A recent post by Jim Thomsen, Six Things We Can Learn From James Patterson, got me thinking about fiction factories (a relatively new phrase in publishing) and what, if any, is their value both to the reader and the writer. I have used James Patterson as an example because he is, quite simply, the biggest, and thus the best example.
A recent Times article outlines some facts about James Patterson’s writing (being the most successful of this phenomenon) which sees him churning out books by the dozen. There are many different ways to catalog Patterson’s staggering success. Here are just a few: since 2006, one out of every 17 novels bought in the United States was written by James Patterson. He is listed in the latest edition of “Guinness World Records,” published last fall, as the author with the most New York Times best sellers, 45, but that number is already out of date: he now has 51 — 35 of which went to No. 1.
The changing face of publishing explains why writers now achieve blockbuster status.
Like movie studios, publishing houses have long built their businesses on top of blockbusters. But never in the history of publishing has the blockbuster been so big. Thirty years ago, the industry defined a “hit” novel as a book that sold a couple of hundred thousand copies in hardcover. Today a book isn’t considered a blockbuster unless it sells at least one million copies.
With so many readers now hooked, someone has to feed the monster. Enter the fiction factory where established authors employ a slew of writers and editors to expand upon and edit the author’s original ideas.
So, what so good, bad, or indifferent about this new kind of mass production, marketing, and consumption of books?
For me: the good means that many people who didn’t read before are now reading, albeit they may not be reading literature but more pulp fiction. No matter, they are still reading.
The bad: it’s bad for somebody and that’s the reader. The publishers and the authors score massively big bucks, but isn’t that somehow creating cannon fodder, not books.
Which takes me the indifferent and that is loss of quality. The Times article says: Each of Patterson’s series has its own fan base, but there are also plenty of people who read everything he writes. His books all share stylistic similarities. They are light on atmospherics and heavy on action, conveyed by simple, colloquial sentences. “I don’t believe in showing off,” Patterson says of his writing. “Showing off can get in the way of a good story.” … Patterson’s chapters are very short, which creates a lot of half-blank pages; his books are, in a very literal sense, page-turners. He avoids description, back story and scene setting whenever possible, preferring to hurl readers into the action and establish his characters with a minimum of telegraphic details.
While fiction factory authors have energy, a prolific work output, brilliant marketing ideas, the ability to work with others, a keen grasp of the target audience, and the courage to break the rules (James Patterson exhibits all these qualities in spades!), I wonder if that is what writing is all about. Certainly, every writer needs enough talent, skill, confidence, and faith to sometimes take a leap into the unknown, but many writers spend hours perfecting their craft so that readers can put down a book with a satisfied sigh. No matter how many ‘helpers’ an established author employs to widen the output, nothing (I feel) can replace that author’s unique, personal touch.
I love reading Clive Cussler but I find I tend to avoid books he has written in collaboration with other writers (including his son). Why? I don’t know. It’s a feeling, a sense that it’s not all the author that bothers me. Call me picky.
When reading articles such as those mentioned above, I also wonder if this prolific output (and corresponding financial rewards) is considered the benchmark of literary success. Why then do writers and editors bother with articles devoted to character, plot, action, ambiance, back story, descriptions etc if these elements are not as highly prized in comparison with financial success. C. Patrick Schulze offers good advice to writers in his blog post The Secret To Writing a Riveting Novel. Novelist K. M. Weiland is another writer who offers simple but effective advice to transform your writing. Her blog posts are well worth the read.
Obviously every genre and every level of writing has its fans and detractors. Success means different things to different people: it’s the same for writers. The author who lovingly works on each word in his/her book or the mega-author who has a slew of editors and writers completing his/her great ideas aim for the same goal: recognition, (financial) rewards, and success.
Jim Thomsen has a good last word on the topic: “Learn from industry professionals, but make yours the final word. It’s your time, your energy and your dreams on the line.”
