Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Anne Frank


Anne Frank


Christina Weigand

Anne Frank was born on June 12 1929 in Frankfurt Germany. She was the youngest child of Edith and Otto Frank. Her father had an extensive library so she along with her older sister, Margot were both encouraged to read.  In 1933 the family moved to Amsterdam where Otto started a company that sold fruit extract pectin. The girls were enrolled in school, Margot in public school and Anne in a Montessori school. Margot demonstrated and aptitude for math while Anne showed an aptitude for reading and writing.

In May 1940 Germany invaded the Netherlands and began to persecute Jews. Otto tried to arrange for his family to emigrate to America, but the U.S. Consulate was closed and all of his paperwork lost. Anne was excelling in her studies, but when it was decreed that Jews could only attend Jewish schools she was enrolled in the Jewish Lyceum. In the meantime Otto had taken precautions to protect his family and businesses by transferring his shares in the companies and resigning as director. Because of these steps he was able to earn a minimal income.

In June 1942 Anne received a diary for her thirteenth birthday and
began writing in it almost immediately. In July 1942 the family was forced to move into hiding to prevent Margot’s relocation to a work camp. They moved into a three story space entered from a landing above the company offices and were later joined by the van Pels and Fritz Ffeffer.

Anne recorded all of this in her diary along with her observations of the happenings in the world outside of their hiding place. She examined her relationships with members of her family and the strong differences in their personalities. Anne felt closer to her father, while Margot was closer to their mother. As time passed and the girls matured they confided in each other and consequently became closer.


The sisters hoped to return to school once the hostilities were over, so continued their studies through correspondence courses as well as continued reading and writing. Anne constantly wrote and edited her diary entries in which she included a narrative of events as they occurred  as well as her feelings, beliefs and ambitions. She aspired to become a journalist

Her last entry was August 1, 1944.

On that day their hiding place was discovered and the family along with the others was taken into custody. The family was eventually sent to Auschwitz concentration camp where her father was wrenched from his family.

Anne and the other women were stripped naked to be disinfected, had their heads shaved and were tattooed with an identifying number. She along with the other women was used for slave labor, being forced to haul rocks and dig rolls of sod. At night she was crammed into an overcrowded barracks. Anne became ill and was moved into the infirmary and then in October 1944 was transferred to a labour camp. Her mother was left behind and died of starvation.

Early in 1945 a typhus epidemic spread through the camp and other diseases including typhoid fever were rampant.  It was in these horrible conditions that Anne died and was buried in a mass grave at an unknown location.

Otto Frank survived and after the death of the sisters was confirmed, Miep Gies, the woman who hid them, gave him the diary and a bundle of loose notes.


After several tries at publication, finally in 1947 he was successful. This was followed by more printings over the years. In 1955 a play based on the diary was premiered in New York City and followed in 1959 by a film which was a critical and commercial success.



Anne Frank as a writer and a humanist has grown through the years. She is frequently identified as a single representative of the millions of people who suffered as she did.

Over the years many people have tried to prove that the diary was a forgery. Fortunately all claims were disproved and the diary stands as a testament to the horrible actions of the times.


Photos and Bio from:











Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Multi-Author Colaborations

Multi-Author Box Sets and Anthologies are the worth the effort?

Anthologies are awesome in theory. You get samples of the writing styles of various authors usually for a pittance.  For the contributors, we get a little publicity with the possibility of increasing our fan base.  Avid fans of an author will often buy anthologies they are part of and, theoretically, they will read the books and see what the rest of us do!

How exciting, and it seems to be one of the easier methods of promotion.  One short piece and you have permanent exposure. Or so we believe.



Well, theory and reality don't always meet in the middle.  I remember being so excited when my poems "Balloon" and "Mausoleum" were accepted to be part of Cogs In Time.  I was over the moon!  They were my first attempts to write Steampunk, so I did not really think I had actually met the criteria. To be included with all the talent that was in that collection gave my ego a big boost. I continued to offer poems for any anthology.  

The Cogs In Time anthologies were just done for their promotional value. I actually was included in Cogs II but declined being in Cogs III.  At the time I could not guarantee that I would be able to promote as much as I should.

Others I was part of offered their royalties for good causes:  Read For Animals and  Authors Against Bullying were for social issues.






