If you have always wanted to write a book, fiction or non-fiction, but are not quite sure of the best way to get started, tell me what kind of book you would like to write, and why.
Also, is there anyone interested in belonging to a writer's group?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
DOES ANYONE HAVE LEGAL QUESTIONS?
When I started this blog a couple of days ago, I promised that it would offer a number of different topics. So far, I have offered an introduction of myself, two book reviews, and two articles on people of note from Lorain County--one an accomplished young woman from Admiral King, and the other a long-ago young man who made a name for himself at Elyria High School, and who later performed an heroic act.
It is now time to provide all of you with a law-related topic. The problem is that there are so many areas of the law that I would like to get some of your thoughts on what legal issues might interest you. So join my blog and give me your ideas, O.K.?
It is now time to provide all of you with a law-related topic. The problem is that there are so many areas of the law that I would like to get some of your thoughts on what legal issues might interest you. So join my blog and give me your ideas, O.K.?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A HERO WALKED AMONG US--WAY BACK WHEN!
It's amazing how much one can learn, if they are only willing to listen. For instance, during a chit-chat session with my neighbor, Nicole Mitchell, who was born and raised in Elyria, I told her about my new blog on The Morning Journal's internet edition, and that I was on the lookout for stories to share on the blog. She told me that she had some interesting stories to tell about her grandfather, Walter H. Murbach, an Elyria native. As I listened, I found myself being drawn into the personal history of this long-ago Ohioan. I decided to research some of the great stories that Nicole was telling me, and this is what I discovered:
Walter was born into a fairly wealthy Lorain County family on November 14, 1883. His parents were Jakob and Louisa, and they owned a mill. Walter was a bit of a mischief-maker even while still in high school. A senior in the Elyria High School Class of 1902, Walter and about a dozen of his classmates went to the old grist mill on East Bridge Street. There they found a huge rock weighing almost one ton. That evening, Walter and his friends secured a wagon and four houses and, with great difficulty, loaded the rock into the wagon, took it to the high school, and placed it at the corner of Middle Avenue and Sixth Street. A man named Mr. Sands, who owned a barn across the street from the school, conspired with the boys by carving "02" into the rock to commemorate their graduation year of 1902. Even so many years later, when Walter's granddaughter Nicole was a student at Elyria High, students could still be heard to say to one another, "Meet me at the Rock." My "sources" tell me that, although it has since been moved from its original location, the rock still remains close to Elyria High School.
A few years later, Walter Murbach once again made news. While still in his early 20's, he rescued a boy who had fallen through the ice into the Black River. As a reward for his valor, Walter Murbach became one of only five Ohioan that year to be awarded the Carnegie Medal for acts of unusual heroism, a medal created only a few years earlier by the famous philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.
So, with some careful listening and a little research, I was able to learn quite a bit about an "average" Elyria native whose sense of humor and whose bravery make his legacy far from average. But then again, are any of us really just average?
Walter was born into a fairly wealthy Lorain County family on November 14, 1883. His parents were Jakob and Louisa, and they owned a mill. Walter was a bit of a mischief-maker even while still in high school. A senior in the Elyria High School Class of 1902, Walter and about a dozen of his classmates went to the old grist mill on East Bridge Street. There they found a huge rock weighing almost one ton. That evening, Walter and his friends secured a wagon and four houses and, with great difficulty, loaded the rock into the wagon, took it to the high school, and placed it at the corner of Middle Avenue and Sixth Street. A man named Mr. Sands, who owned a barn across the street from the school, conspired with the boys by carving "02" into the rock to commemorate their graduation year of 1902. Even so many years later, when Walter's granddaughter Nicole was a student at Elyria High, students could still be heard to say to one another, "Meet me at the Rock." My "sources" tell me that, although it has since been moved from its original location, the rock still remains close to Elyria High School.
A few years later, Walter Murbach once again made news. While still in his early 20's, he rescued a boy who had fallen through the ice into the Black River. As a reward for his valor, Walter Murbach became one of only five Ohioan that year to be awarded the Carnegie Medal for acts of unusual heroism, a medal created only a few years earlier by the famous philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.
So, with some careful listening and a little research, I was able to learn quite a bit about an "average" Elyria native whose sense of humor and whose bravery make his legacy far from average. But then again, are any of us really just average?
