Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Book Feature: Everything You Need to Know About Camping and RV'ing by Ghislaine Bourdon






Title: Everything You Need to Know about Camping and RV'ing
Author: Ghislaine Bourdon
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Sports & Recreation/Camping
Format: Ebook
These are informative and entertaining lessons that teach the ways and etiquette of camping that will lead to a more relaxed and enjoyable vacation for everyone. Learn to organize, plan, and prepare with eagerness and excitement. 

Camping is fun for everyone especially if you know how to do it right! Let me guide you to your greatest adventures.




Ghislaine Bourdon has a bachelor's degree in studio art. She was a swimming instructor for most of her life and taught swimming for the school system in France for many years. Ghislaine bicycled across most of Europe including the Alps alone when she was sixteen years old. She has climbed many mountains and does extensive camping trips. Trying not to be hindered by a past mental illness Ghislaine has overcome many life long difficulties. She is an extremely diversified individual with talents that abound.


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Interview with David Penny, author of Evolution Now







Publication Date: March 27, 2017
Publisher: XLibrisNZ
Formats: Ebook
Pages: 229
Genre: Science
Tour Dates: August 14-25

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This is a very Popperian approach to evolutionary study. Karl Popper was a philosopher of science, who took science very seriously, and had a profound influence on the chemists and zoologists where I did my undergraduate degree. The book starts from about 1600, when people accepted that life continued to arise “naturally,” and then moves to the pre-evolutionary concept of the fixity of species. Darwin started as a geologist in the Hutton-Lyell tradition and quickly became convinced that current causes were sufficient to explain geology, and he then moved to biology. I gave an account of his theory in some detail. However, there is also an update on what we have learned since Darwin. This is followed by a chapter on human evolution, especially human speech and the Out of Africa theory. This is followed by two chapters on beliefs that maybe incorrect (one of which is the extinction of dinosaurs from the extraterrestrial impact at the K-Pg boundary—maybe incorrect). The other is the direction of change between eukaryotes (which have a true nucleus) and akaryotes (without a true nucleus). The book finishes with a section on what is left for the future. In good Popperian style, there is a lot left for us to discover!





Could you please tell me a little about your book?

It is a dynamic view about what we have learned but we are still learning. It is an optimistic view.

Who or what is the inspiration behind the book?

Karl Popper, who taught philosophy when I did my first degree.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

Our ideas are still progressing, we have a lot to learn yet. 

Do you have any rituals you follow when you finish a piece of work?

Write some more!

Who has influenced you the most through your writing career?

Karl Popper.

What are some of your long term goals?

Write, write, write.





David Penny is a 'Distinguished Professor' at a New Zealand University, and has a PhD from Yale University. He is a New Zealander by birth.

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Book Feature: 2D Surgical Hospital by Lorna Griess





Title: 2D Surgical Hospital
Author: Lorna Griess
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Military Biography
Format: Ebook
This book is about living and working in a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) in South Vietnam. It talks about the hospital itself, the setting, how we lived, how we coped with less-than-good circumstances, the type of patients we received, the equipment we worked with, and the emotional highs and lows that were part of every day. The stories are true. Some of the dates and numbers of things may be off a little; that was a long time ago. Names have not been used to protect the wonderful, dedicated people with whom I worked and lived with.
Lorna Griess made the Army Nurse Corps her career after her tour in Vietnam. She served in hospitals worldwide for almost thirty years. She retired as a full colonel and chief nurse at Letterman Army Medical Center on the Presidio in San Francisco (now closed). Fully retired from nursing, she joined the Military Officers Association of America, California Council of Chapters, and became their legislative liaison. She serves as a veterans’ advocate in the California State Legislature. She is a member of several other veterans’ organizations including Vietnam Veterans, AMVETS, and VFW. She writes articles, reporting on current legislation for local newsletters. For relaxation, she has become an artist. Her oil paintings have been on display at several galleries around Sacramento, including the Crocker Art Gallery.

