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MBR Bookwatch

Volume 1, Number 5 December 2002 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Bogstad's Bookshelf Kaveny's Bookshelf Laurel's Bookshelf

Shirley's Bookshelf Cindy Penn's Bookshelf Klausner's Bookshelf

Donovan's Bookshelf

Bogstad's Bookshelf
For this month's "MRB Bookwatch" I am going to talk about travel to distant places, and some of them I have yet to visit. The locations are largely on and around the burial places of Egyptian Kings and dignitaries of the ancient civilizations of the Pharaohs, but at a time that, while somewhat distant from our own, and are not all that long ago.I am referring here to the Amelia Peabody series by the multi-pseudonymous and prolific writer identified for the purposes of her mystery fiction as Elizabeth Peters.

I became addicted to this series, even though I read very few mystery novels, many years ago when I read the first volume in an old, ratty paperback. To date I have four copies of The Crocodile on the Sandbank, as I am frequently loaning it for extended periods of time (but no the hardback edition I have added to my collection of later volumes.) The most recent, with a 2002 publication date, is "The Golden One," and, as soon as I acquired it in hardback first edition (signed) at the Kalamazoo Medieval Congress in May of 2002, (a local bookstore sets up a mystery and fantasy bookstall every year for this congress as many fantasy writers attend to discuss the historical sources for their works), I devoured it's 429 pages to the exclusion of all else on my reading list, which, for me, is an alarming confession as I generally have dozes of Science Fiction, romance, cross-genre, period mystery, literary and feminist theory, Chinese fiction and history, etc. (you get the idea) on my urgent list. No practical voice about what I SHOULD be doing with my time can keep me from reading the most recent Peters novel.

So, it's not just the fact that the currently fourteen novels are set in Egypt from the late 19th century through 1917. This chronologically produced set of novels offers the reader a plethora of excitements. First, because it is chronological, one can follow the adventures of Amelia, her friends, and eventually her family and her friends' families, through time just like the adventures of any growing family. By 1914, her one and only son, Ramses (with a son like Ramses a mother hasn't time for much else) and their adoptive daughter, Nephrite have grown up and taken up their life's work. I don't intend to tell you more than that as I want you to enjoy the novels AND the suspense of wondering what will happen to them, but if you want to know where Nephrite came from, read The Last Camel Died and Noon about six books back in the series from The Golden One. She and her unlikely husband, the invented Egyptologist, Radcliffe Emerson, have established a long-standing if stormy relationship of colleagues and lovers, and more family members have been added through recognition and rescue.

Second, Amelia herself (or maybe this should have been first) is a most wondrous character after every over-thirties woman's heart. In Crocodile, she begins her love affair with Egypt itself after having spent her late-Victorian youth and young womanhood taking care of an invalid father, who, as a result, left her with a considerable amount of money. Like many of the real Victorian-period women you can read about now in such books as Victorian Women Travel Writers in Africa, On Top of the World, Women Travelers in China, Amelia sets off alone, against the protests of her older brother, to see the wonders of Egypt during the very period when such well-known real Egyptologists like Sir Howard Carter, are beginning their excavations. She meets a young women who has been lured away from her proper English family by a 'scoundrel' and then abandoned when her money runs out. Amelia, however, for some reason possesses a great deal of sympathy, and none of the disdain for those less fortunate than herself that one would expect of a woman of her day. She rescues this suffering young women, they become good friends and traveling companions, and after a brief period of recovery, the two of them set out to really SEE Egypt of the late 19th century. From this enticing and startling beginning a develops a series of adventures that bring Amelia and her dear young friend in contact with the determined group of male Egyptologists, real and imaginary, who are responsible for the many excavations and scholarly pursuits that have lead to our knowledge and veneration of this ancient civilization still strong today.

So, the novels are enjoyable because Amelia is an uncommon woman. Not the least because she rescues another woman in need, but also because she speaks often of the few illusions she has bout her own 28-year-old face and figure. The fact that she assumes she will never marry is refreshing. The fact that she has firmly decided on some very different and very unusual activities for her potentially conventional and restrictive life is even more engaging. And the fact that many of her expectations about herself and her future are just as firmly overturned by the end of the first novel and throughout is delightful.

You see, when they go to look at the 'real' ancient Egypt which can be found in the excavations of such places as Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, etc., they run into a couple of young (or youngish) brothers who, whilst they would deny it, need their help. And while Amelia detests the elder of them, Radcliffe Emerson, and he her, repeatedly, vociferously and vocally, for most of the rest of the first novel, by the end She and Radcliffe and his brother Walter and her young female friend are married.

This is her first surprise. She and Radcliffe, who calls her Peabody when speaking with affection, are equally admiring of each other and devoted together to 'real' Egyptology. Their ongoing and often humorous relationship would be enough to sustain interest through several novels. However, when their son Ramses, an enterprising and brilliant, as well as firmly determined youngster, is added to the mix, there are no end to the potential adventures. And Ramses gets his way regardless of his mother's and father's many attempts to protect, restrain or otherwise moderate his behavior. In most ways, in fact, he's just like his father until immediate post-puberty alerts him to the strains this causes for is otherwise unflappable mother.

Now Radcliffe himself is a marvelous, outspoken (loud spoken) genius who is beyond repair. He's equally fascinating, but always seen through Amelia's eyes, in his passion for his excavations and artifacts and equally vocal and critical about the stumbling incompetence of others. The family's many trips back to Egypt from England, where they often spend the summer days which would be too unbearably hot at their excavations, allow us to read more about Carter, the regrettable translator Budge, the legitimate and illegitimate antiquities business as it develops in Egypt at the turn of the century, but also the larger social issues of the day such as Women's Suffrage and World War I. These novels are carefully historically grounded so that real historical events and characters inform the lives of the fictional characters. Therefore, while unlikely, none of their adventures are impossible and most would be interesting simply as historical fiction. However, you remember no doubt that these are marketed as mystery novels. And they certainly are.

Yet another dimension to Peters' Amelia Peabody (Emerson) series is that Amelia is inadvertently a very successful detective, solving a varied series of murders, usually but not always, one per season, which often involve the endangerment of her self, and her family. Not that they couldn't get into danger all by themselves, as is also demonstrated over and over in the novels. Ramses, for example, finds himself in his first serious fix, possible entombed for the rest of his short life, at age four. Emerson is forever being conked on the head, stuffed into tombs, shot, speared, and otherwise physically jeopardized. Amelia suffers some of these insults to her person, many of which she knowingly provokes. But both of them, and Ramses, and others of their ever-widening entourage, also rescue each other in heroic and sometimes wildly silly escapades. They rescue others such as a half-adopted young Egyptian boy David, who is about Ramses' age, and Sennia, an illegitimate young relative.

As you can tell, there is much meat for adventure, character development, increasing of one's knowledge base, and just plain fun in these period mystery novels. Perhaps I should also mention some of the more traditionally literary accomplishments of this author. Such as the fact that she has carefully crafted the narratives as if they are being compiled by another hand from the actual diaries of Amelia. And then, later in the series when the adventures of the adult Ramses and Nephrite could not logically have come from that set of 'discovered diaries', she creates a second set from which to draw their adventures.In addition to adding a viewpoint, this second set of diaries allows the author to create a narrator who is more knowing than ANY of the characters and allow the reader explore ramifications of multiple adventures in relation to one another. I have only been able to suggest the richness of these fourteen novels, but in explaining my own interest in them, I've discovered I want to start reading them all over again from the beginning as we can't reasonably expect another installment for at least a few months into 2003.

For those who want to know about the whole series, they are, in this order: Crocodile in the Sandbank, The Curse of the Pharaohs, The Mummy Case, The Lion in the Valley, The Deeds of the Disturber, The Late Camel Died at Noon, The Snake, The crocodile & The Dog, The Hippopotamus Pool, Seeing a Large Cat, the Ape Who guards the balance, The falcon at the Portal, He Shall Thunder in the Sky, Lord of the Silent and The Golden One

Dr. Janice M. Bogstad
International Editor
Midwest Book Review

Kaveny's Bookshelf
A History of "The Madison Review of Books", 1975-1980.

My editor and chief James Andrew Cox assures me that there are no page counts in cyberspace. Therefore I will take him at his word and proceed with this month's Kaveny's Bookshelf. It will be organized along three major themes. The historical, the personal, and the contemporary, which will include my travels in the most recent past, my planned future projects, and of course a number of items for review which have come into my possession, as a result of these my sojourns in both Cyber and real time and space.

The historical part of this feature deals with the existence of a corporate entity called the Madison Review of books, which was founded by Dr. John Ohliger 1926-, in Madison, Wisconsin in 1975, as an offshoot of his involvement in the founding of the Community Radio Station WORT-FM, which was also in Madison. In a sense, Dr John Ohliger is the most grandly historical of any of the individuals whose names you will come upon in this section of my feature. As John reads this he will be outraged with my characterization of him.

Dr. John Ohliger's biography could easily take a volume of it its own, but the best way I could summarize his life to this point is to say that he is one of the best of what we have come to call the "Greatest Generation". John grew up in genteel poverty in Detroit during the Great Depression, and entered the military during the last days of the Second World War. John managed to miss the horrors of combat, but did see first-hand the desolation of Europe as part of The Allied Army of Occupation in Germany in 1946.

John, I think, came out of that experience just like twelve million other former GIs who wanted to make the post-war world a better one through collective activity and cooperation. John's biography would take more electrons to cover than even I have available in cyberspace. But at least two parts of it were significant to the formation of Madison Review of Books.

The first is that by the time John resigned from his position as tenured, full professor of Adult Education at Ohio State University in the early 1970's , he was a major force in the field of adult education, though a controversial one since he has worked the rest of his life to abolish the compulsory aspects of many of all its programs. The second was that John was a media professional at a west coast community station (Pacifica, I believe). Thus John was able to bring his skills as both an adult educator and media professional to the founding of the non-profit, community supported radio station WORT-FM in Madison, Wisconsin, and The Madison Review of Books. Incidentally John Ohliger came to Madison Wisconsin in 1974 to take a part-time position as library service assistance at The Undergraduate Library at the University of Wisconsin Madison. This act set the stage for all of us to come together.

At that time James Andrew Cox 1942-, Hank Luttrell 1948-, Richard Russell-1944, Janice Bogstad-1950, and myself 1944- were all moving along different time-space continuums. However, we were all drawn together by the formation of an entity called The Madison Science Fiction Group.

The Madison Science Fiction Group was founded in the basement of The Madison Book Cooperative in 1974 by Janice Bogstad, Hank Luttrell, Richard West, and, later, James A. Cox who happened to notice a note placed on a campus wall by Hank Luttrell, and showed up at a meeting. The Madison Book Cooperative was located in the heart of the campus area on 700 block of State Street. Richard Russell incorporated the Madison Science Fiction Group in 1976, as a tax-exempt literary and educational organization. Incidentally, Richard Russell helped me to incorporate the Madison Review of Books in 1979 in that same manner.

The reason I am including all of the birth dates of individuals is this. One can see an almost a generational confluence of interests between an idealistic WWII Veteran, three war babies, and two baby boomers, which supported the existence of a Madison Review of Books from 1976-1980 on the community WORT-FM radio station in Madison, Wisconsin.

Incidentally, with much rancor and great damage to certain individuals, key paid staff members became jealous of our success as radio programmers and hosts, culiminating in The Madison Review of Books being kicked off WORT-FM in 1979. However The Madison Review of Books did go not gently into that good night. It also became a public access television program from 1978 to 1981 on Public Access Cable 4 in Madison Wisconsin, where I briefly served as chairman of the board of directors.

I believe that the most significant fact in existence of the Madison Review of Books was its geographic location in Madison, Wisconsin. As a fifty-six year resident of Madison, until I retired from the University of Wisconsin on January 9, 2000, I feel I am qualified to say something about the city. I can say the best of the sprit of community of the late 1960's has survived longer in Madison, Wisconsin than any other city in the in The United States.

This statement includes The University of California Berkley campus area. While Berkley has, I observed in my September 2001 visit, settled into a kind of sixty-year-old hippie lassitude, "Hey man can yeah spare a sawbuck for a Latte, and a Biscotti?". Madison, Wisconsin, on the other hand is stilled fueled with a historical progressivism, and I sense, what is a Midwest sprit of co-operation and egalitarianism which have their roots in mid-19th Century German Liberalism, and early 20th-Century Progressivism.

