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A Reader's Guide to "A Special Mother"
Getting Through the Early Days of a Child's Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities and Related Disorders
I had no signposts to follow back then. I had no idea what to do or who to turn to. Worst of all was the crushing sense of isolation, the feeling that I was the only one going through it and that no one could possibly understand.
— Anne Ford in "Laughing Allegra"
Anne Ford's first book, Laughing Allegra, was a memoir of raising a daughter born with severe learning disabilities and how that experience affected and shaped her family. Her second book, On Their Own, continued the story as Allegra entered adulthood by focusing on the challenges common to adults with LD as they embark on an independent life.
Since then, she has spoken to countless mothers, all eager to share their stories. Despite the fact that Ms. Ford is a "Ford" (of the Ford Motor Company family), she knows that "lifestyle, income level, social circles — all the externals that too often separate us — diminish when a mother is sitting alone somewhere, wondering if there is anyone out there who can help her child." These mothers share so many things in common — so many hopes for their children, so much of the same pain, so many of the same experiences.
Ms. Ford had many reasons for writing this new book. First and foremost, she wanted to praise our heroes — the mothers, all mothers. This book was written in recognition of the role of a mother in the life of a disabled child and to give hope to those mothers who might be just starting out on their journey with learning disabilities.
Throughout A Special Mother: Getting Through the Early Days of a Child's Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities and Related Disorders, Ms. Ford suggests a number of key resources — publications, websites, and organizations — that will be useful to the mother who is in the "early days" of the LD journey. We've listed these resources below, especially for readers of A Special Mother.
LD.org Resources in A Special Mother
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), through our LD.org website, provides parents of children with learning disabilities — from pre-school age through adulthood — with free, easy-to-access, and trustworthy information about LD or related disorders, tools to be effective partners with school personnel, and national, state or local resources.
- Learning Disabilities Checklist of Signs and Symptoms
This checklist covers a range of domains and behaviors — developmental milestones — in preschool-age children and on up through adulthood.
- IDEA Parent Guide
This comprehensive guide is a "must read" publication for everyone whose child may be struggling with learning or whose child has been identified with a learning disability.
- Worksheet for Organizing Your Concerns About School-Related Problems
This worksheet will help you to prepare for meetings with your child's teacher and other school personnel.
- Sample Letter Requesting Evaluation
Use this letter as your guide when requesting that your child be evaluated for LD.
- Resource Locator
This tool will help you to find services in your local area.
Additional Resources in A Special Mother
- The Advocacy Institute
- Ask Dr. Silver — Questions About LD Diagnosis and Management Options (LDOnline)
- Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
- International Dyslexia Association
- LDOnline.org
- Learning Disabilities Association of America
- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
- National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
- Pacer Center
- Parent Training and Information Centers
- Smart Kids with LD
- Wrightslaw
Related Books by Anne Ford with John-Richard Thompson
- Laughing Allegra: The Inspiring Story of a Mother's Struggle and Triumph Raising a Daughter with Learning Disabilities
- On Their Own: Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child with Learning Disabilities and ADHD: A Family Guide
Connect with the Authors
- Become a fan of Anne Ford on Facebook
- Follow them on Twitter
More about the authors:
Anne Ford served as Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) from 1989 to 2001. During her term as Chair, Mrs. Ford led the reorganization and broad expansion of NCLD, including establishing a presence in Washington, D.C., and organizing educational summits on learning disabilities in several regions of the United States. She was appointed to the Department of Health and Human Services Commission on Childhood Disabilities, as the representative for learning disabilities and was a member of the New York State Board of Regents Select Committee on Disabilities.
John-Richard Thompson is an award-winning playwright and novelist. His play Indigo Rat, set in Berlin, Germany, during World War II, ran for a year in New York City and received a MAC Award from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. His other plays include Rain House, Water Sheerie, Fruit Bat Safari Camp, and The Glass Bird. He currently lives in New York City. He is the co-author of A Special Mother.


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PhotoCalorie is now officially released
Happy New Year! With that comes the typical New Year's resolution which is often to lose weight or try to be healthier in general. We think that PhotoCalorie can help you easily keep a food journal and who knows – maybe you'll see an interesting pattern in what you eat, which will inspire you to make a change.
We hope you enjoy the app – you can get it for free here.

subset: commoncrawl


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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2014
Where did the Irish Toohey family come from? What is the Irish Toohey family crest and coat of arms? When did the Toohey family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Toohey family history?The original Gaelic versions of today's Irish names demonstrate a proud, ancient past. The original Gaelic form of the name Toohey is O Tuathaigh, which is derived from tuathach, which means ruler.
Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Toohey family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Tuohy, Tuohey, Touhy, Touhey, Tooey, Tooy, Towey, Towy, Twoey, Twoy, Twohig, Toohey, Toohy,O'Tuohy, O'Tuohey, O'Touhy, O'Touhey, O'Tooey, O'Tooy, O'Towey, O'Towy, O'Twoey, O'Twoy, O'Twohig, O'Toohey and many more.
First found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat as a clann, and their chief was known as O'Tuathaigh (meaning ruler). They were amongst the many tribes of western Ireland, septs of the Hy Niall who were descended from King Niall of the Nine Hostages. King Niall was perhaps the most famous of all Irish Kings being responsible for harassing the Roman departure from England at the foot of the Alps.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toohey research. Another 230 words(16 lines of text) covering the year 1593 is included under the topic Early Toohey History in all our PDF Extended History products.
More information is included under the topic Early Toohey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute do to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United Sates and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Toohey family relocated to North American shores quite early:
Toohey Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century
The Toohey Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Toohey Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 19 May 2014 at 01:11.
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Find records of Leo Zabinski
Find birth, death, marriage, military, and other records of Leo E Zabinski at Ancestry.com.Search for records
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Leo E Zabinski (1926 - 2005) was born on January 4, 1926. He was born into the Zabinski family.
Leo had no relationships. Leo died on June 3, 2005 at 79 years of age.
Leo E Zabinski's last known residence is at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
This record of Leo E Zabinski comes from the United States Social Security Death Index. According to information provided to the SSDI, this death record has been verified by a family member of the deceased. This data can be considered very accurate. What is the SSDI?
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Apple's app flap: Don't blame AT&T
Summary: ZDNet Senior Editor Sam Diaz shares his views on the recent iPhone related controversy--Apple's rejection of Google Voice. He says, AT&T was not behind the app rejection and that Apple should adopt it because it has already approved other VoIP apps such as Skype.
TOPICS: Hardware, Apple, Google, Mobility, Networking, Smartphones, Telcos, Unified Comms, AT&T
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.


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|Posted by Alana Woods on September 13, 2014 at 8:00 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Some time ago I read Nougat's short story compilation Death on Facebook, Short Stories for the Digital Age and was impressed with the range of stories and the skill with which they were presented. One that caught my imagination was I will not leave you behind, the futuristic story of a 122 year old woman who is part of an elite program that keeps you young until you die. In FOREVER YOUNG Nougat has taken that short story and woven its premise into a four-part series of short novels I enjoyed reading very much.
The over-arching theme is the approaching doom of Earth from climate change. The story is set 200 years into the future and what becomes apparent very quickly is that humankind never did learn the lessons of what it would take to save the planet. Everyone, including big business, is still only concerned with the present and what they can get out of it for themselves. People are still divided into the have's and have not's, only now the have's—called the OnePercenters—can afford to have old-age and illness permanently eliminated right up until death, whereas the have not's—the 99PerCenters—continue to struggle as we struggle in this day and age.
The story and struggle is told through three characters who all aspire to be a OnePercenter, highlighting the fact that even in Earth's extremis we're still only concerned with what advantages we can garner for ourselves.
You can come away from reading this series feeling a great despair for where we're heading. The alternatives that the author presents, that of leaving Earth to inhabit a new planet and starting again, or remaining and hoping Earth regenerates itself, are stark contrasts.
A thought-provoking, confronting read.
A point worth mentioning is that the cover art is one of Nougat's own works and depicts Alice, one of the characters in the series. If you click on the link below to my interview with the author you will see more of her paintings.
FOREVER YOUNG on Amazon
Take this link to my interview with CLAUDE NOUGAT
Take this link to the author's Amazon author page for all of her novels
Take this link to all my book reviews
|Posted by Alana Woods on September 4, 2014 at 10:40 AM
|comments (0)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
You may well remember that I've reviewed some of John L Work's books previously. I've always meant to catch up with this particular series and now I have. A WELL-REGULATED VENGEANCE can be read as a stand-alone novel but it can also be read as a precursor to the three-part THE BARTER series. The author himself refers to it as a four book collection called THE BARTER AND RECKONING SERIES. For the purposes of this article I'm reviewing them separately.
I've read enough of John L Work's novels to know they take you by the throat and don't let go until well after you've finished reading them. This one doesn't deviate from the mold. In fact it ramps up the tension by quite a few degrees.
In this gun-rights thriller he takes you to the United States in the near future, 2016, against the backdrop of a country descending into totalitarianism, and brings you the story of an ordinary man, Wesley Kirbaugh, seeking justice for his murdered daughter.
It beautifully combines a seemingly small story—that of one man—with a large story—that of a nation's descent from greatness.
