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A LITERARY
BLOG ABOUT BOOKS How they affect us. How they shape our lives.
Note: Postings
made when muses strike. Watch for blog alert notices via email, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. "We read to know we are not alone." C.S. Lewis Copyright 2011-2018
Top
12 Reading Recommendations Please click a book image to purchase it on Amazon.
Novels, books, and musicals June has written and published: Click a book image to purchase it on www.amazon.com
"Meditations
for New Members is a beautifully written little book...a gem. The thoughts are striking and orginal--a
few are quite profound." --Fiona Hodgkin, author of The Tennis Player from Bermuda
Sponsored in part by Dani's Pantry Fine authentic Italian food. Cucina con Amore! https://amzn.to/2HdlA
B'Seti Pup Publishing Editorial
Services Proofreading, Editing, Rewites, Assistance with Self-publishing. "It's the write thing to do."
"I like what you've done with my
book. Makes me fall in love with it all over again." --Olajuwon Dare, author of Eleven Eleven
Contact
June at JuneJ@JuneJMcInerney.com on Facebook.com, or at www.BSetiPupPublising.com
Please support this Literary Blog by buying on Amazon. Thank you.
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Friday, May 17, 2013
How Sweet It All Is A primary perk of reviewing books and, on occasion, editing them, is that I get to meet many different people
from, in my case, literally all over the world. I now correspond via email with a newly found cousin in Dublin; conduct phone
interviews with authors in Florida, New Jersey, and California; hob-nob with publishing publicists in both New York and Toronto;
and work with aspiring authors from not only the United States, but a few foreign countries. It is often quite exciting, especially
when an unexpected email arrives with yet another request to “please help me edit my book”. And, delightedly,
many of these folk whom I meet become friends.
One in particular is Damilare Olajuwon, whom I have come to know
fondly as "Daruzzy". This young man, a recent graduate of the Laos State University in Nigeria with a degree in
electronics and computer engineer, is carving out a name for himself in Africa and Europe as an actor, comedian, and author.
His first literary endeavor, Eleven Eleven , which I was honored to edit, has been recently published by One Dream Nigeria in both paperback and e-book format to be
enjoyed by, we hope, an appreciative international audience.
Daruzzy has subtitled his witty collection of poetry
and short tales " a Fusion of Fiction, Comedy, Poems, and Inspiration". But it is more than that. It is a creative
expression—a gestalt, if you will—of his philosophy and positive outlook on life. In the course of corresponding
with him via emails and two phone calls, I have come to know Daruzzy as a caring, sensitive, spiritual young man who, taking
"things as they come", views most people and situations with a hardy and heartening sense of humor, which shines
through the 181-pages of this enlightening little book.
Eleven Eleven combines fiction, fictionalized stories, and poignant perceptions into a truly remarkable expose of what it means to be a
young man in today's modern Nigerian society. This is not a book to read in one sitting, however, but one to savor slowly
in small, elegant sips, enabling your heart and soul to be touched and nourished by each thoughtful gem this talented author
presents. I also advise that once you read a poem silently, that you again read it out loud. Daruzzy's lyrical cadences appeal
to connoisseurs of poetry as well as those of literary rap and hip-hop alike. There were many times, as I struggled to preserve
his meaning while searching for the right nuance, that I found myself imaging his words set to music and sung by one of today's
more talented rock stars. A very uplifting experience.
And that is just the English portion of this collection.
Daruzzy also provides Pidgin English translations of his lyricisms, which are just as, if not more so, provocative and exotically
inspiring as their Queen's English counterparts.
If you are looking for a unique read, totally different from the everyday fare of novels, and wish a bit more spark and
motivation in your daily life, then I recommend you to consider this sweet, creative endeavor. Take a journey with Damilare
Olajuwon into his heart, mind, and soul. It will certainly warm and inspire yours. As it does mine.
5:19 pm edt
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Beckoning
Beacon
I have always been enamored of lighthouses. When I was a child, when we vacationed at the Jersey
Shore, my father and I would drive down to Cape May Point where we climbed the spiraling staircase to the top of the lighthouse
to scan out across the vast Atlantic Ocean trying to spot ships far out at sea.
The lighthouse, by then, was no
longer in operation, but it and the small keeper's house next to was a maritime museum, as it still is today. But on the tippy-top
holding tight to my father's arm with one hand and the iron railing surrounding the large, unlit lamp with the other, feeling
the wind and salty spray against my cheeks, I could still feel a sense of adventure. And wonder.
Most of our nation's
lighthouses are unmanned today; their lights are electronic and automatically run by computers inland. But imagine a hundred
years or so ago when they were maintained by humans. What would the life of a lonely lighthouse keeper and, perhaps, his family
have been like? Often separated from civilization for months at a time by miles and miles of water and/or uninhabitable coastline,
how did they sustain themselves? What stories could be told about them? What mysteries may lay along the shoreline from
whose deadly shoals and rocks they warned ships away?
The aura, mystery, and mystique of keeping a lighthouse
is brought back to life in vivid color by Christina Schwarz whose fourth novel, The Edge of the Earth , was published last month. I was fortunate enough to be sent a copy of it by the publisher through the auspices of www.authorexposure.com and was thoroughly enchantingly mesmerized for day and a half reading it.
Follow the link above and read my review
of this stunningly refreshing historical novel. I warrant that you'll want to pick up a copy and read it this weekend.
2:05 pm edt
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June
J. McInerney, the host of this Literary Blog, is
an author, poet, and librettist. Her currently published works include a novel, a book of spiritual inspirations,
two
volumes of poetry, stories
for children (of all ages) and
a variety of children's musicals. Her titles include: Miss Elmira's Secret Treasure:
A Novel of Phoenixville during the Early 1900s Colonial Theatre: A Novel of Phoenixville
during the Roarin' 20s Phoenix Hose, Hook & Ladder: A Novel of Phoenixville during
World War I Columbia Hotel: A Novel of Phoenixville during the Early 1900s the Schuylkill Monster: A Novel of Phoenixville in 1978
The Prisoner's
Portrait: A Novel of Phoenxville during World War II
Forty-Thirty Rainbow in the Sky Meditations for New Members
Adventures
of Oreigh Ogglefont The Basset Chronicles. Cats of Nine Tales Spinach
Water: A Collection of Poems Exodus Ending: A
Collection of More Spiritual Poems
We Three Kings Beauty and the Beast Bethlehem Noah's
Rainbow Peter, Wolf, and Red Riding
Hood
Originally from the New York metropolitan area, June currently lives near Valley Forge Park in Pennsylvania with her constant and loving companions, FrankieBernard and Sebastian Cat. She
is currently working on her sixth novel.
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