Category: Showcase

Guest Author JOE SCHWARTZ

WELCOME JOE SCHWARTZ


JOE SCHWARTZ

Joe Schwartz is shining a spotlight on the Midwest with stories that are nothing less than remarkable. His dark, gritty, visceral transgressive style is like a sharp punch to the gut, always leaving the reader breathless and wanting more. His previous collections, Joe’s Black T-Shirt: Short Stories About St. Louis and The Games Men Play, have captivated short story enthusiasts. With his original voice, each story strives to be different from the last, constantly examining the world through the eyes of malcontents, degenerates, sadists, and the disaffected. The Veiled Prophet of St. Louis exposes itself through the ancient art of divinity called Tarot. As the playing cards are dealt the stories reveal the horror and the glory that is commonly overlooked and dismissed as ordinary life.
Connect with Joe at these sites:

    TWITTER   

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jacob Miller is angry with himself, the world, and God. Life seems so unfair, so cruel, that he can’t imagine why anyone even tries. After having a nervous breakdown, selling his business, filing for bankruptcy, having a baby, and finding out he owes over twenty grand in taxes, he is hardly happy to be alive.

In the span of a year, Jacob will discover three very important things about life. Things can always be worse. There really is a God. And if you wait long enough anything can change.

A Season Without Rain explores that gray area between poverty and middle class life, the struggling underclass for whom there are no advocates. A powerful story told in a modern, everyday voice that will entrench readers in Jacob Miller’s black world of anger, hate, resentment, lies, and violence.

A Season Without Rain is Joe Schwartz’s first novel. His previous short story collections Joe’s Black T-Shirt, The Games Men Play, and The Veiled Prophet of St. Louis have been acclaimed vulgar as Bukowski and visceral as Carver. Joe lives and works in St. Louis happily writing stories exclusively about the Gateway City.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 348 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: November 13, 2013
ISBN-10: 1493513397
ISBN-13: 978-1493513390

PURCHASE LINKS:

            

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 or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Guest Author KIMBERLY PALMER showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME KIMBERLY PALMER


KIMBERLY PALMER

Kimberly Palmer is the author of the new book, “The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life,” and senior money editor for U.S. News & World Report, where she writes the popular Alpha Consumer blog. In addition, she is the creator of Palmer’s Planners, her own line of digital financial guides and money organizers for major life events and goals. You can connect with her at bykimberlypalmer.com.
Connect with Kimberly at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Don’t wait around for your job to disappear….Take back your financial future!

The biggest trend in business is the microbusiness! Handcrafted jewelry, artisanal eats, life coaching, app development, you name it—entrepreneurial side ventures are everywhere. Weary of pink-slip anxiety and the endless money squeeze, millions of people are taking the leap. They’re adding to their incomes and creating safety nets in case the ax falls at work. In the process, they’re unlocking their creativity and finding a sense of fulfillment they never dreamed possible.

Financial columnist Kimberly Palmer illuminates the everyday faces behind this growing movement, starting with her own journey. Recognizing that journalism offers little job security these days—and with a baby to provide for—she decided to develop a series of financial planners. This supplemental business was soon providing a reliable income stream.

The Economy of You recounts story after story of people who—like Kimberly—are liberating themselves from financial strain. A deli employee who makes custom cakes at night. An instrument repairman who sells voice-overs on his website. A videographer who started a profitable publishing house on the side. Interwoven in the profiles are concrete guidelines for readers looking to launch rewarding businesses of their own, including:

• Tips for figuring out the ideal side gig

• Ideas for keeping start up costs low

• Advice on juggling a fledgling enterprise and a full-time job

• Strategies for finding your “tribe” and building a social network

• Branding and marketing basics that bring results

• When and what to offer for free

• And much more

Companies guarantee nothing but today’s wages. It’s up to YOU to build stability by becoming a money-making engine. It’s empowering, gratifying, and easy to do with The Economy of You.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: AMACOM
Publication date: January 16, 2014
Page Count: 256
ISBN: 978014432730 (hardcover)

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO JENNIFER AT MUSICO MEDIA,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
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ADDENDUM
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Guest Author ROBERT LANCE showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME ROBERT LANCE

