Alaskan Book Cafe Review

http://www.alaskanbookcafe.com/2011/10/review-death-is-relative-thing-by-holly.html
Check out this review from Cristina at the Alaskan Book Cafe!  Yeah-  I love it   Thanks so much!

Pennies from Heaven

One year ago today, my friend, Penny Lindenberg died.  She had leukemia. She left a husband and two young daughters.

She was only 37 years old.

A few potential bone marrow donors were found, but for reasons we don't know, they backed out.  She didn't get what she needed in time to give her a chance.

Please talk to people from DKMS about how to become a dedicated marrow donor.  FAQ's are here- http://www.dkmsamericas.org/faq.  The process of being a donor, if you are ever called, is not as difficult as movies make it out to be, or as scary. 70-80 percent of the time, donors are NOT asked to have any surgery- the transplant team uses a blood transfer system that is a lot like donating platelets.    DKMS will ship you a test kit- it is a simple cheek swab.

For more information on that, contact http://www.dkmsamericas.org/.

Bone marrow donors are not like blood donors- there has to be almost an exact match on many levels for bone marrow- therefore ancestry and ethnicity matter.  YOU could be someone's only chance for a chance. 

Thank you- Holly

A Toxic Plume & A Serial Killer Thriller

Hello all!

Today is a banner day!  Long Island based author Robert Banfelder agreed to a contribute a piece he had written to post on my blog.  If you don’t know Mr. Banfelder, he is a man of considerable knowledge and writing skill.  He’s an avid fisherman and outdoorsman as well as a businessman.  A renowned author who has written innumerable articles on fishing and boating, he’s also created writing courses and has penned novels. You can find out more about him at his website http://www.robertbanfelder.com/

KNOTS

His latest full length book was published in September 2011 and is his first e-book edition.  It’s called  KNOTS and it’s the third novel in the award-winning Justin Barnes series. http://amzn.to/qZbF9Q is the link to the book on Amazons site. 

Enjoy! 

A Toxic Plume & A Serial Killer Thriller

 

Written by Robert Banfelder

 

Back in 1991, I was very fortunate to find a slice of heaven.  I purchased a home situated on the Peconic River in Riverhead, Long Island.  A recent article titled Toxic Plume Threatens Peconic River, published in our local newspaper, The News~Review, caught my eye.  I live on and fish the Peconic River and the bays beyond, so this story certainly grabbed my attention.  It is quite evident that the defunct Grumman airfield in Calverton, where aircraft for the United States Navy were built, commencing in April of 1954, has significantly contributed to polluting the upper reaches of the Peconic River.  The culprits were chemicals used to clean the airplanes.  I’ve been addressing this matter for years.  Senator Charles Schumer has called for the Navy to commence a clean-up operation of the site to prevent further damage to the waterways. 

As all my novels focus on serial killers, I research and delve into the slick, sick mind of the serial murderer.  In order to build verisimilitude into my works, I attend trials; for example, the Robert Shulman serial killer proceedings.  I have lectured at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Ward’s Island, New York, regarding that trial.  I had made it my business to interview heads of law enforcement such as Detective Lieutenant John Gierasch, head of Suffolk County Homicide (now retired).  Too, I sought out many peripheral players.  You may be asking yourself, “But what does a toxic plume have to do with serial killers?”  My two-volume thriller titled The Author explores an apparent psychopath who is ostensibly obsessed with the pollution of our environment and brutally murders the loved ones of those he deems guilty, while those responsible suffer interminably.  Initially, the police believe they have an eco-terrorist on their hands, but authorities, along with my protagonist Justin Barnes—a covert operative for Suffolk County homicide—soon discover that they are dealing with a prolific serial killer.

The Peconic River has been in the news many times concerning heavy metals that are harbored in its depths.  That is what motivated me to write The Author.  Malcolm Columba (my antagonist), is the author and architect of an operation that surreptitiously and safely places federal agents within the ranks of extremist groups around the globe.  But is a faction within the Bureau looking the other way?  I write to entertain, but I also write to educate the reader.