OH, LORDY! IS IT REALLY HAPPENING AGAIN???????
BOOK REVIEW:
A SECRET GIFT
by
TED GUP
I first heard of Ted Gup and his non-fiction work A Secret Gift through an article which recently appeared in one of Case Western Reserve University’s alumni magazines. That article instantly caught my interest as I learned of the many common threads running through the author’s life and my own. Mr. Gup was teaching at Case Western during the time when I was a graduate student there (although our paths never crossed during that time). His education and interests seemed to mirror mine, in that he was educated in the areas of History and Journalism, and seemed quite conversant in genealogical research, as well. Further, some of the people named in his book had names identical to ancestors that I had discovered in researching my late husband’s family tree. Lastly, Ted Gup and I were both born and raised in Northern Ohio, and were only three years apart in age. With all the above in common, I think it goes without saying that his new book, A Secret Gift, was a “must-read” for me. But little did I know before actually reading the book that, although it mainly concerns events that took place during the Christmas season of 1933 in Canton, Ohio, it would be so unbelievably relevant to the financial woes devastating present-day Northern Ohio—and the entire U.S.
This book’s beginnings date back to June, 2008, when the author’s aunt gave him an old suitcase which had belonged to his grandfather, Sam Stone, a long-deceased clothing store owner from Canton, Ohio. What the author found in the suitcase totally amazed him. It contained an ad which had run in the Canton newspaper in late December, 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. The ad told Canton readers that, if they would write a letter to the ad’s poster, telling him of their current financial situations, said poster would send to the most needy letter-writers a small gift to bring some cheer to their Christmas of 1933. Wanting to remain anonymous, and thus not embarrass those who might know him, he created the alias of “Mr. B. Virdot” as the signature in his newspaper ad.
Sam Stone, a man who had, himself, experienced extreme poverty in his youth, while not wealthy even in 1933, felt that he could afford to allot the sum of $750 to help the needy of Canton. Originally, he had intended to send $10 to seventy-five needy families. After being inundated with a deluge of letter from poor families all over town, he decided that he could better help his fellow Cantonians by sending half the amount (five dollars) to twice the number of families (one-hundred-fifty). And that is exactly what he did. Also contained in the old suitcase were the letters he had received in response to the ad. The letters were from those who had already been poor before the Great Depression struck in 1929, as well as from some of Canton’s former wealthy and well-known citizens (many of them business owners) who, due to the Depression, were now in the same dire financial straits as many of their former employees. The suitcase also revealed the 150 cancelled checks, for five dollars each, from those who had received the gift from “Mr. B. Verdot.”
At first, author Ted Gup was at a lost as to the meaning of the ad, the letter, the cancelled checks and as to the true identity of Mr. B. Virdot. But he soon became aware, with the help of his aunt and other family members, that Mr. Virdot was none other than his own grandfather, Sam Stone. His imagination and interest were so captured by this revelation that he began work on his book A Secret Gift. During the writing of the book, he managed to trace and find the living descendants of all 150 families! This project took him countless hours and required him to do painstaking genealogical research on each family. After identifying the living descendants, he spoke with someone from each of the families, asking them if they had ever heard about the gift from B. Virdot, and if it had made any difference to their families so long ago on Christmas, 1933. Almost unbelievably, most of the descendants knew of the gift, told him that it had added some essential or other to their Christmas—be it food, clothing, heat, or a toy or two for the families’ young children.
During the writing of this book, the author also discovered a number of secrets concerning his own grandfather—things which he had never even suspected in all the years that he had known him. Sam Stone died in an auto accident in 1981 at the approximate age of 93. Most people would not learn of his secret identity, or of his gift-giving until about 78 years after the fact with the 2011 publication of A Secret Gift by his grandson, Ted Gup. I very much admire the honesty with which the author portrays his own family in this book. Such honesty often takes a great deal of courage.
Mr. Gup is an award-winning journalist who has worked closely with some of America’s most famous and influential writers and public figures. Although this is the first of Gup’s books that I have read, I cannot fail to be amazed at his attention to detail, and at the unfathomable number of hours needed to complete this book less than three years after his first discovery of the mysterious suitcase and its startling contents. Having faced some daunting publication deadlines myself, I can appreciate Ted Gup’s achievement from my dual viewpoint as both a reader and a writer.
