This is a randomly ordered list of books that we've worked on. We make absolutely NO CLAIMS as to the contents of the books, which contain anything and everything including religious, political and adult content. And even all three together. If a book offends you, take it up with the author, not with us!
Authors: if we have converted and formatted your book and you'd like it to appear in this list, make sure you've given us the ASIN number, as well as set Make Marketing Page Public? on your book's marketing information page.
A.G. Henley is the author of the BRILLIANT DARKNESS series. The first book in the series, THE SCOURGE, was a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award. A.G. is also a clinical psychologist, which means people either tell her their life stories on airplanes, or avoid her at parties when they've had too much to drink. Neither of which she minds. When she's not writing fiction or shrinking heads, she can be found herding her children and their scruffy dog, Guapo, to various activities while trying to remember whatever she's inevitably forgotten to tell her husband. She lives in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at aghenley.com
Read THE SCOURGE (Brilliant Darkness, #1,) a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award, THE DEFIANCE (Brilliant Darkness #2 also available now), and THE FIRE SISTERS (Brilliant Darkness #3 coming fall 2015!)
Seventeen-year-old Groundling, Fennel, is Sightless. She's never been able to see her lush forest home, but she knows its secrets. She knows how the shadows shift when she passes under a canopy of trees. She knows how to hide in the cool, damp caves when the Scourge comes. She knows how devious and arrogant the Groundlings' tree-dwelling neighbors, the Lofties, can be.
And she's always known this day would come—the day she faces the Scourge alone.
The Sightless, like Fenn, are mysteriously protected from the Scourge, the gruesome creatures roaming the forests, reeking of festering flesh and consuming anything—and anyone—living. A Sightless Groundling must brave the Scourge and bring fresh water to the people of the forest. Today, that task becomes Fenn's.
Fenn will have a Lofty Keeper, Peree, as her companion. Everyone knows the Lofties wouldn’t hesitate to shoot an arrow through the back of an unsuspecting Groundling like Fenn, but Peree seems different. A boy with warm, rough hands who smells like summer, he is surprisingly kind and thoughtful. Although Fenn knows his people are treacherous, she finds herself wanting to trust him.
As their forest community teeters on the brink of war, Fenn and Peree must learn to work together to survive the Scourge and ensure their people’s survival. But when Fenn uncovers a secret that shatters her truths, she’s forced to decide who and what to protect—her people, her growing love for Peree, or the elusive dream of lasting peace in the forest.
A tale of star-crossed lovers, strange creatures, and secretive, feuding factions, THE SCOURGE introduces readers to a rich and exciting new world where nothing is as it seems.
"One of the Best Books I've Ever Read! . . . Buy it, borrow it . . . whatever, just read this book!"
-BookChick, blog review
Mike Wendland is known to millions from his NBC-TV PC Mike technology reports. Trained as an investigative reporter, he has won numerous Emmy Awards and his stories and reports have appeared coast-to-coast in the nation's leading newspapers, from USA Today to The New York Times. Wendland's personal battle with obesity is chronicled in his popular SuperHealthyMe.com blog and he has lost 60 pounds as a result of putting into practice the things he shares in this book.
"I'm no expert," Wendland says. "I'm a journalist. I'm sharing what I have leared as I've researched the obesity crisis in America with top medical and nutritional experts and as I've personally experimented with their healthy eating and fitness recommendations."
The book chronicles the author's continung journey from sickness to wellness and how he's cut body fat and lost weight by eating healthy, natural food.
You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight and cut body fat. Instead, eating good, nutritious food and following the powerful tools in this to-the-point, no-nonsense book will help you keep your New Year's Resolution to lose weight in 2012.
Written by well-known technology journalist Mike Wendland from his ongoing personal experience in losing 60 pounds as chronicled in his popular SuperHealthyMe.com blog, this is a guide chock full of valuable nutrition and weight loss tips from a multidisciplinary team of medical, nutritional, physiological and psychology experts, as supplemented by Wendland's journalistic research and experiments.
If you are serious about cutting body fat, losing weight, embracing fitness and wellness in 2012, this is the only book you need. Obesity is a national scandal. The food we are eating is literally making us sick. Overly processed, unnaturally preserved with a witches brew of unpronounceable chemicals, doused with fungicides, insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers, the food we buy is making us fatter and sicker. This book tells you how to fight back.
And the best part is, if you follow Wendland's to-the-point tips, you WILL start losing weight right now. Today.
And you'll do so while eating good, whole, nutritionally balanced, healthy and natural food. If you want 2012 to be different, follow this guide and you, too, can be... SuperHealthyMe.
The Private Banker is a fast paced commercial fiction novel centred on Michael de Bruin, the owner of the Private Bank, Union Delta Bank. De Bruin is a charismatic, driven and globally known individual; he conducts business with sports stars, celebrities, political leaders and royalty, he is held in high regard as a successful, honest family man.
But he is not everything he appears to be.
UDB is growing fast, even in mainland China, it has a virtuous reputation after three generations of the de Bruin family have been carefully nurturing its growth.
Mistakenly two rogue bankers are hired into UDB, they bring corrupt, dangerous clients into the bank, clients from Myanmar and the former Soviet states who are making fortunes through underworld activities, illicit money, black money as it is known These vast amounts of ill-gotten, dirty, undeclared assets make their way into the ultra-clean and socially responsible UDB bank at the same time as the global economy is crashing and the geo political situation is erupting into conflict.
