Red River Books

This novel brings you to the late 1700's and offers the drama of a modern romance with all the trials of war while in another era and country.
Twists and turns along with an easy/quick history of early Poland will keep the pages turning. Quickly went to buy the sequel before starting a new book b/c I was up in arms to find out the happenings of these compelling characters.

This book is a page-turner right from the beginning. I loved reading in this time period when men spoke to women like this (from page 23):

"See the two meadow flowers, the yellow and the violet? One is as different from the other as day from night. Yet who will say that one is more beautiful? Oh, a fool might. But only a fool... But do you know what may determine the desirability of one over the other?... The fragrance!"

Be still my heart! If you love that kind of subtle romance, you will love this book.

Anna shows such strength despite the overwhelming tragedies (one after the other) she faces in her young life. And even though she is a Countess, she is very down-to-earth and sensitive to those "under her" although it was a no-no for those of such high society. Her tenderness and innocense makes her so very likable.

The book goes back and forth between family life and what's politically going on in Poland during the late 1700s with the underlying romance throughout. You're always wondering about what will finally happen with Jan Stelnicki. At no point was this book boring!!!

I loved it.

I loved this book. There are so few novels on the market about Poland and Polish history (I don't know of any others!). This is indeed a rare find. The characters are well developed, the descriptions of locations and activities are wonderfully detailed and passionately written. The setting and content about the significant historical moments are woven in expertly. It really is a history lesson embedded in a very fast-moving and dramatic story. Yes, sometimes it may be a bit overly dramatic, but I really enjoy that rich, gossipy style. So cool that it is based on REAL journal entries. These characters come alive and will stay with you well after you are done reading. Great ending, too.

Looking forward to reading Chrimson Sky.

I found this historical fiction text to be absolutely enthralling! It has not only provided me with hours of enjoyable, page-turning reading, but has also given me great insight into my Polish ancestry and heritage. The strength, spirit, and heart of the Polish people--MY people--is wonderfully portrayed within the pages of this book. I'm so looking forward to receiving Mr. Martin's sequel, Against a Crimson Sky. I'm sure I'll not be disappointed!

I found the book very engaging. I loved the characters and can't wait to find out what happens next.

This is one of the best series that I have ever read. It is a must see but beware, once you pick it up you will not want to put it down.

This was a great book with lots of reality in it. As someone who lives in this area, it makes it so real that you almost think you can go find their desendents (you can find close enough ones anyway!). Ingeborg and Kaaren face so much and come through all the more human and enjoyable as they face the prairie's hardships.

The grueling life of this Norwegian pioneer family made me so thankful for all the blessings in my modern life. They had so few material possessions, worked so hard, endured such hardships, but yet maintained their faith in God, the most important possession anyone can have. I've read all of the books of this series, but this one stands out above them all.

An entertaining read, and the author has done her homework on the life and times of people in the late 1800's. This descriptive story is about Norwegian emigrants/pioneers on their way to farm land in the the Red River Valley of North Dokota. The details of life back then are so vivid and I have fallen in love with the characters. Couldn't pick up he sequel fast enough... Enjoy!

Two young couples, each with a small child, migrate to America from Norway around 1880. They have no end of hardship and heartache. Their journey to homestead land is filled with pain. Even after they arrive, they have absolutely no idea the misery and heartbreak they will face their first full year there. It is a wonder they survive with their sanity - or do they?

This is Snelling's first book in the series Red River of the North. I am well into book two already.

A friend gave me this book to read and I haven't been able to put it down. I have done extensive research on my family geneology and my maternal Great-Grandparents were some of the very first settlers in the Dakota territory. I have documentation that matches the book content so Lauraine Snelling did her research well. I, being raised in Minnesota and my Mother born in Fargo brought back so many memories about the Bjorkland family traveling through Alexandria, MN (where my Mom's aunt lived). These settlers lived through some unbareable times and they had to be very strong to survive it. Don't judge the writer about all the deaths as that actually did happen back in those times. They didn't have the medicines and doctors we have today and they died from the simplest illnesses and injuries. I can't imagine how they survived those winters. I know it got brutally cold (30 and 40 degrees below zero). Can you imagine living in uninsulated dwellings through those temps.

