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Jane Mersky Leder hit one out of the ballpark with her well-researched, fascinating look at how World War II changed the way Americans viewed sex. You’ll find Thanks for the Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II an eye-opening read.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, young Americans knew instinctively that their lives would never be the same. The “normal” sequence of events – education or work, marriage, children – had been blown to bits and, as they would soon discover, so had long held attitudes toward love and sex. Continue reading »

Before I started writing fulltime, I used to read books and articles about writing spaces - - the houses, rooms, and offices that famous authors used to write their great novels. I remember a favorite author talking about her country home–and particularly the view out of the large office windows that looked out onto an open field bordered by a forest. Just imagining that house made me want to have something similar when I was a “real author”.

During one of my dream trips around the Internet, I discovered a site called Home Plans and more. There, I found plans for Log home plans –just like the famous author homes I had envisioned. I couldn’t believe the varying styles of log homes, from the ski chalet (think Switzerland) to the Rustic Mountain Cabin (my favorite)–and the nearly 4,000 square feet family abode.

Although that Rustic Cabin plan was for a house only 1,275 square feet, it had four bedrooms, a fireplace–all packed into two stories of “mystical Maine-like” charm. Plans are affordable . . . and in this economy, even an author like me can afford that acre of land. Stay tuned - - this cabin might just spark the great American novel!

I used to think “radio was just radio” until I heard about the iTunes Tagging-enabled HD Radio™ receiver. Once used, I doubt you’ll ever go back to regular radio again. Why? Because I get really tired to hearing great songs on the radio and not knowing the name of the song or the artist.

Usually it’s my luck to tune in 3 seconds AFTER the DJ gives all the song info. But with the iTunes tagging HD receiver, my “lost tunes” days are gone.

Using these receivers, I can tag any song I hear on my local FM HD radio station by pushing a tag button; magically, all of the song’s info is saved to my iPod® so the next time I synch, the tagged songs are automatically loaded into iTunes, allowing me to buy and download any of them I want. I think the only thing I’m going to need after this is an iPOD with more memory!

Of course the music is crystal clear digital, so listening is almost like a being-there-in-person experience. Plus, bunches of HD stations are adding HD2 and HD3 channels–all subscription-free. I predict more and more iTunes tagging HD Radios will hit the scene soon.

In case you’re having problems finding HD stations, whether rock or new country music stations you can find stations by clicking the link and searching by state.

3GB Communities is one of the latest (and easiest to use) social networking communities on the Internet.

Using 3GB, you can set up an account in about 20 seconds, and then begin uploading your own photos, joining groups, join group chats of interest, and listen to the lateset mp3 hits. Did I mention you can also start your own group - - so why not use 3GB Communities as a fan site for books or ezines you’ve authored? Or maybe even a new group for writers in your genre.

As soon as I logged into my new account, I instantly joined a group of fellow bloggers, then listened to amazing music by Elisa–a singer I’d never heard of, but after tuning into a few tracks, I popped over to Amazon and ordered one of her CDs. In fact, I realized 3GB Communities also gives me a free blog - so I used that to let everyone in my group know about the music - - sometimes I get so hung up in listening to the same artists time and again that I don’t think about exploring - - and 3GB is a great place to experience (for free) new tunes and artists.

Give it a try. Pop over and join 3gb community www.3gb.biz to start your fan site or invite other authors - and start building your own little author empire

Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer

The title of this first novel by Aseem K. Giri, IMPOSTERS AT THE GATE: A NOVEL ABOUT PRIVATE EQUITY, can be daunting to readers who are not comfortable with the vocabulary and workings of high finance. Being one of those uninformed money market folks, this reader had a tough time getting into this novel.

Not that the style of writing is stilted or obscure - it actually flows well and the author has a great flair for written conversation and character painting - but the topic is like a foreign language, something that takes some work to follow. Continue reading »