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 |  It's about adventure! Life, Scouting, Family, writing what else is there? |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 25 OCT 2021: Just a little about me. I've been married for 30 years in NOV this year!! and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys in their teens. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. I love to write, but since I've been so involved with the Boy Scouts program since 2015 (now Scouts BSA since girls were invited to come on board) I haven't written much. I hope to get back to more writing soon, as I'm scaling back my BSA commitment. Update on this: I was able to get out 2 stories that were previously published. The update/publishing is going slow. I like to get out in nature, take walks around Castaic Lake, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bi about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| This is another piece I found on my Mike's Writing Workshop Group that I belong to on Yahoogroups.com: David Didriksen, a bookstore from Massachusetts had an interesting op/ed in 12/22/08 Shelf Awareness: "These are hard times for our publishing brethren, and by extension, for booksellers as well. Large publishers have been placing a moratorium on new titles, laying off workers, firing executives and scrambling to downsize. The lay-offs are likely to continue and booksellers are the ones most likely to feel the aftershock." Mr. Didriksen lists the following issues: **an industry bloated by years of inefficiency **cranking out too many inferior products, while failing to leverage the best assets in its portfolio: backlist titles **publishers that have commoditized themselves into a corner, trying to live solely off blockbusters for the benefit of huge mass market chains and Amazon. As an aside, I was struck by how similar this list is to the issues facing American automakers: failure to adapt to new technology and focusing on short-term best-selling products instead of thinking ahead to the future." -- This comment is from Maya, the person who brought the piece to the group, and I have to agree with it. I think the big thing, for me, is failure to adapt to new technology, but focusing on the short term hasn't helped the industry either. ". . . publishers could benefit from new efficiencies and creative new initiatives. Publishers might even rediscover the intrinsic value of backlist sales . . . And Amazon is getting so powerful, it may someday wonder whether it needs publishers at all." "Booksellers and publishers once acted as partners in the book industry, developing authors and promoting backlist titles, before the lure of quick bucks in mass merchandising channels changed the relationship. Now may be a good time to get back to basics and do business together again if we all want to survive." This may help the traditional market right now and act like a transition tool like the hybrid is for the auto industry. (what a comparison!) Getting back to basics will help, I think. We've become so bloated on "I want it right now" and "mass marketing" techniques, I think we've gotten away from the more personalized touch of traditional publishing and marketing. From seeing articles like these, I'm not surprised the publishing world needs restructuring, just like the auto industry. Let's see what happens... Steph |
I got the "Honest Scrap" award from fellow WDC member Vivian   You can visit her blog at:http://vivianzabel.blogspot.com/  I'll be posting my "Honest Scrap" awards on Monday. (I have Monday off and I'll have time to post the award on Monday) The Honest Scrap award: (from Viv's blog) Scrap means left overs, fragments, discarded material, and many times truth and honesty is discarded material, considered fragments and left over. So, we need to tell it like it is, and let the scraps fall where they will. The guidelines for winning this award include the following: 1. List 10 honest things about yourself (make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep) 2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers My 10 Picks: #1 - I was married in Denmark, in a city called Nykobig. A Justice of the Peace married us. I'm still married 17 years later to the same guy. #2 - My mother was abusive toward me when I was a teenager. That's why I joined the army. #3 - I was an MP in the army from 1986-1997. #4 - My first published poem was in my high school's literary magazine. The poem was called, "It Didn't Hurt Too Much." #5 - I grew up drawing superhero comics. #6 - In 1995 I received the "Outstanding Evening College Student" award from California Baptist Universary. I graduated with Honors with a BS in Political Science. #7 - I was 33 when my first son was born. #8 - My youngest son, Joseph, who is two, has developmental delays, specifically speech. It's very demanding and hard work to get him to his therapies, but I manage. They are working. Joe now has a vocabulary of at least ten words and it's expanding everyday. #9 - My short story, "Spontaneous Decision," scored 8th in the Mainstream/Literary category in the recent Writer's Digest Annual Competition. #10 - My novel, "Destination:Berlin," was inspired by my own visit to Berlin on the Berlin Orientation Tour in 1988. Steph's 7 Honest Scrapers: Kelly's Journal:
