Rosepoint Publishing

Lost Coast Rocket – Review

Lost Coast Rocket by Joel Horn

Genre: Currently #14083 in Best Sellers Rank for Kindle Store, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, LLC

Publication Date: July, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Lost Coast Rocket – Cover and title conveys subject; Cover girl hints youthful age of characters

The debut novel, Lost Coast Rocket by Joel Horn, is classified as sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult; though it reads with such authority you’d swear is a non-fiction on rocketry that merely involves a story. Thank heaven we are introduced to the protagonist and “his team” as young children, albeit geniuses, as the subject of rocketry would otherwise have been well over my head. As is, it was broken down into easily understandable snippets of believable dialogue between kids. And kids, as well as young or old adults would enjoy this easy introduction into a fascinating subject. Continue reading “Lost Coast Rocket – Review”

From the Desert to the Rust Belt

From the southwest to the midwest. It’s a given that fall comes earlier to some areas faster than others. While we enjoyed a slow decline in morning temps in Goodyear, there were not all the outwardly signs of the slide into winter as we are currently beginning to note in northwest Indiana. I love the landscape of Arizona, the cactus, the beauty of sunrises and sunsets and I never tired of the artistic parks crafted with the perfect balance of sand, rock, and arid vegetation–there is an amazing variety of plants and trees in the desert. And so many hiking trails! There is a bounty of hiking trails for everyone from short to long or level to climb. Continue reading “From the Desert to the Rust Belt”

Pinterest-How To Up Your Engagement With These Six Simple Rules

Pinterest is now being used for people on a how-to quest. How to pursue a project or interest. Pinterest reports informative pins are up to 30% more engaged than other pins. Want to bury your pin? Just make a simple pin with a picture. To make them more informative, however, you might want to take a college course on colors, form, and journalism or buy ebooks, webinars, and read, read, read informative blogs. Or, try employing these six techniques: Continue reading “Pinterest-How To Up Your Engagement With These Six Simple Rules”

Blacktip Island – Review

Blacktip Island by Tim W Jackson

Genre: Currently #3585 in Best Sellers Rank for Literature & Fiction-Action & Adventure-Mystery & Thriller-Crime

Publisher: Devonshire House Press

Publication Date: September, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Blacktip Island – Cover invites inspection and obviously conveys a Caribbean theme

Psst–want to have a fantastic Caribbean adventure and save some moola? How about an Islander hop to a fictional Caribbean, Blacktip Island? Ahh, the sun, the surf, the people…but what about the people? Well, that’s the thing, you see. Blake Calloway had it good, working in his dad’s investment firm, right up until he screwed up a few decimal points. An innocent mistake! Unfortunately, when he tries to disappear on a remote island with some cash, blending in with the other scuba enthusiasts, he accidentally rescues one of them–again–an innocent mistake. So much for blending! And just like that, the book has you within the first few pages. Continue reading “Blacktip Island – Review”

Find a New Author Support Community

Relocating can be a major pain, whether in state, or across the U.S. In our case, across the country.

Where do you begin to find an author group like the one discovered years before and lost with each successive move? If you use the computer and do internet searches, you can browse the web. But where to start? Meet-Up’s? The local library? You need encouragement and support with your writing goals. You need positive critique. You need to find the holes in your work so you can plug them.

The rewards for finding the right author community are numerous and there are resources out there to help: Continue reading “Find a New Author Support Community”

Forbidden Birth – Review

Forbidden Birth by William Rubin

Genre: Currently #1949 in Best Seller’s Rank for Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense, Medical

Publisher: Crystal Vision Creations

Publication Date: July, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Forbidden Birth – Cover conveys medically themed novel

I was sent this book by the author, Dr. William Rubin, as a medical thriller to read and review. After reading “Forbidden Birth,” however, I’m wondering if it shouldn’t have been classified as cross-genre, as there were also elements of horror, crime, and mystery; even sci-fi.

Dr. Christopher Ravello has given up a lucrative medical practice to join the newly formed Medical Crimes Division as a homicide detective of the New York Police Department. Compelled to fight crime on the street level after the brutal murder of his mother, he moves his well-to-do family to a blue-collar hood of questionable security and works with childhood buddy Kev Kennedy as they bump up against a serial killer known as The Giver. The antagonist is presented as extremely intelligent and, indeed, we get to know him well as he rationalizes the necessity for the work he is doing and the status he’ll achieve when his work becomes known. Continue reading “Forbidden Birth – Review”

Coca Leaves and Kola Nuts-America’s Favorite Drink

What patent medicine begun in 1885 eventually became one of our most popular drinks?

Here’s a hint: It contained two “medicinal” ingredients–extract of coca leaves (cocaine) and kola nuts (the latter being a source of caffeine). How much cocaine was actually contained within the syrup at the time is unknown, but we do know that cocaine continued to be an ingredient in the syrup (however minute) to secure the trade name “Coco-Cola” right up to 1929.

Wounded in the Civil War, inventor Confederate Colonel John Pemberton became addicted to morphine. His need to replace morphine led to the formulation of the Coca-Cola recipe, originally produced as a coca wine. It was formally registered as a French Wine (Coca) nerve tonic. It was reformulated in 1886 in a non-alcoholic version, became Coca-Cola, and sold out of Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. But “soda” drinks had already become popular.

Increasingly found in pharmacies by the 1830’s, soda fountains were helping to dispense medications with the flavor of mineral (or naturally carbonated) water. Back then, two plant roots, specifically sarsaparilla and sassafras, were recognized for their unique flavor and presumed to contain medicinal properties. Sassafras (as well as sarsaparilla) was a major ingredient in root beer, brewed as a mildly alcoholic beverage. (Studies found sassafras oil caused cancer or permanent liver damage in laboratory animals in 1960. A process was then discovered to remove the harmful substance.)

And, by the way, Coke’s main competition was created by Caleb Bradham of North Carolina when he concocted a fountain drink in his pharmacy that was intended to aid digestion and boost energy in 1898. The main ingredients are pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts, later to become Pepsi-Cola.

Creating a Book Trailer–DIY Or Not?

My stated goal last year was to make a new book trailer. It didn’t happen. Looking at book trailers these days, most appear to have been professionally crafted; definitely not your standard home-grown variety. I tried creating a book trailer four years ago and had a great time with it–writing about it on this blog.

But things have changed a bit since I made that first book trailer. Even in that short span of time, the technology has gotten better, sources for free video clips have widened, and the bar has been raised considerably.

Video Editing Software

Back when I tried that first book trailer, I used Windows Movie Maker, the default Windows video editing software, to create “Cocos Island Treasure.” It’s a fairly basic program, keeping it simple from font choice to video to photo clips to audio. (I experimented with introducing a voice over in addition to music clip in “Lucky Joe.”) Other popular programs are Sony Vegas and iMovie. Sony Vegas was sold in May 2016 and now may be more expensive than before extended into Sony Pro and certainly more sophisticated than my level of expertise. iMovie was created by Apple and is the default video editing program for the Mac. The iMovie alternative for (PC) Windows 10 (and older) is the Movavi Video Editor. The latter currently runs $39.99. Yes, there are free trials.

Continue reading “Creating a Book Trailer–DIY Or Not?”