The black money is lost, the bank is finished and it starts to unravel in a nasty murderous manner, the underworld and others seek their revenge in original brutal ways.
The story is set in Europe and Asia among both a high net worth lifestyle and a darker low life world, bloody in places, sexual in others.
It is well researched and has a contemporary feel, in fact it could be happening right now.
Lisa Stander-Horel and Tim Horel are the writing and photography team behind the captivating baking blog, Gluten Free Canteen. Lisa has written about food and family previously as Guest Chef in Salon, in Lulu and Phoebe's OpenSalon blog, and Gluten Free Canteen. Tim's photos regularly appear in Gluten Free Canteen and have been featured in GourmetLive.com, BlogHer Food and other publications. The authors have been experimenting with gluten-free baking recipe development for over a decade; something like necessity is the mother of invention- style. The authors created the Gluten Free Canteen blog to share gluten-free baking advice, tutorials, recipes, and excellent food. They are hard at work on their next book.
If the Gluten Free Canteen’s Book of Nosh were a bakery, there would be a line out the door every Friday for the braided challah. The team behind the Gluten Free Canteen blog, Stander and Horel bring you an entertaining and unusual gluten-free Jewish baking cookbook with delicious and easy recipes illustrated with mouth-watering photos. This is more than just a book of Jewish recipes — it’s a testament to keeping Jewish baking alive and well even while living gluten-free. They decode gluten-free flour, offer valuable gluten-free baking tips, and provide links to resources. The more than 30 tasty and texture-perfect tested recipes ensure no more double-duty baking of both regular and gluten-free desserts in your holiday kitchen. Even Bubbe would be impressed — that alone makes holiday baking a mitzvah!
What others are saying about the Book of Nosh:
"Gluten Free Canteen's Book of Nosh is a delightful -- and much-needed -- addition to the world of Jewish baking. Beyond the delicious gluten-free offerings, Lisa Horel invites us to lovingly recall the daily lives and passions of our "noshing" ancestors. In doing so, Horel has provided gluten-free homes with an opportunity to reclaim -- and re-envision -- the culinary wonders which have enhanced Jewish life for generations."
– Rabbi Seth Stander, Congregation Beth El, Missouri City, TX
"Mazel tov to Lisa and Tim, the Gluten Free Canteen team, for compiling a lovely collection of gluten free Jewish-inspired recipes. The baked goods look particularly tempting! What a wonderful resource for home cooks struggling with gluten intolerance."
– Tori Avey, Author, The Shiksa in the Kitchen blog, IACP People’s Choice Award 2012 Best Culinary Website
I've had a lifetime of pleasure in writing short stories. I wrote The Geode Room so that I could bring some of my favorite characters to a setting that would allow me to more fully develop their personalities and understanding of life. I'm very interested in understanding people's feelings, and learning to know more about the interconnectedness they share with others in the development of their lives. Reader input has taken this process full circle for me, providing insights into both my storyline, and the private stories of readers, too.
The Geode Room has provided me with a setting to share the wisdom I've learned throughout my life. It's a fun and interesting story that encourages readers to become deeply involved with both the characters and setting. Many readers of the first edition of this book have contacted me to share their satisfaction with having known my characters in this lengthy multigenerational perspective on their lives.
Roger K. Miller, author also of the novels Invisible Hero and Dragon in Amber and of the non-fiction work, The Chenango Kid: A Memoir of the Fifties, was a newspaper writer and editor for more than thirty years. He is a freelance writer and critic whose work has appeared in numerous metropolitan newspapers and other publications. He and his wife Nancy, parents of three grown children, live in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Constance (Connie) Pendleton and Connor Martin live in the rundown working-class section of a medium-sized industrial city. Their sixth-grade teacher calls them her “two Connies,” a label they despise but that is the spark that melts their wariness of one another and turns them into friends.
It is the early 1950s. While the rest of America is growing prosperous, their two families live on the economic edge, Connie with her parents and younger sister, Connor with his Aunt Meg, older sister of his deceased mother. At first the only thing Connie and Connor share is their embarrassment over the shabby, small apartments in which they live. But gradually the things they have in common, including a love of the decade’s movies and music, bring about mutual admiration. Each is troubled by a death in the past.
Connor’s Aunt Meg, divorced and childless, loves him fiercely. But she has a married boyfriend, Sam, whose volatility and air of danger add to Connor’s fearfulness.
As friends Connie and Connor complement and are good for each other. Throughout the decade—as they go through school and domestic routine, enjoying dances and movies and other activities—the closeness of their relationship wanes and waxes, until by their senior years it looks as if it might blossom into romance and love.
Theirs is a Lost World in that the 1950s (revived for the reader in the narrative of these lives) is a time long gone by and foreign to most of us. In a darker sense of the title, Connie and Connie lose their world, smashed for them by a series of disasters.
They flee from each other and from their sorrows, lost to each other for years—until one of those coincidences that happen in life more often than in books. But after all the sadness, can the coincidence bring happiness?
An epilogue provides a startling, even shocking, ending—and resolves a troubling issue, introduced in the prologue, that crops up again and again throughout the novel.
