I am ecstatic to have been given the opportunity, and am looking forward to the experience of selling my book to the masses. A press release has gone out this week, announcing the happy launch.

First Interview
I recently had my first newspaper interview regarding my book launch. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning to a phone message from a reporter who is taking interest in your career choice.

First International Writing Credit
Yesterday in the mail I received my November issue of The Writer, which showcases my first news piece written for a major publication. I have been reading The Writer since grade five as a motivational tool to continue pursuing a writing career, and it is so surreal too see my name in it.

First Business Gala
As if this week couldn’t possibly be any more fulfilling, I received word that my online business Brady Magazine is a finalist for a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The gala is next week in Ottawa, and this will be the first gala I have gone to as a representative of my little company.

First Night’s Sleep

Coming Soon…
Hey, I can only do so much!

About Krissy Brady
Krissy Brady is a freelance writer residing in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. She is the editor-in-chief of Brady Magazine, an online writer’s trade directory dedicated to putting writers on the map. She is also a poet, whose book Tidal Wave, Rain Publishing.

Louis Jannetta at the Cranberry Breakfast

2007 Author Cal Award

Rain Publishing 2007 "Cal Award"
I would like to introduce you to a very special man- my father. His name is Clarence Rivers, and he was, and is my greatest fan (next to my Mother of course) and the corner stone of my life. In June of 2004- he was taken from this realm to begin his work as an angel. In honour of his memory Rain Enterprises has created the “Rain Publishing Cal Award” which will honor the best Rain titles. Titles released and still active (not out of print) up to the end of 2007 are eligible to win. Because this is our first award, we want to make sure all releases from day one to December 2007-are included. I have removed my titles from this award. Please do not send any votes for my work(s).
DetailsThe authors picked to win first, second, and third place are chosen from public vote--YOU. Each email ‘vote’ received from Monday December 17 to January 17 will be tallied, and the winner will be announced on the 27th of February (My Father’s birthday). How to Vote: Please send your votes to:events@rainbooks.com Votes after midnight Eastern Standard Time January 17- will not be accepted. In the email the subject line is: “Cal Award,” and in the body of the email the voter needs to put their full name and title they are voting for. Example: I am sending my vote for Janey Jones’ book “The Green Candle." Please note there is only one vote per email submission and only one vote per email address. For example if Janey and Johnny share the same email address, only one vote from the email address janeyandjohnnyjones@votenow.com will be a valid vote of "one"-either Janey or Johnny will need to use a different email address if they want to each vote. I know you will support your favourite Rain Publishing author and vote for who you think who is deserving of this award. Please pass this along to everyone you know, and encourage them to “vote” as well.

~Tilly Rivers~

Radio Interview Comments From Michele Paiva

Michele Paiva interviewed Author Jeff Yosick and posted these comments on her website:

Children's author and poet, Jeff Yosick
I realized during this show, that not only do many authors have a humanitarian purpose but that some authors, such as Jeff Yosick, probably have a high spiritual purpose while living on this earth.
Yosick, a husband and father of three, brings to our children (and adults), books that help them process struggles and challenges all too frequently experienced in our society, such as cancer, illness, parents going to war, and the awareness that not all individuals wake up with a roof over their head and food to eat.
Yosick is available to travel to Canada and the USA this upcoming year (other international engagements will be considered), to visit organizations, schools, churches and so on - he is not only an author but an inspirational speaking, helping children become equipped with the tools to filter and process challenges.
Blog: http://jyosick.blogspot.com
Books can be found at www.rainbooks.com or www.amazon.com or www.target.com
If you are a parent or listener who would like to take a letter to your school or organization for Jeff to speak, please cut and paste the
following:
***
Dear (insert name of principal or leader of organization),
An inspirational children's author is available to speak at our organization. He is based out of Ohio and has books that help children sort through challenges that they will inevitably encounter directly or indirectly.
We would like to contact him to visit our organization; please advise to what month and date we may be able to offer this opportunity to parents and children in our community, and serve as the host to this speaker.
Kindest,
(insert your name)

Realizing What is Important to You

Realizing What Is Important to You…
Only Takes One Phone Call
By Krissy Brady

I am best known for my hectic schedule—long work days, hoards of paperwork, more e-mails than time to reply. It’s what a career is all about. Sometimes I am questioned: “Are you sure this is really what you want to do? Are you sure you’re not taking on too much?” Of course this is what I want to do, and of course I am taking on too much—why would I want it any other way? It seems, at least in my case recently, that it doesn’t matter how well I manage my work/social balance, I still end up with someone looking at me with their head tilted to the side in concern. I know it is meant to show good intentions, and to help me keep things in perspective, but it ends up making me feel isolated, as if my hectic lifestyle is wrong. I am looked at from a perspective that I cannot relate to, and choose not to. I have a balance that works for me, and I have nothing to apologize for, yet for some reason it is assumed that I should.
My personality has always been fast-paced—I always want to gain as much of an experience as I can from the opportunities I am given. I do not take my work lightly, but at the same time do not pressure myself to be perfect. I enjoy what I do, and the reason why I am able to work long hours is because my work feels natural to me.
As well as my writing, I enjoy contributing to the writing industry through a non-profit organization called the FREZE Artist Help Center, which helps artists/writers/musicians make the necessary connections to succeed. We had a fantastic phone conference recently, which has helped me to put my life into perspective more than any look of concern I have ever received.
Here we were: me in Ontario, Miko in Georgia, Erika in California, and Angela in New York, all talking about what was important to us: the artists accepted into the 2006 FREZE program, our families, our friends, and of course our very hectic work schedules. The conference call helped me to realize that I am not the only one who seemingly cares too much about the “starving artist” industry and the welfare of those in it, and that feelings of isolation were no longer an option—I really do belong.

About Krissy BradyKrissy Brady is a freelance writer residing in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. She is the editor-in-chief of Brady Magazine, an online writer’s trade directory dedicated to putting writers on the map. Tidal Wave was released by Rain Publishing in 2006 This article is free to publish as long as it is kept completely in tact.

National Military Family Association Recommended

BOOK SELECTIONS FOR CHILDREN LIVING THE MILITARY LIFE
NMFA-National Military Family Association

Recommended Reading:
Timmy and the Storm
Author: Jeff Yosick

Timmy is a young boy whose father serves in the military. A difficult moment arises when his father is called to go to war. Timmy’s mother comforts him with a tale of three little bunnies that get caught in a rain storm. The tale turns into a heartwarming lesson that helps Timmy to understand and accept what his father has been called to do. Although it is still very difficult for Timmy to say goodbye, the moments spent listening to his mother’s tale allows him to accept the job that his father has been called to do.
Visit http://www.rainbooks.com/Shop/product.php?productid=16145 for product details.

Shadow Blight...Just A Tease

Release January / February 2008
Author: Tina Griffith
Title: Shadow Blight
Category: Horror
Publisher: Rain Publishing Inc.


It is a time of unrest, where families turn against each other and no friend can be trusted. The Empire is quickly spiraling into chaos. The Imperial family at its heart is broken and riddled with deceit. When treachery brings about a grievous and bloody crime against the Empire’s neighbors, war breaks loose, but the sides are muddy. And a far more sinister danger lurks just beneath the surface. Will the people of this land come together to ward off their age-old enemy, or will the Shadow overcome them in these troubled times?

Meet the Author...L.P. Chase

L.P. Chase is a children’s author and poet. Initially known for her middle grade novel, Elliot Stone and the Mystery of the Alien Mom, L.P. Chase has gone on to publish several other works of fiction including, Elliot Stone and the Mystery of the Backyard Treasure, Today is Tuesday, Silly Spoon, and soon to be released in late 2007, Hannah’s Hula Hoop. Chase plans on continuing the Elliot Stone series and is in the process of writing the third installment. She is also the author of I Kiss the Moon, a collection of poetry. In addition to writing, Chase is working toward a degree in Social Work. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her three children, exercising, baking, and reading. Chase resides with her family in Smithtown, New York.

Review: Abductors

ABDUCTORS by Bernadette Gabay Dyer
Category: Science Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+Release
Date: 6/1/07
Publisher: Rain Publishing
Reviewed by: Marta Morrison, Teens Read Too!
Rating: 5 Stars

Balance. That is a theme that I have come across in books and society. We need balance in all we do. We need it in work and play, physical and mental, good and evil, and in spiritual and earthly. The earth is out of balance and we need to make it right again. ABDUCTORS explores this theme in the realm of good and evil. The good starts with the plight of Graeme Hulis, who awakens on the Downs in Sussex, England. He is found by a professor who is studying the paranormal. Graeme cannot remember anything about his life. Then he meets a beautiful girl named Anna Wall. The professor then decides to hypnotize Graeme, and he tells him and Anna the fascinating story involving the abduction of his mother by little men, the arrival of spacemen in Toronto, Canada, the love of fairies, and the future of the balance in nature. There are many interesting characters in this story, There is a loving family, a talking fox, little men, amazing friendships, and a main character who the reader will grow to love. It is a quick read that holds the reader's attention. I hope Ms. Dyer will write a sequel, because I would like to hear more about Graeme and his friends.

Dogs and Children

Dogs and Children
By: Victoria Tatum

It must have been my dog that made Blue decide to date me. His family had raised a few Labrador retrievers, and at the time I met him his dad Jim had a black lab named Covey, as in Willie McCovey. Covey had paws the size of baseballs, which served him well when he escaped from Jim’s office to chase ducks on the San Lorenzo River. As soon as he tired of running, Covey jumped in the river for a ride downstream to the Boardwalk, where he stole corndogs from innocent children.

With this family history, it should have been no surprise when Blue ordered my dog his own burger at In “N Out. Bud traveled in the right rear corner of my Toyota shortbed truck, his head hanging out the camper shell window. Blue ordered an extra burger no fixings, no bun, thus giving new meaning to the term “drive-through,” as the camper shell and Buddy’s head passed the drive-through window.

When I packed my belongings into the truck and moved from West Berkeley to Santa Cruz to be with Blue, I saved space in the right rear corner of the camper shell for Bud. He was as happy about the move as I.

Wherever Blue and I lived, we set up Bud’s bed under a table, giving him the cave-like quarters dogs need. He had free reign of the backyard where we settled to raise our family, chasing cats and, unqualified guard dog that he was, wagging his tail at intruders. But even docile ones like Bud have an uncanny sense of danger and adventure. They know before we pack our bags if we are going on a trip, and watch vigilantly to be sure they aren’t left behind. If someone is dangerous but gives no outward signs our human senses can detect, dogs who are normally docile sniff it out, growling and barking. Our retrievers, despite the occasional false alarm --a bronze dog statue or a log that looks like a bear-- are our deliverers and our angels.

Like Covey, Bud was a wanderer. He couldn’t jump the fence with his stubby legs, but he dug under the fence instead or chewed his way through. He was living testimony to the fact that Labradors should be fixed. Bud, however, lost his balls with little glory.

Glory or no glory, Bud was my fertility angel when, early in my pregnancy with Carly, I walked into the vet’s office and Dr. Miller asked me if I wanted to breed him. Dr. Miller’s Labrador Rosie conceived with Bud just two weeks before the truant was impounded and taken in a prison van to the vet’s, where by strict orders of the SPCA, I was not allowed to see him until he was neutered. Bud had a rap sheet with the SPCA three pages long.

Shortly after the fateful impounding, my friend Jim’s wife Helen called out of the blue and said her family was ready for a puppy. “What timing,” I said, and a few months later Helen, pregnant with her first son and accompanied by her daughters, went home with Buddy’s son Buster.
Bud was my fertility angel when Carly was born two weeks ahead of her predicted due date. A couple of nights before, he tried to scratch his way through the sheetrock to get out of the garage. Being an animal, he smelled what was going on. I let him out, stood in the dark while he peed, and an hour later my water broke.

The morning after Bud ate through the sheetrock, I met our midwife Mary Ann at her office. “Go home and get ready,” she said, “The contractions will start this afternoon.”
I went to the drugstore and picked up the necessary supplies. I got my hair cut. I put Jimmy Cliff in the tape deck of my truck and sang “Many Rivers to Cross” to the baby preparing to enter the world.

Strong contractions started sweeping over me that afternoon when I was standing in line at Safeway. I waited my turn, but inside I was yelling, “Get out of my way! I’m in labor!”

At two in the morning we drove to the hospital. By noon I was fully dilated, but I pushed for four hours. Mary Ann arrived before dawn and stayed all day. My mother came and hung out with me in the sunny courtyard, where I rode out the steadily increasing contractions on the lawn. Connie, my sister-in-law and a labor and delivery nurse, came in on her day off. Mary the nurse on duty was there. When Mary’s shift ended she stayed, and Connie’s friend Nancy came on. Thirty-six hours after our arrival, Carly was born in the company of her parents and four amazing women.

The Old Testament and ancient Hindu texts make reference to midwives. From this we can infer that women have always had midwives. I believe every birthing mother should have, if not a midwife, a few women in the room.

I put Carly in the old fashioned pram passed down from Blue’s mom and pushed the pram into the backyard. I parked Bud next to the pram for protection and slipped on my gardening gloves. Carly gazed up at the giant redwood tree and sucked on her pacifier for long stretches while I gardened. When her hands started flailing I knew the binky had popped out. I slipped off my gloves, popped the binky back in, and returned to my work. When Carly started walking, she and her pram protector were best friends. They played tug-of-war with the stick before she could talk.

I attribute Carly’s independence as a baby to her feeling safe in the world. Her brother Eliot did not feel so secure. From the day he was born he needed us close by. When he started to walk, Bud’s wagging tail was a grave threat. Bud was old and slow by then, but it didn’t matter to Eliot. He dodged Buddy’s wildly wagging tail like a point guard on a full court press.
Eliot’s birth was not the blink-and-it’s-over delivery I was hoping for after the Carly marathon. I had heard stories of women giving birth to their second babies before the midwife could get there, so the five hours of labor with Eliot seemed like an eternity. He was also born two weeks past his due date. Eliot grew in the womb at his own pace, just as he continued to develop thereafter, teaching me to put away my own time line and go by his.

Nor was he the idyllic water birth I had envisioned. After an hour in the hospital tub I abandoned my water dream and moved to the bed. Eliot was born face up which made pushing more painful, but at least the second time around I knew what to do. There are things they don’t think to tell you in the birthing class.

When I was in the bath Blue fanned me with a towel. I told him I felt as if he were fanning me with banana leaves and feeding me figs. While I was in the shower letting the hot water run on my lower back, he washed my feet, like Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

Carly and Eliot were little when Buddy died. For Carly the sorrow came a year later, and she cried a lot at bedtime. For Eliot the sorrow came seven years later when he was ten. That was the way his developmental delay worked; he went through the same major stages Carly did, only much later and for longer. So it was that his best friend was Buddy’s successor Shoe.

Shoe had long legs that could have propelled him over any fence, but he showed no proclivity to wander. This was probably because he was neutered as a pup, but there were personality factors at work as well. Bud had a block of a head that hung so low his nose was always to the ground, and the scents he picked up naturally lead him away from us. Unlike Buddy, Shoe was a bundle of energy but he was unfailingly loyal to his pack: me, Blue, Carly, and Eliot.

Shoe waited for Eliot to get home from school, and the two of them walked around the backyard together for hours. That was the miracle: Shoe walked. Eliot held the stick and Shoe followed calmly until he gave it up. By the time Eliot was ten he carried on long conversations with anyone who would listen, but up until then Shoe was the only one outside his family with whom he talked at length. As they walked around the backyard, Eliot held what were not so much monologues as dialogues with one person talking. While Eliot talked, Shoe rolled his eyes up at him and wagged his tail limply.

There were three possible reasons for this. One, they exchanged testosterone like Ritalin and were mutually sedated. Two, animal soul saw into human soul and visa versa. And three, Bud may have left this earth but his soul resided in our yard, assuring us that he was still part of the family.

Hear Victoria's latest interview at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yoga/blog/2007/11/15/Author-Extraordinaire-Victoria-Tatum

Author Victoria Tatum 's novel The Virgin’s Children was released by Rain Publishing Inc.
Ask for your copy at a local bookstore near you, or visit www.rainbooks.com or www.amazon.com for more information

Meet the Author. James W Foster

Meet the Author...James W Foster

James W. Foster is from Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. His home town is the model for the fictional community of Vollmer's Hollow where most of his stories are set. Jim has long been a fan of dark fiction.
"It's difficult to name a definitive favorite author," says Jim. "There are so many good ones, but Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, Robert R. McCammon, James Herbert, John Saul, and Jack Ketchum would all be likely candidates."
When Jim isn't spending his spare time with his son Cody, he can usually be found in the poorly lit attic where he resides pounding out dark tales. He lives in constant fear of being possessed by a demonic entity, and thinks the expression a person wears when they bump their head is hilarious.

James has penned four horror books and is working on his fifth.

About the Artist About the Adventure

Michael Cywink – “Cy”
Artist/Author/Curator



Michael “Cy” Cywink is a band member to the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island, which has been designated as a Cultural Capital in Canada, 1 of 5. He is also an alumnus to the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Cy is an Independent Curator, previously he was the curator for the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, M'Chigeeng, Manitoulin Island; a First Nations cultural consultant with Walt Disney Imagineering/ Disney's America theme park project, Glendale, California. Throughout the 80's he was a Counsellor/ contract street worker in Toronto working with agencies such as Central Toronto Youth Services, Under 21 Covenant House, The Toronto Boy's Home and Native Men's Residence.


" I am originally out of a small village, one of the main stopping places for the Anishinabe while on their migrations long before contact, this place is now called Whitefish Falls and my father Nick Cywink Sr. was born there into the Cywink/Biidassige Bear Clan. He was a veteran of World War 2. A real warrior on two wheels, "One of the best snipers doing 40 mph", he'd say. He was sixteen when he enlisted into the Canadian Army and began his journey into the spirit world in 1990. I am of Shigwadja/Neganigwane through my mother Eva Neganigwane (Pheasant). She came from the nation's capital of South Bay. Her father, my Mishomis introduced me to the world as Mii Zhen. He held me in his hand and looked at my mother and said, " This is Mii Zhen, He Is Good For You". My mother is still with us.

