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Spotlight Artist: Justin Su'esu'e

7/31/2014

Greetings!

Typically, I post about books, updates and my favorite subject: zombies. Today I am going to write about something a little different, music and family. As a writer, I have a deep appreciation for all the arts.

Writing is something that I’ve always loved, but I didn’t really know that it was my calling until more than a decade into adulthood. The same is not true for my cousin, Justin Su’esu’e. He’s known that he was a performer from a very young age. He joined the Youth Entertainment Stage Company as a kid and hasn’t looked back since. Music has always filled his home and his heart. After high school, he pushed forward and attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. I attended his graduation this past May and couldn’t be more proud of the accolades bestowed upon him including graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music for vocal performance, as class president.

His accomplishments only prove to me that if you stick to your goals, you can achieve them. Whether you dream of showing your art in a gallery one day, acting on stage, or publishing that book that you've always wanted to write, if you follow the path, it can make your dream a reality. Now, if your dream is to one day be a duck...sorry, I think you might be out of luck on that one.

I am inspired by Justin and many others in my life that are making their dreams come true.

Tonight, I attended a fabulous farewell recital for Justin (he's a Tenor) at our local college, here in Central California. His performance was stunning, emotionally charged and dedicated to his late parents. As Justin moves on to the next phase of his life, which is attending graduate school at the University of Southern California, I can only wish him much success in all his endeavors and promise that he will always have a fan in me. His college years have presented so many opportunities for him thus far. I cannot wait to see what the next few years have in store for him. It may be because he’s family, or it may be because he has both natural and hard-earned talent, but I have a feeling that Justin will do great things with his voice.

Music lovers, he’s one to keep an eye on.

Thanks for stopping by! Jeannie Rae out.

If you are interested in donating to Justin’s tuition costs, click here.

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The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto

7/28/2014

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Here's my take on The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto.

I was about a third of the way through a book recommended to me by a friend, (I won’t mention which friend, and I definitely won’t mention the book) but it was excruciating. Don’t get me wrong, it was well written, but I couldn't get into it, no matter how hard I tried. Picking up my Kindle almost felt like a chore. I paid a decent amount for the book, so I felt obligated to read it. Finally, I’d had enough. I decided to go for another book and abandon the current one. I felt a little gun-shy at first. I mean, if I'm going to shell out the time, I want it to keep my attention.

Enter The Haunting Season.

After reading a create your own ending blog post by Michelle Muto a few weeks back, I added the title to my: To Read List. After a quick visit to Amazon, my interest was piqued even further by this blurb:

Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal.

The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. To escape, Jess and the others must open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that seeks to hold them in.

It certainly sounded like something that I would like to read, but to be safe this time, I read the sample first…and definitely wanted to know more about Jess and The Siler House.

The Haunting Season drew me in and the Siler House cast a spell on me. Not only did this book entertain me, but it gave me a scare or two of my own. I have a habit of reading in the evening, when it’s dark out and I’m the only one in the house. Add all that to my disturbing and over imaginative mind- and you get the point.

The characters in the book are well-developed with their own unique perspectives and abilities. The Siler House, itself, was so well written that it was practically another character in the book.

The Haunting Season was a fast read for me because I wanted to read it all the time. I certainly found Muto’s title entertaining and would definitely recommend it to all those readers looking for a good haunting. I will likely check out more titles by Michelle Muto. I thoroughly enjoyed her story and writing style.

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Author

I am Jeannie Rae, not so plain & almost never simple. A person who is just as flawed as I am skilled. One who loves my family with all my heart in good times and in bad – through celebrations & times of tremendous grief, achievements and disagreements. A woman who knows how short
our time on this planet is & tries to marvel at the beauty of every moment
afforded to us. I am a culmination of many things & find it rather difficult
to classify myself into one category or another. What I do know… is this, I try
to make the best of every precious day that I am allowed to be alive & enjoy it with all my heart.

Spotlight Artist: Justin Su'esu'e

The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto

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