I am very anxious to read more books of these series and will recommend them to anyone.

I purchased this set of books for a family member because I enjoyed them so much myself. Our family has connections to Norwegian pioneers in the Dakotas so they were even more meaningful to us.
Exciting and realistic, the stories show the trials and the courage of the early emigrants as they struggled to establish their homes in a new land. Uplifting to see how their faith in God helped them through their ordeals, and also how important the strength of family and friends were to them.

I enjoyed this series very much. Lauraine Snelling has a very good way of introducing new characters to the main story line that continue to make each book very enjoyable and the people believable.

The way that Bible Scripture and Godly lessons are weaved throughout each book, makes these books not only "good reading" but "good for your soul" books too.

Once I started I just couldn't stop reading. She writes in a way that you can see what she describes, and feel what the character is feeling. I have read all 6 in the series, plus the 3 in the Return to Red River. Can't wait for the following books that are to follow. You won't regret buying this series.

I bought this set of three books, and couldn't do anything but read, until I finished them!! My father imigrated to North Dakota from Sweden in 1905, and the book is so real, it brought back so many childhood memories, even though it is set 20-30 years before. The isolation and the harshness of the freezing temperatures of the winters was so very real, even though we were a family of ten children.But the love and respect that families had for each other made all the hardships worth while, and this love will stay with me forever. My grandchildren have a great heritage, and ask me many questions, as their life in California in the 2000's is so very different. The land my father homesteaded is still in our family, and is now in the 3rd generation. It has increased to over 2000 acres, and still sustains the Nelson family, and the 2 generations who live on the land.We had lots of Indian graves on the land ,and our father taught us to respect, and never disturb them. The Indians were still around when he first arrived from Sweden. What an adventure back in time!!!! Can't wait to get the continuing series!! Thanks, Ms. Snelling!!!

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

That book is so amesome!! I can't put it down. When I bought it, I started read it about an hour. Believe it or not?

Let me tell you...I don't mean to spoil the story... Yuki, Kyo, Shigure and Tohru went back to the house from vacation. (Oh man, Kyo and Yuki gotta TALLER! Whoa!) Kyo wanted to be with Tohru until the end of his life. Tohru made a call to Kazuma which Kyo's father..err foster father!? She wanted to talk with him about how to break the curse. Tohru thought she was really selfish, but she really wanted to break a curse. Kagura realized why she pushed herself to Kyo and it called force love. But she does love him. She told Kyo everything and Kyo didn't say 'I am sorry;, just say thank you. Kyo was only the one friend to Kagura. Kyo never "like" Kagura. Kagura remembered when she saw Kyo's true form, she just ran away. In volume 6, Kagura watched Tohru ran after Kyo when he was true form. That made Kagura realized how she was stupid because of running from Kyo. Anyway, Kyo was just now single and wanted to be with Tohru and love her a lot. Of course, Tohru didn't know...YeT!? Hmm at school, the parent-teacher conferences, Tohru's grandfather couldn't go there because he had thrown his back. (I think.) So instead of, Shigure would go to her grandfather's place for parent-teacher conferences. Shigure wanted to see how Tohru's teacher's face when she sees Shigure. Between them, it was so funny. Um in the end page, Saki liked Kazuma when she saw him walked with Kyo to parent-teacher conference. Kyo shouted that he don't want to her be his mom. Hahaha! ^^ I hope you don't mind that I told you too much...ehh...