Friday, April 2, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The (Almost Forgotten) Art of Poetry
When was the last time you read a poem? Be honest. School? University? Reading out aloud at a wedding or funeral? Hardest question: when was the last time you read or bought a book of poems? The only reason I am thinking about poetry for the first time in a long time is because I recently reviewed a book of poems and was suddenly thrust into someone else’s mind. Poetry is not like reading a book. One can think they plumb the depths of a writer’s mind, but read a poem and your perspective changes. A poet is forced to lay bare his or her soul in an act of brutal honesty without the many words available to a writer.
There are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Emily Dickinson said, “If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry.” Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way: “Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing.” Robert Frost said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and thought has found words.”
So where does poetry come from? Wikipedia has a nice concise definition. Poetry as an art form predates literacy. Some of the earliest poetry (songs) is believed to have been orally recited or sung. Poetry was employed as a way of remembering oral history, story (epic poetry), genealogy, and law. Poetry is often closely related to musical traditions, and much of it can be attributed to religious movements. Many of the poems surviving from the ancient world are a form of recorded cultural information about the people of the past, and their poems are prayers or stories about religious subject matter, histories about their politics and wars, and the important organizing myths of their societies.
Is poetry relevant to modern life? I would say more now than ever. However, I happened upon a blog where someone else said it better than I ever could. The founder of the first-ever Massachusetts Poetry Festival Organizer Michael Ansara says: “Google “poetry and funerals”—over 7,000,000 links come up. Google “poetry and weddings”—over 4,000,000 links come up. Why? Because poetry remains our deepest song. It is the sound and imagery and lyrics of our souls. It teaches us to look at the smallest moment and the details of life and learn from them. It can inspire us when we are heavy with grief. It gives voice to all the most important parts of being human—and it helps us struggle with the mysteries and with the awful facts of being human in this awe-inspiring chaos of the universe. Is it chance that most religious texts incorporate poetry? (…) But there are so many contemporary poets along with the great poets of the past who can still sing to us, who can still help us make sense of the paradoxes of living, who can inspire, comfort and stretch us. That is why when we bury our loved ones we want poetry. Now we have to bring the great poets and the great poetry of our day out into the light and bring it to people rather than asking them to find it in some cramped back room of a bookstore.”
With that in mind, I dipped into Essence of My Existence: Poems to Acknowledge My Truth by Rajyeshwari Ghosh. Here is my review: A Sublime Journey of the Soul
“This book of poems is a gem, something to be savored and relished for each word of wisdom and awakening it offers the reader. The poet has made courageous journeys of both inner and outer self, endured both physical and emotional hardships, and this is reflected in her work. Stripped of illusions and pretensions, the poet reaches deep within herself for the answers to life’s questions. Sometimes there are no answers; sometimes the answers are painful, but they take the reader onward and upward to the understanding of life we all crave. Her words drop softly, like the petals of an exquisite flower upon the pool of water that is our consciousness. Tiny ripples disturb our thoughts and awaken a sense of understanding. The poet shows her true soul and self in an often anguished investigation of emotions ranging from relationships (family, friends, lovers), to seemingly mundane tasks like job hunting, to a bitter disillusionment with the American Dream, to just ‘being’. The poet is not afraid to strip away the layers and arrive at painful realizations. There are beautiful moments when her words prompt the reader to pause awhile and reflect on how often we rush past those special times and people in life, but it’s too late to recapture those precious times (I Have Grown Up Too Fast). The poet looks for authenticity in life and self, seeking a meaningful existence in a hurly-burly world that is often transient, shallow, fast, cruel and unjust, seeking the joy in each day, reaching for a moment of new awakening (The Realities). From plumbing the depths of a loss of self-identity, the poet offers words of wisdom equivalent to the adage ‘to thine own self be true’ … leading to an awakening from within and a renewed faith in self and humanity.”
There are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Emily Dickinson said, “If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry.” Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way: “Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing.” Robert Frost said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and thought has found words.”
So where does poetry come from? Wikipedia has a nice concise definition. Poetry as an art form predates literacy. Some of the earliest poetry (songs) is believed to have been orally recited or sung. Poetry was employed as a way of remembering oral history, story (epic poetry), genealogy, and law. Poetry is often closely related to musical traditions, and much of it can be attributed to religious movements. Many of the poems surviving from the ancient world are a form of recorded cultural information about the people of the past, and their poems are prayers or stories about religious subject matter, histories about their politics and wars, and the important organizing myths of their societies.