While Klarissa's Dream, Un-Turn This Stone, and Not Enough To Quit are to help raise money for cures.


One, Touched by Shadow, Caressed by Light,  I just participated in for the sake of seeing if I could write erotic poetry, lol.

For all of them, I enjoyed being part of the process.  There was camaraderie and mutual respect shared among all the participants.

Except for the ones raising money for cures, they are no longer even available, except as resales of paperbacks. Once the hype of the release events were over, there was no more interest. The books got very few reviews and they were mainly from the authors who had taken part. There was no increase in fan bases, no new readers, just another book that got lost in the internet.

Multi-Author box sets I believe are suffering the same fate.  Although they get some sales, "15 books for 99cents" is a great deal. I do not believe many people actually read them.  They may read the one their "fave author" included but I think that is the end of it.


I am guilty of this attitude myself.  I will help out my fave authors, if they are in an anthology/box set I will buy it. If it is for a good cause, that is just a plus.  However, I would bet I will never open the first book.  I was made aware of this trait recently when Eva Pasco released her novella, Mr. Wizardo.  I have Once Upon A Fabulous Time, the anthology that it originally was published in...bought it the day it went on sale.  It is somewhere on my kindle.  I bought her book as a stand alone, and actually read it.  My only disappointment was realizing I had this entertaining work gathering cyberdust instead of being enjoyed.

I think these types of collections could do all they are supposed to.  I will continue to offer my support for any good cause, be it by participating or by purchasing the creations.  But in all honesty I will have to admit I won't read them.

I just believe that there are too many free and underpriced books out there filling up peoples electronic bookshelves that no one could ever read them all. Big time authors will be read, and us Indie Authors have to keep our fingers crossed hoping someone will take a chance.  I do not see how flooding the few true readers will ever be beneficial. 

What do you think?  Do you read all the collections you buy?



Monday, June 10, 2019

The ToiBox of Serials 1: Heart of the Golden Stag

Over on my personal blog, The ToiBox of Words, I’ve experimented with short fiction quite a bit. I’ve entered many blog writing contests and sometimes, just played around with it. In most cases, I’ve found myself expanding the stories I started on my blog and turning them into something more. All the stories in this series will be a product of what I started on my blog and then later added to in private. I will be sharing these stories in parts and encourage readers to leave positive or critical feedback (rude comments will be deleted). Perhaps, one day I’ll publish another personal anthology with these. Enjoy.



Side note: This story has never actually appeared on the ToiBox blog but was derived from a contest I entered and did not win. Still, the submission process was a good learning experience for me. This story is a retelling/reimagining with a twist. 


Heart of the Golden Stag, part 1
     Rosy morning light shone down and warmed the dark olive flesh of a thin arm before it retreated beneath a blanket of golden hair. Shimmering in the pink light, the hair rippled as the body beneath wiggled and stretched awake. Soon, Aaron sat up with a wide yawn as he craned his neck to turn away, shielding his eyes from the glare. With a short sigh, Aaron flipped the long strands of hair over his shoulders before heading toward the washbasin.

     After washing and dressing, Aaron tip-toed around the confined quarters of his room, in the convent’s tower, to seek out his most prized, and secret, treasure. Wrapped tightly with blankets, Aaron pulled the bundle from underneath his bed and quietly revealed the cold and clear metallic glint of the looking glass.

     Staring at the feminine reflection before him, Aaron scrunched his nose before pulling his golden locks away from his shoulders to expose the boy disguised within. Aaron recalled the day the nuns first told him why he had to grow his hair long and wear girl’s clothing. Sister Norman sat the young Aaron in the middle of an expansive ivory hide and told him the story of his birth.

     It was the first night of the Twilight Moon, a full fall moon that rises in the East just as the sun is setting in the West, causing the sky to turn violet and allowing both the sun and moon to shine in unison for one enchanted hour. The Ivory Doe, the goddess of the North Woods, burst through the forest into our garden and pleaded with its eyes for us to conceal it. In the distance, the horns and treads of hunters could be heard and felt as they drew near. We hurried the large creature into our shed and then spread our numbers in all directions to throw-off the hunters’ tracking dogs. I alone remained; I was there when the Ivory Doe gave birth to her son, a golden fawn unlike any I’d ever seen.

