San Diego Legends 2nd Edition by James Scheffler Innis (Sunbelt Publications, Inc., 2015 - 290 pages).

Book Review by Jacqueline Carr

April 6, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - San Diego Legends 2nd Edition by James Scheffler Innis is filled with a plethora of information about famous and infamous San Diego Legends.  The stories are all interesting; some are quite humorous, while others are important history lessons.

By Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2015 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove residents looking for activities can find a variety of options at the Lemon Grove Library (3001 School Lane).  Want to shape up with a yoga class? Get help studying for your DMV test?  Savor a concert by Coco & Lafe, see an art exhibit and meet a local poet?  Learn about gardening, or delve into genealogy?

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

Love Marathon (“La marathon del amor”), by Nuria Garcia Arteaga (Smashwords, 2013)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

‘A writer does not learn how to write … a writer is born to tell stories’

March 15, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Nuria Garcia Arteaga, this accomplished author and musician from Lima, Peru, now living in The Netherlands, has written and compiled a work of art that explores romance and intimacy; Love Marathon (“La maraton del amor”). Love Marathon is a trilogy that follows the lives of three women, Malucha, Maniro and Magnolia. The three women hail from disparate socioeconomic backgrounds and exemplify the novel’s epigraph: “Latin American women are like their nations, some self-destruct, others are destroyed and a few survive.” This trilogy of stories in Love Marathon; Between Drizzle and Hate, Menkori and Of Sun and Moon, captures the essence of human endeavor and frailty. The book is written in English and Spanish. Click to view video.

March 7, 2015 (San Diego)--On Thursday, March 19, three seasoned freelancers Hilary Achauer, Anita Palmer, and Lynette Smith, will provide valuable insights to help editors and writers put together successful job quotes at the next program meeting of the San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN). The presentation, Getting the Price Right: The Art of Bidding Jobs, will take place at 6:30 p.m. in San Diego County Health Services Complex.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

Readers

February 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - February 22 (Sunday, 2:00 pm) — Local children's book author Henry Herz's new picture book, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes (from Pelican Publishing), has garnered considerable praise, including: "For all of us who grew up loving Dungeons & Dragons and Tolkien, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes is an excellent way to introduce our little ones to the world of fantasy!"

For additional information, contact Henry Herz at 858-212-6111; http://birchtreepub.com/mgnr.htm.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Avenue, Suite #100, San Diego.

Old Magic - Lives of The Desert Shamans  - Nicholas Clapp (Sunbelt Publications, Inc., 2015-209 pages).

Book Review by Jacqueline Carr

February 17, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - The title of this book piqued my interest.  I was engaged from the start and wanted to know who the Shamans were and what sort of magic they performed.  I immediately looked up the meaning of the word Shaman, and in accordance with the Oxford English Dictionary - a Shaman, is a priest or priest-doctor among various northern people of Asia—applied by extension to similar personages in other parts, esp. a medicine-man of some of the north-western American Indians.

Janju: A Village Girl In A City World, by Priscilla Koranteng (Poised Publishing LLC, Lanham, Maryland, 2014, 147 pages.)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

February 17, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Priscilla Koranteng has followed up on her earlier Janju: The Voice Of One Girl with the natural progression to Janju: A Village Girl In A City World. It expands on the leadership qualities of a young girl in a small village area of Africa identified in the earlier book to that of her being in a much larger city environment. As with her earlier book Koranteng underscores the unique and endearing qualities of a young girl that seems to embolden her family and all those that come into contact with her. Clearly, Janju is a born leader. Why this particular book? The author indicates that as a young girl she always loved to read and write, and that she would basically write about anything, but little did she know or realize at the time that she had the ability to write poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Looking at her own life and now living abroad – she realized that the African child is sometimes distorted and limited to hunger and poverty – which is still the case. Koranteng emphasizes that the underlying resilience with which these kid survive is sometimes left out of the story. Thus, the fictional and warmly humanistic character Janju.

By Dennis Moore

February 9, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Author KB Schaller (Cherokee/Seminole heritage) was recently notified by Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA), Inc., that her title, 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World, would be included in the organization's display at Book Expo America (BEA)!

February 3, 2015 (San Diego)--San Diego's Mission Trails Regional Park announces a three-day Kumeyaay Lakes Poetry Campout  in February with Poet Jim Moreno--complete with love-themed workshops for romantics at heart.

The Valentines Day Weekend (Feb. 13-15) will blend writing time for beginning to seasoned poets in four structured writing workshops. Star gazing with the San Diego Astronomy Association, a guided nature walk, and a Saturday sunset open mic for camping poets and community at the Kumeyaay Lake amphitheater will be blended with Valentine theme poetry events.

Janju: The Voice Of One Girl, by Priscilla Koranteng (Poised Publishing LLC, Lanham, Maryland, 2014, 150 pages.)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

January 27, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Priscilla Koranteng, an author and businesswoman born in Ghana, West Africa, to a teacher and politician, and who grew up with a lot of optimism and the zeal to achieve the best in all she could, has written a warm and fictional account of a young girl growing up in Africa; Janju: The Voice Of One Girl.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

On Earth As It is In Hell, by Cortina Jackson (48HrBooks, 2014, 204 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore                                                                                                        

January 17, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Cortina Jackson, a doting mother of two sons, with a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, and over 15 years of law enforcement experience, has written a fictional novel that reaches within the depths of your soul to examine your relationship with God and the Devil; On Earth As It Is In Hell. Although fictional, one gets the impression that this book is based on the author’s life experience, especially after reading excerpts of the book and numerous phone interviews with her. With Jackson’s experience and knowledge in law enforcement, she has seen firsthand that; oftentimes, life is scarier than fiction. This has given her a basis for the material in her writing that often seems too detailed to be true. The gory and graphic aspects of those doomed to Hell, such as this fiery inferno continually burning the skin from their bodies, seems so disturbingly realistic. It is actually scary! This born-again Christian has written a spellbinding novel. Listen to audio intro to book here.

Akram, by Akram Arastehjoo (The Scriptory, Stacy Thunes Krieger, Menlo Park, California, 2014, 115 pages).

Screenplay Review by Dennis Moore

January 7, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Akram Arastehjoo, a descendant of the great Persian Empire, which we now know as Iran, tells her own and personal family story that encapsulates the long and illustrious history of kings and queens, in a screenplay written by Stacy Thunes Krieger, Akram. The author actually derives her name from the Holy Quran; meaning generosity, or “most generous.” This is pointed out by Krieger in this well-written and warm story.  Arastehjoo is unabashed in her pride for everything that is Persian, and rightfully so. It comes across in my interview of the author and throughout the story. I have been made aware that Iran actually converted from the original name of Persia to Iran in 1935, but it did take some getting used to. Many seem to prefer that bygone era of Persia, and all it stood for, including the iconic Darius the Great.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

Readers

January 2 (Friday, 6:00 pm) — Author Bishop O'Connell will sign and talk about his book, The Stolen.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.