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A closer Look

Geri Clouston
Tecumseh A Panther Crosses Over by Sam Foster This regretful piece of American history is told by Sam Foster in A Panther Crosses Over, a fast-paced exciting historical novel. For years and years, our children were taught that this encounter, the Battle of Tippecanoe, tore the Indian Confederacy apart, allied the Indians with the British, and opened the northeast for the settlement of America pushing the Indians into Canada. America needed land for the new settlers.  All of this is true. But why did it happen?  Better yet, why did it have to happen? In this day and age, it is very virtuous and fashionable to be “woke.” I, for one, am someone whose friends and family would never describe using that word. To me, being “woke” is partly taking the side of the “victim” and running wild with it, beyond common sense. But here we have a situation that demands a closer look. We, literally, came in and took over other people’s land without batting an eye. We didn’t try and live peacefully with them; we took their land. We deemed ourselves better; more deserving. We were stronger; more advanced technologically and beat them into the ground. In some cases,…

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From Fact to Fiction!, Uncategorized

What do you know about self-publishing?

Geri Clouston
I would like to tell you about self-publishing and indieBRAG First, what do you know about self-published books? That they are books that couldn’t find a publisher – probably because they aren’t good enough?  Well, there was a time when that was a fact – but not so any longer. It has become a very popular choice for writers who want to have more control over their work. You would be surprised at the successful books that have been self-published today (not to mention some of the old classics like Beatrix Potter’s books). Here are a few that might sound familiar- The Martian by Andy Weir- which not only became a best seller, but also a successful movie. Wool by Hugh Howey – a founder of the “hi-bred” publishing. He sold the print rights to Simon & Schuster (for a sum of$500,00!), the movie rights to 20th Century but has retained all rights to continue distributing online himself. He was able to do this due to the success of his Self-published books. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. This was the first self-published book to make it to the New York Times Best Seller List! The Joy of…

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award winning books, In Praise of indieBRAG, indieBRAG, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, The World of Reading, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

The Plague!

Geri Clouston
"A Herbsife on a mule may go where warriors cannot - she may see what warriors cannot and see and hear what warriors cannon hear." A Swarming of Bees  From Fact to Fiction In A Swarming of Bees author Theresa Tomlinson writes about what Abbess Hild, ruling over Whitby’s Monastery, has to do when her community is attacked by the plague and the resulting panic. The term “plague” can still cause people to flinch, if only for a moment. Thankfully, we can now vaccinate against it in people in areas where the plague threatens, treat it in people with symptoms and prophylactically attack it in first responders who go in and help people where the plague crops up which it still does periodically. But historically the plague was a deadly menace to people in ages gone by. According to medical texts, there are three forms of plague (carried by the common flea) all caused by yersinia pestis: 1) the common bubonic subtype, which causes buboes or swellings on the body (the Bubonic Plague of historical note), 2) the septicemic subtype, and 3) the pneumonic subtype. The plague, readers will be interested in noting, has been with humans for quite a while. The famous outbreak…

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award winning books, Bloggers, Book Spotlight, From Fact to Fiction!, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion

Trucking Together!

Geri Clouston
FROM FACT TO FICTION 18 Wheeler By J. F. Ridgley Ever wonder if love can be sweeter on an 18-Wheeler This mature romance is set on John’s 18-wheeler when he discovers a cute but helpless driver in her broken-down car on the Salt Flats of Utah. Carrie was dead either way,..freezing in her car or getting into a complete stranger’s semi that pulled in behind her car. So, she climbs into John’s rig, only to have her life take a unexpected right turn. Join John and Carrie’s journeys that crosses America and offers them a chance for a new romance and dreams. 18 Wheeler by JF Ridgley is about two people finding love on the open road where one is a widowed truck driver who comes to the rescue of a woman stuck out in the cold. She becomes his “broker” scheduling his loads and deliveries. This brings to mind the relatively new concept of husbands and wives traveling together as team truck drivers. What would that be like? Traveling constantly with your wife or husband by your side, 24/7? I did some research and came up with both pros and cons. First off, the biggest pro would obviously be the…

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award winning books, Book Spotlight, From Fact to Fiction!, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, The World of Reading ,

A conundrum!

Geri Clouston
FACT NO FICTION! 336 Hours by Rachel Cathan 336 Hours by Rachel Cathan documents the honest account of a woman attempting her third IVF treatment and the emotional, funny, and moving experiences she goes through. Imagine placing on top of her experience discovering that you’d be committing a felony if you disposed the unused fertilized embryos. This is the conundrum created by the Supreme Court’s ruling when they overturned Roe v. Wade and left it up to the individual states to decide the fate of abortion rights. People waiting for babies could realistically be impacted by laws passed in their state granting personhood to frozen fertilized embryos. Some states say fertilization starts life; some say 15 weeks. Some do not specifically talk about IVF; others feel personhood starts immediately. No one knows precisely at this point which is making choices risky and very tough for couples choosing IVF. Depending on the state, a lot of these couples could be in legal limbo with tough choices. Currently, their choices may be fertilizing one embryo at a time, freezing embryos and then implanting all of them and seeing what happens, transferring the frozen embryos to states which allow their existence, or paying for the frozen embryos’…

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Bloggers, Book Spotlight, From Fact to Fiction!, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!

