Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories by Mike Kalmbach

I selected Writing Advice for Teens: Creating Stories by Mike Kalmbach out of the many books on Goodreads' First Reads list. I chose it as a possible teaching resource for junior high and high school teachers. Upon reading it, I found that it is not only a helpful guide for teen writers, but any writer that has another job or is just starting out. I learned after receiving the book, that the author is a local man from Minnesota.

I like how the book is organized, very simple and logical. It starts off with setting goals and moves through the writing process. Each section includes suggestions, examples from the author's own writing, writing exercises, and examples from popular novels.

I really like that Mr. Kalmbach offers suggestions on how to make time for writing and offers multiple suggestions for doing so. He openly admits that not all methods work for everyone and that you should use what works for you or a combination of methods to make them work for you. He also advocates that to be a good writer you must be an avid reader, a sentiment that I totally agree.

I will be giving this book away to a teacher for classroom use as soon as my husband has had a chance to read it.

Happy reading.

Christmas Stockings 2012

 I made two stockings for friend's babies this year. I'll be making at least one more in 2013. They have both been mailed to their recipients as of today. I designed the Snowflake stocking myself, using various snowflake patterns from multiple sources. All of the snowflakes are accented with tiny glass beads. You really can't see the detail in the picture, I guess I need a professional grade camera for that. I hope you enjoy it, Mr. and Mrs. Farmer of PA.

I did not design this one, but it goes with the theme of my other friend's nursery. Monterrey Jack and Mrs. Jack chose a zoo animal theme for their first born. They asked that the stocking reflect that as well. I found this as a a kit. I really enjoyed working on it and watching the cuteness grow with each stitch. They also got another zoo themed surprise. Which I can not divulge here as the package hasn't arrived yet.

I am working on creating stock for an Etsy store I will be opening shortly. Details to follow. In addition to the stocking to be made in 2013, I'll be making a Mockingjay to be put on a jacket for my daughter and a set of Wonder Twin emblems for my sister's soon-to-be twins.

I hope you all have a happy holiday season.

Swan Song by Robert McCammon

My husband has been after me for years to read this book, it is one of his all time favorites. After reading it, I can see why. It has to be one of the most engrossing books I've read in quite some time.

When written in 1987, Swan Song was a horror novel, now it is more of a horrific alternate history. Set in a world where nuclear war has occurred, and the world is left in ruins.

The chapters revolved around three groups of survivors spread throughout the United States. We start out in New York City, where we meet a homeless woman known as Sister Creep. She survives the explosions by being in the subway system when the bombs hit. Shortly after the bombs have landed, Sister Creep encounters another survivor while looking for supplies. His name is Doyle Halland, a shoe salesman from Pittsburgh. They decide to make their way to Pittsburgh to find out if his wife survived. Neither thinks that she has survived, but it gives them a purpose and and goal.

Next we go to a survivalist compound inside Blue Dome Mountain, there we find a Vietnam vet who is the spokesman for the compound named Colonel James "Jimbo" Macklin. We also encounter a 13 year old boy named Roland Croninger who is upset that his parents dragged him here and he can't play his computer games. They have come for a visit before completely committing their money to help fund the construction of the shelter. They all become trapped when the concussion wave from a nearby missile causes most of the mountain to collapse.

The final group of survivors that we accompany through this devastated land are Swan, a young girl, and Josh Hutchins, a wrestler known as the "Black Frankenstein". They are thrown together when they are trapped in a basement trying to escape the fireball from the missiles launches. As they escape from the basement, Josh notices grass underneath the place where Swan slept.

The book is quite long, but you don't really notice this while you read. I can't think of any time where I wasn't eager to learn what would happen next. McCammon's descriptions were gritty and often harsh to match the setting and the story, but never grotesque for the sake of grotesqueness. One of the things that amazed me the most was that though the protagonist and antagonist don't encounter each other in chapter twenty-three, you never feel like the story is dragging.

If you are looking for an excellent, dramatic post-apocalyptic story this is an excellent choice.

Happy reading!

Why Online Schooling is Better than Traditional Schooling

I have studied in both traditional and online schools, and I have found I greatly prefer online learning. When I started my online masters degree program, I was very concerned about being able to make myself complete the work in a timely fashion, as I'm generally a procrastinator when it comes getting studying done. Would I be able to balance a full-time job and taking care of my family while studying without getting behind in anything?

What I found was that I could make the most of my time while taking classes online. The schedule is much more flexible in online schooling because lectures aren't at a set time. The student can pick the best time to watch the presentation, listen to the material, or read the texts rather than being bound by the teacher's or school's schedule. You have constant access to resources if you need clarification and do not have to wait your turn or fear running out of class time to ask your question.

There is no fear of looking foolish when you ask a question because you can just email the instructor or teacher's aide privately. The classroom discussion boards allow interaction with classmates, the professor, and the teacher's aides while also keeping a running record of the discussion that can be used for later study.  Developing study groups that meet through chat, video conferences, email conversations or collaborative websites provides a educational support network that you can customize to suit your needs and learning style.

Zombie Autopsies by Steven C. Schlozman, MD

I found The Zombie Autopsies while browsing through Barnes and Noble, it was one of those trips I should have avoided because I walked out with books when I should have left empty handed. Damn books, destroying my budget!! Zombie Autopsies was one of several zombie books I looked at that trip, and after much deliberation I adopted it.

I was attracted to this book because of it's different take on a zombie story. It is written like a research journal kept by a scientist as they try to develop a cure for the plague. The fact that the author is a real doctor added a certain amount of realism to the research feel of the story. The anatomical drawings that are included as part of the research notes are beautifully rendered, though grotesque and disturbing.

The journal pages are interspersed with military reports and comments on the research which was collected from the research facility at a later date. Dr. Blum, the research scientist whom wrote the notes, was sent to the research facility after a garbled message was sent by the previous doctor in charge and all contact was lost. The facility is in a race against time,  not only because it's a world wide pandemic, but because the research itself is a death sentence. All the researchers and guards at the facility are volunteers.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about the book, and an aspect that added to the reality of it, was that you can see the loss of the doctor's ability to focus and concentrate as the story goes on. This fits wonderfully with the description of the diseases progression and the drawings showing the deterioration of the previous victims.

I would not recommend this book for those with week stomachs as the drawings are extremely detailed and life-like, or rather death-like despite being pencil sketches. If you are a lover of zombie stories and fascinated by science, I recommend this book.

Happy reading.