Unsettling is an understatement. But what read!
This story was born from best-selling author and investigative journalist Jerome Corsi's essay at World Net Daily titled China poised to play debt card—for US land. John L Work took the premise of a United States in so deep a debt to China that it trades the debt for US soil. The year is 2016 and the political scene picks up where it left off in A WELL-REGULATED VENGEANCE.
Once again Work sets one man's story against world affairs and once again does it brilliantly.
Although A WELL-REGULATED VENGEANCE is a stand alone novel it is also a precursor to the three-part THE BARTER series, of which this is the first.
Benito Hernandez, a military veteran, has been working at a chicken processing plant for some years. The kids are grown up and have left home, so there's just him and his wife Monica. The deteriorating political situation in the US is seen through his story and his eyes. And it's horrific.
Work knows how to keep you turning the page and holding your breath.
Think George Orwell's 1984 was a piece of fiction? Think again. In this second in THE BARTER series John L Work presents for your enjoyment and contemplation a story of the world going mad. The year is 2020.
He points out that the United States has gone from being the World's biggest creditor nation in 1945 to the world's biggest debtor nation today.
But as he also points out in his introduction, "This isn't a book about economics. It's a killer thriller."
He's right!
Benito and Monica Hernandez from book 1 are dead and we now follow their son Jamie. Private citizens possessing guns was outlawed years ago and there are harsh penalties for non-compliance. I'm not giving anything away by saying Jamie buys one so he can pursue his vendetta against the injustice of his father's death.
I'm not going to tell you how Benito died but it's all tied up in the Chinese now being the behind-the-scenes power in America.
You're going to want to move straight on to book 3 when you finish this one.
This is book 3 in John L Work's THE BARTER series and picks up within minutes of where book 2 finished. America is now a country that today's citizens wouldn't recognise. In the not too distant future Islam and China will be battling for supremacy but for now they exist together in an uneasy alliance.
Jamie Hernandez is on the run from his own government for crimes committed in book 2. He's aided by Australian Secret Intelligence Service agents. Rebecca Teals is one of them and she and Jamie get to know each other pretty well over the course of the rest of the story.
As an Australian myself it's interesting to see a non-Australian's view of us. Work obviously finds us engaging. It's not the first time he's referenced Australia as the last bastion against Islam in his novels.
Jamie and Rebecca escape to Australia where Jamie and two other Americans receive military training with the aim of returning to the US to wreak havoc. Then it's back home to do just that.
Book 3 keeps up the pace and I found myself reading quickly to find out if Jamie and Rebecca survive.
The whole series of four books grabs you by the throat—as I said in my review of A WELL-REGULATED VENGEANCE—and doesn't let go.
A WELL-REGULATED VENGEANCE on Amazon
THE BARTER on Amazon
THE BARTER 2: CRUSADE on Amazon
THE BARTER 3: RESCUE on Amazon
Take this link to my interview with JOHN L WORK
Take this link to the author's Amazon author page for all of his novels
Take this link to all my book reviews
|Posted by Alana Woods on August 23, 2014 at 7:00 PM
|comments (2)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
This week an article I wrote on branding yourself featured on the blog of self-publishing guru Jason Matthews.
It's reproduced in part here, on my own blog, and if you'd like to read it in its entirety just take this link to Jason's page.
Intrigue Queen, Branding an Indie Author
It's no secret indie authors need to market their books, but how many are branding themselves? It's one thing to pick a genre and produce multiple books, it's another to intentionally build a brand.
This is why we can learn a few things from Alana Woods, who splits time between the UK and Australia. Besides writing gripping novels (winner of the Australian Fast Books Prize for Best Fiction), she's a source of great ideas on writing and marketing.
Alana, how does an author brand herself?
Every indie author knows that promotion and marketing is our own responsibility.
It isn't essential, but to focus my mind I made a business plan and it consists of this.
1. A brand to build exposure—Alana Woods is the Intrigue Queen. I chose this because I write suspenseful thrillers. It's the central theme around which I market my product.
2. My target market—The narrow market is book publishing. The wider market is the entertainment industry as books not only compete with other books but also TV, cinema, games etc.
3. My product—What I write, packaged in books.
4. Where my product sits in the market—Narrow market: genre. Wider market: books.
5. Where to place my product—Online and/or physical book stores, direct selling.
6. My goal—To be the top selling author in my genre.
7. Strategies to achieve my goal—Promotion and marketing. Currently it revolves around ebooks and paperbacks. Eventually it will include audiobooks and foreign translations.
8. Hanging on to the apron strings of 7 is the question: are there any circumstances unique to me as an Australian author?
Find out how I implement my business plan by reading the full article on Jason's blog.
|Posted by Alana Woods on August 19, 2014 at 8:00 PM
|comments (0)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Indie Authors TV #66 interviews sexuality writer/activist August McLaughlin. August discusses sex, body image, eating disorders and more within her psych thriller IN HER SHADOW.
About August McLaughlin
August McLaughlin is an award-winning health and sexuality writer, radio personality and creator of the empowering female sexuality brand Girl Boner. Her work has been featured by LIVESTRONG.com, Sexual Wellness News, DAME Magazine, Healthy Aging Magazine and more.
Her first novel, IN HER SHADOW, a thriller loosely based on her battle with anorexia while working as an international model, was an 2013 Indies for Excellence finalist, and in 2014 she was named one of BlogHer's Voices of the Year.
Known for melding personal passion with activism, she uses her skills as a public speaker and journalist to inspire other women to embrace their bodies and sexuality, making way for fuller, more authentic lives.
August is represented by Jill Marr of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and loves connecting with readers and listeners throughout social media.
Hosted by Jason Matthews and Marla Miller
Take this link to all Indie Authors TV posts.
|Posted by Alana Woods on August 16, 2014 at 9:10 PM
|comments (2)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Once in a rare while, when petitions have banked to a degree that I can no longer ignore them, I'll hold a Petition Day where all the inhabitants who have something they wish to discuss with me can come to the palace and gain an audience.
On this particular morning I was busy trying to get to the bottom of my in-box before Petition Time when I heard a loud bang. Not concerned, because sometimes the roof likes to herald its presence by making annoying noises, I continued with the correspondence.
Imagine my horror, then, when peering out at the queue forming to see me I spied one of my subjects in extremis on the palace window ledge.
It looked like Little Spoggy had tried to beat the crowds into the palace only to find what she thought was the entrance barred by an invisible barrier—glass.
I rushed outside and to my relief found her still breathing although her eyes were closed, her mouth open and her heart beating as though it would burst from her chest.
I stroked her little chest to calm her and tried dripfeeding her some water after which The Consort led me away to grieve as he predicted she would not recover.
Imagine my joy then, when an hour later I returned to collect her fragile little body for burial and found her sitting. Another hour later she had recovered sufficiently to fly home.
I hastened to ask what it was she had come to petition me for but she said she had such a headache it had flown right out of her head.
Egbert, on the other hand, was granted his request.
Recent rains have brought about a second flush of new rosehips and I consented to not net them.
I was so upset about Little Spoggy in extremis I felt it not appropriate to capture her image but Egbert, on the other hand, he's always happy to pose.
Take this link to all CHASING BOOK SALES LAND stories
|Posted by Alana Woods on August 12, 2014 at 8:00 PM
|comments (2)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Indie Authors TV #65 interviews award winning author Lynne Spreen about her Amazon bestseller DAKOTA BLUES, a coming-of-age story for mid-lifers. Lynne discusses the novel and what coming of age for mid-lifers means for her.
Lynne wrote DAKOTA BLUES, in part, because she wanted to express her optimism about aging. She has a core belief: life is better after fifty.
DAKOTA BLUES has received over one hundred reviews, earning an average 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.
Lynne's website book blurb: In the traditional coming-of-age story the main character has to figure out who she wants to be when she grows up. She struggles to earn an education, develop a career, find a life partner, establish a home, start a family…
But then what? After you've lived through your first coming-of-age you reach a place where you think you have it figured out, but then life changes. Maybe you're not happy anymore. Something's missing – or you've been dealt a tough hand. What happens now?
That's the midlife coming-of-age story!
Hosted by Jason Matthews
|Posted by Alana Woods on July 30, 2014 at 8:00 PM
|comments (0)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 writing tips
Megan Cyrulewski's new memoir WHO AM I!
is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble from Saturday 2 August 2014
I'm participating in the BOOK BLAST promotion, helping Megan to spread the news
WHO AM I! synopsis
Megan's book, Who Am I? How My Daughter Taught Me to Let Go and Live Again, is about her journey into post-partum depression, anxiety disorder, panic attacks, stays in the psych ward, divorce, emotional abuse, domestic violence, law school, how she managed to graduate from law school and a beautiful little girl who emerged from all of this chaos.
Megan's bio
Megan Cyrulewski has been writing short stories since she was ten. After attending Grand Valley State University she eventually settled into a career in the non-profit sector for eight years. Deciding to change careers she went back to school to study for a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
While studying she wrote her memoir, documenting her divorce, child custody battle and postpartum depression struggles.
Megan lives in Michigan with her 3-year-old daughter who loves to dance, run, read, and snuggle time with Mommy. Megan also enjoys her volunteer work with various organizations in and around metro-Detroit.