Niki's Journal:
Debi's Journal:
Jennifer Jackson, Literary Agent Journal: http://arcaedia.livejournal.com/ Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent, Journal: http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/ Maggie's Blog:
Lorraine's Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=30504353&blogID=... |
| I belong to Mike's Writing Workshop on Yahoogroups and there were a couple of News articles I wanted to bring here and share my thoughts with you: 1ST ARTICLE Got this off a news website. NEW YORK – Another book publisher is cutting jobs: Macmillan, where authors include Thomas Friedman, Rick Atkinson and Janet Evanovich, is eliminating 64 positions, just under 4 percent of its work force. "Going forward we are tightening our belts in response to the current recession, but we are also reorganizing and rethinking our business to position ourselves for the long term," Macmillan CEO John Sargent wrote in a company memo, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The Associated Press. ME: Yes, I definitely think reorganizing is a MUST in today's tough economic times, but what will it mean for the publishing industry? How do you reorganize? What are the priorities? Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Thomas Nelson also have announced layoffs in recent weeks. Staff reductions are likely at Random House Inc., which is undergoing a significant consolidation. Other publishers, including Macmillan, have frozen wages or deferred raises. Sargent said Monday that it was "necessary to adjust our company and become more efficient in the face of the market we are dealing with." He added that there would be no cuts in the budget for acquiring books. Me: That's good for us aspiring authors hunting for the traditional publishing contract. "That's 100 percent unchanged," he said in an interview. In a move Sargent said he had been looking into for months, Macmillan will combine its seven children's companies into a single division, the Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, effective Jan. 1. Macmillan also plans reductions through a "centralized business and production group for its adult and children's publishing companies," according to the memo. Other changes include the increased use of digital technology and reducing Macmillan's presence at BookExpo America, the industry's annual national convention. In the Internet age, other publishers have questioned BookExpo's role; the show's manager, Lance Fensterman, has said he is looking at ways to make the show more affordable and more productive. ME: Consolidation and increase digital technology. Use of Internet Marketing, I wonder? Streamlining BookExpo of America. I think are good moves, considering the times. "I think it makes more sense to funnel our marketing dollars elsewhere," Sargent said, referring to the book convention. Macmillan's publishers include St. Martin's Press, Henry Holt & Co. and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Macmillan is owned by Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, based in Stuttgart, Germany. "We will remain a loose federation of publishers producing and selling a remarkable collection of books by exceptional authors," Sargent wrote in the memo. ************ 2ND ARTICLE Layoffs at Random House, Simon & Schuster By HILLEL ITALIE – Dec 3, 2008 NEW YORK (AP) — The economy has crashed down on an industry once believed immune from the worst — book publishing — with consolidation at Random House Inc., and layoffs at Simon & Schuster and Thomas Nelson Publishers. "Yes, Virginia, book publishing is NOT recession proof," said Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers. "It's sad day." At Random House, the country's largest general trade publisher, the man who helped give the world "The Da Vinci Code" is in talks for a new position, while the publisher of Danielle Steel and other brand-name authors is leaving altogether. Stephen Rubin, who released Dan Brown's blockbuster thriller in 2003, is negotiating for a different job after Random House eliminated his position as president and publisher of the Doubleday Publishing Group. Bantam Dell head Irwyn Applebaum, whose many authors have included Steel, Dean Koontz and Louis L'Amour, is departing, effective immediately. Ouch. The guys the authors trust is leaving? Is he that expensive? Random House, under the leadership of chief executive officer Markus Dohle, announced the changes Wednesday as part of a "new publishing structure" that will "maximize our growth potential in these challenging economic times and beyond." Spokeswoman Carol Schneider would not say whether Applebaum, 54, was leaving voluntarily; Applebaum and Rubin, 67, have more than 40 years of combined experience in publishing. She said that layoffs are possible as the company's many imprints and divisions are shifted and split up. "There may be difficult decisions to make and if layoffs are