Is poetry relevant to modern life? I would say more now than ever. However, I happened upon a blog where someone else said it better than I ever could. The founder of the first-ever Massachusetts Poetry Festival Organizer Michael Ansara says: “Google “poetry and funerals”—over 7,000,000 links come up. Google “poetry and weddings”—over 4,000,000 links come up. Why? Because poetry remains our deepest song. It is the sound and imagery and lyrics of our souls. It teaches us to look at the smallest moment and the details of life and learn from them. It can inspire us when we are heavy with grief. It gives voice to all the most important parts of being human—and it helps us struggle with the mysteries and with the awful facts of being human in this awe-inspiring chaos of the universe. Is it chance that most religious texts incorporate poetry? (…) But there are so many contemporary poets along with the great poets of the past who can still sing to us, who can still help us make sense of the paradoxes of living, who can inspire, comfort and stretch us. That is why when we bury our loved ones we want poetry. Now we have to bring the great poets and the great poetry of our day out into the light and bring it to people rather than asking them to find it in some cramped back room of a bookstore.”
With that in mind, I dipped into Essence of My Existence: Poems to Acknowledge My Truth by Rajyeshwari Ghosh. Here is my review: A Sublime Journey of the Soul
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Why I Read Clive Cussler
This sounds like a really strange title for a blog post: Why I Read Clive Cussler. Well, maybe you’re wondering why I do read his books, now that I’ve said (almost guiltily) that I do. That remark and this blog post were inspired by an interesting article in the Guardian (UK) by Cormac McCarthy, about bad books and bad writing. He questions whether some of the supposedly ‘good’ writers were all that good in the end. I guess many people who went to college and university have (like me) read just about every ‘good book’ that the English Lit courses had to offer. How many people continued to read those good books after graduation? How many of those people sashay into a bookshop and immediately head for the (Whatever) Prize winners of the year? How many of those same people sidle to the ‘commercial fiction’ section, shelves groaning under the weight of yet another bestseller that the critics have panned but has been flying off the shelves, copies bought by secret (avid) commercial fiction aficionados?
Confess! How many readers have snuck a wonderful ‘bad fiction’ book into their ‘good books’ shopping? I began to think long and hard about what constitutes a good book. A few years ago, while running a personnel agency, I was interviewing a woman who told me emphatically that she never, ever read ‘rubbish,’ and that she only ever read ‘fine literature.’ Shame. Sounds like torture. The problem is, when you consider fine literature like Jane Austen, she wasn’t writing for the literary snobs of the day: she was writing for the readers of the day. So was Dickens. His weekly installments had readers panting for the next chapter in his novels.
I then formulated my theory that a book is as good as its reader perceives it to be. I am not talking about poorly written, badly constructed novels with excruciating dialogue and pathetic grammar, desperately in need of merciless editing. I am talking about popular fiction. The businessman who wants a throw-away spy thriller to read on the plane, the housewife who languishes in the arms of an imaginary Mills & Boon lover while washing socks, the computer buff who craves sci-fi above all else; the kid who devours comics … what they read is good for them because it satisfies a need and makes them happy.
Philistine! I hear the shrieks already. But hear me out. At university my book shelves bulged with the fruits of fantastic writers: Austen, Bronte, Waugh, Poe, Tolkien, Dickens … you name it, I had it, and I still have them now. And yes, I do still read them. My mother was much addicted to frivolous romances (she still is!) and when I would try to persuade her to wade though some tome or other, she would shudder and tell me that at her stage in life she wanted to read for enjoyment. Young and naïve, wrestling with James Joyce and other ‘good writers’ who were actually sometimes completely obscure, I thought she had sunk quite low in the field of literary tastes. Her behavior was made all the more reprehensible by the fact that my mother did English Lit at university and many of my good books were hers originally.
