TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

Have you ever read a life-changing book--one that haunts you long after you have finished it?  I'm not talking about one of those that gives you an "ah-ha" moment, but one that makes you go back and examine your life in minute detail, wondering....

Imagine for a moment you arrived home and found a package on your doorstep--plain brown paper with only your name.  Opening the box, you find a set of cassette tapes with nothing but the numbers 1-13 identifying them.  Now...imagine you start to play the first tape and a very familiar voice, one of someone who committed suicide the week before, announces that if you are receiving these tapes, you played a role in her suicide.  This is exactly what happens to Clay Jensen.

Clay gathers a map that mysteriously appeared in his locker and the tapes--and spends the night listening to Hannah Baker record the last words she will ever speak.  She has marked the map with the locations that played a part in her decision. Many times, Clay wants to stop for the words are painful, but he continues until the end, interjecting his thoughts between the recorded words, talking to someone who can no longer hear him.

Every word we speak and action we take sets into motion a series of other actions and words.  Nothing we say, do--or don't say or do--effects only ourselves.  Have you ever wondered what may have been different if you had chosen differently?  You will after reading this book.  You'll wonder...and you WILL react differently afterwards.  You can't walk away from this book unchanged.

Some schools have begun to make this book required reading.  It is my opinion that all schools should.  Every parent, grandparent and teacher should read this book.  This is Jay Asher's first novel and it is most likely the most powerful one he will ever write--one of the most powerful anyone will ever write.  Not because of his writing style--he writes well, with a down-to-Earth style that makes the story flow naturally.  He is an author I willl watch for in the future. 

Rather than send you straight to Amazon, I'd like to send you to Jay's website  It is full of excerpts, video and audio and interviews--and more.  You will get the full sense of what this book is about. I guarantee Hannah's story will stay with you forever.

For the Love of Willow Walk--the Saga Continues (A Review)

For the Love of Willow Walk is the second book in the Willow Walk series by S. K. Hamilton.  This book continues the story of the Kahills, a family full of passion, dreams and love.  Unlike most sequels, which often leave the reader wondering why the author bothered to write a sequel, this book holds its own in the series.  It isn't merely a bunch of words meant to extend the Kahill saga, but is instead just as full of intrigue, mystery and a host of surprises that leave you anxious to see what the enxt page will bring.

Ms. Hamilton is a character-driven writer.  While her setting and plot are well-developed, it is the the characters that carry this series.  From the grumpy Jed Kahill, patriarch of the family down to the charming smile and inquistive questions of his young great-grandson, the namesake he has waited years to see.  The characters in this book are living, breathing spirits that enter your life from the first page and stay long after you close the covers. Ms. Hamilton breaks the often cautioned rule saying you shouldn't write in dialect--and she does it so well!  She seems equally comfortable with a Southern drawl as she is with an Irish brogue.  The nuances of English spoken as a second language are not lost and you would be inclined to think S. K. had gone through the experience herself.  This is a rare trait for even the most skilled of writers, yet Ms. Hamilton does it effortlessly.

The Kahills are people you meet every day as you go about your business.  They share the same love, joys and pain that are universal.  You can't help but believe you;ll take atrip out one day and pass Kat's boutique or see vacationers heading for the family ski lodge. A new group of characters have joined the family in this sequel (including a cute little lassie of four that captured my heart!) Ms. Hamilton's skill at language comes through again in her ability to write from the viewpoint of a man over eighty and a child of four.  She masters them both equally well.

 My only problem with this book was it ended too soon and I have to wait for the third book.  I will repeat what I said in my review of The Kahills of Willow Walk--this series will end up rivaling Gone With the Wind in time. 

For the Love of Willow Walk earns six colors on the Rainbow Scale of Writing Excellence.









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Getting To Know S. K. Hamilton

As promised yesterday, S.K. Hamilton joins us today to discuss her writing, life and books.  Please enjoy our discussion and leave her a note of thanks!


1. What three words do you think describe you as a human being?

Determined - Particular - Creative -- Allow me one more, please. Stubborn.

2. How do you think others would describe you?

Truthful - Plainspoken - Silly

3. Please, tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.

First, is abuse to animals. I'm a member of the Humane Society and ASPCA and I support them as much as my pocket book will allow. It kills my soul to see an animal hurt or in need. Only an evil person would abuse a defenseless animal. I would fight King Kong if I caught him being cruel to one of God's creatures. Second, and this is rather weird, I can't stand to see a tree cut down or mutilated by not being pruned properly. Especially ancient trees that have survived for years.

4. Do you have any pets? If so, introduce us to them.

Yes. I have a precious tortoiseshell 7-year-old cat. My husband says she looks like an owl--something about the way she holds her ears back at times. Her name is Marble and she came to us as a stray. She was pregnant at the time. We had her spayed, and inoculations after her babies were born. She appears to be wearing a milk mustache. Makes her look quite funny but adorable.

5. What is your most precious memory?

The birth of my daughter, Debbie. Learning that my husband's cancer is in remission.

6. What is your most embarrassing memory?

Perhaps I'll embarrass myself all over again by just telling you. I have so many embarrassing moments. My foot gets stuck in my mouth so much. Let's see...I guess when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, can't remember which. It was Christmas, and I was happy and in love. It was the last day of school before Christmas holiday and we were creating cards for our parents and having refreshments when curly headed Robert Woolfell approached my desk. I jumped up, threw my arms around him, and gave him a big kiss. Only then, did I realize--I shouldn't have done that. The teacher scolded me and I ended up crying. Ruined my whole day.

