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Review of Rain Clouds and Waterfalls, by Piper Templeton, Audiobook

I “read” the audio version of Rain Clouds and Waterfalls, by Piper Templeton.  That in itself is a big plus for me! I frequently listen to audio books or the text-to-speech accessibility feature of books while I multi-task. Professional narration by Audible conveys the nuance of words and tone of the scene in a way that text-to-speech cannot. It really brings a book to life!

Rain Clouds and Waterfalls follows the life of Ellen, a school girl in the ’70s, to adulthood in 1990. The most notable and enduring of Ellen’s personality is her fanatical obsession with the Beatles, and that provides the thread connecting the chapters which are snapshots of her life. Given this, I half expected actual Beatles music to be present in the audio book. Alas, it is only present to the same extent as in the other forms of the book, with mentions of albums, songs, and Beatles history and trivia.

Ellen evolves as a person during the course of the book. She starts as a timid member of a dysfunctional family, and gives up the idea of college because she mistakenly believes her future is with the guy who has been using her for sex. We continue to see her as sexually abused in the 1980s workplace, in a way that would not be tolerated today. By the end of the book she has moved past that situation, and is considering furthering her education.

The ending wraps up some loose ends with a nice twist and a hopeful outlook. If you are a Beatles fan, and grew up during that era, you will enjoy this book. Try it on Audible!

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Review of The Settler: A Modern Novel of Israel by Orit Arfa

This book opened a window into Jewish culture and the ancient conflict over land. The main character, Sarah, and her family are forced from their home in Gush Katif (an area in Gaza under Jewish control) as part of what the Israeli government called “Disengagement“. To Sarah and the other Jewish settlers there, it is the “Expulsion”. The death of Sarah’s brother Aaron while serving in the army, along with being uprooted by Israeli soldiers, pushes Sarah into a crisis of faith. She seemingly turns her back on God and the strict observances of law and tradition she was raised with, and plunges into a worldly lifestyle of sex, drugs, and night clubbing.
The author uses many Hebrew words,  usually with the English beside them, or you can tell the meaning from the context. If you are reading on a Kindle, you can tap the word to get a definition in most instances.
I won’t share how the story turns out because I don’t want to be a “spoiler”, but if this topic interests you, it is worth the read.

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Bad Redhead Media’s Rachel Thompson is Social-Media Savvy!

Rachel Thompson of Bad Redhead Media has pulled out all the stops in providing an invaluable book for authors promoting their own books. Her knowledge of social media is thorough, and in this book she tells how to manage the platforms to turn them into a powerful marketing machine.
She provides links to all the social media platforms, as well as specific pages within each media to accomplish certain tasks. Rachel touches on SEO, Google Analytics, and how all this applies to publishing in Amazon’s KDP Select.
The tone of the book is conversational, and it is formatted into daily doses, so as not to become overwhelming. Rachel even provides assignments for each day to help you move from just reading about marketing your book to getting it done.
I highly recommend this book to the self-publisher! But get your own copy – I know I’ll be referring to mine for at least the next 30 days!

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Launch Your Book With Solid Data From KDP Rocket!

“Keyword research is crucial to your long term success! KDP Rocket is the software you NEED to do this research properly!”My mentor could not have made it any clearer. She was giving me, a new author, the secret to:• Validate my book idea• Keyword Research for Title and Subtitle• AMS Keyword SearchWithout KDP Rocket it would take hours or even days to get this information.So I bought KDP Rocket. Wow!It not only validated my book idea, but it showed me that my sub-genre does well in journal form. I was also surprised to see that audio versions are highly sought after in this niche. KDP Rocket just uncovered two new potential revenue streams for me!I have also found the support team to be highly responsive. You don’t have to wait days for an answer; I usually hear back within an hour or two.KDP Rocket’s creator, Dave Chesson, has put together an enormous library of free tutorials, not just on using KDP Rocket, but ‘How-to’s on many other aspects of Kindle Direct Publishing.KDP Rocket is a tremendous value for the money! Click below to check it out!https://kindlepreneur.samcart.com/referral/IWu0V6R9/L0H79R5mHKmJgihoKDP Rocket

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4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace – Review

4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace is truly a 5-Star Coming-of-Age book. At age 14, Aaron contracts a rare form of meningitis which paralyzes his body but leaves his mind intact. Because he has no way to communicate, it is assumed that he is in a vegetative state.

You may think this sets up a dull story, but it is quite the opposite! Aaron and his new friend Sol experience historical vignettes ranging from the 1920s through the 1980s, touching on wars, jazz, an earthquake and culture.

I recommend this book for Middle Grade and up. It contains elements of Fantasy, Time Travel,  and Telepathy, all popular in Young Adult fiction today, but without a dark side common to so many YA books.

An overriding theme is acceptance of people of other races and who profess other religions. Yet this is presented without anyone being obliged to feel guilty for being born a “favored” skin color or nationality, or for being in a majority.

Love, forgiveness, death and loyalty are also explored, giving the characters dimension and likable personalities. 4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace is an inspirational story that will leave you uplifted and hopeful.