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Midwest Book Review is pleased to announce that the April 2012 issue of our online book review magazine "MBR Bookwatch" features a review of "Transmutare: A Novel".

MBR Bookwatch: April 2012, Helen's Bookshelf

Transmutare: A Novel

Highly Recommended.

A Novel is a story of violence, suffering, and the search for faith. Shelli Segal has been a well-behaved girl all her life; but when she visits New Orleans, everything changes. Drawn into a brutal world of alcohol abuse, twisted and violent sexuality, Shelli is on the verge of drowning. Her friends Beka, an agnostic Jew, and Katie, a Roman Catholic, need to cooperate and support one another to figure out how to not only survive, but also find a stable path forward, as well as how to understand a God that allows such horrific suffering to exist in the world. Written in first person perspective, Transmutare is raw, severe, and ultimately a quest for meaning in the mystery that is life, as well as a gritty struggle for physical and spiritual survival.

Helen Dumont
Reviewer

While I appreciate this review let me say that there is a single act of violence in this novel. Transmutare is a story about  unconditional love and true friendships.

Available in paperback and Ebook editions.



http://www.amazon.com/Transmutare-ebook/dp/B007ECTZ7Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334962626&sr=1-1

53 Years Ago Today I Met Dick Clark

“Rest in Peace” doesn’t sound like enough to say to a man who helped raise me. Every weekday back in the mid-50s I rushed home from school to tune the old black and white TV to American Bandstand.  Dick Clark was young and handsome then and he seemed to stay that way until his stroke in 2004. For many years he was known as America’s Oldest Teenager. He was hotter than Ryan Seacrest, Nick Cannon, and Cat Deeley put together.

Some little part of me seemed to break away today when I read the news of Dick’s death. I know he will be remembered by throngs of people—not only for Bandstand, but for New York’s Rockin’ Eve which first aired in 1972. I was 28 and still single then and I can’t tell you how many New Year’s Eve’s I spent alone with Dick dreaming of my future life as that crystal ball made it’s decent.

It seems eerie that when I went to my old trunk I found not only the program I had been searching for but the ticket stub as well. The Dick Clark Show played Miami Beach on April 18, 1959, 53 years ago today.

Dick Clark has been a positive influence for most of my life. He brought me joy and laughter and people to care about: Elvis, Connie, Niel, and Fabian as well as the regular dancers: Pat and Bob, Babs, Franny, and Peggy.

Dick’s story is a fascinating book. He touched so very many lives. I only hope that the legacy of my writing and yours will make a difference in this world. I was a lonely little teenager until Dick Clark reached out to me and gave me reason to sing and dance!

Thomas Kinkade Dead at 54

I had to read that headline several times before it sunk in. Though my home is not one of the ten million said to contain one of Kinkade’s paintings, I have to admit that I was always drawn to the light he created on canvas. My husband is an artist also and sees the same 47 different shades of green in a tree that Kinkade saw while I just see green. Both have a gift, a passion, and a desire to share what they see more vividly that those of us who are here only to appreciate and applaud.  

Kinkade’s paintings touch people at the core. His paintings are peaceful, reflective; they resonate in the personal lives of his fans. I was astounded that his most expensive paintings sold for a mere $10,000., yet netted over one million dollars a year. That’s some fantastic marketing. I wonder if people bought his paintings because the light and the peaceful scenes took them to a place that was missing in their lives—a quiet, secluded spot where they could be alone to relax, breathe, and find hope.  

On Kinkade’s website he admitted to having something in common with Norman Rockwell and Walt Disney, in that, “I really like to make people happy.” He’s right up there with the fictions John Beresford Tipton of my childhood. Rockwell, Disney, and Kinkade inspire me to do the same—make people happy.

Rest in Peace, Thomas Kinkade. You are in an even more colorful and light-filled place now.

www.sheliaboltrudesill.com/

Oprah, Tipton, and Me

In the late 50s I aspired to follow in the footsteps of John Beresford Tipton, Jr. If the name rings a bell you are most likely retired or about to be. If you’re much younger or need a reminder, Tipton was a fabulously wealthy man who gave away one million dollars, every week, to a total stranger on the popular TV series, “The Millionaire.” The recipient was always in financial need and was both surprised and grateful when the cashier’s check arrived. In my very early years I vowed to be a just like him.    

      As a nurse, I never made it to Billionaire Land. But someone else showed me another way. A modern-day Tipton—a woman who rose from rural Mississippi poverty to become the only Black billionaire. Yes, I’m talking about Oprah Winfrey. Oprah, like Tipton, is a philanthropist—someone who wants to make the world a better place through charitable deeds.  

  I often wonder if Oprah started out with the dream of becoming a humanitarian once she achieved fame—or if she was already those things when she had nothing. I surmise that she evolved from a caring child who wanted more from life—for herself and for others. Some would say that she’s been blessed. I don’t know about that. I always wanted to be a mother yet I’m childless. Does that mean I wasn't blessed? Or that you weren't?

    To say that Oprah was blessed kind of makes me cringe. I think deep down inside we all want to be a philanthropist. We want to make good, have a home, have a dog, and we want to share what we have with others.  

    Oprah has inspired the heck out of me for a long, long time. She made me proud of my meager education that gave me forty-five years of doing what I often loved to do so much that I felt guilty accepting a paycheck. And since I retired, Oprah gave me the inspiration to create stories about people burdened with unreasonable hardships—the same people with whom John Beresford Tipton, Jr. shared his wealth.

    I didn’t go to school to learn to be a writer. I don’t have any of the coveted writer’s credentials, but I’ve been blessed by some beautiful people who have dealt with some pretty rough times. These people echo through my stories.

    I call my writing engaging. To me it’s the same thing as doling out million dollar bills. My writing is just as strong a calling as nursing. Hopefully my stories will, as Oprah reiterates…make a difference.”

Author of TRANSMUTARE, BAGGAGE, AUSPICIOUS DREAMS, and CHILD OF MY HEART

Getting ready to LAUNCH!

Hello friends,

In just a few short weeks "Shelia's Musings" will be launched along with my new web page, sheliaboltrudesill.com or perhaps sheliaboltrudesill.html, along with my latest novel, TRANSMUTARE. It's all a roller coaster now and the front car is about to round the curve and chug up to the highest peak. Thanks for joining me in the ride!

Hugs,
Shelia