Monday, November 20
Review From Here
Literal Exposure

Tuesday, November 21
Mythical Books
Born to Read Books

Wednesday, November 22
A Book Lover
I'm Shelf-ish

Thursday, November 23
The Dark Phantom
The Zen Reader

Friday, November 24
My Bookish Pleasures
Inkslinger's Opus

Monday, November 27
All Inclusive Retort
T's Stuff

Tuesday, November 28
Bent Over Bookwords
Lover of Literature

Wednesday, November 29
The Book Czar
The Book Refuge

Thursday, November 30
The Hype and the Hoopla
The Revolving Bookshelf

Friday, December 1
Voodoo Princess
My Life. One Story at a Time.

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Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Book Feature: Her Final Watch by Marguerite Ashton




Title: HER FINAL WATCH
Author: Marguerite Ashton
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Pages: 296
Genre: Crime



Speaking second-hand truths can be deadly …

Detective Lily Blanchette will stop at nothing to solve a murder. Her current case involves the killing of an undercover cop working to bring down the mob for prostitution and drugs.

But Lily's usual laser-like focus on the case has been disrupted.

Two weeks earlier, she learned she was pregnant by her murderous husband whom she'd killed in self-defense. Unsure whether to keep her baby or place the child of this cruel man up for adoption, Lily keeps the pregnancy a secret from her colleagues.

Under mounting pressure to solve the case, Lily arranges a sit-down with a local mob boss only to find out her suspect is also wanted by them. But before Lily can warn her team, she and her new partner, Jeremiah, are shot at, and another body is found.

When she discovers Jeremiah has a connection with the underworld, she is pulled into a conflict that swirls around the boss's son who's hell-bent on revenge.

To add to the complexity of the situation, Lily learns that her victim might still be alive if it wasn't for opportunistic Assistant District Attorney, Ibee Walters, who has a twisted vision of justice.

As Lily gets closer to finding the killer, she unravels ugly secrets that point to Ibee and Jeremiah - placing Lily's life and her unborn child in danger.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon




Detective Ariel Weeks stabbed at the small block of ice until it split into several pieces across the counter. She tossed the jagged cubes into the glass and made her client a drink.

In less than twenty-four hours, Ariel would no longer have to use the name Jasmine and keep men company to protect her cover. All she needed to do was make it through this last night and she’d be allowed to be who she was; a mom just doing her job.

After gathering evidence and recording all the data she had, it would be hard to detach. Towards the end, she’d learned things she wished weren’t true, leaving her stomach in tattered knots.

Back at home, there were two reasons Ariel would never take on another undercover assignment.

Click.

Ariel ground her teeth as the door to Cabin D opened and closed. She could feel Mikey Surace, the mob boss’s son, staring at the backless white dress she wore at his request.

The man who smiled at the sight of blood was standing behind her, breathing heavily.



When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online library for crime writers who need help with their book research.

She’s a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe. 

A member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in
Colorado, but is now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

 

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In the Spotlight: Stairway to Paradise by Nadia Natali


 We're thrilled to have Nadia Natali, author of the memoir, Stairway to Paradise: Growing Up Gershwin today! Leave a comment below to let her know you stopped by!

Title: STAIRWAY TO PARADISE: GROWING UP GERSHWIN
Author: Nadia Natali
Publisher: RareBird Books
Pages: 304
Genre: Memoir
Growing up as Frankie Gershwin's daughter, the sister of George and Ira Gershwin, was quite a challenge. I didn't have the perspective to realize that so much unhappiness in a family was out of the ordinary. But I knew something was off. My mother was often depressed and my father was tyrannical and scary, one never knew when he would blow up. I learned early on that I had to be the cheery one, the one to fix the problems. Both sides of my family were famous; the Gershwin side and my father who invented color film. But even though there was more than enough recognition, money and parties I understood that wasn't what made people happy.

As a young adult adrift and depressed I broke from that unsatisfactory life by marrying Enrico Natali, a photographer, deeply immersed in his own questions about life. We moved into the wilderness away from what we considered as the dysfunction of society. That’s when we discovered that life had other kinds of challenges: flood, fire, rattlesnakes, mountain lions and bears. We lived in a teepee for more than four years while building a house. Curiously my mother never commented on my life choice. She must have realized on some level that her own life was less than satisfactory.

