This week on A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book: Alex Brown

This week on A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book, Jennifer will interview Alex Brown, author of Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and his Legacy. Listen live on Wednesday, August 1 at 3:30 Pacific Time or hear the recording any time after the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-walker/2012/08/01/a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-good-book.

This is the story of the undefeated and spectacular Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro and how he has changed lives.

Learn more about Alex and the book at http://alexbrownracing.com/.

Author Jennifer Walker Presents to The Friendship Club

Press Release

Former Grass Valley, California, resident Jennifer Walker will travel to Nevada County on July 27, 2012 to speak at a literary luncheon for the middle- and high school members of The Friendship Club, an after-school prevention program designed to reach at-risk girls before they engage in unhealthy behaviors. The club encourages reading and teaches life skills and personal responsibility.

During the luncheon, Walker will speak about her work as an author and sign copies of her novel BUBBA TO THE RESCUE. Each member of the club will receive a complimentary copy courtesy of The Friendship Club. This luncheon is the culminating event of a six-week reading program for members of the club run in conjunction with The Book Seller in Grass Valley as part of The Friendship Club's summer enrichment program.

In BUBBA TO THE RESCUE, what starts out as a leisurely trail ride turns into a terrifying afternoon when Alex and Leslie see a plume of smoke rising in the trees. After saving the neighbor’s horses from a horrible fate, the two teens must run through the burning woods and get back to Green Meadow before it’s too late. On the way, they encounter a strange horse wandering through the woods by itself, and it follows them home. Leslie soon becomes attached to “Spark” when she can’t find his owner…but will she get to keep him, or will someone come forward to claim the horse she has come to love?

BUBBA TO THE RESCUE is the second book in Ms. Walker's series of THE RIDERS OF GREEN MEADOW RIDERS teen, tween and children's fiction books. BUBBA GOES NATIONAL is the first book in the series. Each book is a stand-alone story, but they do tell a continuing story as well.

"The Friendship Club is a wonderful program for guiding today's youth on the right path," commented Walker. "They strive to instill in their members the exact same values I try to teach through my books. I'm honored to have been chosen to speak with the girls and share my work with them."

Although THE RIDERS OF GREEN MEADOW was written for the nine to 14-year-old market, it has appeal for horse lovers of all ages. Readers will learn a little about horse care and showing while reading delightful stories about working hard to make one’s own dreams come true.

Michelle L. Devon, author and owner of Accentuate Services, says, “In this second book in the RIDERS OF GREEN MEADOW series, Leslie continues to learn, through her work with horses, valuable lessons that all young people can take with them: responsibility, doing the right thing when the right thing is hard to do, being a good friend, and learning how to be part of a blended family. In age-appropriate ways, Ms. Walker touches on tough subjects, like death, abusive relationships, paying debts owed, all within a great story about Bubba, our family horse character from book one, and a new horse at Green Meadow who comes to them in an exciting but dangerous way.”

BUBBA TO THE RESCUE is available at a cover price of $12.95. Books may be purchased at http://twintrinitybooks.com/search.php?keywords=jennifer+... or through online retailers, like www.barnesandnoble.com and www.amazon.com. Wholesale orders can be placed through the major distributors Ingrams, Coutt’s, Baker & Taylor, Blackwell Book Services and Holt Jackson. 

More information on The Friendship Club can be found on their website at http://www.friendshipclub.org/.

Contact:

Jennifer Walker

916-671-9637

jennifer@authorjennwalker.com
www.authorjennwalker.com

This week on A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book

This week on the A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book BlogTalkRadio show, Jennifer will interview Nancy Di Fabbio, author of Quest for the Dress and Midnight Magic. Listen live Wednesday, July 25 at 3:30 Pacific Time or hear the recording any time after the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-walker/2012/07/25/a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-good-book.

Nancy has turned her passion for brides and horses into a new career: writing. Her first book,  Quest for the Dress - Finding your Dream Gown without Losing your Sanity, Friends, or Groom, a must-read for every bride-to-be  is based on her 30-year career as a custom bridal designer.  Her own magical Morgan, Trinity, was the inspiration for Midnight Magic - Be Careful What You Wish For!,  spooky thriller about a haunted painting, a mysterious Morgan stallion, and the girl who loves him.

Learn more about Nancy at www.nancydifabbio.com.

This week on A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book

This week on A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book, guest host Greg Walker will interview Sherie Labedis, author of You Came Here to Die, Didn't You. Listen live on Wednesday, July 18 at 3:30 Pacific or hear the recording any time after the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-walker/2012/07/18/a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-good-book.

In You Came Here to Die, Didn't You Sherie Labedis recounts history in the making.  By turns terrifying, touching and provoking, her experience as one of a handful of white college students registering black voters in rural South Carolina during the summer of 1965 is riveting.  Committed people can make a difference!

Learn more about Sherie and the book at www.sherielabedis.com.

