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BY JAMES OH

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LETTING GO AND MOVING ON BY JAMES OH

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MINDSET SHIFT: EMPLOYEE TO ENTREPRENEUR

MINDSET SHIFT: EMPLOYEE TO ENTREPRENEUR
BY JAMES OH

Saturday, March 16, 2013

GUEST AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH GLENN LANGOHR


About the Author 

Glenn Langohr has a purpose: he writes to shine a light inside our prison systems and to help others turn their lives around. Before becoming a best selling author, Glenn Langohr ran away from a broken home and entered the drug war with abandon. Business with the Mexican Mafia and Hell's Angels became a way of life until the Criminal Justice system interrupted him. In prison he was involved in riots and spent years in the hole. From solitary confinement he started writing and hasn't stopped since. Now, he is an usher at his church, speaks as a guest Lecturer at colleges and writes articles for newspapers. "I want to show the world and the students and leaders of tomorrow, that we are only building bigger criminals by locking up low level offenders. In prison, an addiction is bred into an affliction much harder to escape." Help him show the world redemption is possible, buy and share his books.

The author will gift his books FREE from the Kindle store to those who can't afford it. Glenn Langohr rollcallthebook@gmail.com  http://www.lockdownpubishing.com





To purchase Glenn’s books in print, kindle or audio in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A 
To contact Glenn on facebook~ https://www.facebook.com/glennlangohrcalifornia
To contact Glenn on Linkedin ~ http://linkd.in/ZH8lc7 Glenn’s audio books for a free sample on Amazon~ http://amzn.to/ZlqAS


HERE THE INTERVIEW

When did you begin to write? 

I started writing in prison on an 11-year sentence for drug charges in California.

When did you first discover that you were a writer? 

After I read a book a day for a couple of years, the idea hit me that I should start writing.

How much did you write before you were published? 

I wrote for seven years on my first novel, Roll Call, and published it when I got released from prison. Here’s the first couple lines of a review from Kirkus Discoveries Nielson Media~ A harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction--sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's Traffic--of America's war on drugs, by former dealer and California artist Langohr. Locked up for a decade on drugs charges and immersed in both philosophical tomes and modern pulp thrillers, Langohr penned Roll Call. A vivid, clamorous account of the war on drugs.”

My next book, Upon Release is the sequel to Roll Call. My wife’s father is a prolific writer from American Media and he reviewed both books and told me to focus on the prison scenes. So I wrote a series called ( Prison Killers ), which follows in this order: Race Riot, Lock Up Diaries, Gladiator, Underdog,  and then Prison Riot. Underdog is my top rated story so far and is about the hunger strike the inmates started at Pelican Bay prison in response to solitary confinement. I have been on the radio and spoke at Universities about it.

What is your favorite part of writing? 

Seeing the story take form. I don’t outline my story too much before hand. I have a tiny vision that comes alive through my characters, but when the story deepens, I get excited.

Tell us about your latest release. My latest release couldn’t be further from the prison stories; it’s a prayer book. I’m going through a tough season with my wife and we’re separated. Though I am a practicing Christian who studies the Bible and goes to church, I didn’t have the words to pray! Prayer had never been a problem before, but in this case, the words, or my faith, were missing. So I researched prayer and God blessed me with the words and the faith.

Wow! This book sounds really good. Are you planning on writing more in the years to come? 

Yes. I write for eight to ten hours a day and narrate my own books for four hours a day. Narrating my own books into audio to listen to like a movie is helping my writing.

So far what is your worst criticism/attacks, and how have you overcome it? 

My first novel Roll Call is to long at 700 pages and Kirkus Discoveries Nielson Media also called it, “Baggy in places.” I took that to mean that my writing needed to be sharpened and more concise. I work on that by having professional writers critique each book before I rewrite it into the final version.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I published Underdog one day after Christian Gomez died during a peaceful hunger strike in prison to resist the cruelty of solitary confinement in America. Professor Reiter who teaches about prison conditions and Criminal Justice at the University of California Irvine found my books and read them all. She contacted me and asked if I would speak as a guest Lecturer to 100 of her students. I had it videoed and put it on YouTube. It’s rather long so here’s a 2 minute video of me speaking about solitary confinement~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNS3jazcM5g

What does your writing process look like? 

I set the scene to start the book with a visual feel to it so it’s like a movie. Then the characters start to come to life. In my prison books the characters have tattoos that represent where they’re from and almost all of them have a unique culture. In prison life there is a mix of poverty, gang life and a racial disparity that makes for great stories. Once I see the story more clearly I pace back and forth in between writing sessions that start at as early as 4 in the morning and end right before bedtime.

How did you get published? 

I started by sending out letters to big publishing houses, but at the same time learned that self-publishing has some excellent advantages. A few of the big publishing houses wanted me but by then I saw how to keep 70% of the royalties versus the 80% the big publishers wanted. Self-publishing also allows me to price my books at a much better price for the reader. Once Steven King started self publishing it was a no brainer. I become my own publishing house.

How do you come up with title of your books? 

The title of each book is very important for many reasons. You want it to tell the story and sell the story. The title also has keyword power for searches.

