The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarity

Bestselling author Jaclyn Moriarty returns to Ashbury High for an unforgettable senior year filled with ghosts, secrets, and romance.

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Writing Book Reviews - Fiction

A book review describes, analyzes, and evaluates the quality, meaning, and significance of a book. It should not retell, and it is not a book report or a summary. A review is a commentary. Although no "right" way to write a review exists, some essential information is needed in each. Fiction and non-fiction books have differences not only in the content but also what components should be in a review. Let's look as some suggestions to consider when writing a book review for a book of fiction. I will use one of my books in the examples.

First of all, do not give away the story, climax, ending of the book. Do use occasional quotes from the book to support or explain points made in the review.

The first paragraph should include the title of the book and the author's name. Sometimes publishing information such of ISBN, publisher, type of book, and general subject matter is noted.

Example of a first paragraph: The Base Stealers Club, by V. Gilbert Zahel, follows the progress of a middle-school-aged baseball team as it plays its way to a championship. A part of the team also help solve a mystery plaguing the community. Published by 4RV Publishers, ISBN: 978-1-84728-220-0, the book appeals to those who interested in sports, mystery, and adventure.

Other points to be covered, in different paragraphs, are as follows:

Characters: Are the characters flat or round? A round character is multiple dimensional. Round characters make a story line more interesting and believable; therefore, the analysis of the author's use of three-dimensional characters or flat characters is important.

Example of character portrayal: Ryan Scott not only is an excellent athlete, but he also cares about others. He helps find the thief in the story; then he wants to help the young man who stole money from locker rooms. An instance where he acted as peace maker on the team is shown in the following excerpt: Ryan stood beside Colby, slipping his arm across the shorter boy's shoulders. "Hey, Colby, settle down. Josh is just repeating what he heard. I've heard my dad say the same thing about some criminals." With a slight smile, Ryan turned to Josh. "Josh, what does the preacher say about forgiving? What have we learned in church about forgiving others?"

Theme: The theme of a book may not be written word for word, but the review should note how the author reveals or develops the theme or themes. Mention whether you, as the reviewer, agree or disagree with the author's theme(s) and why.

Example of theme: The author gives support for moral values and actions through the book. Yet, the message isn't preachy or blunt, but the theme flows throughout the story. The author's opinions are solid and are ones that young readers need to realize and learn to accept.

Plot: Are the various elements of plot handled well? The elements of plot include introduction, conflict, climax, and conclusion.

Example of plot: The Base Stealers Club introduces the conflict, the problem in the first two chapters of the book, both the start of the games leading to a successful season and the missing money in locker rooms. The suspense intensifies as the team plays and tries to help find the thief. The climax is unique, as is the reaction of team members.

Author information: V. Gilbert Zabel, who also writes under the name Vivian Gilbert Zabel, for adult level books, and Granny Zabel, for children's books, played baseball and helped coach a baseball team. Her interest and background in the sport, as well as with children, can be found in the pages of this book.

Give a brief summary of the book: Give an overview, but do not give away the plot climax or conclusion.

Example of summary: The Jonesville Chargers, a baseball team of middle school-aged boys, pursues championship dreams and the solution of a mystery plaguing their team.

Give your opinion of the book: Tell how the book affected you. Say whether or not the book is interesting, entertaining, or memorable. Would you recommend the book to readers? Why or why not?

Example of opinion: I enjoyed The Base Stealers Club because I became swept up in the chronicling of a team's season, games and attempt to find a thief. This book will appeal to readers aged ten to fifteen who love baseball. Young sports fans will be better for having read the book.

Important note: Having correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and other components of good writing are as important in a review as in writing a book. Reviews are a form of writing.

The suggestions can be arranged differently or combined, and some others can be added. Some can be eliminated, but most of the information needs to be somewhere in the review.

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Acclaimed Children's Writer Amy Friedman Interviewed

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of the book reviewing and interviewing site Bookpleasures is excited to have as our guest, Amy Friedman, acclaimed writer who wrote Tell Me a Story for Universal Press Syndicate.

Good day Amy and thank your for agreeing to participate in our interview.

