Dr. Flavius Akerele III: the importance of handwriting

Thank you Dr. Flavius Akerele III for this excellent article on handwriting.
Link to Dr. Akerele III's Article

Free cursive lesson Teaching Cursive

New Dyslexic Law in California!

Toby Moyier & Assemblyman Frazier

Governor Jerry Brown signed important legislation today (AB 1369 –Frazier, D - Oakley) aimed at helping dyslexic children in California public schools. This is the first time in over 20 years that dyslexia legislation has been enacted in the State of California.

Dyslexia, a reading disability, impacts approximately 20% of the overall population. In California alone, this means over 1 million students in public schools are dyslexic. Dyslexia is the single largest learning disability. Without proper identification and appropriate reading remediation, most dyslexic children will never read at grade level. Sadly, 73% of 4th grade students in California read below grade level. Read more by clicking the link New Law in California

Thank you David Palmer for sharing.

So What! Stories or Whatever!

So What! Stories or Whatever!  introduces Mr. Robert Jeffery, science teacher, to the world.

Our hero could have easily been forgotten or ignored in the humdrum of school days. However, Robert Jeffery had a different idea: he planned to make a difference.

Mr. Jeffery entered his first teaching assignment as a naïve, socially inept, young man searching to find a path to teaching excellence. In mid career, due to a twist of fate, the seasoned teacher discovered he had met his goal in so many ways. It is the path in between that first day and the inadvertent discovery that tells a most interesting tale.

This well-written story is presented in snapshots that portray Mr. Jeffery’s challenges, personal struggles, and many successes. The reader learns, in a most entertaining way, about the life of a teacher. Parents and students will no doubt enjoy seeing the classroom from a teacher’s point of view and teachers will relate to each and every word.

This teacher recommends So What! Stories or Whatever! It is a very good read.

About GJ Griffiths, Award Winning Author

GJ Griffiths grew up in the Midlands, in the UK. He went to a boy's grammar school in the nineteen fifties and sixties and later spent several years in photographic retail and distribution. After graduating as a mature student in Physics and Chemistry GJG became a Science and Technology teacher, for two decades, in various comprehensive schools. He has always enjoyed reading a wide range of literature, both fiction and non-fiction, and has written poetry and stories, and occasionally scripts, for many years. Other hobbies include walking in the English and Welsh countryside, bird-watching and in recent years the delights of being a grandad have appeared in his schedule of pastimes.

Visit GJ Griffiths Writer    Author Interview by Moterwriter

Other Books by GJ Griffiths:

So-What-Do-Crime Thriller-High School
So-Whats-Next-Sequel

Fallen Heros

Elaine Orr: Outstanding Cozy Mystery Author

Elaine Orr: Outstanding Cozy Mystery Author

Notes from Jacquie: I have been a reader of cozy mysteries for many years and am always looking for a new puzzle to unravel. After reading Ocean-Alley-Adventures,  I became a fan of both the series and the author. The boxed set, entitled Ocean-Alley-Adventures, is a trilogy which includes the first three books in the Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery series: Appraisal for Murder, Rekindling Motives, and When the Carney Comes to Town.


It was my intention to simply write a traditional review.  I soon realized to complete a serious review, I needed to discuss the very important element of writing style contained in the Jolie Gentil series.

Elaine Orr's writing follows the basic communication three c's: clear, concise, and complete. Her words are well-chosen as she builds each character and relates, when required,  the character to both the environment and other members of the cast.

She skillfully intertwines the past and present to place each story element in context.

New Jersey's fictional Ocean Alley is the stage on which multiple stories are played. Each book is a stand-alone containing a complete story. It is not necessary, to read each book in sequence because the  characters are gently re-introduced without boring redundancy.

Appraisal for Murder introduces the reader to Jolie Gentil, a somewhat fallible part time real estate appraiser. As she attempts to build a new life, after separating from her less-than-honest husband, she moves into  great-aunt Madge's Ocean Alley Bed and Breakfast. When making her very first appraisal, she finds the home owner dead in her own bed. The adventures begin as the reader unravels clues as this self-appointed sleuth searches for the murderer.

In Rekindling Motives, Jolie is appraising a historic house when she stumbles across a skeleton in an antique wardrobe. As Jolie along with friends Scoobie and Ramona gather clues in hopes of finding out who placed the skeleton in the wardrobe, a new murder occurs. They soon recognize a link between the two deaths and the search intensifies in an attempt to stave off additional deaths.

In When the Carny Comes to Town Jolie's life becomes very complex. Her friend Scoobie is attacked and seriously injured and his ex-con mother adds another level of danger to the mix. There are a murder and kidnapping that places fear in the hearts of all involved. Jolie helps unravel clues in an attempt to keep everyone safe from harm.

This series will capture the interest of teen age readers and adults alike. Students can easily story-board each plot, as a pre-writing activity, in preparation for writing their own cozy mystery.

I asked the author to share with us some helpful hints on mystery writing. Following are some excellent ideas. If any of our followers would like to ask additional questions, please add them in the comment box.

Elaine Orr discusses Mystery Writing

I grew up on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books, and my mother introduced me to mystery writers such as Mary Stewart and Phyllis Whitney by the time I was eleven or twelve. It was natural for me to write what I read. There are so many kinds of mysteries. 

The Jolie Gentil series is low on gore and the murder is off stage, so to speak, putting these in the cozy category, with an amateur sleuth. Whether a writer produces detective stories, CSI-type thrillers, or cozy mysteries, when the reader finds out who did the deed, it has to make sense. It doesn't work if the murderer was barely in the book or (in one I read recently) only referred to until they showed up at the end. It's also a challenge to plant clues without having so many that the reader guesses the who in whodunit by the middle of the book. I try to keep readers guessing by implying motives for several people. Candidly, I think I do character development better than plot twists, and I do love it when a reviewer says they were guessing until the end.

Thank You Elaine Orr!

Ground to a Halt  Eighth Jolie Gentil cozy mystery
http://www.elaineorr.com/Ground_to_a_Halt.html

Resources for learning more about cozy mysteries:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_mystery   Writing a Cozy Mystery