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IN THIS ISSUE: PEACE PROMOTING POLI-SCI PROFESSOR PUBLISHES FOURTH OF NEVER AGAIN SERIES
Contrast in Cultures
within and without the Black American Tapestry
JUST FOR FUN
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Llumina Updates Pricing Structure As 2005 rolls around, we at Llumina Press are taking stock of 2004. To date, we've published over 500 books, each of which was handled as an individual and unique project. At no time have we ever succumbed to the "big business" mentality that turns authors into numbers and books into mass-produced products (at least not until the publishing process is complete and they go to print). Up until then, every manuscript is a unique project to which we apply our talent, creativity, artistry and know-how. Having come to life in our publisher's home computer, Llumina now employs many in-house staff as well as a host of freelance writers, editors, artists, formatters, web designers, and marketers. We were the first (and are still the only) POD publisher to insist on quality in content as well as cover design and text layout, knowing that this will translate into sales for our authors. We still pack more essential publishing services into our publishing packages for less than any other POD publisher, and we were the first to start using the POD returnability program that all POD companies now benefit by. During the past year we've refined our systems and our staff until our process is—if not entirely hassle-free—at least well on its way toward that goal. We continue to offer one-on-one customer service, and at no time, will our authors ever get a list of options instead of a person when they phone us. All in all, we’ve had a good year and can expect to do even better in the future. Our prices have remained lower than other PODs even though we offer more services and more customer service than any other company, but at this time, we’ve concluded that raising our prices is going to be necessary in the coming year. This transition will take place on January 24, 2005. So if you’re already in contact with us, now would be a good time to take the plunge and get us started on your book.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Keep your healthcare information private – Know your rights!FORT LAUDERDALE, November 2004: One in every five adults in the U.S. believes that a health care provider, insurance plan, government agency, or employer has improperly disclosed their personal health information. Half of these people say that it has resulted in personal embarrassment or harm. Violated? Patient Health Care Privacy at Risk is a layman’s protection against the violation of health care privacy. The vast majority of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) was published solely to provide direction to the health care industry, disregarding individual patients’ needs and concerns. This book’s goal is to provide information necessary for a patient to protect his or her rights, including detailed instructions on how to file a complaint or initiate legal action and a condensed guide of patient’s rights under a combination of laws. An invaluable source, Privacy at Risk book cuts through thousands of pages, clarifies legal language, and focuses on the topics that affect the patient most. About the Authors: Dan J. Kramer, Ph.D. has been involved in both the management and security of computerized health care data for more than 25 years. He is regarded as an expert in all aspects of HIPAA compliance, data privacy and security compliance requirements for the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO). Dr. Kramer is a consultant to health care providers, state governments and insurance organizations. He provides computerized security management controls, which are required to assure the secure and HIPAA compliant exchange of electronic data between health care business trading partners. Mary Lou McCoy has been involved in health care administration for more than 20 years. She is an accomplished consultant to the health care industry and an expert in the specific standards that apply to HIPAA data privacy controls and acceptable use data practices. She has an extensive work history in, and knowledge of, clinical documentation and diagnosis as well as procedure coding standards in both hospitals and clinics. Every author needs someone to help with the mechanics of writing. Sharon M. Holcomb contributed her secretarial, organizational, research, writing, and editing skills to the preparation of this book. Violated? Patient Health Care Privacy at Risk Publication: November 2004 Author: Dan J. Kramer, Ph.D., Mary Lou McCoy, Sharon M. Holcomb Paperback ISBN: 1-595262-39-3 Pages: 84 Price: $9.95 Size: 6 x 9
