The Story Behind Visions of You by C.Y. Bourgeois

Shelby Leight is a wise-cracking, lighthearted teenager, looking forward to a fun-filled senior year in high school.  She already knows the pain of losing a loved one, but has worked her way through the grief to come out on the other side.

Then, in the fall of 1975, in the sleepy, picturesque town of Palmer Alaska, the unthinkable happens.  There’s a serial killer on the hunt and one of Shelby’s best friends has disappeared.

The sudden loss of her friend in such a violent manner awakens something in her, an ability to communicate with the dead….visions.  In the midst of all this, Shelby falls in love for the first time only to discover the shocking truth about her boyfriend.  Can she accept him for who – what he is?  Can her friends and family accept him?

Shelby has a vision of the killer stalking another of her friends and is desperate to stop him before it’s too late.  Instead of an enjoyable senior year of high school, Shelby and her friends must come to grips with life and death – and all they hold – in their quest to find a monster before he kills again.

The Story Behind Visions of You

By C.Y. Bourgeois

I met a woman who had lost both of her parents and was trying to sell their house.  I took my mom there to look at it because my dad had moved into The Pioneer’s Home, a place where he could get the care he needed.  It was in Palmer, Alaska and Mom wanted to move into town to be near him.

We walked through the house and eventually made it to the basement.  There were some shelves and a workbench that contained a few things belonging to the woman’s father.  As we headed back upstairs I noticed the lady had tears streaming down her cheeks.  I asked her if she was okay and her reply nearly floored me.

She said, “I feel like they were never here.”

I thought about her words many times after that and three years later when my dad died, I was determined he would not just disappear from this earth as though he were never here.  I started writing a story about Dad.  It was really emotional for me so I stopped and started several times over the next five-and- one-half years.

Somewhere during the process of writing Dad’s story, I read the Twilight series.  I enjoyed it, but wondered why everyone writes about vampires as superhuman creatures; glittery skin, leaping tall buildings in a single bound (oh, wait that’s Superman), climbing trees at the speed of light, immortal, etc.  I’d heard that there really are people out there who believe themselves to be vampires, so I did some research and Visions of You sprouted in my brain.  It started out as a story about Paul, a young man discovering that he is a real-life “vampire”, but as I wrote, the story started coming from Shelby’s point of view and turned into a thriller, with Paul’s condition used as a back story.

I finally finished my dad’s story.  It’s a novelette entitled The Concrete Gnome and is available now through Amazon (Kindle only).

* * * * *

C.Y. Bourgeois is a freshman author and an avid reader. After having spent countless enjoyable hours over the years reading other people’s narratives, she realized that she too has stories to tell.

C.Y. considers herself a native of Alaska, having lived there since the age of two.  She and her husband recently moved to northern Idaho where they now reside with their two dogs and three cats and where she is currently working on her second Shelby Leight novel, Visions of Mortality.

Her latest book is a suspense thriller (bordering on YA) called Visions of You.

Please visit C.Y. Bourgeois’ website at http://cybourgeois.authorsxpress.com/

The Story Behind Waking Up Happy by Jill Muehrcke

No matter what kind of change you want to make in your life, WAKING UP HAPPY: A HANDBOOK OF CHANGE WITH MEMOIRS OF RECOVERY AND HOPE holds the keys. As inspirational as it is practical, this first-of-a-kind handbook focuses on the positive steps of recovery and change.

Powerful, absorbing, and beautifully written, WAKING UP HAPPY tells people’s stories, the turning points that changed their lives, and their secrets to waking up happy. Whenever a storyteller learns a new life lesson, you’ll find exercises you can do to put that lesson to use in your own life.

In WAKING UP HAPPY, Jill Muehrcke tells her true story. She also includes the stories of her daughter and granddaughter. Together, these memoirs shine a light on three generations struggling with similar problems and offer clues to how to break the legacy of addiction.

In addition, Jill includes the memoirs of over 30 others recovering from addictions, harmful habits, and intolerable situations. Brave and honest, these stories are filled with triumphs and epiphanies, as well as concrete, step-by-step advice and guidance.

Lessons learned are summarized into secrets you can use to forge your own life-changing journey. The book ends with 365 Steps on Your Journey – one simple step for each day of the year. If you do just one thing from this book every day, you’ll see dramatic growth.

WAKING UP HAPPY is the first book ever to combine memoirs with exercises in a way that ignites change in an almost magical way. Readers say that the combination of true stories and concrete exercises has helped them change their lives as nothing else has been able to do. The memoirs inspire them and the to-do lists prompt them into action.

The exercises are based on decades of research into how people transform their lives. The memoirs provide hope. They show that change really can happen.