Can you enlighten us a little more about your books? 

All of my prison and drug war books are considered “True Crime” but I also paint the “True colors of life” on a fictional landscape by changing some of the characters names in some cases. They all have an underlying redemptive theme. They are all an accurate portrayal of survival in a dangerous, gang producing iron jungle of prison life. I write to show the world that the Criminal Justice system in America is broken. I write to bring awareness to how hypocritical the people in power that create the laws are. We have lost sight of what it means to “be a criminal.” Now in the medical world we look at drug addiction as a disease like alcoholism. Yet 70% of those incarcerated in prison are there for drug related crimes.


Tell us your guiding principle that governs your life?

I believe in the Bible and Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I am working on my faith daily. The more I search for spiritual eyes, the more I see how fragile I am.

How have you cultivated these values? 

I read the Bible a lot. I go to Calvary Church and the worship music is the purest feeling this side of heaven. There isn’t any sin or human tendencies that gets in the way of interpreting the Bible when you sing to the Lord. I use this as a joke but it is true, when I got out of prison I heard during a sermon from our Pastor that singing praises to God makes you look more beautiful by raising the cheekbones. I can use this help.


Do you have any advice for writers looking to get published? 

Read the “Publishing Guide For Dummies” That is a great book that will help you decide how you want to publish. As for the writing, you have to write all day long. Study the genres you write in almost as much as you write. Writing isn’t a get rich scheme. Some do, most don’t. You can make a living at it but I wouldn’t quit your day job in the beginning.

Where can we find your books?

To purchase Glenn’s books in print, kindle or audio in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A 
Glenn’s audio books for a free sample on Amazon~ http://amzn.to/ZlqAS

Where can we find you on the internet?
To contact Glenn on facebook~ https://www.facebook.com/glennlangohrcalifornia
To contact Glenn on Linkedin ~ http://linkd.in/ZH8lc7

This post also posted in the link below:-


Thank you, Glenn for taking your precious time with us and wishing you all the best. 








                                         Book covers:




Thursday, March 14, 2013

SPARKLING FIRE BURNING AT THE ELECTRICITY POLE


SPARKLING FIRE BURNING AT THE ELECTRICITY POLE

Have you had a cool and undisrupted day after you have experienced series of unpleasant events a day before? I have this morning and was amazed with the way I handled the matter. (very much different from my younger days). In fact, I wrote this report after I managed to get a good sleep despite being woken up in the middle of the night, before dawn this morning.

I was woken up by a very caring passer by motorist in the middle of
night when she saw fire at the electricity post near my house at that
time. At first, she used her car horn to alert my neighbours, but the
response was not very encouraging. She then came out from her car and shouted "fire! fire! remove your car" several times before I woke up. Here, we like to sincerely express our heartfelt thanks to her.

The first thing that struck my mind was to ascertain whether I was
dreaming or not. Realising that it was not a dream and investigating
further, I heard a loud fire sparkling sound, I walked out from my
room and peeped through the window at my living room. I saw the fire at the electricity post. Instantly, I alert my family members before I located my phone and call 999 to report the incident with key information such as the nature and location of the incident.

This is to ensure that the respective party sent a vehicle that is
equip with the appropriate equipment to put off the fire off to
prevent it from spreading,  I then came out to remove my car, a short distant from the post. This measure is to prevent a hit from the
broken burning wire which may cause explosion. After several
conversation with the people involved, I then discovered the replaced cable, from our precious similar incident, is the fire resistance cable. That helps to cushion it from burning. Thank be to God and all those who have carried out their duties throughout the night to restore the electricity.

I, therefore, take this opportunity to urge all the relevant parties
to look into the matter seriously and look for permanent remedial work to ensure the safety of the residents there, despite no casualties so far. We need to be more realistic and we cannot count on luck every time.

                                       SEE THE PHOTOS 


                                  the left over of the burnt cables
 
See the photos above, it was quite obvious that the most probable
cause of the fire was the old cables, which had not been replaced in
the previous incident. Special thanks must be given to TNB's staff who has taken painstaking process to restore the electricity around 5:30 a.m. this morning and other relevant parties such as Bomba and those guards on service. Luckily the weather was not hot as in the last few days.

What I knew thereafter was I went back to bed to resume my sleep
before 7 a.m. and woke up around 8 a.m. after taking some pictures.

Hope that this article together with the photos can shade some light
to us for better solution in a long run. As the nature of this
incident is scary, frightening and dangerous, it reminds me of what
we use to tell our children ie not to play with fire. Just imagine
what you feel especially when you heard loud sparkling burning fire.

Worst still there are private cars parked along the street just below
the cables which may cause explosions when the burning cables fall from the pole. Hope your intelligent mind can figure out the danger. Not to mention the danger of further heat from the cables and so on.  Hope some qualified engineers can enlighten us what is the best solution for such a situation. Thanks.

In line with our Prime Minister call to make the nation world class,
we should start to improve this little, small and petty thing first.
Otherwise, this mission is another slogan again. Similarly, this
report is written before it fades away from my memory. I then recalled that this is 4 or 5th incident of a similar nature during my 17 years stay in this house.  



