The Story Behind ‘For the Love of St. Nick’ by Garasamo Maccagnone

Over the years, I listened carefully to many of my wife’s stories. Her father was Commander Blake Field, a naval academy standout and veteran of the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars. I obviously patterned the commander in my story after him.

Prior to her parents’ divorce, my wife lived the typical military lifestyle, with the family moving every couple of years to far off lands. Often, her father went on secret cold war missions and I recalled listening to my wife tell me how frightened she was as a girl that her father would never return. That of course, sparked my interest and was the sentiment I built off of years later when I decided to write this story.

The other major incident, which inspired me a great deal, happened while I worked at a hospital in my early thirties. One morning after my shift was over, a priest I knew at the hospital divulged that a young mother died during childbirth the previous night. He used the term placenta previa and went on to explain what had happened and why he was told the woman passed on.

Together, somehow, over a fifteen- to twenty-year period these stories found their way to the forefront of my mind, and served as the mechanisms that launched my tale. From there, I simply needed to create the right setting and to apply my craft.

 

Garasamo Maccagnone studied creative writing and literature under noted American writers Sam Astrachan and Stuart Dybek at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. A college baseball player as well, Maccagnone met his wife Vicki as a junior at WMU. The following year, after injuring his throwing arm, Maccagnone left school and his baseball ambitions to marry Vicki. After a two year stint at both W.B. Doner and BBDO advertising agencies, Maccagnone left the industry to apply his knowledge of marketing in a new venture in an up-and-coming industry. Maccagnone created a company called, “Crate and Fly,” and turned it from a store front in 1984 to a world-wide multi-million dollar shipping corporation by 1994.  

In the mid 90’s Maccagnone decided to fulfill the promise of his writing career, by first penning the children’s book, The Suburban Dragon and then following up with a collection of short stories and poetry entitled, The Affliction of Dreams. His literary novel, St. John of the Midfield was published in 2007, followed by his For the Love of St. Nick, which was released in 2008.  Maccagnone expanded the original version of For the Love of St. Nick and had the book illustrated for a new release in June 2009. 

Garasamo “Gary” Maccagnone lives today in Shelby Township, Michigan, with his wife Vicki and three children. You can visit Gary online at www.garasamomaccagnone.com.

RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE by Teresa R. Jones: “…readers will be compelled and encouraged to seek a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Ten years ago my husband and I were hit with very disturbing news.  We noticed that our two-year-old daughter’s left eye would drift uncontrollably, and we took her to the doctor.  She was diagnosed with a rare eye disease called Retina Blastoma, which is a malignant tumor that forms in the eye, and causes the retina to detach.  At the time, only 100 people in the United States, per year are diagnosed with the disease.  We were told that the only cure would be to remove our daughter’s eye.

My husband and I were devastated, but we were not going to give up.  We sought the opinion of several other doctors, and they all gave us the same prognosis.  Our pastor, who is also a pediatrician, arranged for us to meet with an ophthalmologist at the hospital where he worked.  The ophthalmologist examined our daughter and told us that he believed that our daughter had Retina Blastoma.  He also told us about another disease called, Coats which looks just like Retina Blastoma, but it is benign.  Strangely, Coats usually occurs in boys, and it is extremely rare for girls.  The ophthalmologist only knew of one other case where a girl was diagnosed with Coats.  Most ophthalmologists cannot distinguish between the two diseases until the eye is removed.

The ophthalmologist told us about a conference for ophthalmologists that take place at the hospital twice a year.  One of those conferences was scheduled that day.  He also informed us that there was a world renowned retina specialist attending the conference, and he was sure that specialist would examine our daughter.  The specialist could determine that our daughter had Coats.  Miraculously, our daughter’s eye would be saved.

One day while I was home alone, I reflected on the ordeal and many other challenges I have had to triumph over in my lifetime.  In my spirit, I told God that life has been rough for me, but I could clearly see how He has been there to help me through it all.  I began to think about other women I knew who were still trying to battle life on their own.  I then told God that it is ashamed that more women won’t turn their lives over to Him.  I then heard a still small voice say, “Tell them.”  I asked, “Tell them?  Lord, how?”  The same still small voice said, “Book!”  This moment was the conception of Return to Your First Love.