necessary they will be done as fairly and as quickly as possible," she said. Simon & Schuster has been helped by President-elect Barack Obama's embrace of Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," but not enough to save some 35 positions, about 2 percent of the staff. CEO Carolyn Reidy said in a company memo Wednesday that "today's action is an unavoidable acknowledgment of the current book-selling marketplace and what may very well be a prolonged period of economic instability. " Reidy added that "the entire publishing industry is coping with these truly difficult circumstances. " On Tuesday, a top executive at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt resigned as the publisher faces a credit squeeze and possible sale. Meanwhile, the head of Thomas Nelson Publishers, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company that releases religious books, announced that about 10 percent of the staff, "54 of our friends and co-workers," had lost their jobs. "This will affect nearly every department in our company," CEO Thomas S. Hyatt wrote on his blog, http://www.michaelh yatt.com. An overhaul has been expected at Random House ever since Dohle was hired last spring by parent company Bertelsmann AG, a German-based conglomerate, and began a planned months-long review of the publisher. Last month, Random House said it would freeze pensions for current employees and eliminate them for new hires. Me: Ouch! No pensions for new hires? Under the new alignment, Random House will reduce the number of its principal divisions from five to three: The Random House Publishing Group, the longtime home to E.L. Doctorow and Maya Angelou; the Knopf Publishing Group, a literary institution that includes Toni Morrison and John Updike; and the Crown Publishing Group, known for such political authors as Obama and Ann Coulter. Applebaum's Bantam Dell Publishing Group and Rubin's Doubleday Publishing Group will be dispersed among the three divisions. Bantam has long been in trouble as sales for mass market paperbacks dropped, while Doubleday has been hurt by the absence of Brown's long-awaited follow-up to "The Da Vinci Code" and by disappointing sales for a highly publicized debut novel, Andrew Davidson's "The Gargoyle." Dohle said Wednesday that he is hoping to "create a new role" for Rubin at Random House, working directly with the CEO. "As you know, Steve has successfully led Doubleday for almost two decades and is universally respected and admired throughout the industry for both his publishing expertise and management skills," Dohle said in a company memo. Rubin, through a spokesman, declined to comment Wednesday. Applebaum said in a statement he had been "honored to work with a long-standing team of extraordinarily skilled colleagues at Bantam Dell who, book by book, year after year, consistently have brought to the marketplace more top-level best-sellers than any other group of Random House." Asked if he had been offered another position at Random House, Applebaum declined to comment. Dohle is retaining at least one Random House tradition — allowing the divisions to bid against each other for books, a practice far more welcomed by authors and agents than by those worried about expenses. Me: This sounds good, considering the purse straps are tightening. "I want to stress the fact that all the imprints of Random House will retain their distinct editorial identities," Dohle said Wednesday. "These imprints and all of you who support them are the creative core of our business and essential to our success." Also, Wednesday, The New York Times announced its 10 best books for 2008. Nine of them, including Toni Morrison's "A Mercy" and Jhumpa Lahiri's "Unaccustomed Earth," were published by Random House Inc. TRENDS: (Thoughts from me) What does it mean for the future of publishing? Look at the last 10-20 years. 2 Big things have happened: # 1 - Publishing has moved to BIG publishing houses and away from medium sized firms. #2 - Publishers spend outrageous amounts of money to support just a handful of books they think will be successful. Print books are here to stay, I firmly believe that. Yes, there's been an expansion in self-published books for about 10 years since IUniverse and other self-publishing firms developed, but the digital media used here, is not the same digital media traditional firms want to tap into. I think we're going to see less money thrown at traditional marketing strategies and more cost effective marketing via the Internet. People still like to sit down and rip into a meaty book. I do think the publishing industry is going to re-examine how they do business and MARKETING is a big area they are going to look at next to layoffs. They need to tighten the purse straps. MY PREDICTIONS: I think you're going to see less money thrown at a handful of books. I think you're going to see publishers and agents be very selective about who they represent. That said, it becomes very important to establish writing creditals. Without name regconization it will be that much harder to break into traditional publishing, I think. Attend the Writing conventions and conferences if you can. Making personal contacts with agents and publishers might give you a foot a door esp. now. Anyone care to share thoughts? Steph |