Ideally suited to people recovering from addictions or self-defeating habits, WAKING UP HAPPY is also for anyone who has watched a loved one struggle and felt the anguish of not knowing how to help. Indeed, it’s for anyone who longs to move past fear to joy.

One reader calls WAKING UP HAPPY “a treasure trove of delight. It’s like a work/play book in the style and spirit of the Motherpeace books. You can read it straight through or just open it at random and find wisdom.”

The Story Behind Waking Up Happy

By Jill Muehrcke

When I think back to the inspiration for my book, WAKING UP HAPPY: A HANDBOOK OF CHANGE WITH MEMOIRS OF RECOVERY AND HOPE, I think of a night three years ago. Our granddaughter Shyloh had ended up in the hospital after nearly dying of a heroin overdose. She was going into a rehab center the next day.

She had just turned twenty.

She was spending the night at our house so we could take her to Hope Center the next morning. The center was only a mile from where we lived, while Shyloh’s parents lived nearly an hour away. Shyloh had to be at Hope Center at 8:00 sharp for intake in the morning, so we had offered to take her.

Late that night, I heard her sobbing and rushed to her room. She had gotten a call on her cell and learned that her boyfriend was dead. He had died of an overdose. He, too, had been planning to go into treatment, in a different rehab facility. The two of them had great plans for their life together after they both “graduated” from rehab. Shyloh had been telling me all about their plans earlier that evening.

For Tim, that life was never to be.

For Shyloh, the hard work was just beginning.

Shyloh tells her story in WAKING UP HAPPY, and so does her mother – my daughter – Andrea.

I’ll never forget the times when Andrea was a teen and I was wakened in the middle of the night by calls saying that she had nearly died. Several times she overdosed on alcohol and ended up in a coma. We didn’t know if she would survive with brain damage – or if she would survive at all. Once she was found lying outside in the winter cold, where she would have frozen to death if she hadn’t – just by chance – been found.

Leaving Shyloh at Hope Center that morning was wrenching – as much as it had been leaving Andrea at a similar facility when she was fifteen. I couldn’t imagine how Shyloh would manage the huge weight of her grief over Tim’s death, while far from her friends and family and recovering from her addiction at the same time.

But Shyloh did the work, learned the lessons she needed to learn, and rose from the ashes of her previous life in a way I could never have imagined. She began attending meetings at a place called Connections, an oasis of recovery here in Madison, Wisconsin.

As I got to know others at Connections, I realized that all of them had stories that were begging to be told. Like my grandaughter Shyloh – like my daughter Andrea – like me myself – they had faced a crossroads, changed their lives completely, and learned to live with joy and purpose.

I began interviewing people and writing down their stories. While each person had chosen a different path, their journeys had many things in common with my own.

Ever since I’d quit drinking in 1984, I had been collecting exercises, tips, and wisdom to help me forge a new life. Along the way, I had uncovered a few secrets about change. First, I had learned that profound change was, indeed, possible. I had also discovered that it didn’t happen as quickly as I wanted. At first I was constantly frustrated at my turtle-like pace. But then I found the most important secret of all. If I did just one tiny thing differently each day, those small changes, in time, added up to a totally different life. One by one, I left my addictions and bad habits behind. And one day, I realized I was waking up happy.

WAKING UP HAPPY fell into place as I blended people’s stories with the exercises and steps that had worked for them and for me. Each time one of the storytellers in WAKING UP HAPPY learned a lesson in their life, I added activities that readers could do to make those same changes in their lives.

I realized that the book would be helpful not only to those recovering from addictions but to anyone who wanted to make a change in their life. I saw that the strategies for change were similar whether a person wanted to quit smoking, spending too much money, eating the wrong foods, continuing an unhealthy relationship, biting their nails, or compulsively and rudely checking their text messages while with their friends.

Even people who are very successful in their lives are often so invested in working and achieving that they destroy their relationships and let stress ruin their health. Stress can lead to early death. So it can be life-changing to replace overwork with calming, self-enhancing habits.

It became clear to me that by combining the true stories of people who had changed their lives, along with the strategies that had led to real change, I could provide keys that everyone could use to become their best selves and live the most fulfilling lives possible.

And now that WAKING UP HAPPY has been published and I have been hearing from readers, I cannot tell you how amazing it is to watch others pick up those keys and unlock the doors just waiting to swing open.

* * * * *

Juliana (Jill) Muehrcke is the award-winning author of many books and articles. Founder and editor of the international magazine Nonprofit World (snpo.org), she has studied at the University of Colorado and the University of Michigan and has a BA degree, specializing in English and psychology, from the University of Washington. Jill is listed in Who’s Who (MarquisWhoswho.com). In her spare time, she enjoys teaching yoga and eating ethnic food. For many years, in several cities, including Seattle, Honolulu, and Madison, she has written restaurant reviews.