Excerpt from the book
On January 18, 2012, we all convened in the courthouse for the Motion for Parenting Time hearing. My dad and I arrived with my attorney, but Tyler loved an audience so he brought his dad, step-mom, and his new on-again off-again girlfriend, Heather. Tyler walked in with his posse in tow, cocky as hell. It took all of two minutes for the judge to knock him off his feet.
The Judge addressed our respective attorneys. "Why are we here?"
"Your honor," Tyler's attorney began, "my client has clearly been denied his parenti—"
The Judge didn't even let him finish. "How?" She turned to my attorney. "Don?"
"Your honor, as you can see in the divorce decree, there was supposed to be a review when the minor child turned twelve-months-old. The Defendant has ignored that review."
"I—if I may, your honor," Tyler's attorney sputtered.
"I see the review in the decree. It's here in black and white," she told Tyler's attorney. "What is the problem? Why didn't you understand the review? Your client signed the divorce decree."
Tyler's attorney tried again. "But your honor—"
The judge cut him off. "There is to be a review conducted by the Friend of the Court referee assigned to the parties. Until then, the Defendant will continue his parenting time schedule as agreed upon in the divorce decree. Dismissed."
And that was it. After eight police reports and numerous harassing text messages, phone calls, and e-mails, we won. As Don and Tyler's attorney went to speak with the clerk to file the necessary paperwork, Don told us to wait for him outside the courtroom.
As we exited the courtroom, the hallway was so packed with people that my dad and I were only able to find enough space to lean against the wall. We were talking about the court proceedings when we looked up and saw Tyler and his new girlfriend standing right across from us.
"Why do you lie about everything?" Tyler screamed.
Heather walked up to me and stood about an inch from my face. "As a mother myself, you should be happy that Tyler is the father of your child."
My jaw dropped. "I'm sorry but I don't know you."
She smirked. "Well you're going to get to know me, bitch."
Tyler made a big show of pulling her from me like I was going to punch her or something. By this time, everyone in the hallway was watching us. We were pure entertainment.
Heather continued her rant. "Two times in the psych ward, Megan? What a great mother you are."
"Where is your mom, the real mother of our child?" Tyler screamed. "She's the one who takes care of Madelyne."
My dad and I tried to move away from Tyler and Heather but they followed us.
"Awww…" Heather mocked. "Do you have to take a Xanax because of your anxiety?"
"Go take your Xanax and sleeping pills, you drug addict," Tyler shouted.
Finally, Don emerged from the courtroom and pulled us into a quiet corridor. He explained that I needed to call our referee to set up a meeting to discuss a visitation schedule. I told Don about the verbal assault by Tyler and Heather. Don said he would call Tyler's attorney to let him know that Heather would not be allowed in my house.
Upon leaving the courthouse, Heather screamed, "See you on Sunday, Megan."
I turned toward her and said calmly, "I don't know you, but you are not welcome in my home."
That night, Tyler sent me multiple texts attacking my mothering skills, my supposed drug addictions, how he was going to fight for joint custody of Madelyne, how Heather would be accompanying him for his visitations, and a barrage of other insults:
• "Get a life already."
• "Don't you have something better to do than wasting your parents' money?"
• "Go take your pills and relax, oh yeah, then your parents would have to watch our daughter. Oh yeah, they already do."
• "Go talk to your friends. Oh yeah, you don't have any because of how crazy you are."
• "Interesting to know you've been to the hospital a couple of times. You really need to get it together."
• "Better go call your lawyer and make up some more stuff about me."
• "Don't be mad at your sorry life."
• "I am sure living with Mom and Dad the rest of your life will be fun."
• "When you get a job, then you can pay me child support. Fun."
I finally had to turn my phone off at midnight.
Available from Amazon in paperback and ebook
Available from Barnes & Nobel in paperback and ebook
|Posted by Alana Woods on July 29, 2014 at 8:30 PM
|comments (0)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
COUNTERPOINT: Take Back That Which Is Yours is the third novel in the Jonathan Savage Trilogy
Something wicked this way comes … and, boy, is it wicked.
This is the final book in Walters' Jonathan Savage trilogy and it doesn't disappoint. In fact it ramps up a dozen rungs or so on the ladder delivering a non-stop fireworks show, burst after pyrotechnic burst.
The main players from FINAL DIAGNOSIS and BLOWBACK unite to meet their varied ends. The villains are villainous, the heroes are real and, given what's happening in our world, the scenario is all-too-terrifyingly possible.
The pace never slackens and the words flow effortlessly to create scenes easily conjured into images.
A really good finale. Thanks for the entertainment, Mr Walters!
COUNTERPOINT on Amazon
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|Posted by Alana Woods on July 21, 2014 at 8:45 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Are you an author or artist who has their product for sale on multiple sites that can be accessed on a variety of devices?
Have you dreamed of the day when one link would take a buyer to the right store for the device they're using?
Dream no more, that day is here.
GeoRiot has delivered just such links. They're called Genius links.
I'm not going to attempt to recreate or paraphrase the information GeoRiot provides except to give you the first paragraph of their media release. After that click on the GeoRiot links below to go to their site for all the information.
Genius Links eliminate the need to create multiple links for a single product that's available across different ecosystems. Scenarios can now be created within a single link, to route each click individually based off of the user's location, device, operating system, and even date. This eliminates the hurdles of promoting to your ever-growing audience as more storefronts and devices come online.
Check out GeoRiot's Step by Step Guide or visit our blog to learn more about Genius Links.
GeoRiot website link.
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|Posted by Alana Woods on July 20, 2014 at 3:00 AM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
I've read this book twice now, the first time as a beta reader and the second time after buying it to review. It's a book I'm not going to get tired of. I'll be returning to it often because the message resonated deeply with me.
The author describes himself in the introduction as a mess for much of his life. He intimates troubles that threatened to overwhelm him. He thought life was conspiring against him. He wondered what the point of it all was. Then after a particularly harrowing episode he woke to the fact that it was within his power to help himself. And that's where his journey to a better self began. Not by trying to make big changes immediately but by focusing on striving continually to become slightly better. After a while he noticed that the little changes were accumulating into big ones.
In writing this book Matthews is documenting the steps he took to remake himself into a person he liked. He is sharing those steps in the belief that others will also be struggling and will find the information useful, even valuable.
So what is he talking about when he says we can be better versions of ourselves? He looks at all aspects of life: the physical, as in our bodies and our environment; the mental, as in our consciousness and happiness; our relationships, both personal and professional; and much more.
Matthews doesn't talk at you, he guides you. There are plenty of scenarios and examples to highlight his points. At the end of each chapter he itemises the key concepts made and the questions we need to ask ourselves.
If you take only one thing from this book it might well be the message that happiness is a choice. I now remind myself of it every day. But that isn't the only lesson I've learned and to remind myself of what are essentially the easy things I can do to be happier and a better person is why I'll be returning to it regularly.
BETTER YOU BETTER ME on Amazon US | UK | CA | AU | India
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|Posted by Alana Woods on July 5, 2014 at 7:10 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
My guest today is UK author Graham Higson whose book about a small UK Yorkshire fishing village in 1915 attracted my attention because John and I were walking those very spots in July last year. Heartbeat country, if Graham's photo is anything to go by.
Alana: Graham, welcome. Wyke Bay, the fictional setting for FLITHER LASS, is based on Robin Hood's Bay, which is the end point for the Coast to Coast walk that John and I did. We loved the place. Why choose that spot?
Graham: Thanks, Alana. Because you've been there you'll be able to appreciate the timelessness of the village, which is very much as it was in the story's time period. Then there's the coastline, and the beaches teeming with rock pools. I could see the characters tramping through the streets, sense their hunger, feel their anguish. It was if they were there every time I turned a corner. And when we walked along the beach and saw a cliff top waterfall, I knew that I would use it in the story.
So yes, it's very much like the fictional Wyke Bay, but I had to write in some differences because if readers think that a place is real, then they might (heaven forbid) believe that the characters are also based on actual people.
Alana: On your website you talk about visiting Whitby, which is close to your setting of Wyke Bay. I bought a silver and jet bangle there to commemorate our walk. Unfortunately I didn't have time to get used to wearing it because it was stolen less than a month later. But you say that although living nearby all your life it wasn't until you were an adult that you visited Whitby.
Graham: I know the very shop where you must have bought the jet bangle. Sorry to hear about what happened. The shop is at the bottom of the famous 199 steps …
Alana: It is! W Hamond. Guarantees that it uses only genuine Whitby jet.
Graham: That's it … and I'm pleased to say that on a couple of occasions I have run up those two at a time without stopping.
Alana: Hope you don't mind. I'm throwing in two of my own photos here. There's me outside W Hamond with my new purchase in my hot little hands, and then there's John on the famous 199 steps.
Alana: I doubt that I could have gone up them two at a time. Quite a feat!
Graham: Yes, but dare I do it again …? So why did it take us so long to visit Whitby for the first time? It is in a part of England that we'd not yet got around to. It's as simple as that.
Alana: So where is home? And why is it home?
Graham: Home is in an outlying Pennine village in Yorkshire, about half an hour from Leeds in one direction and Manchester in the other.