ROBERT LANCE

I currently live near St Louis Missouri. I was born in 1948 and grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri. I drifted into adulthood rather dull and anonymous.
I started flying airplanes when I was sixteen and began flying commercially when I was eighteen. At the age of twenty-one I was hired by a major airline, a career that was frequently interrupted by lay-offs and I’d drift around finding some interesting jobs connected with flying.
I spent twelve years as a pilot on active duty and the remainder of my career in the Air Force Reserve. I retired from the Air Force and the Airlines having had a full and exciting career.
I’ve always had an adventurous streak and couldn’t resist the temptation to dabble in anything that caught my interest, mostly in the construction and engineering sectors. I can modestly say that I’ve had a well rounded education in how the global economy works. I’ve owned and operated several companies, some successful and some not so much. I’ve done everything from importing tomatoes from Turkey to brokering the construction of power plants in South America.
I’m not sure why I have had a life long interest in Russian studies. During college, I gravitated towards history and teaching. I suppose I was unduly influenced by a very hot and frisky professor who was a Bolshevik agitator. I was exposed to the extremes of global politics at a young age and formed a rather independent view of the world evolving around me.
I began writing in my teens and completed my first novel at the age of twenty-one. I was encouraged to pursue a writing career, but I was preoccupied with flying fast and upside down. I toyed with the idea off and on, but I had rubbed elbows with exploitive journalists overseas and that killed any desire to become a part of that wolf pack.
My life experience and writing didn’t converge until I retired. Since I am listless and out from under the oppression of having to earn a living, I devote all my energy to a passion that I love without any distractions.
Most of my writing, while tackling controversial and contentious subjects, is always upbeat and filled with bits of humor, romance, mystery, and adventure. Life is not a genre and my writing is always inclusive of reality that rubs against most genres, giving my characters fuller dimensions.
I have one self-published one novel, “Caesar’s Cat” and recently “The Shadow Spy” released by WeBook. “Lottery Rage” is coming soon. I have four manuscripts waiting in the publishing queue. My website will be up (hopefully) by the time of the first print edition of “The Shadow Spy.”

Q&A with Robert Lance

Do you draw from personal experience and/or current events?
Usually my stories are grounded in an event to lend authenticity to the plot. What sizzling conspiracy is any good without a cast of bad actors set in the drama of the suspicious events of our own times? My objective is to write a credible tale for my audience to ponder and perhaps think to themselves; “So that’s how that happened.”
As to injecting my personal experiences, I’ll admit that I do draw on my own personal flaws, and if not mine, then someone I know very well.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
Of the five novels I’ve completed not one has ended the way I intended, nor starts with the assertiveness of my original inspiration. For example, the first twelve chapters of Shadow Spy were edited out and I added a main character that I had no intention of using. Once you’ve finished your manuscript exactly to your satisfaction your critique partners are always on hand to tell you what the rewrite should look like. I’m flexible like that.

Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
Idiosyncrasies? That’s a perfect description of me. Life is not a Genre and I tend to be all over the place. I like for my main character’s to be whole, experiencing life as you or I might. 007 doesn’t wear a dirty apron while trying to salvage a dead rabbit intended to be a gourmet surprise for his wife. You’ll find a bit of humor, romance, quirky misunderstandings and touching scenes in all my books. Idiosyncrasies are a box of crayons we all own and I tend to pick the bright colors to use.
My writing routine? Perpetual.

Is writing your full time job? If not may I ask what you do by day?
If writing were a job then I’ve picked the wrong profession. Writing is an obsession. To be perfectly honest I write to entertain myself, and if it turns out I’ve entertained someone else in the process then good for me. My abundant curiosity is insatiable and perhaps annoying, which brings me to answer the second part of the question. When not writing, I’m a spy. The question begs a flippant answer and I just can’t help myself.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Nelson Demille, Joseph Finder, Kimberley Reeves, D. S. Loren, Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell. It’s a mixed bag to be sure, but recently I’ve become enthralled with the aspiring authors on the WeBook site. I spend most of my time there following some very good authors with dazzling talents waiting to be discovered.

What are you reading now?
“Dasvidaniya, Rodina” by D. S. Loren. It’s a common story told with an exceptionally brilliant voice. It is probably the best period book ever written about the Stalin years and with such poetic potency that makes me feel the heartbeat of the woman recalling the saga.

Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
Yes. “Lottery Rage” should be in print sometime in early 2014. It’s a Nashville kind of story about a gifted musician who missed stardom by an inch and for the last ten years has been living in an RV; waking up every morning thinking he’ll find a new destination at the end of the day. When Owen Fletcher wins the lottery his simple life becomes a complication of good intentions gone horribly wrong. He starts a journey towards redemption and resurrection, but fate is often a cruel mistress with many lovers, as Owen will discover.

Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Kiefer Sutherland without a doubt is Doug Findley. He’s a polished actor with charm and poise, yet very approachable in a down to earth screen character. I would offer the part of Helen, Doug’s gorgeous wife, to Kate Middleton, a regal princess who unfortunately isn’t taking casting calls, so I’ll settle for Leona Lewis. Wait…she doesn’t act does she?

Favorite leisure activity/hobby
I like to point the nose of my Russian Yak 52 aerobatic airplane towards little houses on the ground, especially when I have a VIP sitting in the back seat who has yet to offer to buy the gas. Did I mention I have unique negotiating skills?

Favorite meal?
Anything but crow.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Doug Findley is a CIA sleeper agent activated to expedite the demise of the Soviet Union. His task is simple. All he has to do set up the bridge work to funnel money to the spreading reform movement and undermine the election cycle in Russia. What starts out as a ‘drop box’ assignment escalates before Doug can finish the job He accidentally learns he’s a ‘throw-away’ agent and the convenient fall-guy.
His end game takes him to banks all over Europe where he builds a conduit to secretly transfer black funds to finance pro-western factions in Russia. His secret weapon is an extraordinary photographic memory. It’s also what gets him into trouble. His enemies need the database of the accounts he has accumulated in his head before they can cancel his birth certificate.
Imagine his shock when he discovers he doesn’t work for the CIA and never did. He is a surrogate of a global conspiracy and beyond the reach of the CIA. The pendulum of the balance of power is Findley’s clock and he’s running out of time. He becomes the target of the KGB, the Russian mob, his own CIA, and a secret power cartel that have their own sinister plans for Russia.

Doug Findley will entertain you as he takes you through the meltdown of the Soviet Union. His exploits parallel true events that will leave you to wonder if the Soviet Super Power’s fall was a devious plan that was meant to fail. Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction…or is it?

BOOK DETAILS:

Print Length: 297 pages
Publisher: WEbook
Publication Date: November 1, 2013
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN: B00GIYL218

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO KATY AT AUTHORIGHT,
I
HAVE FIVE (5) DIGITAL COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
EBOOK~~OPEN TO ALL
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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 or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author EVA A. BLASKOVIC

WELCOME EVA A. BLASKOVIC


EVA A. BLASKOVIC

Eva Blaskovic was born in the Czech Republic, grew up in Ontario, Canada, and moved to Alberta in 1988, where she raised four children. Eva has worked in science labs and has taught literacy, writing, math, and science. She is both an accomplished writer and editor of non-fiction articles on business, education, how-to, parenting, and travel. She is also an author of short fiction. Beyond the Precipice is Eva Blaskovic’s first full length novel, but it has already received rave reviews from literary professionals and aficionados the world over. When Eva hasn’t buried herself in writing or editing, she may be found taking her teenagers to Taekwondo, exploring the Farmers’ Market, listening to Celtic music, or sipping a latte.
Connect with Eva at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

ABOUT THE BOOK

A YOUNG MAN WITH A DARK SECRET MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN HIS FAMILY AND THE GIRL HE LOVES.
For six years Bret Killeen is trapped by the wishes of his dead father, blackmailed by his brother, and rejected by his uncle. Meanwhile, he watches his mother descend into the depths of poverty.
As Bret wrestles with guilt over the death of his father, he is helped by Nicole, a young cello player with big dreams. She stirs the embers of his longing both for music and for her – and ignites a fire he can’t extinguish.
But can he brave his past in order to seize his future?
The award-worthy debut novel by Eva A. Blaskovic is a riveting blend of suspense, dark humor, and compelling inter-personal drama. Once you engage this roller coaster read you won’t be able to stop.