Good day, Norm, and thanks a million for having me.

Norm:

Amy, please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background. What is your background in children's literature?

Amy:

I think the road to writing for an audience of children began when I was a kid living in a house with two reading-addicted parents.

The furniture in our family's den was barely visible beneath the books, magazines and newspapers, and my Dad, a lawyer, had always wanted to be a journalist; in fact before going to law school he worked as a sports reporter (combining his two passions), but in that era Jews had difficulty getting jobs as journalists, so Dad went to law school.

When I was about 12, I wrote my first short story, and I decided right then and there that I wanted to be a writer, though like all writers' lives, the road to here has taken many surprising turns.

I studied English at Barnard College, with a minor in creative writing. In those days I wrote only fiction, and in the late '70s, I went to City College for an MFA in writing because Donald Barthleme, a writer I admire enormously, was teaching there. He truly was the person who taught me how to write well, how to work hard, and how, too, to take deep pleasure in writing.

In the mid-80s my life took one of those glorious turns that feeds a writer's imagination and nourishes the soul. I'd lived in Manhattan for nearly 15 years, but I fell in love with a Canadian and moved to a sheep farm outside--OUTSIDE--of Gananoque, Ontario. I adored the farm and discovered a marvelous the newspaper published in nearby Kingston. Then owned and run independently, The Kingston Whig-Standard published a stunning magazine, and this is where, ultimately, Tell Me A Story and my close involvement with children's literature began. I had worked for eight years as an adult columnist, and that column led to two published two books, the first a memoir called Kick the Dog and Shoot the Cat, about the similarities between sheep farming and my previous work in New York, in film production (on such blockbuster Hollywood hits as Ghostbusters).

I still had no idea that ultimately I would be writing for children in those first years on the newspaper. I had, though, expanded from writing strictly fiction to writing nonfiction, personal essay, and plays.

Norm:

Will you share a little bit about Tell Me A Story with us?

Amy:

One day in the early '90s I approached our editor, Neil Reynolds, and told him I thought the newspaper needed something for kids. I'd loved newspapers when I was young. Neil was all for it and told me to go figure out what this new feature should be and let him know.

There was a fabulous children's librarian in the Kingston Public Library, Mary Beaty, and she spent hours leading me through old books of folklore. As we talked, I began to remember how much I'd always loved mythology, and when Mary showed me a version of the Finnish epic, The Kalevala and some old Chinese folktales I'd never known existed, I was hooked. Mary also led me to the Toronto Public Library collection in the Boys and Girls House, a collection established in 1922, the first children's library in the British Empire. The Toronto Public Library's relationship to children's literature is a great story in itself, but that's for another day.

Long story a little shortened, Mary also introduced me to Jillian Gilliland who by then had illustrated more than 20 children's books. Jillian loved the idea of a column of retold folk and fairytales, legends and myths; we told Neil we wanted our column to be children's fiction, new and old, illustrated all, and just a few weeks later, in November 1991, we began to produce The Bedtime Story, six days a week. I wrote only one or two a week and selected and edited other stories from mountains of submissions. Within a month ten other papers in Canada had picked up The Bedtime Story, and one day in the newsroom our city editor, Norris McDonald, pulled me aside to introduce me to Dan Dalton. Dan was a syndicate salesman, but this time instead of selling, he wanted to talk about the buying The Bedtime Story for Universal Press Syndicate.

Universal signed me to write ONE story each week, Jillian to illustrate, in color, and Tell Me A Story was born. It quickly caught fire and was soon running in hundreds of papers around the world.

We lost many of our clients when newsprint doubled in price in the mid-90s (the column takes up lots of space), but we still run in about 100 papers (the numbers vary monthly), even as far away as China.

My house now (I'm now in Los Angeles) looks a little bit like the Boys and Girls Room at the Toronto Public Library, and one of the best parts of the whole experience has been relationships I've developed over the years with people who've stumbled upon the column. For years I corresponded with a Kalevala scholar in Finland. I received a copy of a just-discovered Chinese manuscript from some folklore scholars in Hawaii. The folklore scholars keep me honest and are constantly teaching me new things about literature's roots, for instance; and Jillian keeps me honest too because every one of her paintings is accurate down to the tiniest details. We do our homework, making sure to be true to the details of time, place, dress, flora, fauna, architecture, and so on.

