Month: December 2011

Sneak Peek: Jasha M. Levi’s The Last Exile

The Last Exile by Jasha LeviToday, we get a sneak peek of author Jasha M. Levi’s political memoir, The Last Exile:

The road from Sarajevo in 1921 to New York in 1956 and up to the present covers a distance. It was a particularly winding and long one for the author, from the student protests against pro-Nazi government in pre-war Yugoslavia, WWII civilian confinement in Italy under Mussolini, fighting against German troops and Quislings in Dalmatia in 1944-45, battling Soviet attempts to dominate Yugoslavia, reporting from the world and the UN, and finally taking asylum in the US in despair over his country ever becoming a democratic one. In The Last Exile, Jasha Levi opens himself and the mosaic of his turbulent life and times to the public scrutiny, His readers should find his memories as compelling as his intimates always did.

The Last Exile is available on Amazon.com and other online bookstores. Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Jasha M. Levi’s The Last Exile”

I’m a Slacker

It’s true. I thought I was doing pretty well until the other day when I uncovered my baby book in a box in the attic. I’d been looking for some research materials for an action-adventure novel I’m percolating in my head. Instead, I found this ancient archive of my childhood.

Brooks' Early Edition Books
K. S. Brooks’ Early Works

As I gingerly moved it out of the box, some papers fell from it. These weren’t just ANY papers. They were all cut the same size, and bound together with a plastic-coated twist-tie. They were BOOKS. On them, my mother had written lightly in pencil “5 years old.”

Not only were they books, they were books I’d made – by hand. I’d illustrated them, and they rhymed. How in hell had I managed such a thing at five years of age? Granted, there were spelling errors, but those should have been caught by my editor. And for crying out loud, I was FIVE. Continue reading “I’m a Slacker”

A negative review hits like a bullet straight to the heart by Linda Rae Blair

Author Linda Rae Blair
Author Linda Rae Blair

One moment you are a self-confident author and the next you are a shaky, weepy blob of human being with your confidence smashed and a lump in your throat the size of your fist. Then your defenses kick in. Your brain child has been insulted for absolutely NO good reason. Some sadistic person has targeted your work unfairly, and you cannot understand how anyone can be so downright mean! Now you’re getting angry.

Okay, it’s time for a reality check here.

What does a negative review tell you, anyway? Really!?

Read it again…does it really say what your brain registered the first time around? Perhaps not. Perhaps the reader is saying more about him/herself than about your writing. Example: The reader complains that something was wrong with the formatting that made it difficult for him/her to “work” his/her way through the book. Rather than take the time to get through it, he/she gave up and gave you a 1-star hit. Continue reading “A negative review hits like a bullet straight to the heart by Linda Rae Blair”

Sneak Peek: Nancy Naigle’s Sweet Tea and Secrets

Sweet Tea and SecretsToday, we get a sneak peek of author Nancy Naigle’s suspense novel, Sweet Tea and Secrets:

Adams Grove is mourning the loss of Pearl Clemmons, known for her award-winning Chocolate Pecan Pie and the best unsolicited advice in the county. When Jill returns to settle her grandmother’s estate, she’s greeted by a Clydesdale-sized guardian dog who doesn’t seem to be earning his stripes (although he drools on them pretty well), and Garrett Malloy, the ex-fiancé she left behind a year ago. Jill insists on staying at Pearl’s amidst a string of break-ins that have sleepy Adams Grove wide awake and locking its doors. Jill’s past with Garrett becomes the least of her worries when she learns that their lives are in danger. She is the only person standing between a desperate conman and a secret from Pearl’s past. Will Pearl’s past kill any chance of Jill and Garrett’s future together? Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Nancy Naigle’s Sweet Tea and Secrets”