Her latest book is Waking Up Happy: A Handbook of Change with Memoirs of Recovery and Hope.

You can visit her website at www.WakingUpHappyBook.com.

Listen to Jill on the Joy Cardin Show at http://wpr.org/search/ideas_program_search.cfm?StartYear=3&keyword=muehrcke&x=0&y=0.

 

The Story Behind A Story of the West by Susan Spence

Matt Daly’s eyes narrowed as he faced the stranger in front of him. “I know I don’t have a quarrel with you because I don’t know you,” he growled.

“But I know you,” the menacing outlaw sneered back, clearly ready to use the Colt revolver hanging from his hip.

Only a few years earlier Matt and his father had trailed a herd of longhorns north from Texas into Montana Territory. Upon arriving, they decided to stay and raise cattle on the fertile grasslands.

Shortly after the Northern Pacific rail line was completed and it became easier for people to head west. Lavina Lavold stepped off the train in Miles City with her family and immediately caught Matt’s eye. When they fall in love, Matt’s life seems perfect.

There are unscrupulous men, however, determined to build cattle empires. A ruthless neighbor decides he wants the Daly’s claim, and he will stop at nothing to acquire their ranch. Since the entire area is undeeded land, it is up for grabs and there is no law on the rough frontier to prevent a range war. When Matt refuses to back down, his life takes a dangerous turn.

Forced to abandon his family, his travels take him down a long road of misery. An encounter with an Indian medicine man helps him to regain his sense of self, but not until after he gives in to his desperation.

A Story of the West depicts life during the open range ranching days of the Wild West. Besides plenty of action, I have added a women’s perspective to settling the American West. I researched the era to ensure historical accuracy and have written an accurate portrayal of life during this time, as well as an exciting read.

The Story Behind A Story of the West

By Susan Spence

I first thought up the pivotal moment in my hero’s life, which has to do with his life becoming so miserable that he decides to end it. I wrote the story around that event, how he got into such a desperate place and what happens afterwards. In my mind it always took place during the 1880s time period in the American West. It turned into a love story, and of course, it also has a lot of action to turn it into a thrilling read.

There were a few years between thinking up the idea for A Story of the West and getting it into print. Even though I’ve been an avid reader all my life, I had never even thought of writing a book before. I’m not sure what came over me. All I can say is that I must have had some spare time on my hands. I’m also not sure what my husband thought when I told him I was going to write a book. He didn’t laugh or try to talk me out of it anyway.

When I decided to attempt a novel, I didn’t even own a computer. I went to the supermarket, bought a spiral notebook and a bag of Bic pens, went home and started putting the story down. Part of it was that I thought writing by hand would help put me in the time period, but I quickly realized that I didn’t have the writing expertise to just sit down and tell a story. That led to my first computer, as I needed to have a word processor for all the rewriting that followed.

I worked on my book for at least a couple of years. I would leave it alone for months at a time, but I always kept it in the back of my mind, thinking and figuring out the plot. The more I wrote, the more I liked the result. Finally I made a push to get it finished and into print.

The publishing process was a daunting task only because it meant getting my story out there and risking criticism. I procrastinated way too long because of my fear, but eventually got over my jitters and got it done. I am happy to say that the feedback from readers has been really incredible, so I’m glad I persisted.

 

Susan Spence has always been intrigued with life in the west in the 1880s. She researched historical accounts and first-person narratives as she prepared to write A Story of the West. A lifelong resident of the west, she currently lives in Montana on an old sheep shearing station with lots of furry critters and one partially furry critter. This is her first novel, and she is busily working on a sequel due out in late spring.

You can visit her website at www.writing-ranching.com.

 

The Story Behind Plant Teacher by Caroline Alethia

Hailed by Huffington Post contributor Joel Hirst as a compelling and powerful story, Plant Teacher begins in 1972 when a hippie in Oakland, California flushes a syringe of LSD down a toilet. Thirty-five years later, the wayward drug paraphernalia has found its final resting place in Los Yungas, Bolivia, the umbilical cord between the Andes and Amazonia. Enter into this picture two young Americans, Cheryl Lewis, trying to forge her future in La Paz and Martin Banzer, trying to come to terms with his past in the same city. The two form an unlikely friendship against the backdrop of a country teetering at the brink of dictatorship and revolution. Bolivia sparks the taste for adventure in both young people and Martin finds himself experimenting with indigenous hallucinogenic plants while Cheryl flits from one personal relationship to another. Meanwhile, the syringe buried in the silt in a marsh in Los Yungas will shape their destinies more than either could anticipate or desire. Plant Teacher takes its readers on a fast-paced tour from the hippie excesses of Oakland, to the great streams of the Pacific Ocean and to the countryside, cities, natural wonders and ancient ruins of Bolivia. It reveals­ the mundane and the magical, and, along the way, readers glimpse the lives of everyday Bolivians struggling to establish equanimity or merely eke out a living during drastic political crisis.

