99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

LOCAL RAG – News to Die For

til Aug. 26 at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers? Jim Mitchell doesn't.

He's a journalist and the publisher and editor of a community newspaper, The Sentinel. He gave up a career with big media because he couldn't justify their choice of what to cover, couldn't tolerate the way they edited his stories and would not be implicit in misleading the public to benefit some hidden corporate agenda.

When he bought The Sentinel, he thought all that would end. Being owner of "the local rag," he could select the stories, edit the copy and make sure the interests of the community were served. He would print the truth - no slant, no bias, no spin, and he'd make a living doing it.

He was wrong.

From the beginning, Jim's brand of reportage rankles some powerful people, people who pay his bills. Then there's the new competitor, a multinational media conglomerate that's expanding its generic community newspaper format into The Sentinel's market area. Soon it's a struggle for The Sentinel to make a profit and for Jim to keep true to his uncompromising ethic.

When his best friend, Anthony Bravaro decides to run for mayor Jim hopes he'll be an honest politician. Hope turns to dismay as Jim watches the quest for power turn a good man bad. Tony's campaign tests Jim's professional objectivity and personal integrity. When Jim confronts his friend with damaging information that could end his run for public office he finds out how far Tony's prepared to go to win the mayor's seat - farther than he could ever have imagined.

- 5 STARS for having given his readers a story which pits an individual trying to do what's right when it comes to reporting the news against those who would rather keep the status quo in keeping what happens somewhere stays there.
 
... a dose of reality not seen on most major media. His story highlights the control over the minds of the public by special money factions. Readers have only to see similarities with today.
 
... engrossing and exciting story that moves quickly. The narrative comes alive because the characters are three dimensional. This is a novel well worth reading. Highly recommended.
 
Raglin ... grips the readers' attention from the very first page. He managed to put so many levels in this book - corruption, drugs, murder, threats, politics. Yet, there is also place for love and friendship ... he challenges his readers to get actively involved, to start asking questions and reconsidering their own life decisions.
 

...a well-designed, masterly written, and realistic murder mystery. (5 STARS)

Local Rag should appear to the careful reader much more than a well-designed, masterly written, and realistic murder mystery.

Local Rag is, in my opinion, a philosophical parable on the ultimate meaning of truth in our earthly lives. The last pages will clarify the individual relevance of the initial Aurelian quote in this story.
By the way, the closing image of the book is a powerful visual allegory about where humanity as a whole is heading fast, if not for a sharp change of route.
- Thomas Dalcolle, Author of Five Urban Stories - And Something Better

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When Cody Blaze meets his father, Russell, for lunch he has no way of knowing it will be the last time he sees him alive. A few days later, Russell is killed. It appears he fell asleep while returning from some out-of-town business and drove off the highway.

After the funeral, Cody is at the family home consoling his mother when he discovers a letter addressed to him in his father’s home office. The letter is written by Russell and discloses that if Cody is reading it, he didn’t die accidentally as it may appear. He’s been murdered.

In the letter, his father entreats Cody to read his unfinished memoir not with the intention of discovering “the motive for my death and the probable identity of my murderer”, but because “there’s so much about my life you never knew about, much of which leads up to this moment of my demise”.

As Cody begins to read the memoir, he discovers he never knew the details about his father’s early life, a life filled with violence and tragedy.

Russell Blaze grew up in the sixties and his memoir is steeped in the hippy counter-culture of the time as well as the eras’ turbulent politics. But it’s his own family members who are the most troubling including his younger brother, Leo, who when still a juvenile murdered their abusive stepfather.

Russell goes on to become a successful journalist, marry a black woman and have a child, while his brother, once out of prison becomes a proponent of white supremacy and lives a marginalized life of hate and violence.

Fate sets the two of them on dramatically different journeys only to converge with deadly consequences.

On the surface, Words Kill is a murder mystery and, in that regard, its plot is somewhat contrived. However, author David Miles Robinson has offered

us much more than a whodunnit. He’s written a book that showcases the big issues of that time in American including the War in Vietnam and others that still resonate today including the prevalence of post-traumatic stress syndrome among veterans, alcohol and drug addiction, and particularly racism. He also digs deep into a dysfunctional family dynamic and reveals how damaging events in early life can manifest into catastrophic results years later.

I particularly enjoyed this book because of Robinson’s realistic take on interracial relationships as well as his authentic depiction of the dark side of the hippy lifestyle. It wasn’t all sunshine peace, and flowers during the Summer of Love.

With the advent of digital media and internet availability, content creation has become easy. News channels do not need OB vans or a large crew. A small team or even an individual can become a digital/backpack journalist or podcaster. There are some journalists who have their YouTube channels. There are great opportunities in various fields for those who develop the skills of producing quality content for various media platforms.

Though the pandemic has made everyone think twice about the career opportunities available, journalism is one of the best courses which can only provide you with fruitful results.  You can become a journalist and work in the field. With a journalism degree, you can interview celebrities or politicians, you can travel to discover some interesting fast and you can be the first one to hear the next big news story.

Online publishing is one of the best growing industries and journalism degree courses will always provide you with an added benefit for the different skills you will develop. There are many skills you will learn but here are some more reasons why students go for a degree in journalism.