Return to Your First Love is the assignment God gave me to tell my testimony.  Throughout my life, I have gone from walking with God zealously in my youth, inconsistently in my early adulthood, and maturing to a steadfast walk with Him in my latter years.  My story is a tale of overcoming the struggles of family dysfunction, low self-esteem, rejection, forgiveness, financial hardship, sexual immorality, challenges in the work place, to winning in marriage and living a victorious life.  Over the past four decades of my life, I have learned valuable lessons that have been both beneficial as well as costly.  I trust my life experiences would speak to any woman no matter what stage she is in life.  Return to Your First Love is a timely message that edifies, exhorts and encourages in times of uncertainty.  Readers will be compelled and encouraged to seek a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Teresa Jones is a writer for the Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA), which publishes the award-winning Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT). Teresa is a member of Toastmasters International and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). Teresa is faithful member of the Apostolic Faith Church, where she serves as a prayer counselor for the Prayer Line Ministry. She and her husband, Alexander, have been married for 16 years and have two children. You can visit Teresa R. Jones website at www.teresarjones.com. You can contact Teresa at teresa.jones@revelation2-4.com.

IN SILENCE: DISCOVERING SELF THROUGH MEDITATION by Jane Rosalea Booth

People ask me how I started to meditate. Many people meet spiritual teachers but my first inspiration that there might me something special about meditation came when I saw the Beatles meditating. John Lennon, with his quest for a peaceful world, really ‘awoke’ me to explore my spiritual life more deeply. So I began to meditate and began to hear an inner voice that I listened to and recorded what I heard. My pen just seemed to be moving on its own and the language was much different than my own. My inner voice spoke in a dialect with ‘doth’ and ‘ye’. I grew to know that when I heard this dialect that I better listen to the message and record it.

So over the years I wrote in my journals and now have a wondrous collection of spiritual messages. I was told that world was going through a huge transformation that would affect everyone. At first these words frighten me but I soon learned that this great change was about love. Wow…a world transforming through love, but how could this be when all I was seeing was war and greed? I was told to transform myself and live from a loving heart. But this was not easy as living my truth, as my messages told me to do, meant I had to make changes in relationships, family and work. But I knew how true love felt in my meditations and as I became more loving, I found in my personal life. I eventually became a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking with the Beloved Community founded by James Twyman, a peace troubadour and was ordained in the All Seasons Church of Canada in 2005.

The world is changing quickly as we can see with the election of President Obama. People need to know how to withstand change and transitions. Meditation is the key to balance, harmony and of course, finding the deep love within. In our silence, our stillness within, we connect with the Divine. Each religion teaches us this truth but most people simply listen to a minister, teacher or priest and do not listen to their inner wisdom.

This is what is behind my motivation to create In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation by providing simple ways to meditate, to increase your intuition and wisdom and to find a place of peace within. From this inner sanctuary, you can shine your own light brightly to others. This is how the world is transforming…each one of us finding peace and then being peace. This is how to empower each person and it is simple and each of us can create a world of peace within our own heart, our family, our work and our communities…within our planet. It begins…In Silence. Discover your inner Self through meditation.

I saw many people stressed and frustrated, so I decided in 2007 to self publish my book through Trafford Publishing in Victoria, BC. The book was about to be released but I developed breast cancer and the book was not released until September 2008. I am now well and healthy and meditation really assisted me through my cancer treatment. I kept the vision of myself as well and of my book being published. Both my visions came true. My dream of living by beautiful Georgian Bay came true as well and I married my husband Ian last September, 2008. So to new authors, don’t give up if adversities arise. Discover who you truly are and what is important to you. Keep on writing and creating your dreams and start to meditate to develop you ‘creative consciousness’ more fully.

Jane Rosalea Booth is author of In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation and a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking who created a program for holistic living and meditation called The Peaceful Path. Through The Golden Light Centre for Well-Being Inc. she is dedicated to assisting people to find inner peace by providing the keys they need to create the abundance, harmony and joy. For over 18 years, Jane has presented meditation and holistic workshops to community and health organizations. She now resides in Meaford, ON. Canada, where she offers her workshops and women’s retreats and holistic services. In 2004, she became an Ordained Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and holds a Masters of Divinity. She is an ordained minister in the All Seasons Church of Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Development Studies and a Certificate of General Social Work. She is a Certified Sound Energy Dynamics Practitioner and Reiki Master Practitioner.

To order In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

http://www.trafford.com/07-0408

Official Author Site http://www.in-silent.net

http://www.amazon.ca

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.amazon.uk

Jane’s Blog http://janebooth.wordpress.com

Jane’s Golden Light Centre http://www.goldenlightcentre.com

FIVE STEPS TO C.A.L.M. by Robert Patterson: “…find the job you want and the life you deserve”

Our guest blogger today is Robert Patterson, author of the business self-help book, Five Steps to C.A.L.M..

