Wakulla Book Review: "The Medal, a Novel," by Kerriann Flanagan Broskey

The Medal, a novel, by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

(available on Amazon by clicking here)

Book review by Kaseta, Inmate, Wakulla Correctional, Wakulla, Florida

This is the story of one young woman’s struggle with her faith, and how she eventually comes to have great faith in God. She’s a business woman and a daughter who is dealing with her father’s illness. Ultimately it’s a story of faith that gives us the victory.

The author’s purpose is to strengthen all caregivers and encourage everyone to believe in miracles no matter how much we want not to.

The themes discussed are angels, saints, God, faith, loneliness and helplessness.

The main point is to help you to believe in angels and miracles.

The author stands firm in the controversial issues of angels and miracles and how an angel can be someone very unlikely to your way of thinking.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I couldn’t put it down…just one more page…just one more page. It kept my attention the whole way through. HAVE FAITH!

You can find out more about Kerriann Flanagan Brosky and her book The Medal, a novel by visiting her website at www.padrepiomedal.com

Six-time, award winning author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, has been featured in a number of publications including The New York Times, Newsday and Distinction magazine. She has appeared on CBS' Sunday Morning Show, as well as on local television and radio shows. Kerriann was the host of a weekly Internet radio show on Blogtalk Radio, and she blogged for many years for Patch.com. She is currently a columnist for Village Connection magazine and a contributor to Edible Long Island. 

Kerriann is President Emeritus of the Long Island Authors Group, and is a well-known speaker who draws standing-room-only crowds to her lectures. She is currently working on her seventh book. Kerriann lives in Huntington, Long Island, and when she's not writing she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband Karl and their two sons. The Medal is her debut novel.

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Each Tuesday, we are posting reviews from Wakulla Correctional inmates of John 3:16 books. 

The Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series is part of 

Our Vision: "Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida" 

After Writing A Memoir, How to Convert It to a Power Point and Movie

One of my most popular blog posts and for which I've won an award is "How to Write a Memoir in Twelve Easy Steps."  My idea to write the article came after I wrote my book, "Children of Dreams." After the book was published, I made a presentation to an adoption group. Of course, many people in the audience were either adoptive parents or those wanting to adopt. 

To make my presentation relevant to both groups, I decided to show how my audience could write their own memoir via Power Point. I then later converted the presentation into a movie so it could be watched on the web. But then I forgot about it and never uploaded it. I was looking for something else on my computer and came across the movie. 

I decided to post it here to give readers and those who are writing memoirs an idea of what they can do with their own memoir. It's another way to take your book and and present it to audiences - and hopefully entice people to buy your book after your presentation.

Below is a video I found on youtube that will tell you how to convert your Point Point Presentation into a movie that you can then post on the web, as I have done here.

I always like to find different uses for what I create and share that with readers. Of course, you can also add audio to your movie and make your video even better than I have done here. 

My audience loved this simple presentation and I sold several books afterwards.

If you would like to check out my book Children of Dreams on Amazon, click here.

Wakulla Book Review: He Who Has An Ear, by Laura J. Davis

He Who Has an Ear, by Laura J. Davis

 – Book Review by R. Moyer, Inmate, Wakulla Correctional, Wakulla, Florida

I have read a few books on the study of the book of Revelation, not to mention – listened and watched learned men share their “insights” via television and the radio. At best, I came away confused, each man sharing the same text yet translating it differently. My personal view on why this is – is because the Bible sometimes, especially when it comes to prophecy, is vague in nature – or it is as far as our flawed understanding goes. We need look no further than the prophets of old and how men – priests and Pharisees a like – totally missed the true meaning of them, until the actual events took place. And even then, because of pride and tradition, they refused the truth.

Why is this? I believe because prophecy is many times shrouded with symbolism, and also it is spiritual in nature. God, I believe, gives wisdom to be able to unlock those mysteries, and He chooses the ones He gives the wisdom and gifts of interpretation to. Hence, we have a lot of good men with head knowledge, but not gifted in the Spirit.