In the late 70's on Community Radio WORT In Madison Wisconsin, Jim Cox, Hank Luttrell, Janice Bogstad, and myself were able to raise several thousands dollars on a Saturday afternoon fund raiser. This included a several hundred-dollar pledges from a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. A quarter of a century later, Wisconsin Public Radio has trouble matching such figures on a Saturday afternoon on-air fundraiser.

Recently there has been some rancor on the part of John Ohliger, a founder of community WORT-FM and the Madison Review of Books, about claims ,ade by Jim Cox that The Madison Book Review became the Midwest Book Review. Having been a significant part of both entities I feel qualified to say at least a few things about that question. I also wish to make a few sanguine comments about the fate of volunteers in community organizations like WORT-FM, and The Madison Review of Books.

To put it simply, the Midwest Book Review became the successor to The Madison Review of Books in 1980 when Jim Cox set out on his own to form the Midwest Book Review. We in fact had a meeting where we all gave Jim our blessing, and Jim repaid me the funds I had forwarded to fund the incorporation of The Madison Review of Books.

Over the previous four years 1976-1979 James Andrew Cox donated 1000-1200 hours a year of his own time and a fair amount of his own money, for stamps, commuter gas, office supplies, and a number of other items. This was when he was holding a full time job as a Wisconsin school district Developmental Disabilities Coordinator. This holds true, to an extent for Hank Luttrell, Richard Russell, Janice Bogstad, and myself. This was at a time when we could have all been using at least some of that time and energy devoted to our volunteer work with The Madison Review of Books for our own professional and career development (as we were to later in our lives), but we believed in what we were doing.

When I use the word successor I am speaking in moral, ethical, and historical, rather than corporate, and legal terms. If this were not the case I would not hold my present position as the Literary Editor for the Midwest Book Review, where I have complete editorial freedom to say and I write as I wish.

It is fair to say that by the time of its dissolution John Ohliger and the rest of the group of volunteers had come to have a very different view of what The Madison Review of Books should have been. From John Ohliger's perspective The Madison Review Books should have been an ever-expanding popular movement with successive waves of volunteers each trained by its predecessors, as in a sense he trained us. But try as we might, we handful of volunteers were unable to get anybody else to work for nothing on a regular basis, to do all the grunt work that is essential to run a book review after Jim Cox left.

In my own personal sense, the work I had done on The Madison Review Of Books led me on a track back into the academic world, starting with an article I wrote similar to this one for "The Journal of Media and Adult Education" in 1981. Nine years later I was to return to graduate school in Library and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin Madison where I earned a MLS in 1993. In 1998 I earned (CAGS) Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies, in that same area. During my whole period as a graduate student I kept in contact Jim Cox and the Midwest Book Review. Even to the point of using the Midwest Book Review as a forum to present some of my most cutting edge research in comparing the Internet as agent of change to the printing press. At the present time along with my Literary Editor's hat for the Midwest Review of Books, I also review on a regular basis for five peer-reviewed academic journals.

Before I go into the travel and book review section of this feature I want make some additional comments. I speak to the responsibility one has to be aware of how they use their charismatic ability to recruit "cannon fodder" to support their community organization. I have seen people encouraged by others to dedicate their lives to causes in which their labor, energy, and good will was expropriated as certainly as if they had devoted their lives to Fortune 500 Companies. I have seen much of that in my lifetime.

One last note which should put all of this in its proper historical perspective if you do a Yahoo Search for The Madison Review of Books you will get six hits. One of them will lead you to a dusty corner of a basement and a big pile of boxes. Perhaps, this reminds you a bit of the end of "The Raiders of The Lost Ark" Movie. - MsC 461 MANUSCRIPT INVENTORY RECORDS OF THE TOOTH PASTE PRESS SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES IOWA CITY, IOWA 52242-1420 TELEPHONE: 319/335-5921

FAX: 319/335-5900e-mail: lib-spec@uiowa.edu JANUARY 1998 Inside of Box 20 you will find some records for (Madison Review of Books, 1978-1980). What I am saying here, of course, is we must keep all of this in historical perspective.

If you search for the Midwest Book Review, you will get thousands of hits, and the names of hundreds of individuals. Enough said.

Sometimes my travel seems like a breath of fresh air to me. For those of you who follow my feature I am happy to announce that International Association of The Fantastic and the Arts the Conference has accepted an this abstract for a paper I will present at their Spring Conference. I just spent nearly four hundred beans for an airline ticket; perhaps it is time to ask my Editor and Chief to put me on salary.

For those you who read my last months Kaveny's Bookshelf you know I included the abstract for a paper was proposing at the conference of The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts - www.iafa.org/

I hope you find this interesting. This is the abstract of my paper in progress. Which has now been accepted for presentation at the 2003 A view from The Commanding Heights: The last decade of J.R.R Tolkien Criticism 1992-2002), with special emphasis On recovering apparently neglected popular, and horrific aspects of his work, as seen from a Metacritical perspective. Philip Kaveny (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Emeritus).

I traveled at lot the first part of last month attending, participating, selling books and representing Midwest Book Review at an international, and a major regional science fiction and Fantasy. World Fantasy Convention 2002 "Of Gods and Monsters Minneapolis, Minnesota October 31-November 3, 2002 http://2002.worldfantasy.org/. I thought it might be of some interest to include some of its Program Highlights Friday Evening Mass Autographing Monster Memories: Growing Up with Monster Pop Culture A World Fantasy Home Companion -- A variety show with the fantasy fan in mind. A Dave McKean Visual Feast -- includes photos and film. The Fringes of Reason with Guests of Honor Etchison, Carroll, Koja and McKean. Punch and Judy Show (plus a panel devoted to the history and social implications of Punch and Judy) Sunday Night Music Party with Charles de Lint and Mary Ann Harris. Membership is always limited to 800 for World Fantasy Con and membership always sells out.

Being a bit of a ham, I have included my own program item for Saturday 9:00-10:00PM on "Visual Tolkien", held in Ballroom C.

The Lord of the Rings has had an enormous impact on modern fantasy. Now, a new generation is being introduced to the story, not by Tolkien's words, but by the movie. What will be the effect of this new vision? Will even those of us who read the books still see the story in the same way? David Lenander, Douglas Anderson, Phil Kaveny (M), Richard West, and P.C Hodgill. The panel was well attend those who count tell about fifty people showed up among them a number of well know authors.

Since I was the moderator I made sure we went to the question and answer section of the panel well before the halfway mark. There were so many hands up that I had to go row by row through the audience, and a couple of time nearly got my had bit in the process of shutting up the other panelist as we moved along. It was also great fun to watch famous authors sitting on their hands wiggling waiting to get called on. (Heh, Heh Heh, this job is just too much fun to get paid for.

Along with my literary work I am a bookseller and a packhorse. It was in my capacity as a packhorse that I met the wonder full folks from Worm Hole books, nearly ten of them who had a single dealer's table next to my two at World Fantasy Con. I remember bringing a teetering wobbling shaking four wheel cart laden with about 700 pounds or twice my weight in boxes of books into the dealer's room on the third floor of the hotel. It was about a twenty minute trip, from a parking ramp through three elevator transfers, and about 300 yards of hotel lobby, using every bit of my craft to keep from having myself and all the books tip over. I was surprised find my wife folding catalogs for these sweet people on one of my dealer's tables. Before I go any father I must give you the URL for Wormhole Books which you must go to because I will never have time to do their fine project justice. http://www.wormholebooks.com/

In a time when print runs are shrinking, and publishers are concentrating on front lists Wormhole books may well represent a future direction that publishing may take. The are both a publisher and a distributor, and retailer of a number of very interesting items. From high quality limited edition Chap books, to horror and Fantasy related art work. In a way they remind me a bit a something that grew up in Madison Wisconsin in the late 70's and early 80's called Capital City distribution, which by 1994 had grown to a $100,000,000 a year distribution empire, but had disappeared like a puff of smoke by 1997. Publishing is in some sense a very volatile business.

I did not learn all of this while I was trying unload my overburdened cart but by the end of the weekend I really got to like these folks Dawn, Dunn, & Judith Post both Genre writers, Established Master of Dark Fantasy writer Edward Bryant, and a number of other authors who were always stopping by to do some business all this was just great for my sales, since science fiction and fantasy professionals tend to be some of my best customers.

Here are a couple of WormHole items and again, I strongly recommend. I also seriously suggest that you take a trip to their Website at http://www.wormholebooks.com/

Roswell, Vegas, And Area 51: Travels With Courtney, A Hilarious Real-Life Travel Account
Connie Willis; Cover Art: Edward Bryant and Joanna Erbach; Interior Art: Joanna Erbach; Includes photos by Connie Willis and Edward Bryant; ISBN: 1-932030-09-3 Price 15.00, Published: September 2002, 39 pages

Sometimes a work speaks better for its self through excerpt than review. An excerpt from Roswell, Vegas, and Area 51:

"....Still no sign of aliens, and, in fact, the first indication that Roswell is a town in serious denial. "Roswell," a fancy sign proclaims as you turn south into town,

"Dairy Capital of the Southwest."

Exactly who are they trying to kid? Two-percent milk and large-curd cottage cheese is not what Roswell is famous for. If it were, there wouldn't be a flying saucer on theWal-Mart sign, and Price's Truck Stop wouldn't advertise itself as the "Last Stop before Crash Site." Tastee Freez's marquee wouldn't proclaim "Our Food is Out of This World," and Captain D's, "They Came for Fish."

The music store wouldn't display their drums and guitars being played by a Beatles-like quartet of big-headed green aliens. And thousands of UFOers and conspiracy theorists and Trekkies and Vulcans and Klingons and scam artists and really gullible people wouldn't descend on the town every July second for the UFO Encounte."

The second It which I have for review caused me to buy a large plastic Raven at the Eau Claire Humane Society Thrift sale with a red ribbon around it. Much like the illustration from this amazing and brilliant compilation of

Edgar Allan Poe's Dark Dreams
Illustrated by Alan M. Clark; Edited by Dawn Dunn; Cover and Interior Art by Alan M. Clark; Introduction by Edward Bryant; Biography by Dawn Dunn; October 2002 48 pages ISBN: 1-932030-01-8 Price: $15.00.

The totality of this little book took me back 19 years to World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore why I visited both Edgar Allan Poe's tomb and actually climbed the stairway into the garret where he did his Baltimore writing. I can still remember how my shoulders barely made it through the doorway. The art color artwork is just breath taking, and I loved both the introduction, and the Poe Biography both concise and very informative.

The next week I attended yet another convection, which though it drew nearly twice as many people as World Fantasy was still what one would call a regional convention -- Windycon (Nov 8-10, 2002)

Where Hyatt Regency Woodfield, Schaumburg, IL Guests Author GOH: Charles de Lint Artist GOH: Lisa Snellings, Editor GOH: Shawna McCarthy Fan GOH: Mark Leeper, Evelyn Leeper. I did Windycon Mostly as a bookseller with three of my friends we all stayed in the same world, ate lots of doughnuts and stayed up until 4.00 A.M watching 35 mm Films not Video's. Among them. 2 hrs. 20 min. Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, MINORITY REPORT is set in a 2054 Washington D.C. judicial system in which killers are arrested and convicted before they commit murder using a psychic technology. Tom Cruise is the head of this Pre-crime unit and is himself accused of the future murder of a man he hasn't even met. This film was one of the most gripping and audience-involving productions I have seen since the premier of Blade Runner nearly twenty years ago.

Windycon was also a place where I renewed my acquaintance with horror and Dark Fantasy writer Lois Tilton who nearly a dozen years ago wrote one of the best alternative history stores I have ever read. And writes Vampire Stories (perhaps my least favorite genre which even keep me turning pages. For example.