BOOK DETAILS:

Print Length: 406 pages
Publisher: Ashby-BP Publishing
Publication Date: April 25, 2013
ISBN: 0988163810

PURCHASE LINKS:

            

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 or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author BURT WEISSBOURD

WELCOME BURT WEISSBOURD


BURT WEISSBOURD

Burt Weissbourd is a novelist, screenwriter and producer of feature films. He was born in 1949 and graduated cum laude from Yale University, with honors in psychology. During his student years, he volunteered at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and taught English to college students in Thailand. After he graduated, he wrote, directed, and produced educational films for Gilbert Altschul Productions. He began a finance program at the Northwestern University Graduate School of Business, but left to start his own film production company in Los Angeles. He managed that company from 1977 until 1986, producing films including “Ghost Story” starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Patricia Neal, and “Raggedy Man” starring Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard, which The New York Times called “a movie of sweet, low-keyed charm.” In 1987, he founded an investment business, which he still runs.
Connect with Mr. Weissbourd at these sites:

WEBSITE       

ABOUT THE BOOK

Corey Logan was set up. She knows Nick Season’s terrible secret. Coming home from prison, all Corey wants is to be with her son. To get him back, she needs to make a good impression on the psychiatrist evaluating her. But Dr. Abe Stein doesn’t believe she was framed–until his well-heeled mother falls for the charming state attorney general candidate, Nick Season.
As the dogs of war are unleashed, Corey and her son run for their lives–taking her boat up the Pacific Northwest’s remote Inside Passage. Inside Passage is the first in Weissbourd’s haunting, heart-stirring Corey Logan trilogy.

BOOK DETAILS:

Series: Corey Logan
Hardcover: 268 pages
Publisher: Vireo Book, A
Publication Date: February 19, 2013
ISBN-10: 0985490233
ISBN-13: 978-0985490232

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

 
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 or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author HABIB SADEGHI, D. O. showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME Dr. HABIB SADEGHI

Dr. Habib Sadeghi, D.O.

Dr. Habib Sadeghi D.O. is the co-founder of Be Hive of Healing, an integrative health center based in Los Angeles. He is a highly-respected physician and researcher in the fields of integrative, osteopathic, anthroposophical, environmental, family medicine, German new medicine, homeopathy and clinical pharmacology. He has served as an attending Physician and Clinical Facilitator at UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center, as well as a Clinical Instructor of Family Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. He is a member of the Physician’s Association for Anthroposophic Medicine and International Post-Graduate Medical Training for Anthroposophic Medicine. An active member of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation and American Holistic Medical Association, he is regularly sought after as an expert in the fields of nutritional therapy, dietary supplementation and detoxification for chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and auto immune diseases at venues around the world.

Having recovered from cancer decades ago through his unique combination of integrative medical protocols, his services are in great demand. His patients come from as far as Columbia, Mexico, Germany, Thailand, France, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom, seeking his specialized combination of integrative therapies.

Dr. Sadeghi serves as an on-air health expert for FOX News and Geraldo at Large. He is co-author of the book, The Light, along with renowned spiritual teachers, Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements), Terry Tillman (Writings on the Wall), Barbara Marx Hubbard (Emergence: Shift From Ego to Essence), John-Roger (Living the Spiritual Principles of Health and Wellbeing) and Marci Shimoff (Co-author,Chicken Soup For the Soul series & Love For No Reason). He was also one of the first two osteopathic physicians ever to be included as a medical expert in the nationally televised cancer research fundraising telethon, Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), executive produced by Gwyneth Paltrow. He is also the publisher of Be Hive of Healing Medical Corporation’s monthly newsletter and the spiritual health magazine, MegaZEN.
Connect with Dr. Sadeghi at these sites:

WEBSITE       

Endorsements

“Dr. Sadeghi is the doctor who has changed my life. This book will change yours.”
– Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and author of It’s All Good: Delicious Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great and My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness

“Habib Sadeghi is an insightful, kind man who approaches healing in a fresh and uncomplicated way. If one is able to acknowledge that illness is created by an imbalance in the body, and that one’s state of mind and emotional wellbeing are integral to the overall health of the body, then Habib has practical suggestions on how to achieve a new realm of health and healing.”
– Tim Robbins, actor, director, producer

“Dr. Sadeghi has shown me how my outside often reflects my inside; how our minds and bodies mirror each other. He has helped me a great deal, and I hope that through this book more people can enjoy the benefit of his compassion.”
– Chris Martin, singer/songwriter, Coldplay

ABOUT THE BOOK

In his latest book, Dr. Habib Sadeghi provides a compassionately based, scientifically sound approach to the missing ingredient in the weight loss recipe: self-love. You’ll learn that real self-love is far more than an ethereal concept. It’s a tangible, evolutionary force that will create changes in your life that can only be described as miraculous.

You’ll discover the exciting, emerging science of epigenetics and that fat is not all in the family. You’ve never been doomed by your genes and have far more control over your weight than you ever realized. Most importantly, this program was created from compassion and experience by someone who has “been there”. So prepare yourself for a revelation that combines the latest science with spiritual nutrition for a quantum weight loss program that serves up a satisfying portion of real soul food. Take the journey to discover where the answers have been all along…within.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Premiere Digital Publishing
Publication date: January 1, 2014
Page Count: 300
ISBN: 9781624671807 (paperback)

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO JENNIFER AT MUSICO MEDIA,
I
HAVE TWO (2) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS JANUARY 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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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 or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Authors DR. NICK NICHOLSON and B.A. BLACKWOOD showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME


Dr. Nick Nicholson, a renowned bariatric surgeon, and B. A. Blackwood, an author, retired trial lawyer, and marathon runner, teamed up to write Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny, a guide for people who are considering or have already undergone bariatric surgery. Nicholson was voted one of D Magazine’s top bariatric doctors six years in a row, and Blackwood has completed more than 20 marathons. Together they share a passion for encouraging people to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles. They know that anyone who chooses to undergo bariatric surgery will experience bumps in the road to maintaining their weight loss. One size does not fit all—everyone’s body is unique and everyone faces a unique set of challenges.
Connect with Dr. Nicholson at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

 

B. A. Blackwood is a trial lawyer, a marathon runner, and the author of the young adult fantasy fiction Siren Song trilogy. She splits her time between Dallas, Texas, and Bozeman, Montana, where she lives with her husband and their three pugs, Waldo, Jonesy, and Lottie.
Connect with Ms. Blackwood at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

GUEST POST

Five Facts About Bariatric Surgery You Need to Know

By B.A. Blackwood

I’m a trial lawyer turned young adult fantasy fiction writer. When my friend, surgeon Nick Nicholson, approached me about co-authoring a book on the emotional consequences of weight loss surgery, I was intrigued, but skeptical. How could I – someone who’d never had the surgery – write a compelling book about it?

I have some overweight friends, but their weight is a sensitive issue we skirt around. I knew of one person who’d had the surgery twice and still has to buy two airplane seats, but he’s very tight-lipped about the whole experience. I’d never understood the reasons for why the surgery didn’t “cure” him, and, based on little snippets of conversations with his parents, they didn’t either.

In other words, I was pretty ignorant.

But the more Dr. Nick filled me in on all of the issues that can arise after weight loss surgery, the more I wanted to know. So, I agreed, and began interviewing patients.

Boy, did I learn a lot.

First, most bariatric patients are champion dieters, but, with the amount of weight they’re trying to lose, their own physiology makes it virtually impossible to lose enough weight and keep it off permanently. That is why the success rate of diets for morbidly obese people is only two percent.

Yes, you read that right. Two percent.

Second, eating isn’t really the issue. It’s just the coping mechanism of choice. Everyone has a coping mechanism or two, and, if we’re honest, almost everyone uses food to some extent as a coping mechanism. In the case of the morbidly obese person, it’s the primary coping mechanism.

Third, most people don’t get to the point of health-threatening obesity by binging. They did it by eating just 10 to 100 calories a day beyond their daily needs over a period of years.

Fourth, weight loss surgery isn’t a magic cure. It’s a highly effective tool, but it requires every bit as much effort, and maybe more, than a traditional diet. It works because most types of the surgery trick the body’s physiology long enough to lose the necessary weight.

Fifth, whether the surgery is successful depends on how the person deals with the emotional issues surrounding their obesity and the subsequent loss of their excess weight.

That’s where the book comes in. It’s about emotions the weight loss will provoke not only in the patient, but in their family, friends and co-workers.

Good marriages tend to get better; bad marriages tend to get worse. The spouse who’d never had to worry about other men being attracted to his wife may have a hard time handling the attention she now receives. The overweight sister who’d initially been supportive may turn hyper-critical of her now slimmer sibling. The bariatric patient who gets a promotion after losing fifty pounds may feel furious rather than ecstatic.

Preparing for what may happen, understanding the emotions underlying the reactions and facing them, and learning healthier ways to deal with those emotions are critical to maintaining the weight loss.

Even though I didn’t know  much about bariatric surgery when I began writing, it turns out that the surgery is really about striving to get better, dealing with life’s problems head on, and having the will, optimism and strength to craft a better life for yourself  – something all of us can relate to. I finished the book inspired by the stories patients had shared with me and glad I’d taken the plunge with Dr. Nick to co-author the book.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Is it possible to lose weight fast and keep it off long-term? Whether it’s a new diet, an exercise regimen, or surgery, people are always looking for the shortest path to their ideal weight. Bariatric surgery can help you get ahead of your weight issues, but it’s not a one-and-done remedy; it gives you a head start, but lasting weight loss requires maintenance.

Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny tells you the truth. Bariatric surgery can be an excellent way to quickly lose weight, but it’s not a permanent fix. It can change your body, but it doesn’t change your mind or your relationship with food. As Dr. Nick Nicholson and B. A. Blackwood explain, “overeating has little to do with physical need and everything to do with emotional need.” Surgery will get you started, but patients must also be willing to adopt a healthier way of living.

While the authors do describe the benefits of bariatric surgery and discuss how to select your surgeon, much of this book addresses the issues connected to weight management that precede and follow surgery, with chapters that tackle questions like “How Did I End up in this Mess and Why Can’t I Get Out of It?” and “I’m Doing Everything Right, So Why Doesn’t My Weight Show It?”

Other chapters address some of the unexpected consequences of dramatic weight loss. You may have already known that weight gain could adversely affect your relationships…but weight loss? Like any major life change, losing weight can upset the balance in your relationships. Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny honestly acknowledges the effect that bariatric surgery can have on a patient and that patient’s family and friends. The authors offer insight into how to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the shift, highlighting the importance of open communication throughout the process.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 116 pages
Publisher: Obesity Resources Publishing
Publication Date: November 13, 2013
ISBN-10: 0615887392
ISBN-13: 978-0615887395

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO REBECCA AT THE CADENCE GROUP,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS JANUARY 16th AT 6PM EST

TCG 300

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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
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Guest Author JON FOYT showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME JON FOYT


JON FOYT

Striving for new heights on the literary landscape, following careers in radio, commercial banking, and real estate, Jon Foyt began writing novels with his late wife, Lois. He holds a degree in journalism and an MBA from Stanford and a second masters in historic preservation from the University of Georgia. A marathon runner (60 completed) and prostate cancer survivor, Jon, 81, is active in an adult retirement community near San Francisco.
Connect with Mr. Foyt at these sites:

WEBSITE    TWITTER   

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Marcel Proust in Taos, by Jon Foyt, tells the story of Christopher and Marlene, two recent immigrants to Taos, New Mexico, who fall in love with their adopted city and eventually each other. Christopher, a retired nuclear physicist, works on his first novel, while Marlene, newly arrived from Germany, spends her days painting the landscape and people around her. The two team up to open a microbrewery, and their relationship is tested by the hurdles they deal with along the way: Christopher hits a rough patch in his book, and a powerful enemy of Marlene’s threatens to destroy everything.

Christopher and Marlene find themselves confronting terrorism of a new sort with the matriarch of the Taos community, Agnes Havelock Powers, who strongly opposes having a brewery in town. Agnes is rich, powerful, and influential. She has the city authorities tucked in her purse next to her checkbook. Follow the exciting and charming love story of Marlene and Christopher in historical Taos, as they experience the challenges of confronting abusive power.

Read an excerpt

        While standing in the checkout line at the art supply store, Marlene reproached herself for her curt and inelegant response to Christopher’s invitation. For sure, she felt, he hadn’t been particularly suave in his outreach to her, either. In the two weeks of waiting for his call, she had gone over every nuance of their conversation in the Taos Inn, regretting that she hadn’t teased him into a more serious, or at least a fun relationship. She’d been too focused on her art, and she knew men were attracted to women who flirt, even if the man was married—Christopher wore no ring, but so what did that mean?

That afternoon in the tavern she should have invited him to her studio, changed into alluring attire and produced a romantic air for scintillating conversation by uncorking a bottle of Moselle wine, preparing a tasty tray of vorspeisen, turning on enchanting Bavarian music and lighting her scented candles—all against a backdrop of her prized art. As she paid the cashier, she brought herself back to the moment. Enough of this playful fantasizing! She was nervous about showing her art to this wealthy patron. Christopher would have to wait.

She reminded herself to concentrate on how she would present herself and her art to this woman with the name of “Mrs. Powers.” She vowed she would never abdicate her own ideals to a person who might be a domineering fuhrer in a skirt. Blumy and the other Taos artists had benefited from sponsorship those years ago and still did. Because of the railroad’s beneficence, their Taos School was indelibly imprinted upon the annals of world art, mentioned in every art history book and probably taught in every MFA program. Other individual artists, not so fortunate, had been readily co-opted. Marlene didn’t want such a destructive fate to befall her. She could think for herself, and she vowed to continue to paint, but solely for her own satisfaction.