| Life Well, as usual, I'm a busy little bee. Today, I have to work, but I want to make sugar cookies with my son, Andrew and we have some shopping to do. Which, of course, doesn't leave me much time on the Internet, as usual. The baking will be fun. Andrew likes to bake and I got us matching Christmas aprons from a girl at work who likes to sew. Writing I got the "Honest Scrap" award from fellow WDC member Vivian . I'll be posting my "Honest Scrap" awards on Monday. (I have Monday off and I'll have time to post the award on Monday) The Honest Scrap award: (from Viv's blog)Scrap means left overs, fragments, discarded material, and many times truth and honesty is discarded material, considered fragments and left over. So, we need to tell it like it is, and let the scraps fall where they will. The guidelines for winning this award include the following: 1. List 10 honest things about yourself (make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep) 2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers I'm looking forward to posting on Monday.  My writing thought of the day comes from a WDC newsletter I saw and in it, the editor tackled verbs. She had a paragraph up and listed a lot of "was" verbs along with some passive voice. It was a great example of how NOT to write. That said, look for me to tackle "passive voice" in an upcoming blog entry. Steph |
| Here are the elements for a "Gothic" tale... To have a novel known as "Gothic," its got to follow a set of rules. First, the setting takes place in a castle, or if the story is set in America, an old family estate. That's what makes Southern Gothic appealing, because an old plantation can be used. The estate, be it a castle, mansion, or plantation, can sometimes be abandoned, or sometimes occupied. It can be near caves to augment a mystery and may often contain secret passages, trap doors, any mysterious rooms. Next the novel has to carry an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. In "The 13th Tale," there's an atmosphere of mystery built up around the parentage of the twins, Emmeline and Adelaine. Also, there's usually an ancient prophecy involved along with omens and visions. There are usually supernatural events which occur. It doesn't matter if they are given a natural explanation or not, the event is what's important. Other elements include high emotion, women in distress, a powerful or tyrannical male figure and metonymies - metaphors like rain which is used to represent something else, like sorrow. If you're thinking of exploring this genre, read a couple of books or short stories first. The plot and pacing must be "tight" for your story to be successful. On different note: Has anyone read "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer? Any thoughts? I read the first two chapters so far - Bella has been Edward but his reaction to her has been frigid to say the least. |
| Just a few more thoughts on Gothic Lit... Another influential author in the Gothic tradition was Edgar Allen Poe. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," he explored such classic gothic themes of decay, death, and madness, but he added his own twist - and looked into the terrors of the soul. Also writing along with Poe, was Emily Bronte. "Wuthering Heights," explored gothic elements on the Yorkshire Moors through the brooding Heathcliff character. With Bram Stroker's "Dracula," the most famous gothic villian ever was created - Dracula. Stoker also established Easter Europe as a favorite locale for the genre. More recently, in the 1930's HP Lovecrft has been connected with the genre, blending gothic elements with horror, setting a new bar for writers. Romance has also been blended with the gothic genre. During the 1950's, 60's, 70's, such authors as Victoria Holt, and Dorothy Fletcher focused on the female and her connection to a "gloomy" castle. Another sub-genre is known as "southern" gothic. This sub-genre takes traditional gothic elements and plants them in the Southern United States. Next final thoughts on Gothic - what are the elements? Also - you can find this article on Gothic Lit in my official monthly newsletter. You can sign up by visiting my website at sgcardin.tripod.com and going to the bottom of the page. ************ If you get a chance, visit my Best of the Rest Raffle this week. It's a great raffle that helps support my Best of the Rest Contest:
End date is 20 DEC or when the first 250 tickets get sold, whichever is sooner. ******* Life As usual, life is keeping me busy. I had the usual slew of appointments for Joe. He did better at his group last week. He sat down in the chair longer and attended to tasks longer which was nice. The ladies at group say it will take him 3 weeks to settle in so we've got another week. I've been working on my novel, "The Wolf's Kiss." I'm officially half-way down now. I'll be starting the "Hungary" section of it now. I've also developed it's official title - The Hungarian. It's a very different story from the Short Story I wrote in 2006, but I believe it's a lot more developed. Later on today, I'll be working on my official newsletter and I hope to have that out within a day or two. I'm currently reading: Alison Weir, "The Wars of the Roses." If you love history, esp. British history, you'll find her look at this complex time fascinating. She writes in a very engaging way that, for me at least, brings history to life. It rained last night, but it looks to be clearing a bit now. I need to mail my sister's Christmas gift off today so I'll probably tackle that once I pick Andrew up from school if it doesn't start to rain again. Anyone else have any thoughts on Gothic Lit? Love to hear them. Does anyone have any good gothic short stories or novels they can recommend? Smiles, Steph |
| Life I know it's been a while since I've written - the Christmas rush is on! Not only that, Joseph started his "group" on Thurs and Fri and it's from 1030 to 1230 which makes those days very hectic for me. As for Christmas, I did a bulk of my shopping yesterday. I took Joseph to the mall with me and he was great for being 2! He waved "hi" to everyone and every so often even said "hewlo" in the soft little voice of his. He was smiling and happy. I kept him occupied with popcorn and milk which seemed to work. Mind you, I had to know where I was going and what I wanted. Joseph is not for "browsing," but considering he's two, I thought he did great. I was able to get the ornaments for our ornament exchange and some and ends stuff. I went to the "Candleman" with Andrew (he loves to go there) and we sorted through Yankee Candle scents until we settled on "Red Berry and Cider" for our home Christmas scent. I thought at one point they had bayberry but the lady they hadn't carried bayberry in at least 3 years. After that, we went to Costco to grind the coffee beans I forgot to do last week and when we got home, Andrew and I decorated our Christmas tree. He had a blast. Joseph was a little impatient with us... Writing Now onto the writing thought of the day. I thought I'd tackle the different genres in couple of my upcoming posts and today I thought I'd look at Gothic Lit. A GREAT book that really captures the flavor of Gothic writing that's very recent is "THE 13TH TALE."
Gothic Lit got it's start in 1764 when Horace Walpole wrote "The Castle of Otranto." Walpole's story contained all the elements to define the gothic genre. Throughout the years, many authors have taken their stab at writing gothic lit, putting their own unique spin on it. Ann Radcliffe, writing in 1794 gave the genre a sense of legitamcy when she questioned the supernatural elements, explaining them away as natural causes. She also introduced the brooding villain, who by the end of the story, is revealed to be the hero. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, was definitely influenced by Gothic elements, but her novel is considered one of the first science fiction novels to be written. I'll have more thoughts on Gothic Lit tomorrow. Smiles, Steph |
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| I just want to give a shout to kiyasama and the Angel Army for my Leadership Award. It really means a lot to me. My Internet time is limited because of so many real life commitments and my own writing projects, but I do my best to remain active. Some of the things I do: I try to hang out in the Angel Army Product Review forum once a month and encourage more members to give product reviews. I write a Drama newsletter on a monthly basis. I run 3 contests, The Bard's Hall, Show Off Your Best at the Sandbox, and The Best of the Rest. I'm off to review Best of the Rest now, but here's my little plaque.  Thank you Kiya & The Angel Army. I also want to let you all know I'm giving out autographed copies of my book, "All That Remains. Send $15.95 to my PayPal email, "BotrinaRocks@hotmail.com" and you'll receive a free autograph, bookmark, magnets, and a set of pens to go with that book purchase. "All That Remains" is a contemporary romance written in 2002 and set in Manchester, NH. Darrin Banning is a widower who is being sued by his in-laws for custody of his little girl. He hired a lawyer, Kristina Rivera, and the sparks fly. Will a romance between Darrin and Kristina ruin his chances of keeping his little girl? Check it out! All the best Steph |