If you don't read this Fruits basket, go read the volume one. If you don't read this volume, go buy it!!! IT IS SOO MUCH!!! YiKes!!! =D

it's amazing that furuba has managed to stay so funny for so long, as I have read the entire series and I must say-- it's all down hill from here. I don't mean the quality of the manga goes down--the story line gets sadder and sadder, but some of it remains gutbustingly funny. In this volume, Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun, and Yuki-kun prepare to go back to school and for their parent teacher confrences. Tohru visits her grandpa in the hospital (he threw out his back)and he brings up painful part of her past. Tohru also pays a visit to Shisou-san (whom Hana-chan may have a crush on)and learns the more about the Sohma family's eternaly patronizing curse. kagura and kyo have a heart to heart about why kagura has forced herself on Kyo all these years, and Yuki starts his term as the new class president--could he have found a new love interest? it's true that the mystery surrounding the Sohmas is yet to be uncovered, but when Akito reveals a shocking secret in a later volume, a clue to their existence begins to unravel. Furuba is not--as I once suspected--'fluffy'-- it's hardcore, heartbreaking, and hilairious, and it succeeds on very level. One of the greatest manga series ever.

there's two manga i turn to, when i need cheering up Azumanga Daioh and Fruits Basket. Fruits is funny and sweet. And I'm so enjoying the further development of the characters past the anime series. consider me a lifetime fan!

Well, let me just begin by saying that i am totally in love with fruits basket!!! (especially kyo...and kureno, i suppose)This is by far, my favorite book in the series. This volume is filled with drama, especially when yuki meets up with rin, and realizes something about her that he never knew. and what happens when haru shows up? Also, kagura takes kyo on a date, and has an emotional confession about the reason why she always loved him. It truly brought tears to my eyes. and of course, it's hilarious when shigure goes to tohru's parent-teacher conference in place of her grandfather. (her teacher is mayuko, shigure's ex-girlfriend) well, you're just going to have to find out the rest for yourself. GET THIS BOOK!!!!!!

(I read this book last month, so the details aren't fresh. Still, I was impressed with Richmond's writing that I feel compelled to post a positive review.)

Two Southern girls fall in love and lust during their teen years. One is murdered, the other moves on with her life. She is forever scarred by this murder. Years later, the protagonist is cruising down the waters of China, attempted to put to rest two deaths: her marriage, her former lover. The protagonist spreads the ashes of her teen lover within the waters of China. She also realizes her marriage is over. Her husband is shacking up with a recovering drug addict who sits at their table on the cruise ship. The protagonist is wooed by a handsome older man with ALS. Will they find happiness? ALS kills. Will the protragonist come to terms with her new lover's impending demise?

Against the backdrop of China, with colorful snapshots of the modern communist country, we learn a little about modern Chinese culture, but mostly about love and loss. Richmond interwaves past and present into the novel. We learn of the protagonist's lesbian relationship with her (now deceased) lover. We learn of the impact that China had on her lover, and how "something" Chinese led to her murder.

I appreciated the symbolism of the cruise ship. The ship, ultimately, has maintenance problems. At one point, the passengers are forced to stay on the ship while these problems are fixed- bad food and mindless games to occupy the time. (That's part of life, especially the mindless games we don't want to play, but sometimes there's nothing else we can do.) The Chinese young adults with the Americanized, celebrity-inspired names- we all want to be celebrities- Hollywood celebrities. (There's more symbolism....)

The ending, thankfully, is neither happy or sad. It is what it is. In a world of "wrap it up with a bow" fiction, Richmond chooses to let the reader draw his or her own conclusions about the story. And, that, too, is life. Sometimes we don't get a happy or sad resolution. We continue to exist, to live, to move, without any sort of closure.

Highly recommended, China buff or not!

Reviewed by Joanna Pearson for Small Spiral Notebook

Foreign travel is about learning to exist in a dreamy state of in-between-ness. Unknown and ungrounded, you wander through strange environs seeing strange faces, and yet the ever-resourceful mind manages to seize upon vague familiarities, constructing a hybrid place that has the eerie quality of a dreamscape. So we find our main character, Jenny, on a cruise ship in China in Michelle Richmond's debut novel Dream of a Blue Room. Tense and insomniac, Jenny has traveled here on a dual mission: to resolve her collapsing marriage one way or the other, and to scatter the ashes of her murdered childhood best friend. As in all good stories that unfold on a plane, train, bus, or ship (with a nod to the Hitchcockian principle), Jenny soon finds her task complicated by the pull she feels towards Graham, a fellow traveler she meets who has his own reasons for making this voyage.