It's all open countryside, which we like, even though you can be held up by cows crossing the road for milking, and there is plenty of wind and rain. Come to think of it, it's very much like the village where my character Briscoe lives in OAK SEER.
Alana: There's nothing quite like using what you know. You've been a journalist for most of your life I believe, although if I'm not wrong you're a fulltime writer, as in author rather than journalist, nowadays.
Graham: Yes, I gave up my day job so I could write fulltime, but in and amongst I decided to complete my education. I trained as a screenwriter at University College Falmouth, which I think taught me much more about things like structure and dialogue. I was the only one taking screenwriting, by the way, which meant that the tutor had no one else to pick on but me.
Alana: But think of all that one on one! Invaluable! And nowadays you're involved in the republishing of another local author, Leo Walmsley, who lived 1892-1966. Would you tell us a little about him and what you're doing.
Graham: I found Robin Hood's Bay in about 1989 and there was this cottage with a blue commemorative plaque above the door saying that an author once lived there. I thought, "Crikey, I've never heard of him." I really believed they were grasping at straws for tourism purposes, although my wife Margaret was certain she had read one of his books. But then there was a television program about the village that mentioned a major film had been shot there in the 1930s. There was no internet back then (not for civilians, anyhow) and it was whilst asking around in the village that I found the film, Turn of the Tide, was based on a Walmsley book. We bought the book, THREE FEVERS, and six years later joined the Walmsley Society. Two years after that my wife and I were voted on to the committee. At that time none of the major publishers was printing his books, and it was me who said we should do it ourselves. Here we are, 11 books republished and another on the way. Very satisfying.
Alana: Do you have a link that anyone interested can take to check them out?
Graham: Yes. I also administer the website.
Alana: Let's talk about your books now. FLITHER LASS, which I've just read and reviewed, to begin with. Give us a flavor of the story line. I have to say I love the video trailer for it. I called the book atmospheric. Well, so is the trailer.
Perhaps you could also explain what a flither is and what they were used for.
Graham: In the 1800s, maybe even farther back, many flither girls traveled in gangs, but in 1915 my flither lass Amy works alone, often in harsh weather conditions as she scours the shore for limpets, or "flithers". These are the mollusk-type creatures that live inside the conical shells usually found sticking to the rocks, almost with the strength of industrial adhesive. She collects them to use as bait on her father's fishing lines. Hardy, strong, practical, she is an expert at climbing steep cliff faces, and refuses to allow her highly impractical long skirt to prevent her wading out into the water. Instead she simply rolls it up to her waist, despite exposing her bare thighs – quite shocking for those times.
But she is estranged from the local community which believes, in its ignorance, that she is backward, slow-witted. The reality is that she is a wild, unruly girl, passionately protective of the small bay that she believes is hers. She works things out by instinct and whatever else she can pick up from odd snatches of conversation that are not obscured by an undiagnosed hearing condition. You wouldn't get that sort of thing happening nowadays, would you? Naturally, sometimes she gets things wrong.
The story begins when her father is caught in a storm, leaving her with no-one apart from a hard, embittered mother and an idle sister. Convinced that her father is still alive she searches the shore, and instead finds an injured man. He's not her father but for the time being he'll do, and she decides to keep him for herself. The First World War is waging in France and Belgium and only a few hundred yards out from the coast at Wyke Bay merchant shipping is under threat from mines and U-boats. And Amy's new friend is German.
Alana: The book's a corker. I don't hand out 5 stars easily but FLITHER LASS deserved them. And your other book?
Graham: OAK SEER (a supernatural mystery) is about an obsessive who deals in old wooden artifacts. One night he finds he can no longer handle these wooden items without being haunted by images from the past. He's something of a Lothario, doesn't much like people, yet women throw themselves at him … and suddenly he can't perform, so he's washed up, whichever way you look at it. There's a modern day high priestess of a coven in Scotland, women who lust after an ancient medieval carving of a monster's face, blood loss, and a girl in a white dress. And poor old Briscoe must take a look at himself and do the right thing to save them. But what is the right thing? And is he so set in his ways that he won't be able to exorcise the past? Or is it that the past is exorcising him?
Alana: Sounds like he's got some real problems! Are you working on anything else at the moment?
Graham: Yes—a memoir, would you believe? It's based on the magazine column I wrote for over 10 years and is about the observations from behind the counter of an independent hardware store. This time there's an underlying theme with much more at stake. I'm reluctant to describe it as funny because those readers who don't find it as such then give bad reviews, but I can tell you that it is meant to be a little humorous. I've just completed the first draft and it's been a pleasure getting reacquainted with the characters I've known for so long they almost write themselves. Naturally, being a memoir, there are some real people in there, but their names have been changed to prevent lawsuits.
Alana: Graham, thank you so much for chatting with me today.
Graham: And thank you, Alana, for having me. I've rather enjoyed being here with you.
Graham's links website | blog | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube trailer | LinkedIn
Goodreads | Flither Lass Goodreads page | Amazon author page
FLITHER LASS on Amazon smartURL | CreateSpace for paperback
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|Posted by Alana Woods on July 5, 2014 at 7:00 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
FLITHER LASS is incredibly atmospheric. The further I got into it the more I became convinced it would not end well, I couldn't see how it could be otherwise. Without giving anything away I will just say that when the ending came I thought 'How apt. Perfect.'
The wildness, of characters and setting, is consistent from start to finish. The bone-chilling cold of the sea and terrible weather wafted out of the pages and into my bones. I had to put the heating on. The language was like a pop-up picture book opening up scene after scene. The dialogue of these illiterate and mostly ignorant fishing folk did its job in revealing their characters to me. Higson is a helluva story teller.
The story? It follows a few days in the life of Amy Trott, a 15 year old living in a poor fishing village on the wild UK Yorkshire coast. Everyone ekes a precarious living looking out for themselves. There's no room for caring about neighbours. Anyone thought to be even a little different is treated harshly and Amy is that little bit different, thought to be simple. Her only protector is her father. There are two young men who also have soft spots for her but neither knows how to show it and don't have the courage anyway. Amy collects flithers, limpets, from the rocky shore for her fisherman father to use as bait on his lines. It's back-breaking dangerous work. The year is 1915 and paranoia regarding the Germans abounds. So when Amy finds one washed up on the rocks her life becomes very precarious indeed.
This is the story of people struggling to exist and find their place in that existence. Wrap your hands around a hot coffee or chocolate and let Graham Higson immerse you in Amy's life.
FLITHER LASS on Amazon US | UK
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 21, 2014 at 7:10 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Micheal Maxwell is my guest author today. I like to do a bit of ferreting about authors before having a chat so check out such places as their websites, Facebook and Amazon author pages. Micheal is obviously someone who likes to keep himself to himself because all I could find was a teaser. I immediately wanted to know details and am now going to attempt to get them.
Here's the teaser from his author bio: Mr Maxwell has traveled the globe, dined with politicians, rock stars and beggars. He has rubbed shoulders with priests and murderers, surgeons and drug dealers, each one giving him a part of themselves that will live again in the pages of his books.
Alana: Micheal, welcome. There is no way I'm going to let you go without enlightening me about the travel and the people you've met. So tell me, in what exotic spots did you meet such diverse types and how did you come to meet them?
Micheal: Thanks for having me. Since I am unwilling to enter a 12-step program there is no hope of curing my Travel Addiction. This June I will visit my 39th country. Along the way I've met a lot of folks.
Alana: I'm all ears to hear about them.
Micheal: Okay, let's see, I've traveled to China and met with the head of National Chinese Radio, who at the time was the Party Chairman for Yunnan Province. The Governor of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and I had a meeting a few years ago. I thought American politicians were a shady bunch until I met him. He gave me a nice gift though.
I ate dinner with Ace Frehley of KISS. I remember it, he was beyond remembering anything. I've been known to give beggars part of my lunch, some were grateful, some, well, not so much.
Been to the Vatican twice, they wouldn't let me in once. I had walking shorts on. The woman in line in front of me had on a gauzy see through summer dress and a thong. Nothing else. They put her right through. (laughs)
On a more serious note, when I was in the music business I met a lot of drug dealers. Speaking of murderers, I am sad to say I have known 11 convicted murderers on a first name basis. They were all in my classroom over the years.
A car I was riding in was stopped by New People Army guerrillas in the middle of nowhere in the Philippines. They opened my luggage and tossed it around with the barrel tip of a machine gun. That was a bit unsettling.
Alana: I bet. Getting back to the music business—what did you do?
Micheal: Actually music is my first love. I am an avid collector, wannabe guitarist and it seemed only natural that when, as a disenchanted worker bee, I wanted a job that I would love, I turned to music. Over the years I have written record reviews, done specialty radio shows, promoted concerts and owned a small chain of record stores. I mentioned meeting rock stars, that's when most of that happened.
I still long to introduce people to music they haven't heard so every Sunday morning on my Facebook page I post a mini-radio show called Sunday With Micheal, where I post two Youtube videos of artists I think people need to know about.
Alana: Apologies for interrupting your run. Please continue.
Micheal: Talking about music is never an interruption.
I once had a woman tell me over dinner how she tried to hire a hit man to kill her daughter's abusive husband. Thankfully she didn't pay the ten grand. (laughs)
Alana: That would've given me a restless night or two wondering if she was serious! Anyone else?