Throughout the book, the author continues to remind us that we are once again in a situation similar to the terrible financial disaster of the 1930’s known to all who lived through it, as well as to their descendants, as the Great Depression. The similarities that he points out in his book of the conditions of the 1930’s and the conditions of the present, while frightening, are also instructive. A Secret Gift is very well-written and extremely readable for all who are concerned about our present economy, and about its forerunner—the Great Depression. The writing style is almost like that of a well-crafted, engrossing novel that the reader cannot put down. It is, in a word, excellent, and I recommend it very highly.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
NATALIE JOHNSON: WHO IS SHE? AND WHERE IS SHE NOW?
A Rising Star in our Midst
Natalie Johnson is probably unknown to most of the readers but, in reality she is a person worthy of admiration by all of Northern Ohio. Natalie is only 24 years old, but the accomplishments of her young life are already quite amazing.
Natalie was raised for most of her childhood in a single-parent household. She is not the product of a wealthy home but, nonetheless, has accomplished more than many more-privledged young men and women. She is a graduate of Admiral King High School, where she maintained an excellent grade-point average. Her high grades were rewarded when she was the recipient of a scholarship from the Bausch & Lomb Corporation (the contact lens producers headquartered in Rochester, New York). Her scholarship made it possible for her to attend the University of Rochester, the school from which she received her Bachelors Degree in 2008.
After graduation, in an effort to "give back" to her world, Natalie traveled to South Korea, where she taught English as a Second Language. In an effort to do even more, she also went to Haiti, where she assisted in the Relief Effort.
More recently, she again showed her "true colors" by applying for the Peace Corps. She was accepted into that wonderful institution which had its beginnings way back in the days of JFK's presidency, when Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." In early June of this year, Natalie was given her assignment, and headed for Shaamar, Selenge, Mongolia, where she has contracted to serve as an English Teacher for the next two years.
When our young people look for role models in these difficult times, they need look no further than to a young woman from Admiral King who, at 24, has only just begun to show Ohio--and the world--what just one person can accomplish for herself, and for her fellowman.
Natalie Johnson is probably unknown to most of the readers but, in reality she is a person worthy of admiration by all of Northern Ohio. Natalie is only 24 years old, but the accomplishments of her young life are already quite amazing.
Natalie was raised for most of her childhood in a single-parent household. She is not the product of a wealthy home but, nonetheless, has accomplished more than many more-privledged young men and women. She is a graduate of Admiral King High School, where she maintained an excellent grade-point average. Her high grades were rewarded when she was the recipient of a scholarship from the Bausch & Lomb Corporation (the contact lens producers headquartered in Rochester, New York). Her scholarship made it possible for her to attend the University of Rochester, the school from which she received her Bachelors Degree in 2008.
After graduation, in an effort to "give back" to her world, Natalie traveled to South Korea, where she taught English as a Second Language. In an effort to do even more, she also went to Haiti, where she assisted in the Relief Effort.
More recently, she again showed her "true colors" by applying for the Peace Corps. She was accepted into that wonderful institution which had its beginnings way back in the days of JFK's presidency, when Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." In early June of this year, Natalie was given her assignment, and headed for Shaamar, Selenge, Mongolia, where she has contracted to serve as an English Teacher for the next two years.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
BOOK REVIEW: OCCULT THRILLER BY A LOCAL AUTHOR
Devil's Eye by Al Ruksenas
It would be tempting to say that Cleveland author Al Ruksenas has created, in the novel, Devil's Eye, a combination of The Pelican Brief and some of Stephen King's most fear-inducing works. In reality, however, he has created a brand-new entity which defies any known "genre" classification.
Devil's Eye is, more accurately, a mainstream novel which takes the reader on a terrifying trip through the inner circles of Washington politics, while simultaneously providing an overlay of the power of the occult underworld. When these two spheres cross, "all hell breaks loose" (not just figuratively, but literally, as well). Devil's Eye is the story of Colonel Chris Caine, a military man whose exploits, and whose clearance, exceed even the level of most CIA operatives. He is a member of the ultra-elite and ultra-secretive U.S. government organization known as The Omega Group. Caine, along with his long-time comrade-in-arms, Colonel Garrison Jones, are initially enlisted by their superior to investigate the disappearance of Jeannie McConnell, the "party girl" daughter of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. As a part of that investigation, Caine attends a cocktail party at the Smithsonian. While at the party, he meets Dr. Laura Mitchell, a professor of French History, whose Lithuanian family roots extend back to the time when Lithuania was a part of the former Soviet Union--a fact which later plays a key part in this complex thriller. Caine and Mitchell experience an immediate and mutual romantic attraction to each other, a relationship which leads both of them to the discovery of major secrets in the U.S. government, in the Middle East, and in our world as a whole.