• No 9 to 5 Job: Journalists are always on the move and have a flexible schedule.
• Find out the latest news: You will be the first one to find out the latest news and announce it to others.

• Networking Becomes Easy: You can network with a lot of people from different industries and have all the right contacts.

While studying this course, there are few skills which you can gain. These skills can help you succeed in the industry and tread on the path of a successful career. Here are some of the best skills that you can learn during the course:

• Writing skills
• Good communication skills
• Creativity and out of the box thinking
• Research ability and critical analysis
• Inter-personal and networking skills
• Commitment to work against deadlines

There is a wide range of career options available for journalists in different paths. Below are the details about where you can work and what specialization you can choose: 

• Newspapers and magazines: You can work in print or online for jobs such as editing, reporting, photography, content curation, web designing, and so on. 
• Radio stations: You can apply for jockeying, production, and programming. 
• TV channels: TV channels are the best medium to work with. You can go for reporting, editing, production, programming, guest relations, cameraperson, and other such job profiles. 
• Digital media companies: You can work with digital media agencies as a content writer 
• Advertising agencies: The advertising agencies hire journalists or candidates who have pursued mass communication. 
• Corporates: You can work in the communications and marketing divisions. 
• Government: The government sectors offer jobs to journalists for their media departments. 
• NGOs: NGOs offer jobs for their communications and documentation roles.
• There are opportunities in content creation. The skills you learn in degree courses (reporting skills, writing skills, communication skills, presentation skills and technology for media production) will open up large opportunities in the field of communication.

Apart from these jobs, there are many freelance opportunities for the candidates. There is a huge diversity in the bouquet of opportunities that is available and thus there is a huge demand for the course. Many government-owned and private universities are offering courses for both degree and post-graduate levels. Stand-alone media institutes are mushrooming across the country and media schools are set up by different television channels to have found takers for the diploma or certificate programs that they offer. You can book your seat at any college to climb the ladder of success.

FREE E-BOOK

The BIG PICTURE

A Young Woman, a Camera, an Uncompromising Ethic

June 13-17

Download your copy now at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

Young, talented, ambitious, Freyja Brynjarrson’s a photographer struggling to crash the art establishment, the challenges presented by her family, and keep true to her uncompromising ethic.

Fate places her on the front line of a political demonstration where soldiers open fire on civilians. She photographs death for the first time and the intensity makes everything she’s done previously in art and life seem inconsequential.

The current government is concerned these highly charged images could sway the voters against them. With a closely contested election only three days away, they’re doing whatever they can to attempt to suppress their publication. But someone far more unscrupulous than government spin-doctors also wants these images destroyed.

Gunnar Brynjarrson, Freyja’s eldest brother is the head of an illegal narcotics empire. He’s concerned about the opposition party’s platform to decriminalize drugs. His sister’s photographs could influence the outcome of a close election and put his business in jeopardy.

As events unfold, Freyja slowly becomes aware of the far-reaching impact the billions of narco dollars have on the government, the economy, friends, family and even herself. Something insidious has infected society and like a superbug, it’s resilient, opportunistic and appears as a mutation in the most unexpected places.

Freyja refuses to compromise and is intolerant and unforgiving of those who succumb to this evil or are complicit in their acceptance of it. If she stays at home, she’s afraid she’ll be infected and never attain success on her own terms. She takes an assignment with an international agency photographing the chaos and casualties of Mexico’s drug war. Freyja soon discovers she’s shot only one frame of ‘the big picture’.

The Big Picture focuses on dramatic action, zooms in on political intrigue, and takes a candid snapshot of modern romance. The plot also reveals how narco dollars, overtly and covertly, influence every level of our lives; the wars we fight, the governments we elect, the impact on healthcare, and most importantly and tragically, our personal relationships.

"The plot of The Big Picture, with its twists and reversals of fortune, ...is imaginative and fast moving...extremely compelling. ....characters are diverse, well developed, and real... ...imagery is powerful and fresh. The book is an excellent read and pausing to experience some of the imagery makes it even better."

"The Big Picture is ...a thought-provoking novel that is smartly written with genuine emotional, no holds barred dialogue, and events that will punch you in the heart. - This book was a gem to read and an interesting one at that."

"...a journey of self discovery... a coming-of-age, social thriller... focused on key ethical questions... a creative solution to expose the links of social problems."
Tom Pope - for Bookpleasures

"I like the plot and the plotters...Arni's sense of humor and the dynamics in the Brynjarsson family...Gunnar the druglord, BB the addict, Arni the hedonist, Giordana who rationalizes and Freyja who wants to fight. I like the love story, too. Freyja and Marty with their differences and similarities make a good couple.
... (there are) moral issues in The Big Picture. The drugs, corruption, the way people with beliefs and principles slowly drop them in the treadmill of politics and re-elections. What drug money does to each of the Brynjarssons. Freyja's ethics against Gunnar's power."
- C. Widmann, Goodreads Review

Imaginative and fast moving...extremely compelling...will punch you in the heart.
5 STARS - Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

This is a fascinating novel...adventure, excitement, drug cartels, family issues, romance...themes that are important and questions we sometimes need to ask ourselves.

Judge's commentary - 2nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published eBook Awards

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