The Story Behind Plant Teacher

By Caroline Alethia

2007 to 2008 were “interesting times” in the South American country of Bolivia. Democratically elected President Evo Morales decided he wanted a firmer grasp on power. In an armed encampment, surrounded by protestors, he illegally amended the national Constitution to extend his term limit. While this assault against democracy was taking place, three protestors outside were shot and killed.

I lived in Bolivia from 2007 to 2008. I read the national newspapers and watched the television coverage of riots and protests and arrests. At night, I saw demonstrators walking through the streets with banners and torches, shouting slogans and setting off firecrackers that sounded like gunshots. During the day, I wound through encampments of hunger strikers in the main city plaza of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. These brave citizens rested in hammocks and sipped nothing but water for days while television reporters meandered through the crowds and ambulances waited on street corners.

And what did I do? Because I was neither a Bolivian citizen nor a member of the press, I slipped into my favorite café and sipped frothy fruit smoothies. I set up my laptop and read the news online, and I watched dozens of other customers enjoy pastries and teas and coffees as if nothing remarkable was going on outside.

In the evenings, I would socialize with other visitors in the sheltered patio of my guest house. Travelers from all over the country considered whether or not there would be a civil war. We drank soft drinks mixed with beer and took evening dips in the pool. We had parties. We played the guitar and sang. We barbecued. In the day, vendors sold their wares at the outdoor markets and office workers found their ways to their jobs.

Bolivia from 2007 to 2008 was a study in just how deeply the human spirit craves normalcy. Revolution and civil war may threaten, but people will still pay their bills and do their laundry and pick up their groceries in the evening. When certain possibilities are too difficult to assimilate, we human beings move ahead as if… as if life is normal.

I wrote Plant Teacher, set it in Bolivia from 2007 to 2008, and filled it with characters who were preoccupied with the daily routines and personal dramas of their lives. While a coup takes place around them, the characters in Plant Teacher fall in and out of love, read books and write poetry, sip cappuccinos and take dips in the pool. For as long as they can pretend their lives are normal, they will do so: So do the characters in Plant Teacher; so do everyday human beings. This paradox alone, I found to be a worthy setting for a novel. I hope my readers agree.

Caroline Alethia is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, on radio and in web outlets. Her words have reached audiences on six continents. She lived in Bolivia and was a witness to many of the events described in Plant Teacher. You can visit her website at www.plantteacherthebook.net.

 

The Story Behind Making Life Matter by Shane Stanford

In a world of fast-paced schedules and priorities, conversations about what makes for a life well lived are a rarity and a luxury. But what if the daily pace of life held in itself the way to make choices more significant? What if the daily to-do lists gave a glimpse into how people might change their future? What if the daily grind, as arduous as it might seem, held the key to a life full of meaning and potential? What if everyday, simple steps, instead of some complex list of seemingly unattainable principles, showed how to make life matter?

Making Life Matter answers these questions and shows that the steps for making life matter are found in rather ordinary decisions, attitudes, and patterns found in normal routines. This book is about our story and our journey, and what we do and feel along the way.

The Story Behind Making Life Matter

By Shane Stanford

In 1986, I was diagnosed with HIV, contracted from the meds used to treat my hemophilia.  I remember being told that I had two to three years to live.  Of course, this was devastating to a 16 year old.  My grandfather was my hero, and I could always talk with him about what was happening in life.

One day, about three weeks after my diagnosis, my grandfather and I were on the side of a hill overlooking the golf course where I played.  He looked over at me and said, “What are you going to do with this thing?”  I knew what he was asking but did not know what to answer.

“I don’t think I have a choice” I finally replied.

My grandfather was a stoic, tough man.  But, I looked over and saw tears in his eyes.  I had never seen him cry.  He looked down, and then looked by up to me—directly into my eyes.

“You are right.  This is a tough situation” He said.  “And, I know things are very difficult, but, sport (he always called me ‘sport’), you always have a choice…”

I could not see how I had a choice.  He continued.

“You can choose to get in the corner and have a pity party.. and I love you so much that I will get in that corner with you.”  He reached over and touched my hand.