The column has generated two books--Tell Me A Story and The Spectacular Gift, but I'd always wanted to make an audio version. In my life outside of Tell Me A Story I teach creative nonfiction and personal essay writing at UCLA, and through this work, and through my writing and performing personal essays, I've met dozens of extraordinarily talented actors.

Norm:

How did you go about choosing the stories and music to be included in Tell Me A Story?

Amy:

When I decided I was going to produce the CD on my own, I knew I'd need partners. First my husband, Dennis Danziger, a writer and teacher, enthusiastically joined me, but he wanted to be a sort of silent partner. I had performed in a spoken word venue known as Melt in Your Mouth which is produced by Lori Ada Jaroslow and had so admired her work, both as producer and as a director, I invited her to co-produce. She was immediately intrigued.

Last summer I handed Lori a stack of more than 100 of my stories, and Lori began to read, ultimately winnowing the selection to 50. Lori also suggested three possible sound engineers and composers. When I heard Laura Hall's music (and remembered seeing her on Whose Line Is It Anyway, and feeling such great energy emanating from her), I decided she was the one.

Laura, Lori and I spent days sitting in coffee shops talking about the selections--finally narrowing our list to 25. We looked for range--different parts of the world, male, female and animal leads, funny and serious, stories that had different rhythms and different messages.

But we couldn't get below 25, so we called in Laura's two daughters, Ruthie, age 7, and Eva, 9. The girls read all 25 and gave us brilliant post-it notes; they also negotiated with each other--Eva giving up her favorite when Ruthie gave up hers, and so forth.

We winnowed to 10, and then, once we began recording, we realized we would have to lose two more. Our mixer told us once a CD goes over 72 minutes, quality is sacrificed, and the stories read longer than we'd anticipated.

We've promised Ruthie that her favorite story, a French Canadian tale called The Talking Cat, will be included on one of our next cds.

Norm:

Could you tell our readers something about the different people who narrate the stories and how were they chosen?

Amy:

This was sheer joy. Lauren Tom was first on my list. I met Lauren when years ago she took a writing class from me. I've seen her perform on stage, in films, on television, and I've heard her voice on the many animated shows, but maybe most importantly, I've watched her at play with her two sons who she adores.

Kathleen Wilhoite's a similar story. When I first heard Kathleen read one of her stories at a spoken word theater (and heard her sing as well), I knew I wanted to work with her. Her voice is inimitable--husky, funny, sweet, sassy, beautiful, and wise. And Kath too is a devoted mom to her son and daughter. Lori was a given; she's a longtime talented singer and performer, and she's worked with some of the finest actors around. It was Lori's contacts and instincts which took us to Jack

McGee, Charlayne Woodard, and Poppy Champlin. Eventually we decided we wanted to cast against type; that is, that we didn't want Lauren reading a Chinese story because she's Chinese American, or Charlayne reading an African story because she's African American. Perhaps one of my favorite moments was the day

Jack McGee with his gruff, tough, New York street-wise voice that lots of people recognize from Rescue Me came in and read Two Frogs from Japan. Every time I hear Jack on the CD saying, "Spahkle and Shimma, Spahkle and Shimma" (or, in regular-old-English, sparkle and shimmer, sparkle and shimmer), I laugh. Every time. And I've heard it thousands of times.

Laura's husband, Rick Hall, is both hilarious and a serious, seasoned performer, and maybe best of all, he loves Anansi stories. I remember thinking when I first heard him read, "ohhhh, so THAT's how Anansi sounds." And his trombone playing--he's one of those all-around talents. One day we suddenly changed our minds about a story and we needed at the last minute to find a reader with a rich, deep, powerful voice. Laura suggested her friend and neighbor, actor and singer

William Thomas Jr. William had just finished taking an exam (he's studying for the Seminary) but pro that he is, within the hour he was at the studio, reading the story as if he'd rehearsed for weeks.