Suffolk County, Long Island is a magnet for cancer.  That is a fact.  I delve into the issue with devastating documentation.  The Author is an award winner.  Too many losers to this dreaded disease made The Author possible.  The United States Navy, in its naiveté and neglect, deserves, to a large degree, blatant blame and the shame in polluting the upper reaches of the Peconic River.  This is but a facet of cause and effect concerning the culminating point.

Very Cool Photo App

Just a quickie here - check out this app- it's online and free and you can have a blast with it. http://www.photofacefun.com/   Look at what I did- 

Really easy and a lot of fun!  Have a great day

Growing Pains

Fall is officially here.  I love living in a climate where the seasons change, but it's still a little sad when fall arrives.  Every spring, when all things become new again I make a personal vow I’ll actually grow something, a garden, a vegetable, a flower. But fall comes quickly it seems, and when it does I have no choice but to face the fact that I've failed again. Miserably.  

This was post on my old blog. It will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

Growing Pains

 My son Joe gave me a beautiful hanging planter on Mother’s day.  Pink and white blossoms in a huge basket, long flowery tendrils hanging over the side, robust dark green leaves.  He walked into the house, kissed me and handed it over.

“Happy Mothers Day!”

“Thanks Joe!”

Then-from the corner of the room, another voice:

“So, Joe what did that plant ever do to you?   Did it indicate in any way that it had a death wish or were you just being sadistic?” from Rob my second child.  Obviously still annoyed he wasn’t born first.

Enter my mother.

She said to Joe, “Nice plant!” Then turning to me she added, “Maybe you should just give it to me.” 

Everyone’s a comedian.

I decided it was high time I grew something… and had it survive. 

How hard could it really be?  I mean, it’s spring and the whole neighborhood is brimming with people tending little plants. If they could do it, why couldn't I? Most are growing vegetables, a booming business in this economic downturn.  By the way, walking around my neighborhood is a lot more fun than it used to be!  I get guys talking to me about their jumbo cucumbers-and they are quite forthcoming with details related to how big they will get with some tender loving care.  The lady down the road told me that she traded in her Small Fry tomatoes for Supersonic VF Hybrid grafted ones- explaining that they will keep their firmness when everyone else’s have shriveled and were hanging on the ground.  I was able to learn a number of fertilization techniques from the couple next door, but, I digress….

I created my own little garden, a small piece of heaven and cost effective nutrition. 

Growing tiny seedlings and transplanting them to the tilled and fertilized outdoor garden went better than expected.  I made sure they would have enough sun and made certain they were close to a water source as insufficient quantities of both have derailed my gardens in previous years. I planted them tenderly, with little stakes at the beginning of each row indicating what vegetable my family would be enjoying in a few months and watered my little bambinos.  Then I put up a little fence so the area was cordoned off- a necessary visual barrier for the kids as verbal instructions are rarely successful without reinforcement.

All was going very well for close to 18 hours.

Just so you know, that’s probably a record for me.

As I was letting my puppy in from outside, I noticed she had a sprig of green in her mouth. I stood there, not quite comprehending for a few very long moments, knowing it looked a lot like one of the carrot plants I had sown, but not understanding how it possibly could be.  Reality slowly dawned.  I eased my head toward the garden, terrified to look. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, my worst fears were confirmed.  I was met with a vast, nuclear wasteland where my garden should have been….grey, flat…..dead.    There were partial plant carcasses  strewn about haphazardly, holes were dug, and a little pile of  puppy dung sat in the center where my one pumpkin plant should have been. My fence had been breached, violated by an overzealous ten pound Boston Terrier.

I have concluded that I will serve our economy best by purchasing vegetables at our local farm stand…

I stopped in front of my Mother’s house, knowing that what I was about to do was the right thing.  I tenderly placed the basket Joe gave me in a blanket, nestled a bottle of plant food between its blossoms and placed the bundle on her stoop. I rang the doorbell, then ran and hid until I was sure mom answered and watched as she brought it in the house.