“But” he began again.  “I believe you will make another choice—I believe you will choose to make each day count”.

He said I could ‘make each day matter’.

And, so, from that day forward, I have tried to ‘make life matter’.  Have I been successful each and every day?  No.  But, I believe that God has used a small portion of whatever gift I possess to make a difference.

That is what this book is about—helping folks make a difference in life.  The principles in the book are from everyday wisdom learned around my grandfather’s table.  This book is a memorial to him and to his wonderful way of facing the world.

I want people to know that they have a choice—they can make each day count.

The principles are simple and profound—“I am How I pray”—“I am not enough”—“I Need a Place”.. etc.  They are not earth shattering but I do believe they are life changing.

I hope others will find this to be the case as well.

Shane Stanford is a pastor, author and teacher.  He is the Senior Pastor of Christ UMC in Memphis, TN, one of United Methodism’s largest and most influential congregations.

Shane is a former church planter as well as the Director/Host of the United Methodist Hour, a radio and television ministry airing in 30 million homes nationwide.

Shane is the author of eleven books including A Positive Life (Zondervan), The CURE for the Chronic Life (Abingdon), and Mosaic (Abingdon).

Shane has also written several articles published in such journals/magazines as Giving, CNNOnline, Alive, and The Circuit Rider.

Shane has appeared on numerous media programs including ABC’s Good Morning America and Fox & Friends.

Shane travels extensively sharing his story as an HIV positive hemophiliac and pastor.  He has presented at such venues as the Saddleback Global AIDS Summit and the National Civil Rights Museum.

He is married to Dr. Pokey Stanford (a Professor of Education) and they are the parents of three daughters, ages 14, 11, and 7.

His latest book is Making Life Matter: Embracing the Joy in the Everyday.

Visit his website at www.shanestanford.com.

Dear Michael: The Michael Jackson Book Monument

ABOUT MARISA GARAU

Marisa Garau (SAY Ga-row as in “wow”) is co-founder of Bungalow Publishing. The specialty publishing house is pioneering a new art form with the Michael Jackson Book Monument. The memorial consists of a strictly limited, luxury edition book crafted from wood, stone and crystals that will contain 1,000 personal fan farewells to The King of Pop. Marisa worked for 10 years as a creative director, copywriter and journalist within her Amsterdam-based advertising agency. She is a bestselling author whose books include From Stress To Strength – Enrich your life with the power of mindfulness and ABBA – The Inner Circle Interviews.

Learn more at www.dear-michael.com.

ABOUT ARJAN VAN WOENSEL

Arjan van Woensel (SAY Ar-yan van Woon-sol) is co-founder and creative director of Bungalow Publishing. The specialty publishing house is pioneering a new art form with the Michael Jackson Book Monument. The memorial consists of a strictly limited, luxury edition book crafted from wood, stone and crystals that will contain 1,000 personal fan farewells to The King of Pop. Arjan is an award-winning Creative Entrepreneur, self-proclaimed magazine fetishist, tech aficionado, designer, surf enthusiast and aspiring adventurer.

Learn more at www.dear-michael.com.

ABOUT DEAR MICHAEL: THE MICHAEL JACKSON BOOK MONUMENT

The world today offers unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and co-creation as people across the globe share their views, feelings and personalities online. Now Bungalow Publishing, a specialty publishing house, is tapping this potential to involve people worldwide in a monumental off-line expression of human creativity: the Michael Jackson Book Monument.

For the first time ever, fans will have the opportunity to co-create “a unique monument of historic proportions” to Michael Jackson and his impact on their lives in a personalized work of art celebrating the legendary performer.

The Monument consists of a strictly limited edition of 5,000 copies of a bible-like book, each copy containing 1,000 stories by fans on the impact of Michael’s music and personality on their lives. Each numbered book will feature a cover portrait of Michael created from over 3,000 Swarovski crystals. Each will come with two cases, one made of stone and one made of walnut, which together create a unique way to exhibit the book, as well as a specially designed and numbered MJ medal. In addition to the limited edition, Bungalow Publishing will offer regular editions available to everyone.

All Michael Jackson fans will have a chance to participate through a contest Bungalow Publishing has launched. Visit http://dear-michael.com/participating-is-easy/ to participate in three easy steps:
Sign up, create an account and log in.
Write your personal story to Michael. Save it, preview what it would look like on a page from the book, and share it on Facebook – all at no charge.
Submit your story for $10 USD to be entered in the contest to win one of 1,000 chances to have your story published on a page in both the regular and limited edition of the monument (both editions feature the 1,000 winning stories).

Story submissions must be in English. The 1,000 winners will be chosen by judges selected by Bungalow Publishing.

