Check out my radio show with author Erica Graham!

Check out my radio show with author Erica Graham!

Let's Say Hello to Our Neighbor's with Carole P. Roman
Episode 6: Carole P. Roman Interviews Erica Graham Author & Professionally Speaks on Children's Speech Development
Show Airs on Saturday, July 15, 2017 @ 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM EST


http://www.podfireradio.com/broadcasting.html

Reading with a Purpose by Erica Graham

Special thanks to Erica Graham for a great article!

Reading with a Purpose

Reading is an essential aspect of a child’s development. It not only prepares a child for important literacy skills but can also play a vital role in speech and language development. Here are some tips on how to make the most out of reading time.

1.       Limit distractions

When possible, try to limit distractions when reading to your child. Distractions can be anything that your child can see or hear. Some children could even be distracted from a book if they are not allowed to conclude their previous activity. A child will get more out of reading if they are fully attending.

2.       Keep the book within reach

Sit down next to your child and hold the book so both of you can reach it. Reading is a physical experience as much as it is visual and auditory. If you are like me, you may cringe at the thought of those crisp pages becoming crinkled; but allowing your child to touch the book and turn pages will help them develop fundamental building blocks for reading as well as fine motor skills.

3.       Let your child take the lead

While reading, it is common for children to want to spend a little more time on a certain page or go back to a previous page, especially with younger ones. This is great! It means they are attending to the book. Allow them to take the lead and chime in with questions and comments.

4.       Make reading interactive

Help your child interact with the story by asking questions such as “what is happening in this picture?” or “what do you think will happen next?” This will build a narrative, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.

5.       Read routinely

Pick a time to read every day. Reading around the same time will make it part of your routine. As your child grows, they are developing new cognitive abilities and skills meaning every time they read, they are learning something new.

All of these strategies are great ways to improve reading time. However, out of all of these suggestions, the most important tip is to simply read. Pull any book from the shelf, sit down and enable your child to grow through the words and pictures before them.

-- Erica Graham

Please make sure to visit Erica Graham's site!

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/EricaGrahamAuthor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Erica-Graham/e/B01LZHMCCM/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Erica Graham Website: https://www.talkingtalesbooks.com/

Are Any of us Safe from Hackers? by Angela Hausman

Are Any of us Safe from Hackers?

New Book Raises Questions

 by Angela Hausman

Alexandria, VA July 1, 2017:  We all love the convenience of connected devices, but what happens when those devices kill? That’s the premise of a new novel, SCARS OF THE PAST, by Angela Hausman that explores how hackers use IoT devices as weapons of destruction, even death. Jacob and his team of FBI cyber sleuths must find a serial killer hiding behind aberrant code in connected devices that’s killing Russian diplomates in the US drumming up support for Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. It seems anyone who oppose Ukrainian reunification is in danger—and the killers aren’t shy about leaving a trail of other bodies as collateral damage. Scars of the Past is available for pre-order on Amazon (release date, July 25^th).

While Scars of the Past is a work of fiction, extensive research with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement officers add realism so the novel reads like facts were ripped from the headlines of the near future. Characters and scenes jump off the page, depicting the best and worst of DC and the Federal bureaucracy that stymies efforts to help the FBI prevent more death.

Scars of the Past is second in the Dark Web series, which was introduced in Buried Ladies: A Novel of Mystery, Murder, and the Dark Web. Buried Ladies, (4.8 stars) is available for the promotional price of $.99 as part of the launch of Book #2.

Angela Hausman lives and works in the DC Metro, where she teaches at George Washington University and writes from her home in Alexandria with her 2 dogs to keep her company. Prior to living in DC, Angela lived in the Rio Grande Valley, an important setting for both books. Her books feature diverse populations, including Latinos and Jews, and strong female characters who know how to kick butt.

-ENDS-
 more info available at: http://www.buriedladies.com/category/press/

In a Bind! by Eva Pasco

In a Bind!

by Eva Pasco

Incorporating a slice of life —a “Behind-the-Scene Note” pertaining to my second novel in the genre of Contemporary Women’s Fiction, An Enlightening Quiche.  Writing the novel necessitated my delving into the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent rise of mills along the Blackstone River in northern Rhode Island—my fictitious Brulé Bookbinding Co., construed by memories retained from seasonal employment at Sidney-Higgins Bookbinding Co. during my freshman and sophomore college years. Memories, sprouting through the cracks of yesteryear are vivid as yesterday's news.