Enrico had developed a serious meditation practice that had become a kind of ground for him. As for me I danced. Understanding the somatic, the inner body experience, became my way to shift the inner story.

We raised and homeschooled our three children. I taught them to read, Enrico taught them math. The kids ran free, happy, always engaged, making things, and discovering. We were so sure we were doing the right thing. However, we didn't have a clue how they would make the transition to the so-called ‘real world’. The children thrived until they became teenagers. They then wanted out. Everything fell apart for them and for Enrico and me. Our lives were turned upside down, our paradise lost. There was tragedy: our son lost his life while attempting to cross our river during a fierce storm. Later I was further challenged by advanced breast cancer.

It was during these times that I delved deeply into the somatic recesses of myself. I began to find my own voice, a long learning process. I emerged with a profound trust in my own authority. It became clear that everyone has to find his or her way through layers of inauthenticity, where a deep knowing can develop. And I came to see that is the best anyone can offer to the world.

Enrico and I still live in the wilds of the Lost Padres National Forest, a paradise with many steps going up and down, a life I would not change.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible



Nadia Natali, author of the memoir, Stairway to Paradise: Growing Up Gershwin, published by Rare Bird, Los Angeles, 2015, and The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Zen Retreat Center published by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley CA, 2008, is currently working on a second cookbook titled Zafu Kitchen Cookbook. 
           
Natali, a clinical psychotherapist and dance therapist, specializes in trauma release through somatic work. She earned a master’s degree from Hunter College in New York City in Dance/Movement Therapy and completed another masters degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in somatic psychology at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. Nadia is a registered practitioner of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (RCST) and is also a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) who trained with Peter Levine.

DanceMedicine Workshops is Natali’s creation where participants move through their trauma with dialogue and dance. She also offers the Ojai community, DanceMedicine Journeys. In addition to her private practice, Nadia and her husband offer Zen Retreats at their center.

Born into a famous family that was riddled with dysfunction, Nadia Natali made the choice to turn her life inside out and step away from fame and fortune. Against her parents’ consent she married an artist and moved to the remote wilderness in California. It was there that she found grounding as she and her husband raised and homeschooled their three children and opened a retreat center. As she gathered her own momentum, she enrolled in a doctorate program finally becoming a clinical psychotherapist specializing in psychosomatic work. She and her husband live in Ojai California.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK


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Monday, November 20, 2017

Book Feature: Constitutional Renaissance by Richard Monts






Title: Constitutional Renaissance
Author: Richard Monts
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Political Science/Government
Format: Ebook
Have you had enough? When will the United States government stop growing? All constitutionally enumerated activities should have been in place long ago. There should be no more expansion in scope, yet there is. What we have now is an overbearing out-of-control central government—expanding far beyond constitutional limits—imposing on member states’ sovereignty. The result is a reduction in competition among states, a stifling business environment, and citizens and businesses suffering under complex taxation and regulations. On top of that, a litigious environment depresses economic activity further. There is an alternative! This book presents one that is very business friendly, establishes competition among the states, and provides a positive environment for the individual to strive for their potential while honoring the genius of the Constitution.
Mr. Monts has been concerned about continued expansion of the United States government since the Kennedy administration. He deferred to others, constitutional and legal experts galore, for the correct interpretation of the Constitution. He assumed they were right. During the Affordable Care Act discussions, he had heard enough. He determined to answer two questions to his own satisfaction. First, what is the role of the United States government? Second, what is the best environment for the individual to realize their own potential? After reading the Constitution and other contemporary writings, using his own common sense, putting intellectual integrity and honesty before ideology, ignoring case law, using correct meanings of critical words, he had his answers. The results are in this book.

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Book Feature: The Silver Horn Echoes by Michael Eging and Steve Arnold




Title: The Silver Horn Echoes: A Song of Roland
Author: Michael Eging and Steve Arnold
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Ebook
The Dark Ages—a time of great turmoil and the collision of empires! 