     The mother stared into my eyes and called me forward. I placed my hand upon her antlers as her son fed at her teat. Mentally, she conveyed her story. Chased for months by the hunters seeking her magic. Being with child, she conserved her magic instead of using it to dispel the hunters. As her life began to reach its end, she wanted to make sure that her son would live. She impressed upon me that until her child reached full maturity, he was at risk of having his magic stolen. Should he live to see that day, he would become invulnerable and powerful. If he should find a human worthy of his love, he would grant them a great blessing. With her last pained breath, the Ivory Doe enveloped her fawn in white light and then faded away, leaving behind an infant boy, wrapped in her preserved hide.

     Hearing his name being called from elsewhere in the convent, Aaron quickly concealed his mirror and rushed off to assist the sisters. All these years, they had been so good to him, helping him to remain hidden and teaching him what they could of the Ivory Does. As Aaron’s eighteenth birthday drew near, his toes and fingers constantly tingled with anticipation as magic pulsed through his body. Aaron longed to love the nuns as they loved him, but their shelter had confined him and suppressed the transformation he yearned for.
To be continued...
Heart of the Golden Stag 2018 Copyright © Toinette J. Thomas 


Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:


Amazon | Goodreads The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

Friday, June 7, 2019

Self-Care Made Easy

It’s not just the ‘Calgon Take Me Away’ method anymore



Self - Care seems to be quite the buzzword these days, and rightfully so. With everyone having a busy schedule and juggling multiple jobs, gigs, family or what have you; we all need to take a break from the madness.

I used to ignore this practice years ago when I was working full time and raising my family. With working part time now and spending the rest of the time writing I have found this to be quite significant. It’s no joke—you either find the time or the time will catch up with you finding you burned out. It’s very important, especially for us writers as we are sitting at the computer for hours on end.

I’m going to cut to the chase and list some of the better ones that seem to have worked for me. We are all different and you need to find what works for you. Whatever you do choose, I hope you find some time for yourself and just for the record—I’ve never been a fan of a long bubble bath in a room full of lit candles.

Worth a Try ~

  • Drink water first thing in the morning - We wake up dehydrated after a night’s sleep, so drinking a full glass before coffee or anything really sets the tone for the day. *(This has been a game changer for me)

  • Make a menu for healthy meals for the week- by doing this you eliminate the impulse for ‘pressed for time’ purchases or reaching for junk food.  Feeling better results in better productivity. (Orange Coast Medical Center)

  • Try a new Yoga or Zumba Class- Even if you do go to the gym or have a set routine—change it up. I’m a gym rat but got stuck in a routine. The Zumba classes are fun and I feel like I’m dancing.
  • Take ten minutes to decompress every day- Self-Care doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be as simple as putting your phone away to sit with your own thoughts. (I’ve been hiding mine in my desk drawer for periods throughout the day.)

  • Get some sleep- Forty percent of Americans get less than seven hours sleep. (2013 Gallup poll) Ideally we need seven to nine hours every night. During sleep your brain rids itself of toxins, and consolidates memory. See—you can snooze your way through self-care.

  • Start your day with something pleasant- Start a ritual with something you enjoy. It can be a cup of special tea, coffee, watching a TV show or preferably some gentle stretching.

  • Meditate- There are so many health benefits here— too many to mention. It’s often here when we have clarity of mind that we solve problems and get those new ideas for our writing.

  • Choose Mindfulness- Take a few moments in your day to connect with your senses in the present moment. Pay attention to what you hear, feel, see, etc. It distracts the mind from other clutter. (Huge one for me)

  • Go purse shopping- Really? Yes! Your current bag may be causing havoc on your neck or your back. (Neel Anad, MD) Opt for a smaller bag and lighten the load. (Works for me!)

  • Sit up Straight- Very crucial to overall body care. Most people are unaware they are walking around with bad posture—or sitting hunched over at a desk. (My problem)

  • Sit up straight in your chair, placing your hands on your thighs and squeezing your shoulder blades together for five seconds. Repeat this three or four times during the day. (Neel Anad MD)

  • Detox from technology and work- Besides from our workload social media can be draining and distracting. Limit screen time or set a daily limit. Unwind before bed with a book instead of cruising through Facebook or Instagram.