Darkspawn
Lois Tilton
HAWK Publishing Group
ISBN: 1930709110; (August 28, 2000) Price 15.95, Paperback: 513 pages

Lois Tilton offers a powerful look at the vampire myth with Darkspawn, a dark fantasy novel about a 400-year-old vampire prince and the battles he must fight to save both himself and his people. Tilton creates a graphically defined world full of dark, conflicted characters and intense action in a story about duty, war, and faith. All this would by itself not be enough for me to keep turning the pages all the way through the book, but what she does is cleverly insert enough a mythic element into her work to make it attractive to the non-reader of this particular genre. Lois Tilton has the craft and taste to escape the borders of a shrinking genre with a break through novel.

This is the point where I get into a book that I wrote a short critique of for a former professor of Women's studies at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. For those of you who may have never guessed I am the only male member Eau Claire Chapter AAUW. Association of American University Women, and proud to be so.

Turning Operations: Feminism, Arendt, Politics
Mary G. Dietz
Routledge
ISBN: 0415932459 Price $19.95, Paperback: 288 pages

I gave the Dietz book my full attention, and I am no stranger to political theory majoring in it and comparative politics at UW Madison where I earned an undergraduate degree in 1967. I also did some work in the area in the mid to late 90's as grounding for my Certificate of Advanced Studies in Library and Information studies which I completed in 1998 at the same institution. I also would add I gave the book my full attention giving it a close reading, and carefully going through the notes and bibliography. I can see her work would be useful to frame a series of discussions in a semester long upper level seminar in which a resistant reader might work though

Her work chapter by chapter and point by counter point, or even as starting point for further work done in the field of political theory. But it is not a handbook which would serve a useful function in structuring action for your organization, because it hangs on far too fragile a web of contingencies of interpretation which reach 2500 years back across Western Political theory to the Greek Polis, and sadly ignores the non-Western World

I must admit I also found her language exasperating as on page 184 for example "What does it mean to comprehend the what historically incomprehensible?" Drawing on Arendt, Dietz suggests we abandon analogies, and some seek deeper understanding I beg to differ. It is a book that demands deconstruction so I guess having no further time I must disqualify myself from its evaluation. It is not impossible to write about these areas with clarity and some empirical support, as has been evidenced by such writers as Betty Friedan, Charolyn Merchant. Susan Brownmiller, and Sandra Harding. I find that Dietz does not really write about power change and models of political systems, she writes about their historical Characterization. Better to read Lenin's What is to be Done.

Philip Kaveny
Literary Editor
Midwest Book Review

Laurel's Bookshelf
Humans As Self-Constructing Living Systems
Donald H. Ford, PhD
IDEALS, Inc.
130 Slab Cabin Lane, State College, PA 16801
ISBN 0932990061, $28.00 plus postage, 2nd Edition, 787 pages,

The author's purpose in this textbook is to propose a sound developmental concept of human personality and behavior, and to develop a framework for understanding individual humans as complex, functional entities. He does this, not by eliminating or disproving existing theories, but by building on them. The first five chapters construct the framework of his concept. The next ten chapters describe how humans can exist and be understood within the framework. A final chapter and detailed epilogue demonstrate applications and theoretical elaborations of the living systems framework. It is his stated hope that this developmental theory will guide future research and facilitate the work of health and human services professions.

In the development of this concept, Dr. Ford utilizes his decades of experience as a psychotherapist, counselor, and administrator. He begins with his personal knowledge - and there are solid credentials in testimony - of humans as stable, ever-evolving, elaborately organized individuals. His concept evolves from a long-held belief that "scientific study of humans.led to a kind of dehumanization." and that ".such views inadequately represent the richness of our humanness." From that point he systematically builds on or incorporates the theories of Jung, Freud, and modern-day colleagues in his field. What the author presents is a conceptual framework to be utilized by scholars and professionals - a multidisciplinary, multi-professional audience - but he clearly states that this concept ".is not yet sufficiently precise to be considered a formal theory." The process of autopoiesis - self-construction - is presented thoroughly, with emphasis on the human system.

Humans are capable of inventing supplemental structures to expand their functional capabilities. Combined with the ability to metabolize, grow, reproduce, and adapt to their environment, such capabilities make humans a living system. Human behavior is both consistent and variable so that people can change and adjust throughout their life span. They shape their own future in conscious and unconscious ways. Their behavior and environment is inextricably intertwined because humans are not just a collection of single parts, but a combination of related parts.

Humans do not function as closed systems. They can transform and recombine the material, energy, and information they exchange with their environment into forms used to maintain, repair, or elaborate their structural and functional organization. A human's development is not fixed by circumstance or static by natural law. To ignore these dynamics in a therapeutic sense often has the result of producing incomplete treatment protocols. Humans can break their system down into subordinate systems without losing their wholeness. Although the author did not state such, I felt his concept quite effectively described a holistic approach to human understanding and therapies.

Conscious, unconscious, and governing functions of living systems are documented in detail, as are genetics, evolutionary theory, biological impact, the environment, and individual personality traits. Variable, temporary, and permanent functional changes are taken into consideration along with adaptation and natural selection. All forms of Darwinian theory are considered. Established learning principles - from Classical Conditioning to Cognitive Learning - are utilized as essential aspects of conceptual framework. The resulting conclusion is that, one way or another, there is always the possibility for a living human system to reorganize and create new options and opportunities that can be directed towards individual healing. With this groundwork laid, the author progresses to examining the conceptual framework through meaningful organization and interpretation. His stated goal is revealing new perspectives and hypotheses for empirical testing.

A living system cannot properly function without biological, biochemical, and neurological processes. These complex transactions are thoroughly detailed, as they relate to self-construction. Other transactions, including arousal, consciousness, attention and the Reticular Activating System are examined. To summarize the findings, information exchanges between humans and their environment provide the basis for behavioral self-construction and self-organization. What humans perceive is often what they believe because the sense organs are dynamic information collectors. That information is collected not only from sight and sound, taste and smell, but from pressure, texture, temperature, and tissues via the haptic system. Such information gathering capability is what sets humans apart and allows them to dominate their environment, rather than be dominated by it. From birth to death, humans receive and process incoming information, then consciously or unconsciously self-construct or self-organize based on inborn markers.

Human cognitive ability is constructed, organized, retained, and remembered through an increasingly elaborate behavior repertoire throughout the lifespan. No one theory alone can address a complex human system when it deconstructs with deleterious results. Motivation, directive function, human purpose, and a meaningful life should be considered in conjunction with earlier established theories. Perceiving, recognizing, anticipating, desiring, and intending are as much a part of the human psyche as fight, flight, and survival of the fittest. Human problem solving, reasoning, and behavior organization are all necessary parts of the framework that forms a thriving human system. To build and prove this point, the author dissects various models, views, and theories before incorporating them into his living systems framework. The intensity and rate of human behavior varies dramatically, requiring varying amounts of energy. Humans fine-tune this energy usage by utilizing every system of the body, depending on the output required. All humans, regardless of their station or condition as living systems, utilize these systems and abilities.

As the author pointed out, this book is not light reading. However, I am neither scholar nor intelligentsia and I had no trouble understanding it. The book's content is clearly laid out and followed. I should think it would be intriguing fare for those schooled in or studying psychology, as well as those who enjoy pondering new theories.

Interview with Professor Donald H. Ford:

I wanted to interview Prof. Donald H. Ford because his life experience has been as fascinating as his professional history and credentials.

LJ for MBR: Let's start at the beginning. I know you are a Kansas native and began your studies at Kansas State University. How did you end up at Penn State?

Prof. Ford: I completed a BS with a major in mathematics and an MS in psychology at KState. Worked in student affairs for a couple of years and then decided that if I was ever going to get a PhD I should do it soon. I applied to three universities that had highly regarded PhD programs in clinical and counseling psychology and was accepted by all. My wife and I decided to accept the offer from Penn State because (1) it had one of the best postWWII programs in my area; (2) living there would give us a chance to explore the east coast; and (3) a former KState president and friend of ours - Milton Eisenhower - was President at Penn State and encouraged us to come there. We moved to Penn State in the fall of 1952 knowing no one, with little money, and a baby boy. During the next three years, my wife added twin boys to our family and I completed my PhD in psychology. When I graduated, the psych department offered me a position on their faculty and asked me to serve as supervisor of their training clinic in clinical psychology. One thing led to another and we have been here ever since.

LJ for MBR: I barely touched on your credentials in the review of your book, featured on this month's bookshelf. Tell us in greater detail about your Penn State years: the positions you've held through those five decades.

Prof. Ford: I think a person is renewed by tackling something new about every ten years and I have had that privilege while working for Penn State.

My first position was as assistant professor of psychology and coordinator of the psychology clinic. I taught psychology courses and supervised the practicum experiences of PhD students in clinical psychology.

In 1957, Milton Eisenhower (then PSU president) decided to create a new, comprehensive program of psychological services for all students and their families on all Penn State campuses throughout the state. He asked me to serve as assistant director.

Two years later, PSU President, Eric Walker, appointed me Director of the Division of Counseling and I was promoted to associate professor of psychology where I continued my teaching. We created a new model of integrated services that was copied over the next ten years in the counseling programs of many other universities. It also provided training experiences for about 15 doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology every year. While in that position, I also served for one year as Director of the University Placement Services to reorganize and modernize it, and for one year as Director of the Foreign Students Office to do the same thing.

In 1966 a good friend of mine who was provost of the university had a coronary. President Walker asked to serve temporarily on his staff as Special Assistant to the President to ease my friend's load while he recovered his health, and to carry out certain kinds of liaison with the federal government.

In 1967, President Walker asked me to serve as Dean to create a new kind of multidisciplinary professional college aimed at health and human services fields. I told him I would do so for a minimum of 5 years (it takes at least that long to create something new) and a maximum of 10 years (after 10 years every organization needs new leadership with new ideas). We named it the College of Human Development (later changed to The College of Health and Human Development). Many Universities throughout the country have since created similar colleges typically called Human Development or Human Ecology. In 1977 I resigned to return to my teaching and scholarly interests to which I could give little time while serving as Dean.

I spent the next ten years as Professor of Human Development and Biobehavioral Health, researching and writing a book I had begun planning in the mid 1960s based on what I had learned in preparing my first book called Systems of Psychotherapy, published in 1964. The new book, titled Humans As Self-Constructing Living Systems, (nicknamed the LSF) was published by Erlbaum in 1987. A companion volume, Humans As Self-Constructing Living Systems: Putting The Framework To Work was published at the same time with my son, Martin, then a professor at Stanford University, as an edited volume to illustrate how this new theory could be applied in both professional work and in designing research on issues in health and human development. The second edition was published in 1994 by IDEALS (I wanted it to be affordable to students & Erlbaum charged twice as much as IDEALS). Copies of the second edition are still available. My son, Martin Ford, derived a new theory of motivation from the LSF, published in a book by Sage titled Motivating Humans. A colleague and I created a new theory of developmental processes derived in part from the LSF and published by Sage in 1994 as Developmental Systems Theory. That book is still in print and used as a textbook in several countries.

I decided to retire in the mid 1990s so I could focus more time on my scholarly interests. John Wiley & Sons, who published Systems Of Psychotherapy in 1964, had been after me for two decades to do a new analysis of approaches to psychotherapy. Finally, my coauthor and I decided to do so. We published the results of that comparative analysis with Wiley in 1998 titled Contemporary Models Of Psychotherapy. The LSF was used as the tool for comparing psychotherapy approaches. During the 1990s, I also served as acting head of the college's Department of Communications Disorders to reorient it and start it on a different developmental pathway ( it is now one of the premier programs of that type in the country).

I also served for a year as acting head to create a new program and academic department to create an integration of biological, psychological and behavioral knowledge about human health, called the Department of Biobehavioral Health. I still teach an occasional graduate seminar to engage young, creative minds to help me continue to learn.

LJ for MBR: So when during that time period did you begin considering the self-constructing framework theory, and how was it developed?

Prof. Ford: My colleague, Hugh Urban and I shared the belief that all the kinds of psychotherapy that were proposed had to have some underlying commonality because they were all dealing with the same kind of entity, i.e. individual human beings (though on the surface their special jargon didn't sound like it). So we did a comparative study of different approaches to psychotherapy, published as Systems of Psychotherapy by John Wiley & sons in 1963. It sold 40,000 copies - astonishing for a scholarly book. What we found was that the various approaches differed primarily in the parts of humans on which they focused (e.g. Freud focused primarily on nonconscious states & certain aspects of cognition, while behaviorists emphasized how people acted and the consequences their actions produced.). When we finished that we had a "dim" idea about how to create an integrative theoretical framework that might encompass all the aspects of humans and reveal the underlying similarities among seemingly different psychotherapies. My effort to create such a framework led to publication a quarter of a century later of the first edition of the book you are reviewing. The method I used will help explain why it took so long.