Like the previous mill I worked in when I turned sixteen, Sidney-Higgins occupied a part of the old Wanskuck Mill complex on Branch Avenue in Rhode Island’s capital city of Providence. Battered and glass-shattered, the Wanskuck stood its weed-littered ground on turf from a bygone era when the falls of the West River and Wanskuck Pond powered its machinery.

Hired by Mr. Gardner, the owner, for a wage above minimum at $1.85/hour, the small company comprised of 8 people and a foreman, took me into their “fold,” no pun intended. Manny, Skip, and Jim operated the heavy-duty machinery.  Ray, the foreman, stood before the helm of the Heidelberg Polar Cutter and stepped away whenever he parceled out work to the elderly female work force. Namely Betty, Edith, Jeanette, Bea, and Eve.

There’d be days we’d hang around playing cards waiting for a job to come in. When it got especially busy during one summer, I took in my neighbor, Rachel. Ray brought in his daughter, Jane. Jim rustled up his son Jim, and Jim in turn recruited his girlfriend, Gail.  The owner hired two rich college boys who couldn’t do any wrong by association—Dave and Rick. Betty rallied her neighbor’s son, Joe, an aspiring priest who attended a seminary. 

In the same age bracket, and thrown together by happenstance, we shared some good times during lunch break. I fondly remember climbing out the window and eating lunch on one of the tar-roof landings littered with smashed 45 rpms, residue from the mill next door.  I managed to salvage a couple of discards still in one piece.

Of course, all of this bric-a-brac didn’t wend its way to Brulé Bookbinding Co., the impoverished mill in my novel.  However, the labor-intensive jobs I describe in detail certainly did: collating, hole-punching, feeding the saddle-stitcher, combing.

Paper cuts were by-products in the line of duty throughout my temporary employment. Speaking of cuts, I’d be remiss if I left out my high-pitched swan song by the “round-cornering” machine which involved leaning back a tad to step on a pedal which brought down a blade similar to a guillotine that swiftly and sharply lopped off the square corners on a stack of lined paper. Next!

I didn’t feel a thing. Like something out of a horror movie, I espied my own blood gushing everywhere and couldn’t fathom why. In a state of shock, I couldn’t comprehend that I’d inadvertently round-cornered the tip of my pinky finger, which, by the way, is none the worse from the wear and tear of being in a bind with stitches. 

Author & Blog website: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/EvaPasco

Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01LX9UXWV

Authors Den Signed Bookstore:

https://www.authorsden.com/buybook.asp?bookid=70875

Happy Father's Day!

My father was an elegant man, some people thought him distant, condescending, but I always knew better.  He was quiet.  As the war had interrupted his education, he felt insecure among my more educated uncles. He read the paper, watched news show and could explain the most complex aspects of politic science better than most of my teachers.  I think, perhaps, he was the reason I became a teacher.  The love of history, culture and customs was born with the many discussions we shared.  He had a wealth of stored knowledge that was awesome in its depth, but I don't think he ever realized it.

I have several memories of my Dad that stand out like color pictures among a lifetime of black and white stills.  Seemingly meaningless snippets of events that pop up now and then to remind me that all I am and have today is because of his influence.

My very first memory of my father is so old, that some would think it's a piece of imagination, but I remember so clearly.  I was still in my crib and needed to go to the bathroom.  Calling out urgently, I can hear his voice first, "Hold your horses..." he kept repeating.  He arrived in the nick of time, saved me from disappointment and embarrassment and began a lifetime of trust that he would always be there for me, no matter what the circumstances.

He was not a Dad who played games, or even read with us.  An avid sports fan, we watched television together, and he laughed with genuine tears when I parroted back every beer commercial ditty at three years old.  He worked so hard, traveling to cities in the most remote parts of  the country to return  exhausted that all  he could do was watch his sports every weekend.  It was our time, my mother and grandmother were in the kitchen preparing food, or chatting.  Stretching out his legs, my brothers and I would hold on to them as he moved them, pretending to be pirate's hanging from the masts.  His very round head made a perfect steering wheel, and I recall using his ears to steer our course on wind swept seas.  Perhaps Captain No Beard was born then, to be called back into into action with my own grandchildren from the dim recess of my childhood memories.

