The best way to thank an author...

The best way to thank an author

is to write a review

Thanks to Lisa J. Lickel at Author Culture blog for 1) the image above, and 2) the following great list

of people can do to support a writer they like:

http://authorculture.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-influencer-does.html

Which reminds me, of course, my "Christmas at the Homeplace" novel will be released on Friday, October 25, 2013. If you would like to review it, please drop me a note: billsmith2003 at gmail.com

[I'll be happy to provide a PDF in exchange for the review - it need not be long, a couple of lines, a couple of paragraphs - your personal thoughts!]

THANKS! ;-)

Tinseltown Riff - Book Review

Book Review

Tinseltown Riff

by Shelly Frome

I am pleased to be the second stop on this Virtual Author Book Tour - Thanks for stopping by! ;-)

Publisher: Sunbury Press (March 2013)


Category: Hollywood Crime Caper, Action/Adventure, Thriller


ISBN-13: 978-1620062050

Available in: Print and ebook, 239 Pages

About the Book:

Tinseltown Riff centers on Ben Prine, a thirty-something Hollywood screenwriter who, on a Labor Day weekend, finds himself in desperate straits. Latching on to a dubious last-minute opportunity, he unwittingly embarks on a collision course with a Montana tracker connected with a Vegas mob; an odyssey which culminates in a showdown on an abandoned Western movie set.

About Shelly Frome:

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of mysteries, books on theater and film, and articles on the performing arts appearing in a number of periodicals in the U.S. and the U.K. He is also a film critic and a contributor to writers’ blogs.

His fiction includes Lilac Moon, Sun Dance for Andy Horn, the trans-Atlantic cozy The Twinning Murders and Twilight of the Drifter, a southern gothic crime-and-blues odyssey. Among his works of non-fiction are the acclaimed The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Tinseltown Riff, his latest novel, is both a social commentary and a Hollywood crime caper.

Shelly Frome’s Website: www.shellyfrome.com

Shelly Frome Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shellyfrome

Shelly Frome Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome

My comments: Tinseltown Riff is a special read. I really enjoy a book that reads like I am watching a movie. I appreciate the multiple, distinctive characters that I learn to love, hate, or simply wonder about. This is the first Shelly Frome novel for me, so it was a special treat. He has a very unique writing style that I assume most readers will enjoy.

I wanted to read this book to get a sense of behind the scenes Hollywood, and I was not disappointed. His attention to the detail of the environment and the physical world of the characters really brings it alive and puts the reader right into this world with the characters. What fun!

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter by Jeff Carter

This post is the sixty-ninth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

This is an Advanced Readers Copy I received from LibraryThing… I really wanted to see 'family history' book of a famous family. I had read several of Jimmy Carter books, but not the details of his genealogy/family history.

Click to go to Amazon, to learn more about the book

From the Back Cover of the book:

During his presidency, Jimmy Carter received a comprehensive analysis of his family's genealogy, dating back 12 generations, from leaders of the Mormon Church. More recently Carter's son Jeff took over the family history, determined to discover all that he could about his ancestors. This resulting volume traces back to the original immigrants to America and chronicles their origins, occupations, and life dates. Among his forebears Carter found cabinet makers, farmers, preachers, illegitimate children, slave owners, indentured servants, a former Hessian soldier who fought against Napoleon, and even a spy for General George Washington at Valley Forge. With never-before-published historic photographs and a foreword by President Jimmy Carter, this is the definitive saga of a remarkable American family.

The son of President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, Jeff Carter is a researcher for the Conflict Resolution Program at the Carter Center at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Then Everything Changed

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

Then Everything Changed: Stunning Alternate Histories of American Politics: JFK, RFK, Carter, Ford, Reagan

by Jeff Greenfield

This post is the sixty-eighth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]


I chose this book to read because I will be getting an Advanced Reader copy of Jeff Greenfield's "If Kennedy Lived" (due out in October) from LibraryThing. Thought it would be interesting to read this first.

