Susan K. Hamilton immerses readers in a dark fantasy world filled with fierce characters in Shadow King

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOSTON, MA – Dark fantasy readers will find themselves spellbound by Susan K. Hamilton’s Shadow King (Oct. 2, 2018, InkShares). In the midst of a tumultuous Boston, a Fae Seer, Seireadan, begins to fall for Aohdan, the Fae Patriarch of the city’s criminal underworld. Despite her best intentions to stay away from him, the fierce passion begins to consume them both. While Aohdan to expand his power base, , Seireadan searches for the Fae who killed her family, straining their still-new relationship. Soon, they’ll both have to make choices that will drastically change the course of their lives.

SUSAN K. HAMILTON: Susan K. Hamilton is the author of three novels in the fantasy genre: Shadow King, Darkstar Rising, and The Devil Inside (forthcoming in 2019). Shadow King landed on the Top Ten finalist list of the 2016 Launchpad Manuscript Competition out of over 1,000 entrants from 24 countries, and was published by Inkshares in October 2018. The Devil You Don’t reached the Top 25 finalists list the following year and will be published under the name The Devil Inside. Susan lives near Boston, Massachusetts with her husband and cat. An avid equestrian, you can often find her at the barn when she’s not writing. She rediscovered her love for writing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst when her writing teacher freshman year told the class that their last assignment was “to write something creative.”

 


PressKitBookCovershadowking

SHADOW KING
Ambition. Betrayal. Revenge.
Centuries ago, the Faerie Realm was decimated by a vile and corrupt spell. To survive, the different faerie races—led by the Fae—escaped to the Human Realm where they’ve lived ever since.

As the Fae Patriarch of Boston’s criminal underworld, Aohdan Collins enjoys his playboy lifestyle while he works from the shadows to expand his growing empire. Until one night when he shares a shot of whiskey with the lovely Seireadan Moore…

A Fae Seer, Seireadan is haunted by a vision of the Fae responsible for destroying Faerie and murdering her family. Common sense tells her to stay away from Aohdan, but his magnetism and charm are irresistible.

As their passionate affair intensifies, Seireadan is pulled into the center of the underworld. And while her heart is bound to Aohdan, she cannot let go of her lifelong quest to hunt down the Fae who haunts her visions… especially when she realizes Aohdan might be the key to helping her find him.

But is revenge worth betraying the one she loves?

“Shadow King” Susan K. Hamilton | Oct. 2, 2018 | Inkshares eBook | 9781947848474 | Price: $8.99
Paperback | 9781947848986 | Price: $16.99 Dark fantasy

 


An Interview with Susan K. Hamilton

Can you explain a little more about how Shadow King came about through the Launchpad Manuscript Competition?
I entered the original manuscript because I had the chance to get feedback from the judges, something that can be hard to come by at times. I was fortunate enough to make the Top Ten Finalists list. Inkshares was offering one of the grand prizes in Launchpad, and although I didn’t win that, Shadow King had garnered enough support during the competition, that I was able to move forward with publishing through Inkshares.

Why did you decide to set a magical book in such the more traditional setting of Boston?
When I was first thinking about the concept of Shadow King, I asked myself the question, “if the fairies we know from folklore lived here, with us, what would they do?” I laughed thinking about how people would feel if they had a leprechaun for a coffee barista or taxi driver… but that also made me wonder what the dark fairies would do. The logical answer to me was that they’d be criminals. From there, the character of Aohdan Collins was born. 3. How did you come up with the character’s names? Many of my names have a cultural basis. Many of the Fae characters have names derived from Gaelic, whereas the fairies from Middle Eastern legends were given Persian-inspired names. And in a few cases, to be honest, I just made a name up.

Where do you get your inspiration?
That’s actually hard to answer. I get it from lots of different places. I’ve gotten ideas from fragments of songs, from daydreaming, from random conversations. There isn’t one process I have to think up a story. Often a character pops into my head and that in turn makes me wonder what that character’s story is.

Do any characters bear resemblance to people you know in real life?
Not really. There may be a quality here or a common phrase there that someone uses, but I try not to base my characters on any one individual person.

What got you into writing fantasy?
I always loved to read it, so when I started writing, I tended to write it as well. For me, it gives me the freedom to create a whole new world if I want to. In Shadow King, I went with more of an urban fantasy and really enjoyed figuring out how to get my fantasy characters and the concept of magic to work in a “real” city.

Do you have a way to deal with writer’s block?
When I get stuck, sometimes it helps to write something else. A blog post, short story, even a letter to myself just ranting about what’s frustrating me. Other times I need to just walk away for a little while. I find if I give myself some space, and do something else — especially something where my mind can wander — it all gets figured out. In fact, I came up with the entire idea for Shadow King while I was raking leaves in my yard. 8. Will we be able to visit this world again? Hopefully! I have some ideas for a second book featuring the same characters and hope to start really making some headway on that in the near future.

 

 

NEW COOKBOOK IS MORE THAN A MEAL PLAN

Simple and soulful self-care for the healthy, inspired life you want to live

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida – Jet Widick and Kristen Alden’s new guide to healthier living challenges its readers to take the first step to bettering their physical and emotional health.

It’s getting more and more difficult to lead healthy lives. A tsunami of confusing self-help books, panacea superfoods and cleanses all claim to hold the key to your perfect life. In a world full of false claims who better to trust than yourself? Widick and Alden give you the map to pilot your own health route in Gluten Free Soul Pilot.

Straightforward and simple, Gluten Free Soul Pilot uses well researched principles and proven practices to guide readers through a personal “flight route”. A personalized plan that targets your individual needs to achieve better physical, spiritual, and emotional health.

Jet Widick, the author and poet behind the popular Gluten Free Sage blog, is a wellness expert and advocate for Celiac Disease who has worked to share her story in hopes that others will find inspiration and a simple path to wellness. Jet, a nickname her sons bestowed her once she identified her illness and discovered pure wellness, has seen creative endeavors blossom since she published her first three collections of poems.

Kristen Alden is an independent creative consultant and graphic designer with over 15 years’ experience in broadcasting, marketing and communications, and brand development for nonprofits, small businesses and entrepreneurs. Throughout her years as a creative and communications expert, her passion for health and wellness has inspired her to be a part of projects whose missions were to help others better themselves. She believes that great design has the power to educate, inspire and ignite change.

 


PressKitBookCoverSoulPilot“Gluten Free Soul Pilot”
Jet Widick & Kristen Alden | November 8, 2018 | NorthCoast Post
Format: Hardcover | ISBN: 978-0-578-40091-4 | Price:
Format: E-book | ISBN: 978-0-578-40781-4 | Price:
Self-Help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


In an interview, Jet and Kristen can discuss:

  • Why it’s getting harder than ever to achieve a healthy lifestyle
  • Jet’s battle with Silent Celiac and how bouncing back changed her life
  • What it means to be your own Soul Pilot
  • How Jet’s experience as a poet has factored into the creation of this book

 


AuthorPhotoJetAn Interview with Jet Widick & Kristin Alden

What inspired the two of you to create this project?
We’ve been working on Jet’s website glutenfreesage.com for three years and continuously receive positive feedback on how we’ve inspired and helped many people navigate their health and well-being around a food-related illness or celiac diagnosis, as well as the encouragement to turn the website into a self-care book. We created Gluten Free Soul Pilot from the solid principles and proven practices that each of us discovered in our own respective wellness journeys to make a difference in the world. We believe that one cannot achieve wellness if the environment around you isn’t healthy. These complicated messages all around us have inaccurately shaped our personal relationship with food and our perceptions on wellness. They compete with our instinctive desire to do something so simple and enjoyable: to eat. And, if you’re not well because of your diet and habits, then it’s hard to feel good, live joyfully, and be inspired. When you nourish your body, you feed your soul. We know that!

