Review of Dystopian Romance book Cold Light (After Series) by Traci L. Slatton
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Review of Dystopian Romance book Cold Light (After Series) by Traci L. Slatton

Review of Dystopian Romance book Cold Light (After Series) by Traci Slatton

Paromantasy blog is lively and exciting. Check out their new review of COLD LIGHT–the first blog review of this novel!

This book in one sentence: A haunting, heartwrenching, action-packed emotional roller coaster of a read that will leave an impression on you long after your finish the book.
To say that I love this book or this series would be an understatement. Traci Slatton has done an immpecable job with what I thought would be an impossible hurrdle for her two main characters to overcome after the ending of Fallen. Not only did she do the impossible, but she made me love the characters and the new additions to the book even more.
Emma has seen, faced and survived the impossible. She has seen the world destroyed by mists that ravage everything in its path. She survived while caring for her child and several abandoned children. She offered her body to a man, Arthur, in exchange for his protection and shelter in his camp and  found unexpected love in a world filled with grief. She found out that her husband and other daughter survived in a safe-zone in Canada. She also discovered that Arthur is the cause for the mists and that her husband risked his life to come for her. She leaves with her husband to Canada, but her heart remains with Arthur…

Nights And Weekends – Fallen Review
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Nights And Weekends – Fallen Review

Nights And Weekends – Fallen Review

Knee-gripping suspense and a host of great characters bring the post-apocalyptic world to horrifying life in Fallen. “

Book review written by author Margaret Marr.

In this apocalyptic tale, the world has been divided into Before and After. A killing mist spreads across Earth, taking out metal structures and buildings. Then it moves on to dissolve humans from the inside out. If caught in the mist—and the awesome power it has morphed into—the outcome is certain: a horrifically painful death follows, and no one can save the one who suffers.

Emma gathers orphaned children and does her best to protect them as she travels through a countryside that’s been laid to waste by a fog that liquidates everything it touches. But that’s not the only thing that threatens them. Bands of marauding men sweep through, stealing, raping, and killing whatever crosses their path. She knows that she’ll eventually have to find protection in order to survive—and that protection comes in the form of a man named Arthur, the leader of a small camp.

Arthur doesn’t usually allow women and children in the camp, but he’s willing to make an exception for this woman. The healing powers in her hands are a valuable asset, and he’ll need her to help rebuild civilization according to his vision—but first they have to conquer the mist.

Fallen is another captivating story about the end of civilization as we know it. People seem to be fascinated by such tales. Why is that, I wonder? Could it be that if we imagine the worst possible way for it all to end, it won’t seem quite as horrific once it does happen?…

Knee-gripping suspense and a host of great characters bring the post-apocalyptic world to horrifying life in Fallen. You’ll never know what’s going to happen from one moment to the next, which will keep you on edge—and it doesn’t end with this novel. The story will continue, and I eagerly anticipate the next installment.

FALLEN COVER

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Quoted: The Epoch Times on Sabin Howard Sculpture
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Quoted: The Epoch Times on Sabin Howard Sculpture

Sabin Howard Sculpture

The Epoch Times, a vibrant and thoughtful international news outlet in both print and internet format, reviewed our sculpture opening at the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art on March 2, 2012.

Parts of my talk that night were quoted, including my line about post-modernism: “I’m here to tell you, the emperor has no clothes.”

Check out this well-written article here.

NEW YORK—A new vigor for classical arts, like another Renaissance, is in the air at the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, in Manhattan, where the lifelike sculptures of Sabin Howard are now on exhibit through March 22.

“Real art uplifts you, it transforms you,” said award-winning novelist Traci L. Slatton, who is also Howard’s wife.

Under the various banners of classicism, realism, and art that is simply “uplifting,” Slatton and other accomplished professionals from the art and literary world gathered on March 2 to celebrate Howard’s works—many of which depict gods in the Greek and Roman tradition and took Howard years to create.

“Looking is the point, beauty is the point, mastery is the point,” said Slatton in an opening speech that condemned the highly conceptual direction of abstract and contemporary art today. “Sabin Howard’s pieces lack irony; this is a deliberate choice.”

The event was not simply an exhibit but a call for a revival of traditional techniques and uplifting subject matter.

Stefano Acunto, chairman of the Italian Academy Foundation, which hosted the exhibit, implored, “Let us work to build upon the work of the greatest achievers, to improve upon it, and to develop it organically—much as Sabin Howard is doing.”

My New HuffPo article: review of SKIN RULES by Debra Jaliman M.D.
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My New HuffPo article: review of SKIN RULES by Debra Jaliman M.D.

Check out my new review of the essential skin care book SKIN RULES Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist by Debra Jaliman M.D. Here’s the link.