David Joseph is a veteran Air Force Flyer. While in the Air Force, he flew on the HH-53, HH-3, HC-130, C-141, and KC-10 aircraft, and traveled to every continent in the world. His travels and experiences provide unlimited material for writing.
He is the author of Korea x 2 and Silent Six, a military thriller Trilogy, set on the Korean peninsula, The Bully & Other Stories, and the two best seller novelettes, The Great Hijacking and Putin’s Shoot-down! Both novelettes based on the Malaysian MH370/MH17 Flights. He is currently writing Korea Unified, the third book in the military Trilogy, and Inspirational/Thriller short stories. "I have twenty short stories and three novels in my head!"
“The Bully," a cold-war short story classic. One month after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a HH-3, Jolly Green, rescue helicopter is sent on a mission north of Iceland to rescue a Russian with a head injury off a fishing trawler. Pararescuemen Sam Young is lowered on the deck of the trawler and encounters the unexpected--Russian submarines appear and attempt intimidation--but in the end the entire Soviet Northern fleet is the one intimidated. Seven stories that overflow with the danger, excitement, mystery and possibility of life. David Joseph is a writer of astonishing compassion and honesty. His eye set only on describing and revealing the event as he sees it. The Bully shows a gifted military thriller writer emerging. Joseph stories write about military activity as he saw it--with humor, insight, and honesty.
Suzanne Ball was not able to start traveling until she was fifty years old. Since then, she’s been relentless in her dream to see the world.
She is a solo traveler and encourages others who are curious, but nervous, about going alone to follow her lead. The world is quite welcoming!
After a career as a registered nurse, Suzanne now finances her trips through freelance writing on health, medicine… and travel. Her next pilgrimage journey: Via Podiensis--The Le Puy Route across France.
The Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way) is the 500 mile path that crosses northern Spain. Starting in southwestern France, it takes "pilgrims" along a 1200 year-old route that includes mountain passes, tiny villages, magnificent cities, and breathtaking scenery.
The Camino experience includes carrying everything--from clothing to toiletries to water--in a backpack. Suzanne Ball explains what to bring and how to plan for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Besides listing the items to pack, she provides advice about:
- Who walks the Camino...and why
- What time of year to walk the Camino
- How to find the best gear
- Packing light: What to include
- Understanding the hostels, called "albergues"
- Using the resources and forums
Suzanne walked the Camino when she was 65 years old. Besides sharing information and offering advice gathered from her 38-day pilgrimage, she especially encourages solo walkers, women, and Baby Boomers to follow her lead. Anyone who is contemplating walking the Camino de Santiago will find "Follow the Yellow Arrows" useful and interesting. Buen Camino!
There is no other medium that feeds the soul and captures the imagination like a good book. When the weight of the world presses down on each of us, or we simply need an enjoyable break from a busy and harried life, a book can transport us to places of dreams, incredible imagination, and enlghtenment. As has everyone, I have experienced many highs and lows in my life. This is reflected in my writing by trying to be true to human experiences: love and hate, incredible joy and heart-breaking sorrow, open-mindedness, bigotry, the wonders of our natural world, the astonishing things to be learned beyond our physical senses, and the redeeming and universal qualities of "goodness".
I loved my years in school and eventually earned a university degree in English Education for K-12, and a second in Creative Writing. While teaching kids of all ages I was impressed by how smart, funny, creative and resilent they could be even in the toughest of curcumstances. Knowing the benefit of growing up loving to read anything and everything, I endeavored to instill the love of reading (and writing) in my own children, as well as the many students I was honored to teach.
I began writing before I had a whisker on my face. I have never stopped writing..whether short stories, essays, news articles, technical papers, magazine pieces, plays, a sreenplay, advertising, or simply recording my dreams in a journal. I have done stints as a teacher, an oral storyteller, a recording engineer, a songwriter and musician, a poet, a blue collar worker, and more...all the while crafting my style, raising my huge family (and growing a huge garden to feed all those mouths). I have kept really busy...and in doing so I have never been bored...and it has given me much opportunity to keep my ear to the world and my eyes to the rythym of the hopes and dreams of people.
I am happily married for 43 years to my high school sweetheart, the father of 7 children, and "Papa" to my 25 grandchildren ages 22 to a few months. There is no way (and I wouldn't have it any other way!) to not be immersed in the creative and wondrous world of children. For the last 3 years I have enjoyed being a real bearded Santa for the children of our area. I always spend time with the children and enjoy answering their Santa, Reindeer, and Elf questions. I think I could write a book about all the interesting and funny things that I have heard the children say to me as Santa.
I wrote the first Laser O'Hara book "The Hole In Eighth Level" for my children and grandchildren (my best and greatest critics) and have passed it on to you. I am currently working on the 2nd and 3rd of 7 books in the Laser O'Hara series, and finishing up a picture book for the little ones. I certainly don't shy away from the complicated questions that are part of our culture and world, but believe that children should be well-rounded and given the chance to explore a bit of philosophy, religion, mythology, mystery,and universal human dramas and dilemmas. I have not failed if I can engage the reader...and inspire a bit of thought, a smidgin of inspiration, and a good serving of entertainment. So...
The Laser O'Hara Series will be great reading for older children and young adults. I hope that parents will enjoy reading to their younger children the escapades of Laser and his sister Gabby, as they grow up, have fun adventures, and are challenged with everyday life and some tough decisions and incredible experiences in some not so everyday places.