Writing for me doesn't come as smoothly as coloring. There generates within me a different kind of energy that comes through word art. The Adventures of Crazy Turtle came out over a period of 20 or so years. And what an adventure it is. Crazy Turtle is the basis of my Creation Story. There is no end to a Creation Story, so there is no end to the Adventures of Crazy Turtle.

The concept of having a Turtle as the main character goes back to the times when everything around you is coming down, closing in. So just as a Turtle protects themself, we hide inside our shells, in this case, we hide inside our thoughts and feelings, and we build invisible walls around us to hide and protect our being, our true feelings. But Crazy Turtle goes beyond that, Crazy Turtle brings out a truth in us that we need no longer hide, we need no longer go away and try to run from our inner being. That in-turn everything remains the same and it is our inner awareness and perception on life that evolves around our time while here with Mother Earth.

Each of us as hue-man beings, have our own time here on this earth walk and, within our growing, as an individual we must adhere to the responsibilities of tradition and value, just as our Elders are the caretakers of cultural knowledge. It is truth when said that we are spirit beings living in the psychical gift of Creation, we are not human beings falling to our knees looking for a Spirit.

This is a story for Children of All Ages, It is meant to help one understand the spirit being inside their "shell." Have you lost the child in you?"

In my workshops I discuss "The makings of Crazy Turtle, how the adventure came to be and show accompanying illustrations. The Adventures of Crazy Turtle can be ordered directly through www.rainbooks.com ISBN 13: 978-1-897381-04-5.

Without the Language to be released December 2007



Michael Cywink, PO Box 36 , Whitefish Falls, Ontario, Canada, P0P 2H0

The Power of Choice in Poetry

The Power of Choice in Poetry with Lucille Shulklapper

Wednesdays, February 6 – March 5, 7pm – 9pm

Northwest Regional Library, Coral Springs

“A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.”

~ Emily Dickinson~

Poetry thrives on possibility and choice. Explore the use of poetic devices in poems of published poets, their structure and surprise, before experimenting with exercises that will stretch your own range of poetic possibilities. Entice your muse with practical and playful ideas. Fearlessness is the only prerequisite.

Lucille’s poetry and fiction appear in numerous journals, anthologies, and three poetry chapbooks: What You Cannot Have, The Substance of Sunlight and God, It’s Not Hollywood.

A picture book, Out of Bed, Fred will be released in October, 2008.

Interview with: P.L. Reed-Wallinger

Interview With Author; P.L. Reed-Wallinger

Titles: Dark Secrets, Forbidden Fantasies, Emma’s’ Choice and soon to be released in 2008- Obscene Obsessions.
Publisher: Trade, Rain Publishing Ontario Canada


How long have you been writing? Did you take any writing classes? Do you use a pen name? Why?

I have been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I vividly remember once, when I was in first grade, trying to get a story written but not being competent enough to do so. We were living in Turkey at the time, and my dad was sitting on a screened-in porch, typing something. I asked him to type my story while I told him the words…and he did. Of course, it was crap. I was only six years old. But the drive was already there. The stories were starting.

At twelve, my father taught me to play the guitar. I had no money to buy music, but I wanted to play, so I wrote my own songs. Again, some of them were crap, but a few were actually pretty good.

I took a creative writing class my senior year, and even had one of my short stories read aloud to the class by the teacher—much to my utter horror. I was so embarrassed, but the point is, it was good. I KNEW I could write. It was an innate knowledge, an intrinsic confidence. I never questioned that ability—and still don’t.

When I finally made the decision to pursue publication, I decided on a pen name. I felt somewhat protective of my first name, so I opted to go with my initials. I also wanted to acknowledge my heritage as a writer, (both my father and brother are published writers), so I used my maiden name. Then, of course, there’s that need we all have for recognition—acknowledgement that YOU—(the you everyone knows)—has accomplished something worthwhile. Vanity rears its ugly little head. So, of course, I kept the last name my friends and family would recognize. Hence, the P.L. Reed-Wallinger.

Jeff Yosick

Author Jeff Yosick Releases Three Heartwarming Tales that Children and Adults Will Both Love to Read Again and Again

“Madison’s Special Dolly, Timmy and the Storm and Running the Race teach children about love, giving, and letting go in touching tales by author Jeffrey Yosick.”

In his three releases Madison’s Special Dolly, Timmy and the Storm and Running the Race author Jeffrey Yosick teaches children valuable lessons about life and giving while creating stories adults will love reading to their kids. Just in time for the Christmas season and during this time of war, both these books are welcome additions to the host of children’s classics.

War is hard enough for any child to understand. It’s much harder to comprehend when your own father must leave to fight in a war. For many children, it’s a scary, yet bigger then life concept that they can’t completely grasp. Kids just know that it’s bad, that Daddy could get hurt. In Timmy and the Storm, Timmy’s mother uses a tale of three bunnies to help Timmy realize what his father has to do and to say good bye to him.

“When I wrote Timmy and the Storm my number one goal was to find a way to help the children of soldiers heading off to Iraq,” Yosick explains. “I actually wrote the story in 2004 after I received word that my brother would be deployed himself. I was able to take the emotions that were bottled up from my loss, and pour it out into the story that became Timmy and the Storm. Although this book was geared to children of military parents, it is a story that would help any parent explain to their children why soldiers have to go to war.”

Yosick’s inspiration for writing children’s books comes from his own three kids. Although he’s always been an avid writer and poet and been very passionate about the written word, it was having his children that truly made him see the way his words could be just as valuable to his readers as they are to him.

Madison’s Special Dolly is a result of that inspiration and filled with love and the spirit giving as we approach the holiday season. A little girl who saves all of her chore money for a special new doll finally gets to purchase it. On the journey home, something unexpected happens to make this little girl’s dolly truly a special one. Inspired by Yosick’s own daughter’s homemade gift to him and the joy she received from just giving it to him, Madison’s Special Dolly is a book kids and adults both will find heartwarming.