The Story Behind Just Beneath the Surface I by R.H. Ramsey

The Story Behind Just Beneath the Surface

By R.H. Ramsey

Just Beneath the Surface I was inspired by several things. I will start with the first inspiration; women who are involved in, or have ever experienced abusive relationships. At the time of writing this book, I noticed that many people empathized with those who were being abused, but I also noticed that many people were harsh.

I noticed many were judging the woman who chose not to leave; assuming that she was weak, or saying that she deserved to suffer if she was not ‘smart’ enough to leave. The things being said were very sad, and bothered me. But the fact that those ideas were a misunderstanding inspired me. If I could change just one point of view, I thought to myself. And that’s when I decided to create the first main character; a strong, confident woman named Kendall, who stumbles into a relationship that literally brings her face to face with death. I wanted to show the gradual transformation from Kendall’s initial confidence, to her frequently questioning herself, then eventually losing her voice, and the essence of who she is.

I am also deeply moved by teenagers and young adults who find themselves seeking love, attention, and affection in all of the wrong places. Kendall’s daughter, Diamond is in a very lonely place after her parent’s divorce. Her father is distant, her mother is nurturing a new relationship, and the only person who seems to understand what she ‘needs’, is a teacher’s aide with a dark side. I wanted to show how easy it is to go from knowing who you are, to losing yourself in loneliness.

In my opinion, through everything that happens in life, we must remember that in relating to one another, we find less time to prejudge. This brings me to my final inspiration; relating to and empathizing with one another.

ABOUT R.H. RAMSEY

Rhonda Ramsey is a prolific new author who enjoys breathing passion and life into each and every character she creates. She is an avid writer with eleven completed novels, four novels near completion, and five short stories. She is also a military wife, mother of two, and student.

Over the course of seven years, Rhonda has diligently researched topics ranging from but not limited to; relationships, addiction, abuse, and mental illness. With a passion for people, helping, and learning, Rhonda’s zeal for inspiring others through her writing has also expanded to freelance writing and blogging; as she has her own blog, and enjoys contributing to other websites as well. She hopes to continue in her quest of inspiring others as well as learning from everyone she meets.

Her latest book is Just Beneath the Surface I.

Visit her blog at www.arirjames.wordpress.com.

ABOUT JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE I

When Kendall Berkely takes a look in the mirror, she not only desperately wants to run away from the stranger staring back at her; but she also knows that her days are numbered. She can feel it in her bones, and has the bruises to prove it. To make matters worse, Kendall will soon discover that her seventeen year old daughter, Diamond is on a path nearly just as dangerous.

After the demise of the family unit she once knew, a distracted mother, and being forced to accept a new stepfather, Diamond finds herself knee deep in a multitude of mistakes. When Diamond finds herself more lonely than ever before she crosses paths with Bobby Lidell; a teacher’s aide with a dark side. Just as Diamond realizes that she is in over her head, her mother and father have already been notified, and will do everything in their power to protect her.

But what is lurking in the shadows will not stop until a vow has been kept; what is lurking just beneath the surface will come seeking revenge.

The Story Behind A Darkly Hidden Truth by Donna Fletcher Crow

The Story Behind A Darkly Hidden Truth

By Donna Fletcher Crow

It’s always the story that drives me. I want to tell the story. Especially the stories of valiant men and women of centuries past who still shape our thinking and living today.

So in the year 2001, after publishing more than 35 novels, most of them dealing with British history in one form or another, I decided to try my hand at writing nonfiction.  I thought I could tell the stories more directly, use all the research which I love so much and develop a whole new career line.

With thoughts of the distant past shaping my future I set out on pilgrimage to visit 17 ancient holy sites in England and Scotland. It was a great adventure and I wrote my pilgrimage book about those men and women of long ago and their monasteries and hermitages that I had found so fascinating to visit.

I loved it. My agent loved it. But no publisher loved it.

Then our daughter, who had studied the classics at Oxford and found teaching school in London boring, took herself off to study theology in a theological college in a monastery in Yorkshire.

While visiting her and getting acquainted with the monks in that amazing Harry Potter style parallel universe I realized I had found the vehicle for the stories I wanted to tell: A thoroughly modern American woman who finds herself living a life few people even know exists in today’s world who is then catapulted into even deeper adventure when she finds her church history lecturer standing over the battered body of her favorite monk.

In that first book A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE I told the story of Saint Cuthbert, a story I had wanted to tell since I first “met” Cuthbert at Durham Cathedral some twenty years ago. That story sent Felicity and Antony running across northern England and southern Scotland chasing and being chased by murderers and developing their own often uneasy relationship.

