Book Review, Norma Jean by Amanda Heath
4.5 hearts Good God I devoured this book and stopped breathing around the 78% mark!
This book was filled with angst, surprises, plot twists and it had a slew of characters. The book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go.
The night Chance Duncan drunkenly kissed me on his couch, I vowed my revenge. I finally had something over his head, something that would bring him to his knees. It only served him right. He bullied me for years and turned me into this messed up person I am now. This caught my attention!
Norma Jean comes from a line of women named after famous women. Her mom is Elizabeth for (Taylor) and then, Norma Jean for (Marilyn Monroe). Bless her heart, she grew up with horrible acne and was bullied during her school years by the handsome, Chance. Prior to this in the second grade, she developed a crush on him and then it morphed into fear and then hate. Norma chronicles this in her journals.
The drunken kiss occurs when they are 17 and Chance is entranced by the beautiful girl with the violet eyes. My heart ached for Norma. She dyed her hair black, had some face piercings and wore goth like clothing and makeup. She hated to look into the mirror. I became so angry at Chance, but that soon changed. What he did was reprehensible, but I wanted to forgive him. Her plan is for Chance to fall in love with her and then, she will break him like he did to her. While they are dating, she sees that the boy who bullied her had secrets of his own and has grown into a man that she begins to love. Interference from others leads to broken hearts.
Can they put the past behind them and build a new relationship? This was a compelling and gripping read with twists and turns throughout the book. I was at the edge of my seat and grasping my Kindle at different points. I wasn't expecting this book to take me on the roller coaster that it did. The book goes back and forth with different povs and even the pov of someone who caused so much pain. There were a few grammatical errors which dropped this from a 5 star rating.
Without a doubt, this essay deserves a honorable place in the Essay Writer Contest which is organized by Edusson blog.
How to write sales letter Part 1
Try this sales letter format I don’t know how many sales letters you have to send out in your business but this is the kind of sales letter format that I use. As an author, I find myself sending them to college instructors and managers of college bookstores for my book on Writing Essays & Term Papers.
I send them to sales trainers because my book on Writing Proposals is geared to sales people as well as to small business entrepreneurs who make up so many of the visitors to this site. Sales letters help get the word out about what you have to offer. Now I know there are lots of pre-scripted sales letters out there on the Net, many of them successful.
I’d rather break the format down for you so that you understand what the components of a successful sales letter are.
For me there are five elements:
1. A hook
2. A statement of the problem or issue in the marketplace
3. Why your product or service is the answer
4. The benefits of what you have to offer
5. Action steps A hook
The first element of the sales letter format - a hook - is exactly what it means – a way to grab attention. I once used the headline “Cold Remedy” along with a medicinal bottle to promote a winter airline package to the tropics. It worked well as a grabber. That’s what this is about. Finding a headline that reflects what you have to offer, and easily connects with the main body of your sales letter. I haven’t always found it easy to come up with that hook, especially off the top. I need time to think about it just as you may. A useful practice is to wait until you’ve got the other pieces together. Once your sales letter has a sense of direction, it’s often easier to come up with the hook.
How to write sales letter Part 2
A statement of the problem, issue or situation in the marketplace
The reason you need a product or service is because you’re faced with some problem or issue and you can’t solve it yourself. Or you discover something that you are so enamored of that you have to have it; for example, the introduction of All Wheel Drive on some car models. Its added promise of safety, especially in winter, was a strong buy motivation.
As a key part of the sales letter format, you must identify that problem or issue in the marketplace that is not being satisfactorily resolved. One classic example is weight loss. Those concerned about their weight are always looking for a newer, better, easier way to address the problem. You may have an answer for them. The focus in this section, however, is defining the issue or problem in the marketplace. Why your product or service is the answer This is a straightforward part of the sales letter format – explaining why your product or service is the solution to their particular situation.
Now this may include the benefits as well as features of your product and service. I try and keep the benefits part separate so that clients don’t confuse benefits with features. Benefits of what you have to offer This is your opportunity to clearly explain why the client should purchase your product or service. Sometimes known as WIIFM (What’s In It For Me), make sure you present the benefits as strongly and powerfully as you can.
Action steps
Action steps are the final part of the sale letter format. You want the customer to act on what you have to offer so you make the offer as attractive as possible by: a. Giving customers an incentive b. Making the offer time sensitive All of these important steps are designed to achieve one thing – have the client act on your request for the order.
Copyright smwellsbookkeeping