It is for this very reason the Ms. Davis’ book is such a breath of fresh air. It is not packed full of debateable interpretations, but is a straightforward look at the seven churches, laid out in a way that laymen can come away with understanding. She uses a style of study that makes her every point clear and there is very little need of defining of explaining symbolism.

Ms. Davis is a very loyal and loving Christian. This shines through in her writing. It is not written to prove her point on prophecy, but to equip the believer with the knowledge to prevent them from falling astray from the love of God.

It is for this reason that I highly recommend this book.

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 To purchase: He Who Has An Ear is on Amazon

To learn more about Laura J. Davis, you can visit her website.

The Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series is part of 

Our Vision: "Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida" 

Every Tuesday, a John 3:16 book will be reviewed by a Wakulla Correctional inmate. To discover new Christian books, please follow our Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series.

How to Write a Memoir in Twelve Easy Steps

By Lorilyn Roberts

All of us have lived through dramatic times of ecstasy and pain. For the sensitive and sensate person, memories of these events are etched in the psyche and have molded us into who we are. A memoir is a way to touch at the heart of those feelings and allow them to be shared with others.

A memoir is different from an autobiography because it takes a “snapshot” of certain events in a person's life. A memoir tends to read more like a novel. Usually a memoir is written in more colorful language than an autobiography and only relevant information is included. Not everything about a person's life should be shared. So how do I get started, you may ask? Here are twelve steps I followed in writing my memoir of adoption in Children of Dreams.

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1. A memoir should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be a problem, a conflict, and a resolution. 

2. It might be helpful to pull out old pictures, diaries, and objects to bring to memory the experiences you are writing.  If possible, go to the scene and relive the events in your mind.

3. Allow your feelings to flow freely from your mind and heart—they may be painful, terrifying, hurtful, crazy, or not understood, but to write a good memoir, you must bring the buried nemeses to the surface and write with passion.

4. Listen to music that will transport you from your surroundings to the time and place of the memoir. I like classical music, but anything that stirs your emotions and allows your mind to be absorbed back into that moment will work.

5. Don't do any major editing until you've written all that you can remember. Worry later about clean-up. If you edit too soon, you may change something that is important.

6. Expect to feel like you are going crazy. Your feelings may create powerful emotions that are buried deep, but when you write those hidden passions and distorted thoughts on paper, it can be cathartic. The story may even write itself and come to a resolution you never thought possible.

7. Make sure you validate facts. A memoir is based on truth, so dates, times, names, people, and sequence of events are important. Otherwise, your credibility may come into question if something you have written is shown not to be true. It may be necessary to change names or locations, and this is acceptable provided you put a disclaimer at the beginning.

8. A good memoir is rich in color—metaphors, similes, descriptions, dialogue, and feelings will make your memoir come alive.

9. After you've written around one hundred pages, take some time to reflect on what you have said. Then put it aside for a few days, don't look at it, and come back and re‑read it. It will be easier to spot things that need to be revised or rewritten. Save deletions for later.

10.  Be kind to yourself. Writing a memoir is a very personal, gut-wrenching journey.

11. After you have written the rough draft and edited it as much as you can, including deletions, give your memoir to some trusted friends for feedback. You may see a pattern in their comments, and that's a good indication of what needs further revision. Don't be shy and seek a professional editor if needed.  

12. Never give up. Never, never give up. Need I say it again? Never, never, never give up.

Why write a memoir, you may ask?  First, the memories are important to you. The intimate details will soon be forgotten if they are not written down. The memoir validates your experience and gives meaning to your life. Your memories become a treasured journey for others to learn from and enjoy.

A memoir can be a gift to your children, your parents, your friends, your country, and the world. Only you can tell the story that you've been given, and other people's lives will be enriched. Most of all, if you're like me, you will be set free from the past and empowered to write your next story.

You will be changed and healed in ways that would not have been possible without writing your story. Having gone through the journey twice, you will be wiser. Perhaps you will touch others in a way you couldn’t have imagined because the “gestalt” of your experience is universal. Most importantly, you will have accomplished what you set out to do, and that is to write your memoir.

I say it again, never give up. It will be worth it when you have finished.

To learn more about Lorilyn Roberts, visit http://LorilynRoberts.com