Now, in A DARKLY HIDDEN TRUTH, Felicity is still struggling to find her way forward in her exciting and sometimes surreal world, this time hampered by the discovery of finding a dear friend’s body in a shallow grave, literally under her feet. And in the background I tell the stories of two remarkable medieval women writers I’ve wanted to share with my readers for many, many years: Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write a book in English and still widely read today, and Margery Kempe, author of the first autobiography in English.

And that’s the wonderful thing about stories, whether they began 500 years ago or are still waiting to be born, they are never-ending.

Please go to www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com to see the videos for A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE  and A DARKLY HIDDEN TRUTH, photos from my research albums, and a tour of my rose garden.

ABOUT DONNA FLETCHER CROW

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 38 books, mostly novels dealing with British history.  The award-winning Glastonbury, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work. Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho.  They have 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

Her newest release is A Darkly Hidden Truth, book 2 in her clerical mystery series The Monastery Murders. She also writes the Lord Danvers series of Victorian true-crime novels and the romantic suspense series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries. To read more about these books and to see book videos for A Darkly Hidden Truth and for A Very Private Grave, Monastery Murders 1,  as well as pictures from Donna’s garden and research trips go to: www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com.

ABOUT A DARKLY HIDDEN TRUTH

Felicity can’t possibly help Father Antony find the valuable missing icon. She’s off to become a nun. Then her impossible mother turns up unexpectedly. And a good friend turns up murdered…

Breathtaking chase scenes, mystical worship services, dashes through remote waterlogged landscapes keep the pages turning. Felicity learns the wisdom of holy women from today and ages past and Antony explores the arcane rites of the Knights Hospitaller. But what good will any of that do them if Felicity can’t save Antony’s life?

The Story Behind the Book Conscious Calm: Keys to Freedom from Stress and Worry

I am partial to information that’s useful to people, that can actually change lives. That’s especially true in the areas of personal growth and healing. Whether I’m talking to a group, working with one person, or going deeper into information myself, I prefer useful knowledge and information that is clearly applicable to life. And I want it to be clear how best to apply the knowledge. So when it came to considering writing a book, that was major – it needed to be information that people could use to change their lives for the better. Not just theory, not nice ideas that someone would read and then forget about after putting the book down. I wanted to place information in people’s hands that can potentially transform their lives, so they can experience more freedom and greater happiness.

In working for over twenty years as a psychologist and seminar leader, I’ve seen how there are internal patterns in the challenges people face in trying to reduce high stress and move forward in their lives. Our fast-paced society is more about distraction than connection in many ways, despite the technologies available to “connect.” Most people haven’t been taught how emotions work in the body, or how to connect better with the information our body gives us. Few have had a chance to learn the skills to recognize present from past emotional information when strong feelings show up. Without knowledge of these basic processes in our bodies and minds, it’s easy to get caught in internal traps or patterns without realizing what happened, and then to feel even more stressed and overwhelmed. But this knowledge is just not taught in most of our schools or families. I began to feel that it was important to reach many more people than I could in person with the basics of getting free from internal stress traps and developing lasting calm. I wanted to put that information together in a simple format, and get it out there to as many people as possible, especially with the stress epidemic going on now. Since I work in an integrative way, I wanted to present that approach to people – bringing together the best of science, practical knowledge, and wisdom from both east and west – and put that together in simple, usable ways.

Once I decided to write the book, I wanted to get it out into the world as soon as I could. It was clear that if I went the traditional publishing route it would be a minimum of two years before the book was available, even in the best case scenario. So I researched alternatives, which can be like aiming for moving targets with all of the changes going on in publishing. Since I did want to have a print book as well as electronic and audio versions, I decided to start an independent self-publishing company. I founded Tap Into Freedom Publishing in early 2011, connecting with Lightning Source as the distributor and Ingram as the primary wholesaler. So with that set up, Conscious Calm has an international distributor and is available through the Ingram catalog, as well as in online stores internationally. That way it has a greater reach, and hopefully if people find it useful, the book will have greater longevity too.

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Dr. Laura Maciuika is a clinical psychologist, teacher, and transformation mentor. She specializes in transforming old patterns and internal blocks into inner freedom, joy, and success.  Laura is the author of Conscious Calm: Keys to Freedom from Stress and Worry. Follow Laura’s blog at http://consciouscalm.com and connect with Laura through Twitter @lauramaciuika, facebook.com/lauramaciuika, or at www.lauramaciuika.com.

The Story Behind Romantic Suspense Phish NET Stalkings b y Denise Robbins

The Story Behind Phish NET Stalkings

By Denise Robbins

Have you ever received an e-card or a link in your email from someone you don’t know? What about those emails supposedly coming from your bank? Are they safe?