Available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ FORT LAUDERDALE, FEBRUARY 2005: HOW DO PEOPLE MAINTAIN THEIR FAITH IN TIMES OF WAR?Alan O’Reilly, World War II buff and devout Christian, captures the universal human experiences of war in his new novel, Sound of Battle. A fictional account of The War to End All Wars, O’Reilly examines how the brutality and madness of war poisons faith and challenges beliefs. Does dying for a worthy cause make the loss more bearable for the loved ones left behind? Does the honor of sacrificing life, youth, health and sanity for a cause however justifiable, lessen the grief of those who survive? Historically accurate and insightful, O’Reilly’s novel delves into the personal ramifications of fighting a globally-moral war from an Allied soldier’s perspective, exploring the impact on his family members and loved ones. When fear replaces honor, is the cause still just? Is death more palatable when it is paired with tribute? Sound of Battle tells a compelling story that will appeal to readers of historical fiction for its fast-pace, riveting detail, and deep characterizations. But, more, O’Reilly’s underlying theme of how war tests the faith of even the most gung-ho of soldiers in the most justifiable of wars will ring true today. No matter which side one aligns oneself with, hawk or dove, Sound of Battle will leave the reader to thoughtfully question whether there are any winners once the war is over. Sound of Battle Publication: January 2005 Author: Alan O’Reilly Paperback ISBN: 1-59526-288-1 Pages: 240 Price: $17.95 Size: 7.5 x 9.25
Available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ FORT LAUDERDALE, FEBRUARY 2005: PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ANGEL SIGHTINGS! It is testimony to the trials and tribulations of our times that angels are back. The world is experiencing a bad case of the global blues, as war, poverty, drug addiction, crime, and terrorism tighten their grip on western civilization. The media has recognized this. Television gives us miracles, angels, and casual dialogs with God. Angels appear in new age gift shops, novelty catalogs, and television commercials. The media has tapped into the public’s desperate cries for something, someone, to reaffirm their faith in a Higher Power, offering us generic angels and stories about the miracles they perform. The Great Encyclopedia of Angels by Aryella Jupiter goes beyond the broad, white-winged and haloed version of a visitor from above. Each angel profile in this book contains the clairvoyant physical description of the angel, in addition to thirty-one original portraits portrayed from apparitions. It offers Jupiter’s own clairvoyant and personal connection with the Angelic Host. The book conveys essential information, such as the other names the angel was known by in other cultures and periods, the angel’s number of legions and patronage, the angel’s birth date and age calculated in the angel’s computers, offspring, seal, announcement, residence, and what the angel likes from Earth. The Great Encyclopedia of Angels examines the historical appearances of angels and integrates that into Jupiter’s modern-day insights, which include pictures of genuine Angelic seals, psychowritten Angel scrolls shown in the Angel’s own handwriting, the hierarchic tree of top high-ranked Angels and more. The next time you pray for a miracle, be ready to recognize the messenger. The Great Encyclopedia of Angels is a must-have if you want to recognize those signs from Above that you’ve been praying for. The Great Encyclopedia of Angels Publication: January 2005 Author: Aryella Jupiter Paperback Hardcover ISBN: 1-59526-225-3 ISBN: 1-59526-226-1 Pages: Price: $17.95 Size: 6 x 9
Available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor. FORT LAUDERDALE, FEBRUARY 2005:HALLUCINATIONS OR HEAVENLY VISIONS, YOU DECIDE!A vision of life and death, of the holiest and the most evil of all things, of the everyday divine. A vision of the end of heaven and earth, and what we must do to prevent it. God does not want us to die, but he is suffering now because it is death He sees when He looks at mankind’s Earth. Can we know of this from hallucinations and dreams? Can we see as the Lord sees? Rene Piraino, author of Divine Destiny, is an unlikely interpreter of God’s word. Down and out for most of his life, does Piraino’s life of addiction and sin, his mental illness and poverty, make him an improbable messenger. Or, is it a test of our faith to examine the messages without judging the courier? Piraino’s unembarrassed candor and honesty make his dialogs with the Higher Power assume the credence of a humble ambassador of God’s Word. In the author’s own words: “These are the basic writings of an alcoholic drug addict in recovery from twenty five years of drinking, drug abuse, and schizophrenia. I have suffered the madness, the devils, and demons. I have suffered from nearly ten years of vivid hallucinations and fighting for my sobriety. I have suffered from temptations and angels persuading me not to drink or use. Still although the battle has been hard, and I still slip now and then, I have found new zest and zeal with my finding of the Lord Jesus. God has even stepped in and helped me.” Take a trip with Piraino through his experiences and decide for yourself. Has this humble, articulate man, a survivor and a storyteller, been tapped by the Higher Powers of The Universe to spread God’s word? Are we, the readers, being tested in our prejudices, that we reject the message because the messenger does not resemble our man-made version of what a Godly prophet should be? Piraino’s passion and dedication to the future offers the facts of life as never seen before, a message for all our children. This wisdom of the Lord may inspire fear, yet it is also a message of hope. A native of California, Rene Piraino lived on a farm in Oregon until he was six. Now in recovery from years of drug abuse, he has hallucinations of heaven and earth. He writes what he has discovered despite supernatural opposition. Piraino is working on a second, more ambitious book. Divine Destiny Publication: February 2005 Author: Rene Piraino Paperback ISBN: 1-595262-67-9 Pages: 140 Price: $11.95 Size: 6X9
Available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.