Actually, I have also fallen somewhat from my ivory tower of literary correctness. I love reading Clive Cussler because he tells such ripping good yarns. Of course, being a complete tomboy with four brothers may just have contributed to my loving adventure stories. I now realize that one can have good books that may only be good to an individual. It might be character, plot, or descriptions; whatever counts the most for that reader. My adopted daughter agrees with many opinions that Bella of the Twilight sagas is annoying. Maybe as a heroine she is, but my daughter has devoured all the books many times over already and the series transformed her from being a reluctant reader into an avid reader. Obviously Edward's charms have made up for Bella's deficiencies...
I have heard J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown, and Stephenie Meyer’s writing skills being criticized. Despite all that, they’ve sold more books and earned more money than many a ‘good’ writer. So, how does one measure the success of a writer? Katie Price (er … Jordan, for those not in the know) has published yet another bestselling autobiography. I thought a person could only write one, and that technically it should at the end of a long, meaningful, and fruitful life, but apparently that’s not true. So, if she sells more books than a ‘good’ writer, does that make her a better writer?
The public is fickle. Writers have to give readers what they want. With the evolution of society and the novels that reflect society’s tastes, values, morals (or lack thereof), habits, and desires, more themes are becoming available. The sky is the limit when it comes to topics and, especially since the explosion of print on demand and e-publishing options, people ready to write about them. A hundred years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to pen a memoir that included lovers, children out of wedlock, drugs, sensational intimate details etc. That’s why D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was such a literary and social scandal way back then. Not so today. It actually seems rather tame. Reality has become more compelling than fiction, and the adage holds true: truth is stranger than fiction.
Is there a future for ‘good’ books? Of course there is! People want solid writing when they’re in the mood for it. Others want just fluff and escapism. I say give people what they want, but write what you know to be real. Read any good books lately?
This is not a rhetorical question: who has managed to read James Joyce’s Ulysses from start to finish?
Confess! How many readers have snuck a wonderful ‘bad fiction’ book into their ‘good books’ shopping? I began to think long and hard about what constitutes a good book. A few years ago, while running a personnel agency, I was interviewing a woman who told me emphatically that she never, ever read ‘rubbish,’ and that she only ever read ‘fine literature.’ Shame. Sounds like torture. The problem is, when you consider fine literature like Jane Austen, she wasn’t writing for the literary snobs of the day: she was writing for the readers of the day. So was Dickens. His weekly installments had readers panting for the next chapter in his novels.
I then formulated my theory that a book is as good as its reader perceives it to be. I am not talking about poorly written, badly constructed novels with excruciating dialogue and pathetic grammar, desperately in need of merciless editing. I am talking about popular fiction. The businessman who wants a throw-away spy thriller to read on the plane, the housewife who languishes in the arms of an imaginary Mills & Boon lover while washing socks, the computer buff who craves sci-fi above all else; the kid who devours comics … what they read is good for them because it satisfies a need and makes them happy.
Philistine! I hear the shrieks already. But hear me out. At university my book shelves bulged with the fruits of fantastic writers: Austen, Bronte, Waugh, Poe, Tolkien, Dickens … you name it, I had it, and I still have them now. And yes, I do still read them. My mother was much addicted to frivolous romances (she still is!) and when I would try to persuade her to wade though some tome or other, she would shudder and tell me that at her stage in life she wanted to read for enjoyment. Young and naïve, wrestling with James Joyce and other ‘good writers’ who were actually sometimes completely obscure, I thought she had sunk quite low in the field of literary tastes. Her behavior was made all the more reprehensible by the fact that my mother did English Lit at university and many of my good books were hers originally.
Actually, I have also fallen somewhat from my ivory tower of literary correctness. I love reading Clive Cussler because he tells such ripping good yarns. Of course, being a complete tomboy with four brothers may just have contributed to my loving adventure stories. I now realize that one can have good books that may only be good to an individual. It might be character, plot, or descriptions; whatever counts the most for that reader. My adopted daughter agrees with many opinions that Bella of the Twilight sagas is annoying. Maybe as a heroine she is, but my daughter has devoured all the books many times over already and the series transformed her from being a reluctant reader into an avid reader. Obviously Edward's charms have made up for Bella's deficiencies...