Micheal: This is turning a bit dark. (laughs) Let's lighten it up a bit. I met a family while traveling that were very devote Jews. We spent many hours over Kosher meals discussing faith. The daughter had never met a Christian to actually sit and talk with. They lived in a really tight community in Toronto. So, she asked me everything she had ever wondered about. At the next table was a couple from Melbourne that as the evening progress seemed to be leaning closer and closer to hear us. At one point the wife turned and asked if we were disturbing them.
He said, 'No, I just want to see who wins.'
He had missed the whole point. Even though we were loud and there was a lot of waving of hands, our talk was done in love and respect for each other's beliefs.
I told the fellow we weren't arguing and that we were having a great time sharing our faith.
'You people are so intelligent I can't believe you believe all the bulls**t!' the man replied.
I will never forget what my friend said to him, without missing a beat he quoted Psalm 14:1, 'The fool hath said in his heart: "There is no God"; they have dealt corruptly, they have done abominably; there is none that doeth good.'
That was the end of our evening.
I ran into the guy from Melbourne the next day and he apologized. Turned out to be a nice guy.
I have found that everyone has a story. If you are an active listener, people will open up with the most intimate details of their life. I think there is almost a confessional element or psychological release in talking to strangers. As a writer I think it's important to keep your eyes open and your mouth shut as much as possible. Sometimes you have to prime the pump though.
The funny thing is, one on one, they were all just people who breathe the same air we do.
I still haven't met Bob Dylan yet. That's a disappointment.
Alana: I recently read and reviewed the first in your Cole Sage thriller series DIAMONDS AND COLE. Did any of the people you've met influence the characters in the story and, if so, how?
Micheal: It is often said, 'Careful what you say to a writer, it will end up in print.' I would certainly be less than truthful if I said that the characters weren't drawn from people and events I have either seen or been party to. Writing is kind of the same confessional cleansing I spoke of earlier. Before you ask, no, I haven't committed any crimes.
In the Cole Sage series there are also biographical elements that make such good stories I would be foolish not to use them. The roots of COLE DUST, book four in the series, are deep in my own family's oral history and legends. In the end, fiction is still fiction though, and certainly parallels between Cole Sage and I would be flattering, but a bit misguided.
In THREE NAILS I think there is a much finer line between fiction and memoir. Some stories just seem to haunt me until I get them down properly. In the case of THREE NAILS I really tried to examine the pain of losing a child and how it would color the world around you. Thank God I have never lost a child, but someone dear to me did. The idea of braiding their story with anecdotes from my own life seemed a very natural thing to do.
So to your question, yes, everything and everyone I have ever met or things I've done play a role in my books. I think that's why I enjoy writing so much.
Alana: Why a world-weary reporter for your leading man?
Micheal: As a young man I got a job fresh out of university as a writer. My boss was an old school newspaperman from Chicago. In the two years I spent with him he taught me more about the craft of writing than all the writing courses I ever sat through. There is no resemblance other than Chicago and the newspaper connection but it was my way of honoring him.
The character of Cole Sage is intended to be an every man hero. He's a good guy who finds himself in situations not of his making, that put his investigative skills and sense of right and wrong constantly to the test.
I really wanted Cole Sage to be free of the over-used character flaws that almost every mystery/detective/private eye character seems to be burdened with. So, Cole isn't a drunk, degenerate gambler, PTSD patient, womanizer or recovering drug addict. He's just a regular guy that a lot of bad stuff happens to. That's why, in DIAMONDS AND COLE we take care of the great burden of losing the woman he loved and lost. As he grows as a character it is his commitment to his friends that find him with decisions that stretch the boundaries of how far he is willing to go to take care of those he loves.
Alana: I liked his being normal very much.
Micheal: I think Cole is a character that women will love and that men can relate to.
Alana: I think you're right.:) I believe you now live in California; are you on the coast, inland, in a city? Have you always been there or is it a recent settling, after your travels?
Micheal: I am sadly landlocked. If you drew a cross on the map of California, where the lines intersect is home. I once heard someone say where they lived was, 'a good place to be from'. That's Modesto, 80 miles east of San Francisco but it may as well be a million. Therein lies the secret of my travel bug. 'Anywhere but here' as my wife tells people when asked why I like to travel so much.
Alana: I've heard of Modesto—can't say why or how—so it can't be too bad. Are you a lone traveller and your wife keeps the home fires burning, or is she a willing accomplice?
Micheal: Like I said, Modesto is a great place to be from. George Lucas of Star Wars fame is from Modesto. His sister is my neighbor. If you've seen American Graffiti, that is about Modesto. Actors Jeremy Renner and Timothy Olyphant are both from Modesto. Of course our two most famous achievements are Gallo Wine and Micheal Maxwell the author! (laughs)
As to my wonderful wife Janet, she is my ever present traveling partner, photographer, navigator and chronicler of facts. I leave a town and twenty minutes later can't remember its name. Janet keeps nearly hour by hour logs of places, facts and details that I love to read later. We have two bookshelves full of her amazing photo/scrapbooks of our adventures. This photo was taken in Yosemite National Park, three hours from Modesto.
Alana: I must say that I find it awkward to type your name. I have a brother called Michael and the a is before the e. My fingers just don't want to type it any other way.
Micheal: Truth is stranger than fiction. Here's the scoop on the name thing. I was an eleven pound, two ounce baby. When I was born my poor mother was pretty wiped out after, and when they brought the clipboard with the paperwork she transposed the a and e. Viola! Micheal!
The thing is, nobody searches for Micheal, so on Amazon.com, Facebook, Twitter, my blog, stuff like that, I spell it Michael. If you notice the covers of my books are all spelled correctly.
We carried on the ea curse with my youngest son Austin, his middle name is Micheal! Clever or cruel?
Alana: I noticed and wondered about the difference in those spots. As to passing on the spelling, on one level it would be just plain confusing, I think, for them to be spelt differently, but on another level—speaking as someone who has had to spell her name and correct pronunciation all her life—I'm a great proponent of going with the norm.
Micheal: Well, there you are, I've been shying away from the normal for years! (laughs)
Alana: Let me clarify; as far as spelling names is concerned I'm a great proponent of going with the norm. You now have four books in the series published. Would you tell us a little about where Cole finds himself in them, and are there any more on the horizon?
Micheal: You did a wonderful job in your review, thank you, of getting the story started. DIAMONDS AND COLE introduces us to Cole Sage and sets in motion the journey I intend to keep him on for quite a while. They say you can't go home again, but Cole is forced to try. When he receives a call from his great lost love he is thrown into a mix of con-artists, street thugs and a fortune in stolen diamonds. Who gets hurt and who survives questions his loyalty and commitment to legality.
#2 CELLAR FULL OF COLE moves Cole from Chicago to California, but before he can leave he tries to help a colleague with an abusive family member and finds himself facing a pedophile with ties to child murders and pornography.
Alana: It has a very unsettling cover.
Micheal: The little girl is my granddaughter! Quite the little actress! The hand belongs to my son. It is dark but not graphic.
Alana: And the rest in the series?
Micheal: #3 HELIX OF COLE is the worst nightmare of anyone in the public arena. A piece Cole wrote years ago is the catalyst that sends a 60s radical and 21st century terrorist on one last mission, and he wants Cole to tell the story. Nasty fellow this one, bomber, murderer, and has a nuclear suitcase bomb! Charles Manson even pays a visit! Look out San Francisco.
From book 2 on San Francisco is home base for Cole Sage. This photos shows San Francisco Marina from Pacific Heights
Alana: I'm going to amend what I said about him being normal a while back. A normal bloke who encounters much more excitement and life-threatening problems than most of us normal folk!
Micheal: Some guys have all the luck.
#4 COLE DUST is one I am particularly proud of. Cole inherits a farm in Oklahoma. He discovers the journals of the grandfather he never knew. It is actually a book within a book. We follow the life of a very colorful tormented man through the journals and Cole's discovery of a long buried family secret in the other. Some of my most rewarding reviews I've received as a writer have come from this one. By the way that is my grandparents on the cover.
I am currently working on #5 COLE SHOOT and #6 CROSS OF COLE. You heard it here first folks! COLE SHOOT opens with the Chinese New Year's Parade in San Francisco's Chinatown. Cole is right in the middle of a street gang shoot out that ends in the death of a close friend. Lots of old friends from the other books return for a visit.
CROSS OF COLE is about half finished. It has Cole investigating the death of a charismatic religious leader.
I have a lot more Cole books planned and outlined. I just have to find a few more hours on the clock to get them done!
Alana: You mentioned THREE NAILS earlier. Can you tell us a bit about it, or any other books you have outside the Cole Sage series? I'm curious how your process works.
Micheal: THREE NAILS is a novella. It tells the story of a teacher who loses his son in a car accident. Like a handful of stones thrown in a pond, the circles of his life and memories are all interconnected to his processing his grief. His relationship with his wife, his other children, colleagues at work and even the kids he teaches are part of his healing. I think it raises a lot of questions of faith, love and why we do the things we do to survive tragedy. The story takes place over the course of a school year.