As the Frank kingdom prepares for war, Roland, young heir to the Breton March, has been relegated to guard duty until a foreign emissary entrusts him with vital word of a new threat to the kingdom. Now Roland must embark on a risky journey to save all he loves from swift destruction. 

And yet while facing down merciless enemies, he must also reveal the hand of a murderer who even now stalks the halls of power and threatens to pull apart a kingdom reborn under the greatest of medieval kings, the remarkable Charlemagne. 

For Roland to become the champion his kingdom needs, he must survive war, intrigue and betrayal. The Silver Horn Echoes pays homage to "La Chanson de Roland" by revisiting an age of intrigue and honor, and a fateful decision in the shadows of a lonely mountain pass—Roncevaux!


Michael Eging is co-author of Annwyn’s Blood, as well as a screenwriter and partner at Filibuster Filmworks. He and his wife have five children and live in Virginia. Steve Arnold lives in Ohio with his wife and kids. Besides co-authoring Annwyn’s Blood, he has corroborated on everything from short stories to screenplays for Filibuster Filmworks.



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A Bookish Conversation with Crime Thriller Author Robert Parker


Robert Parker is a new exciting voice, a married father of two, who lives in a village close to ManchesterUK. He has both a law degree and a degree in film and media production, and has worked in numerous employment positions, ranging from solicitor’s agent (essentially a courtroom gun for hire), to a van driver, to a warehouse order picker, to a commercial video director. He currently writes full time, while also making time to encourage new young readers and authors through readings and workshops at local schools and bookstores. In his spare time he adores pretty much all sport, boxing regularly for charity, loves fiction across all mediums, and his glass is always half full.

His latest book is the crime/thriller, A WANTED MAN.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

  
Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

All sorts! I have two young kids and a third due any time now, and they keep me very busy! Aside from trying to be as active a father as I can be, I box regularly to raise money for Cancer Research UK, training 6 days a week. After 3 fight camps in a row, I’m having a little break from the fights themselves at the moment but I’m still training. I’m aiming to step back into the ring in March 2018.

When did you start writing?

When I was 6, I remember wanting to write books and stories and would do so any time I could. I then picked up scriptwriting when I was 17, before coming back to writing prose at 29. That’s when I started writing novels.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

The first conversation with Linda Langton, my agent. Changed everything in an instant, and hers was the first voice in the publishing industry that told me there was something there in my work and that I should keep writing and press forward. I’ll never forget it.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

Somewhere with water. It just drags my blood pressure right down, as soon as I see it. Give me anywhere with a big quiet lake or river and a decent pub and I’d be very happy.

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?

Be cheeky and ask for another 4! There just isn’t enough hours in the day for everything I want to do in life, but I’m going to push it has hard as I can.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?

New York. I’ve been once and was so seduced by the variety, the sense of opportunity, the spirit, the scale. I am enamoured by it, but I’ll need to go a few more times before I can write about it – I full underqualified to commit everything that New York is and represents to page!

Back to your present book, A Wanted Man, how did you publish it?

It was published by Endeavour Press, after I originally self-published it 4 years ago. I’ve rewritten it over 40 times to get to this stage, to get a publisher to say yes!

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

It is set in Manchester, UK, my home city, so aside from living there and interacting with it daily, I luckily didn’t have to do anything special. I think it’s an amazing city that lends itself so wonderfully to storytelling, so much so that every location in the book is real, and only the odd street name and pub name has been changed.

Why was writing A Wanted Man so important to you?

I’m not precious about any of my work, but I’m very influenced by certain topics which play a big part in the story of A Wanted Man. I’m very inspired by the works of our armed forces, and the sacrifices they have made in recent combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. I respect them hugely, and I often wonder what it would be like to go to war, grow up during said war, then come home to a country that is much changed. I felt like telling a story like that was important to me, because I feel like a lot of people take their sacrifices for granted. 

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?