  • Just say no- This is for all those overachievers. You are more important than your to-do list, so prioritize your well being above those little extra tasks you may think you need to do. (Also a game changer for me)

So with all that, I am off to unplug and read a paperback. Take care of yourselves everyone.


You may want to take a look at some paperbacks available on my Amazon site. 


Thursday, June 6, 2019

Why Poetry?

Journey taken to become a misfit


My newest book, Why Poetry?, came about at the suggestion of my friend and fellow author Erika Szabo.  She is very determined to make me write in full sentences.  It is just a short book, she wanted 6000 words but that did not happen.  Luckily she allowed me to add a few poems to emphasize my choices. 

Sometimes what we do, we have no say in.  I cannot recall making a conscious decision to write poetry.  I just know that I always have.  I think our talents are similar to our likes and dislikes.  I don't remember when I decided chocolate was awesome nor do I recall deciding escargo was something I would never try.  Both of those are now just facts about me.

A funny thing happened on the way to publication of this book.  Erika shared with me the cover she designed (isn't it beautiful?).  Well, I thought it was gorgeous and In read the piece of poem on it.  It sounded so familiar.  I asked her 3 times where she found it because I could not place who wrote it, I just knew I recognized it.  I think she thought I was kidding when I asked because after the third inquiry she finally answered---It was mine.  That did explain why it sounded so familiar.  Here is the poem in its entirety.  I wrote it for my sister Rae Jo. It is the final poem in a set based on her three favorite lines,  A river of hope, An ocean of regrets, and A waterfall of faith.


A WATERFALL OF FAITH

Life is such a hard road to travel
Potholes and pitfalls litter the way
Sadness and heartache fill the horizon
Hiding the laughter and love from view
My body trembles as I raise my foot
Another step into the abyss that is the future
My will is slowly fading as burdens increase
Family estranged, my health declining
What is the point of it all
Why do I still try so hard to live
Then I look up into the dark sky
The sun's rays peeking through the clouds
Showing me beauty I had forgotten
God's love pouring down from the Heavens
Washing away my woes and anger
In a waterfall of faith

© Cindy J. Smith

While writing this short piece, I noticed tiny nudges that did lead me on.  Nothing obvious at the time, just some gentle prodding.  The end result is what stands before you  A Poet, A Misfit in every sense of the word.

Why Poetry? is available at your favorite digital store.  If you take the time to read it, I hope you enjoy the journey.


Find Cindy on her:

Blog:
https://cindysvoices.blogspot.com/

Website:
http://carternovels.com/author-cindy-j-smith.html

Twitter:  @cindysvoicesFB:  https://www.facebook.com/CindysVoices/

GOODREADS:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6505989.Cindy_J_Smith

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/cindyjsmith1/

365 narration by Karina Kantas https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d0UNM-QtpvOBS84qlAr9fiEK6by7QkwG/view

https://www.ebooknetworking.net/blog/bookshelf/?bs=bCdYOpgww

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

It's A Sale

It's A Sale

Christina Weigand


Palace of the Twelve Pillars: Book One

When Prince Joachim is kidnapped and twin Brandan attempts a rescue, both will search their faith and familial loyalty.


 “I'm always on the lookout for books that teen boys might be interested in reading, and this is one I'd recommend to them.”


Palace of the Three Crosses: Book Two

 Brandan and Joachim survived the war, but can their relationship and their countries survive the aftermath.


“This second book in Christina Weigand's series is filled with magic, wonder and mystery. I highly recommend this series and can't wait to read the final book, The Sanctuary of the Nine Dragons.”



Santuary of the Nine Dragons: Book 3

 Brandan missing, Airyn kidnapped, Joachim in a sea of despair, the country at war; can Maeve save them from catastrophe.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA4UWK6


 “The Sanctuary of the Nine Dragons is a beautiful, moving ending to Christina Weigand’s Twelve Pillars series…”
Specials ending soon.


Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Where Did The Good Old Fashioned Romance Go?

The good old fashioned romance doesn't seem to be enough anymore...



Books becoming bestsellers that justify abuse and perverse relationship.
Perhaps readers are getting bored with regular romance novels? Are readers abandoning the regular romance and more interested in erotica, kinky sex scenes, domination, deviancy and abuse? The more perverse the better?
It really seems like to me, what else could explain the huge interest in these books?