You can visit his website at www.rpatters.com.

Hello, I am Rev. Robert Patterson Sr. and I would like to tell you alittle about myself. I am Retired military; (Marine Corps) and I have made it my business to help others get a employment/career. I am a graduate of San Diego State University: speaker and instructor on the subject of job hunting and career counseling. I have been a news reporter, host for Cable television, an Employment Counselor Specialist, and Coordinator of a Manpower Employment Agency. I also coordinated the first Sickle Cell Anemia Testing in Oceanside, Ca. while attending MiraCosta Community College. I presently reside in Vista, Ca. with my wife Linda of 33 years of marriage. Five Steps to CALM (Career and Life Management) is my first book.

In today’s economy with some 1.2 million unemployed and growing doesn’t make job hunting easy. In my recent book Five Steps to C.A.L.M., I have compiled my fifteen years of Job Search seminar experience into a book of “how-to” instructions that I collected to help jobseekers make the right choices and feel good about themselves. The book was crafted to be clear and reader-friendly. Five Steps to C.A.L.M addresses such issues as how to write an attention-getting resume, and how to get through an interview with confidence and a sense of achievement.

This is a universal manual for nearly all market sectors and all sorts of employment opportunities. Beginning with initiatives on how to set goals, declare intentions, and research potential employers, there is no stone left unearthed in helping job seekers become cool, calm and collected in their search for a great job—and a great life. With helpful checklists, I prompt résumé writers on syntax, style and how to make the most out of action verbs. With directives on nine different skill sets, readers will be able to fine-tune and properly define what will set them apart from other applicants to ensure a face-to-face interview. From here, my book is a handy guide, which packs a powerful punch on how to wow prospective employers through the interview phase and walks readers through a comprehensive and enlightening pre-interview session. With advice on how to dress, business protocols and self-promotion, your future is here in just five steps!

In conclusion, if you are looking for a new career or a different job, this detailed and comprehensive self-help guide provides professional instruction on how to best market yourself, while searching for employment. From translating what is the best in you from paper through the interview phase of job-hunting, this book proves to be a powerful compass in putting your best foot forward.

I have attempted to think of everything in preparing readers for the job search. Beginning with self-assessment and goal-setting strategies, this handy little gem provides valuable clues on how to get ahead of the pack and distinguish you as a professional. From writing cover letters and résumés in my résumé-writing clinic to how to effectively network, handle referrals, and research potential employers, this book is all you need. Begin your own career crusade—find the job you want and the life you deserve today!

SCATTERED LEAVES by Richard E. Roach: “…I had no story in mind when I started.”

Our guest blogger today is Richard Roach, author of the suspense/mystery novel, SCATTERED LEAVES.

You can visit his website at www.richarderoach.com.

I started writing one foggy night back in 1957. The rig was making a trip (changing the drill bit) and I sat alone in a lab filled with gas detection equipment that was so small you had to turn sideways to enter. The unit, as we called the lab, sat on the end of a drilling barge that rested in about ten feet of water on the bottom of Lake Calcasieu located in South Louisiana about spitting distance from the Gulf of Mexico . The lake is large enough that in daylight you think you’re in the gulf because you can’t see the shore line. I decided to pass the time by writing a western.

After I had about thirty pages written, I showed it to my wife and a friend. They laughed! This upset my gentle nature and I threw the pages into the garbage and vowed never to write another page.

As time moved along and sanded my rough edges smooth, I began to have the itch to write once more. In 1974 I started my own company producing gas detection instruments that I had invented (designed). I had a small building jammed against a convenience store in which I had the operation plus an office, a typewriter, and an ammonia-type printing machine…the writing bug bit again and SCATTERED BLOODY LEAVES was born. In a future draft the name was changed to SCATTERED LEAVES.

I had no story in mind when I started. I wanted a John Wayne type of character for my male protagonist and a female star as beautiful as Lana Turner and tough as Bonny Parker. Beth Ann Pettijohn filled the bill perfectly. She had the looks, the brains and the mental fiber to match my expectations. I had lots of bad guys in the story but the super-bad guy, the one that murdered poor June, the woman who loved everyone, was part American Indian and he loved no one. He was a psycho; his daily thrill came by torturing his wife (Joy), I won’t go into the details at this time, some innocent person might read this. Since I’m part Indian, I know how mean they can be, but no, he isn’t based upon one of my insane family member.

