MJ Magazine December: Created by Authors for Authors

By Fran Lewis

This seventh issue of MJ Magazine features authors John Land, Mary Victoria Johnson, Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison, Marilyn Levinson and Jay Amberg. Also included are writing tips interviews with successful authors, book reviews and Fran’s picks.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fran Lewis
• Release date: Dec 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311911049

Fran Lewis

Fran Lewis: Fran worked in the NYC Public Schools as the Reading and Writing Staff Developer for over 36 years. She has three masters degrees and a PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently, she is a member of Who's Who of America's Teachers and Who's Who of America's Executives from Cambridge. In addition, she is the author of three children's books and a fourth that has just been published on Alzheimer's disease in order to honor her mom and help create more awareness for a cure. The title of my new Alzheimer’s book is Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey; Ruth’s storyShe was the musical director for shows in her school and ran the school's newspaper. Fran writes reviews for authors upon request and for several other sites. You can read some of my reviews on Ezine.com and on ijustfinished.com under the name Gabina. I am a member of Whos Who of Americas Teachers and Whos Who of America’s Executives and Professionals on Cambridge. I review books for authors upon request. My goal is to get my books published by a traditional publisher and on the shelves of every school library, hospital and bookstore. I host two radio shows on Blog Talk Radio. Book Discussion with Fran Lewis is on Blog Talk every third Wednesday of the month from three to five eastern. My children’s author’s show is four times a year. I host online book blogs and book tours for authors and I review books for authors throughout the world. I have published six books the last Because We Care in memory of my sister Marcia. The proceeds going to find the cause and cure for Alzheimer’s.

Book preview

Address: 1117 Astor Ave., Bronx, NY 10469

Phone: [phone]

Owner: Michael

C&C Coffee Shop and Deli

The best food in the Bronx at reasonable prices.

Address: 2438 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10469

Cuisine: Spanish, Italian, and American Cuisine

Catering available for all occasions

Phone: [phone]/ or 25

Owner: Carlos Ramero

Central Plaza Diner-Restaurant

1686 Central Park Ave.

Yonkers, NY

Telephone: [phone]

Voted the best diner in Westchester County. Outstanding services, food that is freshly prepared. The varied menu gives diners many different, delicious choices. Serving sandwiches, breakfast, and American food, casual attire is the norm and it’s a great place to take kids any time of day. This diner is one of my favorite places in Westchester.

Providing catering for all occasions and associations. Reasonable prices and plenty of parking. This diner is open year round and has a menu that suits the culinary delights of all diners.

Enrico’s Bakery – Hartsdale

Address: 214 East Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, NY 10530

Hours: 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

Phone: [phone]

Owner: Joseph Floriano

Gennaro’s Pizza

Address: 759 Central Park Ave, Scarsdale NY 10583

Phone: [phone]

Owner: John

Go Greenly

Now open in Scarsdale, serving fat free fresh frozen yogurt and the best smoothies in Westchester; Banana/Pineapple and Blueberry/Banana are the best! There are so many choices, frozen yogurts, and toppings. It is a yogurt lover’s haven for healthy treats.

Address: 1088 Central Ave. Scarsdale, NY 10583

Phone: [phone]

Hartsdale Hair Studio

Address: 4 E. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, NY 10530

Hours: Mon - Sat - 9:00am - 6:00pm Sunday’s 10:00am - 2:00pm By Appointment

Owner: Evelyn

Phone: [phone]

John’s of Arthur Avenue Restaurant and Pizzeria

1 South Central Avenue

(Between S Washington Ave and W Hartsdale Ave/E Hartsdale Ave)

Hartsdale, NY

Pick-up or Delivery

Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday –Saturday, 12:30 p.m-9:30 p.m. Sunday

The menu at John’s of Arthur Avenue includes Italian favorites like Terranova Cheese Ravioli from the Bronx, Margarita Pizza, Penne Ala Vodka, Pepperoni Garlic Bread and much more to tempt the culinary palettes of both adults and children.

Their signature Stadium Pie is the largest in Westchester County at 24 inches!

Their Gramma pie — a thin crust pan pizza with crushed tomatoes, basil, homemade mozzarella, and olive oil — is another crowd favorite.

Choose from appetizers, Naples style pizza, Little Italy Specialities, the Arthur Avenue Pasta Shop, Hero Sandwiches, Pizza by the Slice, Sicilian Pizza, Calzones and Arthur Ave. Style Pizza. There is also a kid’s menu and a lunch menu. For the health conscience person watching his or her weight, there are also made-to-order salads to suit your individual needs and tastes.

Come in and feast on a large or small pie, a salad, and even dessert while you enjoy family-style dining. Or, stay in and use our free delivery service.

John’s of Arthur Avenue also does catering!

Owners Jim and Felix and staff will welcome you with a warm handshake and smile every time you dine with them, or call 914-402-4201 to get started with your first order for delivery. Either way, be sure to tell them that Fran Lewis, editor of MJ Magazine and the Host of Book Discussion on Blog Talk Radio, sent you.

Luigi of Italy

Address: 804 Allerton Ave, Bronx, NY 10467

Phone:[phone]

Owner: Tony

Memories of Marcia

If you think that this article is going to evoke tears, think again. My memories of my sister that I want to share with you I hope will make you smile, laugh, or just plain feel the fun that we had being sisters. This story will make you understand just why my sister was so amazing, my best friend, and had to invest in earplugs or a soundproof room.

I majored in music in college. I played both the violin and the piano and had to take other courses too. Keyboard harmony, transposition, strings, woodwinds and anything that involved the piano. With opera and classical music, being able to identify any part of a symphony, sonata, or concerto when the professor dropped the needle on the record was really quite challenging, but not as challenging as the two courses I dreaded the most: voice and sight singing! You have to understand, I cannot sing! My sister, on the other hand, starred in many musical productions such as Oklahoma, Carousel and the King and I to name few. She had a magnificent voice in the soprano range, and she could dance like she was Ginger Rogers. Marcia was talented in all of these areas, and I…well, let me explain.

At the end of the semester everyone had to prepare two programs to sing in front of all of the professors to determine how well we’d progressed. I progressed, but not exactly in the way they would like. I have perfect pitch in my head and can tell you if you are sharp or flat or off key. That’s in my head. But when the notes come out and the words are sung it’s a whole other story. So, when I attempted to sing an Aria from Madame Butterfly, I spoke the words quite well and refrained from torturing the audience. My professor agreed that I had this down pat, but not exactly in the right way, so he agreed that I could create a program for the final that would make me Some people call Help me Howard on CHANNEL 11 when they have a story to tell, and others call Ghostbusters when they want to rid their homes of unwanted spirits. I called Marcia Joyce, who I knew could rescue me the same way Jon Taffer rescues bars. So, we sat down together at the piano in my mom’s house and planned what we hoped would be a great four song program to dazzle and wow an audience of about fifty students and five professors. Now, you have to understand that not only did my final grade depend on this program, but the audience and the professors would critique it too. The pressure was on to create something spectacular, and we did. At least I thought we did!

We practiced the songs with and without the piano just in case they would not let me use the piano to help me with the melody. I was told right before that there would be someone who would accompany everyone except with the melody, but in my case they would make an exception. See! I was special, and you will soon learn why. We practiced several hours a day, and when my sister was at work we practiced using the tape she’d made so that we could work on the program on her lunch hour. She deserved more than just a medal for this.

When the day of the performance arrived I dressed for success, or in whatever outfit my mom thought appropriate…but that’s another story. I looked great, I hoped: Hair, makeup, clothes, and shoes to perfection, my mom and sister said. It was too bad Marcia could not be there, but I put one of those pocket recorders in my bag and another in my jacket pocket and turned them on before I sang so she could hear just how well I did.

Standing in front of all of those people was terrifying, and conferring with the pianist that would play the songs in several different keys was scary. They told me it was in order to see how wide a range my voice had. Well, it had a range, but more like the gas jets on an oven or gas range!

For my first selection I chose to sing the song in the key of G with one sharp, and then the same selection in C with no sharps or flats…both major keys. The second selection I chose the key of F major with one flat, and then C major again. The third and fourth songs I chose to sing in D major with two sharps and G major with one sharp.

I sang all four songs to perfection, I thought. The audience was stunned. You could hear a pin drop! No one said a word.

My professor had to grade my work on the spot, and this was what he said: I realize that your voice is unique and that you had to create a program that would be different. Everyone else sang arias and songs from well known shows or the radio, but you sang four songs of your choice. Considering the fact that you know you cannot really sing, but your instrumental skills are first rate, and I know how hard you and your sister worked, I am giving you a B+ for your efforts and the same grade in the course. I will even offer you another B+ not to take the next class and just get the credit for it.

I thought that was great. So, would you like to know what songs I stunned the audience with? I bet you are totally curious. For my first selection I sang, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in both keys that I stated above, and if I do say so myself, right on key. I thought! The next song was Are You Sleeping? in French and English, the third was Mary Had A Little Lamb, and then for my fourth song I chose something more difficult, America. Now aren’t you impressed? My sister was totally excited when I called her. My mom would have liked an A, but she understood that this was more than I’d hoped for.

My sister and I went shopping that weekend and I bought her the outfit she wanted from her favorite store, New York and Company, and her favorite bag from Kate Spade. That was the least I could do for her hard work and effort. Then, we sat down and listened to the tape, and wherever she is now she is smiling or laughing, or both. Miss you, Marcia Joyce.

Your sister and best friend forever: Frani

Poetically Speaking

Fran Lewis Interviews Poet Chris Hart

Chris Hart grew up in Bronx, NY, and was raised by his mother and grandmother. During his younger years, he relied heavily on his imagination to keep himself entertained. His mother kept him focused on school and being a good person, while his grandmother did the same but tapped into a different side of him.

His grandmother showed Chris that you could bring your imagination to life through creativity. She started off with teaching him how to draw a rose, and ever since he has had a passion for creating.

As he got older, he learned that drawing was not the only form of art he found appealing. When he was a teenager, he moved to Florida to live with his father, Chris Hart, Sr., who laid