Author Interview: John Carlin

In 2012, we had the opportunity to publish a unique math book by John Carlin. It gives tips and tricks to solve even difficult math in your head, and it's definitely worth the read. Today's post was written by the author.

The name of my book is Don’t be Baffled at Binomial Blvd & Algebra Ave. The book is a bridge or transition book from Arithmetic to Algebra. It uses mental math to teach how algebra is related to arithmetic. It contains a lot of what is commonly called Vedic Math, but goes farther than that since there are techniques and examples in the book you won’t see anywhere else. The book is nonfiction and is tilted toward students that are junior high age. Typically, that is the age where students sometimes just check out on math. Adults may find it of interest also.

I have run across people from other cultures that were almost so agile with numbers it was amazing. Most of them learned math at an early age starting with an abacus. I have always been fascinated by them and wished that my own math experiences included some early alternative learning methods. About ten years ago I discovered Vedic Math and was amazed at the simplicity of it. I will be a very happy if the book helps even a few students develop better math skills.

I have only been writing for about three years. I started because I discovered that actually writing about a topic like this actually made me a better mental math calculator. Typically I write in a spare bedroom that we converted into a computer room/study. I talk aloud to myself as I write at times, so the need for a little quiet and seclusion is rather important. My advice to others about writing is to do everything you can to foster your creativity. Write when you are well rested, take notes when a good idea hits you, write in spurts, change genres, or projects when you are blocked. Get exercise, stay relaxed, and don’t force it. Motivation can’t be forced either, but you can be patient and set some really small incremental goals to accomplish until a new wave of motivation establishes itself again.

I want my readers to give up their preconceived notions about math. Don’t judge yourself to be bad at it based on prior experiences which may include bad teachers and texts. Think of it as a game you want to raise your skill levels in. One where you aren’t competing against someone so much as you are competing against your own former best. That approach leads to personal growth and enjoyment of the subject. My book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and as an ebook.

Thank you, John!

Guest Blogger: Poetry

Today we have a guest blogger. I would like to introduce you all to a friend and talented poet, Cateri S.

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Poetry

"From beginning to end

There is a time

When everything I say

Shall come out in rhyme"

I'm a poet. When I look about the world, the smallest thing can set off a twenty verse poem, that's not a lie, and I know it.
The way it captures the beauty, with imagery and analogies. Like comparing the petals of a flower
To the rain of an April shower.
A charm is there that isn't found
in regular prose
but in poems it abounds.
By this time you may have noticed that this whole post has been rhyming.
And that is the on purpose, not just a glitch of timing. ;)

I could think of no better way,
to talk about poetry,
than in this rhyming play.
But, to be a poem, it doesn't have to rhyme.
Just look at the next poem, I call it Lies:

A single crack in the glass

Growing slow and steady

Spreading through and weakening

from the outside in.

Until it becomes too much and shatters there before us.

Sweeping the pieces,

the broken thoughts.

Each piece falls through the fine sieve of truth

A single lie, exposed.

This, it has no word play.
But it's a poem, all the same.
More modern, yes that's true.
Powerful, and leaves an impression on me and you.
This is where analogies would come along.
See them used in poems, prose, and song.
Little ways of helping the image form in a mind.
Without them, we would be in such a bind.

Another form of Poetry,
which is the most fun one for me,
It's called a Limerick, you see.
Limericks often bring about
a smile that no one can put out.
Here is one I wrote today
About this site where this post shall lay:

There once was a blog online

That was so very fine

The interviews sweet

and posts so neat

The author is, simply, sublime!

As you can clearly tell,
limericks are so very swell!

Now a bit about the plan
That writing poems takes in hand.
Some people take hours
Or days to compose
A little poem or a line of prose.
Some will plan out each rhyme
And go about, just one line at a time.
Others race right through it all
And then re-write it until next fall.
I, on the odd side of things,
Race right through quite happily.
Rarely will I go back and re-do
A poem I have written, that's very true.
I prefer to let the rhymes
Form as the previous leaves my mind.
Then the poem is done in a flash,
And hardly will the verses clash.
That is how I write my poems,
But there's a different formula for prose
(Which I shan't delve into today)
Than writing a poem about a rose.

Before I take my leave and go
There is one more form to show.
Poems can tell stories and tales
About a life, or even about whales.

Take a look at this example.
The lines of story should be ample.
Forgive the length, it was needed
for the story to be completed.

