Friday Fun Facts: Random Pages from Entwined

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." ~Anais Nin

So NaNoWriMo is nigh upon us...for those of you writers out there, that means that November is the month in which if you're crazy enough, you sign up to write a 50,000-word novel by the end of the thirty days. Yes, many people do it every year. No, I have not ever been one of them, though last year I chose December as my own month to attempt to do the same. That produced the first 30,000 words of Entwined...and now here I am a year later, trying to finish it. Yikes!! Where does the time go?

Anyway, for kicks, and also to motivate myself to finally finish this story, I thought I'd have my husband choose 5 random page numbers and then post the first 2 sentences on each one. I thought, I don't know, that maybe it would kick start me into remembering why I like this story and where I still have to go with it. Here they are...

5 - Edward Meacham stands to the side, watching. He waits until the sea of black parts and only Alex Smithson and his wife Trinity stand beside Natasha.

86 - His smile changes a little, grows rueful. “If I tell you I don’t really believe in that sort of thing, will you still have dinner with me?”

157 - Of course she wants to know. But it has taken so much effort to heal her heart that she suspects reading Maggie’s journal will undo all the work of the last six months.

211 - “Listen, I’ve got it bad,” she confesses. Her smile is a half-moon singing to him.

234 - There are truths that reach beyond what we can see or read or believe in consciousness. There are truths that should stay hidden, truths that belong to no one except the people who create and hide them in the first place.

Ooh, now I'm excited again! OK, how about you? Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? Do tell, and your reasons why or why not!

Writers' Wednesday: A Blog Post from Yours Truly!

"If you don't allow yourself the possibility of writing something very, very bad, it would be hard to write something very good." ~Steven Galloway

Well, I'm blogging over at the Samhain Publishing Blog today....do stop by and visit me there, would you? Love to hear from you!

Monday Mentionables: Pics from the Boston Trip!

If you didn't check in with my blog last week, I traveled to Boston for a whirlwind 2 days. While there, I accepted a teaching award at Boston College and visited with 3 friends from high school/college. had a WONDERFUL time! So, here are some pics...

With (from left to right) the former student who nominated me for the award, the Dean of the BC School of Education, and the president of the BC Student Senate




With my husband, standing in front of the BC flowers (there were a few of these, all around campus). Boston College has a gorgeous campus, and the weather on the day we visited was 70 degrees~

With my former student, Kerry, in front of one of the many beautiful buildings on campus

A view in Boston Public Garden

In Boston Common, downtown

One of a few squirrels foraging in the now-empty flower beds in Boston Public Garden - they each had their own, by the way. No sharing. Hmm..wonder if it's a squirrel-etiquette thing

They do love posing for pictures

And this duck was hard at work catching something for lunch...

Friday Fun Facts

"Three things give the student the the possibility of surpassing her teacher: ask a lot of questions, remember the answers, teach." ~Jan Amos Comenius

I'm in Boston today! Pictures from yesterday's teacher awards ceremony to come next week :)

In the meantime, here's some info from the latest Romance Writers' Report:

The first annual National Bookstore Day, "devoted to celebrating bookselling and the vibrant culture of bookstores," is scheduled for November 7. Wonder if my local stores know this and are doing anything to celebrate? I'm thinking an open wine tasting, 50% discount on best-sellers, etc....

AND

Romance fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales in 2008 and was the biggest share of the consumer market, with 13.5%. 7311 new romance titles were published, and 74.8 million Americans read at least one romance novel in 2008. And the "most typical" romance reader is a woman between the ages of 31 and 49 who is currently in a romantic relationship.

Interesting, huh??

Writers' Wednesday: A Contest!!

My author friend J.K. Coi is hosting a marvelous book video contest: one entry per person, and she'll post all the submissions on her blog November 2 -6 for voting. What does the winner get? A great basket filled with books and other goodies AND a 50% off coupon for a trailer or a trailer review at Blazing Trailers.