I have heard J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown, and Stephenie Meyer’s writing skills being criticized. Despite all that, they’ve sold more books and earned more money than many a ‘good’ writer. So, how does one measure the success of a writer? Katie Price (er … Jordan, for those not in the know) has published yet another bestselling autobiography. I thought a person could only write one, and that technically it should at the end of a long, meaningful, and fruitful life, but apparently that’s not true. So, if she sells more books than a ‘good’ writer, does that make her a better writer?
The public is fickle. Writers have to give readers what they want. With the evolution of society and the novels that reflect society’s tastes, values, morals (or lack thereof), habits, and desires, more themes are becoming available. The sky is the limit when it comes to topics and, especially since the explosion of print on demand and e-publishing options, people ready to write about them. A hundred years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to pen a memoir that included lovers, children out of wedlock, drugs, sensational intimate details etc. That’s why D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was such a literary and social scandal way back then. Not so today. It actually seems rather tame. Reality has become more compelling than fiction, and the adage holds true: truth is stranger than fiction.
Is there a future for ‘good’ books? Of course there is! People want solid writing when they’re in the mood for it. Others want just fluff and escapism. I say give people what they want, but write what you know to be real. Read any good books lately?
This is not a rhetorical question: who has managed to read James Joyce’s Ulysses from start to finish?
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Importance of Reading Aloud With Your Kids
My review of an enchanting book for (very) young readers (Piggie Wiggie’s Great Adventure) coincided with my finding a great review by Jen Robinson of Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook. This marvellous book should be mandatory reading for all new parents. Kids spend more time out of school (7800 hours per year) than in school (900 hours per year) so it’s illogical to place the burden of creating a love of reading in kids on the teachers’ shoulders. That role should begin with the parents.
Books should be in every household, and reading an entrenched part of family life. Parents can get their kids started while young, showing them just how much fun books can be, and just how much fantastic information is contained in books. But even more importantly, reading with your child will have the most beneficial emotional effects. Kids love doing things with their parents and reading, discovering an exciting story, waiting in anticipation to hear what will happen to the hero, is better shared in an atmosphere of loving familial warmth. Parents can assess their child’s emotional, mental, and spiritual development, and help them learn about life, (and sometimes death), decisions, and choices that will determine who they are in life and build their future. Children learn their moral and ethical guidelines early in life. Be there when they do!
In Jen Robinson's assessment of the book, she has this to say, “Among the many reasons to read aloud to kids, one of the most important is that it helps them to associate reading with pleasure. Human beings are by nature pleasure-centered—we will voluntarily do things repeatedly if we get pleasure from them. And because reading is an accrued skill, spending repeated time reading is what enables us to get good at it.”
Any parent keen to see their child excel in school and indeed in life should heed Jim Trelease’s words: "Reading is the ultimate weapon, destroying ignorance, poverty, and despair before they can destroy us. A nation that doesn't read much doesn't know much. And a nation that doesn't know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box, and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect an entire nation—the literate and the illiterate." (Page xxvi)
With that in mind, I’d like to introduce readers (young and old) to a special kind of hero. Aimed at ages 4-6, Piggie Wiggie’s Great Adventure is a daring tale of adventure, heroism, and a ‘never-say-die’ attitude. Family pet and escape artiste extraordinaire, Piggie Wiggie the Guinea Pig is out the cage and on the loose, ready for adventure. What an adventure it turns out to be as Piggie explores a brave new world. First up is a ride in a remote control toy car. Thrills and spills ensue with a happy, soft, safe ending in a pile of pillows. But wait! There’s more. Stuffed to the gills with a delicious (and illicit) feast of fresh veggies, Piggie has a close encounter of the soggy kind in a bathtub of water and more toys. Undaunted, Piggie Wiggie wriggles from one disaster to another, culminating in a sensational showdown with Scruffy the cat. What will become of this intrepid Guinea Pig, who should add ‘explorer’ to its name? Read on…
This book is a great read-aloud for parents and kids. It's a charming story for young children, made even more memorable by the fact that Piggie Wiggie’s adventures are based on the Houdini-like antics of a real family pet, a Guinea Pig owned by author and illustrator, M. J. Daley-Prado. This adds a delightful authenticity and will endear the story even more to young readers, especially those that enjoy a 'this-really-happened' tale. The author also includes some quite ‘big’ words in the tale and it’s an ideal opportunity for parents and teachers to begin expanding a young reader’s vocabulary by explaining the words. This talented author also illustrated the book and her captivating images of Piggie Wiggie in action make the story come alive, elevating this book to another level of enjoyment. An unexpected but excellent addition is a reading guide at the back for parents and children seeking a Guinea Pig as a pet. Topics range from caring for the new pet to dealing with the inevitable.