This book is beautifully, concisely written and full of practical advice. Get the book–you’ll be glad you did!

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Review of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist by Debra Jaliman M.D.

When I was in my early twenties, my beloved Aunt Judy advised me, “A good skin and a good figure, that’s what a woman needs.”

We were conversing in the kitchen, preparing dinner together, so this bit of feminine wisdom was just a casual mention. But she was in her fifties and still boasted both qualities, so I took her words to heart. They sparked a lifelong commitment to taking excellent care of my complexion and my body. That same week, I undertook a meticulous habit of using sunblock every day.

A few years later, my first pregnancy wrecked my carefully tended complexion. I was enthralled by the wondrous, delicious creature who was my new daughter. I was equally determined to repair the damage done by pregnancy hormones. I had read that a pregnant woman produces more estrogen during the nine months she’s pregnant than a non-pregnant woman does in decades. My face, stippled with pimples and depressions, showed it.

A girlfriend with lovely skin recommended Dr. Debra Jaliman, and I took myself to her office on one of those precious days I had a babysitter. I waited anxiously in the exam room, wondering if the doctor would be able to help me. The door opened and in walked a gorgeous woman wearing a white lab coat over a leather mini-skirt — and a very pregnant belly. I could only applaud her feminine confidence. I knew immediately I’d come to the right place.

My first baby is now a graduating senior from college, and I’ve been Dr. Jaliman’s patient all these years. I have remained in her care for the same reason that I use the multiplication table: because it works.

It was with pleasure, as a happy dermatology patient with a complexion I like, that I requested a review copy of Dr. Jaliman’s book Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist (St. Martin’s Press, March, 2012).

First, let me attest: almost the first order of business in Dr. Jaliman’s office is to ensure proper face-washing technique. After two decades, when I come in for an appointment, she still asks how I am washing my face, and what I am using for cleanser. So, as a long-time patient, let me assure the general reader that Skin Rules meticulously documents Dr. Jaliman’s actual advice. She practices what she preaches in this slim, smart volume.

The book itself is a pleasure to read. It’s concisely and elegantly written. There’s not a wasted word in this book, nor an infelicitous one. Every one of the 77 rules is spare, practical, and instantly understandable. The rules come with product recommendations at all price points; Dr. Jaliman does not expect that her readers are all millionaires with an endless supply of money for dermatological goodies, whether they be procedures or creams.

The tone of this book is as empathetic as it is pragmatic. Rule 42 gently advises, “Don’t Despair If You’re Over Thirty and Breaking Out — Nobody Needs to Know.” Rule 39 reminds us, “Acne Doesn’t Just Ruin Skin; It Can Ruin Self-Esteem, Too — Just Ask Any Teenager.” It’s important to remember how vulnerable people feel when they don’t look their best, how adolescents in particular suffer from that vulnerability, and how much self-esteem can be improved by simply clearing up acne. Some people would like to dismiss dermatology as purely cosmetic, but there’s a deeper level here. Our appearance is inextricably entwined with our feelings of self worth.

Sometimes a medical condition results in skin problems, and Dr. Jaliman notes that in several places. In rule 33, “Legs and Feet Need Extra Care,” she mentions having diagnosed hypothyroidism in patients by observing dry, cracked heels and referring the patients to an endocrinologist. The skin isn’t its own separate, isolated system. It’s integrated into the body as a whole, and often reflects underlying disease.

I’ve set this review within the context of my own feminine beauty regimen, but it’s a book for men, also. There’s advice on shaving, hair loss and tattoo removal.

With a title encompassing the word “secrets,” a reader hopes for the scoop on what’s hot and really works. The book doesn’t disappoint. Rule 61 “Freeze Fat, Don’t Suction It” discusses the latest cryolipolysis techniques, and the machines that really do freeze off the fat.

At the back of the book is a resource section that lists products, injectables and lasers. It’s probably worth it to buy the book just to have this well-researched list of products and procedures that actually work.

This is a gem of a book that I’ll keep handy on my book shelf — unless my second daughter, now seventeen and seeking out her own beauty tips, spirits it away so that I never see it again.

FALLEN: Top Pick for NIGHT OWL REVIEWS
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FALLEN: Top Pick for NIGHT OWL REVIEWS

FALLEN: Top Pick

HCHarju at Night Owl reviews gave FALLEN an outstanding review, saying “This book had all of the key elements to keep me turning the pages in anticipation. It has adventure, horror, suspense, joy, love, passion and questions that build upon each other until the end. I was sucked into the world and found myself rooting for the heroin. So many of the characters were like friends, that I felt bereft when the story ended. The end was surprising and left me wanting more. 

Read the entire review here.