From Amazon.com Editorial Reviews - From Booklist (extracted 7 Sep 2013):

Greenfield, chief political correspondent for CBS News, is also a successful novelist. Here, he tries something different: alternate history, delivering takes on three different moments in the not-so-distant American past. Not many people remember that in December 1960, President-elect Kennedy was almost assassinated. What if Richard Pavlick had gotten to Kennedy three years before Lee Harvey Oswald? Conversely, what if Robert Kennedy had not gone through the kitchen of a Los Angeles hotel where Sirhan Sirhan lay in wait? And, in 1976, had Gerald Ford not made a mistake in his debate with Jimmy Carter, that election might have gone a different way. Inevitably, speculation plays a role in Greenfield's accounts, but he bolsters possible scenarios with ancedotes, quotes, and oral histories, all of which are sourced at the end of the book. This reliance on sources is why Greenfield prefers that his work be called nonfiction, though some may disagree. Perhaps readers who remember the actual events and casts of players will be the book's best audience, but any history buff will appreciate these fascinating reinterpertations.



Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Sharing published Short Story - Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol VIII

Echoes of the Ozarks

published short story

Happy to have received today, the hard copy of Volume VIII, Echoes of the Ozarks, an anthology of short stories by writers of the Ozarks Writers League (OWL), in which one of my Founding short stories appears. Always nice to actually see it in print with those of other admired authors.

The story, "First plantings," has appeared here in slightly edited form (especially the lead paragraph) earlier this year. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Bill  ;-)

Cross posted on The Homeplace Series blog.

It's Monday, What are You Reading? It's Classified

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

It's Classified by Nicolle Wallace

This post is the sixty-seventh entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

The second novel by Nicolle Wallace. I read the first, Eighteen Acres, a week ago.

From Amazon.com Reviews section, extracted 25 Aug 2013:

The latest “must for political junkies and fans of political fiction”* from New York Times bestselling author Nicole Wallace.
The four most powerful women in Washington are at the top of their political game. . . . What could possibly go wrong?
Charlotte Kramer, America’s first female president, is beginning her second term and is determined to make her mark on history though events do seem to be conspiring against her. Melanie Kingston, her best friend, just signed on as secretary of defense. Will their relationship survive? Dale Smith is the senior communications advisor to the vice president and knows a secret that could not only ruin her own career, but put the credibility of the White House on the line. Tara Meyers is the most popular vice president in recent history, but does her public image match her private life?
When a classified terror threat is made public, all the weaknesses of this presidency are laid bare—and with the country’s safety at stake, someone in the White House isn’t taking any chances.
From the bestselling author of Eighteen Acres comes a novel with a true insider’s look at the lives of Washington’s political elite. It’s Classified reveals the intrigue and drama that go on behind the closed doors of the White House and opens up a world few have access to.

About the Author
Nicolle Wallace is a political strategist and former political analyst for CBS Evening News whose recent posts include White House Communications Director under George W. Bush and campaign advisor for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Wallace lives in New York City and Connecticut.




Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Eighteen Acres

It's Monday, What are You Reading? 

Eighteen Acres

by Nicolle Wallace

This post is the sixty-sixth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

Noticed mention of this novel (and the second one in the series) in an article about Hillary Clinton in the Washington Post. Surprised I hadn't seen it before. Got it on the Kindle. Pretty sure I'll enjoy it!

From Amazon Editorial Reviews section, extracted 11 Aug 2013:

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist:
Melanie Kingston, White House chief of staff to the nation’s forty-fifth president, Charlotte Kramer, has spent 15 years in the 18 acres that constitute the White House complex. As her boss and dear friend President Kramer considers running for a second term, the two are confronted with political and personal turmoil that threatens their collective and individual careers. Melanie has no social life to speak of as she navigates the politics within and outside the White House. Charlotte’s marriage is falling apart, her husband is having an affair, and her closest adviser and friend makes a judgment that threatens national security and tests the bonds of friendship. Dale Smith, a reporter in love with the president’s husband, fights her conscience and professional ethics as she struggles to climb to the top of television news reporting. Wallace draws on 13 years experience as a political commentator and news reporter, many of those years spent working in the White House, to deliver a portrait of three women caught in the whirlwind of Washington politics. --Vanessa Bush

About the Author
Nicolle Wallace is a political strategist and former political analyst for CBS Evening News whose recent posts include White House Communications Director under George W. Bush and campaign advisor for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Wallace lives in New York City and Connecticut.





Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)