Laser O'Hara and his younger sister Gabby find themselves in a dire predicament after their family has been relocated, discovered, and then threatened because of the research of their long missing scientist father. Luckily, through instructions his Dad has left coded and hidden for him in case of such a threat, Laser is able to build an L.D.D., a machine that makes it possible to travel inter-dimensional levels and to find and rescue their trapped father. Exciting ,sometimes scary, and even humorous events unfold when they unexpectedly pick up a couple of unplanned travelers. The greatest challenge for the kids is to stop an evil plan from collapsing all the levels and ultimately bringing about the destruction of the multiple worlds where they have learned to love and trust themselves and other wonderfully diverse beings. This book is a great triumph for illustrating the ongoing battle between good and evil...the dynamics of love and hate...and the complexities that often come with discerning the difference. You will want to continue on with Laser and Gabby as they pursue more adventures together discovering, shedding light on, and solving universal mysteries and intriguing enigma and puzzles.
Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Counterfeits starts a new series about art theft. What We Found is a mystery with romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods, Rattled follows a treasure hunt in New Mexico, and Whispers in the Dark involves intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page.
Kris writes for children under the name Chris Eboch. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; and the Haunted series, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. Her book Advanced Plotting helps writers fine-tune their plots. Learn more at www.chriseboch.com or her Amazon page, or check out her writing tips at her Write Like a Pro! blog.
Young archeologist Kylie Hafford heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Her first exploration of the crumbling ruins ends in a confrontation with a gorgeous, angry man who looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past. If only Danesh weren’t so aggravating… and fascinating. Then she literally stumbles across Sean, a charming, playful tourist. His attentions feel safer, until she glimpses secrets he’d rather keep hidden.
The summer heats up as two sexy men pursue her. She finds mysteries – and surprising friendships – among the other campground residents. Could the wide-eyed woman and her silent children be in the kind of danger all too familiar to Kylie?
Mysterious lights, murmuring voices, and equipment gone missing plague her dig. A midnight encounter sends Kylie plummeting into a deep canyon. She’ll need all her strength and wits to survive. Everything becomes clear – if she wants to save the man she’s come to love and see the villains brought to justice, she must face her demons and fight.
Whispers in the Dark is action-packed romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.
“This book kept me turning pages until the end. The plot was full of twists and turns, always keeping the reader rooting for the heroine. Excellent read!” Reader Suzanne B.
Tom Nagel is an internationally recognized instructor and clinician. He has conducted clinics and trainings, given lectures, and done presentations throughout the United States and in Europe. Tom was the main speaker at the 10th Annual International Centered Riding Symposium in Brattleboro, Vermont. He was a keynote speaker at the 2007 Certified Horsemanship Association International Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Tom's training background lies outside of horseback riding and his main expertise is in the basic biomechanics of how human bodies work. He has a third degree black belt in Aikido and is an advanced practitioner of Zen Bodytherapy, a bodywork discipline that combines deep tissue and alignment work. Tom started his Zen training in 1977 and became a certified Zen meditation instructor in 1986. This background gives him a unique perspective in how to help riders use their bodies efficiently first off and then on their horses.
Zen & Horseback Riding explains the location, importance and use of the psoas muscles. The psoas are the deep core muscles that link the upper and lower girdles of the body. They are the basis of all efficient body movement and can be used by participants in any athletic activity.
This book explains how to correctly use your body to obtain tone (strength with flexibility), self-carriage (stability and lift) and movement (vertically bilateral in rhythm) both on and off the horse. Zen & Horseback Riding is about using horseback riding as a means of self-development and training. It is about improving both your riding and your life.
Tom Gosinski grew up in Nebraska and graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. After college he moved to Phoenix, Arizona and held a variety of positions at America West Airlines including Technical Writer, Policies and Procedures, Manager Customer Services Administration, and Manager Government & International Affairs. He left America West Airlines and serviced as Director, Government & International Affairs at the American Voluntary Medical Team. Since then, Mr. Gosinski has worked in interior design and project management. Mr. Gosinski has volunteered, served as a board member, and advised a variety of nonprofit organizations. The Wrong Side of Right is Tom’s first book.
Intoxicated by the promise of travel, the sparkle of politics, and a fascination for the mystery of wealth, Tom redirects his life into what, he feels, will be a satisfying, promising future. However, once on the inside, he realizes the sparkle was created by mirrors and the fascination and mystery were illusions carved in smoke.
At this juncture in my life I have a very strong desire to write a children’s fantasy story. I suppose the desire to write has been lying dormant. When I was a teen I wrote a poem as a classroom assignment and found that I enjoyed creating with words. Over the years I have written poems for my eyes only. I submitted one of my poems in a contest several years ago and it was selected for publication. “Lonely Heart” published by the International Library of Poetry as a compilation in The Silent Journey.
I wrote a short story for one of my daughters when she was around five years old about her backyard adventures. She loved it! Sometimes when my nieces would visit I made up stories to entertain them. I held them capative for a little while telling a story off the top of my head.
Here I am many years later pursuing my passion to write.
Earth Allies is a very good read. I wrote the story to deliver a message. The message is love, unity, and compassion.
