So you’re thinking of self-publishing? Jump into my how-to series… Part 1: My Eight-Year Journey Part 2: Tradtional vs. Self-Publishing Part 3: A Word About Editing Part 4: Cover Images Part 5: What the Heck is an ISBN? Part 6: Publishing ebooks on Kindle Part 7: Why Publish ebooks on Smashwords? Creating a paperback version […]
I've reviewed lots of books and written 20 of my own.
Bunnicula, by Deborah and James Howe, 1979, Book Review
I first met Chester and Harold as a kid and fell in love with them. If you haven’t encountered these two yet, let me introduce you. Chester is a highly educated cat with a vivid imagination. One of his delights is to listen to his owner, a college English professor, practice class lectures. He’s widely […]
Indie Endeavors, Part 7: Why Publish ebooks on Smashwords?
So you’re thinking of self-publishing? Jump into my how-to series… Part 1: My Eight-Year Journey Part 2: Tradtional vs. Self-Publishing Part 3: A Word About Editing Part 4: Cover Images Part 5: What the Heck is an ISBN? Part 6: Publishing ebooks on Kindle Though Amazon (Kindle) is the busiest market for ebooks, it is […]
Keeper of the Grail (The Youngest Templar series), by Michael P. Spradlin, 2008, Book Review
In Keeper of the Grail, Michigan native (yay!) Michael P. Spradlin offers the first installment of what promises to be a fabulous trilogy. I love epic stories, and the Middle Ages is one of my favorite periods of history. Throw in a little mystery, a hint of Robin Hood, a knight and a Crusade and […]
Indie Endeavors, part 6 – Publishing ebooks on Kindle
So you’re thinking of self-publishing? Jump into my how-to series… Part 1: My Eight-Year Journey Part 2: Tradtional vs. Self-Publishing Part 3: A Word About Editing Part 4: Cover Images Part 5: What the Heck is an ISBN? Your manuscript is clean, you have a cover image, you know all about ISBNs, it’s finally time […]
Henry and the Clubhouse, by Beverly Cleary, 1962, Book Review
Henry and the Clubhouse is my favorite Henry Huggins book yet. Of course, Henry overlaps with the Ramona series. She’s his pesky little neighbor. And in this book, the two of them certainly clash! Henry obtained a paper route in the last book. In this installment, his after-school job is funding his building project–a clubhouse that he […]
Sabotaged (The Missing, book 3), by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 2010
Engaging, suspenseful, and squeaky, Ms. Haddix has done it again in her third installment of her Missing series. In Sabotaged, Jonah and Kathryn are sent back to the lost colony of Roanoke with, you guessed it, Virginia Dare. Only this time things don’t go according to JB’s plans. The veteran time traveler sends them […]
Indie Endeavors, Part 5 – What the Heck is an ISBN?
So you’re thinking of self-publishing? Jump into my how-to series… Part 1: My Eight-Year Journey Part 2: Tradtional vs. Self-Publishing Part 3: A Word About Editing Part 4: Cover Images Next week we can begin diving into some of the publishing sites on the web, but before I do, a short discussion of ISBNs may […]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by JK Rowling, 2003, Book Review
At 870 pages, this is a very long book. It takes a dedicated child reader to finish, but Rowling seems to draw those in abundance. Needless to say, the book covers a lot of ground. Within, the home of Sirius Black has become headquarters for those who believe Voldemort is back and are working to […]
The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien, 1936, Book Review
Bilbo Baggins was a respectable hobbit. He “never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.” Until the wizard Gandalf and an unexpected party of 13 dwarves arrived one day on his doorstep. Suddenly, he found himself off to the Lonely Mountain to retrieve the dwarves’ stolen treasure from Smaug the dragon. The Hobbit is a year-long […]