Maybe my favorite day was in the studio with Poppy Champlin, one of the most versatile comediennes around, when she came in and started channeling animals. When she suddenly became a raccoon telling ghost stories on Searching for Fear, I couldn't catch my breath for the laughter. None of us could. We had to take a break from recording. Sometimes in the middle of recording, Lori and I would look at each other in wonder at the magic in that studio, and when Lori sang Laura and me a lullabye she remembered her father singing to her (her dad for years played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway), Laura and I convinced her she had to include it in her telling of A Sense of Theft, and that, as I recall, is when Laura says she first began to hear the music.

Norm:

How long did it take you to put together your CD and what challenges or obstacles did you encounter while putting together the CD? How did you overcome these challenges?

Amy:

We began selecting stories in late summer '05 and by October 2005 we were recording in Laura's studio (Laura was both composer and engineer). The recording went quickly. Each of the performers was exceptional--they walked into the studio with their pages, cozied up to the mic and offered up their enormous talent.

Afterwards, though, Lori and Laura spent days and weeks editing various takes; they kept me out of the studio because we all agreed I was too close to the stories, and too, because we wanted to make sure once they had put together the best cut, someone would have a "clean ear" to listen and make the final changes.

One other note: after day one, after Kathleen Wilhoite and Charlayne Woodard had finished recording, we realized we hadn't asked them to record the titles. Because we were working on a tight budget, Dennis, my husband, said, "Well, what if instead of asking them to return to the studio, the girls record the titles. Laura's girls."

And now, when listeners first hear Ruthie's voice announcing, A Sense of Theft, they swoon. Perfection. It was another one of those magical "accidents."

I don't know that we've actually encountered obstacles. In fact, along the way what has struck me most of all is how extraordinary every person who worked on this has been, how each person performed beyond all my expectations, from the readers to the musicians, Larry Hughes, a clarinetist I found through an old childhood friend, a studio musician in LA, and Luke Hannington who played bass, recorder, and guitar and is a friend and colleague of Laura's, to Laura, of course. The inimitable, ultra-talented Laura. I cried when I first heard her music. I mean truly wept, it was so far beyond what I had dared imagine it could be.

Matt Lands who did the mixing and mastering listened to the first story and understood in a heartbeat what we wanted, and some of the touches no one but we probably will ever notice are the result of his Matt's magic hand. When we had finished the final mix, I called on Walter Green of Weingart Design in Cleveland, Ohio (going back to my childhood hometown); he listened to the CD and instantly understood--this was a classic and the design had to be too.

The most difficult part for me has been learning all the elements of production; I spent days poring over pages of what at first seemed gobbledygook as I tried to understand the manufacturing process and select our manufacturer. But mostly the process has been hard but joyful work. The CD feels, to me, filled with the spirit of all those people whose gave of their talent, and as a physician friend told me when he heard it, "You can hear the joy of all the creators in this."

I guess if there's one part that makes me uneasy, it's the marketing. That part's hard, and out of my realm of experience. So, again, I'm learning.

Norm:

How will you be marketing your CD?

Amy:

We're learning as we go. Universal Press Syndicate is involved; we have contacted all the newspapers in which the column appears, and hope to reach a lot of our readers that way. As you know, I'm reaching out to reviewers, most of whom I've come upon through my membership in the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. We've also sent the CD to several award competitions and to dozens of children's radio hosts around the country. We are performing at as many venues as we can, and our first performance will be on July 8 at Hollygrove, in Hollywood, where Carrie-on, a day recreation facility for children with life-threatening illnesses, is holding a series of open houses.

A while ago I met Tracy Mestres who created Carrie-on, and I knew instantly this was the charity to which we would be donating a portion of our proceeds. Carrie, Tracy's daughter, was before her death at the age of 13, a writer and an artist; I never knew her but a student of mine was her teacher. Angelica used to bring Carrie's stories to my class, and I remembered those stories; somehow the light that was in Carrie's stories seemed like the light that emanates from our CD, and from this whole experience. The match seemed just right.

We also plan to perform at The Geffen Theater in Los Angeles in conjunction with their education program and I hope too, we'll be in other places, in other cities, in bookstores and beyond.