Twelve-year old Ethan decided to take a short-cut home, through the woods, from school after band practice. While making his way home through the woods Ethan has an experience that he never imagined; he encounters two fairies. Frightened and confused he runs home. It wasn’t until his second encounter with the fairies that he learned what they wanted. The fairies explained to him that Gaia/Mother Earth is in danger of being destroyed and they ask Ethan to help them save her. Ethan eventually agrees to help but this is no easy task. He is faced with several challenges trying to save Gaia/Mother Earth and he has a very short time frame to turn everything around.
This story is a fantasy, written for youths ages 10-13. It is warm and heartfelt. Your child will enjoy reading a wonderful story about fairies and children coming together to save Gaia/Mother Earth.
Shirley Kennett has worn a number of hats, including those of corporate analyst, programmer, independent computer consultant, and pet store employee (the one who cleans the cages), but her writer's hat is by far the most comfortable--and most satisfying--of them all. She has been a fan of suspense and thrillers as long as she can remember, which may have had something to do with growing up in a converted turn-of-the-century funeral home.
Kennett has been involved with computers most of her life. In her consulting career, she focused on improving the quality of patient care through computerized clinical applications.
She discovered motherhood not in the usual fashion, but by bringing home an adopted child from Peru, astounding herself by falling in love with her son at first sight, changing her first diaper, and floating down the Amazon, all on the same trip. Eight years later, an Ethiopian boy joined the family. The two boys, close in age, created "twins" from greatly different cultures. Truly hers is a global family.
Kennett is a graduate of the Washington University School of Engineering in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a St. Louis native, a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the American Crime Writers League, Romance Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and International Thriller Writers, where she was a national board member. Her hobbies are reading (not surprising), gardening, and photography. Kennett is a frequent speaker at conferences and has taught writing classes online and in person. She has been a judge for the Edgar Awards several times.She resides in Missouri with her husband Dennis, sons Tom and Tim, and two cats, Marble and Snickers..
In this suspenseful thriller, a celebrated pianist has been found dead, decapitated by a sharp instrument, possibly a meat cleaver. His head is missing. The skin on his back has been carved into the bas-relief of a mongrel dog. It is a savage, seemingly senseless slaying. But it is only the first.
Penelope Jennifer Gray, known as PJ, is a newly divorced psychologist making a fresh start with her twelve-year-old son in St. Louis. A pioneer in the competitive field of computer simulation studies, she has been hired to set up a new division within the St. Louis Police Department. Through cutting-edge techniques of virtual reality, the Computerized Homicide Investigations Project, or CHIP, recreates real-life crimes by placing the user in the mind of the perpetrator.
PJ is teamed up with Leo Schultz, a veteran cop fast approaching burnout, to investigate the case that has St. Louis is a death-grip: the city is being terrorized by what could be the most unstoppable serial killer in history.
He's a face in the crowd. A figure in the shadows. The guy standing behind you at the street corner, waiting for the light to change. With each fresh killing, Pauley Mac adds another victim to his "guest" list. They are the voices in his head. The coveted talents he hopes to one day possess. The furies he can no longer control.
For PJ Gray, it will take all of her instincts as a psychologist and as a woman to beat Pauley Mac at his own game. To survive, she must enter the mind of a killer.
"Kennett is a writer of rare skill, and Gray Matter is a deftly plotted novel bristling with suspense. Its characters are real and contemporary, and its premise is gripping and unique. Not since RED DRAGON has a more menacing serial killer roamed metropolitan St. Louis. A rip-roaring good read. Let's see more of PJ Gray!"
- John Lutz, author of Single White Female and Serial
"Fans of Patricia Cornwell's work will be hooked on his heart-stopping and harrowing thriller. The finely drawn characters in Gray Matter are both complex and terrifyingly convincing."
- Romantic Times
“Kennett’s devious creativity and bloodcurdling, realistic descriptive passages result in a terrifying and explosive thriller.”
- Booklist
“Shirley Kennett is a polished and poised addition to the ranks of contemporary mystery writers. You’re going to enjoy her books.”
- Mystery Scene
“A sleek and cunning read, with enough plot turns to keep the pages flying by.”
- Ed Gorman, author of Bad Moon Rising and Blindside
“May leave some readers sleepless.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“Kennett’s storytelling talents win out. Solid entertainment.”
- Publishers Weekly
My book is the culmination of a personal 20-year spiritual journey. As happens with major shifts in life, I was catapulted onto this journey by my husband's life-threatening illness. I was terrified and had no place to turn. In situations like this, this is when most people turn to God, Trouble was God and I weren't on speaking terms--I had been raised with the hell and damnation of the Baptist church and I had decided God wasn't such a nice guy. So, I found my comfort in books, New Thought books that suggested ways of living that were completely foreign to me. Books that told me I could create my life however I wanted and that, in fact, I was entirely and solely responsible for my life and my circumstances. I began to practice the things I was learning and they were changing my life in significant ways. I learned that what you think about, you bring about. I learned that the Universe (my term for God) was for me and not against me. I learned that the Law of Attraction was a magnificent tool I could use to bring to me everything I wanted.
So, given my personal experiences, I wanted to share what I had learned with others so that they too could create a beautiful life.
My book outlines the steps I have learned in my own life that lead to success and happiness. We each create our lives either by default (whatever happens, happens) or deliberately. I show you in my book how you can deliberately create your life using your thoughts, your feelings, your intuition, your attitude toward gratitude and visualization.. And, then last but not least, how to take action to actually create the life of your dreams.