“My goal for this book is to show children and adults the valuable lesson of giving,” Yosick says. “I want the readers to walk away inspired by the actions of a little girl named Madison. It is my hope that people will see how love and giving can go beyond what our imaginations allow us to believe, and that the same joy that a person feels when they receive can also be felt through the selfless act of giving.”

Both books are now available at the publisher’s website by visiting http://www.rainbooks.com. Additional information and media inquiries should be sent to info@rainbooks.com.

Fun Writing Quiz by Margaret Watson

Writing Quiz

By Margaret Watson
Author of Cook Book: Blokes with Stoves


(1)What kind of writer are you?

a) Writing is my main source of income
b) I had a piece published in a college magazine once
c) I write regularly but rarely submit any
d) I write every day and submit regularly


(2)What is writer’s block?

a) Making the fifth cup of coffee in an hour rather than getting on with it
b) Staring at a blank piece of paper
c) A bin full of screwed up attempts
d) A teenager who says ‘You aren’t using the computer are you? Oh, were you supposed to save that?’

(3)What kind of agent do you have?

a) I receive e-mails from time to time
b) My best friend
c) I’ve got one but I can’t find his address
d) What’s an agent?


(4)How do you submit manuscripts?

a) Hand written first drafts by snail mail
b) Double spaced word processed in rtf with inch space all round sent as attachments.
c) Your 25th attempt at making the computer print it properly
d) An e-mail on the way to work

(5)What kind of writing do you do?

a) Whatever pays the bills
b) My favourite kind
c) It depends on the market requirements
d) Whatever inspires me

(6)Why do you write?

a) What else is there to do?
b) It is something I can do at home in comfort while also looking after the children/my mother/the dog.
c) I want to be a best selling author
d) It is what I’m good at


(7)What is your attitude to your writing?

a) I look forward to starting a new piece
b) I get a sense of satisfaction from completing a piece to the best of my abilities
c) It’s a job
d) The acceptances make up for the rejections


Scoring (1)a) 4, b)1, c)2, d)3

(2) a)1, b)2, c)4, d)3

(3) a)3, b)4,c)2, d)1

(4) a)1,b)4 c)3, d)2

(5) a)3, b)1 c)4,d)2

(6) a)3,b) 1 c)2,d)4

(7) a)3,b)4,c)1,d)2


Remember this is just for fun, and I could well be wrong but here it is:-

21-28 – A true professional
14-21 – You’re on the way
7-14 - A nice hobby
1-7 - Are you really trying?

Cromarty Biggs Powder Monkey

Title: Cromarty Biggs: Powder Monkey

Author: Stuart Rivers

Synopsis

When Cromarty Biggs and his friend Craig Tarrant skive off school to sneak on board HMS Victory in Portsmouth, they have no idea that their small adventure is about to turn into an experience they will never forget. Its Cromarty’s thirteenth birthday and, along with a tidy sum of money, he has been given an old Swiss Army knife by his Uncle Jim. An odd attachment on the knife, a skeleton key, opens time portals and they are propelled back in time when they use it to lock a cabin door on the ship, having been chased to a bolthole beneath the poop deck. Interrogated as spies, pressed into the service of the Georgian Royal Navy and given to the ship’s cook and boatswain to act as their servants, the two boys experience first hand the rigours of the life of a powder monkey on board a ship of the line.

In contemporary Britain, a police investigation is underway as a hunt is mounted for the two boys who seemed to have vanished without a trace from the dockyard. Not until Cromarty finds his way back, leaving Craig behind to experience the Battle of Trafalgar, and he tells his uncle the story of their disappearance, does the truth become clear to Jim Biggs.

On Cromarty’s insistence, they must return to the 21st October 1805 and rescue the powder monkey who died saving the life of Lord Nelson by taking the bullet that was meant for the iconic admiral. Only then, will history be restored.

Meet the Author: Rachna Trivedi Jain

Rachna Trivedi Jain born in Solapur, Maharashtra, India, and grew up in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). In the course of a writing career spanning over ten years, she has written over a hundred short stories for children.
Born in a traditional Hindi Brahmin Family, Rachna’s childhood days spent with her granny find a heavy influence on her poems, which mostly revolve around the tales of fairies, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, flowers, the birds and animals -the central characters of folklores and stories told by her granny.
In a career spanning over almost a decade, Rachna has "carved out a unique literary landscape". Replete with unassuming humor and quiet wisdom, her children’s rhymes manifest a deep love for nature and people.
A collection of her children’s rhyming picture books for the very young are - 'Sea Beach', 'Wonder Why' and 'From Where Do You Come?'

Meet the Author: Horane Smith

Author: Horane Smith
Release: 2008
Title: Seven Days in Jamaica
Publisher: Rain Publishing

Horane Smith was born in 1957, at Yardley Chase in the parish of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, home of the famous tourist attraction Lover’s Leap.
Mr. Smith commenced a career in journalism at the
government information bureau, the Agency for Public
information (now the Jamaica information Service) in 1975.
From the API, Mr. Smith moved to Jamaica’s first community radio station, JBC Radio West, in 1979, where he worked as a freelance producer and programme producer.
In 1980, Mr. Smith was the recipient of the Jack Anderson Memorial Scholarship for Journalism awarded by the Press Association of Jamaica, to study Mass Communication at the University of the West Indies. Jack Anderson was a veteran Jamaican journalist and the scholarship is awarded annually to honour his commitment and dedication to the profession.
After graduating from UWI, Mr. Smith returned to the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, this time at its Kingston headquarters. He started there as a freelance writer and
moved quickly up to the rank of Senior News Producer/Reporter/ Editor and subsequently acted as Assistant Director of Television News. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Dedication to Duties Award from the JBC.
In 1988, Mr. Smith left full time duties at JBC to work as Information Assistant at the United States Embassy in Kingston, where he served as the main contact between the media and the Embassy. During that time, Mr. Smith was Consulting Editor to the JBC Newsroom.
Mr. Smith and his family left Jamaica in 1990, to take up residence in Toronto, Canada. While in Canada, he continued his journalism duties, corresponding for JBC-TV and writing columns for the Jamaica Herald and Dawn newspapers in Canada. In 1995, he returned to Jamaica on a visit and went to the famous and legendary tourist attraction, Lover’s Leap, where
he used to play as a young boy. Three months later, his debut novel, Lover’s Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend was written. The novel was published in England, in 1999, to international acclaim.
John Prebble, the late British best-selling author, well-known for the 1960s box-office hit Zulu, starring Michael Caine, commented: “I have read it with great admiration, for not only
is it a bitter-sweet story but a profound comment on a contemporary subject.” Just before he died in January 2000, Mr. Prebble was asked by friends what was one of his regrets in
life. He responded that he wouldn’t be around to see the success of four new writers. Horane Smith was named among them.
Mr. Smith’s second novel, Underground to Freedom, was published in 2000, and the popular Port Royal in 2001. The Lynching Stream, his fourth work of historical fiction, was published in July 2003. Reggae Silver is his fifth novel, and was published in 2004. His sixth, Dawn at Lover’s Leap, the sequel to Lover’s Leap, was published in 2006.
Mr. Smith has been described by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, one of the largest in Canada, as “no ordinary novelist.” He has been described by book reviewers as “prolific…going from
strength to strength…an engaging writer...a gripping writer.”
Mr. Smith works for a media monitoring/intelligence Firm and lives in Woodbridge, Ontario, where he lives with his wife and children.