I am currently working on a young adult book. This is a real departure for me, but it kind of helps get out of the crime and suspense box for a while. It's called THE TIME PEDALER and tells the story of a boy, 14, who finds a time machine. Lots of adventure and dare I say it, history lessons. It is also something new in that I'm working with a writing partner. More on that another time. Shhh, it's a secret.
Alana: My lips are sealed.
Micheal: My other project I am really excited about is a Western novel, inspired by the lyrics of a song by Bob Dylan. Sort of a Dylan Inspired Western. Tight lips on this one for now, but I think it is going to be really interesting.
So, you can see I've got a lot of work to do!
Alana: All I can say is Whew. Now then, before I let you go tell me where your next trip will be to.
Micheal: We are going to be spending five weeks in a little town in Ecuador called Banos Aguasde Santa. It is in a beautiful valley at the foot of a volcano. Just the other side of the mountains is the Amazon basin. We've rented an apartment and hope to immerse ourselves in the community. We've been studying Spanish like crazy. Who knows, if we love it I might retire there!
Alana: Micheal, thanks so much for talking with me today. It's been a pleasure finding out the details behind that teaser.
Micheal: Thank you for the opportunity. So nice to do an interview with fresh questions and ideas. Thanks for not asking me what my favorite book is or favorite author! I hope your readers will find our chat as much fun as I did.
DIAMONDS AND COLE on Amazon US | UK
Micheal's links: Blogspot | Facebook | Amazon US | Amazon UK
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 21, 2014 at 7:00 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
A tale of regret and coming to terms with it told in a very well-put-together way.
Cole Sage is a newspaper hack working for the Chicago Sentinel, having worked his way down from a top-flight award-winning career with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine. The fire had gone. Then the love of his life, the woman he let slip away, contacts him asking for help. And so his path back to caring begins.
The story encompasses diamond smuggling, money laundering, horrible husbands, sincere cops and eager journalists, the forgotten residents of nursing homes and a crook with a good heart. Beginning with what Cole believes is the simple matter of making sure his ex-love is cared for while she succumbs to a terminal illness, he soon finds himself on the receiving end of threats and a beating.
Maxwell knows how to keep his readers interested, unfolding the story evenly without any dips. I liked his fleshing out of the secondary characters as well as the primary with, among other things, natural dialogue. Combined with a fluent use of language and good plotline it made for a well-rounded story. One I enjoyed.
This is the first book in the Cole Sage series.
DIAMONDS AND COLE on Amazon US | UK
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 17, 2014 at 7:00 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
This week's #64 Indie Authors TV presents Sonia Marsh who discusses how to host author events like an expert. Sonia does it all from book launches to Costco signings to movie theatre premiers for her releases. Discover what she knows for making these things happen.
Sonia is the author of a memoir FREEWAYS TO FLIP-FLOPS A Family's Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island and MY GUTSY STORY ANTHOLOGY True Stories of Love, Courage and Adventure from Around the World (Volume 1).
Indie Authors TV is hosted by Jason Matthews and Marla Miller
Click here for previous Indie Author TV shows.
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 14, 2014 at 10:40 AM
|comments (2)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
We have been receiving communiqués querying where lies this little Fiefdom of Chasing Book Sales Land.
It's a minor fiefdom abutting The Consort's petty fiefdom of Why don't you give it away land.
Both are within the borders of the minor kingdom of The Bush Capital, which itself sits within the realm of New South Wales.
It is part of the mighty island nation of Australia that occupies a great swathe of the southern regions.
A long and perilous journey is required to reach its shores but if you ever undertake the arduous trip and travel on to Chasing Book Sales Land you will receive a warm welcome from its inhabitants.
Please note that gifts for My Fiefdomness are customary.
Take this link to all Chasing Book Sales Land stories.
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 7, 2014 at 7:10 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
This is the first in a fantasy series that could at a superficial level be compared to the Twilight series in that the central character, Sophia Parsons, is a young human who becomes involved with supernatural earth beings including vampires.
However, while I considered the Twilight series to be light reading I found this one more absorbing because of the intricacies of characterisation and what those intricacies added to depth of plot and story.
The Universe is a 'they' never explained but obviously sentient beings of some sort who created Elementals to watch over the human race. Earth elementals, vampires called the Cruor, were the first to be created. Then came Water, Fire and Air. Along the way some of the Cruor became corrupted and as we enter the story the battle for supremacy is beginning. Sophia, a practicing Wiccan, is drawn in through her attraction to Charles, a dual-breed Strigoi, a Water elemental who is also half Cruor.
Told mostly in the first person from Sophia's point of view the storyline follows a satisfactory arc to the end which, this being the first of a series, is obviously only the struggle's first stage. I liked Sophia who had already overcome quite a lot in her 22 years including the suspicious deaths of both parents. Like Charles, her love interest, she is well-fleshed out. Less satisfactorily drawn is Ivory, a major secondary character responsible for much of what happens to Sophia. We learn her history in what is a departure from Sophia's point of view. It's brief and encompasses centuries so we only see snippets that, while revealing the motivation for her actions, doesn't allow us to really get to know her.
This was one of those reads that I didn't like putting down to get on with other things. I wanted to keep reading.
Well written and entertainingly told.
THE FOREVER GIRL on Amazon US | UK
Take this link to my interview with REBECCA HAMILTON.
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 7, 2014 at 7:00 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
Rebecca Hamilton is my guest author this week and I know you'll find her story as interesting as I do. Rebecca writes paranormal fantasy, and part of her reason for doing so is because she has a son with autism and this has inspired her to illuminate the world through the eyes of characters who see things differently.
Alana: Hi Rebecca, welcome. First off, I read that you live in Florida but you hate sand! How is that possible?
Rebecca: Like my son, I actually have severe sensory aversions ... sand and cotton balls are at the top of the list.
Alana: I can empathise with sand; it's one of the things I dislike about the beach!
Rebecca: They're a bit like nails on a chalkboard for me. I guess this helps me relate to my son's sensory issues, though. I'm also deathly afraid of escalators. Escalaphobia they call it…
Alana: I've never heard of that before so here's a link for anyone wanting to read about it.
You write paranormal fantasy fiction, what was the impetus for choosing that genre? Did it stem from your son being diagnosed with autism or were you already interested in it?
Rebecca: I write paranormal fantasy because it interests me. Always has, even since I was a kid. Which is strange since I don't believe in any kind of higher power, but still, I find the supernatural thrilling! I do write in other genres as well, but one thing all my stories have in common is that I like to take unlikely points of view and make them more relatable—this is where the inspiration from my son and his autism come into play. I don't think people with autism think wrong—they just think differently, and it's harder to relate to since their line of thinking isn't as common as the mainstream.
Alana: THE FOREVER GIRL, which I've just read and reviewed, is the first in a planned series. How many books do you envisage in the series and will they follow the same characters?
Rebecca: The series will have seven books in total. Book 2 is ready to go but we're waiting for publishers to make their decisions so we can find out where it will be homed. Currently the first book is with Harlequin in Germany, so we're also hoping they will take and translate the second book as well. There is a lot of crossover between characters, but the main characters differ in some of the books. Books 1, 4, and 7 all follow Sophia's journey through the stages of her Wiccan character development (Maiden, Mother, Crone). Books 2, 3, 5, and 6 meet other elemental characters. They all come together in the final book, though, and many of them make cameos in each other's stories.
Alana: It's been very successful for you I believe. A bestseller plus available in three languages—which ones and what was the reason for choosing them?
Rebecca: THE FOREVER GIRL is available in English, German, and Hungarian. If it were up to me it would be available in all languages!
Note: The following two books are HER SWEETEST DOWNFALL a companion novella to THE FOREVER GIRL and available on Amazon. COME, THE DARK is the second in THE FOREVER GIRL series and yet to be released.
Alana: Oh for the time when all it takes is the push of a button to have top quality translations!
Rebecca: I agree, but alas for now we are at the whim of which mainstream publishers decide to pick up the title and have it translated and published. My favorite publisher to work with so far has been Harlequin (Germany). Right now we are currently working with some publishers in Brazil in hopes the book can be translated into Portuguese (I have so many fans in Brazil!), but we also have interest in France and Italy, and readers from Spain have shown interest as well. Only time will tell what the future holds there.
Alana: I also believe it's been optioned for film. That's every author's dream and you must be excited? Is it too early in the process to talk about or can you give us some details. Perhaps how it came about, who and how you were approached, that sort of thing.
Rebecca: I'll actually maybe possibly hopefully (wink) be finding out more this month! But for now I can tell you this: my agent was approached by Brian Witten, who was the producer for American History X, Final Destination, The Wedding Singer, Friday the 13th, Chernobyl Diaries, and more recently he's working on the Cell with John Cusack. At one point when the contract was in the works my husband and I even travelled to LA to meet with him. We had a lovely dinner and saw a concert together. Brian's totally awesome! I actually do know who is considering writing the screenplay and I'm SUPER EXCITED about who it is, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to say. Also, I don't want to jinx it. Before her it was being considered by the screenplaywriter for Coraline, and it received fantastic feedback but time was an issue so it didn't work out. Still kind of exciting to me that it's even being considered by such amazing writers!
Alana: The main character in THE FOREVER GIRL, Sophia, is a Wiccan, a witch. You're going to have to explain what that means.