Click the link below to read more on my last reported incidence.

how-to-protect-your-house-and-your.html


It is worthy to note that change and betterment can be achieved easily if all of us play our respective parts.

Thanks for your precious time and effort to read this article.


James Oh

http://my.linkedin.com/pub/oh-james/12/a11/29b

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667#!/pages/Lift-You-Up-Always-there-for-You/176685462397920

Skype me at james.oh18

TO BE FILLED WITH LOVE JOY AND PEACE


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

DR RALPH C SMEDLEY AND HIS LEGACY




Toastmaster was formed in 1924 by a well respected missionary gentleman called DR.RALPH C. SMEDLEY, the founder of TI. From a humble beginning , he started the first Toastmaster meeting at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California United States.

Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The non-profit organization now has nearly 280,000 members in over 13,500 clubs in 116 countries, offering a proven, pleasant – and enjoyable! – way to practise communication and leadership skills.

I am grateful and very proud to be part of his esteemed organisation and deeply indebted to him. As such, I urge every member to KEEP HIS LEGACY ALIVE.



Ralph C. Smedley, once said, "Education is our business. It has been so from the beginning." He had a vision of people helping others learn communication skills in an enjoyable and educational social setting. That noble idea sparked the growth of Toastmasters International that have benefited many millions people throughout the world.

There was no coincidence that I joined this esteemed club, but there must a valid reason to be revealed at the later stage. With this friendly environment, I had completed the required 10 speeches of the Communication Manual and earned a title as Competent Communicator. I must say that the journey was amazingly wonderful as I met so many kind people and mentors, whom have shaped me to be a better communicator.

With this fantastic achievement, I urge the readers to take up the courage to join this organisation to keep the above profound missionary legacy alive and thriving into another great year.

Thank you and look forward to welcome you on-board to this esteemed organisation.


Monday, March 11, 2013

GUEST AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH CIDNEY SWANSON


                                                             CIDNEY SWANSON



When did you begin to write?

As soon as they gave me pencil and paper and explained the alphabet to me!

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was seven, I’d been in love with books for a couple of years already. At that age, I first heard you could make up stories and write them down as a job and I said, “I am in!”

What is your favorite part of writing?

My very favorite-favorite parts are the very beginning, when a shiny new story is
beguiling me (they flirt outrageously to get my attention) and the final polish where I examine every sentence to make sure it is pulling its weight in a story.
Does it belong? Can I find better words? That sort of thing. (I know—word nerd!!)

So far what is your worst criticism/attacks, and how have you overcome it?

When I was in seventh grade, my class had a writing competition. I spent a gazillion hours on this Nancy-Drew-type novella that was the longest thing I’d ever written at that time. The class voted, and my story lost—by ONE vote. I was heartbroken and didn’t write stories for almost ten years after that. (Lots of poems, essays, letters, journaling- just no stories.) I do not recommend what I did. But that was part of my journey. Then one day I just said Enough! and started writing stories again. It felt soooooo good!

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My Kirkus award—getting a Best of 2012 on Saving Mars was a dream come true. Kirkus advertises themselves as the World’s Toughest Book Critics. (No lie!)

What does your writing process look like?

I plunk down a first draft in a month or so, and it is one messy, messy thing. Then I let it marinade for a week to a couple of months while I work on something else. When I come back to the draft, I am looking at my editor’s notes and my own gut feeling for where the story is weak, boring, implausible, etc. I do a story revision pass, then a sort of line edits, and then a final polishing pass where I try to make sure each separate page has a gem on it: something funny or anguishing or just really well-said.

How did you get published?

We opened Williams Press with my first title, RIPPLER in 2011. I’ve been writing full-time ever since.

Can you enlighten us a little more about your books?

Sure! The RIPPLE Trilogy is about a girl who can turn invisible, the boy she’s crushing on, and the neo-Nazi geneticist out for blood who is chasing them. My next series, The SAVING MARS Series takes place 300 years in the future when a human colony is facing starvation on Mars. Jessamyn, a young, grounded pilot must prove she and her autistic brother have the right stuff to fly a daring raid to Earth even though the two worlds have a No Contact policy. Her brother gets caught, she falls for a boy on Earth, mayhem ensues, and she has to choose between saving her brother and saving her planet.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

WHAT I AM DOING NOW

WHAT I'M DOING NOW

I have decided to slow down my article writing since beginning of the year of 2013, for a couple of reasons.

First, I have begun writing my 1st book and am about to complete it. I intended to publish it and my initial target was before end of the year. I believe I can complete it ahead of my schedule from the way it goes.

Secondly, I also want to do something different from the past such as more coverage of books review which is more time consuming.


Thereafter, I shall post my book reviews on the respective and relevant blogs as usual.

I have done 5 book reviews this year. and my 6th book review is on the way.

At the same time, I also like to express my sincere thanks for those who have inspired, motivated and encouraged to do my utmost best.


Thank you.

Hope I have done my utmost best to serve you guys.

Stay tune for more update.

James Oh

http://my.linkedin.com/pub/oh-james/12/a11/29b

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667#!/pages/Lift-You-Up-Always-there-for-You/176685462397920

Skype me at james.oh18