We're also seeking to interest librarians and teachers, and I am still building into the website, www.mythsandtales.com exercises teachers can use in the classroom, ways to use the CD and other folktales to teach.

Norm:

Where can we buy your CD?

Amy:

For now, the CD is available online at CD Baby, CDbaby.com/cd/friedmanhall. It will be a little while before we can make it available to retail outlets, but people who are uneasy about ordering online can contact me at kellsmom@comcast.net, and I will either mail them a copy or direct them to a store in their neighborhood where they can order it. Soon I hope it will be more widely available, but that's part of this marketing thing.

But besides, CD Baby is a great self-made, small company, and I'd like to support them the way they support so many independent musicians and story tellers.

Norm

Is there an underlying message you wish to convey with these stories?

Amy:

The truthful answer is yes. But there's more than one. First, maybe most vividly, the message is that people should involve themselves in community, should resist the lure of selfishness and self-involvement to work together; a little bit the message is not only in the stories but in the whole collaborative result--in what quality results when a group of people working together to create, whether it's a CD or a better world.

Second, and this surprised Lori, Laura and me, but after recording, we discovered that we had created a dynamic we hadn't exactly intended but were pleased to find. Zena in A Sense of Theft, Hannah in A Clever Girl, Sal in The Boatman's Howling Daughter, and The Selkie Bride are such dynamic, optimistic, truthful, powerful women that their energy seems to fuel the CD, making it tilt, perhaps a little, toward the female. An 11-year-old girl told me the other day that she loved the CD. "I'm like Sal," she said, "and like Hannah. And my name's Hannah..." She was grinning, ear to ear. But then her brother said, "I like Gregory, the raccoon," and I remembered that we have a lot of fabulous male stuff in there too.

The bottom line message, ultimately, is that kindness, generosity, curiosity, determination and wisdom are far better traits to possess, and ultimately bring far greater gifts, than do selfishness, greed, and fear.

Norm:

What are your hopes for the CD?

Amy:

We hope people will feel as much joy in listening to it as we experienced making it, and we hope it will reach listeners far and wide. We also hope it will be just the first in a series. Laura, Lori and I have already begun to talk about who and what will be on the next one, and besides, we promised Ruthie.

And Norm, I want to thank you for being so generous as to offer me this opportunity. Meeting you, and your offer to do this interview, feels like one more piece of the magic.

The above interview was conducted by: NORM GOLDMAN: Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW Norm Goldman's Reviews

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Parents and Carers - Why Learning to Read is One of the Most Important Skills Your Child Will Learn

Reading helps your child learn about and understand the world in which he lives. Through reading he learns new words and phrases he can use in order to express himself. For example, reading helps a child learn about the passing of time and how to express it. Examples of phrases he will learn are; "Once upon a time", "The next day" or "On Monday".

Reading develops the imagination by taking your child into another world where anything is possible. Witches and ghosts, magic carpets, fairies and genies, are just a few of the wonders he will discover.

Reading allows a child to learn more about what interests him. It develops thought skills such as anticipation, (guessing what will happen next) and memory (what has happened already). It also allows children to explore and express their feelings and those of others. Reading is an activity which can be enjoyed alone or with others. Books help us to understand more about the world we live in. They also allow us to explore beyond that world and enter new worlds which don't really exist.

What are the benefits of good reading skills?

One of the main benefits of good reading skills is the ability to find information and knowledge. People with good reading skills are able to get information easily. They are able to follow written instructions, read maps, enjoy stories, novels or poems and use reference books to find information.

Good readers have access to an unlimited supply of knowledge and fantasy. They learn how to express themselves. They learn to understand that other people might think, act and dress differently from them.

What are the effects of poor reading skills?

Children with poor reading skills often get 'left behind'. They become more and more frustrated. They compare themselves (or, even worse, are compared) with others and feel stupid. Reading becomes a chore, something they dislike.

Adults with poor reading skills often go to great lengths to hide their lack of ability. They are less likely to be able to gain well-paid employment or may be overlooked for promotion. This leads to frustration and low self-esteem because they are aware of the disadvantage poor reading skills gives them.