First, I searched the literature in many disciplines (e.g. physics; chemistry; psychology; sociology & anthropology; meteorolgy; cosmology; biology; genetics) for a basic model about the nature of complex systems that was anchored to sound existing theoretical and empirical knowledge bases. Over the centuries many ideas and a great deal of information about the nature of humans has been created. The problem is that all that is about pieces and parts of a person, but each of us operates as a unitary, dynamic system in a context (what I call the principle of unitary functioning). Each scientific study only reveals specific information about some particular piece of reality at a particular time, under specific circumstances, that the observational methods used can reveal. At a different time under different circumstances and with different methods, different info about the same piece of reality might be revealed. Therefore, we need some way of fitting the parts together. So, we create an idea of what the whole (or system) might look like, based on existing knowledge and evidence, and then see how well all the pieces of information or knowledge we have obtained can be fit together with that idea (and look for the gaps in relevant knowledge). That is the function of theory. Everyone uses theories to organize & guide their daily life (often without awareness of the theories they are using). Unfortunately, faulty theories (beliefs) lead to faulty interpretations which in turn lead to faulty actions. No wonder most psychotherapists focus on faulty beliefs of their clients. No fragment of information is useful until we interpret it and theories are the tools for guiding such interpretations. That took several years of work and led to the formulation of the conceptual framework presented in the first section of this book

LJ for MBR: As a layman, your idea that man has been compared to, but is more than, a machine helped me to understand the living framework theory better. Will you expand on that?

Prof. Ford: Two assumptions dominated thinking about human nature for several centuries (anchored significantly in the philosophical ideas of Descarte). The first is that all aspects of the universe can be understood in terms of the dynamics of machines. The power of machines in human history is ubiquitous so, clearly, humans must also be a special kind of machine. Even our methods for trying to organize info about humans reflect that assumption (e.g. the linear model in statistics). The second assumption is that mind and body are separate kind of phenomena. Mind is at base a manifestation of biological functioning, or is irrelevant to it. Therefore, all kinds of human dysfunctions can be understood in terms of biological processes. Western medicine evolved around this assumption. The emerging view sees mind and body as parts of a unified wholes in intimate, mutually influential interaction with one another. In recent decades, both of those assumptions have begun to be rejected and an alternate cosmological model has been emerging in many fields (interestingly the guiding assumptions of ancient chinese medicine and hippocratic approaches are similar to this new view). We are beginning to realize that machines are not the fundamental model of organization of ourselves and our universe, but rather are a special case of a more dynamic model. A machine model emerges when one designs something so that certain things that typically vary in nature are not permitted to vary (because we want machines to always function the way we want them to, i.e. in equilibrium states).

This emerging view, illustrated by concepts such as "chaos theory", "non-equilibrium dynamics", "open systems", "negative and positive feedback processes." "far from equilibrium steady states," "sensitive dependence on initial conditions," provided the foundation ideas for constructing our conceptual framework for living systems. Two examples will illustrate how fundamental the differences are. How does one construct a machine? People (e.g. engineers; builders) create parts and hook them together to create a machine. How is an adult person constructed? They construct themselves! They start as a coherently organized whole - a fertilized cell. Through processes internal to that cell, parts are differentiated from that initial whole (always maintaining coherent organization), and then more parts are differentiated from that more complex whole. The basic rule is that living requires variability and change, but it also require maintaining oneself as a coherently organized whole. But they can't do it totally by themselves because they have to obtain resources from outside themselves to use in the construction and they have to eject waste products produced from those living processes outside themselves to maintain their unified effectiveness. Properties called "open systems" make that possible. The second example is about differences in functioning. The ideal machine always does what we want it to do, the way we want it to and when we want it to, i.e. "equilibrium" is considered the desirable "healthy" state for a machine. In contrast, "disequilibrium" is the fundamental state in living systems (e.g. humans) that makes growth, development & change possible. Think of the concept of "habit" as an equilibrium state (e.g. we always act the same way under the same circumstances). That is efficient as long as we and our context are the same. But suppose our context changes or our goals, values or biological systems change. Then a "habit" is no longer adequately adaptive. Living systems, such as humans, cannot exist in equilibium states because our own bodies and ideas are continually varying through processes of living, and our contexts are continually varying through their own dynamics and because we move about through them and change them. So, living systems maintain a dynamic stability through processes for continually adjusting their functioning in dynamic patterns. That means that the first step in a change process in humans requires the disruption of their existing steady state so that the dynamics of living will operate to create an adequately adaptive revised steady state. And, that goes on throughout life.

Once the conceptual framework was created and justified, I then set out to see if existing theories and knowledge about different "parts of humans" could be integrated to fit within that framework so a person could be understood as a structural/functional unified individual in continual selective transactions with their context, i.e. as an open living system. That is what part II of the book is designed to do. For example, I spent a year reading everything I could find about the nature of human sensation and perception processes. Chapter 8 presents my synthesis of what I considered to be the soundest information and theory about those processes and how it fits into the larger framework. Then, I studied the theories and evidence about how we create ideas, retain them and use them. That synthesis is chapter 9 and it had to fit with the larger framework and with chapter 8. The same process was used with all the other parts (e.g. cognitive functioning; emotions; actions ).

One other basic point is worth noting. Any entity must be understood as having both a structural and functional organization. For example, in human's anatomy is the study of their structural organization. Structural organization makes functions possible but doesn't totally determine the content and form of each function. What do we mean by functions? The dynamics of cell biology and physiology focus on biological functions or processes made possible by different structural patterns. Perceptual, cognitive, and emotional processes illustrate psychological functions. Motor skills, singing, written and oral communication illustrate transactional functions. The key idea in evolutionary theory is that some organism comes into existence with some new functional capability that gives it an adaptive advantage in its environmental niche. That new functional capability often emerges in relationship to some structural change, but not necessarily. It might emerge through some functional reorganization. The living systems framework is a model of functional organization (e.g. directive, regulatory, control and transactional functions). In this book, I applied that functional model to a person level of analysis, so I tried to show how the various functions are carried out at the person level (e.g. by thoughts or motoric actions). However, it is very important to realize that the same functional model can be made possible by different structural arrangements. For example, servomechanisms are mechanical devices that regulate the functioning of machines. There exists a great diversity of physical structures that can perform that same function (e.g., from gravity controlled to computer controlled devices). In humans, the same functional dynamics can be observed in biochemical functions at a cellular level of analysis (e.g. positive and negative feedback processes) that are manifest in psychological processes at a person level. Because the same model of dynamics operates within and between levels of organization, a complex living sysem can vary greatly and still maintain dynamic unitary functioning.

My purpose with these comments has been to provide background information about how the book came to be what it is. It is not something I made up. I doubt if there is an original idea in it because I intentionally tried to find the best (and best documented) ideas that others have created in many fields. My contribution has been to try to organize them in a more integrative, larger whole. I will not be disappointed if they are only useful in helping elaborate your readers' understanding, because as a teacher that is what I care about most.

LJ for MBR: I found your book to be thought provoking and well crafted, but my education is sub-university level. How has this new concept or theory been received by your colleagues, peers, and students?

Prof. Ford: For over a century, the psychological, social and behavioral sciences have been dominated by a mechanistic model of organisms, including humans, with roots in the ideas of "ancient" scholars like Descarte and Newton. Research designs and results have been largely shaped to fit that model. The LSF presents a major challenge to ideas that are now deeply imbedded in our culture. Incidentally similar challenges are occurring in many disciplines such as physics, chemistry, meteorology, biology and genetics, producing cutting edge theories and methods based on ideas much like the LSF (in fact the LSF builds on ideas from these other disciplines). This new perspective is now often called the science of complexity. Whenever strongly held beliefs with deep roots in science and culture are challenged, those whose careers rest on those old beliefs defend against change by rejecting alternate views and reinterpretations of their work. In such an environment, one expects new approaches to be received more favorably by younger students and scholars, and by senior scholars who are also dissatisfied with the status quo. That is what has happened with the LSF.

One indicator of its influence is that books presenting these ideas and their applications in domains like motivation and development continue in press and to sell 5 to 15 years after original publication and that is somewhat unusual for scholarly books. In some universities in various countries the work is well regarded (e.g. the LSF & systems theory is extensively used in psych department in Portugal), while in other universities it receives little attention. One never knows in what intellectual and professional soil new ideas will sprout and grow into healthy new plants. But, if the ideas are sound that will happen (although it sometimes takes decades to become fully apparent). I did not expect these books to become "bestsellers". I do hope that they, along with the work of a growing number of others, will help move us towards a sounder and more humane view of the nature of humans.

LJ for MBR: Now that you are semi retired from administration at least, do you have plans for another book. Either solo or in collaboration?

Prof. Ford: As you know from personal experience, it is hard for authors to stop writing because each new book triggers ideas to be explored. I have no plans for another book at the moment, but never say never.

LJ for MBR: You've covered a lot of ground with your answers and provided some thoughtful commentary. Is there any question you wish I had asked or any information you'd like to give our readers before I end the interview?

Prof. Ford: You are thorough as an interviewer - a skill not all interviewers have. Yes, I would like to close by saying the beliefs humans hold guide their actions and shape the kind of world we try to produce, whether or not the beliefs are sound. That fact has implications of fundamental importance for humanity. The danger is that we may act to create human societies in the image of our guiding theory about human nature, even if that guiding theory is unsound. For example, a theory that views people as machines (although complicated ones) can lead us to treat one another like machines, e.g. to dehumanize one another (so that destroying faulty or outmoded "machines" fits our beliefs); to think we can control and change one another with what we do to others (much of western medicine operates on that assumption), rather than recognizing that we can only facilitate or constrain ways of behaving and patterns of change and development people create and choose for themselves. For example, when media and games glorify violence we are creating environments that encourage people to consider the use of violence to gain their objectives to be an appropriate choice (& of course if we are only machines what difference does it make if we destroy a few). If we aren't careful we may create ourselves to become something we don't really want to be. The LSF, based on the soundest & most complete synthesis of existing knowledge about all aspect of human nature, presents a scientific explanation of why societies should be created to recognize the integrity, worth and creative potential of every person, and to honor individual differences among us. In the long haul, it is the diversity of humankind that maximizes our adaptive and creative potential as our world and universe evolves.

You are thorough as an interviewer - a skill not all interviewers have. I appreciate this opportunity.

LJ for MBR: This has been a learning experience for me. Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts with me.

Interviewer note: Further information about Donald H. Ford or his work can be found by contacting Ideals, Inc, 130 Slab Cabin Ln, State College, PA 16801 or Wiley and Sons Publishing.

Laurel Johnson, Interviewer
Midwest Book Review

Shirley's Bookshelf
The Alley Of Wishes
Laurel Johnson
1st Books Library
2595 Vernal Pike, Bloomington IN 47404
ISBN 1403370695, 324 pages at $13.50 paperback and $ 3.95 e-book, http://www.1stbooks.com

How much sorrow can the human Spirit endure? What is the limit of anguish that will finally destroy the life flow within us? Cerise and Beck , the main characters of Laurel Johnson' novel, The Alley Of Wishes, could answer these questions for you. Meeting in the glamorous city of Paris, France, Cerise and Beck were two wounded souls that fate, or perhaps a God who loves us, brought together. Beck, a farm boy from Kansas, had come to France to fight for the idea of liberty, not knowing the stark truths of war and death would sear his soul with scars so deep that surely he could never be free. Cerise, caught in the throes of an affair with a sadistic man, struggles to maintain life with a crushed and broken spirit, never allowing herself the thought that any man, other then the cruel heartless Paul, would want her.

The Alley Of Wishes is a story of tragedy and defeat, heartache and deep sorrow, but one that shows how love, reaching deep inside our being, can result in a meaningful life of happiness. Cerise and Beck share their past sorrows and struggle to overcome unsurpassing obstacles that life bestows on them as their spirits become one.The loss of a child, the loss of one's mind, are only two of the many battles that they must overcome.