Horane Smith is the winner of the inaugural Burke’s Books Literary Awards (BURLA) for his outstanding contribution to African-Canadian and Caribbean Literature. He is also among the first 100 outstanding Jamaicans to be recognized by the Jamaica-Canada Diaspora Foundation for his contribution to Jamaican literature. His latest novel Dawn at Lover’s Leap, was a finalist in the USA Booknews Best Book Award for Historical Fiction.

http://www.horanesmith.com/

Sisters

Nellie’s Newsletter
Voices of Women
2007

Sisters
by Joanna Shawana

My sisters, my friends, my companions. As I stare into your eyes, I see our father's and mother's eyes in each of you. The eyes of caring, sharing and loving that we Were taught as were growing up.
My sisters, my friends, my companions. You were there when I cried for help. You were my eyes when I could not see clearly, You seen things that I was not able to see.
My sisters, my friends, my companions. You were there when I was numb. You felt my pain when I could not feel. You took my pain to help me go through with life.
My sisters, my friends, my companions. You were my voice when I could not speak. Each of you spoke from your hearts. Each of you share my pain, my hurt and frustrations.
Each of you has helped me see, feel and speak. My sisters you will always be a part of my life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joanna Shawana' adds her "voice' against violence speaking at such organizations as "Nellies", The Brock University, The Woman's Bookstore and many others. Her book of poems and aboriginal teachings "Voice of an Eagle" are available by placing an order at a local bookstore near you or by visiting www.rainboooks.com or Amazon.com

Meet the Author: Mary Brunini McArdle

Alice Reflected
Thriller
April 2008
Rain Publishing



Meet the Author
Mary Brunini McArdle

Mary Brunini McArdle was raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. She has a B.A. with a major in History and a minor in English from the University of Dallas, and graduate courses in History, Military Strategy, and English. Continuing Education (credit and noncredit) consists of Marine Science, Creative Writing, Art, Environmental Science, and Zoology.

McArdle’s work experience has been varied. She has numerous publication credits and awards in Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Short Plays. For eight years she was Poetry Columnist for an Illinois journal. Publication credits include THE VILLAGER, MISSISSIPPI GARDENS, MISSISSIPPI OUTDOORS, INNISFREE, THE ROSWELL LITERARY REVIEW, MOBIUS, and others. Recently she has been publishing online, in COMBAT MAGAZINE, APHELION, THE TRUTH MAGAZINE, BEWILDERING STORIES, and more.

McArdle also participated in the recording of a CD of contemporary religious music by an Alabama musician. She has been active in church, senior, and combined choirs. McArdle also designs original, handmade doll clothes.

She has taught Military Strategy, History, and Poetry for the U.A.H. Lifetime Learning Program and Writing at the Huntsville and Madison Senior Centers.

This summer she won two prizes (her first) in Southern Expressions, an annual Tennessee art exhibit.

How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?

How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Don’t give yourself any other choice…

By Krissy Brady

I’ve always wanted to be a full-time writer—literally since I was six years old I have pictured a life of manuscripts, publishers, and book tours.
Now that it is actually happening, I am ecstatic, though terrified at the same time. When I was six, I lead a cushioned existence. As I got older, fears and complexes started to set in—self-consciousness, the need to find and establish a status for myself, and of course the dreaded comfort zone that has always been difficult for me to shrug off.
I think the biggest fear of anyone when trying to establish their dream career is the fact that once it becomes your reality, there is no escape. When I was working towards what I currently have, the thought of reaching this ultimate end result would always help to take me away from my current reality, one I wasn’t entirely satisfied with, yet knew I would be eventually.
There is no escape now, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. My problem has become the lack of understanding from those who, while they are close to me, are not able to relate to my endless need for writing industry success. Until they know what it’s like to sacrifice everything for what they want, and the sacrifices that come with keeping it, there will always be a barrier in our conversations.
I have met too many people who settle, and sometimes have a hard time understanding why they choose a comfort zone instead of their ultimate end result. When I left my job to work at home full-time, I was looked at like I was crazy: why would I leave a steady job? A guaranteed income? A defined existence?
I left my steady job, guaranteed income, and defined existence because that’s all it is: an existence. I want an identity. I want to contribute. I don’t want to be told what I can and cannot do. Basically, I don’t want to be stifled, and I want to work hard towards influencing others to do the same. If you don’t give yourself any other choice but to be who you really are, and not who you think you should be, there is no greater satisfaction. The sacrifice is always worth the ultimate end result.

About Krissy BradyKrissy
Brady is a freelance writer residing in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. She is the editor-in-chief of Brady Magazine, an online writer's trade directory dedicated to putting writers on the map. She is also a poet, whose book Tidal Wave (Rain Publishing, October 2006).This article is free to publish as long as it is kept completely in tact.

Louis Jannetta

The Spalding's

Roots, Wings and Other Things. A Mother's True Story on Transracial Adoptions.
Donna Gillis Spalding
$15.95
9781897381007
Non-Fiction: Inspirational True Story

Photos above: Donna and Howard Spalding with their children, and grandchildren.