As the story unfolds, the events surrounding the disappearance and current whereabouts of the young Washington socialite begin to take a "back seat" as the plot stretches far beyond that issue. The reader is drawn into the world of international espionage, terrorism and--in a most unexpected, but fascinating twist--the world of witchcraft and the occult.
Devil's Eye is the proverbial "page-turner," an "unputdownable" read from beginning to end. Although this book is Ruksenas' first novel, it is certainly not the author's first foray into the publishing arena. In his youth, he was a reporter for United Press International, before going on to publish two non-fiction works, the award-winning Day of Shame (which became a TV movie) and Is That You Laughing, Comrade? a book of Russian jokes sometimes used by Ronald Reagan in his dealings with the Soviets.
Perhaps the most interesting fact of all is that the author is one of our own--a Northern Ohioan! His first novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys fast-paced and intriguing tales of espionage, the White House, and the power of evil in our modern world.
It would be tempting to say that Cleveland author Al Ruksenas has created, in the novel, Devil's Eye, a combination of The Pelican Brief and some of Stephen King's most fear-inducing works. In reality, however, he has created a brand-new entity which defies any known "genre" classification.
Devil's Eye is, more accurately, a mainstream novel which takes the reader on a terrifying trip through the inner circles of Washington politics, while simultaneously providing an overlay of the power of the occult underworld. When these two spheres cross, "all hell breaks loose" (not just figuratively, but literally, as well). Devil's Eye is the story of Colonel Chris Caine, a military man whose exploits, and whose clearance, exceed even the level of most CIA operatives. He is a member of the ultra-elite and ultra-secretive U.S. government organization known as The Omega Group. Caine, along with his long-time comrade-in-arms, Colonel Garrison Jones, are initially enlisted by their superior to investigate the disappearance of Jeannie McConnell, the "party girl" daughter of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. As a part of that investigation, Caine attends a cocktail party at the Smithsonian. While at the party, he meets Dr. Laura Mitchell, a professor of French History, whose Lithuanian family roots extend back to the time when Lithuania was a part of the former Soviet Union--a fact which later plays a key part in this complex thriller. Caine and Mitchell experience an immediate and mutual romantic attraction to each other, a relationship which leads both of them to the discovery of major secrets in the U.S. government, in the Middle East, and in our world as a whole.
As the story unfolds, the events surrounding the disappearance and current whereabouts of the young Washington socialite begin to take a "back seat" as the plot stretches far beyond that issue. The reader is drawn into the world of international espionage, terrorism and--in a most unexpected, but fascinating twist--the world of witchcraft and the occult.
Devil's Eye is the proverbial "page-turner," an "unputdownable" read from beginning to end. Although this book is Ruksenas' first novel, it is certainly not the author's first foray into the publishing arena. In his youth, he was a reporter for United Press International, before going on to publish two non-fiction works, the award-winning Day of Shame (which became a TV movie) and Is That You Laughing, Comrade? a book of Russian jokes sometimes used by Ronald Reagan in his dealings with the Soviets.
Perhaps the most interesting fact of all is that the author is one of our own--a Northern Ohioan! His first novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys fast-paced and intriguing tales of espionage, the White House, and the power of evil in our modern world.
LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF
Hi! My name is Peggy. I live in Lorain County now, and formerly lived in Cuyahoga County, where I was born and raised. That makes me an Ohioan through and through. I am new to the blog format, but hope to get better at it as time goes on. I am interested in and and able to discuss several topics, mainly Ohio law, creative writing, genealogy, local history, quality books and movies, and lots of other topics which currently impact the area's residents. I enjoy trivia, music, and discussing ways to get by in our present economy. I will offer such things as discussions of legal issues, book reviews, historical tid-bits, and more. These topics are my passions so, let's talk!
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