Research has shown that children of parents with poor reading skills are more likely to have poor reading skills too. This proves how important parents or carers are in the development of a child's reading skills.

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How to Structure Your Non-Fiction Book

You have a non-fiction book in mind. You know it's going to be great and it'll help a lot of people. But you also have mountains and mountains of material--so much good information! So much excellent research! How do you organize it all to create a powerful book? Here are the basic building blocks of a non-fiction book. Keep these in mind and you won't get overwhelmed by your material.

1.) Think About Your Reader

When you think about your reader you're thinking two things: "What does the reader get out of my book?" and "What kind of relationship do I want to establish with the reader?" One of your duties as an author is to offer your reader something of value which could even change their life for the better. Ideally you'll make it clear what this value is when you title the book. It's pretty clear, for instance, what you'll get when you pick up Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". This could also provide the structure for your chapters. If you're teaching how to improve your golf stroke in 10 steps, you could include a chapter on each step. You don't have to make it more complicated than that.

As for your relationship with your reader, what do you want it to be? Will it be a teacher/student relationship? Peer-to-peer? A storytelling relationship? If you're writing a biography, you may want to be a storyteller and have your reader be a listener. Will your voice be friendly and homely? Or authoritative and formal? The point is that you're always asking yourself "To whom and I speaking and how do I want to be heard?" What choices will best suit your audience?

2.) What's Your Theory?

Theory is how the writer is proposing to make his ideas play themselves out. It's how it all works. In Anthony Robbins' book, "Awaken the Giant Within", he's making the point that you are in control of your decisions and you can really tap into your human potential. Well, how do you do that? His theory of how you do that is to become aware that you are in control of everything that happens within you. You are in control of your emotions, of making choices, of creating what he calls "neuro associations" that will draw you towards a positive behavior or help you move away from a negative behavior. That's his theory.

I'm assuming if you have already decided to write a non-fiction book that you have a plan that you're presenting to the world. Non-fiction books are often the result of what you do in your everyday life; you may notice that things could work better if people did things in a different way. Maybe your how-to just makes more sense, or it fits your readers better than someone else's theory. That's why it's important for you to have your own ideas. It truly is about what you're bringing to the book, how much you're putting yourself into it, because that's what brings energy and vitality to the work and makes a lasting impression on the world.

3.) What Stories Will You Tell?

Stories are a crucial ingredient in non-fiction books. They are what will help bring your points home to the reader and make them real. Most writers use anecdotes from their professional lives. Life coaches use stories from clients, real estate brokers use stories from people they've worked with. Stories help the reader see that 1) other people have dealt with the same problems and 2) the writer has direct experience and knows how to bring about a successful solution.

When you use stories you're also using an ages-old technique--it's even used in the Bible, where stories (or parables) are told to educate the reader on complex concepts. I think our brains still respond positively to this technique. Stories can be a softer way of taking medicine--that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down!

4.) What's Your Call to Action?

When you craft a call to action for your reader, you are designing a way of telling them, "Here's what you do now that you have this information, here's how you make it work." Let's use a weight loss book as an example. Maybe the theory is about overeating. If you were writing this book, you might want to include calls to action throughout the book giving the reader different strategies about how to avoid overeating. You'll include how not to overeat in restaurants, how to avoid overeating at bedtime, how to avoid overeating while traveling or at buffets, whatever.

In some books the author will present questions and exercises. That's part of a call to action because it makes the reader stop and absorb what they've just learned and even to design their own action plans based on their own unique circumstances. In our example above, you might challenge the reader to choose two alternative things they could do instead of overeating.

What's Next?

Now you have to write the book! Keep this structure in mind and you'll be well on your way to creating a powerful book that will inform, educate and--in the best of all possible worlds--change the way we live for the better.

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Discerning Facts From Fiction: The Truth About ADHD

You probably would have heard about a lot of rumors spreading about ADHD or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and you may be wondering if all of these are even true. Though there had been a lot of researches made about ADHD, there are still a lot of stories being spread around leaving people with questions regarding the truth about ADHD.