So....if you're an author with a book video, you might want to give it a try. I haven't decided if I'm entering or not, but if I do, which one do you think I should enter? Here are the 4 I currently have:

"A gifted teacher is as rare as a gifted doctor, and makes far less money." ~Anonymous

Finished proofreading the galley for One Night in Napa this weekend - thankfully! Whew...but it's always nice, in reading something you've written, to love the story again. I do like this one and can't wait to see it in print!

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Diane Craver wrote me a lovely review of it, by the way. Here's just a snippet:

"I enjoyed the fast moving suspense in One Night in Napa...During the twenty-four hours, the climax explodes with passion and sexual desire between Kira and Grant...I have read all of Allie Boniface's novels and I highly recommend them. Her books, including her latest, are always exciting and satisfying page-turners filled with lots of emotion..."

Thanks, Diane!

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I'm excited: the end of this week, I'm off to Boston where I'm being given a teaching award by Boston College. Can't wait to see the student who nominated me - she's a senior there and looking forward to "showing off" her adopted hometown and school.

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Did you see that 3 people died during the Detroit Marathon yesterday?? Now that's scary...

Friday Fun Facts

Audrey Niffenegger, author of the runaway best-seller The Time Traveler's Wife, received close to $5 million as an advance for her second novel, Her Fearful Symmetry. According to Writer's Digest, it's "a ghost story set in and around London's famed Highgate Cemetery...mirror-image twins inherit their aunt's flat and begin to question their identities, the bonds of sisterhood, and whether their aunt is really gone after all." But $5 million dollars. Wow.

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The holidays will be here before we know it -- I should know by the fact that we had snow yesterday - on October 15th!! Yikes...I'm not ready!

But anyway, as those days of hot cocoa and carols fast approach, what are you going to buy the writers and readers in your life? Books? Bookstore gift cards? A cozy throw and slippers for curling up while reading that shiny new book? I think I'm adding an ebook reader to my list this year. Since my books all release in ebook prior to print, I'm thinking I should support the industry and actually own one. Plus I sort of like the idea of carrying around a bunch of books on an electronic device that can fit in my purse~

Writers' Wednesday: Tackling the Galley

Before I became published, I didn't have the foggiest notion of all the steps that occurred between submitting a manuscript to a publisher and seeing the finished product on the shelves of a bookstore. Now, 3 books in and 2 more to come in 2010, I have a better idea. And I'll be honest: it's a long, lengthy process. Right now, I'm tackling the galley of One Night in Napa, which will release May 1, 2010.

What is a galley? It's the final author look at his/her manuscript before it's released in print, permanently. This means that the publisher sends you the complete document for you to read through, page by page, to catch any last-minute errors or wording changes before it's immortalized on the page. Ugh. Utter tedium, as far as I'm concerned.

OK, it's nice to have that last look at your words before they release in print. But for me, it requires so much close attention that I can only read through a few chapters at a time. I feel wholly responsible for each word, each letter, and I tend to lose concentration after 30 or 40 minutes or so.

So the reading of my galley is consuming my life this week. I try to tackle it little bits at a time, though October 19 is my deadline, so I don't have too much time to play with.

The nice part about the galley? It allows me to fall in love with my story again, to remember why I love these characters their story so much. So as much as I complain about the close reading, I do like being reminded of why I wrote it in the first place. And I hope you'll feel that way as well!

Less than 7 months until One Night in Napa releases in print...I can hardly wait! Can you??

Friday Fun Facts

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not." ~Oprah Winfrey

Attention all authors: the Backspace Writers Conference will be held on November 5 and 6 in NYC. This conference prides itself on creating an informal atmosphere in which authors and agents can mingle at several different times and in different ways, as opposed to the formal "agent pitch session" you'll find at most conferences. It's a little pricey, IMO ($500 for both days, $250 for one) but it might be worth a look if you're in the market for an agent.


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A great writer's ezine, WOW-Women on Writing, just released their latest issue. Lots of writing info and opportunites. Check it out here.