By now, I hope that all of you know that you should never click on emails from people you don’t know, including from your own bank. Even the emails from your friends that come in with just a link are not safe. They more than likely have malware attached to them. Malware stands for malicious software.

My story idea for Phish NET Stalkings came from all those nasty little emails we receive on a daily basis that cause us great headaches if we click on them. I for one have experienced these things. Phishing is where the creator of the nasty malware writes the code so they can get information about you.

I actually have received an e-card in my email thinking it was from a friend. Of course, I clicked on it! Why wouldn’t I, right? WRONG!

Depending on what the malware is it could have downloaded a virus to my machine and corrupted my laptop. Ick! It could have downloaded something that tracked the keystrokes that I click on my keyboard, which would allow it to see what I type into my usernames and passwords. It could be as simple as invading my email applications and stealing all the emails from my address book, where it would then turn around and send emails to all those people.

The email hack is exactly what I experienced. All of a sudden I received a tone of emails from friends and even newspaper folks that I previously sent press releases to letting me know that I was hacked. Yes, I got it all cleaned up and I am much more careful than I ever was before.

Take it from me and from my heroine of Phish NET Stalkings, beware of emails with links. Don’t click on them. If the email is not address to you personally that is a dead giveaway. If the email has typos in it that is a HUGE giveaway that it is garbage. Honestly, just don’t click on ANY links.

Don’t let all those phishing scams get lucky with you. Don’t get hooked!

ABOUT DENISE ROBBINS

High-tech becomes high-risk in Denise Robbins’ novels. The New Hampshire based author uses two decades of experience in computers to explore the killer possibilities in technology. Denise integrates her knowledge of computers and technology along with secrets, intrigue, suspense, and even a little romance into all of her techno-romantic thriller novels. Readers and reviewers agree Denise writes stories that will keep you at the edge of your seat and clamoring for more.

Her latest book is Phish NET Stalkings.

You can visit her website at http://www.deniserobbins.com.

ABOUT PHISH NET STALKINGS

All she wanted was to find love. Was that too much to ask? How difficult could it be to find one man, the perfect man for her?

After dating the losers of the century, Jane decides there has to be a better way. She turns to an online dating service. After all, they guarantee a ‘happily ever after’ or your money back.

Jane East, CEO of Not-So- Plain- Jane’s organic cosmetics wants to fall in love with a man who makes her toes curl when he kisses her. Unfortunately, the one man who makes her toes curl also wears ladies’ pink underwear and a badge. The pink underwear she could probably deal with, but the badge is a different story.

Ever since seeing her mother and granny Pearl murdered by men with badges, Jane has a fear of cops and anyone who carries a badge. Especially, because the killers are still on the loose and searching for her.

Former FBI Cybercrime special agent turned small-town Chief of Police, Cooper Chance, gets caught with his pants down and his family jewels tucked in pink ladies’ underwear with lacy frills when he meets the woman of his dreams. That’s not his only issue. The woman has a fear of cops. If he can get past her guard, maybe he can save her life.

BOOK EXCERPT

Cooper went into his office, shut the door, and closed the blinds. “No way can I pull this off,” he protested holding up the leather skirt and heels. He stripped down to his skivvies and slid into the black leather skirt. “No way!” His damn boxers hung too low, below the skirt hem.

“Shit,” he growled and raked fingers through his hair. Just listen to him, he already sounded like a girl talking about hems.

“That’s why we included the ladies’ panties,” someone shouted back. Muffled chuckling rumbled behind his locked office door.

He riffled through the pile and found a pair of bright pink panties with ruffles and the tags still on them. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

The raucous laughter and low snickering that met his complaint burned his ass. What made him think that becoming the Chief of Police of a small town would be simple, easy? He must have been nuts. At least if he had been in a big city, like New York, Boston, or Minneapolis, he might not have felt so ridiculous. He would have fit in with any number of transgenders who walked the street. But here, in Manchester, New Hampshire he would stick out like a wolf in a pack of cats.

“Do women really wear this kind of underwear?”

“Panties,” one of the men shouted from the outer office.

“Panties,” he grumbled out the corner of his mouth. He held the silky material and eyed it with caution half expecting his men to supply him with a thong. Air wheezed out of his lungs when he saw that there was material on all sides and not some tiny strip that would ride up his ass. Just the thought of it made his shoulders shiver.

Before he lost his nerve, Cooper stripped off his cotton boxers and stuffed his beefy legs into the pink panties. When the underwear reached halfway up his thighs, he heard a popping noise. He glanced down and saw the elastic in the leg holes had ripped apart. “Not one size fits all, are they?”