Madeline Becomes a Star by Peggy Wheeler-Cribb

Before I even begin to write about my thoughts regarding this book, you will far greater appreciate this post by watching the video that gained worldwide attention and became the catalyst for the publication of Madeline Becomes a Star.

You will definitely want to watch all the way to the very end, so please take a moment and view this delightful video: http://youtu.be/0z2MwzcY05o

I clearly remember seeing this video featured on Good Morning America, my absolutely favorite morning news show forever--even going back to the days of Joan Lunden and David Hartman. I usually listen to the broadcast as I am preparing for my day, but I recall stopping for a brief time a couple of years ago to see the little dog chasing the crab. I remember at the bottom of the screen were the words “Pawleys Island, SC.” Little did I know that I had a connection with Madeline and her family.

Peggy Wheeler-Cribb and I had met at a women’s Bible study group in Georgetown, SC, and one day she contacted me and asked that I take a look at her manuscript for this book. So I was delighted to offer a few suggestions, although I was perfectly honest that I am not an expert on writing children’s books. Peggy developed just about the cutest true story I’ve ever seen, and along with the work of an extremely talented illustrator, April Bensch, cultivated the tale of Madeline’s journey to celebrity status.

One of the most charming aspects of this delightful children’s book is that it isn’t fiction. It is a 100 percent true story that has already warmed the hearts of many children and adults as well.

Not only is it entertaining and fascinating to see how Madeline’s fame was ignited, but the story also contains a core message that reminds us of how dramatically the lives of rescue dogs can change when given the benefit of a loving family.

Written from Madeline’s puppy point of view, readers are able to gain insight into Madeline’s thoughts and feelings, as well as the facts surrounding her adventure.

If you are blessed to have a youngster in your life, this is one book that I highly recommend. I have no doubt that it will become a top favorite of your little loved one!

Book Description

Madeline the Dachshund thought the best thing that ever happened to her was being adopted by her pet parents from a dog rescue, but that was before she became famous! Madeline was content living the life of a normal everyday dog. Then one day Madeline became a star after a video of her playing with her friend, the ghost crab, went viral! Join Madeline, the rescue dog, on her rise to fame and her adventure to New York City!

About Author Peggy Wheeler-Cribb

Peggy Wheeler-Cribb grew up in Earles, SC. She lives with her husband C.L. in Pawleys Island, SC. Peggy has two children, Diane and Darwin, and two grandsons, Jason and Nathan. She also has two step-children, Valerie and Brian, and four more grandchildren through them: Kaitlyn, Pressley, Chance and Peyton. 

 

Peggy Wheeler-Cribb

Peggy is an award winning educator, as well as a community leader and presenter. She owned and directed Happy Time Preschool for 33 years. She is the founder and director of Grace Church Ministries for Special Needs Children at First Baptist Church in Georgetown, SC.  Peggy and her family volunteer in the ministry every week and are supporters of local animal rescues. Peggy delights in all children and strives to live by Colossians 3:23: Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. 

About Illustrator April Bensch

 

April Bensch

April Bensch grew up in Tampa, Florida, where she developed a deep appreciation for the visual and performing arts. She has enjoyed calling Pawleys Island her home for the past 15 years, where she has become an award winning artist, illustrator and mother of 3 beautiful daughters. April has taught art to children of all ages and delights in bringing color, personality and life to the characters she illustrates, bringing joy to readers both young and old. You can view her artwork at www.aprilbensch.com or view her last illustrated book, “Twas the Night Before Jesus” at www.ontheedgeproductions.org.

Visit the following sites for more about Madeline Becomes a Star!

Amazon link:   http://amzn.to/1a2KbzU

Website: http://www.wonderfulwienerdog.com

We'll be back again soon with another post that will acquaint you with more amazing authors and their books! Thank you for stopping by...

Lovingly,

Mary Anne Benedetto

Author of Eyelash, 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time!, Never Say Perfect and From Italy with Love & Limoncello.

Visit http://www.awriterspresence.com

Monk in the Cellar by David Griffin

Just thinking about the title of this book, Monk in the Cellar, one might jump to the conclusion that this story could be dreadfully dull. Some would visualize an old, chubby guy wearing a long, brown cowl neck robe with a belt that looks like an item used for tying back heavy draperies. Think Friar Tuck. What could possibly be interesting about this guy?  I’m not even sure where to begin.

My ancestors’(and, therefore, my own as a youngster) religious roots were firmly planted in North Carolina Southern Baptist soil. My only exposure to Catholic priests and brothers was when my husband and I lived in the Albany, New York area and were not just avid--more like crazed--Siena College Basketball fans during the rein of our friend, Coach Mike Deane. But I doubt if even then I actually met any genuine monks.

According to Fr. William Saunders, in an article explaining the difference between monks, priests, brothers, nuns and sisters at http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0042.html, he tells us that “…a monk is a man living in a religious community and makes a final profession of the solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. A monk may be a priest or a deacon, who has received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or a religious brother, who is not ordained. Monks live in a monastery, the word from which "monk" is derived. Depending upon the circumstances of the particular order, they may have a very strict contemplative, cloistered lifestyle, like the Order of Cistercians of Strict Observance (commonly known as the Trappists), or a less strictly cloistered lifestyle, like the Benedictines.”