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A writing friend of mine emailed the other day to ask me how much I spend on marketing per book. I was embarrassed to admit that I don't know, exactly. I mean, I was able to sit down and figure out a rough estimate, between online and print advertising, ordering bookmarks/other swag, and buying my own author copies. But I know some other authors keep detailed accounts of every dime they spend on marketing and promotions. Are you one of those? Do you use Quicken or some other program to keep track of all your author expenses?

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Have a great weekend!

Writers' (or Maybe Readers'?) Wednesday

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves." ~Anna Quindlen

Busy, busy, busy! I always forget once school begins how full and complicated my days become. Thus, no official blog post today, but I do have a question for you: one of my friends is starting up a book club, and we're trying to decide of which books to read for our first few meetings. Any suggestions?

Monday Mentionables

Received another 5-Book review from The Long and the Short of It last week, for One Night in Memphis!

"Allie Boniface has given us another terrific read...I got so lost in this story with the characters and the plot and the scenery...Ms. Boniface took a storyline and made it into a work of art. She's definitely an author you must read. And this is a book - and a series - you'll want to read over and over again."

The cool thing is, I think this reviewer went looking for my other books after she read and enjoyed One Night in Napa. I only hope new readers will do the same!

*****

Went and saw the movie "Bright Star" with some girlfriends last night. It's an independent film, a love story based on John Keats and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, who became his muse. Though a little slow, it had some beautiful moments and lines. I didn't realize he died at just 25 years old. How much more poetry could he have written if he'd lived even another 10 or 20??

Finally, A Cover!

What do you think of the cover for Summer's Song??

This one took the most back-and-forth with my editor and cover artist ~ we had a hard time getting the right visual we were all satisfied with. I'm really happy with this one; it has the mountains in the background and Damian's guitar in the foreground, which are both important to the story. And I think the interaction of the hero/heroine is just sensual enough... ;)

Mostly, though, I have to say that I'm so happy this story finally has a home. It's the one I worked on the longest and revised the most, so to see the title finally on an official cover is just like heaven :)

P.S. It releases in ebook November 17th...

It's Banned Books Week!

It's Banned Books Week! Now, when I mentioned that to my high school English students yesterday, they all (all) stared at me with blank looks on their faces. I didn't know whether to be annoyed that they were so clueless, or happy that they hadn't personally experienced the concept of banned books before.

Regardless, I took the time to explain what it is -- a week established by the American Library Association to raise awareness about the importance of the First Amendment and the freedom to choose which books we want to read in this country. Of course, some of the "classics" now taught in many high schools across the country were banned or at least challenged at one point, including To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and Huck Finn. And many current favorites have also come under fire, including the Harry Potter series and Judy Blume's coming-of-age teen novel, Forever.

I also showed the students my all-time favorite YouTube video: John Green talking about why his book Looking for Alaska shouldn't be banned in a New York eleventh grade English class. It's worth another look, here:





What do you think? Is there ever a case where a book should be banned from a school or public library?

Monday Mentionables

Finally got my first review for One Night in Napa, which released in ebook back in July. I don't mind waiting for this one, though, 'cause it's a good one! 5 Books from The Long and the Short of It:

Hot, hot and wow hot! One Night in Napa is packed with sensuality, emotion, and passion. A talented author, Ms. Boniface has given us a story that offers a little bit of everything and with her aptitude the story flows from one scene to the next. One Night in Napa is a classic story of two lovers defeating all the odds. And, boy! When the lights go out the fire between the two heats up.

This is the first story that I have read of Allie Boniface's and let me tell you -- I’m already searching her backlist and her future releases for more great reads. If her other stories are even close to as well-written and entertaining as this one, I'll be more than pleased.I can highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the odds of one night changing everything between two people. A mere twenty-four hours and your destiny is written.