As a "public healthe"r I have always been interested in adult literacy. Reading is vitally important and helping people get to their highest potential is a goal. I have taken many courses in literacy education and admired the methods, but I found that most relied on graded children's books to assist adult students. So, I decided to write stories incorporating the graded readers' vocabulary with an adult theme. I love mysteries and chose my first story in that genre. The Caretaker is writen for the young adult and adult new reader, ESL/EFL students. There is very little fiction which is based on this principle and I am pleased to make this story one of them.
When I'm not writing,both adult literacy books and children's books, I spend my time editing other manuscripts and a plant tissue culture newsletter. I have a Master's Degree in Public Health and started out in nursing and health education. Later I taught in elementary schools.
Someone has been digging up the new graves in the cemetery. Caretaker Joe thought that grave robbing went out with the middle ages. So, who has been disturbing the sleep of the newly dead? Nothing to do but wait them out on a dark night among the gravestones. Just after the funeral of one of the town’s richest men, they strike again. Joe thinks he’s trapped them, but the surprise is on him. Super illustrations by Lauren Phillips really enhance the story.
What? No gore? No violence? No graphic sex? Can this story be any good?
Yes!
This short mystery is written to encourage reading enjoyment especially for the young adult and the adult new reader. The story line is appropriate for ages 12 and up. It is extremely suitable for reading programs, adult education, ESL programs, libraries, prison libraries and special education programs. And really, for all of us who enjoy reading a scary tale.
The author:
Tom Surbaugh is a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia and a long time television writer/producer having spent stints with Creative Sports, ESPN and NASCAR Media Group. He currently is a media specialist with a national television network and lives with his wife and son in Matthews, North Carolina.
The Miracle of Hominy Falls is a story that is very close to his heart. Two of the four miners who died in the accident were relatives. A story that has largely been forgotten, the author presents this tragic chapter in West Virginia coal mining history in a positive light where faith in God and basic common sense lead the "lost" out of the darkness.
About the book...Miracle of Hominy Falls
The against all odds story of survival during the 1968 Hominy Falls, West Virginia coal mine disaster is told through the hand-written journal of trapped miner John Moore. His daughter Vicki tells of the nearly two weeks of waiting and wondering if they would ever see her father and his co-workers alive after the flooded mine cut them off from the outside world. Faith and calm heads prevail as all but four miners working nearly two miles inside Big Sewell Mountain would eventually make it out alive in what has been described as a miracle.
Muriel Marks is currently preparing her next book, while making chutneys, jams and continuing to enjoy her passions of animals, antiques and books. My Double Life is her first book.
In 1987, in her late forties and with two marriages behind her, Muriel Marks decides to take control of her destiny, putting herself through night school to qualify as a chef. Destiny takes the upper hand however when, on a weekend break in the West Country she meets debonair English actor Leo Lewis, recently returned from the glittering world of Hollywood. Falling instantly in love, they decide to open their own restaurant together, fulfilling a long-cherished dream for Muriel. To attract visiting entertainers, they call their new venture ‘Backstage’, and Freddie Starr, Les Dawson and Johnny Cash all become appreciative patrons. Leo however prefers centre stage, especially when the alcohol is flowing. Toss a few pretty waitresses into the mix and the recipe soon becomes explosive. The little town of Paignton doesn’t know what’s hit it and neither does Muriel. As Leo’s wildly drunken behaviour escalates into violence, the restaurant degenerates into a nightly farce for the customers and a living nightmare for Muriel. After much angst she is forced to sell the business, and Leo departs back to the States and his Hollywood career. Absence soon makes the heart grow fonder however. Realising she is still in love, Muriel flies out to America to be with Leo. She finds him not in Hollywood but New Jersey, and living a far from glamorous life. The pair survive for a while on poorly paid menial work, buy a second-hand car and head west, bound for the sunshine coast of California and the movie capital of the world, where Leo has ‘contacts’. But as they pass deeper into the heart of America, with Leo increasingly drunk and Muriel in constant fear of arrest as an “illegal”, she realises she has absolutely no idea what lies ahead of her. “My Double Life” is a unique true story of cookery and crookery, showbiz and booze, of love, enduring friendship, aspiration, despair, and starting all over again. Its cast of characters is vivid and varied, from movie stars to tragic has-beens, villains and freaks to the merely eccentric, along with kindly, lost souls, everyday heroes and heroines, all set against the deceptively sleepy backdrop of the British seaside and the vast, alien landscape that is America. It is also about a woman who followed her heart and survived to tell the extraordinary tale.
The principle character of this book is an ordinary Russian guy named Vadim whose life is never uneventful, indeed Vadim can always be counted on to share a funny story with his friends; usually stories in which he was at the epicentre. Live through one summer of Russian life with Vadim and his attractive but at times critical wife Julia and come to understand how it is fun to be Russian. Drink vodka during a consultation at the clinic, experience a fishing weekend with friends, spend a relaxing summer week at the country Dacha and see how a seaside vacation to Egypt can be unusually eventful in the right company. Along the way you may find the answers to all those niggling little questions you never knew you wanted to ask. Why do Russians tie fishing boats to their feet while camping? How do you catch a bottle of vodka while fishing off your balcony? Why is it unwise to relieve yourself out the door of a Russian train at night? What German phrase do all Russian men know and when would they use them? Find out which is stronger; an Al Qaeda head or a Japanese television? And, just why is it essential that your wife always wears white knickers while travelling? While finding out, you will agree with the author of this book, that it is fun to be Russian and vodka is naked vitamin and pure energy! Enjoy reading and Na Zdorovie!
