Jill Sheet's Blog

  Interview With  Neill McKee     Jill: Tell us about yourself?How did you get your start writing? Neill: I started my career as a volunteer teacher in Sabah, Malaysia (North Borneo) during 1968-70. There, I became an international filmmaker and later a multimedia producer, working for development agencies and living in or traveling to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Russia until 2013. I had written three technical books and many journal articles during my career, for example on the role of communication in defeating the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But I never had time to write creatively until I retired. I started by taking an evening course and drafting stories at St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland. After my wife and I moved to Albuquerque in 2015, I attended Master’s-level workshops in creative nonfiction and poetry at the University of New Mexico. That’s when I started writing stories for my Borneo travel memoir, one on my ancestors ...

 How Symbolism in Fairy Tales of Old Help Us Today By H. R. Conklin (author of The Eternity Knot in the Celtic Magic series) By reading the old stories, we can learn valuable lessons still relevant today. The ancient people of Earth were excellent observers. Living on the same lands for generation after generation, their connection to the planet and all things that grow from it became intimate. Their knowledge of the inherent wisdom within their surroundings was folded into stories that we now call fairy tales or myths. Many truths that have been relegated to “old wives’ tales” have been proven by science. Einstein is thought to have suggested reading fairy tales as a way to encourage a child’s imagination, the first necessary brain function in becoming curious and asking questions. Such fairy tale wisdom can be found in the tales of the ancient Celtic people as well as many other cultures around the world.  The Irish-Celts have many stories they tell about a popular chara...

  Only My Horses Know Reviewed by: Jill Sheets   Cinda Jo Bauman’s book “Only My Horses Know” is an excellent book, which I loved.   It is a fast pace book, that kept me interested until the end. Her characters are believable, and you can feel each emotion they had. No matter how small or large.   And all I wanted is for the best for each one. I cannot wait to read more of her books.   Until then, I am going to sit back down and reread this book. This is a must read book no matter what your age. Just set back and enjoy. About the Author & Publisher, Margo L. Dill   Margo L. Dill is the CEO and owner of Editor-911 Books in St. Louis, MO. She is also the author of the American Civil War Adventure Series with two books,  Anna and the Baking Championship  and  Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg , for middle-grade readers. Her other books are  That's the Way It Always Happened  and  Maggie Mae, Detect...

  Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection Reviewed by:  Jill Sheets Fred Olds book “Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection Volumes 1 and 2” is a cute collection of short stories with adorable pictures that go with them.   Not only do I love the illustrations, but the stories in the book are well written, and each character is wonderfully developed.    This book is the perfect length to be read out loud, whether you are reading it to a child or if a child is practicing reading it to you.   A few of my favorite stories in this collection are:             “Looking Inside” By Margo L Dill           “Ben and the Terrible Red Card” By Fred Olds           “The Hobbling Hermit” By Fred Olds           “Ben and the Bully, Billy Bob” By Fred Olds   I recommend this book no matte...

 M.T. Becker Writer's Block Advice What is writer's block? Is it merely being stuck staring at a blank page with a blank mind, or is it more devious than that? Honestly, we don’t even know the answer to our own question because every writer's writing process is unique. But for us, M.T. Becker, writer’s block is something we accept and expect to happen during the writing process. It's not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when writer's block will rear its ugly head.  Therefore, we know when we commit to writing a sentence, a short story, or a book it is going to take time. Actually, It’s going to take us a long time to write because we are purposely trying to tell our readers EXACTLY what we want them to know. There is a well known story that goes something like this: A bricklayer and an author went to work for eight hours. When the eight hours was over, they told each other about their day. The bricklayer said he built a beautiful six feet brick wall. The author sai...

  Time to Reset Reviewed by: Jill Sheets         I was so excited to finally get the book “Time to Rest: A 21 Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Sidelined, Disappointed or Knocked off Course” by Karen Brown Tyson. The book came at the right time in my life, and it was something I needed.   I had lost my job over a year ago, so I could not wait to start to read the book and see what she had to say.     This is one of the best devotional books that I have ever read.   I love it. It was like Ms. Tyson was directly talking to me. This book is well written and easy to understand. The devotional is perfectly laid out, and you will have no problem following the book as you read it.     I loved how she talks about her personal experiences in this book to help us see the bigger picture. Along with her experiences, she has excellent advice, prayers and picks the perfect verses to go along with each one of th...