Greetings, blog subscribers! Yes, I’m still here and editing books, although I haven’t posted in a while. I’m well overdue. So let me tell you what I’m excited about at the moment: two memoirs I recently edited, which are two of the best manuscripts to come across my desk in a long time. I recommend these for your reading pleasure! Below are the back-cover synopses I wrote for each:

DIAMOND: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan, by Etsuko Diamond Miagi tells the tale of a small girl orphaned in a hostile foreign country, who must live by her wits and courage until fate decides to favor her many years later. Told in the thrilling voice of an expert storyteller, this memoir reads like page-turner fiction yet is factual down to the letter. It is a compassionate look into human hearts under the worst of conditions, and at what a gentle soul will do to protect the people she loves. Set in the Philippines near the end of the Second World War, DIAMOND rolls back the curtain on a time and place about which little has been written. It is history. It is drama. It is a story of personal triumph.

Reaching Across the Aisle: Reflections on My Experiences in Politics, by Dennis A. Ross
Dennis A. Ross  is a political science professor at Southeastern University in Florida and a retired U.S. Congressman. In this heartfelt memoir, he shares the story of his rise as a statesman who learned along the way the humbling importance of public service over personal ambition. He discusses the problems he sees in our republic and the solutions he thinks can right the ship. Restoring civics and history in our schools, building community programs that encourage young people to enter politics, and restoring civility to political debate are, he believes, imperative for us to survive as a nation. Dennis’s story demonstrates how aligning one’s life with what one believes to be the will of God, ultimately results in finding one’s way through the challenges, in making a difference, and in achieving one’s dreams.

You can find these gems on Amazon. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. DIAMOND is such a page-turner that I’ve sent it along to my producer for possible consideration as a film. (For those who don’t know, my feature-length, family screenplay UNDER THE FENCE is in the process of being funded by two prolific film producers, one who was formerly with Pixar.) This is a nice perk I can offer my author clients: the chance of having their novel or memoir reviewed by my own producers if I believe the book checks the boxes for a great movie and merits Hollywood attention.

I’ll be back next month with two more book recommendations. Wishing all of you happy reading and signing off until then …

Jessi

Jessi Rita Hoffman … book editing by an industry professional