Ground Shifting For Women

Ground Shifting for Women

Report by OIATH

Author Joanna Shawana is a proud part of the battle aagainst violence, and we at Rain Enterprises are proud to publish and respresent her cause!

Action to end violence against women was created by women for women.The story has been a truly inspiring one.

Women have changed our communities and ourselves in new and liberating ways.

In just over 30 years, women have made stunning progress against gender inequality that is hundreds of thousands of years old. We have reached miraculous goals in aware­ness and services for women who have experienced violence.

Many of us thought our challenges could be won by now. But there are always new ones to face and new changes to make.

As OAITH reaches 30, feminist shelter advo­cates want to celebrate our gains and move forward in solidarity with each other and we want to protect our progress against increasing erosion of our grassroots vision.

Shifts for Women and Children

The past year brought a number of changes for women and children.
Some of the funding promised by the Ontario government has started to flow to community services that support women. Some systems are now starting to receive basic training on how to better respond to women and children--legal aid, housing, judges and health profession.

There has been some improvement to shel­ter and second stage agency funding. And small changes have been made to improve Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program.

At the same time, steps by the Ministry of Community and Social Services to cut off access to the special dietary allowance has left many women desperate to find healthy food for their children and themselves.

Neither the provincial nor federal govern­ments have any overall strategies for ending the entrenched poverty and oppression that affects women and children in marginalized communities.

Although child welfare authorities now rec­ognize some of the flaws of the current sys­tem in addressing child exposure to woman abuse, in 2003 fully 24% of women in abusive relationships were charged by child welfare with “failure to protect”.

By now, women know that the long-awaited national day care program, one that would have helped so many women, will likely be scrapped by the new federal government.

Federal and provincial social housing plans, already moving slow, are now up in the air. Fears that social programs may again be at the mercy of the very Ontario politicians
who cut them in 1995 are not unreasonable.

Shifts for Women’s Services
Women’s services--from shelters to rape cri­sis centres to women’s neighbourhood cen­tres have seen many changes over the years, especially at the whim of social policy.
Shelters have seen a number of key shifts: from early gains in core funding to the cuts in 1995, from grassroots organizing to insti­tutional practices, from public disbelief to a measure of community awareness and from exclusion to a growing integrated, feminist anti-racist/anti-oppression understanding of violence against women.

While there have been many positive changes for the women’s anti-violence move­ment, there are emerging new challenges to overcome. Many women’s advocates are now questioning the “gender mainstreaming” of violence against women, shifts to gender neutrality, and focus on psychological models of response. Funding continues to be inade­quate, and government more focussed on service systems than on equality rights.

New energy is rising and new activist voices are calling for a renewed focus beyond our struggles for more and better services, to our goal of preventing and ending violence against all women and their children.

We have not yet won our equality. Until we do, violence against women will go on. ~
SJAC worked with the Board on policy development within OAITH, for example to develop draft policy positions on coordina­tion, funding for VAW work in gender neu­tral agencies and government relations.

OAITH also worked with other equality-seeking groups on joint efforts.
For example, we participated in the Hands Murdered women remembered: Women hold signs with the names of 231 women and children mur­dered in Ontario since 1995, and listen to Linda Ense speak on behalf of the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA). Linda is also Executive Director of the Native Women’s Centre in Hamilton.

Working with Carrol Anne Sceviour from Ontario Federation of Labour, as we have
Action a focus of OAITH social justice work Without social change work, our efforts to end vio­lence against women cannot succeed. OAITH is committed to taking social change action and to encour­aging all OAITH mem­ber shelters to partici­pate locally, provincially and federally on all social policy issues that affect women and children.

This year, despite our small resources, we have broadened our action in this area.
Walking their talk: Members of the OAITH Social Justice and Action Committee hold our new ban-The Lobby Committee ner at the OAITH organized November 28 Walk the Talk rally in front of Queen’s Park Legislature.

The ‘new’ Social Justice and Action Committee (SJAC) will make our role more clear to members, government and the pub­lic at large. We hope that the change will be more inviting for women in the network who want to do social change work but don’t want to be a “lobbyist” as defined in public circles.

Change Work Has Many Faces
This year, social justice and action work cov­ered a lot of ground.
done in the past, OAITH Board and Committee members created a poster marking this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Nov. 25th.

The OFL generously paid for printing of 10,000 copies of the poster.

Posters were distrib­uted at the October AGM and throughout Ontario unions, as well as through requests. It is now available on our website at www.oaith.ca.

Off! campaign to press the Province to end the clawback of the federal Child Tax Benefit Supplement (CTBS) for children on social assistance programs. Many shelters in the OAITH network took part by ordering cam­paign postcards and endorsing this ongoing campaign online.

Walk the Talk
November also saw us joining with sister provincial anti-violence networks to plan a meeting of women’s activists to discuss and evaluate the Domestic Violence Action Plan and public policy directions on violence against women.
We hope this year, Premier McGuinty will honour his pre-election promise to stop the clawback of support from the poorest chil­dren in Ontario.

OAITH also supported and promoted the Walk,Wheel, Ride for Dignity organized to rally at Queen’s Park for a raise in OW and ODSP rates.We are a member of Campaign 2000 and have been active in bringing women’s issues of poverty and violence to
the campaign.

OAITH was anThe meeting took place on the first day of the Finding Common Ground provincial con­ference and over 60 women from rape crisis centres, shelters, francophone and communi­ty based women’s groups attended.

Organizers included OAITH, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes and the Ontario Women’s Justice Network (METRAC).
endorsing member of the No Religious Arbitration Coalition and supported the work of the coalition to end the legal effect of religious arbitration decisions.

November WWPM
Woman Abuse Prevention Month was busy, as usual.Women issued a press release from the gathering urging the Province to support organizing efforts of women’s policy net-works with funding and recognition.

The meeting was titled Walk the Talk in soli­darity with an OAITH-organized rally at Queen’s Park of the same name, designed to remember 23 1 Ontario women and children murdered since 1995 and to have advocate voices “open” the conference.'