A very simple answer is ‘life’. It might sound a bit grand, but just ‘living’ tends to supply all the inspiration I’m after. If you’re looking for inspiration: Just live a good varied life, day to day. Go out and embrace stuff, do things you’ve never done before, go places you’d never picture yourself visiting. The world is mad enough all by itself.

Any final words?

Never give up. Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it. You’re the only voice that says you can’t. Ignore it, and get at it. Two hands.
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Interview with Multi Award-Winning Crime Fiction Author Jennifer Chase


Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning crime fiction author and consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

Her latest book is the crime thriller, Dead Cold.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK



About the Book:
                                                              
What happens when one California community has a disturbing spike in homicides? It catapults cops into a deadly game of murder. Frozen human body parts hideously displayed at the crime scenes offers a horrifying interpretation that only a sadistic serial killer could design—and execute.

On the hunt for a complex serial killer, vigilante detective Emily Stone must face her most daring case yet. Stone’s proven top-notch profiling skills and forensic expertise may not be enough this time.

Young and ambitious, Detective Danny Starr, catches the homicide cases and discovers that it will test everything he knows about police work and the criminal mind. Can he handle these escalating cases or will the police department have to call in reinforcements—the FBI.

Emily Stone’s covert team pushes with extreme urgency to unravel the grisly clues, while keeping their identities hidden from the police. With one last-ditch effort, Stone dangles someone she loves as bait to draw out the killer. She then forces the killer out of their comfort zone with her partner Rick Lopez, and with help from a longtime friend Jordan Smith. A revelation of the serial killer’s identity leaves the team with volatile emotions that could destroy them.

The killer continues to taunt and expertly manipulate the police, as well as Stone’s team, and as they run out of time—they leave behind everyone and everything—in Dead Cold.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon


Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

I love being outdoors, hiking, taking photographs, and training my German shepherd. And of course, I love to read. I wish I had more time to read both fiction and non-fiction books.

When did you start writing?

I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest childhood memories of writing was when I was four years old. I wrote tiny script lines for all of my stuffed animals. I loved writing all throughout school and then I wrote more seriously as an adult, writing screenplays, local newspaper articles, and some copyrighting.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

I learn something from every book project, but everything really became real (for lack of a better description) for me when I won a gold medal for an action thriller, Dead Burn, in 2013 from Readers’ Favorite. There was an overwhelming amount of entrants, but it was because this particular book was almost scrapped completely because I felt that there were two separate storylines. I thought about it for a while and a solution came to me. I put the most amount of blood, sweat, and tears into that book. It meant a great deal to me to have won that award. It was a personal triumph for me.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

I need to be by the water—at least that’s how I feel. It doesn’t always have to be the ocean like here in California, but it helps. I love writing where I’m at right now in my home state of California.

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?

Read and sleep.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?

I’ve been thinking about a location outside of the United States, such as Canada or Europe. The interesting settings and storylines would almost be endless.

Back to your present book, Dead Cold, how did you publish it?

Dead Cold is independently published with JEC Press.

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

I did not travel for research to write Dead Cold, since it takes place in California. I did have detailed research questions that related to various aspects of forensics and law enforcement. I have wonderful expert sources that I can contact. It’s preferred over searching the Internet where information can be incomplete or erroneous.

Why was writing Dead Cold so important to you?

All of the books in the Emily Stone Thriller Series are important to me. I love writing action thrillers—I think was born to write them. Each book challenges me and I think that’s why the character hasn’t become boring or stale—at least not yet. I try to find interesting tidbits in the forensics or crime scene areas that most haven’t heard about and incorporate them into the story.

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?

I find that when I’m not forcing ideas, scenes, or new characters, it comes to me much easier. When I’m hiking and outdoors, ideas seem to flood towards me. It’s when I’m doing the simplest tasks is when storylines begin to build up in my writing arsenal.

Any final words?

Thank you so much for the interview opportunity.

If readers are looking for a new crime thriller series with an original heroine, then I have a series for you. I love hearing from readers, please feel free to connect with me on social media.


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