I have read and reviewed many a novel, but never have the characters stayed within my heart as Cerise and Beck have. A love affair that will draw you into its very essence awaits you in this outstanding read. War, lust, murder, love, hate and forgiveness all play a part in The Alley Of Wishes. This is a story you will not soon forget.

Dayspring Destiny
Jeanine Berry
Novel Books
PO Box 661, Douglas, Mass. 01516
ISBN # E Book 1591050227, Download $5.50, Publisher@novelbooksinc.com
ISBN # Paperback 1591050472 , $14.95, 174pp, http://www.novelbooksinc.com

Elinna Serru believed in the S'hazons, why did what Mesor suspected have to be true? After all, they had guided and helped their people for a thousand years. They were their gods that were teaching them the power of Khi, power to bless their land, heal their sick,uncover secrets of the mind and open doors to other dimensions. Now it would all be gone!

This is where the excellent story of Dayspring Destiny begins. Elinna, a Master in the House of Lohenrin bids the S'hazons adieu along with many of her fellow healers as they travel to escape a comet that will soon destroy her beloved planet Gaea. But that was not the only reason the S'hazons were taking the healers with them; no, they planned to merge their spirits with the healers and once again be able to walk in a human body. Only Elinna does not realize their hidden agenda until later.

Elinna must learn the secret of the healing stones and continue her studies into the power of Khi so she and the ones left behind may somehow prevent the comet from destroying their planet; and continue to heal the sick and bless the land.

The people of Gaea are torn however, as some chose to return to their beliefs in the gods of old, The Sky Gods and a temple is erected for their worship. Elinna's own father is part of this ancient belief, and her childhood friend. What connection do the Sky Gods have with the S'harons? That part you will have to find out for yourself, but I'll tell you this, it's what the story is all about.

Elinna struggles with her hurts over the betrayal of the S'hazons and is not wanting so quickly to believe in yet other gods, but these gods chose to contact Elinna with messages that may well save their planet and rescue those who the S'harzons have taken.

The story twists in and out, dealing with Elinna's emotions, her struggle with her beliefs, her family and friends, her responsibility to her planet and her suppressed love for Mesor.

Ms. Berry weaves a very interesting plot and adds a little flavor of spice with Elinna's rekindled affections for Mesor, a love she had put on hold so she could direct her attention to help her people. Elinna finds out about a very important family secret as she strives to stand against forces that may take her world away from her forever. Will this information save her and her world?

Are you interested in the Spirit world? If so, this book is for you, as the author pens a fantasy of sci-fi action with spiritual implications, weaving the two into an intriguing adventure. A very good read!

Thief Of Hearts
Gwen Mallory
Awestruck Ebooks
ISBN# 15887493470, 20 chapters, $4.95, Download $8.95, Diskette, http://www.awe-struck.net

Being a dog lover, I was happy to see a story featuring adorable puppies! How wonderful! I thought, as I began to read this delightful tale.

Molly Montgomery is a tender young woman. Striking out on her own, after her father's death, she is involved with Derek. Derek is a young upcoming Lawyer, who insists all his late nights at work ,are necessary for the promotion ,that will lead to him asking Molly to be his wife.I didn't like Derek from the start and hoped Molly would see through his lies!

Molly wins a new car in a contest held by the local paper. Actually, there were two winner, who both received the exact vehicle. A Clairmont, silver gray! Molly was ecstatic! On the way home from a local mini-mart, which her friend Silvester owns, Molly discovers 5 puppies in a box in the back of her car. Where did they come from? She could not imagine!

Soft hearted Molly decides she will find each and everyone of them a home, and falls in love with one little guy who has a white spot on him. "I'll call him Thadeus!" Molly said, much to the disgust of Derek, who has no use for the warm cuddly creatures. Nice guy!

Molly enlists the help of Silvester and his store as she one by one finds the puppies a home. Much to Molly's surprise when she arrives home that night, the true owners of the puppies was at her door, Mr. Joe Bronski. He was none other then the recipient of the other winning car and had accidentally put the puppies in Mollies. Joe Bronski was owner of Champion Kennels, and wanted his puppies back. It seemed they were no ordinary pups, but Pyrenees Hounds, worth thousands of dollars. Joe had them brought over from England at a very high cost.

Here is where the true story begins, as Molly, Silvester, Joe and his sister Theresa begin a hunt to retrieve the puppies. If they cannot find them, Joe Bronski will be in financial ruin.

Forces are at work, as Molly discovers what a two-timer Derek is and her heart becomes tender towards Joe. I knew I didn't like Derek! Can she trust her heart? And can she trust Joe? Will they find the puppies in time before the bank demands their money? What does the riches man in the town, Sheridan Oakes, have to do with it? After all, it was a mistake giving him a puppy that belonged to someone else? Why is he refusing to give it back and what is Joe not telling Molly? The plot thickens!

A little bit of mystery, a little bit of love, all mixed up in a delightful package!

This is an adorable story, especially for those of us who love dogs. A sweet romance that has a happy ending, for humans and canines alike!

A Room Full Of Angels
Irene Mills
Awestruck Ebooks
ISBN #1587493500, 23 Chapters, $4.75, Download $8.95, Diskette, http://www.awe-struck.net

Do you ever think of dying, or are you like so many that refuse to acknowledge the inevitable? Do you realize that no matter what color your skin, what your sex is, your station in life, your religion or your age, that this is one factor you have in common with every other living thing on our planet? If there is life, there will be death! Do you live with that knowledge tucked away in your spirit, making every moment count? Do you allow anger to linger and hurts to fester, robbing yourself of precious moments of love and life? How sad for you! This novel may just make you think twice about your actions and what is truly important. I hope so.

As Irene tells the story of the beginning of her friendship with Fran, you are drawn into the tenderness of two people sharing the experiences, good and bad, that life brings to them.

As Irene began a career as a Travel Agent, she met Fran, her teacher. Their lives intermingled as Irene began to work for Fran and her agency. They became friends, but after a time both women took different roads in their lives causing a separation in geographical locations, but not in their friendship.

Fran was diagnosed with cancer, but seemed to be winning the battle for a while. Writing to her friend, across the miles and keeping her informed. Suddenly the correspondence stopped and Irene became worried. She searched for her friend and finally found her in a Nursing Home, alone and dying.

This is where the true story, in my eyes begins, as Irene shares with the reader the emotions and preparations she helps her friend through as the dying process begins.

The author also gives some wonderful insight of the lives of the poor forgotten souls that cry alone in the cesspools of humanity that we call Nursing Homes. Tossed away and forgotten by those that they had once cared for; she brings to light the desperate need that these sad residents have; the need for love, respect and remembrance of who they are. It broke this readers heart! And should shame everyone of us for not taking the time to care! I thank her for reminding me.

Irene walks you through the different processes that Fran is taking. Questions are asked and addressed, such as; Do you want them to resuscitate you if there is a time for that decision? What do you want done with your body? Who do you want to have certain possessions? Is there an afterlife? Does it hurt to dye? Are there really Angels? Is there a God? Have you asked yourself these questions? I know I have!

Death is a hard subject to deal with, but it is a journey we will all take. Ms. Mills allows you to take this journey with her friend Fran, do not be afraid. You may just find your peace, you may find your Angel! A Room Full Of Angels, a novel about death, a whisper about forever!

The Divine Babysitter
Tonya Ramagos
Wings-E-Press
P.O Box 38 Richmond, KY 40476-0038
14 Chapters ISBN# 1590881362, $6.00 Download, http://www.wings-press.com
Paperback - ISBN# 1590888568, $10.95 Trade Paperback

Are you a single Mom? Did you ever want the best for your child, but just could not seem to make it happen? Are you still nursing the wounds from a broken marriage? Meet Dominique Gabore and identify with her and her struggles to make a life for herself and her 5 year old son. Relate to her fears and challenges and whisper a prayer that she will embrace the one man that can make it happen, Joshua Divine.

Dominique, a Bartender by trade, desperately needed a babysitter. She did not however count on falling in love with the one who responded to her advertisement. She could not allow herself to trust, to love again. She had to show everyone, even herself, she could make it on her own.

Joshua Divine, tall, handsome, haunting ,burst into her life and from the first moment his eyes gazed upon beautiful Dominique, he was in love. But would he ever allow himself to accept that fact? Joshua also had some secret hurts, deep wounds that bled to the touch. Why did the knowledge that Dominique was a Bartender make Joshua push away from the drawing of her on his heart strings? And will he ever get beyond that point.

A love story of two wounded souls, each longing for what the other has, will they ever posses it? A novel especially recommended for a single Mom, who will perhaps whisper a prayer, that she too will find a Joshua Divine! I hope you do!

Poor Man's Cookbook
Brenda & Cliff Roberts
SynergEbooks
1235 Shoals Rd., King, NC 27021
ISBN# 1931540764, 83 pages, $5.00, Download CD-Rom $8.99, http://www.synergebooks.com

Want to read a cookbook with a little family history? If you do Poor Mans Cookbook is for you. Recipes of family members that were made and shared during precious moments of fellowship can be found within the pages of this book.

Recipes that will tempt your taste buds, but still not strain your budget can be made and enjoyed! Zucchini bread, corn bread, Jell-O salad, all written with easy instructions for you the reader to make and share with those you love. My favorite would have to be Broccoli and Cheese Soup, with some of those hot biscuits, that are said to be excellent! Yum! I will say however, that I am going to pass on the Rabbit Stew. But if I am ever starving, it's nice to know that recipe is there. I just hope I never have to use it!

If you want a cookbook that will help you save those pennies and give you some delightful stories to read while your cooking, this is it. A cookbook that shares a heart of a family! Eat Well!
The Stinky Feet Book
Lily Erlic, author, Martin Erlic, illustrator
SynergEbook
1235 Shoals Rd., King, NC 27021
ISBN# 1-931540-21-4, $TBA, 11 pages, http://www.SynergEbooks.com

I was intrigued by the name of this fun story, The Stinky Feet Book. All children would get a giggle just hearing the title and would want to see what was awaiting them in the read.

The story is about a little skunk named Sootie. As he is out among his friends one day, they tell him that his feet stink, and no one wanted to play with him. He tried to play with Bouncy the Bear, Dosie the Dog and Freddy the Fish, but they all turned him away because of the odor coming from his feet. What was Sootie to do? Each friend had an idea that might help rid him of his smelly feet. Perhaps a dip in the river, or a squish in the blackberry patch would rid his feet of the terrible smell.

Finally Sootie found the solution to his stinky feet problem. Now he could play with his friends. Just then Sootie was called back home, it seems they were having a family reunion. As Sootie walked among his skunk family they all proclaimed how bad he smelled. So Sootie realized in this adorable story, that a rose, or feet as the case maybe, smells bad or good, depending on who is doing the sniffing!

The Seed Of The Dogwood Tree
Greg Cicio
American Book Company
325 East 2400 South Salt-Lake City,Utah 84115
ISBN# 1589820061, $22.00, 284 pages

As I first began to read The Seed Of The Dogwood Tree, I was easily distracted, but by the time I got to Chapter four I was hooked. It is the story of Michael Sinclair and Bruce Plantard, who set out to do a student archaeology trip to the Mendip Mines of Somerset, England. What they found, the journal of the first Baldwin King of Jerusalem, started them on an adventure that would change the world.

Feeling that the journal gave them clues to greater hidden treasure in Mendip, they are financed by Bruce's Uncle Edmond and a secret expedition is undertaken. Uncle Edmond also gives them some new documents and with those and the journal in hand they discover a secret chamber and what it contained was almost unbelievable. The excitement rose in the young men! Could they truly have discovered the cross that Jesus was nailed to? And what was in the jars that they had found? Could it be the blood of the Savior? I wanted to know.

Trust me, this story is not easily figured out. Secret societies are discovered, murders uncovered,and the birth of a child conceived with whose seed? You'll hold your breath waiting to find out as all leads to a climax that you will not soon forget.

Is it the story of the beginning, or the story of the end! This is the thought that you will ponder after reading this excellent novel by Greg Cicio. A Very good read!

Interview with Nancy Mehl:

Interview with Nancy Mehl - Reviewer and Columnist for MyShelf.com, author of numerous books and articles and a wealth of excellent information for writers.