7. If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing with your life?

Probably wasting it. Maybe still decorating and hanging wallpaper with my husband. If I were younger, I would be a fashion designer or an interior designer. The latter is what I actually did before I retired. Now that I've had a full time dose of writing, I honestly don't know what I'd do. I would be lost if I couldn't write.

8. In two paragraphs or less write your obituary.

Hmmm...Let's see...She lived to write and she died trying. Oh! I don't know. This is one question I'm at a loss of words for.

Sylvia K. Hamilton the writer:

9. Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a "real" writer?

I visited a neighbor that I had never met and introduced myself. She said, "Oh, you're the writer? Right here in our own park?" My head swelled a little and my face turned red but I managed to calm my giddiness.


One other thing elated me. It was a letter from a friend's aunt. She's an everyday, ordinary, reader but her letter was so inspiring it convinced me that maybe I was a "real" writer after all. I was in a slump at the time and her words bailed me out and put the pen back in my hand and the words from my head to the keyboard.

10. What is going on with your writing these days?

Just published is a sequel to The Kahills of Willow Walk, titled For the Love of Willow Walk. I’m now working on a third in the series. My characters will not allow me to put them out to pasture. I have some poetry in the making and revising and editing old poetry and some old short stories.

11. What are your future goals for your writing?

I hope that my characters will be ready to retire after this last series and I can start on something new. Other than that, it’s just a wait and see things. I’m a one book at a time person. Can’t seem to divide my attention on two or more.

12. Can you describe a typical writing day for you?

A typical writing day for me is...all day off and on. Of course, I take breaks for normal, trivial living tasks, like eating, cooking, showering and such, but I don't shut down the computer until I go to bed. I'm back and forth all day long.

13. Why do you write?

I write because it makes me feel goof, creative and important. Actually, it's second nature to me and I can't help it. It's almost like a vice, an addiction. Still, an interesting habit.

14. What writer most inspires you? Why?

Rod McKuen. His prose is clever, emotional, romantic, and he has such great style. Also Max Lucado. He has a way with words and phrases. Although he is a spiritual writer, a minister, his stories have all the ingredients good stories should have. Of course, last but not least, all my author friends in the group. They're a breed set-apart, the very best.

15. How do you define your writing?

Well...that's a hard one. It's sort of like a soap opera, I would say. I write stories that just seem to keep on going. Like Dallas, or one of the others. I would like to think, as in one of my reviews, my story is along the lines of human interest, or a family drama with a little romance, a little mystery, and a little bit of everything. I guess I write about life, and people, the love of family and their trials and tribulations, in general. I had a wonderful review that I truly treasure from someone you know quite well. She said, The Kahills of Willow Walk was a modern day Gone with the Wind. Wow, I must admit, my head swelled a bit. However, that was so nice I thought.

16. In one sentence-what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?

Sad, she doesn’t know how famous she’s become. I have to laugh about that-- but hey-- it would be nice.

Sylvia K. Hamilton the details:

17. Can you tell us where to find more information on you? Website? Blog?

*Website http://willow-walk.webs.com


www.whispersatwillowwalk.blogspot.com  


* WATCH THE TRAILER on my website



18. Is there a place where readers can reach you?

Sure and I'd love to hear from everyone. E-mail is:


peewee2234488@yahoo.com

19. Can you list all your book titles so people can look for them?

The Kahills of Willow Walk can be purchased at Amazon, - http://tinyurl.com/2rh34t  or Barnes and Nobel online bookstores.


If your local bookstore is out please ask them to order for you;


The Kahills of Willow Walk: ISBN 0-9769989-2-0


For the Love of Willow Walk: ISBN 978-0-9769989-9-0






If you so desire and should want an autographed book please just e-mail me with your address and I'll mail you one.

20. For new readers-what can they expect when they read your book(s)?

When reading my book I believe readers can expect to laugh, cry, get angry, sad, happy, and anxious, love some characters, and hate others. Finally, yet importantly, be fulfilled. Sounds like I'm bragging but after I had put my manuscript away for a month and went back to it, I became a reader and that's exactly what I felt. Above all, if they look forward to the next one then I'll be happy as a lark.

In conclusion:

21. Take as much space as necessary to speak to our readers-what would you like them to know about you and your writing?

Thank you so much, Joyce, for having me here for this interview. It's been a pleasure and I appreciate the opportunity.


When I was knee-high to a grasshopper and in elementary school, I loved penmanship. I loved to practice my push-pulls and ovals. Woops! Now I'm telling my age. Oh well. It's the only homework I actually loved doing. Every holiday or birthday, I looked forward to receiving a book and sometimes more than one. I loved reading and was taught never to deface a book in any way. Books, my daddy said, would teach me what the world was about and with every word I read I would gain knowledge. I started writing poetry and from there wrote my first novel. I managed writing short stories in between. Now I'm going for a third in a series, working title, Forever Willow Walk


I was born and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia. The hills and woods became my playground and I was happy. I had a wonderful childhood, wonderful parents and grandparents, and great friends, one of which I still correspond with.


Finally, yet importantly, I want everyone to know that my hubby, Ralph, my ideal reader, has been my beacon of light. If not for his constant encouragement and unselfishness I would not have been as far as I am today. Don’t get me wrong. He hasn’t missed many meals or lost any weight due to cooking neglect, but he has spent much time alone.