Literarily Speaking

5 Things You Should Know About AJ and the Incredible Fish by Paolo Mazzucato #5Things

thewriterslife November 13, 2024 0 Comments

We are so excited to have as our guest today, Paolo Mazzucato, author of AJ AND THE INCREDIBLE FISH. He is here to tell us five things you should know about his book!

5 Things You Should Know About AJ and the Incredible Fish

By Paolo Mazzucato

1) AJ and the Incredible Fish is both an epic adventure and a personal story of connection between AJ and his Grandpa.

2) The story is told from AJ’s first-person point of view, with all the wonder and humor that an 11-year-old kid can muster.

3) While the adventure is certainly a flight of fantasy, the characters—from AJ’s odd friend Livvy, to his eccentric Grandpa’s stalwart shipmates Riley and Marlin—are what ground the quest into something relatable. The characters’ journeys from crisis and doubt to fulfillment is the heart of the story.

4) There are a few surprises for readers along the way—one may come from an occasional, shall I say, musical interlude…?

5) Different readers may come to different conclusions about what is real and what is fantasy in the story. But isn’t that the case in most things? Sometimes what’s real for one person is just a passing idea on the wind for another. That’s why reading and enjoying a good story is the ultimate act of freedom.

Could a fish hold the key to belief?

AJ and the Incredible Fish by Paolo Mazzucato is a captivating fantasy adventure that’s perfect for tweens aged 9-14, especially boys who love a blend of excitement and deeper meaning.

This story takes young readers on an unforgettable journey that blends the wonders of fantasy with the realities of growing up.
Eleven-year-old AJ is a relatable character who starts off skeptical of fairy tales and grand adventures, but when his Grandpa unexpectedly sets sail on a quest to find a legendary fish, AJ finds himself pulled into a world where anything is possible.

Alongside an eccentric girl named Livvy, AJ faces perilous challenges, encounters extraordinary characters, and discovers that the true adventure lies in believing in the impossible.

This book is more than just an adventure; it’s a story about trust, courage, and the power of belief. It encourages young readers to embrace their imagination, face their fears, and understand that sometimes, the greatest treasures in life are the dreams we dare to chase.

Ideal for parents, teachers, and librarians seeking a fantasy fiction adventure that inspires and entertains.

Don’t miss out—let AJ’s journey spark imaginations!

AJ AND THE INCREDIBLE FISH is available in hardcover for $24.95 and in Paperback for $18.95. It can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BepiBooks.com and other online book sellers. (and at the Orange County Children’s Book Festival, Sept. 22, 2024 https://www.kidsbookfestival.com/

BepiBooks: https://bepibooks.com/aj.html

Publication date: September 10, 2024; Publisher: Bepi Books

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Paolo-Mazzucato/author/B07PHNMF53

Amazon Hard Cover Page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737989840?

AJ and the Incredible Fish — Hard Cover: 978-1-7379898-4-4; 316 pages, 24.95

AJ and the Incredible Fish — Paperback: 978-1-7379898-5-1, 316 pages, 18.95

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/AJ-Incredible-Fish-Paolo-Mazzucato/dp/1737989859

Author Bio

Paolo Mazzucato is an American fiction author and screenwriter. He began his writing career as a Chicago playwright and award-winning student filmmaker before moving to Los Angeles where he won awards for screenwriting and scripted various projects for film and television. He is also the author of several children’s books including: “No One Mocks a Panda” (an Amazon #1 Best Seller, Feb. 2019), and “The Absolutely True Story of La Befana” (an Amazon Holiday Top 100 title). He is also the author of the fantasy/adventure novel, “The Gondoliers: The Secret Journals of Fanticulous Glim,” a “recommended” read by the US Review of Books.

Mazzucato’s new book will be launched on Sunday, September 22nd at the Orange County
Children’s Book Festival in Costa Mesa, California.

Find out more about the author on his website: www.writer.mazzucato.org and follow him on his social media (Facebook, X and Instagram).

Review Corner: Celebrating Unemployment: How to Avoid Becoming a Crunchy Couch Burrito by Deborah E. Levin #bookreview #bookcorner #reviewcorner

thewriterslife October 30, 2024 0 Comments

Unemployment does not have to suck.

"Celebrating Unemployment: How to Avoid Becoming a Crunchy Couch Burrito" is a book helping people stay positive after losing their job. It shares steps to move forward and find their dream job. It acknowledges being unemployed is depressing and shows ways to feel better and keep going.

What’s included in this book:

Survival budgeting tactics
Short-term income strategies
Resume and cover letter techniques
Job search opportunities
Interview approaches
Changing careers
Finding work that makes you happy

Since the author also experienced unemployment, she understands reading about job-related topics can cause worry and anxiety. She writes with empathy, giving useful advice on dealing with unemployment and offering practical ways to overcome personal challenges. By dealing with these issues directly, you gain the knowledge and build the positive attitude needed to change problems into opportunities for a better future.