In addition, One Night in Napa was in the running over the weekend for LASR's "Best Book of the Week" award, and as of late last night was running first in the polls. So thanks! to everyone who voted, and if you're an ebook reader who hasn't yet picked up One Night in Napa, maybe you'll want to give it a try...

Friday Fun Facts

"Drinking coffee for instant relaxation? That's like drinking alcohol for instant motor skills." ~Marc Price

I just liked this quote...

TGIF!!! Hope you're looking forward to your weekend as much as I am. If you're an author who writes romance with some spice, check out All Romance eBooks' "28 Days of Heart" submissions call. They'll be releasing a short story each day in February 2010 and are taking submissions now through October 31 from any author who has a book listed for sale on ARe (check with your publisher if you aren't sure).While all proceeds from the sales of theses stories will be donated to the American Heart Association, this is a great promo opportunity and a chance to get your name out there~

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And if you love spas, check out www.spaweek.com. Hundreds of spas across the country are offering great deals and discounts during the week of October 12-18. If you're a spa junkie - or if you've never tried one but always wanted to - this is a great way to check out what some of the elite ones offer at a fraction of the price!

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Finally, I saw the movie "Adam" last week and LOVED it. It's an independent film, the story of a 29-year old man with Asperger's Syndrome who's living in NYC and struggling to negotiate his first time falling in love, living without his father, finding a new job, etc. It was beautifully acted and filmed, and it absolutely captured the quirky characteristics of people with Asperger's (I have had a few students with Asperger's in the past). I think the movie might be on its way out of theaters, but if you have a chance, go see it. It was just wonderful!

A Vacation from Writers' Wednesday

"Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions." ~Anonymous

No authors to feature today...

Instead, here's a few tidbits of information, both from the writing world and my own personal little corner:

Literary agent Donald Maass puts up a bimonthly feature on his website called "What We're Looking for this Month." For September, interestingly enough, it's authors who have submitted work to the agency in the past and been turned down. Well, that's not *all* they're looking for, of course, and his discussion is a little tongue-in-cheek. But it's worth a read, here.

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My local writing group, Hudson Valley RWA, is currently accepting entries for our Hook, Line and Sinker contest. Test out the strength of your first three manuscript pages -- finalists get a read by Harlequin Senior Editor Brenda Chin! Find out more here.

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And in unrelated news, I had a pleasant surprise earlier this week in my other life -- the full-time teaching one that pays the bills -- a letter in my mailbox telling me I'm receiving a teaching award from Boston College. One of my former students is a senior in the School of Education there and apparently wrote a letter nominating me for the award. Pretty neat! I'll be going to a luncheon there in October as part of an Education Symposium.

Ah, the idealistic me thinks maybe she can change the world after all...

Monday Mentionables

"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home." ~David Frost

Hi there! Hope your week is off to a good start. Did anyone watch the Emmys last night? Let's talk about fall TV, since 'tis the season for new shows and new episodes of favorites. Which ones am I excited to see start up again?

Fringe - love the crazy sci fi concepts and love Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv (John Noble too as the crazy father/doctor).

Life - I think Damian Lewis as the lead character is just terrific, with his quirky personality and intense yet sexy persona. Can't wait to see where they take the love interest with his co-detective Reese, either!

Lost - yes, I'll stick with it for another season. I'm too far in now to quit!

Survivor - the only reality TV show hubby and I watch religiously.

So You Think You Can Dance - I watch this one on my own, but I do love the talent that emerges!

The Mentalist - hubby and I discovered this through reruns over the summer. Love - love - love Simon Baker as the weirdly intuitive police agent who also is easy on the eyes!

Flashforward - this is a new one, by the creators of Lost: the entire world loses consciousness for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, during which everyone flashes forward 6 months to see their fates. Sounds like an interesting concept, and it has good buzz right now.

What about you - what television shows are you looking forward to seeing this fall?

Friday Fun Facts

"Work every day. No matter what has happened the day or night before, get up and bite on the nail." ~Ernest Hemingway

First things first: I'll be at the Pine Bush Harvest Festival (a very cute craft/street fair) in one of our local towns tomorrow between 10 and 3. If you're local, stop by and say hello! (and maybe pick up a book or two...the holidays are coming, so think of gifts!)

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Good news: my editor and I are closer to liking the cover art for Summer's Song! The third version has much more heat between the hero and heroine than the earlier versions. And fewer clothes, too! :) Hope we have a cover soon I can share with you all.

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I'm 65K words into Entwined, and though I haven't written too much since school began, I really want to finish this revision by November 1st. There it is! An official date to aim for, set out in blogger-world, for virtual eyes to see. Now all you have to do is hold me to it!

Have a great weekend...

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Linda Weaver-Clarke

Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm featuring author Linda Weaver-Clarke. Linda travels throughout the United States, teaching and encouraging others to turn their family history and autobiography into a variety of interesting stories. She is the author of the historical fiction series, A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho which includes the following novels: Melinda and the Wild West - a semi-finalist for the Reviewers Choice Award 2007, Edith and the Mysterious Stranger, Jenny’s Dream, David and the Bear Lake Monster, and Elena, Woman of Courage.

Linda, what exactly do you teach in your Family Legacy Workshops?

I teach people how to take their family history or their own autobiography and turn it into interesting stories. It’s important to teach our children their heritage. Each of us has a story from our ancestors to tell. If these stories are unwritten, then they’ll be lost forever. Our children need to be proud of their ancestors. Leon Garfield said: “The historian, if honest, gives us a photograph; the storyteller gives us a painting.” What I’m teaching people to do is how to paint their stories, to be the storyteller. To read samples of my ancestor’s stories, you can visit my website at www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

What do you encourage people to research?

The area your ancestors settled and the time period. First, find out everything you can about the area to both educate your readers and to make the setting feel real. If possible, go to the area you want to write about, walk around, find out where your ancestors lived, went to school, and played. If you can’t go there in person, then do research and find pictures of that area.

Why do you put true family and ancestral experiences in your novels, and can you give us a few examples?

I love inserting real experiences into my novels. It brings a story to life. To me, the experiences of my family and ancestors have always intrigued me. In my family saga series, I have set my story in Bear Lake Valley in Idaho…the place that my ancestors settled in 1863.

In “Melinda and the Wild West,” I inserted an experience that happened to my dad. When he was young, his father asked him to bury the skunks that he shot because they were getting into the chicken coop. Before my dad buried them, he drained their scent glands into a bottle. He called it “skunk oil.” Then he took it to school to show his friends. While explaining how he had done it, he must have gotten a little too excited because he accidentally dropped the bottle and it splattered on the floor. The scent of concentrated skunk oil permeated the room with a stench that was indescribable. Everyone ran out of the school as fast as their little legs would go. And the teacher followed close behind. They let school out so it could be cleaned up. My father said that he was a hero for one day because he got school out for his classmates. This novel eventually won an award as one of the semi-finalists for the “Reviewers Choice Award 2007.”

What a great example! Do you put any of your own experiences into your books?

Yes. “Jenny’s Dream” was inspired by events that happened to me in my youth. I learned that forgiveness was essential for true happiness and well-being, and that is why I felt this story needed to be told. Jenny must learn to forgive and put her past behind her. Of course, I add a little love story, but it’s not the complete focus of this novel. When she realizes that her kindred friend means more to her than she thought, then she has to make a decision whether to follow her dream or matters of the heart. This story is about accomplishing one’s dreams and the miracle of forgiveness.

Can each of your books be read separately or do you have to read them in order since they’re a series?

Each story has its own plot and can be read separately, but the main characters grow up. In the first book, “Melinda and the Wild West,” this book is about how Gilbert and Melinda get together.

What is the synopsis of your new book, “David and the Bear Lake Monster”?