Because the super villain felt he was so tough, I allowed him to escape to The Big Thicket and fight it out with McCord using dynamite and a BOW AND ARROWS. That’s a no-mans-land between Louisiana and Texas near the gulf. I’ve hunted and fished there and know the terrain well.

Thanks to the help of Sarah Schwersenska, Multi-Media agreed to publish my blathering. Everyone needs a little luck and when she read SCATTERED LEAVES she became my angel.

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AMERICAN QUEST by Fantasy Author Sienna Skyy: “…writing is one of those things that isn’t just about the destination—it’s about the journey.”

I have a friend who writes his novels in spiral notebooks. Beginning to end. This is his primary means of writing because, as he explains, he is not a typist.

Me, I suppose I’m a typist. The art of writing longhand fascinates me, though. Obviously, writers have been doing it that way for centuries, and plenty of them still do. I’ve heard that when James Patterson sits down to write, he arms himself with a bundle of sharpened pencils and a stack of legal pads. I’ve actually tried that approach myself once or twice, if only in tiny experimental bursts. My handwriting comes more slowly than my typing does. I must admit that when I’ve given it a go, my thought processes slow down, and I develop each individual moment with maybe just a touch more richness. And there’s a smoothness to it. I’m not saying that it’s necessarily better; just different.

Still, I’ve never gotten very far with the whole longhand thing. Just a child of the faster-faster-more-more-more generation—antsy by sheer biology. In fact when trying to write longhand I can almost count backward from 100 before I launch my pen across the room and throw myself at my computer. Not to mention the pen-and-paper combo inflicts the curious side-effect of transmuting my right hand into a claw.

I have two laptops and two desktop computers. By function these are really just one laptop and one desktop, but when a computer tries to give up the ghost, I can never fully let go. As long as it gives me a gasp I’ll try to limp it along in perpetuity, and trump up some half-baked job for it. (A server! I can use it as a multimedia server!) Typically, I like to write on a desktop computer because if I’m writing for ten or twelve hours straight, I really need an ergonomically-friendly environment. When I wrote American Quest, however, I did it almost entirely on a laptop. I had gotten really, really sick to the point where I could barely sit at my desk. But it wasn’t long before I started going stir crazy just wallowing around in my bed. So. I heaped up about three pillows behind my back, two under my knees, one in my lap, a pot of tea at my side and a terrier cupped between my feet, and I just wrote, wrote, wrote on my laptop right there in my cushy little bed while convalescing. Really, when I think about it, it was like a kind of cocoon. After three months, I emerged rosy-cheeked and in strapping good health, and American Quest was complete. (If some of the passages read like fever dreams, now you know why.)

Nevertheless, I intend to someday challenge myself by writing a novel entirely in longhand. Just for a lark. Could take me years (and if each passage is written during the span of a one-hundred-back-to-one countdown, it probably will.) But what have I got to lose? It’s wonderful to have a finished book in hand, but really, writing is one of those things that isn’t just about the destination—it’s about the journey.

Sienna Skyy is the author of the fantasy novel, AMERICAN QUEST.

KILL 4 ME by Joel M. Andre: “…what if someone were haunted, or stalked though text messaging.”

One night I was sitting bored at work. I think to a point we all have those nights. Well, most people I suppose would have those during the day. At that time I was working the graveyard shift at a gas station. It paid the bills, but left me emotionally and mentally unfulfilled.

Most of the night I was left with just my mind, and the sounds of coyotes howling in the distance. I guess I should mention this little gas station was about 15 miles outside of Phoenix and rested basically in the middle of no where, out in Cave Creek.

While I was scrubbing down the lot, I received a text message from someone, although I don’t recall who it was at this time. But it struck me, what if someone were haunted, or stalked though text messaging.

The hamster in my mind probably was rolling its eyes, as it stretched and began running on its wheel as I thought of different scenarios I could use for this. But most of all, I needed to figure out a way to make it work. The rest of the night was spent debating in my mind what direction I wanted to go.
As the sun rose, I had a title and a basic story in my head. Of course that story wasn’t where the finished product went. At that moment, it was about a serial killer, and was so full of cliché’s I don’t think I would have enjoyed writing it.

Instead when I finally sat down to write ‘Kill 4 Me’, I began the opening scene in the car, and started to let the story tell itself. It in turn decided to become a technological ghost story. Which I am pretty happy with.

On a little back story, I wrote a novel which will never see the light of day, but I have it here where Casey Dwyer actually appeared in. I decided to pull her from that story, and have the book focus on her. She didn’t let me down at all.