I chose to interview Nancy because she is a reviewer, as well as an author. I feel other authors will gain much wisdom from her answers and will appreciate and understand the job of a reviewer a lot better after reading her interview. Let's begin!

Q: Nancy would you please tell us how long you have been a reviewer.

A: I've been a reviewer for about three years. Seems like much longer!

Q: Why did you decide to become a reviewer?

A: I was approached by a friend, John Broussard, who had recommended me to Charlotte Austin. Charlotte had just set up a new review site, The Charlotte Austin Review. I had heard of Charlotte, had great respect for her, and felt that this kind of exposure for a fledging author would be an advantage. Through the years, however, I've become very interested in helping authors.

I find them to be fascinating people who, for the most part, are very generous and truly appreciate the fact that a reviewer will take time to read their work and comment about it in public.

Q: Nancy, about how many hours a week do you spend reading books for review?

A: No month is the same as another. Some months are heavier than others depending on what I've accepted for review. I would say that ten to twelve hours a week would be a fair guess.

Q: Thank you! Would you tell us how many requests you receive per month for reviews and what is the percentage that you accept?

A: Again, it varies. I would say that I get about five or six requests every month. I also will contact authors on my own who have books I'm interested in. I usually get three or four books every month that I have not requested. I very rarely review those books. Many are books I have no interest in. Most of the review requests for MyShelf.com come to the site itself. They are made available to all the reviewers. I choose some of these, but I really like to pick books that have piqued my interest. Many of these come through the lists I subscribe to like Sisters in Crime, Dorothy L. Murder Must Advertise, and Wicked Company. Since I pick most of my reviews, I don't turn down many requests. I would say that 10% of the request I receive, I refuse.

Some books are assigned by my editor but I have always been given the option of turning down books I'm not interested in.

Q: Is there any genre you will not review?

A: Yes, I won't review erotica. I have accepted books that had more sex and violence than I prefer, but it is hard to know what a book contains before you read it. I normally try to stay away from explicit books that promote sex and/or gratuitous violence. I also don't like books that have a definite political agenda. (Especially if it isn't mine! ) I did turn down a book one time that I had originally accepted. It was a guide to literary publishers and agents. The writer had done a good job of presenting her information in a concise and well-thought out manner. However, there were publishers and agents listed that I could not recommend because of shady business practices. I had to contact the author and decline the review.

Q: If you really hate a book, will you refuse to do the review or will you tell how you truly feel in that review?

A: I don't review books I hate. I just recently received an ARC of a book from a publisher whose books I normally enjoy. However, this one didn't have a single character I cared anything about. To be honest, I didn't even finish it. I was probably only ten pages from the end. I disliked the book so much, I didn't care "whodunit!" I offered it to another reviewer hoping that someone else would find it to their liking.

Sometimes, I find books I like but the editing or writing style is lacking. If it's so bad it pulls me out of the story, I will mention it in the review. If it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the book, I will sometimes contact the author. I'll ask them if they would like some personal comments about the writing itself. If they say yes, I'll tell them what I think they need to change in their future books. Invariably, these comments will include problems with incorrect POV changes or editing mistakes.

I've never written a purely negative review. As an author myself, I just can't crush the spirit of another writer.

Q: That is a good trait Nancy! Thank you, now let me ask you this. Do you feel it has helped your writing to read and review other author's works and if so why?

A: Absolutely. I've heard it said that the best way to learn to write is to read. As I view the writing of other authors with a critical eye, I can see what works and what doesn't. It really helps me to learn to avoid things that may pull me out of a story - or things that may cause a plot to drag. The experience has been invaluable. The downside is that sometimes it's hard to just enjoy the story without seeing a book through that critical "writer's eye." It can really get in the way. Also, I've noticed that it is easier to see problems in someone else's writing than it is in your own.

Q: Do you feel that being a reviewer has helped you as an author?

A: Yes. It has definitely opened doors to me. I've been given opportunities that wouldn't have been as easy to obtain without some of the contracts I've made. Also, authors are usually very generous. If you take the time to review their book, they will often buy your book and recommend it to others. When my review is posted on their website or in their press releases, it gets my name out to the public. Of course, on the writing side of things, exposure to different types of styles and genres has increased my over all knowledge of writing in general.

Q: I'd like to ask you something that maybe a little difficult to answer, but here goes. Do you find authors trying to win your favor to obtain a good review?

A: Honestly, I've never had that happen - that I know of anyway! I most authors want a fair review. Usually, they are very respectful when asking me to consider reviewing their books. Of course, I'm very open to bribes. Cash only. Large amounts. (Just kidding!) Perhaps a reviewer for the New York Times would have a bigger problem with this than I would!

Hee! Hee! Thanks Nancy, I needed that chuckle! Make sure you only send hundred dollar bills folks! ( Just Kidding!)

Q: Tell me Nancy, would you recommend someone to pursue being a reviewer?

A: Yes and no. I think it has helped me a great deal. Exposure is important to authors. I've encouraged two different friends to become reviewers. One seems to be doing very well. The other didn't enjoy it at all and quit. I guess you have to be a certain kind of person. I truly enjoy finding new and exciting authors. I love doing something that encourages them - or helps them on their journey. I think you have to have a real interest in authors to love reviewing.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone who is interested in reviewing?

A: First of all, you must face the reality that goes with being a book reviewer. It's hard work. Many people think, "Oh, I read all the time anyway. This will be easy!" Not so. As a reviewer, you are reading books, not because you want to, but because you have to. You will probably be assigned books you don't care for - in genres that don't interest you. This changes pleasure into responsibility. There are deadlines - and they're important. Authors are depending on you - and so is your editor. Be certain you are willing to accept the duties of a reviewer for the long term. It's difficult for editors to have to hire new reviewers and begin the training process all over again.

Also, you will be faced with writing reviews for books you don't like. It's important to separate your personal preferences from your professional critique.

I, for one, don't like explicit sex or rough profanity. Yet, I've had to review a few books that contained these things. I tried to review them fairly - based on the merits of the writing - not my prejudices. It isn't always easy. On MyShelf, we are asked to inform our readers if there is explicit material in the books we review. I like that. That way, I can deal with the issue without involving it in my overall review.

One last warning. As a reviewer, you will be asked to review books written by friends. This can be tough. If you think the book is poorly written, you will have to struggle with your ethics as a reviewer. This is difficult for many of us. Either refuse to review the books of people you consider friends, or be prepared to ruffle a few feathers.

Thank you Nancy, that needed to be said. Reviewing is a responsibility and should not be taken lightly.

Q: Do you send a copy of your review to the author before it is put on the review site?

A: Sometimes. Usually, I don't. However, if the author needs the review a book cover or for promotional material, I will send it early.

Q: If you do this and they want changes, will you change what you have written?

A: Not as it applies to my opinion. If there is a factual error, then of course, I will make an adjustment. I don't remember this happening, but it might have.

Q: Are you responsible to do this and also are you responsible to send one to the publisher?

A: It depends upon the source of the assignment. If my editor assigned the review, she contacts the author or publisher. If the review is one that I've arranged, it is my responsibility to contact the author or publisher. I have to say that I don't always do this. If I've already told the author that their review will be in the upcoming issue, I don't feel it is always necessary to tell them again. I would expect them to contact their publisher or publicist. However, if the publicist has requested that I contact them, I will do so.

Q: Since you read so many books, what would you say is the percentage of writers who really have talent?

A: Oh boy. What a tough question! The answer depends on what you think "talent" is. Raw talent can be useless in a writer who isn't interested in honing his skills. Let's say that I had a good singing voice but didn't want to practice or learn vocal control. The difference could be as wide-ranging as singing in the shower the rest of my life or singing at the Met. Raw talent is useless if it isn't brought to maturity. I would say that almost every book I've ever read showed talent. Most people don't write if they don't have the desire for it. Usually, that craving comes from inside them.

I think it is an inborn gift yearning to be expressed. But without proper training, it will stay underdeveloped. So, talent isn't enough. If you want actual percentages, I would say that 90% of what I read shows talent. Sadly, maybe 20% have what it takes to find major success due to an ignorance of the mechanics of writing.

Q: What do you feel is the most popular genre that is being written at this time and what if any genre do you feel is up and coming?

A: Well, according to the publishing industry, Christian fiction is taking the book world by storm. The "Left Behind" series has been enormously popular. I'm glad to see this area find some maturity. I feel that much of the Christian fiction offered in the past was rather unskilled. In my opinion, Frank Peretti lead the way, breaking the barriers that had held Christian fiction behind rather tame fences.

Also, the mystery genre is still strong, and novels with a supernatural twist seem to be growing in number. I'm betting on this since I'm writing a series of supernatural mysteries!

Q: What advice would you give to writers that might make their book stand out from others on the market?

A: My advice to every writer is to read three books: Stein on Writing by Sol Stein, How to Grow a Novel by Sol Stein, and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. Every bit of advice I could give is inside the covers of these books. Study, study, study! Learn your craft! Use the advice these authors share so that it will enhance the gift inside of you. Learning to write should make your imagination flow in a way that will help you to express it fully. The "rules" of writing won't diminish your talent - they will enhance it. Find a unique idea - something that stands out from the crowd and then learn how to present it skillfully.

Q: What question/comment would you like to ask or tell publishers on behalf of authors?

A: A loaded question! I would have to say this: Take a chance! Quit trying to always make decisions based on what you "think" the market trends are.The books that hit it big are usually something different.

I wish more publishers would recognize talent and inventiveness. I would like to see publishers go back to the days when they were willing to work with an author who has something new and creative to offer. Years ago, publishers were more willing to develop a promising writer. Many best-selling authors came from this kind of background. Today, it seems as if many publishers want only works that mirror other books that have been successful. Why do we keep pumping out clones? I've read books published by big houses that weren't half as interesting as some of the novels published by POD or small press publishers - or even by authors who self-published.

Thank you Nancy. I hope the Publishers are listening to the voice of authors everywhere.

Please leave us with any additional comments that you would like to make.

My column, the Bare Bones, on MyShelf.com, is for writers. It is my desire to share with them anything I've learned that might be helpful. I certainly don't know it all. If I did, I'd have hit that "big" publisher by now. But, I'm willing to learn and to share what I've learned so far. I would encourage writers never to fear constructive criticism. If negative comments crush your spirit, you don't have what it will take to be successful. The most important thing anyone will ever say to you is this: Never give up. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And, never stop writing.

I want to thank Nancy for a wonderful interview. I am sure that many of understand the world of a reviewer much clearer now and appreciate the work that they do. I extend the best of luck to Nancy in her future as a writer and reviewer and where ever her dreams may take her. She is one talented lady that I believe has a bright future!

Personal Information:

Nancy Mehl - Review Site: www.myshelf.com - MyShelf.com Personal website: www.nancymehlbooks.com

Besides writing reviews, Nancy Mehl has a column on MyShelf.com called The Bare Bones. The column is for writers and contains information and advice geared to assist the new writer in their future career. She is working on a project for the NBC affiliate station in her hometown and will be doing on-air book reviews for Kansas authors. She has had short stories and articles published nationally and was a columnist for the Kansas Times. Out of these columns, her first book, NUTRITION FOR THE GOLDEN YEARS, (nonfiction) came out in 2000. She has completed two novels, SINNER'S SONG, and MALEVOLENCE, the first in a new supernatural mystery series, that are being represented by her agent Janet Benrey with the Hartline Literary Agency. Work has begun on the second book in the Icy Curtis MALEVOLENCE series, ASHLAND.

Her published novel, GRAVEN IMAGES, was released in October of 2001. ISBN: 1599525958/AmErica House) GRAVEN IMAGES is a mystery/suspense novel that >revolves around a young woman who at four years old witnesses the murder of her mother. With the help of a therapist, she remembers the face of the killer. Her testimony sends him to prison where he dies of a heart attack. When she is in her twenties, she begins to have a series of nightmares that seem to be trying to tell her that the real murderer is still alive - and might be someone close to her. GRAVEN IMAGES explores childhood trauma and dream interpretation. It has received excellent reviews.

