Year: 2012

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from our house to your’s.

 I hope you all have a very Blessed Easter!!

Today’s Sunday Salon will be taking a hiatus due to the holiday.   


Guest Author Lois Hoitenga Roelofs

The ladies at WOW have done it again!!    They are touring with another remarkable woman, and today we have the pleasure of her company, as she visits and tells us about her book.    So lets give a warm welcome to Ms. Lois Hoitenga Roelofs.

ABOUT LOIS HOITENGA ROELOFS

Lois longed to fly the friendly skies but in 1968 minister’s daughters did not become stewardesses. They chose practical careers like teaching or nursing. For the entire first year of nursing school, Lois made weekly calls home to beg her parents to let her come home. Then her instructors decided she had a “bad attitude”. Despite her lukewarm feelings about a nursing career Lois set out to prove those cranky old instructors wrong.
Lois’s attitude, as well as her feelings about nursing, changed radically during her over 30 year career. She retired in the year 2000 as professor emerita from Trinity Christian College with Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in nursing. But even that wasn’t enough classroom time for Lois. She recently completed three years of the University of Chicago Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults. She now spends her days writing and being a happy grandma.
You can visit the author at her website here.
GUEST POST

Changing Minds about Mental Illness 

When I was a young mom, forty-two years ago, I left my husband and two young kids for an overnight to find myself, only to find myself hospitalized two days later on a psychiatric unit diagnosed with anxiety.

After realizing I was missing the adult stimulation of my prior nursing career, I went back to school for advanced degrees in nursing. Later, for nearly fifteen years, I taught mental health nursing to senior nursing students. I spent hundreds of hours on inpatient psychiatric units mingling with the patients.

When I’d meet patients that knew me, they would, without fail, say, “You won’t tell anyone you saw me here, will you?” Of course not. I understood. I had told only a few people myself of my hospitalization.

So I know about the mind-set surrounding mental illness. The hush-hush. The stigma. And it’s always been a mission of mine to help reduce that stigma.

What about you? Have you or a loved one ever been diagnosed with a mental illness? How did you feel? What did you do? Whom did you turn to? How did or does the stigma of mental illness affect your life?

When we do not know that mental illnesses are brain disorders similar to physical illnesses being disorders, for example, of the heart, liver, or pancreas, it’s what we don’t know that leads to our “fear of the unknown.” And it’s that “fear of the unknown” that leads to the hush-hush, the stigma surrounding mental illness.

So how can we begin to take steps to change minds in our society about mental illness? Let’s take an example: your friend tells you her college-age daughter, Mackenzie, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. What can you do?

1. Listen. Do not judge. Your friend needs support.

2. Offer to walk along with your friend into this new world. Maintain her confidentiality. Do not gossip about her or her daughter with others. Attend “open” support groups with her.

3. Adopt the same attitude that you have toward physical illness. If the clinic physician at Mackenzie’s college diagnosed her with strep throat, would you advise against antibiotics?

4. Make it your mission to learn about schizophrenia. An easy place to start is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org). NAMI’s site presents information covering all mental illnesses, explaining their physical (structural and functional brain changes) as well as other causes.

5. Educate yourself on public policy issues. Observe what’s lacking for your friend. Is it access to care, availability of care, insurance coverage? Write your congressman. Make a difference.

Is there something you already do to educate others about mental illness? If so, thank you! And know that people living with mental illness and their families and friends, will appreciate that you are educating yourself, being their support, and advocating on their behalf.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK
Synopsis:
Lois Roelofs describes herself as a rebellious minister’s daughter, a reluctant nurse, a restless mom, and a perpetual student who eventually became a fun-loving teacher of mental health nursing. During her forty-year nursing career, she cared for patients and taught nursing students in primarily mental health and medical-surgical settings. As a caregiver, she learned the value of caring for herself and did so by changing jobs to suit her interests, going back to school more than once to feed her crave for learning, and seeking professional help when personal and family crises invaded her life.
You will be amused, saddened, and inspired as you read this intimate and introspective memoir. Plus you will learn the importance of faith, family, and friendship—whatever your profession—and come away with a new appreciation of caring for yourself as well as caring for others.
You can see my review here.
Just Thought You Should Know:
 Caring Lessons would be the ideal gift for a nurse celebrating a flurry of nursing holidays in May:
· National RN Day (May 6)
· Florence Nightingale’s Birthday (Mary 12)
· National Nurses Week (May 6 to May 12)
· Nursing Month (May)
· Nursing School Graduations (May)
Mental Health nursing and personal mental health issues are also a sub-plot of this memoir and May is Mental Health Month.

THANKS TO THE AUTHOR, LOIS HOITENGA ROELOFS
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF HER MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “CARING LESSONS” ENDED

APRIL 7th to APRIL 21st, 2012

 

CARING LESSONS
by
LOIS HOITENGA ROELOFS

SYNOPSIS:
Lois Roelofs describes herself as a rebellious minister’s daughter, a reluctant nurse, a restless mom, and a perpetual student who eventually became a fun-loving teacher of mental health nursing. During her forty-year nursing career, she cared for patients and taught nursing students in primarily mental health and medical-surgical settings. As a caregiver, she learned the value of caring for herself and did so by changing jobs to suit her interests, going back to school more than once to feed her crave for learning, and seeking professional help when personal and family crises invaded her life.
You will be amused, saddened, and inspired as you read this intimate and introspective memoir. Plus you will learn the importance of faith, family, and friendship—whatever your profession—and come away with a new appreciation of caring for yourself as well as caring for others.
THANKS TO AUTHOR,  LOIS HOITENGA ROELOFS
I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) COPY OF THIS
MEMOIR  TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.
*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY
*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
*DID YOU EVER CONSIDER BECOMING A NURSE?*
*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS WILL
RECEIVE A TPB COPY*
*INTERNATIONAL WILL RECEIVE AN EBOOK EDITION*
*NO P.O. BOXES*
**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 21st AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
Continue reading “INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “CARING LESSONS” ENDED

GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “THE HUNT FOR KSM” ENDED

APRIL 6th to APRIL 20th, 2012

 

THE HUNT FOR KSM
by JOSH MEYER and TERRY McDERMOTT

SYNOPSIS:
Only minutes after United 175 plowed into the World Trade Center’s South Tower, people in positions of power correctly suspected who was behind the assault: Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. But it would be 18 months after September 11 before investigators would capture the actual mastermind of the attacks, the man behind bin Laden himself.
That monster is the man who got his hands dirty while Osama fled; the man who was responsible for setting up Al Qaeda’s global networks, who personally identified and trained its terrorists, and who personally flew bomb parts on commercial airlines to test their invisibility. That man withstood waterboarding and years of other intense interrogations, not only denying Osama’s whereabouts but making a literal game of the proceedings, after leading his pursuers across the globe and back. That man is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and he is still, to this day, the most significant Al Qaeda terrorist in captivity.
In THE HUNT FOR KSM, Terry McDermott and Josh Meyer go deep inside the US government’s dogged but flawed pursuit of this elusive and dangerous man. One pair of agents chased him through countless false leads and narrow escapes for five years before 9/11. And now, drawing on a decade of investigative reporting and unprecedented access to hundreds of key sources, many of whom have never spoken publicly-as well as jihadis and members of KSM’s family and support network-this is a heart-pounding trip inside the dangerous, classified world of counterterrorism and espionage.

THANKS TO ANNA,  AND THE GENEROUS
PEOPLE AT THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP
I HAVE THREE ( 3 ) COPIES OF THIS
HEART POUNDING BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.
*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY
*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL
ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: WHERE WERE YOU ON 9/11
WHEN THE FIRST PLANE HIT THE TWIN TOWERS?
*
*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*
*NO P.O. BOXES*

**PER PUBLISHER**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 20th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “THE HUNT FOR KSM” ENDED

Aloha Friday

      

Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

It has been in the news for weeks now.  What are your thoughts on the Trevon Martin/Zimmerman incident?  Should Zimmerman have been arrested for murder?  etc.

And the winners are……..

……of Forever’s Western Double Giveaway

Quinn by R.C. Ryan and Catch Me A Cowboy by Katie Lane

22 Jody Sisson Be a Public Follower of ‘CMASH Loves to Read’

17 Maureen Carol Be a Public Follower of ‘CMASH Loves to Read’

30 Valerie Taylor Mabrey Follow @CherylMash on Twitter

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you all for entering.

Guest Author Alan Williams

Today I have a very special guest stopping by.   I have met the nicest people since I started reviewing, blogging and now with Partners In Crime Tours and Alan is one of them.  Today I hope is the beginning of this author’s dreams.  You will learn more about him in the remainder of this post and my review.  So let’s get started and  please help me welcome Mr. Alan Williams to the CMash blog!!

ABOUT ALAN WILLIAMS

Alan Williams is a UK based writer, environmentalist, naturalist, allotment holder, dog owner and blogger.   He is also a reviewer for Partners In Crime Tours!
You can visit Alan at his website, Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A killer is stalking London; a banker is already dead, killed in an explosion, and there are more victims in the killer’s sights.
Techno geek and Internet journalist, Wil Jackson becomes inadvertently embroiled in the investigation when he interviews one of the murder victims, and the killer starts communicating with Wil via the Internet.
Can Wil help the police stop the killer before the body count increases further?

Read an excerpt:

As Wil walked up his front path, he heard the gate open behind him and a voice ask, “Mr Jackson?”
He turned. “Yes, that’s right, how can I help you?”
The person asking the question was tall and well-built, although it looked all muscle, not a streak of fat. But for the pink polo shirt and linen trousers over deck shoes, the guy would look quite frightening, as he filled the gateway on his way through it.
“I’m Detective Chief Inspector Price, Metropolitan Police. I’d like to talk to you about a Mr Arthur Trent. Do you know Mr Trent?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t say that I actually ‘know’ him, as such. I interviewed him a couple of days ago for a piece I’m writing for a website. What’s this all about?”
“It would be better if we spoke inside, Mr Jackson – the situation is a little delicate at this moment in time.”
“Sure, come around to my office; we can talk there. Follow me.”
Wil led the Inspector around the side of his end terrace and through another gate, taking him into the back garden and towards his living-ark office. He unlocked the door and slid it to one side. The cool air from the inside washed across them.
“Seems like it would be more comfortable to talk in there,” Price said. “Air-conditioning?”
“No, it’s all part of the design. Stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer, perfect for working in, an office away from home, although not quite. Pretty geeky too, isn’t it? Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Err…yes.”
Wil raised an eyebrow in enquiry.
“Sorry. Yes to the tea, and your shed. Milk no sugar, please.”
“Come in and take a seat.” Wil waved towards a smart red leather sofa centre-piecing a wall of his office. “I’ll put the kettle on.”
Price relaxed into the plush sofa and had a good look around the interior. It was clearly, first and foremost, an office of sorts, although from the outside, it looked a little like something out of a science fiction movie. One wall contained a work bench with monitors, telephone, computers and a printer, as well as a disarray of paperwork scattered across the surface. The side where Price was sitting was mostly taken up by the sofa but also had some bookshelves with a mixture of what looked to be science fiction novels crossed with text books and other works of non-fiction. Price watched Wil as he moved towards the back corner of the room, where there was a kettle and a coffee maker. As with the computer hardware and other paraphernalia in the room, these looked rather sedate, but apparently functional. There were a further two doors on the back wall; Price guessed that one probably led to some kind of bathroom, but had no idea what might lie behind the other. In between th! em stood a wood burning stove with a polished, galvanised chimney, which rose to the ceiling; it was showing some blueing from heat at the joins.
Price continued to watch Wil; he didn’t look to be a very likely murder suspect, more like an out of place schoolboy. Somewhere between nerd and geek, he hardly looked capable of blowing someone up – although appearances could be deceptive, and judging by the amount of technology and other bits and pieces in this one room alone, he wouldn’t be at all surprised if Wil Jackson had more than one skeleton in his closet.
Wil turned from his tea making duties with a cup of steaming brew in his hand, which he passed to Price. After taking a second cup, he settled into his office chair at the work bench.
“Now, what’s all this about Arthur Trent?” Wil asked, raising an eyebrow.
“When you saw Mr Trent, was it in his office, Mr Jackson?”
“It was, down in the Docklands. That big tower, owned by the bank he worked for – great view from forty-four floors up. I still don’t understand what I can help you with, though, Inspector, err, Price, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right, Gavin Price. Mr Trent is dead, sir – murdered by the looks of things, and we’re trying to establish who he saw in the last few days of his life. That’s why I need to speak to you. It seems as though you were one of the last people to actually see him alive.”
Suddenly it all made sense to Wil; the news report, and now the policeman on his doorstep asking questions.

Read my review here.

Amazon link for Killer Bytes: A Novella of Intrigue by Alan Williams

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com,
Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale
outlets either online and/or elsewhere.
I am providing this link solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties

Review “Killer Bytes: A Novella of Intrigue” by Alan Williams

KILLER BYTES: A Novella of Intrigue by Alan Williams
Self Published
ASIN: B00723U2QU
At the request of the author, an ARC electronic edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

  Synopsis (from the author): A killer is stalking London; a banker is already dead, killed in an explosion, and there are more victims in the killer’s sights. Techno geek and Internet journalist, Wil Jackson becomes inadvertently embroiled in the investigation when he interviews one of the murder victims, and the killer starts communicating with Wil via the Internet.
Can Wil help the police stop the killer before the body count increases further?

  My Thoughts and Opinion: This is the second time this has happened to me and I feel that it is the greatest honor and most humbling experience to be bestowed with and that is to be entrusted with an author’s manuscript for review.
Through blogging and the PR company, Partners In Crime Tours, I met someone who is an outstanding blogger and reviewer.   After working with him on several projects, I had a feeling that he might also be a writer.   I asked and he said that he had been working on a novella and asked if I would read it and give him my honest opinion.   For me, that’s like being asked to be the Godmother of someone’s baby.   Such an honor yet also a huge responsibility.

He sent me only the first half, as the 2nd half was with his editor.   I started reading with great skepticism because now it was going to be the moment of truth.   And within a couple of weeks I had the entire book so that this review now reflects my impression on the entire read.

The novella starts off with a prologue and within the first couple of pages, the book grabbed me.   The suspense and action was fast paced.   The writing style flowed and it was easy to create my own imagery from the detailed prose.   The characters were well developed and became life like due to his descriptive writing.   There were only two (2) items that I felt that could be improved upon, which with time, mentoring and professional advice, would help make this blogger’s work into an author’s success. Those 2 items were, and only during a couple of places in the story, a bit of simplistic dialogue and the other being of tweaking to make the story in certain places tighter and more mature.   My rating is based upon his writing, story line, the development of characters, and the fact that this is his debut as a novella. I am not rating it as compared to seasoned authors.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
(2012 Challenges:  EBook, ARC, Mystery/Suspense, Off The Shelf, Just For Fun, Free Reads, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)