She survived quite a bit of torment in the other book, and I had to bring her back to a normal character for this book. I had to imagine what she would be had nothing in the past ever happened to her. It was pretty mentally stimulating, my only concern is that I wouldn’t make her vivid enough for the reader based on my previous encounter with her. Based on the feedback of strangers, it looks like I did alright. I am nervous whenever I put anything out there on the market.

The ending was the hardest part for me, the original ending I had was very violent and very graphic. It also drug on for quite a bit. I had several people read it, and let me know they just didn’t like how I ended it. Apparently it was too predicable. So the surprise ending I came up with is the second ending. The original ending is sitting in the bottom of a drawer somewhere in the event I can use a similar idea sometime.

My goal when I write is the keep the reader entertained in a story that is straight to the point and focused on a person’s busy life. I love Stephen King and Anne Rice, but their books require lengthy dedication to a book. I write for the busy person, the one who wants to pick up a book, spend a few hours on the weekend reading, and know they received something entertaining and that can keep them motivated to read at a fast pace.

Most importantly, I write for people to have something to read. Reading entertains a part of the mind that visual entertainment cannot. I hope everyone will encourage others to read and to grow their minds. If someone loves Dragons, grab a book about dragons for them. Encourage our youth to read, and write.

Joel M. Andre is the author of the horror novel, KILL 4 ME.  You can visit his website at www.joelmandre.com.

HER GODMOTHER by Cate Cavanagh: “As a spiritualist my mission is to heal but as the scriptures teach, I had to heal myself first.”

Her Godmother is the story of a young girl named Allie whose father is an alcoholic. His disease becomes so problematic that Allie’s mother decides to leave him. While she is planning to relocate with Allie, she sends Allie to stay with her unusual godmother, Brigid.

I am the adult child of an alcoholic and, the echoes of growing up with that disease impacted on life choices, my self esteem and feelings of worth. Like Allie, I adored my father and although a child I always felt responsible for his inability to stop drinking. After much self evaluation I reached a point in my life where I was able to connect the dots and realize how much growing up in an environment with this disease and all the dysfunction it entails affected where I was in my life and personally. I began intensive work on healing.

One very thing that is very unique to children growing up with an addicted parent is the misplaced sense that the parent is to be protected and so begins the secret. It becomes very important for others and peers to believe there are no problems in the family. So ingrained was this secret keeping within me I did not even share my father was an alcoholic until I was in my thirties.

As a spiritualist my mission is to heal but as the scriptures teach, I had to heal myself first. This was a painful journey for me. As I began my journey I realized that growing up as I did I suffered an intense feeling of loneliness and isolation because I did not know how to share what I was going through. I did not know how to express how I felt. As an adult I came in touch with how I felt as a child, how many of those feelings I still had and how to replace them with a healthier self image that was free from blame. My only ally was an elderly aunt, who also happened to be my godmother. Through her I experienced the unconditional love and acceptance I could not receive from my father. Whatever was within me that wanted to be a healthy person I know came from that very important relationship.

When I first began writing as a youngster I decided I wanted to write so that those people who might feel alone would not feel alone by reading my work. It all came together one night when the title of the book became the only phrase of the first page and remained so for over a year.

During that time I continued writing articles on healing and spirituality, founded Quantum Spirituality, The Science Of Change which teaches how to create a mind shift away from all the damaged self perceptions we carry with us from various causes.

It was during this period I realized I was ready to address the issue of alcoholism and the impact it has on children. This was to become a story from my heart because in order to write the story I had to recall and connect with the pain, feelings and thoughts I used to experience and did not know how painful it would be for me to express them. But, I knew it was a story that had to be told so children could hopefully be guided into seeing they hold no fault whatsoever and also for adults who had an alcoholic parent to experience a catharsis as well. Most importantly, this story holds within it tools for healing that helped me such as the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous which helped me better understand the disease itself and real magic, as I have experienced it, that uplifted my heart and soul and taught me how to, despite heartache, to see and embrace everyday magic and joy.

As a Witch, the magical principles that are part of this mystical are genuine. As an adult child of alcoholic there is authenticity to what Allie feels and faces and, as the god daughter of a wonderful lady that was my life line, Allie’s godmother is endowed with her qualities.

Healing from a family dysfunction, such as having an addiction destroy a family is so difficult for so many they carry the scars for a lifetime. I felt an authentic and honest tale addressing this issue and the healing of the main character might be uplifting to those still walking with the shadow of sorrow hovering over them.