Memories of the Deli-

Geri Clouston
Laurie Boris' Boychik Reading this book took me back to the tastes and smells of my Dad’s deli—the sour pickles, the corned beef sandwiches, the lox and the deli salads. Set for much of the novel in Brooklyn in two neighborhoods, Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg, both neighborhoods with which I am very familiar. Like main characters, cousins Eli and Artie Abramowitz, my dad was born in Williamsburg and was only 2 years younger than Eli. His dream was to own a deli, which he did many years later. In Brooklyn Heights, a wealthy neighborhood then and now, another main character grows up, Evelyn Rosenstein, daughter of Murder Incorporated mobster. What happens when these characters meet is an absorbing story, filled with romance, crime, and dreams, where Hollywood and life intertwine. Evelyn grows up in a wealthy but troubled family. Even at 17, she is chauffeured by a bodyguard everywhere and resents the lack of freedom she sees others have. She loves the Jewish traditions and thinks, “She liked lighting the menorah with her mother on Hanukkah. She liked the Seder dinner. They felt like invisible threads connecting her to Bubbe and Zayde, and all the family going back for generations.”…

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award winning books, Bloggers, Foodie Lit, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The World of Reading

Time Travel

Geri Clouston
Time Travel By Deborah Lynn In A Rip in the Veil by Anna Belfrage, Alexandr Lind finds herself several centuries back in time landing at the feet of a handsome Matthew Graham who has no earthly idea what to do with her. Sounds absolutely enchanting, doesn’t it? Who hasn’t dreamed of going back in time to a romantic tryst for a while? Hmmmmmm, lovely. It’s an extremely popular genre in the present day with countless books and movies dedicated to feeding our desires for time travel. In our time, it was first popularized by H. G. Wells' 1895 novel The Time Machine, but the idea has been floating around the human psyche for thousands of years. The Vishnu Purna talks about King Raivata Kakudmi traveling to heaven and meeting Brahma, the Creator, only to find when he returns that hundreds of years have passed. Then there is the Japanese story of Urashima-no-ko, a fisherman who goes to an undersea castle for a few days. When he returns 300 years have passed and all he knows is gone. Let's have one last example. The 1st-century BC Jewish scholar Honi ha-M'agel fell asleep for seventy years and when he woke up no one knew him…

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award winning books, Bloggers, From Fact to Fiction!, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The World of Reading

A Trip into Medieval England

Geri Clouston
1066   What Fates Imposed by G. K. Holloway reminded me of a wonderful holiday I took with some great friends to the very place that gave Holloway his mesmerizing topic. I am a an open and unashamed Anglophile. I admit it. I love the Queen. I love tea with milk (NOT cream). I love the Cotswolds. I’ve vacationed there so many times I can’t count. I’ve watched every single Endeavor and Morse series at least 3 times AND their spinoffs. I also adopt an English accent the minute the captain announces we are landing at Gatwick. Ta! I also adore English History. I once bored to death (my husband can vouch for this) a quiet, unobtrusive English couple, minding their own business, staying at our B&B, eating breakfast the same time as us with a complete and accurate recitation of all the kings and queens of THEIR country…in the correct chronological order. Mind the Gap! So it makes sense that I would have, at some point, visited the (holy!) site where the Battle of 1066 took place and the future of Britain was decided. That particular year we were staying in Rye, a gorgeously quaint town in the southeast of Kent…

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award winning books, Bloggers, Book Marketing, Book Spotlight, From Fact to Fiction!, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, The World of Reading

Ahh! Summer Reading & a Lovely Tomato Salad

Geri Clouston
Eagan Whitcombe gets up before dawn each day. He eats a thin watery gruel, often his only meal for the day, and goes out onto the streets to gain clients who need their chimneys cleaned. He negotiates his own prices and works alone, often in unsafe conditions. He eats if he can. He gives most of what he has earned to his master. He sleeps on the floor of a basement, in which he is locked in all night. Eagan is a chimney sweep. He is 6 years old. You won't be able to put down A.M.Watson's historical nove, Infants of the Brush. My mom is not a vegetable eater and I am always hiding veggies in puréed soups and stews. Yet my mom ate an entire tomato of my Summer Tomato Salad! This is a seriously delicious and easy salad, even more delicious with tomatoes from your garden, farmer’s market or local produce in your supermarket. Sliced tomatoes marinating in a simple Balsamic Vinaigrette with a little salt on top create this summer wonder. Use a variety of tomatoes for a pretty look. I used some from my garden and some from Costco. Wow!   Summer Tomato Salad ​ Serves…

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