Rosepoint Publishing

Historic Sea Adventure Artist

Wait….what? I read the short, simple email over again. Then I read it to my husband. Could this be real? The owner of one of my grandfather’s paintings was asking if I was the family of the artist, P J Rose? Still not sure what to do, I texted my son. “Mom,” he texted back, “just write her back.”

Not really the first time someone has connected with me regarding one of his historic sea paintings, as Gary L of Boise, Idaho, contacted me several years ago regarding a painting he had obtained as a young man with a powerful poem on the back. Unfortunately, it had gone missing, but he recognized one of my grandfather’s pen names; i.e. P. J. Rose, Stanley McShane, J. Wesley Rose.

In this particular case, Diane Brown of California wrote, “I have inherited a PJ Rose painting, The Sole Survivor. The sinking of the Marguerite off the Cape of Good Hope in 1890. My grandfather got the painting from PJ Rose in San Francisco. My father inherited it and it has hung on our wall as long as I can remember. I am looking for a family member who might be interested in having this piece of history back in the family.”

Continue reading “Historic Sea Adventure Artist”

A Bit of Earth – Review

A Bit of Earth by Wendy Crisp Lestina

Genre: Currently #26694 on Best Sellers Rank for Biographies & Memoirs

Publisher: Lychgate Press

Publication Date: October, 2016

Submitted by author for review

A Bit of Earth by Wendy Crisp Lestina

Maybe because I’m not, I love stories of strong, independent women. In particular, the ’60s were a time of major upheaval in the standard structure of the home with more women than ever grabbing the car keys and **gasp** heading to work.

Giddy from escaping total nuclear annihilation in the ’50s, the ’60s went the extreme from flower children to the assassinations of our leaders. Increasingly, women no longer had a mandate to stay home, produce babies, cook, clean, and “stand by their men.” And like a number of social activists and feminists, the author discovered she too had to have more than diapers and a garden.

The memoir of Wendy Crisp Lestina, “A Bit of Earth,” is composed of folksy vignettes, some of which originated as columns written through the years, and tells the story of a remarkable list of accomplishments. There are a few times the chronicle lapses into a back-story; something that perhaps is meant to explain the next. This is a woman of intelligence with places to go, people to meet, things to do, and the powerful influence to do it. Continue reading “A Bit of Earth – Review”

The Old Man and the Princess-Review

The Old Man and the Princess

Genre: Currently #2555 in Best Sellers Rank for Kindle eBooks, Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Publisher: Paul Thomas Publishing

Publication Date: September, 2016

Submitted by author for review

The Old Man and the Princess by Sean-Paul Thomas – Cover is great and almost tells the story.

“The Old Man and the Princess,” from the mind of Sean-Paul Thomas will definitely grab you from the beginning. You may think you can second-guess where this is going, but you won’t. Yeah, I know you’ve heard that before, but Sean-Paul apparently thinks out of the box and his plot is full of intrigue and plot twists.

Pegged as a mystery, thriller, and suspense, this novel has that and more; how about tension and apprehension? I love how that dark sense of Irish humor weaves in and out of the dialogue, a patter so palpable, there are snicker-filled moments–or depending on your own sense of humor, LOL opportunities. Continue reading “The Old Man and the Princess-Review”

When the Reaper Comes – Review

When the Reaper Comes by John DeBoer

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Publication Date: November, 2016

Submitted by author for review

When the Reaper Comes (Cover falls short.)

Like watching it play out on the big screen in full Technicolor and Dolby Sound, the action from the beginning pages of “When the Reaper Comes” by John DeBoer was so well laid out, it was difficult to hit the pause button until the last scene played out.

I do enjoy a good thriller and have read my share of both military and political themed novels, including stories that include the present day battle with ISIS. It seems that so much of the philosophy zooms over our heads and is usually far enough removed off our own soil that it is fairly easy to stick our heads in the sand and try to pretend it isn’t happening. Unfortunately, it is. America is no longer the isolated and protected country it once was. But don’t take my word–read the book. Continue reading “When the Reaper Comes – Review”

Maggie Elizabeth Harrington-Review

Maggie Elizabeth Harrington by C. J. Swykert

Genre: Currently #3071 in Best Sellers Rank for Kindle ebooks, Literature and Fiction-Historical

Publisher: Cambridge Books

Publication Date: March, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Maggie Elizabeth Harrington – Two Covers–One for print and one for Kindle. The Kindle cover includes a wolf in the background, but a modern-day woman.

This powerful story of thirteen year old Maggie Elizabeth Harrington was set in a copper mining town of Michigan in 1893. Maggie Elizabeth is the daughter of a miner who lives with her grandmother and her father (who against everything that Maggie Elizabeth believes in, drowns every new litter of kittens). Her mother passed in childbirth; the father barely speaks to her, the grandmother isn’t much better, and she attributes this to the death of her mother–which she considers must be her fault. Continue reading “Maggie Elizabeth Harrington-Review”

Life Jump Starts After NaNoWriMo*

Right now you are still pounding the keys, spilling out those words (even if chaotic), to attain that 50,000 word goal to complete your quest on NaNoWriMo. But what happens after you complete the goal and you have a rough draft of your manuscript? Lucky for you, NaNo has you covered!

Interesting when you look at the worldwide map that tracks the word stats: I looked at Boise, Idaho where I began the publishing odyssey and discovered there were 470 novelists who were at an average word count of 8,753. We moved to Indiana from the Phoenix area this year, and there are 1,022 novelists striving to make only 8,699 words in Arizona. (Way to go, Idaho!) Unfortunately, this is almost the middle of November and those numbers are way under half. GLEEP! I’ve written before regarding my experiences with NaNo and am always happy to recommend or promote it for budding novelists. *National Novel Writing Month Continue reading “Life Jump Starts After NaNoWriMo*”

These Real-Life Sculptures by Seward Johnson Are Too Soon Gone

I was crushed when I went back to “the Square” in Crown Point, Indiana, to take pictures of the sculptures by Seward Johnson that I’d taken for granted would still be there, not knowing they were part of a summer collection and would soon be going bye-bye. I had vowed to take pictures of the life-size sculptures of everyday life every time I returned to Crown Point, but was always on a different mission or the sun wasn’t right, yadda, yadda, yadda. BIG mistake!

Fortunately, the Midwest Wanderer had the foresight to take pictures and post for the rest of us to enjoy; certainly better than I would have. Apparently, this was not the first time Crown Point has sponsored a sculpture display as part of their public summer art project. There were twelve sculptures largely located around Crown Point’s iconic courthouse. This courthouse is so beautiful it would demand your attention anyway, but coupled with the “people” who don’t move, you are overwhelmed with the desire to park the car and browse–I have to think the downtown merchants had that result in mind.

Local businesses sponsor the exhibit. For 2016, sculptures included a photographer, a woman walking her dog, a hot dog vendor, and people deeply in private conversation over a newspaper. The collection also included Marilyn Monroe (holding her skirt down, of course). Although most of Johnson’s sculptures are life-size, he does have a collection of “Monumental Scale,” which includes a depiction of Lincoln.

The merchants thoughtfully prepared an exhibit brochure, which included a map. Located within the Old Lake County Courthouse is the John Dillinger Museum, Crown Point’s claim to fame. I have to believe the sculpture exhibits will replace that claim with a more artsy one, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the winter. And next summer, I won’t miss the chance to photograph the 2017 Johnson sculpture collection! ©2016 Virginia Williams

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”