Guest post: Mary Beth Magee

Thanks to fellow blogger Mary Beth Magee, who provided the following guest post for us today. She addresses a very important topic: moderation. Enjoy, and please visit Mary Beth's blog.

Jennifer Walker has made the mistake of turning me loose on her blog. That may be a little bit dangerous because I have a lot of strong opinions!

Today I’d like to use this soapbox to address the issue of moderation in writing. In fact, I’d like to argue in its defense. As a reviewer, I read dozens of books each month. Few things can numb a reader faster than overuse of any tool. From language to brutality to yelling in all caps in email, extensive repetition lessens the impact.

Remember Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” and the uproar over Rhett Butler’s final line? If Butler had been cursing throughout the book, his parting shot would have been weakened to triviality. Mitchell’s moderation made the line a devastating slap in Scarlett O’Hara’s face. In my opinion, she made the right decision.

Gore falls into the same situation. I recently finished Bob O’Connor’s Civil War novel “A House Divided Against Itself.” Much of the action takes place at Gettysburg-a bloody, gory day if there ever was one. O’Connor handles the event with great discretion. He focuses on a handful of characters and what happens to them. The reader can better absorb the horror on the personal level; his moderation allows the reader to feel throughout the book.

SEX! That got your attention, didn’t it? Human beings engage in sexual behavior on a number of levels. Not all of those levels end up in tangled bodies. If every encounter your characters have ends up in bed, you’ve lost some sexual punch. Try thinking “sensual” as an alternative to “sexual.” Throwing in a bedroom scene every few pages doesn’t make up for a poor storyline. A little discretion about sex can change the impact the act delivers.

Ask yourself these questions about the language, violence and sex you’re putting in your story:

1)     Is this a natural progression for the character(s)?
2)     Does this advance the plot or slow it down?
3)     What else might I use in this situation?
4)     Is this appropriate for the audience I’m trying to reach?

Even descriptions can go overboard. If you’ve just spent three full pages describing a flower, your reader may have given up on the book unless you’re writing a botanical guide. Find a good editor or critique group to help you stay on track with your narrative. “Show, don’t tell” doesn’t equate to “Beat them over the head with it.”

As writers, we have freedom of self-expression. Some writers use that as an excuse for excess. The good news about freedom-that we have the freedom to moderate our own writing-gets lost in the discussion. I’m in favor of expressing. I’d just like to encourage you to get the most impact for your expression by using moderation.

Thanks again to Mary Beth Magee for stopping by!

This week on A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book

This week on the A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book BlogTalkRadio show, Jennifer will interview two different guests:

Wednesday, July 11 at 3:30 Pacific Time: Patricia Yager Delagrange, author of Moon Over Alcatraz. Listen live or hear the recording any time after the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-walker/2012/07/11/a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-good-book.

Moon Over Alcatraz: After the death of her child and a strained marriage, Brandy ends up carrying more than the weight of grief in her heart when an old friend returns to town.
Friday, July 13 at 3:30 Pacific Time: Bob O'Connor, author of A House Divided Against Itself. Listen live or hear the recording any time after the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-walker/2012/07/13/special-edition-of-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-good-book.

A House Divided Against Itself is a historical fiction account based on a true story of four Gettysburg residents during the Civil War. Two of the characters are brothers. They fought against each other two different times during the war.  The book is based on over 90 letters from the participants and from regimental records. This is the unpublished beginning of a story for those who know of the Battle of Gettysburg may already know the ending.

Book Review: A House Divided Against Itself

A House Divided Against Itself, by Bob O'Connor

Paperback: 234 pages
Publisher: Infinity Publishing (October 21, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0741469375
Rating (1 to 5 *): *****

A House Divided Against Itself Book Review

The Civil War is often characterized as "brothers fighting against brothers." Not only was it tragic that countrymen fought against each other, but there were a few instances where family members actually fought against each other. One such case was Wesley and William Culp, who fought on opposite sides of the war and faced each other in battle twice.

A House Divided Against Itself follows four people: Wesley Culp, his brother William, his best girl Virginia "Jennie" Wade, and his friend Jack Skelly. Recreated from over 90 actual letters these people wrote and filled in with fictionalized dialogue and other details, a previously untold story is brought to life.

Although I do not normally read historical fiction, I thought this sounded interesting and jumped at the chance to read and review it. I really enjoyed it. I was not really familiar with the story of the Culps before, and I loved having this gap in my education filled in with such an entertaining story. The format did take a little bit of getting used to, because it jumped back and forth in time as the perspective switched from person to person. However, this allows the reader to experience some of the events from multiple perspectives. The amount of research author Bob O'Connor put into the book was astonishing, and thanks to that research he was able to include photos of the real-life characters, documents, buildings, and grave markers. I found A House Divided Against Itself to be a great read.

Disclosure of material connection: I received a free copy of this book for review as this author is currently on tour with my company, Walker Author Tours. I tried to be as accurate and objective in my review as possible.