Griffin’s book does a great job of explaining all of this for those who have no clue…like me. I am, however, familiar with Christian service, a desire to seek guidance from a living God, believing and trusting God’s holy Word and the Christian’s perpetual struggle between carnal versus spiritual thoughts and actions. I have also known people who have served as inspiring and dedicated foreign missionaries, but they were never required to take vows of celibacy or poverty. Yet they were dependent upon the Lord to provide.

Monk in the Cellar offers a clever approach to peek into the lives of a group of monks who made these vows and were attempting to live in harmonious community, and quite honestly, reading it was educational, thought-provoking and entertaining.

What goes on in the minds of men and women who have chosen to forgo the fulfillment of marriage and procreation? Do they forever wonder what they are missing, or is their dedication to God’s service so all-consuming that this is never a concern? It prompted me to consider the many material items that I regularly take for granted such as my home, car, golf clubs, computer, tablets, television in every room, my iPhone. And how about those intangibles such as complete freedom to schedule my time, food, clothing and accessories choices, the free will that we have been given to make our own decisions? What does a monk know or even care about these things?  

This is no boring tale. It is a story of deception, the existence of guardian angels (which I personally believe have been sent to my rescue on numerous occasions), a man’s two encounters with near death experiences and his desire to do the right thing for the welfare of others. The story contains several golden nuggets of wisdom such as, “Evil is so easy. That’s because it usually starts off with something small.”

Dave Griffin’s writing style brings the reader steadfastly into the scene with his vivid descriptions that present a movie-like reading experience. The question is raised in my mind: Is Brother Jesse a monk who toils at scholarly endeavors to serve the Almighty or because he chooses to live a safe, uncomplicated existence? How will he react when extenuating circumstances thrust him into an unexpected leadership role?

Not only is this a fascinating book, but it originated and continues as a blog--complete with photos and accompanying music from YouTube! Visitors access the site at http://www.monkinthecellar.blogspot.com. According to the author, “Monk In The Cellar was originally published serially in a blog that has accumulated thousands of hits. The author occasionally has to respond to emails and explain the blog is fiction and that Jesse is not an apostate or a heretic. Nor is he a real person. Jesse is anyone who at times doubts the purpose of the universe, but continues to search for his path anyway.”

I was simply mesmerized by this selection. I know that a story is good when certain aspects of it continue to pop back into my mind once the final page has been read and I have moved on to another book. I also recognize that a story is good when you know you should be doing a million other things, but the heart of the tale is drawing you back to continue reading, and you just can't stop yourself. Everything else must wait.

Writers are always told to write based on what we know--what is familiar to us. I could easily detect that at least a portion of this story involved a road that David has personally traveled. He’ll have to be the one to tell you where the fiction ends and the fact begins. David Griffin isn’t just another person who tells a captivating story. He is truly a talented artist who paints a canvas with words.

Book Description

Monk In The Cellar is the story of eleven monks who live in a decrepit Catskill Mountains Resort they converted into a monastery. Brother Jesse and his little band will be evicted from his home of forty years when Irish overseers decide to sell the monastery to pay off the Order's  debts. Jesse hides in the cellar print shop and ruminates most days.  When he's given a laptop and later finds an open Wi-Fi signal in the air, the aging monk posts a tell-all blog, a narrative of his order's deceit and his own disappointment. Along the way, he falls in love with his guardian angel, who later becomes his real estate agent. Monk In The Cellar is a beautifully funny account of a man who is afraid of getting old, of a life examined and found wanting.

What Prompted David Griffin to Write this Particular Book?

“I just write what comes into my head and I do it constantly, although not as much as in prior years. I have a story list of 170 stories I've written since I began writing creatively in 2007. I have over 200 ‘Starts’ and other stuff I'm working on.

I don't know why I wrote Monk, but I remember its genesis. At a writing group meeting in Woodstock in 2010, I suggested to someone they write a blog. The woman answered she wouldn't have anything to write about and I replied, ‘Make it up.’

On the way home that day, it occurred to me I could do the same, and from somewhere came the idea of writing as monk in a monastery that I placed about three miles up the road from my house.

I learned how to use Blogger and started it up. I was posting 4 or 5, sometimes 6 times each day the first month. A few people wrote to me and even asked advice. I had to reply that the blog was a spoof, and no one seemed truly upset by it. It then occurred to me I could probably turn it into a book.”

David Griffin

About David Griffin

David Griffin is retired from a career in corporate education and  communications. His essays and short stories have appeared in online journals as well as print magazines. He is a member of the South Carolina Writers Workshop and other writing groups. David publishes his essays at www.windsweptpress.com and self-publishes a book of stories each year that is well received by those who love him. He seldom hears from those who don’t. Griffin writes the popular blog Monk In The Cellar, and at readings plays the main character Brother Jesse with some degree of authenticity. The blog is now a novel by the same name.  

After 35 years at the foot of the mountains near Woodstock, NY, David now writes from coastal South Carolina, where he lives with his wife and her dog.

Amazon link:
http://amzn.to/19e21eQ

Website:
http://www.windsweptpress.com

Blog:
http://monkinthecellar.blogspot.com



Visit with us again in two weeks for another book selection!


Best to all,
Mary Anne Benedetto

Author of Eyelash, 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time!, Never Say Perfect and From Italy with Love & Limoncello.

Visit http://www.awriterspresence.com