Since a lot of rumors have been spreading about ADHD, it is about time you learn the truth about ADHD. Though a lot has been told about the probable causes or about the conditions of people who suffer from ADHD, you should know how to discern fact from fiction regarding ADHD.

One rumor that has been spreading about ADHD is that ADHD is considered as a personality disorder. For some, it is a personality trait or even a special trait in children as some exhibit incredible creativity as well as intuitiveness. But the truth about ADHD is that it is known to be a neurological disorder which could stunt the impressionable mind's development, and if your child is showing ADHD-like symptoms, you must not ignore them and address the underlying problem properly.

Children who have ADHD will outgrow it. There are some people who believe that ADHD occur during a person's youth and the person eventually outgrows the disorder and adjust with normal individuals. But evidence shows that the truth about ADHD is that it affects a person for his whole life. Though ADHD stays for a lifetime, a child always has the possibility of being able to cope fairly well with his condition even if special attention is required since a child tends to help positive feelings maintained without having to take away the energy as well as the imagination that comes with this ADHD.

ADHD is usually over-diagnosed. You would probably have heard of this a lot of times especially from concerned parents who do not trust psychiatry. There are many cases wherein parents overreacted regarding the symptoms of ADHD and have treated it with strong medication. The problem is that the child's development has been ignored by some of these parents. The truth about ADHD is that you need to pay attention to your child's needs if he suffers from ADHD and should give him or her proper treatment consisting of behavioral modification as well as medication or therapy as needed.

Another thing being said about ADHD is that it is caused by poor parenting. The truth about ADHD is that it is not merely caused by poor parenting but with the presence of bad parenting, the ADHD condition in a child could be exacerbated.

No matter what is being said on the truth about ADHD, you have to be aware of the symptoms that your child exhibits before being diagnosed of ADHD. It is important that proper treatment is given to help your child cope with the disorder and be able to live a better life.

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The Queen of Suspense Novelist, Mary Higgins Clark, Author Biographies

Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins was born in the Bronx on December 24, 1927. She was the only daughter of Irish immigrant, Luke Higgins and wife Nora. Her father died when Mary was only 11 years old.

To help her struggling mother financially, Mary went to secretarial school after she graduated high school. She worked at an advertising agency for three years until she decided she wanted to travel.

In 1949 Mary was a flight attendant for Pan American Airlines. Her run was Europe, Africa and Asia. She says, "I was in a revolution in Syria and on the last flight into Czechoslovakia before the Iron Curtain went down." Of course, back then your were like starlets because Pan Pam was the air line to work for.

After her marriage in1950 to her neighbor, Warren Clark, whom she had know since a teenager, Mary started writing short stories. She sold one of her first stories in 1956 for $100.

Mary and Warren had five children together, but Warren died of a heart attack in 1964. Left raising the children on her own, Mary started writing patriotic radio scripts and books. The first book she wrote was, "Aspire to the Heavens." In 2002, Meredith Press republished this book under a new title, "Mount Vernon Love Story."

Mary went back to college graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Philosophy at Fordham University at Lincoln Center in 1979. Later, asked why philosophy, she said that there is much psychology in philosophy, which helped her become a better writer. Today Mary has thirteen honorary doctorates.

Mary does use much psychology in her novels. Asked about ESP, Mary says that she believes that all writers have an intuitive sense, "I firmly believe in ESP. Sometimes there is thought transference..." However, she does not believe in channelling or reincarnation.

Mary Higgins Clark tackles many controversial subjects in her novels, such as fertility clinics, capital punishment, HMO's, multiple personalities and parapsychology. However, Mary has never used explicit sex or violence in her books. Maybe that is why they appeal to the growing number of young adults reading her novels.

Mary's daughter, Carol Higgins Clark, also a suspense writer, has co-authored several books with her.

In 1996, Mary married John Conheeney. John is the retired chairman and CEO of Merrill-Lynch Futures. They make Saddle River, New Jersey their home.

Although Mary is known as "The Queen of Suspense," she says that she still wants to write a book that is a generational saga.