PEACE PROMOTING POLI-SCI PROFESSOR PUBLISHES FOURTH OF NEVER AGAIN SERIES
Fort Lauderdale, February 2005: Professor R.J. Rummel, Nobel Peace Prize Finalist and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Hawaii, already the author of twenty-five works of non-fiction on the “democratic peace,” incorporates his passionate views into the latest book of his fictional Never Again series.
A twenty-first century George Orwell, Rudy Rummel switched to fiction to promote his message to the wider public. Embedded in the solidly entertaining and remarkably well-crafted (as well as historically accurate) political-science fiction adventure series, is the same message Professor Rummel has been preaching to his classes, his colleagues, the world: That democracy and freedom are the only known antidotes to the collective violence bred by concentrated political power.
However, don’t mistake any of Rummel’s Never Again novels for didactic morality tales. They are not. The stories stand on their own as well-told adventures featuring love, lust, mystery, suspense, conflict and betrayal, all the elements essential to popular thriller fiction, and more. Rummel’s underlying message, his truth -- that absolute power begets democide, war and famine, while democracy nurtures freedom and prosperity -- is woven subtly within the fabric of the fiction without dropping a stitch of the fantasy element. Supported by the historical scaffolding that only a renowned scholar of political science could provide, Never Again entertains and educates, and, with Rummel’s hope for global peace in our lifetime, will unlock minds and open the door to peace and democracy on a global scale.
Contrast in Cultures
within and without the Black American Tapestry
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Surviving in America Publication: November 2004 Author: Curtis Webley Hardcover Paperback ISBN: 1-595262-80-6 ISBN: 1-595262-79-2 Pages: 264 Pages: 264 Price: $29.95 Price: $16.95 Size: 6 x 9 Size: 6 x 9
Available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor. Toll Free Orders Line: 1-866-229-9244 Order on the web at: http://www.llumina.com/survivinginamerica.htm orders@llumina.com |
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FEATURED ARTICLES...
Twentieth century American literature is rich with stories brought to America by immigrants and their children. Immigrant authors are woven tightly into the culture and history of America. Their stories are what I grew up reading, and, many, many moons later, what I still reach for when I want to lose myself in someone else’s words. While the demographics of immigration have changed and today’s accents don’t sound the same, the immigrant voice still has something important to say to me.
When single motherhood found me teaching English to non-native speakers in a New York City junior high school, it opened an anthology of stories I had never heard before, stories that were screaming to be told. Fascinating adventures of fleeing dictatorships, heartbreakers of leaving home behind, portraits of courage, brilliance, resilience, sacrifice, and love, all locked within my students’ minds. Only the storytellers were not cognizant of the goldmines they guarded with their broken English and their self-effacing humility.
It was up to me as their ESL teacher to provide the means for these stories to surface along with their acquisition of English. But, at first I didn’t even know that the stories were there and I needed to learn how to facilitate their emergence. The administration didn’t help. The kids who did speak English were difficult enough to educate; the foreign-born got dumped into my class with hardly a look back by administrators who went mute when spoken to in any language other than their own. Me? I was a grammarian, a writer, a sociolinguist, not a formally trained educator, and certainly not a disciplinarian. I, too, had been dumped in Room 230 without a map or how-to manual on how to bridge the language barrier.
Twenty years later, I have crossed that bridge countless times with a wonderful variety of remarkable individuals brought to me courtesy of immigration. Cliché as it may be, my students have given me much more than they received. I learned that every person has a story to tell and that every story is richly unique and worthy of an audience.