Please see Laurel Johnson's review of Graven Images on MidWest Book Review

GRAVEN IMAGES - http://www.nancymehlbooks.com THE BARE BONES at MYSHELF.COM - http://www.myshelf.com

RB, The Widow Maker
C.C.Colee
America House Publishers
P.O. Box 151, Fredricks, MD
ISBN# 1588513785, 330 pages, $18.95, Paperback, http://www.publisheamerica.com

I was glad when I was asked to review the first installation of a trilogy, R.B., The Widow Maker, by C.C. Colee. I read and reviewed The Enchantress and greatly enjoyed the novel. The Widow Maker gave added insight to the characters that I had become so involved with in trilogy two. Reading firsthand of the horrible life that Aubrey was living with her Uncle help me to understand her better. The thought of being with the men that her Uncle wanted her to marry actually made my skin crawl. No wonder she ran away and booked passage on the Gull to go to Africa. I would have run too! Unfortunately the ship was taken over by the notorious pirate Rene Black and Aubrey found herself thrust into the world of Rene and his pirates on his ship, The Widow Maker. Aubrey was marked as his woman and began to learn the meanings of the words, fear, courage, and love.

I was glad to see that she had spunk , knowing what she would face in the story ahead. Learning more about Rene and Mala (the true love of his life) made my heart more tender towards them. I am a romantic and want the love that they once shared to bloom forever! Also, learning about Jean Luc Pierne and his love for Aubrey helped to put the feeling of Mr. Alcott from book two for Aubrey, in more of a perspective. Now I can't decide who I want her to love! Not fair!

RB, The Widow Maker is an excellent pirate, romance adventurous book. Drawing you into the story and the lives of the characters and making you want to know what happens next. All of your emotions will tingle as you read this novel. Love, fear, hate, anger , and yes, even compassion, will bubble up inside of you, as you watch their lives unfold. The first book of this trilogy bleeds into the second, yet, in my opinion each can stand alone. This is a good mark for a trilogy and makes for an excellent read. If you have not sunk your teeth into these novels, I would highly recommend that you do. I look forward to the ending and only hope that it plays out the way I want it to. I love a happy ending!

Interview with co-authors Cody Lee and Chris Cole:

Interview with Cody Lee and Chris Cole co-authors of the trilogy -RB The Widow Maker, RB The Enchantress, and the soon to be released RB The Game!

I chose to interview these two ladies for several reasons. One is that I was very impressed with their writing. Their books are excellent, packed full of adventure and romance, with a twist that is different from other works I have read. You become one with their characters and become so engrossed in the story you are reading, that you truly feel you are part of the adventure. Excellent writing ladies. Also, I wanted to know the workings of co-authors,and I think you will find this interview very interesting. Now let's get started.

Q: What brought the two of you together and what made you decide to author a trilogy?

A: We have been best friends since the 7th grade. Both of us loved to write and we used to write short stories in high school for ourselves and selected friends. We mostly wrote episodes of our favorite shows on TV but we were too bashful to let others outside of our circle of close friends to read what we wrote. We both put the writing away when we married and had families. Then one day in February, 1998, Cody called and said, "Guess what I'm doing?" After listening to this pirate story from Cody, Chris shared a pirate story that she had milling around in her head. So bits and pieces of Chris' pirate story showed up in the RB Trilogy. One of the biggest piece used was the idea of a birthmark. It became a tattoo in the trilogy.

Q: Why did you decide on a pirate adventure?

A: The whole manuscript began with a dream Cody had about pirates. That dream became the storm scene in the first book and everything else evolved from there.

That is really interesting. Perhaps you were supernaturally inspired!

Q: How long did it take you to complete Book One- RB The Widow Maker? Book Two: The Enchantress?

A: Actually, the trilogy started as one whole manuscript which ended up being over 1500 pages long. It began in February 1998 and we finished with the final draft version in October 2000. We had to 'make' ourselves end the story at this point. We were having too much fun writing this story, but it was getting long. As for it being a trilogy, well, we had the manuscript in three parts based on the change-up of scenes and characters. Because it was too big to sell as a whole, we split it up into a trilogy almost at the very points we had the three parts broken down. So making it into a trilogy wasn't hard and we basically had three books completed without really trying.

Don't you love when it all comes together! Enjoying writing is really what it's all about isn't it? If others also enjoy your work, that's just icing on the cake! Well done ladies!

Q: Did you fashion the characters after people you know or are they solely from your imagination?

A: Sort of...*grin* We knew what kind of character we wanted to build up in the reader's imaginations and we made it easier to write by envisioning certain real people for the facial expressions and body movements. This way, we felt like the characters were more believable and the readers could relate to the character much better. We think that readers will soon find that he/she will immediately love, hate, or be very wary of each respective character.

Q: Do you find it difficult to work as a team?

A: No, we didn't actually. We have been friends for so long (over thirty years) that we can finish each other's sentences or even scarier....pick up the phone to call only to have the phone ring and the other one of us will be on the other end of the line. Whenever this question is asked and Chris' youngest daughter is around, she loves to tell people, "They can write with three states between them because they share the same brain." That is probably a real close description of our relationship and to add to the fact, Cody is only six (6) days older than Chris. Talk about ALMOST being twins! We joke and tell people that we are and our mothers just roll their eyes.

Q: Are there times when one of you wants the story to go one way and the other does not agree? If so, how do you handle this?

A: Sometimes this happens but not very often. If one had a scene that she envisioned differently, then it was mutually agreed for that one to write up the scene then it was looked over by the other. One of the scenes that come to mind was that in the original story, Captain Mala died (the end of the second book, RB: The Enchantress). Cody didn't like it but went along with it. The funny thing was that after writing many scenes dealing with the 'avenging of Mala's deat' which is basically the third book of the trilogy, RB: The Game, Chris thought that the character, Aubrey Malone, was having way too much fun with the main male characters! Since it was Chris' idea to have Mala killed off, then Cody's edict to Chris was to come up with a way to have Mala live and not lose the scenes already written. So that evening after taking a walk for about an hour, Chris had it all worked out and the story is what the reader will see near the end of RB: The Enchantress. The scenes are still intact for the third book with a few minor changes to the dialogue.

Q: How do you work out the writing of the script?

A: It starts out with each of us taking a few characters to build on and then the characters were shared when writing scenes. We write what scenes come to mind and, as we write, we try to make sure to give a little insight to what life on board a ship was like back in 1720. We write in humor similar to a comic relief in a serious situation. You just never know what will be said or done next although you think you know.

Q: Do you both work on one chapter together or do you take turns with the chapters? Please explain!

A: We wrote the whole story as a string of scenes then we broke them down into chapters. Each scene was a separate document. Once the story was done, we printed out everything then put them together in a notebook. That way if we decide to put a scene in one place then later felt that it would be better to go after something else earlier or later in the story, it was easy to move around. Then it was Chris who took the printed copies and made a document for a story. Once it was put together, we read it to make sure that it flowed. What we mean by that is we watched out for things like sudden changes in scenes, characters being where they should be in the scene or not being there, not to mention the location. For instance, a verbal confrontation may have originally been on the main deck but we moved the scene to the galley so we changed the setting.

Q: Do either of you have any separate works published and if so what are they?

A: No, we had always wanted to do something like this since school but hadn't made it real until 1998.

Q: What made you both interested in a writing career?

A: We love to write. We wrote short stories to entertain to each other as girls. We were those bothersome kids in class who loved those writings assignments from the teachers and were already writing down notes for what we were going to write as the teacher outlined the requirements. The only thing we needed to know was word count and page limits! When we started on the trilogy, we wanted to come up with a "niche" that identifies us much like Sue Grafton with her alpha stories or James Patterson using lines from nursery rhymes or John Sandford using the word 'prey' in all of his Lucas Davenport detective stories. We thought that using two letters in the title and then explaining what the two letters meant in the story would be different. But when RB became a trilogy, we couldn't have three books titled RB. So we kept the RB in front of each title so that the reader knew it was a part of the RB Trilogy.

Q: When this trilogy is completed, do you have any plans for other works? If so, will they be joint works?

A: Yes, we have ten other stories in the works and all of them will be published under C.C. Colee. Although one story was written solely by Chris and another one is written solely by Cody, we are still going to publish them jointly. We have been friends for so long that we don't know how to act apart. *smile* Actually, we have gone into this venture together and together we will always be.

Q: Do you plan to expand in different genres?

A: Yes, although all of our stories will still have a romantic thread through them, the stories we are working on are westerns, action-adventures, sci-fi, and time travel, just to name a few genres. There will always be something more in the story than star-struck lovers.

Q: Oh I do look forward to more of your works and it's great that you are expanding in different genres. I know they will be wonderful reads! Did you find it difficult to find a publisher and how long did it take you to get your work published?

A: It took us a year to find a publisher after the many rejection letters. We sent queries from two different listings for the literary agents through the internet. Getting hooked up with Publish America really came about when we got a response from Erica House, whose parent company is Publish America. We were then guided in the direction of Publish America. We were thrilled at the prospect of bypassing the middleman (the agent) and working directly with a publisher. Not many publishing houses want to deal with the author. That is actually kind of sad because who can tell them (the publisher) more about the manuscript than the one (or ones) that wrote it? Publish America is willing to deal with the author directly. Once, our manuscript was accepted by Publish America, it took about six months from signing a contract to having a book in our hands. Each stage of the production was an opportunity for the author. Not just to know where the book is in production, but to be sure that it's the way the author wants it to be. Even the cover art was worked out between author and publisher. Publish America lets us suggest something for cover but if they have a better idea, they share it and let the author give the final approval. For the unknown and/or first time authors, Publish America is a great place to be.

Q: How many hours a day do you write?

Cody: If given the time and space, I can easily write for at least 5 hours a day. I have been known to hit the keyboard for up to 8. Daytime and early evening is best for me. After about 11pm, I start to crash and burn and Chris is just getting fired up.

Chris: I am a night owl. I can sit at the computer until 2 or 3 am then get up around 6:30 to get ready for work. Because of the distance between us, Cody and I got together three times to work on this story. Twice we met at friend's beach house for a week (we dedicated the second book to them) and the third time, I went up to visit Cody for a week. Cody would 'crash and burn' on me around 2am. I could set my watch to that.....LOL. A couple of 'nights' while we were working together, I had been so involved in working on scenes that I was still sitting at the computer when the sun came up.

Whatever you two are doing, it sure is working! Just keep it up ladies!

Q: How much promoting do you have to do for your books and do you have any tips you can share with our readers that may help them promote their books?

A: Initially, it was a lot of promoting and marketing. We look into promotion for our books with local bookstores, newspapers, and magazines either in person, through emails or telephone conversations. We send and/or take them our brochures.

We built a webpage and signed up for any reputable free PR found on the net as well as joined webrings. Cody's husband, Jack, made our brochures, bookmarks, and we are now designing our business cards. One day just as the first book, RB: The Widow Maker was released, we touched on a real 'gold mine'. Jack was searching the net for pirate sites that we could link up to and found a site that does a newsletter about all things piratical. We found out that this newsletter has over 350 addresses on the mailing list and not only did we buy ad space, but we also found out that the editor writes reviews. If she liked the book, her review is one of the features in her newsletter. Both books of the trilogy thus far has made it in her newsletter. In this case, there were over 350 people we had no clue how to reach otherwise.

Advise to others trying to promote their books? Well, let's see. Have something that can be handed out be it brochures, flyers, bookmarks, business cards or all the above! We have brochures/bookmarks with us always and we hand them out to interested folks. Even though someone cannot buy your book right at that moment, give them something that they can remember you by. A picture in their head of you will not always be matched up with a name or the title of the book. Most folks think of us as "the pirates." Very much the compliment as it tells what we are about in relation to our books but the titles of the books or our names would be what the search line would want. "Pirates" just ain't gonna cut it! *grin*

Set up a webpage. We were surprised at how many asked us if we had a webpage. Make more than just a page. So far, our site is almost fifty pages....and we weren't even trying hard. *smile* Put up things like a pictures and just a bio page. We have pictures of us at booksignings with other authors, naming them with their books. We have short stories like the one of Cody spending time on a schooner during the summer of 2001. For those who have agreed to link us from them, we made a page (CC Colee's Pirate's Den) that links them from us. Make a page of any and everything that shows your personality.