We are so impressed with and grateful for the crowd that came to the rally from OAITH shelters, students, labour representatives, provin­cial women’s coalitions, and the community at large, despite teeming rain.

Brief reports of both the activist meeting and the rally are on the OAITH website, along with the press release issued by the activist group.
provided for the lucky participants chosen to attend, the Minister’s treatment of women pleading for healthy food for their children had to be the lowest point. One violence survivor who was present at the conference later characterized the Minister’s response as “losing common ground”.~
OAITH contributes to public policy and training efforts

Joanna Shawana author of "Voice of An Eagle" stands behind these beliefs everyday!

Tales you will fall in Love With

Tales that Children and Adults Will Both Love

“Madison’s Special Dolly and Timmy and the Storm teach children about love, giving, and letting go in touching tales by author Jeffrey Yosick.”

Columbus (OH)- In his two releases Madison’s Special Dolly and Timmy and the Storm, author Jeffrey Yosick teaches children valuable lessons about life and giving while creating stories adults will love reading to their kids. During these troubled times of war, and lost ideals both these books are welcome additions to the host of children’s classics.

War is hard enough for any child to understand. It’s much harder to comprehend when it hits your intimate home setting. For many children, it’s a scary bigger then life concept that they can’t completely grasp. Kids just know that it’s bad, that their parent could get hurt or killed. In Timmy and the Storm, Timmy’s mother uses a tale of three bunnies to help Timmy understand what his father has to do in a time of war.

“When I wrote Timmy and the Storm my number one goal was to find a way to help the children of soldiers heading off to Iraq,” Yosick explains. “I actually wrote the story in 2004 after I received word that my brother would be deployed himself. I was able to take the emotions that were bottled up from my loss, and pour it out into the story that became Timmy and the Storm. Although this book was geared to children of military parents, it is a story that would help any parent explain to their children why soldiers have to go to war.”

Yosick’s inspiration for writing children’s books comes from his own three kids. Although he’s always been an avid writer and poet and been very passionate about the written word, it was having his children that truly made him see the way his words could be just as valuable to his readers as they are to him.

Madison’s Special Dolly is a result of that inspiration and filled with love and the spirit giving as we approach the holiday season. A little girl who saves all of her chore money for a special new doll finally gets to purchase it. On the journey home, something unexpected happens to make this little girl’s dolly truly a special one. Inspired by Yosick’s own daughter’s homemade gift to him and the joy she received from just giving it to him, Madison’s Special Dolly is a book kids and adults both will find heartwarming.

“My goal for this book is to show children and adults the valuable lesson of giving,” Yosick says. “I want the readers to walk away inspired by the actions of a little girl named Madison. It is my hope that people will see how love and giving can go beyond what our imaginations allow us to believe, and that the same joy that a person feels when they receive can also be felt through the selfless act of giving.”

Yosick’s third children's book was released in April of 2007 from Rain Publishing Inc. titled Running the Race which explains the very serious issue of breast cancer and breast cancer research to better help children understand this issue.


Additional information and media inquiries should be sent to info at rainbooks dot com; ask for your copies of Jeff Yosick’s prose at a bookstore near you or visit http://www.rainbooks.com/

Michael "Cy" Cywink

Image copyright protected by Michael Cywink-reproduced with permission.

Cywink – “Cy”
Artist/Author/Curator
Miizhen at hotmail dot com


Michael “Cy” Cywink is a band member to the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island. Which has been designated as a Cultural Capital in Canada, 1 of 5. He is also an alumnus to the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Cy is an Independent Curator, previously he was the curator for the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, M'Chigeeng, Manitoulin Island. And a First Nations cultural consultant with Walt Disney Imagineering, Glendale, California.

" I am originally out of a small village, one of the main stopping places for the Anishinabe while on their migrations long before contact, this place is now called Whitefish Falls and my father Nick Cywink Sr. was born there into the Cywink/Biidassige Bear Clan. He was a veteran of World War 2. A real warrior on two wheels, "One of the best snipers doing 40 mph", he'd say. He was sixteen when he enlisted into the Canadian Army. He began his journey into the spirit world in 1990. I am of Shigwadja/Neganigwane through my mother Eva Neganigwane (Pheasant). She came from the nation's capital of South Bay. Her father, my Mishomis introduced me to the world as Mii Zhen. He held me in his hand and looked at my mother and said, " This is Mii Zhen, He Is Good For You". My mother is still with us.

Writing for me doesn't come as smoothly as coloring. There generates within me a different kind of energy which comes through word art. The Adventures of Crazy Turtle came out over a period of 20 or so years. And what an adventure it is. Crazy Turtle is the basis of my Creation Story. There is no end to a Creation Story, so there is no end to the Adventures of Crazy Turtle.

The concept of having a Turtle as the main character goes back to the times when everything around you is coming down, closing in. So just as a Turtle protects themselves, we hide inside our shells, in this case, we hide inside our thoughts and feelings, and we build invisible walls around us to hide and protect our being, our true feelings. But Crazy Turtle goes beyond that, Crazy Turtle brings out a truth in us that we need no longer hide, we need no longer go away and try to run from our inner being. That in-turn everything remains the same and it is our inner awareness and perception on life that evolves around our time while here with Mother Earth.

Each of us as human beings, have our own time here on this earth walk and, within our growing, as an individual we must adhere to the responsibilities of tradition and value, just as our Elders are the caretakers of cultural knowledge. It is truth when said that we are spirit beings living in the psychical gift of Creation, we are not human beings falling to our knees looking for a Spirit.

This is a story for Children of All Ages, It is meant to help one understand the spirit being inside their "shell." Have you lost the child in you?"

In this workshop I will be discussing "The Makings of Crazy Turtle, how the adventure came to be, and showing accompanying illustrations. Books can be ordered directly through http://www.rainbooks.com/

Dangerous Days

Dave Stevenson and Andy Halmay- Co-authors of "Dangerous Days" greeting guests and signing copies of their novel at "The Harlem" in Toronto--Dave Stevenson, actor and stuntman and Andy Halmay award winning playwright make a great team when it comes to "The Biz" and now this new adventure-their prose "Dangerous Days" is another winner!