My non-native speakers stories had elements that were generally missing from their American counterparts. The collision of two cultures and the assimilation into an alien society have been prevalent themes in modern literature for more than a century, of course, with Chaim Potak, Vladimir Nabakov, Kahlil Gibran, Frank McCourt, Isaac Stern, and others, sharing their coming-to-America experiences. The same themes are now emerging from a new generation of immigrants. Asians, Latinos, Africans, and more, are embellishing those themes with their own cultural differences and branding their stories as unique versions of that same model.
Whether your first language is not English, the universality of your experience coupled with the individuality your culture stamps on it, is a story waiting to be told. Don’t let any awkwardness with the language or modesty hold you back. Put your impressions, your ideas, your adventures, down on paper. Keep a journal of experiences as you strive to acquire this most difficult language. Grammar and vocabulary can be edited, facts can be researched, manuscripts organized or repaired, after you have your ideas in place. Your journal will aid you in polishing up your English, and, who knows, you may be one of the voices of the new wave of immigrant literature in the 21st century.
By Sari Mathes
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Writing with Rhythm
Sentence variety. It’s the difference between hearing an instrument play the same melody over and over again and listening to a symphony. Many new writers believe that long sentences with strings of subordinate clauses showcase intelligence. So they stuff their work full of sentences that resemble paragraphs, and paragraphs that could pass as chapters. They modify every clause. They string adjectives together like Christmas lights, not realizing that the tree alone has a beauty of its own. Every verb is coupled with an adverb or two. They stuff amplifiers in front of adjectives, then pack them into relative clauses that give the reader encyclopedic amounts of information before they can get to the period. Or, they choose one complex construction (usually it’s passive voice) and use it like a chord-drill, playing the same dull tune over and over.
Compare the following examples:
A. Sweet Sylvia, the homely oldest daughter of the surly first Asian Prime Minister of the Planet Fleejee, a tiny red planet from the farthest corner of the Amphibian Galaxy, which had broken from its Mother-planet during the Great Cosmic Skyquake of 3006, sat very dejected on the large purple velvet embroidered pillows of her throne, severely detesting her fat, balding, despicable father, who had only become one the second year after he was appointed Prime Minister, while she hurriedly wolfed down her salty cold rice and beans, a split second before she choked to death.
B. Sylvia choked to death.
C. Sylvia, daughter of the Prime Minister of the planet Fleejee, sat dejected on the purple pillows of her throne. She stared at her father. How she hated his fat, ugly face. She had to get out of there. Hurriedly, she wolfed down her salty dinner of cold rice and beans. And choked to death on it.
Example A is analogous to an orchestra gone wild. Every instrument is screaming for the spotlight and the conductor appears to have skipped town. Anyone left in the audience would, by now, be requesting earplugs. This is not mood music. No rhythm, no harmony, no dynamic phrasing, just noise.
Example B can be compared to a simple sing-song nursery rhyme. One note, one instrument, and also, not exactly easy-listening on its own. But, pair it with the more elaborately worded sentences in example C, mix it up with a couple of questions or exclamations, and its staccato simplicity stands out like a cymbal striking the final note of a complex concerto.
Stop. There is nothing wrong with a one-word sentence. Nor is there anything inherently wrong with a lengthy and complex sentence that provides details and embroiders your ideas. Just as musical notes blend together to create an auditory tapestry, so should your words. Mix it up, shuffle the deck, alter the rhythm of your words. Punctuate a paragraph with some staccato sentences. Layer your language with elaborate harmonies. Refrain from playing the same refrain over and over. Use this musical analogy to think about your audience while you write and don’t forget to vary the rhythm of your words.
By Sari Mathes
Back To Top _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
POD is a relatively inexpensive way to test the waters for your book, allowing you to print copies as needed. If your book finds a market and is selling, we can also offer you the opportunity to do an offset run, greatly reducing your cost per book.
So try one of our POD programs along with a distribution and marketing/promotion package that is second to none, and then talk to us about printing in quantity.
There are so many reasons to publish your book with Llumina Press.…We offer a reputation for publishing quality books, personal service, the best author discounts in the industry and the highest royalties (ours are based on list price). In addition, we were the first POD company to offer bookstore returnability through Ingram (and no loss in royalties) as well as bookstore representation.