Books by Mary Higgins Clark:

Series:

Regan Reilly (with Carol Higgins Clark)
Deck the Halls (2000)
The Christmas Thief ((2004)
Santa Cruise (2006)
Dashing Through the Snow (2008)

Stand Alone Novels:

Aspire to the Heavens (1960)
Where are the Children (1975)
A Stranger is Watching? (1977)
The Cradle Will Fall (1980)
A Cry in the Night (1982)
Stillwatch (1984)
Weep No More, My Lady (1987)
While My Pretty One Sleeps (1989)
Loves Music, Loves to Dance (1991)
All Around the Town (1992)
I'll Be Seeing You (1993)
Remember Me (1994)
Pretend You Don't See Her (1994)
Silent Night (1995)
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1995)
Moonlight Becomes You (1996)
You Belong to Me (1998)
All Through the Night (1998)
We'll Meet Again (1999)
Before I Say Good-Bye (2000)
He Sees You When You're Sleeping (2001) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
On the Street where You Live (2001)
Daddy's Little Girl (2002)
The Second Time Around (2003)
Nighttime is My Time (2004)
No Place Like Home (2005)
Two Little Girls in Blue (2006)
I Heard That Song Before (2007)
Where Are You Now (2008)
Just Take My Heart (2009)
The Shadow of Your Smile (2010)

Children's Fiction:

Ghost Ship: A Cape Cod Story (2007)

Non Fiction:

Mother (1996) (with Maya Angelou and Amy Tan)
Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir (2001)

Anthologies Edited:

Murder on the Aisle: The 1987 Mystery Writers of America Anthology (1987)
Caribbean Blues (1988)
Women of Mystery (1992) (with Faye Kellerman and Cynthia Manson)
Bad Behavior (1995)
The Plot Thickens (1997)
The Night Awakens (1998)
Great Mystery Series: 11 of the Best Short Stories from Alfred Hitchcock's And Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (2000) (with Lawrence Block and Ralph McInerny)

Collections:

The Anastasia Syndrome: And Other Stories (1989)
That's the Ticket/Voices in the Coal Bin (1990) (with Carol Higgins Clark)
Death on the Cape: and Other Stories (1993)
Stowaway and Milk Run (1993)
The Lottery Winner: Alvirah and Willy Stories (1994)
My Gal Sunday: Henry and Sunday Stories (1996)

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Walking on a Rainbow - How I Became a Children's Book Author

I used to think writing children's books was boring. Writing for those demanding, whining creatures? Are you kidding? Not for me. No thanks.

That was a few years ago.

Now, nothing fills me with more joy and excitement than writing a picture book or a novel for tweens. Writing for children is like stepping into a fresh, magical, innocent, marvelous world of color and words. Writing for children is, in fact, like walking on a rainbow.

So how did the change happen?

Easy. I had children.

I recently read an interesting post by another children's author about how in order to write good children's stories, one must know children. Of course, as always, there are exceptions to the rule, but in general, I find this observation to be true. This doesn't necessarily mean that one must have children in order to write great children's stories, but it does mean that one must interact with them, know their fears, fantasies, dreams. In sum, one must have a clear idea of what goes on inside their little heads and hearts.

In my case, having children brought out a tender, gentler part of me to the surface, a part I didn't know I had. Suddenly, as I read to my little daughter every night, picture books, with their beautiful and evocative illustrations, began to appear very appealing to me. I don't remember when the exact moment happened, the moment when I thought, 'I want to write a children's book.' But I do know I went from extreme to extreme: from chilling horror to sweet picture books. Two very different worlds, but I'm able to switch from one to the other without much problem. On the contrary, each one serves as a refreshing break from the other. So I may work on a lovable children's story in the morning, and dive into a disturbing werewolf scene in the afternoon. It's fun, like having split personalities, without the crazy element (or at least, I hope so!).

So far, I've written four picture books. Two have already been published: The Magic Violin and CRASH! The other two are in the illustrating stages and will be released next year. I also have a finished tween novel in the editing stages and another one in progress.

The world of children's book publishing is extremely competitive, to say the least. It takes hard work, dedication, perseverance and commitment to become a published author. I know the stakes, but once you step into that magical rainbow, there's no turning back.

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