Another thing to do is speaking engagements. Some clubs and organizations are always looking out for a good speaker. Talk about you and your book but be ready for just about anything. We get questions like "is it hard to write with one in Maryland and the other in South Carolina?" That's our favorite. Another favorite one asked is "why did you write about ....?" Some people are very interested in why a writer chose fantasy over adventure and so on. Some of your questions here, Shirley, have been some that we've answered before. So authors....be ready!!

Q: That is alot of valuable information! Thank you! Do you ever experience the famous 'writers block' and if so, how do you remedy this?

Cody: Personally, I cannot say that I have experienced that. There are several stories going around in my head and several that Chris and I are working on together already. So when we get stuck on one, we just slip over to another and run with it for a while. We find ourselves carrying small notebooks and have been known to pen down an idea or scene while sitting in traffic, at a red light, while waiting on someone for an appointment, in the airport between flights.and I pen thoughts as I ride the shuttle bus from one of our work locations to another.

Chris: Not really. We write whatever scenes come to mind. When we read the final draft, we know we will find gaps and make notes of what needs to be there then go back to it. In a couple of stories, we are writing as one document so the scenes are placed in the order we want them to be for the moment. For gaps, we make notes in bold, italics and large letters so that we can see them as we scroll down or when we print out the story for editing. Some notes are what we want the scene to be but we haven't quite worked out the dialogue or the actions yet so we just make a note so that we don't forget what we wanted there.

Q: Do you have the support of your family in your writing career and how important do you feel this is for a writer to have?

A: Yes we do. We are VERY much supported by our families. We feel that it is very important to have that 'home' support when you are a writer. It gives you a medium to bounce ideas off of, get some ideas from sometimes and also constructive suggestion

Our spouses talk up the books as much as we do. They even pass out brochures and bookmarks to those they talked with. Chris' husband, Charles, even has a small supply of books at his office in case there are any takers and he has sold several copies. Cody's husband is a fireman and works in shifts. Not having a desk that he can call his own makes it difficult to leave books around but he does talk up a good sales pitch! Our favorite 'groupies' are our husbands and daughters! *smile*

Having the support of our families has been wonderful. They understand not to bother us while we were at the computer until we get to a stopping point or they will ask if they can stop us for a moment. With the hours that we put in and the traveling that we have had to expend, it has been great to have a husband to say, "Sure, no problem. I'll take care of things here while you're gone."

Q: What is your favorite gene to write? A: Adventure/Romance.

Cody: I think that Fantasy would be my next choice.
Chris: After the adventure/romance, my next choice would be mystery.

Q: Where would you like to see your writing career in 5 years, what are your goals?

A: In five years, we would love to be home and strictly doing the writing thing. *smile* We have always had so much writing even when we were teens in high school and our imaginations seem to always be on the same wave frequency. Still writing together is a given, but not just on our novels. We would like to move on to screenplay scripts.

Q: I believe you will do it! Good luck! Here is a fun question ladies that I would like to ask you. Out of the two characters in your trilogy, Aubrey and Mala, which one would you choose to be and why? Also are their personalities fashioned after either of you ladies, how you are, or how you would like to be? Be honest with us now ladies! *smile*

Chris: Funny that you should ask.....*smile* Remember how we mentioned earlier that we'd take some characters and build them up. Well, my character is Captain Mala. She looks nothing like me except for the dark hair and dark eyes but she is like my alter ego. Cody and I have this saying whenever stuff at work gets on our nerves, "If they don't stop messing with this, I'm gonna go Mala on them!" At times, I have a quick temper and likely could embarrass the most experienced sailor with my 'colorful expressions'. But I will hold back when it comes to what one character in the story describes as "tossing people overboard in the middle of the ocean just to win an argument."

Cody: I suppose you might say that Aubrey is my alter ego in some sense. When we do book signing, I dress as her. In my early days I used to be shy and demure, but I have grown over the years as Aubrey did over a span of weeks and months. Now, in my more mature years..*smile*..I have a good bit of the Mala 'spunk' in me. So with that, I was able to write the Aubrey character to grow stronger and braver.

Q: What was the most difficult Chapter/Scene in both of your books to complete and why?

Cody: In the first book, RB: The Widow Maker, I would have to say that it was the chapter that describes Aubrey's 'pursuer'. It was difficult describing him and his actions, and yet keep him secret from the reader at the same time. Then, I would have to say, that the most difficult chapter/scene for me in our second book, RB: The Enchantress, was the one where our characters sail into the Chesapeake Bay to careen the ship. Actually, it was very easy to write and visualize as far as the course of events. The difficult thing was that, as I was just about finished it, I hit a bad spot on the disc I was using. From that point, the document was lost to me physically. I was literally in tears on the phone with Chris and her husband trying desperately to do all that I could to retrieve anything that I could of it. Keep in mind that this was in our 'still learning' stages of writing, and I soon learned not to rely so much on my 'portable files' and to keep my documents in several places. At any rate, the document was gone and I had to rewrite the entire chapter from memory. Fortunately, it was still very fresh in my mind and I like to think that the second time out it was better. *grin*

Chris: For any of our books, we seem to do the beginning as we near the end. We want to be able to capture the reader right off the bat so it is almost agonizing for us to think of something that would do the job just right. We don't want to take a while to get to the 'meat' of the story so we basically just plunge right in!

Q: What would you like your readers to experience and retain from your works and why? (Example---pure reading pleasure, etc.)

A: We would like the reader to feel as though they are right there with the characters or that they are one of the characters in the story. We want them to feel like what they are experiencing is as real as it can be. It thrills us to no end to read comments from our readers who state things like "travel while you read", "they felt seasick..." or "they could almost feel the ship under their feet." Some readers had the pleasure of reading while at the beach and comments they had made was that they would "look up from reading and expect to see a pirate ship out on the horizon." But not only do we want the reader to "feel" the surroundings whether on the ship or 'on shore leave', but we want them to feel the emotions the characters are feeling. The anger and rage, the betrayals, and the other behaviors that Aubrey's witnesses not to mention her own despair, jubilance, or fright. We also hope that our readers get an idea of how life may have been on the high seas in 1720. Although seen through Aubrey's eyes, we hope that the reader could almost feel the excitement and danger of being a pirate.

Q: I will tell you this right now, that is exactly how I felt reading your books. I did become one with the characters and the adventure. Let's get a little personal! Tell me, what does the room you write in look like? Does it have the covers of your books on the wall..... copies of great reviews...things that inspire you?

Cody: I really have no one particular room that I write in. In my home I have models of tall ships, paintings of tall ships, weaponry like swords, cutlass and pistols on the walls and shelves. My bookcase beside my favorite chair has shelves full of reference books, copies of our books that Chris inscribed to me, tapes, and other trinkets. I also love to write as I sit in the yard, or on the deck when I can, and I do that a great deal. That, of course, is done the old fashioned way, with paper and pen. *smile *

Chris: I have a small alcove in one corner of my room as my workspace. I have a copy of each book that Cody inscribed to me on a shelf above on my computer along with other nautical stuff like small ships, pirate figures, a skull with a red bandana and an eyepatch and a small display of various knots, just to name a few. On my wall beside me is a replica of a ship's wheel with a brass clock in the center that my husband gave me for Christmas last year. Some of my stuff on the shelves gets packed up when doing booksignings because we decorate our table so that there's more than just the books to see as well as Cody and I dressing up as Aubrey and Mala. Some pictures of our table and our costumes can be found on our website on the Photo Gallery page.

Q: I ask everyone I review this question and I hope some of the Publishers are reading their answers. If you could speak to Publishers face to face, what would you like to tell them on behalf of authors that send in their submissions?

Cody: Please, please, please, continue to give us a chance, give us a look and see what we have to offer. There is a lot of great talent out there just waiting to be found and nurtured.

Chris: We can understand why publishers do not talk to authors directly because once you get an author to talk about his/her book, well, you've started a real 'talking machine'. *smile* Talking to agents is all well and good but who could tell anyone about a story but the one who originated it. The author can give insight as to why he/she/they went this way with the story instead of that way. Authors are fanatics when it comes their books. Listening to the authors can give publishers some idea of how the book is going to be marketable. Books on their own don't sell, but get an author with that 'no holds barred' attitude when promoting the book(s) then the skies the limit. We think publishers will be able to see that when they listened to an author give the sales pitch instead of the agent.

Q: Please use this space for any final words you would like our readers to know about you, your work, or any tips you may like to share with them.

A: Keep a notebook and pen with you everywhere you go. If you have an idea, even if it is just a little sentence, or a paragraph, write it down. If you see something, dream something, experience something, or hear something that sparks an idea, jot it down. You never know where those little notes might take you. Nurture yourself and your own talents, and never let anyone tell you that you can't write. Believe in positive affirmation. By that we mean it is sort of the 'Field of Dreams' thing....only Cody says, '.if you think it, it will come.'

Q: Tell our readers something about yourselves, anything that you would like to share.

A: Cody Lee was born and raised in a small Maryland town at the head of the Chesapeake Bay while Chris Cole grew up as a Navy 'brat'. Meeting in the 7th grade, they have been friends for over thirty years and have always shared a love of writing. With a distance of over 500 miles between us, we embarked on a dream to co-author a book that we hoped would be published. In February 1998 what was to become the RB Trilogy began and by October 2000 the manuscript was completed in rough draft. We successfully contracted in January 2001 with (PublishAmerica) in Frederick, Maryland. RB: The Widow Maker, the first book of the trilogy, was released June 2001. Book two of the trilogy, RB: The Enchantress was released May 2002. Coming soon is book three, RB: The Game.

Pen Name: C.C. Colee

Chris Cole and Cody Lee's Website and Email address: lwww.geocities.com/cc_colee

cc_colee@hotmail.com

Titles of Works published and the publisher:

RB: The Widow Maker released through Publish America in June 2001; RB: The Enchantress released through Publish America in May 2002. The third book of this pirate trilogy, RB: The Game, will be released through Publish America in the spring of 2003.

Title of projects in the works and expected completion date:

The next one to be released is a romantic mystery set in London around the 1730s. It is finished and already copyrighted. We will submit it to Publish America soon. As for our other stories, we have ten more in various stages of completion though none of them have their actual titles yet.

I want to thank Chris and Cody for allowing me to do this interview. I found both of them very helpful and just plain delightful ladies. I truly wish them the best of everything in their writing career's and believe me, as great as their books are, I won't be surprised if we see their names on the New York Times Best Seller list in the future. Many blessings to you both!

Interview with Jeanette A. Lundren - Agent

Interview with Jeanette A. Lundgren - Manager/Director of Book-To-Screen-Management 710 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite #305 Santa Monica, CA 90401 Phone #: 310-917-5070 Fax #: 310-917-5080 Email: jlundgren@book-to-screen-management.com Website: http://www.book-to-screen-management.com

I chose to do this interview with Jeanette because she is an agent that I feel works for the benefit of authors and I would like her information known. Thank you Jeanette for allowing me this opportunity, let's begin.

Q: Would you please tell us exactly what your job description is?

A: Job description: editor, proofreader, copyeditor, manager for film rights, coach, master of the pep-talk, friend, agent for North America with a full line-up of British and foreign sub-agents. I think I do it all from soup to nuts and then some. I can recognize a good story when I see one, even if the book needs editing to get it to its best form before submission. I read, edit and proofread a book all at the same time, get it to a place where I feel it can be submitted for North American publication as well as getting the author to do a synopsis for film submission via my film agent, and create a PDF file from the ms. for British and Foreign submission at the same time as it's on North American submission. I also work with several US and foreign publishers and 7 east coast agents, to pitch their film rights. Even though my last job was as rights director for a children's publisher, I prefer to be less involved with kids books except on the film rights level; and more involved with adult thriller and other adult titles on all levels. With the kids titles, I do represent a few hand-chosen ones that I feel will work in the various markets, but as an agent I really do prefer a good adult thriller of any kind any day of the week. However, this does not mean that if I discover an author who writes Young Adult novels who writes excellent stories in a literary style, I won't grab them - because I will!!!!! Some of my favorite authors over the years have been from the Young Adult end of things and when I go into a book store, I generally have to force myself not to enter the children's section.

I can see you wear a lot of hats,

Bogstad's Bookshelf	Kaveny's Bookshelf	Laurel's Bookshelf
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Donovan's Bookshelf