| Just wanted to drop a quick line. Every genre has it's "rules" and in order to be successful in that genre it's best to follow the rules. Now, sometimes you can break the rules and it works out great, but the best way to break the rules is to know them well. Here are a couple rules for the romance genre: Thinking of writing a romance novel? There are a couple of rules and guidelines that writers should keep in mind when they start out. The traditional structure of a romance novel starts with the introduction of the characters and the problem. The writer can then begin to expand the characterization and intimacy of the story. At the mid-point of the novel there's a culmination of physical intimacy. The characters are then introduced to a new problem and the story should end with the resolution of the relationship. Once the structure of the story has been plotted out, there are several plot points to consider, one being "happy ever after." A romance isn't a romance unless there's a happy ever after. This is a pretty set rule. If you keep to the traditional structure of a romance, but don't allow for a happy ever after, you have a relationship novel, not a romance. Another pretty firm rule is known as "I've only got eyes for you." When the heroine and the hero meet, the story is about how they come together as a couple. There's no room for a third party love interest because then someone doesn't get happy ever after. A third rule of romance writing involves point of view. The main point of view should be written using the heroine's perspective. Readers enjoy the hero, but he's not the one who is going to give the emotional content the story needs to reach the reader. The romance genre, however, is very forgiving when it comes to multiple character points of view in a scene. This is commonly known as the "Lonesome Dove" point of view. This perspective switches between characters within a scene. Most professional editors/readers tend to shy away from it because it's also "head hopping" and that can be confusing. Once the writer has established a plot that follows the above rules, then they incorporate the other rules which allow for a little leeway in the story. These rules encompass readers coming to care about the characters, identifying with the heroine and falling in love with the hero. And now... another review. Enjoy  Steph ********************* Book Review for: “A Woman in Berlin” Written by: Anonymous 259 pages Picador ISBN: 0-312-42611-9-51400 $14.00 5 Stars “A Woman in Berlin” tells the amazing story of the fall of Berlin in 1944 and the subsequent Russian invasion before the allies arrived. The Anonymous author paints a riveting picture of the war’s aftermath and chronicles in brutal detail what she had to do to stay alive. The novel is told in a journal format and starts on Friday, April 20, 1945. The story is by an anonymous woman who describes herself only as a thin, pale blond who wears the same overcoat. Her first entry presents a graphic scene. Berlin is under siege by the Russians. The author knows the Russians are about to liberate the city and she’s dreading it. They don’t have a good reputation as liberators. She lives in an apartment building with several other residents. The rations are poor, there’s no radio, and there’s no electricity. Gas stoves, central heating, and hot plates are all “gifts of the modern age,” but ineffectual if there’s no power. The bombs intensify around Berlin. The fighting heats up and then nothing. An eerie lull settles over he city. The author writes with unflinching honesty noting how the German society was built around the strength of their men, but now shattered, their men are miserable and powerless, leaving the German women at the mercy of their conquerors. On April 27, the author notes that the Russians have entered Berlin. They’ve quickly earned the nickname of “Ivan.” She realizes that in order to be safe, she had better find a Russian officer to watch over her. She knows that in order to earn his favor she’ll have to be intimate with him, but it’s a risk she’s willing to take. The author is candid. Having worked as a reporter previously, she can speak Russian. The initial Russians she meets are surprised by her. She seeks out a Russian lieutenant, Anatol, and becomes involved with him. He’s good to her and she gets used to him. Their relationship is short-lived. He’s soon transferred and a man known at the Major comes into the author’s life as her new lover and protector. The Major is tender and respectful of her, something that is stunning to her. Slowly, but surely, Berlin starts to come alive. Basic services are beginning to be restored. By the end of the novel, which ends on June 16, with her own announcement that she intends to stop writing, the author meets with her fiancĂ©, Gerd, who after discovering how she’s slept with several Russian men after the city’s fall, leaves her a final time. The novel concludes with the announcement of American and British forces taking over the southern part of Berlin, giving the author a sense of hope after the Russian misery she’s endured. One of the main themes throughout the novel is the rape of Berlin after the city falls – not only of it’s possessions, but of it’s women. The author chooses to give her body to Russian officers, (the officers have a reputation of keeping a woman relatively safe, whereas an enlisted man was known to rape a woman) but she still feels no better than a whore. After a pregnancy scare, she wonders how many other women have done what she has only to end up pregnant by a Russian soldier. The author humanizes a slice of history that is slowly fading from our view. The book is raw and honest, discussing uncomfortable truths that today are still uncomfortable. Rich in history, “A Woman in Berlin,” is a stirring and poignant read. |