Redmond excels in conjuring that state of heightened, dream-like awareness fueled by lack of sleep and periods of intense emotional stress. Her deft descriptions of the Chinese landscape and Yangtze serve as a context for Jenny's extended meditation on her own riverside childhood in Alabama and the history of her failing marriage. The two settings and time periods are ambitiously and successfully interwoven, much to Redmond's credit. She is as en point in her descriptions of Chinese river dolphins, funeral ceremonies, and elderly tea shop ladies as she is in her descriptions of tubing, Sunday School, and watermelons in Mobile. Much more than travel fiction, this is instead a story of growing up as an outsider in the South, revealed through contrast-like looking at the negatives of a series of photos in order to see what you couldn't have noticed otherwise. In this way, China triggers a reflection on Jenny's life back home, proof of the idea that one understands home the best when away from it. We realize very quickly that Jenny's relationship with the murdered Amanda Ruth was more than a mere friendship. Redmond beautifully describes the intimacy, both physical and emotional, between two girls during the pivotal period of late adolescence, as well as the grinding forces of Southern culture and religion that threatened this intimacy.

For the most part, Redmond's prose has a lovely lyricality. She is at her best when describing situations with clarity and simplicity-she has a keen sense of place, an eye for details like how the raindrops fall at a particular instant. Redmond is a sensual writer and on occasion, her writing can veer towards the overripe, particularly when describing erotic moments. There could have been fewer oversignified descriptions of sex, and the book would have been none the worse for it. Throughout most of the novel, however, Redmond's touch is far subtler, allowing a memory of a summer afternoon in a boathouse or a Chinese funeral procession to do no more symbolic load bearing than warranted.

As the cruise ship eases down the river, the reality of Jenny's ending marriage becomes apparent even as her relationship with newcomer Graham rapidly progresses. It is through this new, albeit short-lived relationship with Graham and the drastic act he requests of her that Jenny is ultimately able to exit her suspended state. With the slow build-up of a mystery, the exquisite pain of a coming-of-age novel, the masterful images of a travel writer, and a darkness that is true to the Southern Gothic, Dream of a Blue Room is a work of wonderfully chimeric form. And through this, a novelistic form that skillfully defies a single genre, Redmond, quite fittingly, tells the story of a woman finding her way out of the boundaries of singular categories, out of limbo, out of the in-between.

Michelle Richmond's novel is an impressive, impressionistic vision of a woman suffering one loss after another, and growing incredibly strong along the way. There's a vivid evocation of China, almost a secondary character in the novel. And there's even a villain or two for the reader to hate. There are many moments of luminous writing, reflecting the dreamlike quality suggested by the title. And, oh yeah, there's some really good sex too.

This novel takes you up the Yangtze River during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. The descriptions of abandoned villages and bustling riverside cities are lush and unforgettable. But something more is happening in this novel. While the main character, Jenny, travels up the Yangtze, her marriage is falling apart. The dissolution of the marriage is captured with painful accuracy, and the memories of Jenny's adolescent relationship with a girl named Amanda Ruth are both sensual and poignant. Jenny and Amanda Ruth were so close and Jenny's love for her was so strong that, even though Amanda Ruth is dead, she is a constant presence in Jenny's mind.

If you've ever been to China, or if you ever plan to go, this book should be your travel companion!

I really enjoyed reading this novel but what kept me going was wondering how the death of Amanda Ruth was going to be resolved. Did the main character do it? Would there be a confession, or was it some unexpected person or the girl's Chinese father. The problem is that nothing ever really happened. Nothing was resolved. I was disappointed with the ending, with everything hanging up in the air, people left with other strangers, trying to drudge up something, but never really having it come to the surface.

The writing was interesting. The short paragraphs and chapters helped to propel me through the book, but my opinion is that there was no real story here, just a listing of feelings, observations and events. I agree with other reviewers about the delightful dream-like quality of some portions of the book.

I was also disappointed with the depth of her observations on China. I mean, I was hoping to actually learn something, to come away with something I didn't know before, but no. I got about the same amount of info that I'd get from reading a Wikipedia piece or some travel book.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I gave it 4 stars, and I'm not related ...