This book also shares insights about taking care of yourself and staying strong mentally. Overall, it's a guide to help people turn job loss into a chance for something better.

Celebrating Unemployment: How to Avoid Becoming a Crunchy Couch Burrito is available at Amazon.

For someone who has lost their job, it can be devastating. Deborah E. Levin was that person and has written a book about it called, Celebrating Unemployment: How to Avoid Becoming a Crunchy Couch Burrito.

I, like a lot of others, have found ourselves maybe not celebrating unemployment but instead drowning in a sea of tears. We don't know the first thing about being unemployed. How are we going to survive with no income?

Thank goodness for Celebrating Unemployment: How to Avoid Becoming a Crunchy Couch Burrito. Ms. Levin takes us through the process of learning how to make the best of it.

Keeping up a routine is one of them. Wake up at your normal time and don't go back to bed. Make a budget and stick to it until you can find other income.

Those are some of the many great ways to survive unemployment.

But that's not all. The author has thought of it all. I remember when Covid hit, a lot of people were made to stay home and couldn't work. What about that car loan? Or any kind of loan? Ms. Levin gives you directions on what to do about that and it may surprise you.

There are lots of surprises in this book and I'll bet you that you wouldn't have known about it.

People don't want to be unemployed. But it happens to the best of us. Grab a copy of Celebrating Unemployment: How to Avoid Becoming a Crunchy Couch Burrito. It's a step-by-step guide to surviving losing your job.

I give this a 5 star rating!

# Book Reviews # Celebrating Unemployment

Review Corner: An Exploratory Study of GPT-4o Poetry 2024 by Deborah Levin #bookreview #bookcorner #reviewcorner

thewriterslife October 28, 2024 0 Comments

Discover the creative abilities and constraints of artificial intelligence with “An Exploratory Study of GPT-4o Poetry 2024.” This groundbreaking study examines the creative capabilities and limitations of GPT-4o, an advanced AI model that mirrors human expressiveness. Drawing on the insights of the latest research, this book explores whether AI can truly replicate the depth and nuance of human creativity in poetry.

From structured sonnets to open-ended free verse, poetry is a profound literary form that captures the essence of human emotions and experiences. But can an AI model like GPT-4o generate verses with human authenticity? Through a qualitative exploration of AI behavior in creative contexts, this study examines the model’s ability to create original, non-plagiarized work and its tendency to rely on specific terminology or phrases.

Key Questions Explored:

Can GPT-4o produce poetic expressions equivalent to human creativity?
What refinements in capability does GPT-4o encompass beyond its older counterparts?
Does GPT-4o exhibit over-reliance on specific terminology or phrases?
Are the poetic outputs from GPT-4o indistinguishable from human-created poetry?
How does GPT-4o handle the complexities of creative context generation?

In this study, you will also find:

Examples of AI-generated poetry that showcase GPT-4o’s creative potential.
Insights into the model’s unique approach to literary expression.
Evaluation of plagiarized content and poetry generation speed.

An Exploratory Study of GPT-4o Poetry 2024 is an essential read for anyone interested in the future of AI and its role in human culture. Whether you are a poetry enthusiast, a tech aficionado, or simply curious about the capabilities of modern AI, this book offers unique insights and thought-provoking analyses. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to explore the cutting-edge of AI-driven creativity—get your copy today!

An Exploratory Study of GPT-4o Poetry 2024 is available at Amazon.

Can GPT-4o produce poetic expressions equivalent to human creativity? That's the premise of Deborah Levin's new book, An Exploratory Study of GPT-4o Poetry 2024.

At first, I didn't know what to think of this book. So is this written with AI? That's what I presumed. And that's what makes the book so darn interesting. Not the whole book but the author gives us many examples created with artificial intelligence to prove her point that artificial intelligence is real and amazing.

I used to write poetry and I would assume it would be hard for artificial intelligence to create the same ambience as it would have been had it been written by a real human. Boy was I wrong. You have to admit the examples of poetry that the author came up with is astounding and point on.

The book helps me understand what is going on in the AI world so that we can go, "Ah okay that makes sense then." I was glad the author started out with explaining how this all works. It gave me better clarity and gives me great ideas on what I could do with AI myself.

Overall, it's a pretty amazing book. It boggles the mind what you can do with AI. I give it five gold stars!

# Nonfiction

A Heart's Journey to Forgiveness Book Trailer #memoir #booktrailer

thewriterslife October 20, 2024 0 Comments

Inside the Book

Title: A Heart's Journey to Forgiveness
Author: Terese Luikens
Publisher: Redemption Press
Publication Date: November 3, 2022
Pages: 282
Genre: Memoir

For Terese Luikens, a picture-perfect childhood it was not. Frequent cross country moves, an emotionally absent mother and an alcoholic father who ends his life by suicide when Terese is just thirteen years old.

The sixth of seven children, Terese grew up in an unstable and chaotic household–invisible to her mom yet cherished by her father.

This heartfelt memoir documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and live, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God.

A Heart's Journey to Forgiveness is available at: