Author: Marissa DeCuir

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A rollicking memoir shows how

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – How can we raise children and teens who are capable, confident, and accepting of others?
From a seasoned journalist comes the rollicking true story of a family of nine children growing up in a Midwest college town during the turbulent ‘60s and ‘70s — a family that championed diversity and inclusion long before such concepts became cultural flashpoints.

Inspiring, surprising, and laugh-out-loud funny, “Many Hands Make Light Work: A Memoir” (Aug. 6, 2019, She Writes Press) offers a powerful example to anyone raising children or teens today. The family in “Many Hands” lives during a time of social upheaval and cultural chaos, much like present times. The parents face challenges, such as more kids than money, and more love than time.

Author Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy grew up as the sixth of those nine children. Now a journalist whose work appears in The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and newspapers and websites across the country, she shares this upbeat, true story of how the unwieldy and exuberant Stritzel clan turned challenges into opportunities, and along the way built a family for the ages.

Human development experts say capable children are the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable society. Today’s millennial parents and baby-boomer grandparents alike want their youngsters to grow into successful, kind adults who keep their hearts open to others. “Many Hands Make Light Work: A Memoir,” written in the tradition of “Cheaper by the Dozen,” offers a template for building functional families under challenging circumstances, while remaining a winsome memoir of a Heartland childhood unlike any other.

CHERYL STRITZEL McCARTHY: Cheryl and her eight siblings grew up with a paintbrush in their hands and a song in their hearts. As soon as they were old enough to wrench a nail out of ancient lumber―so it could be used again―they were put to work renovating old houses in Ames, Iowa. Cheryl’s growing-up years included babysitting for a local family that kept a lion as a pet. A real, adolescent-aged lion. Uncaged. Using a flyswatter to defend herself, she survived the lion, and today is a freelance journalist for The Wall Street Journal as well as the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. The Tribune distributes her articles to newspapers and websites around the country, such as The Seattle Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Baltimore Sun, and Orlando Sentinel. McCarthy holds an MBA from City University in London and a bachelor’s in journalism from Iowa State University. She lives in Bellingham, Washington. For information, visit cherylstritzelmccarthy.com

 

---

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Many Hands Make Light Work: A Memoir”
Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy | Aug. 6, 2019 | She Writes Press
978-1-63152-628-2 (paperback) | $16.95 (paperback)
Memoir

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

In an interview, Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy can discuss:
● How to take strength from the past to face an uncertain future
● The college-admissions scandal: the parents’ message that their high schoolers cannot succeed on their own
● Takeaways for millennial parents and baby-boomer grandparents on building healthy family relationships
● Child/teen safety, in the ‘60s/’70s versus now
● Finding spontaneous joy amid the rush of family life
● Getting teens to cooperate
● What’s been lost, and gained, in the change to today’s smaller families

 

---

An Interview with Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy:

Millennials now have young children, and look toward mid-century themes for inspiration. What are the parenting takeaways from “Many Hands Make Light Work?”
My parents had a strong partnership with shared goals. We children had real work, which supplied purpose and built character. Our family’s social rituals provided stability.

What are the takeaways for today’s Baby Boomer grandparents on fostering healthy family relationships?
Expectations are powerful: approach grandchildren (and their parents) with age-appropriate expectations that they are capable. You don’t need to fix their problems. If you try, you send the message they can’t do it themselves. Plus, it stymies their growth.

The theme of change becomes prominent when you, as the narrator, grapple with the idea that nothing lasts forever, and that everything you treasure will pass away. How does “Many Hands Make Light Work” help others deal with that in their own lives?
Three things: realizing the past can live on in memory as a source of strength; reciting comforting prayers (or mantras or family sayings) that calm and energize; and realizing that you were loved and will find love again.

For decades, your family welcomed strangers into their home, to live, eat, and study with you. They are champions of diversity and inclusion, long before such concepts became cultural flashpoints. How did your household, repeatedly absorbing people of vastly different nationalities and religions, remain harmonious?
Expectations. My parents expected their children and college-student boarders to be friendly and open-hearted. We thought everyone who came to live with us would be like our brothers and sisters; our college students felt that and responded in kind. One example: we never locked doors, and had no theft in the 27 years college students lived with us.

One aspect of the recent college-admission scandal that’s not been covered is the message these parents send their children, which is: you’re not capable on your own. The assumption that kids can’t succeed without parental interference is more common today than in the decades in “Many Hands Make Light Work.” How does this attitude compare to your parents?
Besides our father’s career as a college professor, we had a family business of acquiring, renovating, and renting houses to students. Everyone had to work. Our parents knew we could do it: pour concrete, scrape and paint a Victorian manse, or shovel snow from a dozen properties before breakfast. Because they believed in us, we believed in us.

Parents, in their zeal to help their children succeed, do too much. Yet a total hands-off approach to parenting isn’t right either. How did your parents find the right mix of support and letting go?
Train them, then trust them. The mantra “Don’t do for your child what he/she can do for himself/herself” halts the inclination to over-serve youngsters.

In “Many Hands Make Light Work,” you kids renovated houses to rent to college students. You all sang on the job, like a von Trapp family in painters caps! How did your parents get that kind of cooperation from teenagers?
Our parents had zero ambivalence about having us work. They’d grown up working on family farms. They thought it was healthy training for life. We learned complaining didn’t get results. We were going to work anyway, like it or not. Might as well like it, and we liked harmonizing to pop songs.

You grew up in a harmonious household, but there must have been squabbles among brothers and sisters. How did you resolve arguments?
We duked it out! Just kidding, but one episode in “Many Hands” shows one sisterly argument turning into a wrestling match. Family life is a crucible for learning to get along. (Two of my sisters, decades later, became professional mediators.)

Our parents were in charge. There was no ambiguity about right or wrong. For example, it would have been unthinkable to miss Sunday Mass, or at mealtimes to ask for something other than what was served. Children feel secure when parents are dependable authorities.

Your parents had nine children within 11 years. They didn’t have much money. They lived in a college-town neighborhood during the ‘60s and ‘70s, a time of major campus unrest. How did they raise their nine children to be successful adults?
Our family culture was strong enough to resist exterior forces. Outside our front door, the college students of the ‘70s smoked pot, shouted, and threw rocks. Inside at our dinner table, we and our college students had heated discussions about Vietnam, social change, Nixon, and more. We followed the fashion and music of the day. But courtesy prevailed.

How did your parents afford nine children born over a span of 11 years?
They put money into such things as nutrition and education. They didn’t buy anything unnecessary. We cooked from scratch. We managed several large gardens, and preserved what we grew.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a smaller family?
As kids, we felt sorry for only children. It looked dull! Our parents, though, repeatedly said child-rearing was important work, whether you had one child or ten.

What role did faith play?
Catholicism loomed large. It provided structure to the day, the week, and the year. Human development experts say social rituals are essential. For us, that came via church as well as school and family.

When you were 13, you spent an evening babysitting for a local family that had an unusual pet. Tell us more?
Their pet was a lion. A real, uncaged, adolescent lion. When I walked in that house and saw it lounging atop the couch, fear rolled off me in waves. That was a long and terrible night. It’s in Chapter 23 in “Many Hands Make Light Work.”

The cover of “Many Hands Make Light Work” includes a photo of your parents dancing in the living room. With a career, a business, nine children, and numerous college students, how did they find time for joy?
Children aren’t all little at once. Older ones help with the younger. In “Many Hands,” you see how our parents set up the house so we could help ourselves and the group. They installed a drinking fountain so even little kids could get a drink on their own. They lived the title: many hands indeed made light work.

What is your relationship like with your family now?
I feel crazy lucky to have my siblings and their families in my life. They’re a gift.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Practical guidance for providing care, including for Alzheimer’s, through end of life

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colorado, Jan. 14, 2019 — Trish Laub is on a mission “to help others see that even with Alzheimer’s the possibilities are limitless and a meaningful life is possible, that death is due its dignity, and that everyone deserves compassionate and dignified care.”

Comfort in their Journey Video

While providing care for her parents, Trish found that there were hundreds of books and resources offering advice, but none that made the information easily accessible or provided usable solutions. The Comfort in their Journey book series is what Trish needed: forthright information and answers to everyone’s questions on topics that no one wants to talk about.

(All books: PSM Publishing, 2019, www.TrishLaub.com, Media Kit)

 

1. It is projected that by 2050, 16 million people in the US will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, requiring 80 million caregivers and generating total costs of $1.1 trillion. 

A Most Meaningful Life, my dad and Alzheimer’s, a guide to living with dementia, is the story of a family’s commitment to ensuring a life of quality, dignity and potential for their beloved husband and father living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Understanding the 4 facts and 6 myths about Alzheimer’s, as well as the primary and secondary symptoms, makes it possible for those living with Alzheimer’s to have a meaningful life.
(ISBN:978-1-7322006-0-9, $21.95)

2. While birth is celebrated, death is still due its dignity.

Peaceful Endings, guiding the walk to the end of life and beyond, is a guide to the process of dying and the specific steps to take before and after. The book illuminates the unknown and allays fears, allowing caregivers to thrive while helping a loved one live their remaining days as they choose.

Preparation for the end of life ensures that others understand your wishes and allows a smooth transition for everyone.(ISBN:978-1-7322006-1-6, $21.95)

3. While changes in medical and caregiving approaches have yielded benefits, challenges have arisen.

Through the Rabbit Hole, navigating the maze of providing care, is a straightforward guide to care options and decisions to ensure compassionate and dignified care.

Understanding the complexities of managing caregivers and selecting facilities, as well as the medical, legal, financial, insurance, and patient advocacy aspects of care can mean the difference between life and death.
(ISBN:978-1-7322006-2-3, $24.95)

Trish Laub’s expertise is derived from the full-time care of her parents, one with Alzheimer’s, for whom she delivered the care and end of life desired. Through her personal experience, Trish became an unlikely “expert” on the topics of Alzheimer’s, dignified care and end of life. Now, Trish offers readers the opportunity to thrive during the caregiving process. With their easily accessible information and guidance, these nuts-and-bolts books enable caregivers to be quick studies, think and then act. Trish has lived what she is sharing.

 

 

---

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Peaceful Endings”
Trish Laub
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7322006-0-9 | Price: $21.95

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alexandria, VA – Author Mark Bergin’s career as a police officer spanned nearly 30 years and put him in close encounters with a difficult and often overlooked issue in American culture: police suicide. Currently, more police officers are lost to suicide than to conflicts in the line of duty. Bergin brings awareness to this weighted issue in his debut work, “Apprehension” (Inkshares/Quill, July 30, 2019) and plans to donate a portion of his sales directly to the National Police Suicide Foundation and similar programs.

“Apprehension” follows the story of Detective John Kelly; he was a pro until his niece was murdered right before his eyes. Now Kelly must hide his one shocking, secret – and criminal – act of vengeance when fellow detectives digging in another case can end Kelly’s career and send him to jail. Kelly must ignore this looming threat and focus on protecting a boy from his pedophile father. Except the hotshot defense attorney is his new girlfriend Rachel Cohen, who shares wonderful news but hides her duty to destroy him on the stand. And she can’t reveal she’s investigating a twisted team of drug cops. While his friends work in secret to save him, Kelly is forced to the breaking point – and beyond.

“A terrific first novel that combines non-stop action…and a hero to restore your faith in heroes”
–Christina Kovac, author of “The Cutaway”

MARK BERGIN: is a man of many hats who worked at separate times as both an award-winning crime reporter and police officer. When he worked for the Alexandria Gazette, he was awarded the Virginia Press Association First Place prize for general news reporting in 1985. As a law enforcement officer, he won the Alexandria Sunrise Optimist Club’s Police Officer of the Year award in 1988 and was named Alexandria Kiwanis Club’s Officer of the Year in 1997. Bergin’s diverse background with nearly 30 years spent in law enforcement affords him the “authentic voice” in police fiction that Kirkus Reviews and others are buzzing about. To learn more about Mark and his work visit www.markberginwriter.com.

 

---

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Apprehension”
Mark Bergin | July 30, 2019 | Inkshares/Quill
Paperback ISBN: 9781947848849 | Price: $17.99
Ebook: $7.99
Mystery / Police Procedural

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

In an interview, MARK BERGIN can discuss:

* How his background in law enforcement shaped the novel’s plot
* How his background as a crime reporter has influenced his writing style
* The issue of police stress, depression, and suicide, why it’s so prevalent, and what can be done to help
* Why he chose to give away a portion of the profits from book sales to the National Police Suicide Foundation
* How we can better unite law enforcement and the community at large

 

---

 

An Interview with Mark Bergin

Tell us about where the idea for this book came from. How long have you been thinking about writing this novel?
I started this book thirty years ago, sat down and wrote a few pages of notes for three key
scenes that popped into my head. I’d always wanted to write a novel but life, wife, job and kids
needed more attention than scribbling. I put the notes aside until I retired and expanded the
scenes and filled in between. I knew where I wanted to start and end and kept adding events,
conflicts and characters to get my story across.

The original theme of the book was race relations, revolving around what it was like for a
squad of white cops to arrest so many black men – the truth of street drug enforcement in the
1980s in Alexandria, Virginia. But when I had two career-ending heart attacks in 2013, a nurse
told me I was supposed to be dead and that God had something more for me to do here. I’m not
sure I believe that, but I decided my post-retirement job would be writing, and that I would use my first novel APPREHENSION to raise awareness of police stress and suicide. I wrote these elements into the story I’d started so many years ago and made plans to donate half of my book profits to police suicide awareness and prevention. (Whether God does step in to help or hinder us is addressed in my next book, ST. MICHAEL’S DAY, still being written.)

Your writing style has been called authentic by many, including Kirkus Reviews and Christina Kovac, author of “The Cutaway.” Do you see your former career as a police officer as an asset to your writing? Is much of what you write drawn from lived experience?
All of the book is from experience, not that I experienced it all. Everything in APPREHENSION did or could have happened. I didn’t suffer the psychological trauma that my hero John Kelly did, but I did have two stress-related heart attacks that forced my retirement. (And retirement led to the writing of this book, so yay heart disease!)  I tried to write a book that a cop will read and say, “Yeah, that’s what it’s really like.” That he or she can give to their family to let them know what cops go through.

Do you think your book – or the police procedural genre as a whole – can help readers gain insight into the complex lives of those in law enforcement?
My goal for APPREHENSION was to write a police novel that was accurate in procedure and realistic in feelings and attitudes. It’s not Dirty Harry or The Shield, it’s how real cops think and act. I tried to show the detailed routine of police work, the constant awareness of
surroundings, watching passersby, listening to the radio, planning next moves and potential escape and cover options. And show the violence both surprising and expected, the crushing losses, the mistakes and reversals that force Kelly to the edge. The mundane wrapped around the deadly.

Your work grapples with the difficult subject of police suicide. This is a common issue which is not often talked about. What conversations do you hope to spark among your readers on this topic?
In my twenty-eight year career in Alexandria, Virginia, we lost one officer to hostile gunfire, murdered during a hostage barricade. But in that same time three officers and two city deputies took their own lives. Always, far more cops fall to suicide than to murder or accidental
death. And we are only recently learning to talk about that, to recognize the constant threat of death that every cop walks around with every day. You know why that traffic cop looked so mean at you when he wrote you the stoplight ticket? Because you could be planning to kill him. It’s called hypervigilance, and it’s a pressure that eats at us every day. I want cops talking out their pressure, agencies reorganizing and planning to help with mental health issues, counseling made commonly available and officers who die by suicide to be recognized for their service.

Can you tell us a little bit about the National Police Suicide Foundation and the work they do? Why did you choose them as a partner in raising awareness here?
The National Police Suicide Foundation will be the first recipient of my book profits. It operates a no-tell hotline that law enforcement can call for help and know their agency will not be notified of their issues. Fear of disclosure to bosses and the possible loss of career and
livelihood often prevent cops from seeking help, and the NPSF keeps calls confidential. Dr. Robert Douglas Jr., NPSF’s director, also travels nationwide to teach departments how to recognize and reduce stress on officers, how to identify or predict troubled cops and ways to
improve agency procedures. There are other similar programs I hope to work with in the future, including the Southern States Police Benevolent Association, of which I am a member.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MONTEREY, Calif. – In his debut novel, Robert Cochran makes the leap from television writing to historical fiction, traveling back over 800 years to capture the sights and sounds of the Crusades and chronicling a journey of epic proportions in The Sword and the Dagger (released in April from Tor).

After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, headstrong Princess Elaine, her betrothed Prince Conrad, and the assassin Rashid, each for their own reasons, set out on an epic journey to uncover the truth behind the murder plot. With little in common at first, the three reluctant companions find their courage tested by danger, betrayal, an untamed wilderness — and Genghis Khan, whose invincible army is poised to invade their world.

Filled with humor, romance, and adventure, young adult readers will enjoy this fast-paced saga, which is ultimately a testament to our ability to look past the differences of others to form friendships that stand the test of time.

ROBERT COCHRAN co-created the international hit television series 24, for which he received six Emmy nominations and two wins. Before that, he had written and/or produced a number of other popular shows, including L.A. Law, Falcon Crest, JAG, The Commish, and La Femme Nikita. Prior to becoming a writer, he was a lawyer and a management consultant, careers he considers highly useful because they convinced him that he didn’t want to be a lawyer or a management consultant. He lives with his wife in Monterey, California. The Sword and the Dagger is his first novel.

 

---

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“The Sword and the Dagger”
Robert Cochran | Available now | Tor | Young Adult Historical Fiction
Paperback | 978-1-7337982-0-4 | $12.32
Ebook | B07CG7F3MW | $9.99

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

In an interview, Robert Cochran can discuss:

* The differences between writing for television and writing a novel
* His approach to writing strong, female characters and why they’re important for young readers
* The importance of friendships crossing racial and ethnic boundaries
* How to use world history to develop a realistic setting

 

---

 

An Interview with Robert Cochran

You previously worked for a variety of television shows, including the Fox hit 24. What is it that made you decide to write a novel?
Actually, I’d originally intended to write The Sword and the Dagger as a film script, but I soon realized that the scope of the story was too broad to be compressed into a two-hour format. So I decided to try it as a novel, which certainly did provide more opportunities to explore the characters, incidents and settings of the story that I wanted to tell.

How does writing a novel geared toward young adults differ from writing for an adult audience?
In some ways, there’s not as much difference as you might think. All adults, of whatever age, are interested in the same fundamental things: love, relationships, loyalty, courage, family, a person’s place in society, how to find purpose and meaning in life, and so forth. Such themes are of universal concern to all human beings of whatever age. A story geared for young adults may tend to delve into such themes slightly less deeply than works targeted at an older audience, and of course scenes involving violence or sexuality are presented in less detail in works intended for younger readers. Violence and sexuality aren’t ignored by any means, but their description is less graphic. I’d point out that there are many books and movies intended for young adults that older adults enjoy just as much, and vice-versa.

Princess Elaine is written as a strong, determined young woman despite the limits society has placed on her. Why is that type of character important for young readers?
I’ve always loved history, and while in most periods and most places men have tended to monopolize positions of power and control, there have always been women who, through great talent or great determination, manage to break through the barriers and make their mark. The more examples of such women that literature can provide, whether fiction or nonfiction, the better! And it’s important for men, as well as women, to see and internalize those examples. Hopefully, this will contribute to the forming of a society that provides opportunities for all women, and not just the exceptional few, to succeed and prosper equally with men.

This book is a work of historical fiction set 800 years ago, but what are some themes that still resonate in this day and age?
One theme, already mentioned above, is that of a strong woman trying to find, or create, her place in a world dominated by men. A second is the conflict between personal desire and duty — between what our heart wants, and what society or family expects or demands of us; all three major characters struggle with this conflict in the course of the novel. A third theme is how cultural or religious differences that divide people can be overcome by friendship, even (or especially) friendship that’s forged in the face of great danger and hardship.

A variety of settings are mentioned in the book, including the Mediterranean and what is now the areas that make up Iraq and Syria. What drew you to write about these places?
One thing you learn from studying history is the truth of William Faulkner’s assertion: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” What we call the Middle East has always fascinated me — it’s a region of such intense cultural, political, and religious conflict. And those conflicts have been going on, in one form or another, for centuries. Leaders — even empires — come and go, national boundaries change and, of course, technology changes, but in many ways, the underlying issues have remained remarkably constant. I found it very interesting to explore some of those issues through a “long lens” looking back 800 years, and through the eyes of three very different characters who would seem familiar to modern readers in some ways, and unfamiliar in others.

What advice would you pass along to other writers?
There are lots of books, websites, blogs, etc., that tell you how to write novels (and screenplays as well); many of them contain useful advice which is worth paying attention to. But in the end, there’s no recipe for good storytelling, whatever the format. It’s not like baking a cake, where if you follow the instructions closely, you can be pretty sure of having something edible. You can do everything “right” as a writer, and still your work just sits there. Techniques are good and useful, but when you’re actually writing, I’d suggest putting them in the back of your mind and concentrating instead on finding what I think of as the “sweet spot” of writing: that place where you’re writing from inside the story. You seem to be watching and listening to the characters as they live their lives, rather than standing outside the story, making it up. Of course, that’s an illusion, you are making it up — but the best writing happens when the characters feel more like people you know, and less like people you’re creating.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“[A] riveting, no-holds-barred account—hitherto untold—of […] the fight against ISIS from Iraq to Syria to Afghanistan. This is a compelling, important story—and Hunting the Caliphate captures it vividly and clearly.” — General David Petraeus.

Dana J.H. Pittard and Wes J. Bryant in Hunting the Caliphate: America’s War on ISIS and the Dawn of the Strike Cell (Post Hill Press, August 27, 2019) bring their senior military backgrounds and unique experience serving in once-secret operations in the Middle East together to create one of the only books on the market with true stories from the war on terrorism in the years following 9/11.

From Hunting the Caliphate: “We watched grimly as the ISIS fighters…took aim with their machine guns and opened fire. Once the smoke and dust settled, we could see clearly that ISIS had executed all eighty men.”

With a combined fifty-plus years in military service, Dana J.H. Pittard, Major General, U.S. Army (Retired) and Wes J. Bryant, Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force (Retired) give in their new book a first hand look at once-secretive American operations focused on the activities of ISIS. Recounting their personal experiences of the dramatic scenes that splashed across our newspapers at home throughout the past two decades, the authors share their personal testimony to the growing extremism not only in the Middle East, but around the world.

DANA J.H. PITTARD retired from the U.S. Army in 2015 at the rank of Major General after thirty-four years of active duty service. He was a highly decorated combat leader and commanded units at every echelon from platoon through division, including multiple combat tours in Iraq and the Middle East. In 2014, he was chosen to lead the initial U.S. response to halt the aggressive spread of ISIS in Iraq. Dana has earned a B.S. from West Point, a master’s degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a Senior Fellow. He is currently a vice president with a manufacturing company in Indiana where he lives with his wife Lucille and their two sons. For more on Dana visit him at www.danajhpittard.com.

WES J. BRYANT retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2018 at the rank of Master Sergeant after twenty years of active duty service. Embedded with Special Forces teams under a Navy SEAL task force, Wes was the tactical lead for a contingent of special operations JTACs to first set foot in Iraq to stop ISIS. As the senior enlisted JTAC to establish the BIAP Strike Cell, Bryant coordinated and controlled the first airstrikes against ISIS in the Baghdad region. He later deployed as the senior Special Tactics JTAC for special operations task forces hunting ISIS in Syria and Afghanistan.

Wes earned a bachelor’s in Asian Studies from the University of Maryland University College. He’s been a lifelong writer, amateur philosopher, and an avid student of the martial arts. He currently pursues writing and editing and teaches Chinese Kung Fu and Tai Chi in his community in North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Katie, and their two daughters. Wes’ work can be found at www.wesjbryant.com.

 

---

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Hunting the Caliphate: America’s War on ISIS and the
Dawn of the Strike Cell”

Dana J.H. Pittard and Wes J. Bryant | August 27, 2019 | Post Hill Press
Hardcover ISBN: 9781642930559 | Price: $27.00
Historical Nonfiction | Military

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR “HUNTING THE CALIPHATE”
“From mass executions, pinpoint air strikes, political and military frustrations and the politics of coalition warfare, ‘Hunting The Caliphate’ is a compelling blend of military history and first person memories of the war against terror—the complex battlefield, the joys of victory, the tragedy of loss and the sacrifice of the men and women who carried out the mission. An insider account from a senior Army ground commander and a front line battlefield airman, the book is a gritty, compelling read for all who hope to understand America’s longest war.” —Deborah Lee James
23rd Secretary of the Air Force and author of “Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success”

“Simply Excellent. Hunting the Caliphate is the first account to give sustained insights into the events and personalities shaping the war on ISIS that academics and journalists have failed to capture except in snapshots. Effectively written, and with editing nothing short of first-rate, it is a descriptive and gripping narrative from two contrasting yet intersecting perspectives that offers readers a broader view of the US military campaign against ISIS. As a historian, I applaud the insightful observations riddled throughout that serve to accurately convey an important history—and dispel its myths.”—Mark Reardon, Senior Historian, US Army Center of Military History

 

---

 

In an interview, Pittard and Bryant can discuss:

* The 15+ month-long period it took the Pentagon and CIA to run a classified screening of the book… and how nothing in the book will compromise current operations
* How this is the first definitive book on the military campaign against ISIS actually written by warfighters who waged it
* What led both authors to take part in the initiation of the campaign against ISIS, including their personal and professional struggles along the way
* The authors’ true accounts of the reign of terror of ISIS against the people of the Middle East, and why it was imperative that the U.S. intervene
* The true story of America’s hunting and killing of ISIS forces, senior leaders, and networks
* The authors’ recommendations on the way ahead for the war against terrorism and the fight against ISIS—both as a state and a terror network
* Dana Pittard’s knowledge of Middle East history (i.e. Iraq and Syria and our military involvement there) and the rise of ISIS specifically, and on the strategic decisions and behind-the-scenes political discussions/decisions that went on regarding our war against terrorism and the fight against ISIS.
* Wes Bryant’s expertise on the tactical and operational aspects of our airstrike campaigns, and on the special operations efforts in the war on terrorism throughout Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

 

---

 

An Interview with Pittard and Bryant

From your combat experience, why and how is ISIS different from our other terrorist enemies?
ISIS differs from other terrorist entities in its level of uncompromising extremism combined with an uncanny ability to rapidly expand influence and recruit throughout all parts of the world—both within vulnerable, unstable nation-states and across modern Western societies alike. Added to this is the professed establishment of a “caliphate”—a throwback religious empire based on a twisted and archaic interpretation of Islam—fused with unparalleled financing, organization, and equipping, formidable strategic warfighting capability, and highly-trained military forces.

What are your thoughts on the military campaign against ISIS? Should we have initiated the campaign against ISIS? To what extent should we be continuing in our campaign against ISIS?
There’s been much discussion about how ISIS formed, why it formed, and the role that U.S. decisions in the Middle East for the past two decades played in its up-springing. Although that discussion is important so that we can better learn how to avoid the rise of such a force in the future, in the end it becomes moot. In 2014, the facts in front of us were there was a very prolific, capable, and heinous terrorist army rampaging across easter Syria and northern Iraq. In Syria they had taken advantage of the instability caused by civil war, and in Iraq they had taken advantage of the Sunni-Shia rift that had grown stronger with Iraqi government policies since the U.S. military withdrawal in 2011. We had a strategic and a moral obligation to initiate the campaign against ISIS—to prevent the crumbling of an Iraqi democracy we’d spent years and American blood and treasure to help create. We needed to stop a brutal terrorist force defined by an utter disregard for humanity. Though the geographical “caliphate” has been defeated, in some ways ISIS is still dangerous as a terrorist organization. We must continue the campaign against ISIS in the failed states and ungoverned regions of the world where it may reappear.

Many people say that President Trump is really defeating ISIS whereas Obama failed in doing so. How do you feel about our current and former presidents’ roles in the campaign against ISIS?
The posit that President Trump is defeating ISIS when President Obama failed is simply not accurate. President Trump continued on the path that Obama laid out in 2014 when then-President Obama called for the creation of the successful anti-ISIS coalition, consisting of Middle East Arab allies and our European allies uniting against the common threat of ISIS—and for our Arab partners to carry the weight of the ground fight. There were good and bad policy decisions made by on the Obama Administration. There have been good and bad decisions made by the Trump Administration. President Trump delegated more authority to the Secretary of Defense over strategic and operational decisions than President Obama had previously given. That helped to enable a more fluid command and control and gave more freedom of action to subordinate commanders, which helped in the eventual defeat of ISIS as a state. We would probably have seen a similar outcome under a continued Obama presidency. The real credit should go to our partnered Iraqi and Kurdish military forces on the ground, the U.S. military, Iraqi Shia militias, European allies, and Middle East/Arab allies and other anti-ISIS forces.

Some Americans and even politicians think that America is simply “bombing the Middle East” and drone warfare is unethical and should be considered murder. What thoughts do you have on these perceptions?
We have seen this narrative extend even into parts of our political realm in recent years, and it is a misperception that vastly skews and discredits U.S. efforts in the Middle East as well as the work of our military forces. In 2014, America came to the aid of the Iraqi people and government in fighting a very savage and brutal enemy—ISIS. The use of drones and other airborne platforms has allowed the U.S. military and the coalition to be more accurate with airstrikes, which helped to significantly reduce civilian casualties and collateral damage to infrastructure. The misperception regarding our airstrike campaign and the use of drone warfare completely disregards the incredible successes we have had in safeguarding our Middle East partner nations against the threat of ISIS.

After being in combat in the Middle East, who do you feel is the enemy?
Under President Obama, there was incredible backlash from various factions within the American societal and political realm because Obama would rarely use the term “Islamic extremism” to describe our enemies. But that was not for failing to recognize that our enemies have been defined and shaped by a brand of religious extremism. It was instead an effort to not add to the misperception that America, and the West, are at war with Islam itself. This misperception still exists, perhaps even stronger today, and it is one that leads to anti-Islam sentiment, persecution, oppression, and even “right wing” terrorist attacks against Muslims—as we’ve seen increasingly in recent years. The greatest problem, and irony, with that is that when we designate an entire religion and culture/ethnicity our enemy, we become exactly the same as the very enemy we are striving to defeat. The real enemy is extremism—and it is one that can be painted with many different brushes.

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lisa Braver Moss shares the quiet rebellion and silent strife of a Berkeley student

OAKLAND, California – We think we know the story so well. When you ask most Americans to think about Berkeley, California, in the 1960s, they’ll likely picture flower children calling for peace and anti-war protestors filling the streets. The decade was a turning point in America, a time of radical change. And in the context of her family life, Martha Goldenthal is a radical. But her rebellion isn’t sex, drugs, or rock ’n’ roll – it’s doing well in school and escaping her academia-hating, abusive father.

In her unflinching new novel “Shrug” (She Writes Press, Aug. 13, 2019), Lisa Braver Moss gives voice to a private narrative of the 1960s – one that quietly existed, without headlines and threats of tear gas, but still not without turmoil. Moss draws from her own experience as a survivor of childhood domestic violence who came of age in Berkeley during the seismic ’60s to craft the novel’s lead, Martha, a teenager with a nervous tic (a shrug of the shoulder) who is waging a private rebellion while her peers take part in a very public, nationwide movement.

In “Shrug,” Moss delicately navigates the complexities of family abuse through the perspective of a parentified child and her self-blame and need for control. Martha must endure her parents’ messy divorce, the loss of her father’s record store and livelihood, her mother’s heartless eviction of her from the family home, and an unlikely custody case putting her in her father’s care. Can Martha stand up to him and do the one thing she’s sure she must—go to college?

LISA BRAVER MOSS is the author of “Shrug” (She Writes Press, Aug. 13, 2019). She is a writer specializing in family issues, health, Judaism and humor. Her work has appeared in Parents, Tikkun, Lilith, the Huffington Post and more. Moss is the author of the novel “The Measure of His Grief” (Notim Press, 2010). Her nonfiction book credits include “Celebrating Family: Our Lifelong Bonds with Parents and Siblings” (Wildcat Canyon Press, 1999) and, as a co-author, “The Mother’s Companion: A Comforting Guide to the Early Years of Motherhood” (Council Oak Books, 2001). She is also the co-author of “Celebrating Brit Shalom” (Notim Press, 2015), the first-ever book of ceremonies and music for Jewish families opting out of circumcision. Moss is a survivor of childhood domestic violence and grew up in Berkeley, California. She lives with her husband in nearby Piedmont. They have two grown sons.

 

 

---

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Shrug”

Lisa Braver Moss | August 13, 2019 | She Writes Press
ISBN: 978-1-63152-638-1 (paperback) | $16.95 (paperback)
978-1-63152-639-8 (ebook) | $9.95 (ebook)
Literary Fiction

Martha Goldenthal isn’t your typical 1960s Berkeley radical. Her rebellion isn’t sex, drugs, or rock ’n’ roll—it’s doing well at Berkeley High and planning for college. Her father, Jules, is a raging batterer who, because of his own insecurities, hates academia. Not that her off-the-rails mother, Willa, is much better. Meanwhile, Jules’s classical record store, located directly across the street from the U.C. Berkeley campus, is ground zero for riots and tear gas. No wonder Martha has a nervous tic—a shrug of the shoulder.

Preoccupied with the family situation and barely able to concentrate, Martha plods along in school and somehow manages to achieve. But her parents’ hideous divorce, the loss of her father’s record store and livelihood, a heartless eviction from the family home, and an unlikely custody case wind up putting Martha in Jules’s care. Can she stand up to her father and do the one thing she’s sure she must—go to college?

With its running “soundtrack” of classical recordings and rock music and its vivid scenes of Berkeley at its most turbulent, “Shrug” is the absorbing, harrowing, and ultimately uplifting story of one young woman’s journey toward independence.

 

 

---

 

In an interview, LISA BRAVER MOSS can discuss:

* Her experience as a survivor of childhood domestic abuse and how it informed her writing of “Shrug”
* Her experience growing up in Berkeley in the 1960s
* How a difficult home situation, in a turbulent time and place, can affect reading and learning
* The question of whether, and to what extent, it is possible to break free of childhood abuse
* Why so many survivors of childhood domestic violence blame themselves

 

---

 

An Interview with LISA BRAVER MOSS

“Shrug” is partly based on your own experiences growing up with an unstable home life in Berkeley, California, during the 1960s. How did you make decisions about what to fictionalize? Why didn’t you opt to write a memoir, and what value do you think fiction storytelling adds to this narrative?
I felt liberated once I realized I was writing a novel. I think in writing my own story as a memoir, I would have felt more constrained or distracted by what actually took place, and the researching of those details may well have derailed me from the difficult task of writing a complete, satisfying read. I would’ve felt more daunted and more vulnerable. That said, fiction writing is no stroll in the park! For example, it required a lot of research about period details that I didn’t remember.

At one point, I mentioned to an editor friend, “This is fiction, not a memoir.” He laughed, and I asked him what was funny. “Memoir IS fiction!” he said, meaning that choices about tone, content, and perspective in a memoir are all subjective decisions rather than objective ones. Nonetheless, writing the story as fiction felt freeing; I loved setting the scenes and I love to write dialogue. But maybe the most concrete reason that it’s a novel and not a memoir is that the book kind of fell into place once I “got” the teenage voice.

Some authors share their personal stories with traumatic experiences, including childhood domestic violence, through the written word and find that the process is liberating in a way. Was this your experience? How did you manage potentially triggering content?
There were certainly parts that were very painful to write, such as the scenes of the father’s violence and those of the mother’s cruelty and maddening self-centeredness. I think I was able to manage this because I was so focused on precision in my writing. There were times when I was crying while writing, but in general my drive to “get it right” overrode the pain of the content.

The liberating thing about writing the story was that it forced me to have compassion for Martha; without this, I discovered, it was impossible to make her a sympathetic character. A pretty big consideration. So I had to adopt a loving attitude toward Martha and, by extension, toward myself. “Yes, this young woman really does deserve to be heard” was my inner motto. It was a way of retroactively loving my younger self. This helped me love my current self in a deeper way.

So, in terms of the painful content, I recognized that being able to be precise about it was key, and that helped me observe the writing adage “the more specific, the more universal.” I was ruthless about cutting out any specifics that didn’t keep the story moving or show something about character. But in general I chose my words and phrases with care as I tried to convey the scary, complex, confusing situation the main character is in.

It was liberating to write the book, sure. But have I completely broken free of the abuse I grew up with? Well, that’s a life’s work.

Martha, the lead character in “Shrug,” seems to stand more on the sidelines of 1960s chaos and rebellion — was this also true of your personal experience during that period? Did you feel like you were on the outside?
I definitely stood on the sidelines during that period, mostly because I felt so overwhelmed by the things I was coping with. At the time, taking part in protests and peace rallies would have felt almost phony to me. How could I rally for peace in Vietnam when in my own life, in my own home, there was an abject lack thereof? Also, as I said, my being on the sidelines had to do with my feeling completely snowed by what I was dealing with – I had no bandwidth for any other moral battle.

To cope with stress stemming from her family life, Martha focuses on music, academic pursuits and the unwavering support of her friends rather than turning to destructive behaviors, drugs or alcohol. Why is that the path she takes?

That’s a human mystery, isn’t it? Why some people go toward self-destruction and others toward achievement? However, it may be a false dichotomy. Martha is on the academic track, but her learning ability is compromised by her extreme anxiety about what’s going on at home. I would argue that her self-blame about her problems and her preoccupation with her family is to her detriment, undermining of her well-being — i.e., a self-destructive impulse. She also buys into her parents’ cruel assessment of her as too rigid, too uptight, too straight-and-narrow. Also, Martha’s pity for her mother, Willa, blinds her to Willa’s cruelty and unreliability. Willa, it turns out, is not a worthy burden; the loyalty only goes one way.

So yes, Martha is an achiever, but she’s also self-destructive in that she sees it as her duty (1) to prop Willa up and (2) to be the one to call her father, Jules, on his awful behavior, and (3) to spend a lot of her psychic energy worrying about the family situation.

I didn’t want to write a book where the main character has a healthy self-esteem. That wouldn’t feel truthful or real to me. But it’s hard to write a character with a crummy self-image and still have the character be sympathetic. It was a challenge to portray Martha in such a way that the reader would think more highly of Martha than she thinks of herself.

Your own experiences as an academic-minded teenager in the height of some of the most rebellious years in American history seem like an anomaly, unlike conventional depictions of this era. Why do you think that is? Do you feel like there’s another side to this generation we’re not addressing? And if yes, do you think your character helps give voice to those people?
I’m confident that behind closed doors, plenty of kids were, and are, weathering circumstances similar to what Martha goes through. We have better vocabulary now for things like childhood domestic violence, but the 1960s was pre-Oprah, so to speak. We didn’t talk as freely or articulately about “personal problems” back then. So, it was a radical time — and it wasn’t.

My guess is that in times of turmoil and change, a good percentage of the population finds comfort and orientation in structure. I think this is true independent of trauma. In my case, I discovered at an early age that “getting stuff done” helped a lot with my anxiety. I didn’t see it that way at the time, but looking back, I think my not feeling safe as a child contributed to my having a strong urge toward productivity. It was my way of trying to manage some really difficult feelings.

Did you have a shrug as a child?
No, that’s made up. It’s a stand-in for the ways in which I needed help with thorny problems as a kid, but didn’t get that help. I liked it because it doesn’t have a simple solution. It’s partly physiological and partly psychological — but it’s clear, I think, that in a different family, Martha would have gotten help with it in some way. She may not have developed the shrug in the first place.

Incidentally, transient tics affect as many as 24% of children at some point. So a lot of kids live with this, at least temporarily.

What do you hope readers take away from “Shrug?”
Not all teenage rebels are out smoking, drinking and having sex. Someone can look as if they’re “on the straight and narrow” while fighting a battle that’s invisible but profound. I also hope readers understand a little about how deeply self-esteem and learning can be affected by childhood domestic violence and other early traumas.

In Martha’s case, she’s every bit as affected by her mother’s self-centeredness and cruelty as she is by her father’s violence. There’s not just one “bad guy;” at the end of the day, the mother is arguably more destructive than the father. It’s very difficult for Martha to come to this conclusion about her mother, though, because of her mother’s obvious favoritism of her over her siblings. Martha is slow to realize she’s being manipulated through this favoritism. I want the reader to understand that the way in which the battered parent responds to the situation is key. In Martha’s case, her mother throws oil on the fire. I’m hoping the reader takes from this that domestic violence can be a very complex problem.

Also… I have to admit I’m hoping “Shrug” will spark curiosity among some readers about the book’s running “soundtrack” of classical and rock music.

Why do you think children living with domestic violence tend to blame themselves?
I think it’s easier for kids to blame themselves than it is to face the terrifying truth that their parent or parents, who are supposed to be protecting them, are the problem. With self-blame, the child has the illusion of being able to control the situation: “If only I could be better, this would stop.” As odd as it sounds, this is easier to swallow than the reality that the parent(s) aren’t fully looking out for them. Self-blame fosters the illusion that one can control one’s destiny through sheer effort and perseverance. Well, I tried sheer effort and perseverance as a kid. It didn’t work! At least, not for solving the family’s problems.

What do you think about the word “victim” vs. the word “survivor?”
“Survivor” is now seen as the proper word for those who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, and the like. Generally I think this is more appropriate than “victim.” However, it’s interesting that the word “victim” now has such a negative connotation that people are almost allergic to it. Actually, the idea of having been a victim as a child can be helpful to those who may unconsciously blame themselves for their awful childhoods. It can help shift the experience such that the person really “gets it” that they were not at fault. Just because you state “I don’t want to be a victim” doesn’t mean you weren’t a victim. I think “victim” can be a useful term.

In the book, Martha doesn’t look upon herself as a victim or a survivor. Rather, she sees herself as a rescuer. While she feels deeply hurt and overwhelmed by her parents’ behavior, she focuses on calling her father out and propping her mother up. Again, the “rescuer” identity is part of a system in which the victim/survivor has the illusion of being able to control his/her destiny through action.

You have written about the Jewish faith in some of your nonfiction works. How does your faith impact your fiction writing? How does it play a role in your process?
For me, it’s not so much a matter of faith as it is a matter of community. I think I would have found it grounding as a kid to have been affiliated with the Jewish community and connected to Jewish life. But my parents, like a lot of people who came to Berkeley in the 1940s from New York and other more traditional places, were iconoclasts who didn’t buy into the trappings of organized religion. There were plenty of other Jewish families in Berkeley that were similar to mine in this way.

I’m very involved in Jewish life, and though the book doesn’t have much specifically Jewish content, for me personally it will, I think, be a kind of “coming out” in my community. It’s exciting and scary at the same time.

Music plays an important role in your book. What do you listen to?
I had so much fun with this, because I made Martha’s taste and opinions virtually identical to my own. So I could wax on in my own quirky way about music through her voice, which was a welcome antidote to the book’s difficult content. As for my taste, I love most everything of Bach’s, the chamber music of the classical and romantic periods, and the orchestral works of many romantic and contemporary composers. But I also listen to rock music from the 1970s onward. The heady trance I can go into is actually the same for me whether it’s a beloved passage from Britten’s “War Requiem” or “Silver, Blue and Gold” by Bad Company. I’m not saying they’re equally deep, but they can strike the same emotional chord (so to speak) for me.

Do you listen to music while you write?
In general, I find it too distracting. If I don’t like the music, it feels like a major imposition on my psyche; I’m too angry to write. If I do like the music, it seems to demand more of my attention than the page. But sometimes, if an idea comes to me while music is on (about how to solve a writing problem), I can tolerate the music while I scribble down my idea.

What’s next for you?
I do advocacy work in the Jewish community on behalf of young families opting out of circumcision. I will probably continue with this work and see where it leads in terms of book ideas.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Burlington, VT – Me, Myself, and Him (Delacorte Press, July 9, 2019) is a memoir-fiction hybrid from author Chris Tebbetts, based loosely on his own experience as a teenager. Following the book’s protagonist, Chris, through two parallel stories, the book brings to light how decisions have consequences and how that may affect a teen about to go to college.

“A unique spin on a contemporary alternate timeline story that achieves its effect with uncompromising realism…It’s a wonderful read.” —National Book Award nominee Nancy Werlin, author of The Rules of Survival, Impossible, and And Then There Were Four

The story begins with an accident in which the story’s gay, 18-year-old protagonist, Chris Schweitzer, passes out and breaks his nose huffing whippets behind the ice cream store where he works. From there, Me, Myself, and Him splits into two parallel (and fictional) narratives: one where Chris lies about what happened, and another where the truth comes out and Chris is sent off to live with his famous but difficult physicist father for the last summer before college. Within its dual narratives, the book touches on friendship, romance, family difficulties, and yes, a little theoretical physics.

 

---

 

“Me, Myself, and Him”

Chris Tebbetts | July 9th, 2019 | Delacorte Press
ISBN: 978-1524715229 | Price: $17.99
Young Adult

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

About the author

Chris Tebbetts: Chris Tebbetts loves, and has always loved, storytelling in its many forms. His background includes a college major in film production; a decade as a mostly-starving NYC-based theater artist; and more recently, fifteen years of writing for kids and teens.

Tebbetts is the author and co-author of many books for young readers. Titles include the #1 New York Times bestselling Middle School series with James Patterson; the Stranded series with “Survivor” host Jeff Probst; the YA novel M or F?; and The Viking. His work has received children’s choice awards in Oregon and Hawaii, as well a Sunshine State Young Readers Award nomination, and a nod on the New York Public Library’s annual list of Books For the Teen Age. He is a native of Yellow Springs, Ohio, a graduate of Northwestern University, and currently lives with his husband in the Burlington, Vermont area.

 

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

BEAU & BETT: A Modern Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
After Beau LeFrancois’ mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, Beau volunteers to work off the debt at the Diaz Ranch. Beau’s family is going broke—unable to even afford car insurance. Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz. Nicknamed “The Beast” at school, the boss’s daughter finds excuses to shadow Beau whenever he’s at the ranch. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her. That is, until he catches Bett in a lie.

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryn Berla is the author of numerous nov- els, including The House at 758 and Going Places. She grew up in India, Syria, Europe, and Africa. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

 

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mankind is only one of the twelve races, born of the twelve energies that created the universe. When the Balance that holds the races and the universe in harmony is threatened, two are chosen to restore it. Told through dual timelines that weave together mythologies, religions, and existential theories from all over the world, Ania’s breakthrough sci-fi/fantasy title, Balance of the 12 (Amazon, July 2019), takes readers on a journey across time and space.

Billions of years ago, the Great War threatened to destroy the universe by annihilating the Balance between the twelve races. The attempt is thwarted by the Visionary Reader and human Protector at a great cost, but their sacrifice has since allowed the races to live in harmony. Until now. With another war looming on the horizon, Samuel, a human, and Jane, a Reader, are the only ones who can stop the war and restore peace. In a riveting tale both fantastical and futuristic, myth and reality collide in a fight for the greater good and the lives of all.

Ania is a translator, author of Balance of the 12, and mother of twin girls. She has spent the past decade studying philosophy and now holds a degree in the field, working especially in the philosophy of politics and existentialism. Watching her children grow up has inspired her interest in human nature, perception, and learning systems. A passionate traveler, her work is influenced by the different locations she travels to and the cultures she encounters. To learn more about Ania and her books, please visit www.aniabooks.com, or connect with her on Facebook or Instagram @ania_author.

 

---

 

Balance of the 12

Ania | July 23, 2019 | PUBLISHER
ISBN: 978-6-0580672-0-2 | Price:
Science Fiction/Fantasy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

In an interview, Ania can discuss:
* Her choice to merge mythology, religion, and conspiracy theories to create her fictional lore
* The inspiration behind the novel
* How experience with hyper prolactinoma disease and how it influenced her interest in science-fiction and fantasy
* Her background in philosophy, and how it impacted the book’s creation
* Why she read almost all of the holy books, existential philosophies, Far East philosophies, and mythologies before and after writing the book

 

---

 

An Interview with ANIA

Where did the idea for this story come from?
The story came to me eight years ago while I was studying existential philosophy. I also watched many documentaries about space and physics which influenced me greatly. The universe has an incredible harmony. Every being acts as though it has some knowledge of existence. Suddenly I thought what if we could decode molecules and see the things that they have been through. This idea made me create the race, Reader. Then the rest followed…

You weave philosophical ideas from all over the world into your story. How did you prepare to do this, and what do you hope the story accomplishes by combining so many beliefs?
To be honest, I didn’t prepare anything. I think this knowledge was in my mind and was naturally in the process of creating the story. It all came together just like pieces of a puzzle. I hope it can show people that no matter what we are taught, we all have one thing in common to share— life.

What drew you to fantasy and science-fiction?
This is a question I ask myself all the time. Could I ever write in another genre? I tried once and have learned a lot from the experience.

If you think writing in one genre is just about loving that genre, I must say that is not the reason in my case. I have always created fantasy or sci-fi stories because it was the way my imagination works. When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with hyper prolactinoma caused by a tumor. Through the years of my treatment, I hallucinated and sometimes my perception of time got much slower. It may sound pitiful, but most of the time I had fun because I had full knowledge of what was happening in those episodes and was strong enough to separate reality from my imagination by observing other peoples’ reaction. That period of my life made me ask questions about the human mind, creativity and perception. “What is reality?” was my first question. I am still searching the answer though.

Observing other people, experiencing their diverse perceptions, drew me to the fantasy and sci-fi genre. After a while I wondered if I could write in another genre. I tried writing in horror, romance, action, mystery and comedy. Eventually, I felt I achieved. People who read those stories liked them as much as my other fantasy or sci-fi.

But was I satisfied? So and so, I would answer. I was happy to see that I could write in other genres, and I enjoyed writing them. The creation process is always fun. Yet I found I didn’t feel as good writing other genres as when I wrote fantasy or sci-fi. Creating worlds and races is the best way for me to reflect on my ideas about the world we live in. Sometimes we have ideas or perceptions that we can’t change, and I usually create a world based on these preconceived concepts, then leave my character in that World to see what struggles he or she has. I think many authors may agree with me that a character decides its own path right after it is created. By allowing my character to explore the World I’ve created that may be based off my own ideas, I can see unprejudiced reflections of the world we live in and my own ideas. Sometimes my perception changes and I learn more about myself and our world even when I am still writing. That’s why I love writing fantasy and sci-fi genre. I am mostly interested in who I may become rather than who I was. Writing is my way of thinking and realizing myself.

How did your background in philosophy prepare you to encounter challenging ideas about existence and being?
I have always been a questioner. Philosophy taught me how to ask the right questions. In philosophy every system has to be consistent. There are different approaches on both existence and being. Thanks to my background I can evaluate and learn these different approaches with a clear state of mind because I look at the big picture of the system and theory. In time, challenging ideas becomes a mind game that I actually enjoy.

How will readers be able to connect the story to their own lives?
The story has so many different characters, and although the story is fantasy the characters are like us. They have feelings, challenges— they love and struggle against difficulties in relationships. Moreover the story starts in the present time. Through the series, readers will easily connect the characters with themselves and the people they know. Do your dreams come true? Do you sometimes sense something before it happens? Maybe you are from the Reader race and you aren’t even aware of that yet.

What can readers expect from the rest of the series?
The rest of the series will take place mostly in the present time. It will be full of action and mystery. Who knows, maybe most of the conspiracy theories will make more sense. I hope readers will start questioning the world we live in and ultimately enjoy the story.

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beaver, PA – Prolific, award-winning author Abigail Drake returns to the literary stage with two new novels. She showcases her authorial flexibility with the heartfelt Love, Chocolate, and a Dog named Al Capone (Oct. 15, 2019), and the second installment of her South Side Stories with the spicy and spellbinding Hocus Pocus Magic Shop (June 21, 2019).

Fans of warm, contemporary women’s fiction novels will fall in love with Drake’s layered characters, vivid scenery and detailed storylines. She manages to weave magical elements into romantic storylines while still keeping her tales grounded in reality.

ABIGAIL DRAKE: Award-winning author Abigail Drake has spent her life traveling the world and collecting stories wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and Economics in college, and is a book hoarder, a coffee drinker, a linguistics geek, and an eternal optimist. She writes women’s fiction and young adult fiction with smart, sassy, funny heroines, and she also enjoys blogging about the adventures of her mischievous Labrador retriever, Capone.

Abigail is the winner of the prestigious 2017 Prism Award for her book Traveller, and the International Digital Award for her young adult novel, Tiger Lily. In addition, she was named a finalist in the Golden Pen, the Golden Leaf, the Dante Rossetti Book Award, and the Cygnus Award for Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction. Learn more about http://abigaildrake.com.

 

 

---

 

More about The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop

When chemist Grace O’Leary finds a book of magic spells hidden in her Aunt Lucy’s run-down magic shop, the scientist in her itches to try them out. She mixes up a batch of love potions as a joke…and has to face the consequences when they actually seem to work.

Her dream of becoming a professor is in peril, and time is running out to finish research for her dissertation. She can’t handle any more distractions, but the magic shop is on the verge of closing, her aunt has become forgetful and confused, and a handsome reporter named Dario Fontana keeps sniffing around for a story. The last thing she needs is for him to find out about the love potions and expose her as fraud, but she begins to trust him, and the sizzling chemistry between them is soon too powerful to deny.

With her personal and professional life in chaos, and her budding relationship with Dario in jeopardy, Grace is faced with a difficult choice. Fixing what is broken means going against every logical bone in her body.

Can Grace learn to silence her scientific brain long enough to accept the truth about magic…and also about herself?

Abigail Drake | June 21, 2019 | independently published
paperback | 9781093510874 | $16.99
Women’s Fiction | Romantic Comedy

 

---

 

More about Love, Chocolate and A Dog Named Al Capone

Capone, the newly acquired puppy of Miss Josephine St. Clair, owner of Bartleby’s Books, is a literature loving Labrador. Obsessed with Jane Austen, and cursed with a terrible name, Capone hopes to change his doggie karma and prove he’s just as much a gentleman as the heroes in his favorite books…by finding the perfect Mr. Darcy for the lonely and bookishly adorable Miss Josie.
Unfortunately, the only men Miss Josie seems to encounter aren’t Darcys at all. They’re Wickhams, Churchills, and Willoughbys. Even worse, there is trouble afoot. Someone has been sabotaging Miss Josie’s business, and all signs point to her evil ex. Can Capone find a way to save Bartleby’s Books, help Miss Josie find her true love, and earn, at long last, a name befitting a true gentleman?

“Love, Chocolate, and a Dog Named Al Capone”
Abigail Drake | Oct. 15, 2019 | independently published
Women’s Fiction | Romantic Comedy

 

---

 

An Interview with ABIGAIL DRAKE

How do you manage to add magical elements to some of your romances while still keeping them grounded in reality?
If you look closely enough, you’ll find a bit of magic even in the most ordinary things. While writing “The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop,” I wanted to create a world on the edge of being magical, but still very much based in reality. My main character, Grace, is a brilliant chemist and also the direct descendent of a powerful witch. These two oppositional elements to her personality keep the story balanced. As much as her lovely, logical brain rebels at the idea of things like love potions and sorcery, in her heart, she knows that sometimes the truth isn’t always what it seems.

If you could create a supernatural potion, what powers would it have, and who would you give it to?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a truth serum that actually worked? If so we could give it to any person charged with a crime and know immediately if they are guilty or innocent. And we’d be able to make it mandatory for politicians and television pundits and anyone appearing on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.” Not only would it save a great deal of pain and suffering, we’d probably find out some very interesting information as well.

You have a blog dedicated to your dog; what inspired you to create a physical book involving a character like him as well?
I started my dog blog because my nieces, who live far away in Istanbul, wanted me to post daily photos of our puppy, Capone. I did as they asked, and also shared a short story about what crazy things Capone had done the day before. Soon, to my great surprise, Capone had a legion of dedicated followers from all over the world. I wrote “Love, Chocolate, and a Dog Named Al Capone” for them, and also because what could be more fun than writing a romantic comedy from a Labrador’s perspective?

What practices do you have to help hone your writing?
I joined a group called Mindful Writers and it’s been amazing. We go on retreats together, listen to guided meditations for writers, and spend a week in the woods doing nothing but writing and drinking lots and lots of coffee. It’s pure bliss.

What’s the most difficult part in writing romantic scenes?
To make a romantic scene feel authentic, an author needs to focus on the emotions involved and not simply produce a play by play analysis of the physical aspects of the scene. That being said, you also have to get the timing right. Too much intimacy too soon can ruin a good romance, and maybe the same could be said about real life as well.