Under the circumstances, it was the merciful thing to do.   

Kindlegraph Me!

For some time now, Kindle sales have outpaced print books, in both hardcover and paperback. I don't want to get into a philosophical discussion about the values of either, as I believe there is a place for both in any avid reader’s collection.  Being tactile myself, I personally will always prefer to feel, smell and flip through the pages of a paper book. I love to look at them on my shelves.

That being said, I do like the ability to download and read a book at the touch of a button.  My instant gratification switch is turned on and I feel so very green as I do so knowing I have saved a tree. I will walk with my feet on both sides of the line drawn in the sand.

Sadly, one of the casualties of the electronic readers is the inability to have an author sign the book. Obtaining a signature and a personal note is one of the pleasures of owning a paper book. In an attempt to fill this void, Kindlegraph creator, Evan Jacobs, has invented a way to send an electronic message and signature to a Kindle upon request.  The signature itself is a digital representation of the author’s signature. It gets sent in a separate file to the Kindle or Kindle reader.  Another piece of good news; Kindlegraph is free.

Of course, I'm a bit of a techno-freak so I think this is great. I jumped on the bandwagon and can now send Kindlegraphs! All you need to do is go to http://www.Kindlegraph.com. Search for my book, "Death Is A Relative Thing" and request it.

The caveat is this- At this time you must sign in with a Twitter account. There are alternative sign in options being looked at so I am sure this will change down the road, but currently Twitter is the only option. If you don't have an account and don't want one, I'll be glad to let you when it shifts.  For the rest of you who have existing Twitter accounts or are ok with creating one, feel free to send me a Kindlegraph request. 

This is going to be fun.

The world of publishing is changing by the minute.  POD books are being put out by mass market publishers, self-publishers are finally finding respect, electronic signatures and notes are a new way to connect authors and readers, the demise of huge brick and mortar stores, they are all shifts that are rocking our world. I don't know if anyone can tell where it's all going or how our reading habits will change.  I do feel however, that as long as we are still reading and we can still be touched, thrilled, terrified or tickled silly by words, we are doing ok.

Have a wonderful day!  Peace, Holly

An update to this blog post: 
As was commented by Evan Jacobs my Kindlegraph page is http://kindlegraph.com/authors/HPatrone .  You can head right there and not have to search.  Additionally I have added my short story "The Harper's Ring" to the Kindlegraph page.  Thanks!

Brooklyn Book Festival

BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL

Hi there!  Today my mother and I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival.  We had a great time.  The weather was a little cool, mostly overcast but the sun kept peeking through and warming us up.  The place was jumping-there were a lot of people to negotiate as we went booth to booth.  Some were handing out bookmarks, and of course I reciprocated with my own!  Street fairs of any kind are fun and this was no exception.

ME

I networked.  I talked to some publishers, some workshop coordinators and some authors.  I met one author who self published her book  Her name is Sandra Lakeland and her book is 'Six Feet From The Ledge'. (http://amzn.to/qpbdg3)  She was here from Texas.  Of course, I haven't had time to read the book, but I'm sure I will.  It sounds great. I thought it was wonderful she came from the midwest to Brooklyn.   

SANDRA LAKELAND

Then I stopped by the Pro Press tent ( http://www.propressbooks.net/index.html )- and met up with my author/Indie Publisher friend Grace Protano (Absent From Class, As Long As You Can See The Clock, You're Okay).  There I had the opportunity to meet her friend turned author Mary Mineo Marra who has a book coming out soon called "Getting Fit With Adam".  We had a few laughs and planned an adventure or two. Actually Grace planned...she's just dragging me along kicking and screaming!

MARY AND GRACE

The greatest thing about the festival was the energy.  You can feel the passion everyone has about their work whether it be a book, a publishing company or a group that holds workshops for disadvantaged persons who long to write. I look forward to next year when hopefully I am there as a vendor/author.   



Hope you had a great day too! Peace  Holly