What more could you ask for?
Call Deborah Greenspan at 954-341-5636
Toll Free 1-866-229-9244
or
E-mail: Deborah@llumina.com
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TESTIMONIALS: WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ...
Dear Ms. Greenspan,
I wanted to thank you and the entire Llumina team for expediting my
book project through the system. The book came out great (other than
a few ripped covers, I think from when they were stuffed into the
boxes) and the support and service from Llumina was first class. You
even beat your committed delivery date by over 1 week.
Again, thanks, and I look forward to continuing to do business with
Llumina for years to come.
Miles Arnone
American Capital
mailto:Miles.Arnone@AmericanCapital.com
***********************
Dear Deborah:
I wanted to thank you and the entire Llumina Press staff for making publishing my novel a hassle-free and pleasurable experience. I researched my publishing options for eight months, and I’m delighted that I chose Llumina and Print On Demand technology.
Your staff worked hard to create a book for me that took just six months from contract to press. And special kudos must go to your graphics department. Kellie Warren enthusiastically sought my input on my cover design, which is exactly what I’d hoped it could be. Readers are forever commenting on how eye-catching my book is. And I have no doubt that the cover art boosts book sales.
I must also thank Robyn and Rhonda, my email buddies. Their patience and encouragement were invaluable to me throughout the publishing process. Finally, I appreciate the individual attention that you and your staff provide to your authors. I recently received an email from Ashlea, who thought my title would be appropriate for a national writing contest. I appreciated the vote of confidence as well as the heads-up.
I have recommended Llumina to several author friends, and I’m thrilled to tout POD publishing to other writers who want to make an informed decision when publishing their projects.
Thanks for making my first book a dream come true!
Sincerely,
Sandy
Sandy Henry
Something Borrowed, Something Blue
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Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
2004 Results
She resolved to end the love affair with Ramon tonight . . . summarily, like Martha Stewart ripping the sand vein out of a shrimp's tail . . . though the term "love affair" now struck her as a ridiculous euphemism . . . not unlike "sand vein," which is after all an intestine, not a vein . . . and that tarry substance inside certainly isn't sand . . . and that brought her back to Ramon.
Dave Zobel
Manhattan Beach, CA
A 42-year-old software developer and former National Spelling Bee contestant is the winner of the 2004 edition of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Dave Zobel of Manhattan Beach, California, won with his timely entry. An international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The goal of the contest is childishly simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Although best known for "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834), which has been made into a movie three times, originating the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword," and phrases like "the great unwashed" and "the almighty dollar," Bulwer-Lytton opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the immortal words that the "Peanuts" beagle Snoopy plagiarized for years, "It was a dark and stormy night."
Runner-Up:
The notion that they would no longer be a couple dashed Helen's hopes and scrambled her thoughts not unlike the time her sleeve caught the edge of the open egg carton and the contents hit the floor like fragile things hitting cold tiles, more pitiable because they were the expensive organic brown eggs from free-range chickens, and one of them clearly had double yolks entwined in one sac just the way Helen and Richard used to be.
Pamela Patchet Hamilton
Beaconsfield, Quebec
Canada
To read winners in every genre you can think of, go to http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2004.htm
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ANNOUNCEMENTS...
Check Out Writer’s Digest for Tons of Great Contests!
http://www.writersdigest.com/contests
Writing-World.com Has a Searchable Database for Contests
http://www.writing-world.com/contests
Writer’s Market—A Writer’s Essential Resource
First Voice on the Web
First Voice is an interview show on the web in search of authors willing to do phone interviews discussing their nonfiction book. Authors can email a query to see if their book would be of interest to us. We deal with well-written nonfiction only; no children’s books, e-books or biographies. There is no charge to authors or publishers and interviews are in long format, pre-taped. Specifically, we're doing a series on alternative cancer therapies in October and astrology books in November. Find us on the web at: www.7to7.net
GALLEYS AVAILABLE TO REVIEWERS...
The following books are available as galleys for book reviewers:
Red Terror Never Again, by R.J. Rummel
American Jihad,
by Mason Rose Cross
If you'd like to review one of these books in galley,
please contact the publisher at Llumina Press.