This is one of the best series that I have ever read. It is a must see but beware, once you pick it up you will not want to put it down.

Ingeborg and Kaaren get help from another Bjorklund, Haakan, who helps make the farm life easier for Ingeborg although she has to come to grips with many issues. All the characters are easy to like and make the hard work of our ancestors clear. Through Ingeborg's problems with winters in the soddy, the books brings the hardships of those settlers to fruit. Andrew and Thorliff are such fun to read about! Lauraine Snelling has a truly wonderful and memorable work in this family's story.

A cruel blizzard has taken the life of her husband, Roald and his brother and 2 children. Ingeborg spends the next few months bitter - and dressed in her "britches" works the fields like a man. This way, fatigue and distance keep her from facing the truth and more importantly, her children whom she nearly gives away to her sister.

Her sod-home neighbor and sister (by marriage), Karen, a widow, has accepted happiness in a new life and finally Ingeborg comes to terms and returns to the faith of her youth.

The arrival of the distant cousin of her deceased husband, Haaken, eases the farm work but complicates the decision making. He is there ONLY to help the women with the farm for a crop season - or is he?

The delinquent arrival of the young, spunky, opinionated youngest brother of Roald further turns Ingeborg's world upside down, emotionally. The relationships and the final resolution of some major hurdles end this book and call for the immediate start of book 3, "A Land to Call Home."

Please check my other reviews of Christian fiction.

Lauraine Snelling is such a wonderful writer. You can relate to the character's behaviors and beliefs. She does a wonderful job getting you to feel like you are there in the book.

This is just a wonderful, clean, refreshing book/series. She gets so many emotions zinging through you as you are reading.

The Red River of the North series of books by Lauraine Snelling are fabulous books. If you have any Scandinavian heritage...or even if you don't...you will like these books. I have gained insight into how many of my relatives came to America through Ellis Island and settled in the Mid West states. I highly recommend!

This book does a good job of doing exactly what the title says it would do. I bought this because at work our company has always lived in a Wintel World. But we acquired another company that was Linux centric and it was clear that us Windows people needed a crash course of Linux. I needed some quick exposure to Linux and a way to cut my learning curve by being able to understand how to transfer tasks in Windows over to Linux. This book shortened my learning curve because as good as the net is about giving information to us for free. Sometimes I just like curling up with a good book.

Firstly i live in a caribbean country ..there are no linux user groups ...any info yu get from linux if you find one, user you most likely have to pay for ..I successfully installed linux already but i had no clue what was going on after that ..i have reached chapter 3 in this book and if there were no more pages i already got my monies worth.This book is truly built with the linux dummy in mind ..thanks mr easttom

I hated Linux until i read this book. I haven't turned on my Windows box all month. Very clearly written and easy to read.

It is a book, explaining Linux in a simple,
clear manner. Best for a reader with some
Windows skills.

It was my old dream to learn Linux. I had heard that it
is a stable, free operation system. Having little
understanding about Linux before, I read the book,
installed Linux and now feel comfortable with it.

I found this particular book to be remarkably easy to follow, accurate, informative, and generally a great help. I am not a computer professional by trade, and my only experience has been with Windows. But like many people I have been quite frustrated with Windows and wished to try Linux. With this book I was able to install Linux and to use it to do all the things I had previously done with Windows.

The author, with local and family roots, covers Fort DeRussy from construction to destruction and current efforts to preserve and maintain the site. There is in-depth background on the fort, the area around it, and its role in the Red River campaign of Banks and Porter against the Confederacy. Excellent commentary on the role of cotton and its confiscation for the North's war effort, on the local black and white population's involvement with the Fort, on naval aspects of the Western theater - all increase knowledge of the scope of the Civil War.