What did the process for making the book look like? How did you go about organizing so much information?
The website was done first over the course of several years of weekly goals and meetings, which is where much of the inspiration and information comes from. We’ve also worked together on three prior books and on Jet’s poetry and author website, so this new book came from a rock-solid foundation, a shared work ethic and list of core values, and the implementation of a step-by-step plan, which is necessary to get any job done. Kristen’s artful eye, research and investigative skills coupled with Jet’s hands-on celiac experience and poetic way of looking at the world have been organized and tied together making this a complementary, collaborative effort since the first day we started working together. We each have a deep respect for what the other brings to the process and give each other the creative “air space” we need to put our ideas into action. Because we’ve navigated all of our projects from separate locations—Kristen lives in Atlanta and Jet in South Florida—the regular meetings and benchmark dates are a vital part of the process. From our bigger goals, we worked backwards and broke the deliverables down into smaller, weekly action items. With our weeks all planned out, we then created a list of all the things needed to get done in a day.

AuthorPhotoKristinIf there were one primary message you wanted to come across in this book, what would it be?
Everyone can feel well, hit their goals, and be the person they know in their heart they came here to be. Whether you are aware of them or not, you have values for every part of your life. Like a compass, our core values keep us on course. You can find your True North by discovering your core values, true desires, and creating the habits that point yourself in the direction of how you want to feel, live, and love each day. It’s much simpler than we think.

What’s the first thing I should do to become a Soul Pilot?
A wonderful starting place: Make self-care a priority. Give yourself the nutrition, sleep, and sacred space that is essential for you to discover your core values and pay attention to how you want to feel. Learn how to be fully present so you can nourish your soul with exactly what it needs.

 

Want to change your life – and maybe the world? It begins with choosing kindness, claims Donna Cameron, author of “A Year of Living Kindly”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEATTLE, Washington – It’s all too easy to be unkind. A telemarketer calls and interrupts dinner. A driver cuts you off in traffic. The repairman is running late. Depending on your mood, your reaction might be an abrupt hang up, a waved fist, an angry Yelp review. We’ve all done it. But we can choose a different response.

After spending more than 30 years working with nonprofit organizations, where she saw kindness in action daily, author Donna Cameron was inspired by its potential to change the world. Releasing on Sept. 25, 2018, by She Writes Press, “A Year of Living Kindly” explores what it means to lead a kind life and illustrates both the challenges and the benefits, providing readers with thought-provoking questions and practical actions throughout the book. She explores both the why and the how of choosing kindness.

What sets Cameron apart from other personal development authors is that she does not claim to be a paragon of kindness; she has struggled with all the issues that other people have – lack of time, obliviousness, impatience, fear – she’s human, after all, and has learned that we all have lapses, but with practice and intention, kindness can become our default setting. And when that happens, the world changes for us.

“Many people perceive kindness as a weakness, or as something soft and insubstantial,” Cameron says. “The truth is that kindness is a strength – a superpower. It takes courage, trust and confidence to be kind and to face unkindness or incivility without succumbing to it.”

Cameron encourages readers to commit to kindness. She not only explains the importance of kindness and why it is good for you, but she also explains the difficulties and barriers we face in extending and receiving kindness, as well as the skills we can cultivate to grow and spread kindness. Kindness, in the end, is a muscle we must strengthen to bring peace and happiness into our lives, and to our world. And Cameron’s book provides the welcome exercise to strengthen that muscle.

 

 


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About the book

A YEAR OF LIVING KINDLY
Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You
Donna Cameron | September 25, 2018 | She Writes Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-63152-479-0 | $16.95
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63152-480-6 | $9.95
Personal Development

Most of us aspire to be kind. But being kind isn’t always easy. Our best intentions often fade when the realities of daily life intrude: traffic, telemarketers, crowded spaces, time constraints, and our own ineptness. Being kind when we don’t feel like it, or when all of our buttons are being pushed, is hard. But that’s also when it’s most needed.

In these pages you’ll see how a commitment to kindness will improve your life in countless ways, and ultimately can be world-changing. You’ll discover:
* Why choosing kindness is good for you
* Why extending and receiving kindness is often difficult
* What the barriers are to kindness and how to overcome them
* What to do when you’re faced with unkindness and incivility
* How kindness is a strength that will bring you peace and happiness

Want to change your life and also change the world? It begins with choosing kindness.

DONNA CAMERON is the author of “A Year of Living Kindly.” She has spent her career working with nonprofit organizations and causes as an executive, consultant, trainer, and volunteer. She has seen kindness in action and been awed by its power to transform. While she considered herself a reasonably nice person (with occasional lapses into bitchiness), she knew that true kindness was a step above. When she committed to a year of living kindly, she learned that it takes practice, patience, and understanding…and a sense of humor helps, too. The recipient of multiple awards, Cameron has also published numerous articles and, in 2011, coauthored “One Hill, Many Voices: Stories of Hope and Healing” with Kristen Leathers. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cameron and her husband now live in a suburb of Seattle.

 

Praise for “A Year of Living Kindly”

“A Year of Living Kindly is a beautifully rendered exploration of kindness as a way of life, arriving at the right moment, with the right guide. Donna Cameron writes with humor and grace about this essential virtue. She makes it easy to follow her path–and to want to follow it.” – Sarah L. Kaufman, author of The Art of Grace and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic of The Washington Post

“Donna Cameron’s contagious warmth, compelling stories, persuasive logic, and useful advice make this gem a joy to read. After I finished each lovely little chapter, I understood the path to kindness a bit better, my inspiration to keep moving down that path increased, and my resolve to forgive myself and others when we slip into unkindness grew stronger.” – Robert Sutton, Stanford Professor and bestselling author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide

“This book will absolutely light your heart on fire for kindness! In A Year of Living Kindly, Donna Cameron encourages us to suspend our spectator status and fully embrace what’s happening around us. Through collected research and her own wise observations, she generously shows us how to lead fuller lives through kindness.” – Nicole J Phillips, author of Kindness is Contagious and host of The Kindness Podcast

“It’s irrefutable that being kind—on purpose—improves health and wellness. With fifty-two delicious, bite-sized chapters containing actionable examples that help readers weave intentional kindness into their daily lives, you can be sure A Year of Living Kindly is a book I’ll prescribe to my clients.” – Laurie Buchanan, PhD, holistic health practitioner, life coach, and author of The Business of Being and Note to Self

“Although being kind sounds a lot like being nice, Donna Cameron shares how these two acts are very different. A Year of Living Kindly has remarkable insights on how you can increase your dose of happiness by adding kindness into your daily encounters. In most situations, it doesn’t cost a dime and yet you will feel better than ever. I’ve been inspired!” – Linda Atwell, author of Loving Lindsey: Raising a Daughter with Special Needs

“Most people are kind, but don’t always know how to express it. In A Year of Living Kindly, Donna Cameron shares both the whyand how of kindness. She’s written a wise, captivating guide for those wishing to claim the power of kindness and use it to change the world.” – Leon Logothetis, Bestselling author of The Kindness Diaries

 


PressKitAuthorPhotoCameronAn Interview With Donna Cameron

What inspired your journey to live kindly? What was your first step?
I’ve always admired kind people, and I wanted to be like them. For many years, I would set an intention of being kind, or being kinder. But the resolution faded in the face of rudeness or inconvenience. I was kind mostly when it was easy or convenient. At the end of 2014, still hearing the call of kindness, I decided to hold my feet to the fire. I thought if I made the goal more public and blogged about it to a few friends who might want to follow, it would be harder for me to let the commitment fade when it got hard. There’d be some built-in accountability. So, I declared 2015 my “year of living kindly” and blogged about it. The result was that kindness was on my radar all the time. And it has stayed there.

How has your life changed as a result of your year of kindness?
I am a kinder person. I’m certainly no paragon, but I’m kinder. I’m more willing and able to go out of my way to extend kindness. Throughout each day I actively look for ways to express or encourage kindness. At the end of 2015, I knew that my year of living kindly wasn’t just something I would do for 12 months and then move on to the next thing—it’s the path I’m walking for the rest of my life. And I’m better able to use the kindness skills I’ve learned and developed. Plus, I feel more engaged with the world. I’m paying attention to my life and the life around me. I feel more open-hearted.

Why does kindness matter?
I think few of us would dispute the fact that over the last couple of years, we’ve seen an enormous worldwide increase in unkindness and incivility. We see it on social media, on our highways, at political rallies, and in the way people talk to and about one another. Quite literally, we are in the midst of an epidemic of incivility. Science has shown that incivility spreads like a virus, but it’s also shown that kindness is equally contagious. So, each of us has a choice: We can choose to widen an epidemic of incivility or foster one of kindness. If enough of us choose to come down on the side of kindness, eventually it will become our “default” setting in our interactions with one another. When that happens, we’ve changed the world.

What’s the difference between being nice and being kind?
Nice doesn’t ask too much of us. It isn’t all that hard to be nice. It’s benign. Passive. Safe. One can be nice without expending a lot of energy or investing too much of oneself. One can be nice without taking risks. Being kind—truly kind—is hard. Being kind means genuine caring. It means making an effort. It means thinking about the impact I’m having in an interaction with someone and endeavoring to give them what they need at that exact moment, without worrying about whether I get anything in return. It means more than just tolerating other people, but letting go of judgments and accepting people as they are. Kindness requires me to do something my upbringing discouraged—it demands that I reach out and take a risk, knowing that I might be rebuffed or rejected. If I were asked to sum it up in two words, I’d say that kindness means “extending yourself.”

What’s the biggest misconception about kindness?
I’ve seen time and again that a lot of people perceive the notion of kindness as weak and bland and insubstantial. They see it as a pleasant but powerless quality. For some, it may even be viewed as a weakness to be exploited or taken advantage of. That couldn’t be further from the truth. My experience and research have convinced me that kindness is really a super-power. It takes strength and courage. It means putting yourself out there—sometimes in ways that may be uncomfortable, awkward, and may even seem dangerous.

Is there a difference between kindness and generosity?
I think a lot of us think of kindness first as giving—perhaps money, perhaps time. But if neither time nor money are available to us, we can still be kind in so many ways:
* We can load the dishwasher even if they aren’t our dirty dishes.
* We can make eye-contact, smile, and say “good morning.”
* We can say “thank you” or “I’m sorry.”
* We can hold a door or offer help in carrying a heavy load.
* We can let the car merge in front of us.
* We can say something nice about an absent friend when others are gossiping about her.
* We can give the benefit of the doubt

I think a big way to express kindness is to listen for the music rather than the missed note. To not be one of those people—we all know them—who spend their time looking for the typo, catching others’ errors, and playing “gotcha” with life. Instead, we can practice looking for what’s right and letting go of the rest.

Who is the kindest person you know?
I have been blessed to know so many kind people in my life, and to be the beneficiary of so much kindness. When I think of kindness, my business partner, Lynn Melby, comes to mind. In addition to being my mentor as I entered and grew in the non-profit world, Lynn was—and is—an encourager to everyone he meets. And he treats everyone the same, whether it’s a senator, a CEO, or the janitor. There’s an old saying that “a person who’s kind to you but unkind to the waiter is not a kind person.” Lynn is kind to everyone, and he inspires others to be kind.

Are there health benefits to living a more kind life? Have you noticed any personally?
There’s been a lot of research into the health benefits of kindness, and there are indeed many. Kindness produces in us the hormone, Oxytocin, which lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation, fights heart disease, and slows aging. Kindness has also been shown to reduce chronic pain, extend longevity, increase happiness, and reduce depression. And for people who may be debilitatingly shy, kindness has also been proven to alleviate social anxiety. Personally, I can attest to increased happiness and a reduction in stress. And while I’m not debilitatingly shy, I have never been comfortable in crowded social gatherings. Focusing on kindness has increased my comfort and enjoyment in the dreaded business reception or cocktail party.

You worked in the nonprofit sector for years, how can the messages in your book apply to organizations and businesses?
Just as there’s been a lot of research on kindness and health, there’s also been considerable research on kindness in the business world. Whether a nonprofit organization, a Fortune 500 corporation, or a small business, there are certain elements that are essential to success. Organizations with kind cultures have far less turnover; they are more productive and more profitable; they have better performance, better customer service, better health and lower absenteeism among employees. Kind workplaces also have greater employee engagement and commitment, and an atmosphere where learning, collaboration and innovation are more likely to flourish. The bottom line is that in business, kindness is your competitive advantage.

What are some everyday actions people can take to embrace kindness?
There are a lot of tools we can cultivate. I sometimes think of them as tools in our kindness toolbox, or apps we download into our brains.

One of the biggest is just learning to pause before we respond. Another is letting go of judgment and engaging our curiosity to look for what might be behind unkindness. Paying attention is another huge one. So often, we operate on automatic pilot, oblivious to what’s happening around us and oblivious to opportunities to extend kindness or experience kindness. Being able to accept kindness is as important as being able to extend kindness. Some of us are terrible at receiving from others. We need to remind ourselves that accepting the kindness of others is a gift to the giver. Sometimes, even engaging in self-care is an act of kindness. If we’re depleted, we won’t have energy or interest in helping others. As simple as it sounds, we can remind ourselves that we can always choose peace. All of these things are simple, but they aren’t necessarily easy. They take practice and they take awareness.

I would caution, though, that declaring one is going to turn over a new leaf and be as kind as the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa is probably not practical. Start small. Say that you’re going to be ten percent kinder for the next week, and when you see how good that makes you feel, add another ten percent.

What are the biggest struggles people face with displaying kindness?
Many things can get in the way of our kindness. Fear’s a big one: fear of embarrassment, rejection, being viewed as “weak,” fear of doing it wrong, of being vulnerable or different. Other barriers include uncertainty, obliviousness, thinking we don’t have the time, maybe even the perception that kindness doesn’t matter. The good news is that it gets easier with practice, and with the awareness of just how much difference it can make in our lives and in the world.

Why did you decide to continue exploring kindness after your “year of living kindly” was over?
It became evident to me before my year was even half over that kindness isn’t something I could “do” for a year and then move on to the next thing—a year of playing the clarinet or learning Italian. Kindness is a way of life, a path—for me, at least. It’s how I want to be and who I want to be. It has made me happier and enhanced my life in countless ways. It’s what I have to offer the world. If, after I die, someone says of me, “She was a kind person,” then my life will have been well-lived.

Is it still ok to be angry or to have negative reactions?
I don’t think we want to deny our feelings or reactions. It’s what we do with those feelings that defines us. One of the keys is not to let someone else’s incivility trigger the same behavior in us. Just because someone else is behaving like a jerk, it doesn’t mean we have to. That takes strength and practice. It also takes self-control and courage—these aren’t qualities that we can simply switch on at will. We develop all of these with practice, awareness and intention.

You discuss something in your book that you call “micro-kindness.” What is that?
I think some of us bypass opportunities to extend kindness because we think they’re just too puny. Kindness should be big and impressive. While there’s nothing wrong with grand gestures, a kind life is composed of countless, ordinary, day-to-day kindnesses that may seem small but really aren’t. A micro-kindness might be a smile, a word of appreciation, an offer of assistance, or the genuine interest we have for the people in our lives. None of these actions is grand or earth-moving, but cumulatively they change moods, change lives, and maybe even can change the world. Our days are filled with these micro-kindnesses and also with micro-unkindnesses. We have a choice.

How do you manage situations in which people are being unnecessarily unkind? How do you shift your perspective?
There are degrees of incivility and unkindness. How I respond to the guy who deliberately speeds up to block me from merging onto the highway is going to be very different from the person who I see bullying another person, or someone who makes hateful and bigoted remarks about an individual or a group of people.

In the case of the aggressive driver, I usually just shrug and feel sorry for the guy; maybe I’ll even make up a story for why he’s rushing and acting thoughtlessly.

In the case of bullying or bigotry, my goal is to stand up for the victim without resorting to the tactics of the bully. I don’t want to name call or make the person even more belligerent. If I see someone being talked to rudely in a store, an office, or on public transit, I might just go stand next to them and make it clear that they have my support.

Do you have any thoughts about all the unkindness and incivility we see online and on social media?
In a perfect world, the on-line community—whatever it may be—should establish norms and enforce them. And should say in no uncertain terms that bullying, name-calling, and trolling aren’t acceptable. Every time we click on something on the internet or on social media, we make a choice. It may seem like a small thing to click to some salacious celebrity gossip, or to some site that promises dirt on some bigwig. But those clicks matter—they determine what other people put out there. If there’s a market for mean, false, and crude content, more people will post it. If more of us stop clicking to that stuff, purveying it becomes less profitable.

It’s hard. We see a provocative headline and we almost automatically click on it. But if we pause and think about what we want to perpetuate, perhaps we’ll choose differently. Each of us has the power to change the unkindness being spread online and through social media by not clicking on it, and by posting kind comments when we have the opportunity. With every click, we make a choice.

What’s next for you?
I want to continue to write about kindness and to speak about kindness. I love connecting with other people who are choosing to walk a path of kindness. Perhaps there’s some opportunities for collaborating to bring kindness to our schools, our communities, our workplaces.

 

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
ellen@jkscommunications.com
615-576-0554

Kids of all ages will be inspired to explore and create by “Dr. Brainchild & Radar: A Popcorn Discovery”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Join the fun as Dr. Brainchild and Radar discover how a little bit of creativity, some wacky inventions, and a whole lotta science can transform the ordinary into something EXTRA tasty! Boy, girl, wolf, or anything in-between–it doesn’t matter so long as YOU are there! Science is for everyone, so come along and enjoy the ride!

Cole W. Williams is an arrow-slinging idealist, advocate for critical thinking and curiosity, an all or nothing type of girl, a gold miner for truth. Passionately supporting emerging artists, randomly writing her own words, she stands for water, and for the river, she plants seeds of inspiration wherever she goes as the muse of being exactly who you are. Rivers, prairie and farm country weave their way into her writing, as well as healthy doses of science and biology. Each title Williams delivers is released within the theme of books that dig, meaning they contain topics that relate, teach and delight the readers. Offering expert advice, or a resource section to the end of a book can help bolster and magnify the reading experience. Her dream is that a reader digs even further into something that strikes them as interesting when reading her work. Updates on her whereabouts and writing projects are found at www.colewwilliams.com. She believes to get a little, you must give a little, by way of supporting local authors and bookstores and building a literary community. Williams currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 


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About the book

“Dr. Brainchild & Radar: A Popcorn Discovery”
Cole W. Williams | Oct. 2, 2018 | Burning Belly Press
Hardcover | 978-1543940886 | $20.05
Children’s picture book | Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 


colewilliamspicAn Interview with Bryan Robinson

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I spent my a lot of my life wondering what I should “be,” this question largely being generated by the American education system with a pre-selected bevy of choices. The idea of choosing one thing plagued me, I wanted the freedom to go where my wings and wind invite and with writing I can do this.

For a while, I figured I should be a scientist and science writer, but kept making up stories in my head of the model we were studying at any particular time and personifying it, exaggerating it. As a result of that story-making, I was able to get others really excited about something they had never thought of that way before, “What do you think a Tardigrade does for fun?” In general, writing was less of a knowing per say, and more of a propulsion from another dimension, so as a kid, I registered for poetry camps and wrote in journals, made up stories with my friends, it has always spewed forth unsolicited. Figuring out what to do with all that requires skill and the ability to trust in literary professionals. I have always loved everything about the literary arts: reading, writing, creation, stories, smells of books, magic of books.

Why do you think it’s important to present scientific topics to kids in a fun way?
There is an immediate shut down in some kids, triggered by certain words, and it happens at a young age. How shocking to hear a child say they are not “good at” science or math or ping-pong. A-what? How long does it take to give something a fair shake? This idea comes from somewhere else, from permission to not try, not challenge oneself to have the patience for deep learning. I think this comes from mainstream marketing. What’s easy and makes a quick buck is prioritized to sell. It is getting better with the STEM movement. I think parents that read to their children are wanting more and so are the children themselves. For many reasons children are still growing up thinking science is too difficult or unapproachable. What I believe is that children are capable of incredible challenge and complex thinking if they are given the chance to embrace that exploration, free of judgment. What is hidden behind the theory and vernacular of science, are beautifully rich stories of what we are comprised of, how the world works, and what we know of exquisite adaptions to life on earth. It is unfortunate if these stories can’t be shared because of the lack of diversity in publishing and delivery modus. Writing science in fun ways takes some of the pressure off the learner, not to the point that they are not connecting to the topic but enough so that they can stick with it.

How is writing a kids’ book different than other projects you’ve worked on?
Writing a picture book is very different than any other book I’ve written. In fact, I was in a session at the Minnesota Writers Conference on creating picture books and the speaker said, “Picture books are the most difficult books to make, don’t believe me? Try it.” That is all it took to get me interested in taking the challenge and I am on the other side now, coming to you to report that I think she was spot on. It’s hard to explain. It is sort of like writing haiku. Take an idea and distill it down until there are hardly any words left; and then still relate an expression to the reader that is moving. I love the idea of picture books, the process of editing, and development. As we went along, I became more and more in awe of picture book authors. Try it! That is the best way to know.

What is the process like to collaborate with an illustrator?
This is by far my favorite part of creating a book. I adore seeing an artist free to express words with how they see the story. It is magical to get a file for the first time with new sketches. It is such a beautiful marriage of art; writer with illustrator. I could live in that part of the process.

Did your kids have input on Dr. Brainchild?
Believe it or not, no. I follow Stephen King’s advice with the creation process and do not share any first drafts with anyone, not even my children! It is dangerous to have other people’s voices in your head when you are creating, unless they are your trusted proofreader.

Was Radar inspired by a real dog?
When I was researching for Dr. Brainchild, I found it unavoidable to ignore the connection between war-time and technologically advancements, laudable discoveries that were happenstances of researching war devices. Radar represents this presence in these labs. He was meant to be a dark figure in the halls of the labs, silent but always there. Originally he was more sinister but I could not resist the companionship between the two characters. Maybe in future books he will become more sinister.

Why did you choose to focus on the microwave?
Because the Magnetron is one of the most exquisite inventions created and this is what is at the center of all microwaves. The fact that each home has a microwave with this level of sophisticated machinery in it is a minor miracle of human invention, and there are more! Start asking yourself how things actually work or what was required to make something streamlined, it gets fascinating, like building an old BMW motorcycle from scratch–exquisite.

What’s next for you?
Currently obsessed with haiku. I have been writing this form for a couple months and am about to challenge myself to write one haiku for every word in the Japanese Nature Dictionary. I am teaching poetry and hosting other classes at Creators Space in St. Paul including my Banned Book Club, The Hearty Book Club, Embracing Beginner class and more. I have one novel done and another in the works, not sure if I will publish either! As for Dr. Brainchild and Radar, they may move on to more inventions in a second book debut.

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
ellen@jkscommunications.com
615-576-0554

#CHILL BY BESTSELLER BRYAN ROBINSON HELPS OVERACHIEVERS FIND A BETTER BALANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Bryan Robinson is a leading-edge voice in the world of work addiction recovery. Born from his direct experience, these meditations are chock full of warm and powerful wisdom, guidance, and empathy.” –Alanis Morissette

ASHEVILLE, NC–How many times have you worked late into the night or even on weekends to perfect that presentation or just catch up on email rather than relaxing with a hobby or spending time with friends? Well lucky for you—and for all overachievers in the workforce—Dr. Bryan E. Robinson, a licensed psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has given you permission to stop working and just #CHILL: Turn off Your Job and Turn on Your Life (William Morrow Hardcover; on sale: 12/31/18).

Between camps, classes, podcasts and apps, practicing meditation and mindfulness continues to rise in popularity and is on track to be *the* wellness trend of 2019. In #CHILL, Robinson explains how ending work addiction can be achieved by reframing priorities and cultivating mindfulness in daily life. Perfect for “New Year, New You” goals, work-obsessed folks and others will learn how to let go of anxiety and achieve and maintain a healthy work/life balance that so often we lament doesn’t exist.

Structured with month-to-month guides that are crafted to ground even the busiest of minds, #CHILL provides advice, inspiring quotes, and gentle guidance needed to calm anxiety, break the addiction to work, and foster a peaceful, balanced life. Robinson’s wisdom in #CHILL will assist in helping the overworked relearn and realign what truly matters so that they can still excel at their job without sacrificing their joy.

Dr. Bryan Robinson is a licensed psychotherapist and Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He currently has a blog on Psychology Today called “The Right Mindset.” He has been interviewed by Forbes, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among countless other magazines. Robinson’s prior books have been published into thirteen different languages including Arabic, Korean, French, Italian, and Japanese.

 


PressKitBookCoverChill

 

EARLY PRAISE FOR BRYAN ROBINSON AND #CHILL

“Bryan Robinson is a leading-edge voice in the world of work addiction recovery. Born from his direct experience, these meditations are chock full of warm and powerful wisdom, guidance, and empathy. This front-line contribution helps us to recognize work addiction’s corrosive effects on health, relationships, and livelihoods and to recover daily with more work/life balance. On a personal level, I am grateful to know that these many glimpses of wisdom are available for all of us who suffer from this quiet and so-called “respectable” addiction and for how I have been helped by Bryan Robinson on my own journey of recovery.”—Alanis Morissette, singer-songwriter

“Perhaps the biggest challenge to practicing mindfulness is being mindful enough to remember to be mindful. Bryan Robinson has solved that problem by offering daily tidbits of insight, encouragement, and advice to remind us to focus on what’s important in our busy lives. Reading each day’s reflection is a step toward greater clarity, balance, contentment, and peace.”
—Mark R. Leary, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University

“The suffering of addiction runs deep and wide in this world; work addiction, in particular, is an important and underestimated one. I’m truly grateful to Bryan Robinson for bringing it to greater awareness.”—Tara Brach, Ph.D., author of Radical Acceptance

“Only when I, like Bryan Robinson, was forced by one too many episodes of burnout to uncover childhood sadnesses did I begin to see work as an irreplaceable part of my life, but not the whole of my life. And only then did I begin to focus on what I could uniquely do instead of trying to do everything—thus beginning to be far more effective as a worker.”—Gloria Steinem, activist/writer

In an interview, BRYAN ROBINSON can discuss:

  • How to approach work environments that are not conducive to living a #CHILL life
  • #CHILL as a way of being in the world. It’s about finding that sweet spot between “taskingf,” and staying in the present moment where life really happens
  • How to achieve balance between doing (your job) and be- ing (your personal life)
  • How workaholism affects people on a cellular level
  • How to do “Great Work” and what that means
  • Ways to incorporate healthy meditation and self-care to pursue living a #CHILL life

PressKitAuthorPhotoRobinsonAn Interview with Bryan Robinson

In your book you talk about the difference in being “driven” and being “drawn.” What’s the difference?
When you’re “driven,” you’re the slave of external circumstances and demands (hurrying, rushing, doing). When you’re “drawn,” you’re coming from Chill, your center (your being)—you’re the True Self.

What’s the difference in a chilled worker and a workaholic?
A chilled worker is in the office dreaming about being on the ski slopes. A workaholic is on the ski slopes dreaming about being back in the office. If you’re a workaholic, you have difficulty turning off your “task mode.” If you’re chill, you are able to balance work and the other areas of your life: relationships, play, work, and self-care.

What goes on at the cellular level when we’re busy versus chill?
Our nervous system is composed of 2 branches: the sympathetic (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (rest and digest). We need both to function in the world. The sympathetic branch is the gas. It speeds us up, gets us motivated, and carries us where we need to go. The parasympathetic branch is the brakes. It slows and calms us down so we don’t burn out our motor.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where the gas is more valued and people who cave to that life approach end up giving short shrift to loved ones and themselves. And they suffer the consequences of stress, burnout, and relationship collapse. A chilled person is able to use their gas and brakes in an integrated way so they accomplish tasks in a clear, confident, and competent way. They don’t burn out. They have more energy. And they enjoy the outcome of doing as well as the process of being.

What role does meditation play in #CHILL?
Meditation has gotten a bum rap over the years. Many people still associate it with the drug culture of the 1970s: sitting on a cushion, burning incense, playing “weird” music, mumbling a strange mantra, and sitting there for hours on end. The 21st version of meditation has been backed by hundreds of scientific studies. There are 1440 minutes in a day. I suggest taking just 5 of those minutes to meditate. It will change your life and help you experience it in a different way. Meditation is nothing more than focusing. You can do it anywhere: in your office chair, car (as long as you’re not driving), at home—and you don’t need any of the old 1970s accoutrements. Just you, your mind, and your desire. In #CHILL, I describe a cafeteria of different ways to meditate that you can choose from.

In your book you talk about “Great Work.” What do you mean by that?
Great Work is more than winning accolades, earning fat paychecks, getting that promotion, or staying ahead of deadlines. Great Work is toiling with greatness—compassion, empathy, self-care and care for others, honesty, integrity, lovingkindness, admitting mistakes and fixing them, self-correction.

In other words, it’s not simply the product of your efforts or completion of tasks; it’s the process you go through to get to the task. That’s what #CHILL is all about.

What does a reader learn in your book about how to chill?
You learn that Chilling isn’t just something you do; it’s a perspective—a way of being in the world. It’s not just finding a hobby, exercising, meditating, or relaxing, although that’s part of it. It goes deeper. When you’re in Chill, you are leading your life from 8 states of being all of which start with the letter “C”: Calm, Clarity, Confidence, Curiosity, Compassion, Creativity, Connectedness, and Courage. When you are in one or more of these states of being, you’re in what I call CHILL. You can use these 8 C words to become intentional about “being” instead of “doing.”

What role does survival coping mechanisms have to do with the ability to chill?
We are hardwired for survival. Mother Nature wants us to survive and perpetuate the species. She doesn’t give a hoot about us being happy. That’s where we have to do Great Work. She has hardwired us to overestimate threats and underestimate our ability to handle them. So we react automatically to people and situations that are not actually threatening. #CHILL shows you how to not see everything as threats and surmount them by underestimating threats and overestimating your ability to handle them.

You have a quote, “Ask not what your life can do for you; ask what you can do for your life.” What does that mean?
It means that life is not personal. It will throw us curveballs every day. So we are not victims of life’s circumstances. We have a choice every minute of every day to overcome the hurdles or obstacles or roadblocks. When you #CHILL, you empower yourself and find a solution to scale the wall of roadblocks. That builds those “C” words: Calm, Clarity, Confidence, Curiosity, Compassion, Creativity, Connectedness, and Courage.

Parting thoughts?
Everything has bookends. If you want to #chill, you must be willing to accept its opposite. You can’t have an up without a down, a front without a back, a bottom without a top. We must be willing to accept the opposite of our desires. If I want to succeed, I must be willing to accept defeat. Here’s the paradox. When I can accept both triumph and failure and happiness with disappointment and pain with pleasantness—when I can embrace everything life sends my way—then I’m in what I call the state of #Chill.

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Sara Wigal (615) 640-0630
Sara@JKSCommunicatons.com

Children’s Author Fosters ASD Awareness

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Picture-book series facilitates peer understanding of children with spectrum disorders

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island – Drawing from her own experiences as a parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, author JM Sheridan introduces autism to young children, using situations a child can relate to, in her latest installment of the Brianna & Mrs. Moomoo series, “French Fries in the Park.” Driven and inspired by her daughter Brianna’s experiences with ASD, JM Sheridan compassionately offers a tool to help children and adults understand disabilities they’ll encounter among their classmates.

“JM Sheridan created a warm and welcoming story with endearing characters that introduces young children to the idea that their friends, siblings, cousins and/or neighbors with autism really are more like them than not, just like their other friends,” Joanne G. Quinn, Executive Director of The Autism Project says. “It provides opportunity for adults to describe differences in a non-judgmental manner in language young children will understand.”

To JM, early education is essential to greater acceptance. In the series’ first book, “Dragonfly Magic,” children are encouraged to never give up believing in themselves. With “French Fries in the Park,” she helps readers understand behavioral differences such as eye-contact avoidance, non-verbal and parallel play vs. interactive play. In doing so, she provides a tool for children to become a better friend, sibling, cousin or even neighbor. In the series’ upcoming third book, Mrs. Moomoo and Brianna will learn about service dogs and how to appropriately interact with service animals and their owners.

 


 

About the Book

“French Fries in the Park”
JM Sheridan | September 2017 | AuthorHouse
Paperback ISBN: 9781546209638 | Price: $15.00
Children’s picture book

 

 

 

 


 

About the Author

JM Sheridan lives in New England with her husband, Kevin, her daughter, Brianna, and four very mischievous kitties: Peabody, Shermanis, Thistle and Poppy. She attended the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut, as well as numerous children’s book writing workshops, events and classes. “Dragonfly Magic” and “French Fries in the Park” are the first books in the Brianna and Mrs. Moomoo series designed to educate and inspire our children, as well as support local children’s charities. You can find out more about her at her website https://www.jmsheridan.com.

 

 

 

 

In an interview, JM SHERIDAN can discuss:

  • The unique challenges faced by high-functioning children with special needs and their families and how to raise awareness of these unique challenges
  • How her daughter Brianna inspired the main character in her books
  • How to help children and parents non-judgmentally identify subtle differences in child behavior that might indicate Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • The limits of the differences between children with ASD and those without ASD, and how to recognize the wants and desires these children have that are the same as other children.
  • The importance of supporting charities dedicated to Autism research
  • The stigma around special needs

 

An Interview with JM Sheridan

How, when and why did you decide to base your main character on your daughter? Did you ever hesitate to make your family’s private life public in this way? How did you overcome those concerns?
Brianna has always been my muse. The fact that she is high-functioning autistic has made me a better person by helping me be a more understanding and accepting person. She inspires me in so many ways. Bri was actually thrilled to be one of the main characters in the Brianna & Mrs. Moomoo series. The original Mrs. Moomoo is a small beanie baby cow that my good friend Mina gave Brianna when she was about one year old. Now that she’s a celebrity, Mrs. Moomoo sits on a book shelf in Bri’s room guarded by other stuffed animals.

My family never really looked at this series as infringing on our private lives, and we are all very passionate about the messages and the purpose behind the books!

How does your book help children understand differences among their peers? Can you explain some of the specific differences you help children understand?
In “French Fries in the Park” I carefully selected specific behavioral differences a child around the age of six would recognize and identify with. For example, no eye contact, non-verbal, stimming and parallel play vs. interactive play. Not only does Brianna notice each of these behaviors throughout the book, she gains a better understanding of them with the help of the boy’s father, and she accepts this boy and his differences by continuing to stay with him in the park and play right alongside him. Learning about and accepting someone’s differences is very important, but Brianna also learns that the boy likes a lot of the same things she does, and recognizing similarities is just as important.

What’s next in Brianna and Mrs. Moomoo’s adventures?
Well, in their next adventure Brianna and Mrs. Moomoo learn all about service dog and why some children need to have a service dog. They learn how to behave around them and how they are trained. Some service dogs, she finds out, even know how to surf!

There are thousands of children with disabilities who would benefit from having a service dog. Unfortunately, the expense to have one trained can run a family upwards of $25,000. Canines for Disabled Kids is an organization in Massachusetts that has a scholarship fund program to help families in need of a service dog but cannot afford the high cost.

A percentage of the proceeds from my new book will go to help support this important scholarship fund program.

Tell us more about your cat-pack! They seem to be important figures in your life… Do they crawl on the computer while you’re trying to write? How do they relate to Brianna?
♫ Everybody wants to be a cat, because a cat’s the only cat who knows where it’s at. ♫
We love our cats. All four of them were adopted from our local shelters. About five years ago we adopted Poppy and Thistle (two girls), and one year later we adopted Peabody (aka P-Man) and Sherman (two boys). Or so we thought! We found out shortly thereafter that Sherman wasn’t a Sherman after all. She was a girl! So we named her Shermanis. For the most part, they all get along pretty well. Shermanis is Brianna’s baby. She loves to climb in her lap for a good scratch and rub down. But watch out – she’s a drooler!

They all love being with me when I’m in my office writing. It’s comforting to have them there with me – right up until they jump on my desk and get in between me and the keyboard. They remind me every once in a while that I need to take a break!

What are some of the misunderstandings people have about children with high-functioning autism? How can we, as a society, help to alleviate and correct some of those misunderstandings?
With low-functioning ASD individuals there are clear behavioral differences that are easily recognizable (as described in “French Fries in the Park”). Children and teens seem more accepting and patient of another child who is significantly disabled. It is the middle and high-functioning children who, because they can stand up straight, walk, talk, write and speak that are expected to be able to navigate the mainstream and act like everyone else. But they can’t. Their brains are not wired the same way. They do not process things like a typical child.

Education is key to a better understanding and a more accepting community. I would recommend that all school teachers and personnel be educated in ASD, and that the administrators and school systems support this education.

How have you experienced the stigma around special needs? How do you handle it?
Oh yes, all the time. I’ve lost track of how many times I have heard, “She doesn’t look autistic,” or “No, she speaks too well to be autistic.” During Brianna’s riding lesson one afternoon, I was engaged in a conversation with the woman sitting next to me on the bench. I mentioned that Brianna had autism and she turned to me pointedly and said, “She doesn’t have autism. I work with kids with autism. Trust me she does not.” I replied, “Yes, she is autistic. She is high-functioning-” She interrupted, “That’s what they say about all kids who are a little weird these days.”

I simply smiled, told her that was an interesting opinion and walked away. Unfortunately it is tough to change a traditional way of thinking, but I certainly hope books like “French Fries in the Park” will help raise awareness.

Do you have any concrete pieces of advice for helping society accept and understand those with high-functioning ASD?
Top on the list would be that there is nothing “wrong” with people who are high-functioning autistic. They are not broken, demented, sick or my least favorite word, “retarded.” They just process things differently, uniquely. Most high-functioning people are very smart, especially in math. Brianna closed the school year in June with a 100 in her math class.

They are very honest, especially children. And they have a hard time reading emotions. This is because children with ASD are self-directed. They are not thinking of the emotions of others or even their surroundings – not because they are rude, spoiled or self-absorbed, but because it is simply how they are wired.

Prior to your experiences with Brianna, did you have much experience with children with ASD? How did you educate yourself? How has your perspective changed?
My younger brother, Jon, is high-functioning autistic. Growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s, the medical industry did not know as much about ASD as they do today, and they would diagnose many children with ADHD and put them Ritalin.

I remember being in middle school with a boy much taller than everyone else and about 50 pounds heavier. He was clearly low to mid-functioning ASD. He got picked on so much, just like my brother. I was constantly running to their defense, shoving away the children who were picking on them. Even back then I knew it was wrong to not be accepting of others.

It wasn’t until I had Brianna that I truly started to educate myself. My husband, Kevin, and I would attend classes, read reports/books, watch documentaries, and do literally anything we could get our hands on that would help us better understand Brianna and make us better parents.

What do you ultimately hope readers will get out of your book?
With adults, I hope the little bit of information on ASD I provided in “French Fries in the Park” ignites a spark within them to learn more and start researching on their own. I also hope that both children and adults gain better awareness of ASD and will recognize these signs and ultimately be more patient and accepting of everyone’s differences.

 

 

 

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
(616) 258-5537
ellen@jkscommunications.com

GARY MCPHERSON EXAMINES THE BEAST WITHIN IN HIS BREAKTHROUGH THRILLER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Novel inspired by author’s unique adoption story and rare genetic disease

Charlotte, NC – Gary McPherson’s debut novel “Joshua and the Shadow of Death” examines the inner workings of the human psyche, delving into how one man’s suicide impacts the lives of many. Separation anxiety, hyperactivity and berserker (blind rage) syndrome plague this tale, causing readers to wonder if the beast within can ever be rewired.

The book is the first of the new Berserker Series inspired by McPherson’s unique adoption story. Much like the character in his book, he had a good childhood and felt especially lucky to grow up with a father who worked on rockets that got the U.S. into space in the 60’s and 70’s. But McPherson suffered from a rare genetic disease doctors were unable to identify until he was 32 years old.

Researching his biological history with the help of the Children’s Home Society of California, the service his parents used to adopt him, McPherson discovered his international ties. He had a biological mother who immigrated from Denmark and father of Turkish descent. While Behcet’s disease is a rarity in the U.S., it’s far more common in the eastern hemisphere. It was this experience that gave birth to the idea of the Berserk legend – half-siblings carrying a gene they don’t know about.

McPherson has not let his battle with Behcet’s, which has also caused Fibromyalgia and Fibromatosis that make it difficult to physically type, slow his writing. He has written dozens of short stories which are publicly available on his blog. McPherson will be donating a percentage of proceeds to the Baptist Children’s Home of Charlotte.

 


 

joshua-cover

About the Book

“Joshua and the Shadow of Death”
Berserk Publishing | October 30, 2018
Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-7323373-0-5 | Price: $11.99 ($9.99 pre-order)
EBook | Price: $3.99 ($1.99 pre-order)
Genre: Thriller

 

 

 

 


 

garymac-headshotAbout the Author

Gary McPherson’s breakthrough thriller “Joshua and the Shadow of Death” tackles relevant, real world issues. National security, government contracts and greed fuel this dramatic, quick read. McPherson’s battle with Behcet’s disease, as well as his own personal adoption story, provide a unique perspective on a tale that explores suicide, separation anxiety and berserker (blind rage) syndrome. Joshua, and his journey through the shadows, encourages us to think about how we react to life’s traumas. Visit him at https://gmacwriter.com/ to learn more.

 

 

 

 

In an interview Gary McPherson can discuss:

  • His own personal adoption story and how it influenced the book
  • How the book tackles current social issues such as immigration through the character Maria based on real people in southern California
  • The theme of forgiveness woven in throughout the novel
  • How his battle with Behcet’s disease gave birth to the idea of the Berserk legend
  • How he overcomes a rare genetic disease (Behcet’s) that results in other systemic disease especially rare among men (Fibromyalgia and Fibromatosis) to continue his writing
  • The role the Baptist Children’s Home of Charlotte, NC. and Children’s Home Society of California play in the book, and why he felt important to include them

An Interview with GARY MCPHERSON

Lots of acclaimed writers are late literary bloomers. You began a new career in writing at age 52. How did you leverage your life experience to start writing?
The best advice I’ve heard about writing fiction came from The Creative Way course, led by New York Times bestselling author and founder Ted Dekker. Dekker talks about writing from the heart and putting a part of yourself on the page. That’s easy to do at age 52 because I have a lot of baggage to unload. I drew from the experience of losing my father when I wrote the death scene. I used my grief to create Joshua.

The underlying theme of “Joshua and the Shadow of Death” is forgiveness. What would you like for readers to take away from the book?
When I first conceived the idea for this novel, I had no idea how timely this series would be or how close to reality “Joshua and the Shadow of Death” would become. Society is becoming toxic. It is increasingly easy to get pulled into a negative mindset. Joshua, and his journey through the shadows, encourages us to think about how we respond to life’s insults and disagreements. At the end of the day, forgiveness is not to help the people who wrong us, it is to help us move forward and heal.

Can you speak about your own personal background and how being adopted, and making the decision to find out about your biological parents, inspired the premise of this book and what the main character is dealing with?
I spent a big part of my childhood being very ill. For decades, no one was able to diagnose my disease. Behcet’s is difficult to pinpoint because the symptoms usually don’t appear jointly and can be identical to those of other illnesses. Once diagnosed, I opted to research my biological parents since Behcet’s is a genetic disease. I found information about my birth mother, who hails from Denmark, but was unable to locate material about my birth father. I turned to genome mapping to learn more and discovered that there were Turkish markers in my genes. In short, there are two old world conquering empires duking it out inside of my body.

I started reading about Danish and Turkish history and learned that the Berserkers, champion Norse warriors said to have fought in a trance-like rage, really existed. The term “going berserk” comes from these fighters. There are lots of theories as to who they were and how berserk they actually became. This research inspired the idea of a modern day berserker who didn’t know that they were a berserker because of their orphan status.

Which writers inspire you?
James Michener’s ability to write compelling historical fiction not only takes a lot of research but a lot of talent. His writing inspired me to use places I have visited or lived for my fictional settings. I also think that the diversity and depth in Ted Dekker’s stories is amazing.

 

 

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
(616) 258-5537
ellen@jkscommunications.com

Attorney and Business Coach Nora Riva Bergman Debuts First Book in Series, “50 Lessons for Lawyers”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA BAY, FL – In the first installment of the “Lessons for Lawyers” series, “50 Lessons for Lawyers: Earn More. Stress Less. Be Awesome.,” law firm coach Nora Riva Bergman introduces mindfulness into the legal world. In communities where lawyers have previously been expected to attend to the needs of clients and staff above all else, Bergman discusses the benefits of redirecting focus to oneself. By working with the latest strategies in productivity, marketing, and leadership, Bergman allows her readers to consider themselves—as individuals—key to their practice.

Each chapter in the book covers a single lesson, allowing readers to either engage with the book sequentially or skip through according to what seems most relevant or interesting. The lessons in each chapter are simple, easy to implement, and practical above all else.

Read through lessons such as:

  • Lesson 14: Do it. Delegate it. Defer it. Ditch it.
  • Lesson 20: Think of marketing like brushing your teeth. Do it every day.
  • Lesson 29: Join the social media conversation. Teach — don’t sell.
  • Lesson 32: See your firm from your client’s eyes. Create a unique experience.
  • Lesson 44: Money matters, but it’s not the most important thing.

Packed with tools for success, the book takes a motivational approach, aiming to help the inert lawyer get back in motion through self-awareness and reflection. Bergman not only seeks to change the current mindset of her readers, she also concludes every lesson with practical ways to use her advice in the real world, demonstrating her call to action. Bergman understands that in law, as in all fields, it’s not only about the knowing, it’s about the doing.

 


 

50lessonslawyer-cover

About the Book

“50 Lessons for Lawyers: Earn More. Stress Less. Be Awesome.”
Nora Riva Bergman | October 1, 2016 | Berroco Canyon Publishing
Softcover | $24.99 | 6 x 0.6 x 9 in | 250 pages | ISBN 9780997263701
E-Book | $9.99 | 250 pages | ISBN B01M7O5MYF
Nonfiction; Self-Help

 

 

 

 


 

Nora-Riva-Bergman-picAbout the Author

Nora Bergman’s instruction is crafted from her firsthand experience as an attorney as well as her work as a business coach. Additionally, she has had teaching experience as an adjunct professor at both Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida. “50 Lessons for Lawyers” not only displays Bergman’s expert knowledge, it also reveals her unique ability to impart her knowledge on others in ways that inspire real action

 

 

 

 

Interview Questions For Lori Rader-Day

  1. Did you have your own mentors help you along your journey to success?
  2. When did you know you would make a good mentor to others in your field?
  3. What was the most difficult lesson for you to learn when you were first starting in the field?
  4. How does your book relate personal wellness to business strategy?
  5. Of all the lessons in your book, which lesson is most important for your readers to take away?
  6. What plans do you have underway for writing additional books in this series?

 

 

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
(616) 258-5537
ellen@jkscommunications.com

Are you afraid of the dark? Renowned mystery author Lori Rader-Day shines a light on murder in “Under a Dark Sky”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New novel by Mary Higgins Clark and Anthony Award-winner releasing in August

CHICAGO – Mary Higgins Clark-award winning author Lori Rader-Day is releasing her latest thriller, “Under a Dark Sky,” on Aug. 7, 2018, offering a terrifying twist on a locked-room murder mystery that will keep readers guessing until the last page.

Since the death of her husband, Eden Wallace is terrorized by darkness. She has succumbed to grief, given up on things she once loved, and forced awake by night terrors requiring her to sleep with the lights on. Deciding to conquer her fear, Eden travels to a dark sky park in Michigan, where darkness becomes the least of her fears.

She unwillingly shares her suite with 20-somethings tenaciously hanging on to the college friendships they’ve yet to outgrow. She plans a getaway from her getaway, post-poning her fear-conquering quest with intent to depart the next morning. Until she hears a scream.

One of the friends has been murdered. Now everyone—including Eden—is a suspect. As accidents overtake the group, Eden must navigate lies and find truth in chaos to avoid becoming the next victim when darkness falls.

Lori Rader-Day is a three-time Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee, winning the award in 2016 for her second novel, “Little Pretty Things.” She is the author of “The Black Hour,” winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and “The Day I Died,” an Indie Next Pick. Lori’s short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and Good Housekeeping. She lives in Chicago, where she is active in Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and co-chairs the mystery conference Murder and Mayhem in Chicago. Lori’s next novel, “Under a Dark Sky,” will be published by Harper Collins William Morrow in August.

 


 

underadarksky-cover

About the Book

Under a Dark Sky
Lori Rader-Day | Aug. 7, 2018 | Harper Collins William Morrow
ISBN: (hardcover) 978-0062846143 | $26.99
ISBN: 978-0062560308 (paperback) | $15.99
ASIN: B071VBHQ3P (ebook) | $26.99
Mystery

 

 

 

 

Only in the dark can she find the truth . . .

Since her husband died, Eden Wallace’s life has diminished down to a tiny pinprick, like a far-off star in the night sky. She doesn’t work, has given up on her love of photography, and is so plagued by night terrors that she can’t sleep without the lights on. Everyone, including her family, has grown weary of her grief. So when she finds paperwork in her husband’s effects indicating that he reserved a week at a dark sky park, she goes.

She’s ready to shed her fear and return to the living, even if it means facing her paralyzing phobia of the dark. But when she arrives at the park, the guest suite she thought was a private retreat is teeming with a group of twenty-somethings, all stuck in the orbit of their old college friendships. Horrified that her get-away has been taken over, Eden decides to head home the next day. But then a scream wakes the house in the middle of the night. One of the friends has been murdered. Now everyone—including Eden—is a suspect.

Everyone is keeping secrets, but only one is a murderer. As mishaps continue to befall the group, Eden must make sense of the chaos and lies to evade a ruthless killer—and she’ll have to do it before dark falls…

Lori-Rader-Day-picInterview Questions For Lori Rader-Day

  1. How does “Under A Dark Sky” differ from your previous award-winning novels?
  2. How long did it take you to write “Under A Dark Sky?” Do you write your books in order of their release?
  3. Why did you decide to set “Under a Dark Sky” in Mackinaw City, Michigan? Do you have a personal connection to this setting?
  4. Is it more difficult to write a place you know well? Do you feel increased pressure to accurately portray the setting?
  5. Why do you think it’s important to pen women-driven mystery novels?
  6. You have a background in journalism and now you’re writing thriller fiction. How and why did you make this writing-genre shift?
  7. What does fiction offer to a writer that non-fiction doesn’t?
  8. Did you visit dark sky preserves for this book? What was that like?
  9. Why did you write a character who is afraid of the dark?
  10. What’s next for you?

 

 

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
(616) 258-5537
ellen@jkscommunications.com

DEFYING RELIGION, RACISM AND SMASHING GLASS CEILINGS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

One woman’s trailblazing journey through abuse, prejudice, and overcoming it all.

DETROIT, MI – An African-American/Italian biracial 20-year-old marries a 45-year-old former Roman Catholic priest in mid ‘60s Saginaw, Michigan, triggering a religious and racial scandal in the community. Ignoring the contempt and adversity she faced for the decision to be with the one she loved, that 20-year old would one day become the longest-serving Chief Judge in the history of Detroit’s 36th District Court.

Given the name “Rosemary,” at birth, Judge Marylin E. Atkins was born to an unwed Italian teen and a married black man in Detroit in 1946. After being put in foster care by her birth mother, a black couple from Saginaw adopts her. Her adoptive mother’s abuse shapes Atkins into a tough survivor who decides that she would forge her own fate, unwilling to allow this abusive woman to smother her ambition.

Publishing on Oct. 9, 2018, The Triumph of Rosemary is a raw, awe-inspiring tale of one woman’s unrelenting spirit in the face seemingly insurmountable adversity, the love of a family, and achieving the American Dream.

Judge Marylin E. Atkins was appointed six times by the Michigan Supreme Court to run Detroit’s 36th District court. After serving on the court for 21 years, she retired in 2012. Judge Atkins earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Saginaw Valley State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law. Atkins enjoys exercising, playing the piano, doing carpentry, relaxing with friends, and baking banana-nut-raisin bread that she delivers to her friends, family, and others. She lives in Detroit. She is the author of The Triumph of Rosemary: A Memoir, published by her daughters’ company, Two Sisters Writing and Publishing.

 


 

RosemaryBookCover

About the Book

“The Triumph Of Rosemary: A Memoir”
Marylin E. Atkins | October 9, 2018 | Two Sisters Publishing
Hardcover | $27.99
Paperback | $19.99
Memoir

 

 

 

 

In an interview, Marylin can discuss:
* Interracial marriage and its stigmas
* How her children were raised to confidently identify as biracial
* Marrying a former Roman Catholic priest, who was forbidden by the Church to marry
* Her search for her birth parents
* How she cultivated a tough mindset surviving the emotional and physical abuse of her adoptive mother
* Her career path to becoming a district’s Chief Judge

 


 

An Interview with Judge Marylin E. Atkins

It takes a lot of courage to put your personal story out there for the whole world to read. Why did you decide to write this memoir?
For about 15 years, my daughters had been urging me to write my story. I always resisted because I did not believe I had a story worth sharing. The things I did during my life, I thought everybody did, that is, make a plan to take care of yourself and your family and see that plan through to the very best of your ability. I also resisted because I was not sure that I wanted to share such personal events in my life with the world. Finally, I relented and began writing in December 2016, just before Christmas. As I wrote, I realized and appreciated that I do have a story that is unique and worth sharing with the world.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
My hope is that by sharing my experiences, good and bad, I can encourage others to first, make a life plan that is realistic given one’s circumstances, assess and review the plan as time goes on, amend the plan if necessary and never give up, no matter what obstacles are thrown in your path. Resolve within yourself that you know what is best for you and how to reach your goals.

What challenges did you face when you first got married to your husband, Thomas Lee Atkins?
The challenges that I faced when I married my husband in 1966: My husband was white, he was a former Roman Catholic priest (15 years) and he was 25 years my senior. When we married, I was a 20 year old biracial (African American and Italian) girl and he was 45 years old. In the 1960’s interracial marriage was not popular, nor was it popular for priests to leave the priesthood. And everyone was skeptical that a May-December union would work, especially with all these other factors. The Bishop of the Saginaw Diocese ordered us to leave Saginaw, my husband’s family did not speak to him, and my mother was furious. My father, however, was not because my husband was a gentle man and he knew he would take care of me. Except for the demands of the Bishop and the alienation of his family, we did not endure outright racism, at least to our faces. We always knew there were whispers behind our backs and people always stared at us as if trying to figure out how we “fit together,” especially after we had our daughters, who looked totally white. While interracial marriage in Ohio where we married was not illegal, we were aware of the laws forbidding such unions in the south. We rejoiced when the United States Supreme Court in 1967, ruled that states could not outlaw interracial marriages in the Loving vs. Virginia case. All of the negatives we were faced with made our love for each other all the more strong.

You found out that you were adopted before you hit your teenage years. How did that revelation affect you?
I found out that I was adopted when I was 10 years old. My adoptive mother told me the whole story after a little girl who had heard her parents talking about the fact that my brother and I were adopted, asked me what my “real” name was.

In explaining what happened, my mother used the word “special” over and over because I told her that the little girl said that adopted babies were babies that nobody wanted. I did not feel any different emotionally after the revelation and I distinctly remember thinking that this is why I did not look like a newborn baby in the first picture that my parents had of me. I was 6 months old!!!! Being adopted only bothered me when I suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of my adoptive mother. It was at these times I wondered why she adopted me.

Had you always known you wanted to be a judge?
I decided that I wanted to be a judge in the late 1980’s while I was a member of the State Bar of Michigan Judicial Qualifications Committee. It was the committee’s responsibility to interview all judicial candidates, rate their qualifications and forward them to the Governor of Michigan for consideration and selection. After several years on the committee and having a job where my responsibility was to decide cases, I decided that it would be a good position for me.

If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing while you were living with your abusive adoptive mother, what would it be?
If I could go back to the time that I was being abused by my adoptive mother, I would tell myself the same thing I told myself then: I have to “go along, to get along” until I can get away from her. She was in complete control of my life until I began seeing my husband to be. When I think back, I realize that her abuse made me the strong person that I am and it made me the good, loving mother that I have always been to our daughters. One thing I might have asked her if I could go back: “Do you love me?” I never heard those words from her.

What’s next for you?
What is next for me is to continue enjoying my retirement by traveling, spending time at our family cottage, watching my daughters grow their writing and publishing business, and watching my grandson grow to manhood. And I am thinking about visiting schools in Detroit as I did when I was on the bench. I enjoyed putting on my robe and talking with students about keeping their eye on the prize and becoming good, productive citizens. I would also like to have lots of speaking engagements/book signings to tell my story. I was the 2018 Commencement speaker at my alma mater, Saginaw Valley State University, because the President of the University read my book. He insisted that I include some of my life story in my remarks. My address was described as heartfelt and powerful.

 

 

www.JKSCommunications.com
237 Old Hickory Blvd., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37221
Ellen Whitfield
(616) 258-5537
ellen@jkscommunications.com