Rebecca: Wicca is a form of paganism. It's not really so different from most walks of faith. It's rather nature based, however, and their biggest 'rule' is to harm no one. I think that's why I am most fascinated by it. In a world where people will use anything (including religion) to hurt others, I appreciate those who hold not hurting people above all else. That said, I'm often asked if I myself am Wicca. For the record, I am not. Just a fan of many Wiccan people! I'm agnostic.
Alana: I did wonder, so now I don't have to ask. Would you tell us about your other published books? Your Amazon bio says you also dabble in horror and literary fiction.
Rebecca: I have a title, CIRCUS OF LOST SOULS, that I co-wrote with another bestselling author Riley J Ford. She's the real star of that show, though, but it's a fun horror read. My literary project is still in the works and actually deals much more closely with autism. I've had a lot of professional interest in that title and it has me panicked that I might not live up to the expectations, so I'm in no rush to release it. I want to be sure I get it right. I'm working with Bram Stoker Award nominee Carole Lanham on this one. The first draft has been written and sitting in a drawer for ages, so I'm excited to have her on board to help revive it and get the ball rolling again.
Alana: How has living with autism affected your lives? I've read your guest article for ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) in which you describe some of the misunderstandings you face.
Rebecca: It's up and down. I think I've learned a lot and I think it's made me a better person. It's helped me identify some issues with myself and work through them, somewhat. However, it makes life harder. I know some people feel it's a blessing; I feel my children are all blessing, but I don't find autism itself to be a blessing. Yes, I'm a better person for living with it (at least I think so) but daily I watch my son struggle and suffer from the problems and stress that his autism presents and I see the way it affects my typical child and it puts a strain on the flow of day to day life. That's just being honest about it, about my experience with it. In fact, we now homeschool because the school system was just epically failing my son, and in a lot of ways that has made our lives easier, but it does make it more stressful at times, too.
Alana: I understand that to a certain extent. My sister homeschooled her son who had health problems when growing up and I know some of the pressure it put on her.
Rebecca: I often feel like there are just not enough days in a week. Well-intentioned people often want to offer advice that doesn't apply or make assumptions about problems they can't begin to comprehend and (sad to say) it's at the point now where we find it's easier to figure these things out alone than try to get 'help' from people who don't fully understand what we're up against.
Alana: I believe you donate a percentage of THE FOREVER GIRL royalties to ASAN.
Rebecca: Yes, at times I do! Not all the time. I usually make an announcement when I'm doing so, and what I usually do is a month-long promotion where I donate half of the proceeds for that cause. Usually I do it during autism awareness month, but the past year was not a good year for us due to the birth of our fourth child (born prematurely) and the health complications that followed. I hope to do it again next year as it really feels good to give back to such a wonderful community as ASAN.
Alana: Rebecca, it's been a pleasure. I wish you every continued success with THE FOREVER GIRL series as well as everything else in your life.
Rebecca: Thank you, and you as well with your own writings! I appreciate you having me here today.
Rebecca's links: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
THE FOREVER GIRL on Amazon US | UK
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|Posted by Alana Woods on June 3, 2014 at 7:00 PM
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My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
In this episode of Indie Authors TV, #64, Jason Matthews takes a look at how to make the most of keywords in Amazon to optimise searchability for your books. For instance, the title of your book is the most important thing you have to help the Amazon search engine to link browsers with search terms.
Jason advises using Google keyword planner in conjunction with the Amazon search box to check the effectiveness of your keywords.
Hosted by Jason Matthews and Marla Miller
Click here for more Amazon author information articles.
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|Posted by Alana Woods on May 24, 2014 at 9:30 PM
|comments (4)
My books on Amazon Imbroglio | Automaton | Tapestries | 25 Writing Tips
When I was checking out the free download sites of my books last week I also discovered over a dozen online sellers offering print versions, some saying they had multiple copies, one purporting to have 120 in stock.
I'm talking about new, not second-hand, copies.
If you click on the Buy Now button of some of these sites you are taken to Amazon, which is the only seller I have listed my books with.
My question in this case is this: What does the seller get out of it? Presumably the royalty will come to me because the sale is from my authorised seller Amazon. I don't have an Amazon Associate arrangement with these sellers, so what's their purpose for listing my books? What gain do they make from it?
My second question has to do with sellers who are offering direct book sales? Where have they sourced their copies? CreateSpace? Which is the only printer/supplier I deal with. Perhaps.
I can see where they may order a copy or two and then sell at an inflated price to make a dollar or two.
But there are sellers saying they have multiple copies. I know they didn't come from CreateSpace so where did they come from if, indeed, they aren't another version of the scammers who offer 'free' e-copy downloads for a fee. Meaning you pay but never receive the book.
I have to say that all of this totally bemuses me.
Have you ever done a similar search? Were your results as equally perplexing?
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B'nai Chaim
Sunday October 26, Noon
Every year, the congregants of B'nai Chaim gather as good citizens of our community to clean up our roadways. Our stretch of road is on Bowles Ave. going East from the library. We will meet at Columbine Library at noon and spread out from there. Please bring your own pair of gloves. We will provide bright orange safety vests and bags.
"Children of Life"
Our small, vibrant, and growing congregation serves the Reform Jewish communities of southwest Denver, Littleton, Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, the Ken Caryl area and the nearby foothills.
Our synagogue offers a warm and caring place for study, worship, and community under the leadership of Cantor Kim Harris.
Please browse our website to learn more about us: Worship Services, Religious School, Youth Group, membership, calendar, and directions and contact info.
And join us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bnaichaim
B'nai Chaim offers several adult Hebrew classes:
Beginner and One Level Up from Aleph Bet -- Taught by Sandy at the Temple on Sundays from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM and/or Wednesday. The books used are the "Aleph Isn't Tough" series (1-5) by Linda Motzkin. It is available on Amazon. The class usually follows the Religious School schedule, but different arrangements are occasionally made, so please stay in touch with Sandy.
Please note: A $36 contribution to Religious School is requested as tuition, and students need to buy their own books.
Who among us is so busy that he or she cannot spend 10 minutes a day in the study of a Jewish text? Just 10 minutes? Such a commitment would enable us to meet our Jewish obligation to make Jewish study a fixed occurrence. We make time to answer our cell phones a dozen times a day and to check our email five times an hour...


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Woman Hospitalized After Uptown High-Rise Fire
April 13, 2012 8:12 PM
Featured & Trending:
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CHICAGO (STMW) -- A 77-year-old woman was hospitalized after a fire broke out in a 20-story high-rise Friday evening in the North Side Uptown neighborhood.
About 5 p.m., a fire was reported on the sixth floor at 4300 North Marine Drive, Fire Media Affairs said, adding that the fire was contained to one room.
The woman was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital in serious-to-critical condition for smoke inhalation, Fire Media Affairs said.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, and its cause remains under investigation, Fire Media Affairs said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)


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Search this Blog
Wright State University Libraries' Special Collections and Archives welcomes you to our blog. Join us as we share information, news, and special events; highlight our collections; and discuss archival issues. For more information:
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Tag Archives: 61st Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Robert Writes from Snake Creek Gap, Georgia
As noted in a earlier post, the 61st OVI returned to Chattanooga on May 5, 1864, after a 60-day re-enlistment furlough in Ohio. They then joined the rest of the Union army at Rocky Face Ridge, Georgia, on May 7, … Continue reading
The Patterson Brothers — a Recap
The last reported location of the Patterson Brothers (Robert and William) in December 1863 was as the Union army in the western theater was going into winter quarters in and around Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Union army remained in winter quarters … Continue reading
"I must have a constitution …."
On December 17, 1863, Robert Patterson wrote a letter to his mother while visiting his brother, William, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This is Robert's first letter since participating in the battle for Mission Ridge. Robert reports that he has just returned … Continue reading


text:
(via wwanderingeyess)
@bicforever bicallday.bandcamp.com INFLUENCE 4/20
Get yours at firstname.lastname@example.com
Anonymous said: What's the name of the song you used to play "always got to be something... Relationships I don't relate to shit"
I won't answer this cause its anonymous and mad sus why you gotta ask this anonymously
(via itsexclusive)
Meet BIC (Bitches is Crazy!) via Brandon Haynes
(Source: bhaynesphoto)
via Brandon Haynes
(Source: bhaynesphoto)
(Source: spacenaftalina, via urbanamerica)
(Source: c-m-b, via clubgreeneyed)
Pay attention 2 coming soon!!!
(Source: fuks, via eyedea-lives)
Yo I'm driving myself nuts trynna be self less but ending up selfish and still by myself what the fuck is my problem try to take a shortcut end up takin longer tired of bein alone but I swear it's good for me like vitamins n water
How I treat bitches
Got me scared to have a daughter
I was brought up not to give fuck
Well you heard me in caught up
But I think I grown since than, sorta
Not trynna distort ya vision
Of our love but first
You gotta love my imperfections
Not mention I'm an inconsistent
I dont really got bread
But still split legs like decisions
I'll switch it in an instant
For you shorty doe
Sorry for the disses
But iont think such good
A person should be so submissive
Must you gotta get stabbed with a point not to missit
I just hope I get to you
Before you lose interest..