This is must read for Louisiana Civil War History. Mayeux is an excellent story teller who makes the history of Fort DeRussy come to life

A unique book about a little known place that was extremely important in 1863 and 1864. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Red River Campaign, the Civil War in Louisiana or the Trans Mississippi Theater. Fort DeRussy seldom merits mention is most accounts of the Civil War. This book was not a rehash of old material. The author is able to draw on a wealth of local information as well as primary and secondary sources. Steve Mayeux gives us the story of the fort which was supposed to defend the Red River Valley from Union gunboats from its beginning to the end of the War. It captured the Queen of the West, provided troops to man the boats that captured the Indianola and defeated another gunboat attack before falling to a Union army that captured the fort without naval assistance. Fort DeRussy then served as an important Union station during the disastrous Red River campaign. I liked the author's easy folksy style, including his personal feeling and experiences in the text and footnotes. I also appreciated the footnotes on the page for easy access. It is in the footnotes that we discover more and more about how his ancestors owned the land, his great grandmother was born there just before the union army arrived and how he and others worked to restore the fort and have it protected as a Louisiana State Park.

As a native of Avoyelles Parish, Steve Mayeux really has one leg up when it comes to the study of the Civil War in Central Louisiana. As such, he was able to provide details that another historian might well miss. Leaving no stones unturned he researched such obscure sources as articles appearing in the "Marksville Pelican", a local newspaper that was published contemporaneously with the events as they were occuring, as well as the observations of the Mother Superior of the Daughters of the Cross, whose letters, written in French back to her family, but translated and published by Avoyelles teacher Sister Dorothea McCants, shed great light on what it was like to have actually lived during the Civil War years in Avoyelles. Such first person accounts bring great life to the reconstruction of this moment in history. For those of you whose eyes glaze over at the thought of another book filled with complicated analyses of battle strategies and "dry as a bone" statistical studies, be advised that this book is NOT in that genre. Mayeux has truly captured the "soul" of this conflict. It is significant, no doubt, that the author, whose family has lived in the parish for generations, has a deep connection, both emotional and familial, to the events and people portrayed in this book. Mayeux spent years doing an incredible amount of research on both the Union and Confederate sides, as well as countless hours and dollars spearheading the effort to preserve the Fort DeRussy Historical Site. But what sets this book apart from so many others is that it was written from the heart by a man whose ancestors lived and died in the context of this very story.

Much too often, so called historians/authors take the lazy way out of writing, particularly as it applies to the War for Southern Independence. They frequently cite the writings of other so called historians/authors for validation of their facts. The problem with this is that many of the other writings they cite are based on incorrect information or out right lies. The result is that incorrect history becomes accepted fact. Mayeux refreshingly starts from scratch in his book on Fort DeRussy. He does fresh leg work, getting to the real facts of what occurred there and the surrounding events as accounted for by both sides in the conflict. As a result, he uncovers many inaccuracies in other histories pertaining to the events surrounding the fort, and he clearly documents why these previous writings are incorrect. If one is interested in learning the no nonsense facts about Fort DeRussy and this period in our history, this book is highly recommended. It is lively and entertaining reading.

My copy of this book is in tatters, because I have read it so much. Since buying the book I went on a canoeing expedition to one of the northern rivers Cliff talks about in the book. I would agree with most of what Cliff recommends. This book or the newer edition is a must if you are going to do an extended canoe trip in the wilderness.

Good reference book, interesting read. The section on BEARS pays for the whole thing. Here I thought I was doing right, but now I find that I am lucky I ain't been et yet.

This book takes you through the planning, paddling, and post adventure stages of an expedition canoeing experience. It is a very thorough collection of expedition canoeing issues, from one of the leading authorities on expedition canoe travel.

A terrific read for novices and pros alike. The writing is easy to follow and accompanied by detailed diagrams and photos.

It is required reading for all of our guides and clients taking part in one of our expeditions.

This is not a book for the novice. I suppose it would be enjoyed but to really apprieciate the excellent ideas and tips, I think one would need to have many wilderness miles in your log. I rank this book with Colin Fletcher's [The Complete Walker] from back in the 70's at the top of the advanced "how to books" list. Well written with just the right amount of stories and humor. This is not to be read by just those useing canoes or traveling the far north. If you spend as much time as you can get away with "out there" you will love this read.