| It's been a couple of days and I just wanted to touch bases with you all. We celebrated Thanksgiving last Thursday. My son, who is in first grade, came home about two weeks ago and told me Thanksgiving was "lame." Well, I couldn't have that. I got him involved. First we planned a menu and compromised a little. We had "White Castles" on it and Turkey of course. I also whipped some banana smoothies for him which he enjoyed. We baked cookies, cake, and a blueberry pie. And I got us some matching Turkey Day aprons. Soon, Thanksgiving wasn't lame anymore, but cool. I had him help decorate the dining room and we went to the candle store and sniffed candles, picking "spiced pumpkins" from Yankee Candle. It was a little extra effort on my part to get him involved but it was well worth it. He had a great time on Thanksgiving but it was because of the prep work. The moral of my story: A little effort and quality time w/your kids go along way. Yesterday, we took advantage of Knott's Berry Farm's Police/Fire salute and took the family. All Fire/Police got in free and brought in a guest for free. Andrew, my 6 year old, rode the log flume and liked it. He's a bit conservative in what kind of rides he picks so I was glad he was a little daring with the Log Flume. Joseph traveled, rarely any fuss until he passed out toward the end of the day. We saw the Knott's Berry Farm parade. It was kind of busy yesterday - heck, I thought more people would be at the stores shopping for sales. That said, my husband Brent was actually at Target when it opened at 6 am! I couldn't believe he was game to go, but he was. He didn't get anything we talked about though. He didn't want to wait in line for the Wii accessories, he couldn't find the Wii pajamas we wanted to get Andrew and play tent we wanted to get Joseph was sold out. He sent me a text message from Target "It's a zoo." No kidding, Sweetie. You had to expect that. We'll look for that stuff a little later on in the week. It just might be work paying the few extra bucks for our shopping sanity. Anyone have any good Black Friday tales they want to share? And now...a review. Enjoy. Steph ******* Book Review for: “Fangs for the Memories” Written by: Kathy Love 285 pages Kensington Publishing Corp. ISBN: 0-7582-1131-7 $14.00 4.5 Stars Kathy Love enters the realm of paranormal romance with her first book in the Young series, “Fangs for the Memories.” Love paints wonderfully romantic yet surreal scenes in this juicy offering which fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. Rhys Young is a brooding, moody vampire trapped in a human world. Filled with compassion, he rarely feeds from humans, preferring to get his blood in other ways. It’s not as satisfying, but it serves his conscious. He owns part of a nightclub with his brothers, Christian and Sebastian, and has chosen to seclude himself from the world due to his nocturnal nature. Part of his decision is due to his personality, and part of it is due to his background, having been an English viscount over 200 years ago. The story opens with Rhys coming to the aid of a young woman, Jane, who is being assaulted in an alley. Jane’s attacker gets away, but not after pistol whipping Rhys. Jane stays by his side and helps Rhys to his apartment with the assistance of his brothers. When Rhys comes to, he’s suffering from a bout of amnesia. Rhys mistakes Jane for his “intended,” and wraps her in an intimate embrace. Jane guilty enjoys Rhys’s advances, but assures him they aren’t engaged. It’s Sebastian who realizes that for the first time in his brother’s life, Rhys has unlocked the gate around his cool heart. Sebastian encourages Rhys to win Jane’s affections. Jane, who has lived a lonely life and was looking for a little direction is vulnerable to Rhys’s charms. Jane finds Rhys’s accent and old style mannerisms enchanting, but she has concerns over his habits. She notes how he only goes out at night and doesn’t care for mirrors. The chemistry between them is undeniable and Rhys’s hot kisses soon lead to nights of sinful passion. Jane and Christian soon notice the puncture wounds Rhys has left on her body. Christian, who has always harbored a deep seated resentment against his brother, conspires to keep Rhys and Jane apart. It soon comes down to the fact that Jane is dying from Rhys’s bites, bites he’s been unaware of because of his amnesia. The only way to save Jane is to make her a vampire. After Christian’s deception is revealed, and Rhys regains his memory, both he and Jane have tough choices to make. To save her life, will Jane allow Rhys to take the ultimate bite? The ending will satisfy those enjoy the paranormal romance genre. Love’s storytelling easily engages her readers. Her characters are interesting and dynamic. Love does write in a “Lonesome Dove” perspective, which switches point of view with no clear divisions or line breaks. This might be disconcerting to the reader. There’s a good blend of dialogue and narration. Her love scenes are erotic and tender. “Fangs for the Memories,” is a story that allows the reader to deliciously escape in its romantic fantasy. |
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