To be continued..
(Source: kurokaze)
snikauris said: Elvis <3
For completely blowin mine..
(via duhnela)


text:
After a run of geriatric leads, Denzel Washington reminds us just how subtle and commanding an actor he's capable of being.
The Denz plays Whip Whitaker, an exceptional pilot whose crippling alcohol addiction is spotlighted after he pulls off a risky mid-flight stunt in order to prevent a fatal crash.
This opening set-piece is remarkable, visceral stuff, yet the moral maze that follows grips just as ferociously thanks to Washington's nuance.
Though John Gatins' script turns baggy in the centre and Kelly Reilly's ex-addict gets short shrift, this is still a tense and truthful character drama.


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The LEWIS Family Of Collin County Texas
LEWIS family of Collin County, origins, and a host of information.
One name study of the surname LICKORISH, LIQUORISH and all variants. Includes Christmas surname research also CLAYDEN, BOORN, NICHOLSON and GRAYLAND.
In 1884, Joseph LIGGINS of Measham, England, emigrated to New Zealand with his wife and family aboard the British King. Eventually settling in Tokomaru, Joseph became the Forefather of the LIGGINS Family Tree ~ New Zealand Connection. This website documents both his ancestors and descendants, and also includes a book of letters which Joseph and other members of the LIGGINS family wrote back to England after emigrating.
LINDER family searchers should review the information on a newly published book about the Swiss Linders who emigrated to the United States since the 1700s. The Linder Sourcebook by Harold Linder of Tempe Arizona is well documented.
[The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
The LINK Family of Newport, Virginia
Focuses on the descendants of Gasper LINK who lived in the Newport area of Giles Co., Virginia.
The LINKOUS / LINKES Family History Homepage
Research & exchange site for the surnames LINKOUS, LINKES, one family, two surnames. This family began in America with the marriage of Henry LINKOUS & Elizabeth SHIFLET in Blacksburg, Virginia in the late 1700s.
This the web site for all those interested in the surname LIST and its variants. There are a collection of family groups from all over the world and an ongoing DNA project to link them....or not.
The LITTLEFIELD Family Research Page
The descendants of Edmund Littlefield of Wells, Maine.
[The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
The LITTLEJOHN Family Genealogy Site - LittlejohnKin.com
The Littlejohn family from the time they arrived in Canada to present day. A growing collection of information on the descendants of Humphrey LITTLEJOHNS & Harriett METHERELL.
The Livingstone settlers of Southern New South Wales
Discussion of the latest thoughts on the origins of David Peter Living or Livingstone who arrived in Australia in 1838. He seems to have come from an Angus (Forfar) family who also called itself Livage and Livitch.
The LIVINGSTONEs of Argyll and the Isles
LIVINGSTONEs of Argyll and Clan LIVINGSTONE.
The LOACH Connection, World Wide Genealogy
Site contains over 1500 LOACH names and twenty (20) trees dating from 1711.
Descendant information for Abraham, George, Jacob, and Peter LOAR Families. Surnames: FRECHMAN, HERRMANN, NOLTEMEYER, OSBORN, PHALEN, SCHIESER, and TYLER.
The LOCKHART Limb of Toni's Tree
A line that descends from the Lockhart family of Lee & Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland., focusing on those descendants who settled in Anson, Richmond and other North Carolina counties.
[The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
Descendants of Amandus LOGUE, an Irish immigrant who came to America in 1860 and settled in Allentown, Lehigh Co., PA.
[The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
Genealogy research and exchange for all spellings of surnames sounding like Lokrig (LOCKRIDGE, LOCHRIDGE, LAUGHRIDGE, LOUGHRIDGE, LOUGHRIGE, LAUGHRIGE, LOACHRIDGE, LORTHRIDGE, LOTHRIDGE, LOTTRIDGE, LOTRIDGE, and any other variant).
[The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
A Study Of An Old British Family.
Resources for those researching the LONGMORE surname & variants.
Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters » Surnames - L » Surname Specific Sites & Resources
462 Links


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Chelsea's ordeal far from over – Cech hails dressing room spirit
3/4/13 in Soccer | SamuelWhale | 589 respect
Chelsea has to face a couple more challenges before their hectic schedule finally comes to its end. The London club had to experience a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League champions Manchester City before a mid-week FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough which they won 2-0. This Saturday, Rafael Benitez and Co. played hosts to West Bromwich Albion in a match at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 1-0.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech admits his side is tired of the chaos from last week. Chelsea's tiresome schedule is far from over. The Champions League winning side has to face Steaua Bucuresti in the Third Round of Europa League before a Sunday trip to Old Trafford for the quarterfinal tie against Manchester United.
"I have been here a long time and I have to say I have seen so many things that I don't get surprised anymore," Petr Cech said. "I have the skill to adapt to anything. I concentrate on my personal job, the way I prepare, the way I play to do the best for the team. This is the way I am. I am a guy who adapts quickly."
Petr Cech believes Chelsea has to find managerial stability if the club wants to find excellence. Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez was rejected by his home crowd once again, although the Spaniard grabbed a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. Chants asking for Jose Mourinho's return echoed through Stamford Bridge on Saturday, following Rafael Benitez's scathing attack against the Chelsea board and the club's supporters.
Rafael Benitez has had to adapt to politics at Chelsea. The Spaniard was one of the most hated figures inside Chelsea circles since his days at Liverpool, which is why Rafael Benitez has had to work very hard to gain the respect of players. Rafael Benitez got involved in an animated exchange with Chelsea captain John Terry at a training session before defeat to Manchester City last Monday.
The former Liverpool manager has offered an olive branch to John Terry following the bust-up and things appear to have returned to normal. Petr Cech believes it's the "open mind everyone has in the dressing room" that has helped in resolving problems.
"We had a lot of success thanks to the honesty and open mind everyone has in the dressing room," Petr Cech added. "Everybody should have a chance to express an opinion and if the players are not happy in our dressing room, it is not the case that we say 'unlucky mate, we will carry on, you pick yourself up'.
"If someone is not happy we try to help them to be happy again and to be at the top and be very good for the team. This is why, when we see something is going wrong, people have the right to express themselves and say 'we think this is wrong, we should improve that, we need to try to find a different solution'.
"Obviously, we have only one boss, that is the manager and it is up to him if he wants to listen to what the players say or find his own way to go through."


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|29 Aug 2012
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
New PC freezes after a while for 5 seconds, every 1-2 minutes
I think its the CPU or the RAM, My CPU is i5 3470, and RAM is Kingston 1600Mhz 4x2GB
the bios set my ram to 1333 for some reason when Installed the win, I set it back to 1600 manually. and it freezes after a few hours repeatedly.
here are my CPU-Z screenshots of CPU,Memory and SPD tabs, tell me if something's wrong.
|My System Specs
|05 Sep 2012
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Service Pack 1
Although your specs are way beyond my league,here a classic:try operating with only two sticks of RAM to find out if its due to bad memory.Repeat with the other two...
|My System Specs
|05 Sep 2012
Boot into the bios. Load 'Optimized defaults" or if all you have is "defaults" load them. Save. Exit. DO NOT ADJUST ANY RAM MEMORY SETTINGS. Run your rig for a few hours like this and see what happens.
IMHO Unless you're running a $200+ 1155 board then the odds are yours is not overclockable and resetting the ram to 1600mhz could be affecting the system bus speed and making your system unstable......
Since this is a mobo issue if you could post the make/model of yours that would be most helpful....
|My System Specs
|05 Sep 2012
Bus speed seems fine at 100.5 from the CPU-Z shot,
I'd run a few passes on Memtest 86+ to see if it's the ram. Do the old switcheroo as previously stated and ensure the slots are free from dust/hair/fluff (even new rigs)
When you changed the ratio to get the ram up to 1600, did you set the timings to those prescribed by the manufacturer, it looks right to the SPD screen, Perhaps even loosen them slightly if you feel bandwidth is more important than latency (which is a popular belief these days).. Did you change the voltage from 1.5 to 1.65 as per the SPD? And I have to run my 1.65v DIMMS at 1.62v or they loose stability.
|My System Specs
|05 Sep 2012
Elitefx: The very picture you are talking about, Look at the XMP Column. It's there for 1600, and if XMP can do it then it's also manually adjustable, the CPU has gone OC to 3.6 though.
OP: The settings you are using may still be ok if you relax the timings a bit. You are on the P5Q, which supports a MAX bus of 1200Mhz, the RAM can do what the board cannot. I'm also on a P5 but mine is the Turbo You will be best loading defaults and then pushing the RAM no higher than 1200. The CPU will handle an OC as small as that on air, but keep an eye on your temps when under load.
|My System Specs
|05 Sep 2012
@Sub Styler
Nice work......
Edit; The OP states "My CPU is i5 3470, and RAM is Kingston 1600Mhz 4x2GB" and yet in the SPD pic Slot 2 has a 4GB dimm so I don't know. Hopefully we'll get a mobo make/model soon.....
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text: My younger brother got drunk and i had to pick him up and found him face down. His friends carried him to my car and we stripped his urine and throw up soaked shirt. I didn't want him to get it all over my car so i pulled my hockey bag from the trunk and