I became interested in this story for a few reasons. One is that I love movies. I took film courses in college, wrote a script to attain enough college credits in order to graduate, managed theatres, and reviewed films for a newspaper for over ten years, and now post them on my website, terrynelson.net. Also I enjoy reading about historical and cultural events, and true life unsolved mysteries are fun to research.
I also knew, many years ago when I was in high school, an elderly housekeeper, who I came to find out, was once married to a Hollywood producer during the silent era. She was reluctant to talk about that period of her life, but one day she opened up, telling why she didn't like talking about those days, then softened a little, mentioning people she knew, and the kind of parties that went on. I don't recall her ever talking about it again. I did, however, gain some knowledge about the time and place which I tried to incorporate into the story.
Without revealing too much-this is a mystery after all-my ending is different than might be expected. The challenge was placing the killer at the scene using the facts of the case, not altering them in anyway for the sake of convenience. Using the events of that night, including a possible eye witness, is a challenge for anyone to place any killer, save one at the scene. I do believe that knowing of incidents leading to the murder, as well as studying the people involved, that this is a very likely scenario. But of course there could be others, but I chose this character as the killer, not only because of the likelyhood, but also because of the literary and dramatic effect to end the story.
Being a movie fan, the unsolved murder of silent film director William Desmond Taylor in 1922 has always fascinated not only me, but many others. And who doesn't like solving a mystery? More than three non-fiction books have researched the murder; all arriving at a different killer. There have been documentaries made. Even a graphic novel. There are plenty of suspects, including two leading actresses. There is possible police corruption and a cover-up, evidence that goes missing, and a key suspect that disappears and is never heard from or seen again. The murder captivated the country during a period when the Fatty Arbuckle case was going on and many civic groups were calling for banning movies in their cities. Hollywood was in a panic. And newspapers and magazines creating lurid and sensatonal stories did not help.
In my fictionalized account, Chester Koski, a writer for Famous-Players Lasky, is told by a studio executive to find out what happened at the bungalow of murdered silent film director William Desmond Taylor.
Chet and his wife Eveleen, who appeared in my novel "Loonies in the Dugout," are aided by a police detective who apprises Chet of the investigation, and by a 22-year old wealthy flapper, a friend of Eveleen. Things get complicated for Chet when someone steals his new radio and then is accused of murdering Gawen Wainright, a drug addicted actor friend of Eveleen.
There are many suspects: Actress Mabel Normand who was the last to see Taylor alive; Mary Miles Minter, a young actress enamored of Taylor; Minter’s overprotective mother Charlotte Shelby; Tom Dixon, wealthy pencil heir and jealous suitor of Minter; Patricia Palmer, an actress involved in shady activities; and Edward Sands, Taylor’s former valet and known thief who has disappeared.
I hope to inspire others to enhance their total wellbeing, by pointing out some of the facts and benefits of living a healthy lifestyle --at the individual level, national level, and global level.
Based on solid evidence and scientific research, I am confident that anyone can improve their wellbeing by the lifestyle choices they make on a daily basis; and that those choices will significantly determine how long they get to live.
I am a healthy and very active 78-year-old chap, who formerly was CEO of a petroleum engineering firm based in Caracas, Venezuela for 30 years. I have lived in several countries, travelled around world and love to learn from other cultures. A few years ago, I had a life-changing health problem which nearly took my life. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and resumed a normal and healthy lifestyle. Through this episode, I gained a new perspective, which motivated me to look and go further in enhancing my wellbeing.
In only 9 minutes, you will get a bird’s eye view of eating habits and lifestyles of 99 percent of the world’s population, and discover 99 things about yourself that would allow you to enhance your total wellbeing. All of this for only 99 cents! That is the magic of the 9.99 formula.
You will also learn about life expectancy and prosperity around the world; which countries have reached the top and why; what lessons can we learn from them; discover the ultimate diet, your metabollic rate, and more!
The team of authors:
Joy Aceron (Philippines) is Program Director at the School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, directing Government Watch (G-Watch) and Political Democracy and Reforms (PODER) programs, both aiming to contribute in democratic deepening in the Philippines. Concurrently, she is a part-time faculty member of the Ateneo Political Science Department. She has published several works on political party and electoral reform, social accountability and leadership and has ten-year experience in citizenship education and civil society-government engagement. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Rainer Heufers (Indonesia) is a Senior Fellow of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation where he leads the annual “Think Tank MBA” for think tank leaders from around the world. From 1999 to 2011 he represented the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation in several Asian nations, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Since 1984 he has researched economic and social policies involved in China’s transition to a market economy. Warsito Ellwein, Vera J. Putri and M. Husni Thamrin are co-authors of this chapter.