The night before I married, we sat together watching "All in the Family",  Gloria, Archie Bunker's daughter was about to leave the nest and marry as well.  I don't remember what Archie said, something about this will always be your home, it was sentimental, but I can see my Dad's blue eyes look at me and nod telling me what his words couldn't.

My father was a hard working, moral and kind man. He never set a standard for his children that he didn't do first.  Dependable, honorable, and honest, I am richer for having been his daughter as well as his friend.

Happy Father's Day!

Love,
Carole P. Roman

Judy Martialay, Let's Say Hello To Our Neighbors Radio Show

http://www.podfireradio.com/

Join me, Carole P. Roman, and my guest, Judy Martialay as we discuss Judy's book, ¡Hola! Let's Learn Spanish, and the importance of learning a second language, especially at a young age! Judy knows how to make things fun while learning, a tool that every educator and parent should know in order to teach their little ones.  Check out more at http://www.podfireradio.com/ with my new radio show, Let's Say Hello To Our Neighbors.  Special thanks to Judy Martialay and PodFire Radio to making this possible! 

I started reviewing books on a whim.

I started reviewing books on a whim. Books were an integral part of my entire life. I read anything that was lying around the house. Both my mother and grandmother were avid readers. I read anything I could get my hands on and then would sit with them to discuss the book. I had a reading partner in my mother until she passed. After she had died, I found a certain loneliness in reading as I had no one to discuss the books. It was more of a personal experience. It never occurred to me to join a book club or even read reviews online.

I never noticed the reviews on Amazon when I purchased a book. I bought books based on the subject. It wasn't until I opened Amazon to see the reaction to my own books that I realized the value of a review. 

I then understood what reading other people's reviews meant- they were a valuable tool in helping a consumer decide whether a book would interest them.

I started going through my vast library, trying to pick books I felt comfortable review. I had read so many. It had to be books I remembered and enjoyed. 

At first, I wondered if anyone would read what I had to say. Once I posted my first review, I noticed I was in the millions in y ranking as a reviewer. I realized my reviews would not have much impact, but the more I wrote the better those reviews became.

Writing the reviews on these books was like visiting an old friend. I started reading other reviewers, learning what I liked and what I found offensive.

I discovered I don't like to leave negative reviews. Writing a review is a big responsibility. Some people enjoy trashing a book, pointing out all the things they didn't like. I think liking a book should do with personal taste and preferences. When reviewers wrote, things like "this book was horrible- don't buy it.” I found it judgmental. Just because I may not like a book, doesn't mean someone else may enjoy it. A lot should do with genre, style and the mood the person is in. I have shifted in my genres throughout my life, loving it one year and disliking it intensely the next year.

I try to give an open-minded review, knowing that author put their heart and soul into the book and thinking perhaps I can mention something that will appeal to a reader. The lowest score I will give is three stars and if a book can't make that grade, for me, I simply won't review it and take the chance of influencing people not to buy it.

I try to point out what I loved, and I will mention things that bothered me on a personal level.

The result of my efforts has been astonishing. I have become a Top Reviewer on many of Amazon's sights. I watched my reviews gain momentum. Soon, I was asked to be a featured reviewer in a few popular blog spots as we as two magazines.

I love hearing from people who read my reviews and have enjoyed their feedback as well. 

Publishers have contacted me asking for reviews before the books are published. 

More importantly than that, I have discovered by reading a book written by an indie has helped the careers of people with slim budgets who can't afford to advertise.

Reading and reviewing indies is like lending a helping hand to struggling writers who are trying to bring their work to the public, many without any help.

I have read some delightful books, many of them that would have never noticed or considered before. More importantly, I have made friends in this new community.

Reading indie books and their struggles furthered my own career. As I watched so many of them wrestle with publishing and promoting, it forced me to write about my own experience as an author with my social media partner that turned into a best-selling and award-winning book. Navigating Indieworld yielding a new blog radio show with the same name as well as a new magazine called Indie Author's Monthly.

I am enjoying this off-shoot of writing. I think of writing reviews as practice. If you can please an audience with these small blurbs and develop a following, can a best-selling book be far behind?