About the Author: M.J. Daley-Prado lives in Maryland with her beautiful teenage daughter and their newly adopted cat, Millie. M.J. has a genuine interest and love for children's literature. As a mom, she has always tried to instill the importance of books and reading in her own child. Books can take a child to magical places they have never been before. They can stir their imaginations and spark their creativity. She hopes her books will bring as much joy to your children as she has had making them. She has followed the amazing careers of her favorite authors and illustrators, Marc Brown, Robert Munsch, Elizabeth and Victoria Kann. M.J. especially likes to address topics that will help children and families during difficult times. MJ has written and illustrated several children’s books to her credit, including "Grandma What Is Cancer?" and "Buzz". Her favorite quote is: "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." (William Arthur Ward)
You can discover more about this author by visiting: http://www.mjdaleyprado.webs.com/; http://www.authorchildrensbooks.webs.com/; http://mjdaleyprado.blogspot.com/
I first reviewed this book for Readers Favorite.
Books should be in every household, and reading an entrenched part of family life. Parents can get their kids started while young, showing them just how much fun books can be, and just how much fantastic information is contained in books. But even more importantly, reading with your child will have the most beneficial emotional effects. Kids love doing things with their parents and reading, discovering an exciting story, waiting in anticipation to hear what will happen to the hero, is better shared in an atmosphere of loving familial warmth. Parents can assess their child’s emotional, mental, and spiritual development, and help them learn about life, (and sometimes death), decisions, and choices that will determine who they are in life and build their future. Children learn their moral and ethical guidelines early in life. Be there when they do!
Any parent keen to see their child excel in school and indeed in life should heed Jim Trelease’s words: "Reading is the ultimate weapon, destroying ignorance, poverty, and despair before they can destroy us. A nation that doesn't read much doesn't know much. And a nation that doesn't know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box, and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect an entire nation—the literate and the illiterate." (Page xxvi)
This book is a great read-aloud for parents and kids. It's a charming story for young children, made even more memorable by the fact that Piggie Wiggie’s adventures are based on the Houdini-like antics of a real family pet, a Guinea Pig owned by author and illustrator, M. J. Daley-Prado. This adds a delightful authenticity and will endear the story even more to young readers, especially those that enjoy a 'this-really-happened' tale. The author also includes some quite ‘big’ words in the tale and it’s an ideal opportunity for parents and teachers to begin expanding a young reader’s vocabulary by explaining the words. This talented author also illustrated the book and her captivating images of Piggie Wiggie in action make the story come alive, elevating this book to another level of enjoyment. An unexpected but excellent addition is a reading guide at the back for parents and children seeking a Guinea Pig as a pet. Topics range from caring for the new pet to dealing with the inevitable.
About the Author: M.J. Daley-Prado lives in Maryland with her beautiful teenage daughter and their newly adopted cat, Millie. M.J. has a genuine interest and love for children's literature. As a mom, she has always tried to instill the importance of books and reading in her own child. Books can take a child to magical places they have never been before. They can stir their imaginations and spark their creativity. She hopes her books will bring as much joy to your children as she has had making them. She has followed the amazing careers of her favorite authors and illustrators, Marc Brown, Robert Munsch, Elizabeth and Victoria Kann. M.J. especially likes to address topics that will help children and families during difficult times. MJ has written and illustrated several children’s books to her credit, including "Grandma What Is Cancer?" and "Buzz". Her favorite quote is: "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." (William Arthur Ward)
You can discover more about this author by visiting: http://www.mjdaleyprado.webs.com/; http://www.authorchildrensbooks.webs.com/; http://mjdaleyprado.blogspot.com/
I first reviewed this book for Readers Favorite.
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