Romance authors usually don’t spell out every single move the lovers make, or every single thought that runs through their head while making love. Romance writers have their clever ways to trigger the reader’s imagination and send tingles to the right places at the right moment. Also, the majority of the books are well edited, the plots are fascinating and they provide hours of great entertainment. Romance authors don’t promote physical and mental abuse, or perverse activity.

However, it seems like some readers want more. The Fifty Shades fans don’t seem to care about bad writing, grammar mistakes, limited vocabulary, or as my friend who read the first book put it, “This book seems like it was written by a sick minded, horny high school dropout teenager. I bet my shoelace has a wider vocabulary, and the story is sick and demeaning, and it justifies physical and mental abuse.”

Are readers getting desensitized and want more excitement than the good old romance novels usually offer?
This made me realize how we became desensitized to horror movies in a relatively short time. When I was a teenager, I always had a pillow in my hands, so I could hide when the scary parts came on, in even mild horror movies. I’m not a big horror fan, but if a movie doesn’t gross me out too much in the first five minutes, and my friends say that the story line is good, I give it a try.

But is the time near when the good old fashioned romance stories will be passé?
Will romance writers be forced to incorporate whips, handcuffs, leather strips and gags into their stories?
Will they have to make their characters scream in pain, bleed and be humiliated in order to meet the expectations?

Well, I'm not a fan of those stories, I'm a hopeless romantic and in my stories, although there is romance, the focus is on the emotions and story-line.
If you like love stories combined with fantasy and don't expect perverse scenes, you might like some of my books.

Happy reading!

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Marguerite Henry


Marguerite Henry

Christina Weigand

I can’t believe I took so long to write about Marguerite Henry. As a young reader I read many of her books. She fed my passion for horses (Something I wrote about before. You can see that article here.) I even contemplated sending her a fan mail asking for advice on how I could love and care for my pony more.

Marguerite Henry (Breithaupt) was born the youngest of five children on April 13, 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At six years old she caught rheumatic fever which left her bedridden and unable to attend school. It was then that she discovered the joy of reading. Her love for animals also started when she was a child. One year for Christmas she received a writing desk and her love of writing was born. 




Later in life she was heard to say about this gift, “At last I had a world of my very own—a writing world, and soon it would be populated by all the creatures of my imagination.” (From Dear Readers and Riders, Rand McNalley, 1969, page 200).

At the age of 11 Henry sold her first story to a magazine that had solicited stories about the four seasons from children. The story was entitled Hide and Seek in Autumn Leaves.

She went to Milwaukee State Teachers College and in 1923 she married Sidney Crocker Henry. They didn’t have any children, but instead numerous pets who served for the inspiration for many of her books.

In 1945 when she finished writing Justin Morgan had a Horse, she began her search for an illustrator.

 She had seen and loved the work of Will James and Wesley Dennis in her library search of horse books. Upon discovery of James’s death she sent her manuscript to Wesley Dennis. Henry and Dennis would go on to collaborate on nearly 20 books.

In 1947 Misty of Chincoteague was published and was an instant success. The story features the annual pony penning of feral horses from Assateague Island. There were several Misty sequels including two more illustrated by Dennis, Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague and Stormy, Misty’s Foal. Tourism for the pony penning almost doubled after the publication of the books.







 Misty went on to be adapted for film along with Justin Morgan had a Horse and Brighty of Grand Canyon.




















San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion was adapted for television.



She received a Newberry Medal from the American Library Association in 1949 for King of the Wind: the story of the Godolphin
Arabian.

















Other books including Black Gold, 


Gaudenzia: Pride of the Palio,

















and Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West received numerous other awards.


In the 1940’s she wrote texts for the first and fourth sets of the Pictured Geography series published by Albert Whitman and Company of Chicago. These were children’s books about world nations and other territories.

In 1996 her last book Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley
was published and was a girl meets horse story with the horse being replaced by a mule.

On November 26, 1997 she passed away at home in Rancho, Santa Fe, California after multiple strokes.

I know I haven’t read all of her books, but she was one of my favorite authors while growing up. Seeing her books and reading about her life has brought up fond memories. Her animal stories leave a lasting legacy that will travel through the years and delight many children.





Photos, Quotes and Bio from:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Henry

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Marguerite-Henry/e/B000AQ3D58







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