Thoughts On 'A Reading Challenge,' October Cancer Month, and bonus Haiku

 

When I set my Goodreads challenge to read and review 71 books between October 22, 2015 and October 22, 2016, I saw no problem in reaching the goal. Reading is a large part of my life, never a chore or a drain on my time and energy. If anything, I should feel guilty for reading while the laundry awaits. But Stephen King gave all authors the green light by saying we should write for four hours and read for four hours every day. Thanks, guy!

The Importance of Book Reviews

 

Book reviews are helpful to authors but are especially important for readers. A review can help a reader decide whether a book will be worth their allotted reading time. It can also raise their awareness of a story that will thoroughly entertain them. Your review can save another reader from thinking, "It wasn't at all what I expected."

 

Setting goals gets me a lot farther than not setting them. Although my bar for 2017 won't be quite as high, I'll never stop reading and reviewing books. 

 

Book #71 of my 71-Books Goal for 2016

 

During the Makiki Community Library 40th Anniversary Celebration in September, a local author introduced herself to members of the Sisters in Crime/Hawaii Chapter. We were holding discussions on various writing topics over a two-day period. Janet attended a couple of the sessions. During open forum, she shared her experience about being diagnosed with terminal cancer -- twenty-five years ago. She told us about the short memoir she had published on Amazon as an e-Book. After hearing about her ordeal, along with everything she is doing now to enjoy life to the fullest, I couldn't wait to read the book. My 5-Star review follows.

 

 

SURVIVING "TERMINAL CANCER"
by
Janet R. Shaw

 

The amount of information included in this short book is amazing. The author shares her experiences, from the time her doctor informs her that she has terminal breast cancer and will soon die, through the emotional upheaval to the life-saving decisions she made on her own. I purchased the book after meeting Janet at the Makiki Community Library 40th Anniversary celebration in September. She didn't stay long because she didn't want to lose her spot in the community pool where she swims on a regular basis.

Nothing overtly supernatural presents itself in the author's story of SURVIVING "TERMINAL" CANCER, but she gives readers enough information to form their own opinion as to whether there is a miracle involved.

 

 

Pink hibiscus smiles
Greetings on my autumn walk
 Honolulu style


 

 

 

October

is

Breast Cancer Awareness month

 

Why not treat yourself to Janet's book today!

 

 *****     *****     *****

Link to my Goodreads Challenge list and Janet's book:

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/show/3890-2016-reading-challenge

 

 

 

 

THE MYSTERY OF "PAYING IT FORWARD"

 

There should be no mystery in the concept of “Paying It Forward”! 

When someone gives us a leg-up, helping us in our writing careers, it only makes sense to pay forward the favor or compliment. As favors come full-circle, everyone benefits with plenty of satisfaction and success for everyone. 

           

The Makiki Community Library in Honolulu generously allows our Sisters in Crime/Hawaii group to hold monthly meetings at the library. As a way to show support for the library’s generosity, many of the SinC/HI members are also members of the library and donate their published books to the library for the public to enjoy. 

Sisters in Crime, Inc., the national organization, "Pays It Forward" with its “We Love Libraries” contest. They present winning libraries around the country with grants to purchase books for their library. With encouragement from SinC/Hawaii, Makiki Library entered the contest and became a lucky winner, a satisfying example of how “Paying It Forward” came full circle.
 

           

"Paying It Forward" can be as easy as offering a heartfelt “mahalo” or “thank you” to someone who offers advice or a compliment. Recently, I received all the chocolate candy I could eat in two hours (during a Sisters in Crime/Hawaii meeting!) after performing the simple task of showing interest in a fellow writer’s WIP.

             

Hawai'i-based Mystery Author Toby Neal recently demonstrated “Paying It Forward” when Amazon contacted her about participating in their new program. As the author of the Lei Crime series, she is one of only a select group of authors asked to launch a Kindle World. https://kindleworlds.amazon.com/ 

To Pay-It-Forward, Toby invited some of her author friends to share in the world of Hawaiian Islands Detective Lei Texeira by contributing stories for publication to her Lei Crime Series Kindle World. Not everyone was prepared to accept her generous offer at this time, but it was a privilege to be asked and to know the offer still stands. 

Toby describes Kindle Worlds on her web page as: “a wonderful new place on the Amazon site where any writer can develop stories within an established World of known characters.” You can visit Toby at her web site here: http://tobyneal.net/

             

I will be posting “Pay It Forward” stories here on the first and third Monday of each month beginning in September. If you want to share one of your own stories, please contact me at my email address.