Cliff Jacobson has once agian set a new standard for canoe tripping literature. In his most recent publication, Expedition Canoeing: A guide to Canoeing Wild Rivers in North America, Jabobson goes where no other book of this kind has gone. The book is a thorough and comprehensive collection of every aspect of expedition canoe travel. Jacobson covers everything from choosing a river to the meals that you can prepare in barren land, but what sets this book apart from others is that he includes his own novel concepts for the trail alongside time-tested techniques that only someone with his experience can add. This book will surely become the standard against which all other books of this nature will be measured. The book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to venture north with a canoe.

Get Organized, Get Published is an excellent book by Cleaning and Time Management Guru Don Aslett and Carol Cartaino. The book contains tons of information on organization for the aspiring writer to the seasoned pro.

One of the greatest benefits from reading this book is the motivation it provides. When reading, you can't help but want to get to working on your writing projects. And once you get organized and get started, all you need to do is follow the advice in chapter 14 and Don't Stop!

Besides the tips, suggestions, and strategies that Aslett and Cartaino present, they have also included many quotes from published authors regarding the organization, time management, and writing strategies they have used to succeed. If just one of these gems helps you succeed, and I'm sure the combination of all the strategies in this book, if followed and acted upon, will, then the book will be worth more than its weight in gold.

I personally spent the last year focusing on dvds rather than writing projects. This year, my goals include doing a lot more writing. I pulled this book off the shelf to read again to assist me in making 2008 great. The motivation from this book will get me back to the keyboard, and the organization and time management strategies will ensure I reach my writing goals.

Thanks Don and Carol for a great book!

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series.

I don't have enough time. I don't even know where to start. I don't know what to write about.

The list of excuses is endless. The remedy can be found in "Get Organized, Get Published!"

No matter what your writing experience, you've probably encountered organizational problems, time constraints and a whole host of other writing-related issues. Now you can learn how to get the most out of your day, office space and how you can make effective use of your writing sessions.

Sample chapters include:

* Finding the Time to Write

* Making Your Master Plan

* The Big Step: Getting Started

* Organizing Your Work Area

* Organizing the Writing Process Itself

* Time Management Tips for Writers

* "Just a Minute": Outwitting Interruptions

If you struggle with any aspect of your writing - whether it be a cluttered desk, personal battle with time or even if you feel creatively empty - this book is designed to give you the extra edge in your writing venture.

"Get Organized, Get Published!" is a powerful motivational tool. Each page will help you capitalize on your writing dreams. This comprehensive guide to organizational strategies contains everything you need to "Get Organized, Get Published!"

OK, I have to admit, I am a published writer for 22 years, as a journalist and commentator. Yet, despite my many promises to myself, I have not moved myself to the stage where I can proudly add AUTHOR to my list of achievements. Why? I have enough material to publish some collected work type books, and enough ideas to put together a bunch more. But, getting organized and THINKING, ACTING (as in taking ACTION) and FOLLOWING UP in an organized manner have been my nemesis. I just read this book today and have to give the author credit for putting together an EXCELLENT resource and collection of USEFUL and USABLE ideas, tips, thoughts, and even action lists. A MUST HAVE book (and quite a bargain at the price I saw here) for anyone who is serious about writing that book he/she always wanted to - finally! Good luck.

This is a must have for anyone wishing to write a book of their own!

I've been doing book reviews for the Society for Technical Communication for about 6 years now and haven't come across a book as interesting as this one! It's very difficult to put down.

Currently, I'm writing a book of my own outside of my 40-hour writing position as a software documentation writer. I've made more headway on my personal book in the last three weeks than I have during the past year by following the tips suggested in this book. Other writers with whom I work are asking me about Don's book, as I have been taking it to meetings to read during those first few minutes that everyone is waiting for the meeting to begin.

This book overflows with helpful and "do-able" advice for eliminating distractions to writing. For someone who publishes quite frequently, I hate writing and will find nearly any excuse to avoid doing so. Perry Mason re-run? Cleaning the diffusion bowls (you know, those things around the lights on the ceiling)? Nearly anything becomes more attractive than writing. Aslett and Cartaino cut away all of life's frippery to help you get down to writing.