Kartini Aboo Talib (Malaysia) was a Fulbright Scholar to Northeastern University in Massachusetts, USA, and holds a PhD in Law, Policy and Society. She is trained as a political scientist and presently works as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She has published several chapters in books and articles on various issues including dispute resolutions and consumer rights, labor law and legal immigrants, gender and policy, managing consensus in a plural society, non-profits and policy implementation, election and good governance, and environmental policy and sustainability. She is a grantee of Sumitomo Foundation Fiscal Year 2012, and currently works on evaluating the Look East Policy. She is also a collaborator with the Applied Sciences University in Frankfurt, Germany under the DAAD project for summer teaching class in Sidbhari, India from year 2012-2015.
Kim Le (Vietnam) is a government relations consultant at Vriens & Partners, a public affairs consultancy. She currently specializes in Vietnam government and public policy. Kim currently divides her time between Singapore and Vietnam, where she helps clients, both international organizations and multinational corporations, to gain a better understanding about the policy-making process in Vietnam, as well as supports them in reaching out and communicating more effectively with the Vietnamese government. Kim obtained the Masters of Social Science from the National University of Singapore. She was trained in political science, with a focus on party politics. She wrote her masters thesis on the historical development of the Thai party system.
Moe Thuzar (Myanmar) is Lead Researcher for socio-cultural affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Starting July 2012, she was appointed Fellow at ISEAS' Regional Social and Cultural Studies Programme. Before Moe joined the ASC in May 2008, she headed the ASEAN Secretariat's Human Development Unit, which coordinated regional cooperation in the areas of youth, labour, education, social welfare, gender, rural poverty reduction, health, and civil service matters. At ISEAS, Moe co-authored with Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Myanmar: Life After Nargis (ISEAS, 2009). She co-edited with Yap Kioe Sheng, "Urbanisation in Southeast Asia: Issues and Impacts" (ISEAS, 2012). She has written on Myanmar for ISEAS' Regional Outlook: Southeast Asia 2012-2013 and Southeast Asian Affairs 2012. Moe recently took on responsiblities as coordinator of the Myanmar Study Group at ISEAS. She is also a resident analyst for Channel News Asia’s Think Tank programme. Moe is working on a review of Myanmar's foreign policy, focusing on lessons from the 1988-2008 period. Her other research interests cover urbanisation, environmental cooperation in ASEAN, and ASEAN's dialogue relations.
Netina Tan (Singapore) is a Social Science Humanities and Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs, the University of Toronto. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia (2011). Netina was a Dissertation Fellow at Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and Visiting Research Associate at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University (2007-8). She holds a M.A. in Political Science from the University of Regina (2004) and a M.A. in Southeast Asian Studies (2000) from the National University of Singapore. Her research interests include democratization, party and electoral politics, gender and non-traditional security in East and Southeast Asia. Netina is currently working on her book manuscript that investigates the institutional sources of hegemonic party resilience in Asia and she will be assuming a tenure-track position in Political Science Department at McMaster University from January 2013.
Pan Sopheap (Cambodia), born in 1973 in Kampong Cham province, earned a master’s degree in political science from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. After several positions with IRI, FNF and experience as a social activist and facilitator he is executive director of the Cambodian Farmer and Nature Net since 2010. Yang Saing Koma, Kok Tha, Virak Bunnarath have substantially contributed to this chapter.
Pimrapaat Dusadeeisariyakul (Thailand) is currently a Program Manager in the Thailand Project of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. She joined the foundation in April 2004 as a Program Manager in Malaysia Project and later moved to Thailand Project in 2011 until at present. Pimrapaat obtained her doctorate degree in International Relations in 1999 from the
University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom and obtained her master degree in International Politics in 1993 from the University of Aberytwyth in the United Kingdom. Her main study is on Southeast Asian security and non-nuclear proliferation. She is interested in current socio-political and economic development in Thailand in particular and in Asia in general.
Zaw Oo, a former student activist in Myanmar, studied political science in the US and worked as a lecturer in the Community Development and Civic Empowerment Program, Faculty of Social Sciences, at Chiang Mai University in Thailand. The reform process in Myanmar ended his self-exile. He is now head of a think tank in Yangon and adviser to president Thein Sein.
Wolfgang Sachsenröder (the editor) has earned his PhD from Bonn University and worked for 24 years in practical politics for the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation. His longest posting was as regional director for East and Southeast Asia from 1986 to 1997. Since 2008 he is back in the region and joined the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore in 2009. He is editor of the Partyforumseasia, a discussion platform and database on political parties in Southeast Asia (www.partyforumseasia.org).
This is the first comparative study on political parties in Southeast Asia covering eight out of the ten ASEAN countries. Feudal Brunei Darussalam has no parties and for Laos we could not find a scholar willing or allowed to join our group.
The book is dedicated to anyone interested or active in party politics in the region.
Southeast Asia is an economic power house of sorts with fledgling and often volatile political systems. Political parties and their leaders make decisions on behalf of more than 600 million people with a far reaching impact also on other parts of the world. This is why understanding the driving forces in and behind Southeast Asia’s political parties is important.
This book provides a fresh look into organization and internal mechanisms of the main political parties, how they function on the ground, how they hold together, and how their leadership systems work. Internal competition and candidate selection, campaign strategies and party finances, money politics and career opportunities are a special focus in the eight country chapters.
While showing the difference between classical party models and the reality on the ground in Southeast Asia, the book provides broad information on party politics in the region, adding a practical view to the vast and often rather theory-loaded scholarly literature. It intends to reach out to party members and activists, journalists and other political observers, and to anybody interested in Southeast Asian politics.
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