Deep-rooted legends, long family traditions, and a few mysterious events! David quickly becomes one with the town and its folk and wonders why they believe in this Bear Lake Monster. It just has to be a myth. While visiting the Roberts family, he finds himself entranced with one very special lady and ends up defending her honor several times. Sarah isn’t like the average woman. This beautiful and dainty lady has a disability that no one seems to notice. He finds out that Sarah has gone through more trials than the average person. She teaches him the importance of not dwelling on the past and how to love life. After a few teases, tricks, and mischievous deeds, David begins to overcome his troubles, but will it be too late? Will he lose the one woman he adores? And how about the Bear Lake Monster? Does it really exist?

What about this Bear Lake Monster? Does it really exist?

The mystery of the Bear Lake Monster has been an exciting part of Idaho history ever since the early pioneers arrived in 1863. The legend of the Bear Lake Monster made life a little more exciting for the pioneers. Some people claimed to have seen it and gave descriptions of it.

Throughout the years, no one has ever disproved the Bear Lake Monster. A bunch of scientists tried to discredit the monster and said it was a huge codfish that was shipped in from the East but could not prove this theory. Does the Bear Lake Monster exist? Whatever conclusion is drawn, the legend still lives on and brings a great deal of mystery and excitement to the community.

When is the last book in this series going to be released and what is it about?

“Elena, Woman of Courage” is the last in this series and should be released soon. It’s set in 1925. It was a blast to research. I found out about words that I didn’t even know such as: Cat’s pajamas! Ah, horsefeathers! Attaboy! Baloney! You slay me! When referring to a woman, they used doll, tomato, and bearcat. When a person was in love, they were goofy. If a person was a fool, they were a sap. And when a woman wasn’t in the mood for kissing or romance, she would say, “The bank’s closed.” I was able to use all these words and much more in my book. The language was great!

It’s about a “Happy-go-lucky Bachelor” that is completely fascinated with a woman doctor: Elena Yeates. Of course, women weren’t encouraged to go to college back then, let alone become a doctor, and this fascinates him to no end. With the 1920’s rise of women’s rights, this novel gives you great insight at the struggles women had to go through, all the while watching a young love blossom! You can read an excerpt from each of my books at http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/samplechapters.html.

Readers, thanks for being here today. To learn more about Linda, visit her blog at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com.

Monday Mentionables

OK readers, today's post is culled directly from the pages of the October 2009 Writer's Digest. And if you're a writer and you're not getting this magazine, you're missing out. It has great articles and advice for writers in all genres and at all steps of their writing journey. One of the best investments for very little $$, I assure you.

"The Passion for Prose," by the illustrious literary agent Donald Maass has some great advice for writers: make sure there is passion on the page, in every scene. He believes that passion in one's story is what separates the mediocre stories from the truly great ones. My favorite piece of advice here: "...nothing in a story is meaningful until its meaning is clear to a character...include not what a particular plot turn means in the grand scheme of things, but instead what it means to your POV character...illuminate not what has changed, but how [the character] has changed."

By the way, I haven't read his writing guide Writing the Breakout Novel, but I know many, many people recommend it highly. If you've read it, what's your take?

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Writer's Digest runs a contest each year to recognize writers' websites that are designed and maintained solely by the authors themselves. This year's top 3 were www.brianwask.com, www.freelance-foodie.com, and www.ezrapoundcake.com.

Know someone you'd like to nominate for the 2010 contest? Send an email to writersdigest@fwmedia.com with "Best Writer's Website" as the subject line. And yes, you can nominate yourself!

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Finally, a couple of writing prompts for any of you who might need a little creative nudge:

1. Pick a color, make that your title, and write a poem inspired by that color.

2. Seven people board a small boat for a tour of the islands, but when the boat returns to the dock, only six people remain on board...

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There are also great articles in this month's Writer's Digest about online writing communities, interviews with best-selling authors like Lee Child and Jennifer Crusie, and advice on getting the most out of writers' conferences. I defiintely recommend picking up a copy at your local bookstore if you're interested!