Dear Baby

Hi my little baby, Mommy here

Today I got the best news of the year

That you are growing inside of me

I wonder what daddy will think, let's go see

Dear Baby, today you are two weeks old

Not very big yet, but that's foretold

Daddy says to tell you hi!

He's at work now, and I'm baking him a pie

Dear Baby, I heard the most precious sound

Your heart beating, nice and loud!

The doctors say you are doing great

You are so sweet, there's no debate

Dear Baby, now you've reached 8 weeks!

You're as big as my thumb, yet still pretty meek

Daddy and I saw you, too

The pictures are amazing, it's true

Dear Baby, we're picking out names!

Our friends and we agree, it's a fun game

So far the list is long

But we've nixed the name, "Ping-Pong"

Dear Baby, today it is Dad!

Mom and I are oh so glad

We saw your hands, and your tiny feet

I'll admit I cried, it was so sweet

Dear Baby, it's Mother and Father

We've decided you'll never be a bother

You are getting to be so big!

Mom and Dad almost danced a jig

Dear Baby, at 16 weeks old

You're moving around, are you being bold?

Today we painted your soon-to-be room

And Granny's making you a blanket, on her loom

Dear Baby, it's Daddy here

Mommy fell asleep, but no need to fear

Every night we'll sing you a song

Maybe one day you will sing along

Dear Baby, it's Mommy's night

I love you so much, and that's what's right

Daddy and I are waiting for the day

When we can all go to a park and play

Dear Baby, both of us now

You're getting closer every day now

We went to a baby shower

People gave us stuff like clothes and baby powder

Dear Baby, it's been 24 weeks!

Your room is almost ready, just a few more tweaks

We love you so very much, our little dear

We can't wait until you are here

Dear Baby, it's time to celebrate!

You came into this world at 2:58

Our little girl, so small and kind

We named you Rose Madeline! (Mad-a-line)

Dear Rose, tonight we brought you home

Our world is complete, we never want to roam

You are perfect and we are enjoying every minute of every day

Tonight we'll sit together and pray

And now to finish off this post,
I'll tell a little more
About why I love writing poetry most,
And don't worry, it shan't be a bore.

To me it's a means of expressing my feelings
In a way that is fairly appealing.
The way the words and imagery
Come together so wonderfully,
It's a marvel.
At least, a marvel to me.

Whether it's a tale of woe,
a lighthearted limerick, or
about some cookie dough,
I hope you enjoyed my whimsical way
Of talking about poems in rhyme.
It was fun the whole time
And I'll do it again, any day.

So, thank you for reading.
And that's my final say.

-Cateri S.
[all poems and quotes referenced are my own]

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Cateri S. is currently a 10th grader and an avid poet. She began writing about a year and a half ago, as the result of a writing assignment for school. She aspires to become a published author at some point in her life. As of now, she is focusing on her poetry, intending to write a poem a day during the school year. In her free time, she enjoys: writing, reading, playing piano, cooking, spending time with family, staying active in the pro-life movement, and learning about her Catholic faith.

Writing: The Inconvenience of a Passion

Today we have a guest blogger. I would like to introduce you all to a friend and fellow author, Gina Marinello-Sweeney.

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            2:30 AM. 

            I rubbed my eyes.  Not now.  It is time to sleep.  But Inspiration tapped on my shoulder like a persistent two-year old, refusing to be ignored. 

            Oh well.  Giving into your child's every whim is bad parenting.  I may not be a parent yet, but I'm an elementary school teacher.  I know better.

            Inspiration threw a fit.

            Definitely not the time to give in.

            With a sigh that was quickly turning into quiet acceptance and a slowly-forming smile, I pushed aside the covers of my bed and moved towards the nearest pen . . .


            Inspiration tends to come at the most inconvenient times.  It is more likely that the idea for a story or the line of a poem will materialize at 2:30 AM as I lie awake at night than during the afternoon of a rather uneventful day.  Although it may be bothersome to get up when clear physical signals indicate that it is time for sleep, some of my best work can admittedly occur at such times as these.

            Even so, I may not completely trust myself at that hour.  I would prefer to look at my nightly ponderings the next day, to determine whether or not my work really was as good as it had seemed at the time.  Re-writing and re-writing is often important.  Yet the first spark of an idea may carry more weight than any re-write or revision. 

            The first moment must be right for it to work. 