Hurrying back to her studio, Marlene climbed the stairs only to see a note pinned to her door—Joe’s delinquent rent notice—and she panicked. She needed money and she desperately hoped this prospective patron would be generous, yet allow her to express her talent in the hallowed tradition of the Taos School, where her Blumy and his diverse group had pledged themselves to always remain faithful to their own individual artistic styles.

Marlene remembered that the gallery owner told her that the patron woman was heiress to a molybdenum fortune, and that her philanthropic nature was well known throughout the Southwest. “But, whatever you do, don’t say anything about the mountain top up by Questa that her mining company is scarring in the worst way—she’s very sensitive about the environmental issues about her company having stripped the mountain of its natural beauty.”

Having been both briefed and warned about her potential benefactor, Marlene waited for the knock on her door. Fresh flowers graced her rustic pine table. In her oven baked an apple strudel, its flavors wafting through her studio. Twice she repositioned her canvases, which she had purposely enriched with gilded frames, each time twisting her track lighting to best capture the aura and ambiance of each painting.

“What smells so yummy?” the amply proportioned Mrs. Powers inquired immediately upon entering Marlene’s aromatic stage.

“It’s my mother’s recipe for apple strudel from the old country. You will have a taste in just a minute or two—that is, when it cools.” Marlene rushed on, “There’s no sugar. I use pure honey from a little town outside Nuremberg—my father sends me a jar a month. He says the honey will counteract the pollen from our juniper trees, and I will never have an allergy.

“Oh, please sit down. May I pour you a cup of coffee?” Marlene knew she must put an end to her unrehearsed rapid speech, but she couldn’t stop. “Hasn’t our weather been glorious for this time of year? Makes me want to hike to the top of the unspoiled mountains around here instead of painting them. I’m a very disciplined artist and I know I could complete your assignment quickly and faithfully.”

“Could I have that strudel now?”

“Yes, of course. Do you take cream in your coffee?”

“I prefer tea with two sugars.”

“Would honey do?”

“Oh, forget it, dear. I’m here because Mr. Peters at the gallery recommended your work. My decorator is redoing my living room for this season’s Opera Guild socials. Mr. Peters insisted I select the art because he so values my opinion. Money’s no object, for me color is what’s important.” She looked at the painting on Marlene’s easel. “Not this one, but I do like the shading in that one over there. Don’t you have any landscapes without all these mountains?”

“I can paint a fresh subject for you,” Marlene assured her visitor.
        “Yes, I think we shall have to do that.”

“Do you have a particular setting in mind? Perhaps I could do an interpretive rendering of your house?”

“Maybe—no, I don’t want to appear overly pretentious, you know. Some people react….” Mrs. Powers produced small decorator color swatches. “Here, these will guide you. Your painting must not clash with my new draperies. I plan to give your painting the prominent space above my grand kiva fireplace, so make sure it blends in with everything in the room. Mine is, of course, quite a large room.”

Hesitatingly Marlene showed Ms. Powers another canvas. “This is my current work in progress. I’m painting my impressions of the Tu-o-ta Pueblo.”

Mrs. Powers pointed to the reddish-brown branches of the red willow trees lining the small stream. “Yes, this color here…a teeny bit softer, I should think. Put in a sweet little deer or two—you artists know what to do—but none of those rickety ladders. I want my friends to feel at home…you know, comfortable…so they’ll come back and donate more money to the Guild. That’s why I hold these socials, you know, to raise money for a good cause. One must support the community, as well as art and artists, don’t you think?”

Marlene nodded.

“How much do you require to get started?”

Marlene didn’t know how to respond.

“Five hundred, then, is that all right?” Mrs. Powers asked, then inquired, “How will you sign my painting? Can you make Marlene look a little like Remington? I don’t want you to actually forge his signature, of course, but I want my guests to be impressed—I mean, they all know that name. Now, could I have that strudel now?”

Marlene cut a slice of her pastry, covered it with gobs of whipped cream and deliberately shoved the culinary concoction into the face of Mrs. Powers.

“Ernest Leonard Blumenschein made me do this, and he hopes you get the message.”

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: June 19, 2013
ISBN-10: 1481879162
ISBN-13: 978-1481879163

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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 or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.