I wrote this book to offer an entertaining way in which to address a very serious issue that also offers insight in the start of the healing process.

Her Godmother receives great reviews and is available through all bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.

Cate Cavanagh is the author of HER GODMOTHER.  You can visit her website at www.quantumspirituality.tripod.com.

A WORTHY MUSLIM by Amir Makin: “…it should become clearer to the reader as to how true patriotism should be defined.”

I began writing this book in an effort to begin a serious conversation and develop solutions to handling the issue of oppression in which some Muslims are reluctantly timid if not outright afraid and even terrified to seriously deal with. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Muslims were strongly encouraged and even directed to focus on issues designed to remove the collective responsibility the Islamic community has to handle tragedies which arise out of different acts of oppression throughout the world. Many began to openly condemn anything and anyone they were told to in order to prove they were not evil terrorists. In the haste to do such, real issues of terrorism that have produced serious injustices as a result of things such as racism, or the greed of capitalism were ignored and denounced as unpatriotic conversation.

I began to see the motivation of some individuals well placed in the Muslim world shift from living for the way of life called Al Islam, to profiting by hiding the obligation that all Muslims are required to stand against injustice and oppression regardless of who its victims are. I realized that while some may have had great knowledge of Islamic science or memorization of the Qur’an, very few were willing to teach its application of standing against oppression such as the few examples I named above. I believe this is a direct result of their unwillingness to struggle against the very forces that benefit from the many instances of oppression. After growing exhausted hoping that some of those charged with leadership would lead effectively on this issue, I accepted the responsibility and recognized it became my duty to shed light on this topic where some of their efforts have fallen drastically short.

This book is first about gaining an understanding that true oppression and criminal behavior is defined in the Qur’an itself, and not solely by any member of Allah’s creation. It is about analyzing what all oppressive governments, dictators and their supporters have in common and how to deal with and rise above them all through the applications detailed in the Qur’an. I provide detailed explanations listing the strategies that all oppressors use in order to gain total control of the masses. Once this is understood, it should become clearer to the reader as to how true patriotism should be defined.

I then provide real time examples which establish the verification of the Quranic applications based on current events. The reader will definitely leave this book with a jolt of mental consciousness designed to challenge the position of comfort that may allow them to turn a blind eye toward certain injustices which they feel do not concern them. This book is not for Muslims alone, it is for anyone that wishes to understand “how” the Qur’an actually addresses what some sadly are afraid to speak on. This is written in very easy to understand language in which all terms used are defined within context and supported with a detailed vocabulary listing in the back. If you are not a Muslim, this provides a pass to enter a new world, if you are a Muslim this should serve as a compass to help find a direction that some have tragically lost.

Amir Makin is the author of A WORTHY MUSLIM: QURANIC TOOLS NEEDED TO OVERCOME OPPRESSION AND IMPERIALISM IN ORDER TO INSTITUTE JUSTICE. You can visit his website at www.unworthymuslim.com.

LEFT TO DIE by Lisa Jackson: “…I knew I wanted to write a ‘back-woodsy’ kind of story…”

My latest book LEFT TO DIE was an idea that evolved over the years. I knew I wanted to write a “back-woodsy” kind of story peppered with unique characters. I grew up in a small timber town and thought, after writing stories about New Orleans, San Francisco and Savannah, that I’d go back to my roots. Well, kinda. Montana has always held a certain appeal for me. Hence, the setting.

Also, a couple of years ago my editor came up with the idea that I should create a story with two women cops as the protagonists and I thought he’d lost it. Cagney and Lacey, the old cop show from the eighties came to mind and I thought “I’ll never pull this off. What did he want? The female version of The Odd Couple? I back-burnered that idea. Big time. Actually I put it in the wood stove in the guest house on the north forty of the property.

Anyway, years later, as I was coming up with characters for LEFT TO DIE Regan Pescoli, a twice married single mom of a cop entered the scene. A few pages later, her partner, Selena Alvarez, uptight, with secrets of her own, sauntered in.

Everything really came together when I met Jillian Rivers, the heroine of the book, who is driving hell-bent to Montana to find her louse of a first husband who let her think he was dead and also left her to deal with the investors he’d swindled.

These women absolutely intrigued me. Add to the mix a madman who leaves his victims to die along with a sexy loner who has a shady past and I was off and running with this story that truly was fun to write. You can read an excerpt and learn more about the book at www.lisajackson.com

Lisa Jackson is the author of the romantic suspense novel, LEFT TO DIE. You can visit her website at www.lisajackson.com.

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