            I have found that writing does not come as easily when beckoned.  The worst action that an individual may take is to force himself to write.  Trying, thinking, too hard is not always ideal . . . especially with creative writing.  I once advised my best friend, a fellow writer, “You can’t force it to do anything . . . or it’s gonna laugh in your face,” that, “by thinking too hard, maybe the inspiration slips out of your brain”.  As odd as that may sound, I find it to be true . . . from personal experience.  In those moments where the right word doesn’t seem to materialize or a full blown “writer’s block” occurs, I feel that it is best to take a step back.  This step does not necessarily involve leaving the writing process entirely, but entering another dimension of it.  The imagination can often be stirred by something that may closely resemble meditation . . . a time to think without thinking. 

            Once upon a time, a rather sleep-deprived college student happened to look up at the sky . . . and found herself completely mesmerized by the deep beauty, the profound truth, it held.  While she gazed at this curious, not-so-anomalous anomaly present every day of her life---yet, perhaps, rarely seen in its true quality---an inner peace formed in her heart.  When she later arrived at the library, feeling as if her four hours of sleep had magically duplicated, pen found its owner, and she wrote like she had never written before. 

            Perhaps this is because writing comes from deep within you.  Even with the unknown worlds of fantasy, my favorite genre, the world must not be foreign to you.  They signify what is important to you, what you are, whether you intend them to or not.  And what occurs before you write may often be just as important as what happens while you are writing.  For, perhaps, a sketch of it has already been written somewhere, in the depths of your mind, before you pick up that pen or use the keyboard. 

This ‘think, but also think without thinking’ theory of mine applies more to creative writing than essays and research papers.  Yet it may prove useful to a degree with formal papers.

Some of you may be students.  With school deadlines, it is often necessary to write at a given time.  Yet, even then, I find that it is best to move beyond yourself and the material world in which you live to produce the most genuine writing.  Effective writing is important, but genuine writing makes it yours. 


            Making it yours.

            I have noticed that I often tend to daydream when listening to music; it may call upon my imagination.  Like the "meditational" process described earlier, music may prove inspirational prior to writing and, at times, during the writing process.  For example, one day I was working on a scene from a story that involved a musical composition.  I found that the story of the piano music to which I listened made the story within my story, that of my character’s composition, more real.  Yet I generally prefer quiet while I’m writing . . . to think or, as it may be, to simply immerse myself in the process without thinking too hard. 

The reader might argue that all of this philosophical stuff is fine and good, but that there are still some simple answers to the writing process . . . like the physical action of actually typing, the use of a tool in order to write.  Straightforward and simple, right? 

            Not so.  There's still no simple answer, and the matter is no less mysterious.

            Sometimes I find it best to express myself by typing.  However, with the novel that I recently completed, I often found myself drawn to the more old fashioned way.  In the beginning and final stages, I wrote much of it on Microsoft Word.  Yet, "in the middle",  for some reason, my thoughts seemed to flow more naturally from the pen than the keyboard.  To contradict any possible pattern, the first rough draft of the first chapter, as well as the last, were also penned . . . with a pen. 

            Illogical and archaic, you say!  Indeed, cross-outs can result in a “mess,” but not all “messes” are unfortunate.  Outlines can, at times, prove useful in organizing one’s thoughts.  However, in most instances, I delve right into the writing, unsure as to where it may lead, . . . but that uncertainty makes it all the more fascinating.  Later, when I type up what I have written in my notebook, revisions that I had not foreseen often seem to “jump out” at me as if they had always been there. 

            The truth is . . . there are no rules to writing.  And what is true for me may not be true for you, and vice versa.

            As it is, this was written primarily in a word-processing document, not in a notebook.  However, I randomly decided to print it up . . . and covered it with a delightful mess.  Perhaps there is a ‘method to this madness’.  But, to me, it is a random array of glory, a moment of spontaneity.  This is the inconvenience of a passion, or, better said, The Passion, which I would never choose to relinquish.

            So, do you say yes to 2:30 AM?  You tell me . . .

            Oh, and, yeah, I was that sleep-deprived college student.

- Gina Marinello-Sweeney, around 2:30 AM

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Gina Marinello-Sweeney is a novelist and writer of short stories. As she awaits the publication of her first novel, she is at work on the sequel, as well as the first book in a fantasy series. She is also an avid poet in both the English and Spanish languages. In 2009, she was asked to present some of her Spanish poetry at an international literature conference in Costa Rica. Although unable to attend this event, a presentation of these poems was well received at a local university's Festival of Scholars that same year. Graduating summa cum laude, Gina completed a degree in liberal studies, an elementary school teaching credential, and a minor in Spanish. In her spare time, Gina enjoys producing videos, going to the beach, reading, and traveling.