Ascot Media Group (Press Release) – Boston, MA, May 29, 2011 – “I’m living a life less ordinary, that’s for certain,” says Maureen Hancock in the introduction to her new book, The Medium Next Door: Adventures of a Real-Life Ghost-Whisperer (HCI Books – May/June – $14.95).
By the time her kids come home from school, she may have already assisted the dying, comforted the grieving, solved a mystery, appeared on a radio show, performed a ghost-busting, and located a missing dog—all in time to greet her children with hugs, homework and a hot meal.
In The Medium Next Door, Hancock shares her life story, the unfolding personal struggles encountered as a medium, and the heartfelt passion behind her calling to assist the dying. A victim of two near-death experiences; the first from lead poisoning as a baby and a fractured skull from a car accident later in life, Maureen Hancock now talks to dead people. Whether or not these incidents account for her psychic gifts, she’ll never know for sure, but now she is known as “Medium Mom” as well as “Comedian Medium.”
In addition to telling her story, at the end of each chapter, the author offers insights as well as practical exercises for readers to consider about dreams, intuition, grieving and other introspections. It has been an important part of her mission to use her gifts to help others, like she does through her holistic healing center, Pathways to Healing and the cancer foundation she launched, Manifest a Miracle.
Hancock’s life is so fascinating that a TV show about her is in development from ABC by the producers of the hugely popular Ghost Whisperer TV series.
Learn more about Maureen Hancock, a woman who delivers “postcards from heaven,” and messages of hope from the other side.
About the Author
Maureen Hancock (MA) is a nationally renowned spirit medium, teacher, lecturer, and holistic healer. An associate member of the Licensed Private Detective Association of Massachusetts, Maureen is cofounder of the non-profit organizations Seeds of Hope (www.seedsofhope.com) and Mission for the Missing (www.missionforthemissing.com). She has appeared on Fox’s Wedlock or Deadlock and has been featured in numerous articles and can be heard on radio stations around the country. She lives in a small town south of Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, two children, and chocolate lab, Ally. Visit the author at www.maureenhancock.com.
Available online or at bookstores or to order directly from the publisher, contact:
Ascot Media Group (Press Release) — Houston, TX, May 28, 2011 — I Had Every Excuse to Fail, But I Chose None (Sky Productions) by Sebastian K. Young is a life-changing, informational and relationship model that is told through encouraging and insightful stories. Both motivational and inspiring, it tells the story of Sebastian Young, a successful entrepreneur who was raised by his grandparents in rural Beaumont, Texas after his mother was murdered. Determined to achieve a certain success, in spite of his journey that was filled with trials and pitfalls, he did not allow it to discourage him from his chosen path. This authentic and moving biography is filled with equal shares of hilarious stories, encouraging statements, and enlightening situations that will help readers discover their own hidden potential.
Young’s story articulates the life of a young boy who had no father in his life and whose mother was brutally murdered, and who could have used this as an excuse for failure, but instead his grit and determination helped him become a nationally recognized businessman. As a youth, he was haunted by the death of his mother – he would hear voices at night, see her murder in his dreams, and often resented the days as a teenager that he was unable to hug her. In 2005, he received a call from Detective A. Perez, the lead detective on the case who wanted to try to close the cold case prior to his retirement, despite the ruined evidence. That call changed Young’s life after learning that his mother’s murderer was never convicted. He knew he would have to find a way to forgive. Thanks to his faith, he was eventually able to forgive the man who callously murdered his mother.
When his grandparents passed on, seven hours apart, he became even more determined to turn his pain into motivation and in I Had Every Excuse To Fail, readers will discover his landmark strategies that will help them propel personal and professional partnerships, as well as build their business with considerable success. Separated into three sections; Growing Up, Lessons Learned and Forward Thinking, the book systematically progresses through the various trials Young experienced in adolescence, the witty, relationship-based tales of his grandfather, and the business savvy, chess game life he lives today.
A man who passionately believes you can never stop learning at any age, Young appreciated the wealth of knowledge and wisdom his grandparents imparted to him. In spite of some tough punishment, he learned a great deal from them about life, relationships, and the choices we make – and each played a part in helping him become a determined leader, mentor and parent. While he lives the life of a successful entrepreneur, he never loses sight of what is important. Family comes first with Young and he has made some tough sacrifices to ensure his daughters receive all they ever want or need in life.
Aside from being an extremely successful entrepreneur and now author, Sebastian Young has also hosted events with Charlie Wilson, Steve Harvey, DL Hughley, Mo’ Nique, Fantasia, Kem, and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Cedric the Entertainer, and Mike Epps. Please visit www.skybash.com for more information on this remarkable new talent.
Born William Johnathan Drayton in Long Island, NY, Flavor Flav is now acknowledged as the greatest hype man ever – inventing the role as a member of the ground-breaking rap group Public Enemy.
Known for his unique persona and flamboyant style, Flav has created slangs, sayings and styles that make him one of the most-sampled voices in music, as well as one of the most well-known celebrities in America. His television series have shattered records for viewers of reality television, especially Flavor of Love, a spinoff of The Bachelor. While he spent most of the 1990’s addicted to crack cocaine, he has since cleaned up his life.
Flav signed with publishing mogul Farrah Gray to promote Flavor Flav: Icon that takes readers on a journey into the truth behind his larger-than-life image – revealing all and sparing no one. Flav exposes the tensions within Public Enemy, his bitterness over his treatment by Def Jam Records, his struggles with addiction and the many visits to both rehab and jail, before re-inventing himself in reality television as VH1’s most eligible – and most watched – bachelor.
Flav holds back nothing in sharing his experiences with other hip hop royalty – from Jam Master J to LL Cool J to Run DMC, and lashes out at critics who lambast him as little more than a ‘clown.’
Told with the gritty, compassionate and often-hilarious style that has made him a legend, his memoir is a thrill ride from the heights of stardom to the depths of despair and back again. Fans get to share not only Flav’s unique perspective on music and reality TV, but will learn more about the man himself; an accomplished musician proficient in fifteen instruments, an experienced chef, an avid bowler, and a deeply spiritual human being.
This media magnet attracts fans from around the world in every age group– from his older Public Enemy following in the late 80’s to early 90’s, to his millions of younger fans who know him from his appearances on The Surreal Life, Strange Love and Flavor of Love. In fact, the 2006 season two finale of Flavor of Love grossed 7.5 million viewers – the highest ever in the existence of the VH1 network!
This father of seven openly admits ‘I’ve been down some pretty dark holes – but somehow I always found the strength to climb back out of them.’ In his book, Flav shares not only his struggles but the lessons he learned that changed his life and set him on a new path. Adorned with his signature clock, glasses, hats, and gold-rimmed teeth, Flavor Flav is one of the most recognized faces in America today.
In her New York Times bestselling book, iWant, Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of HLN’s Issues, detailed how her addictive personality infiltrated her life and led her to over consume everything from alcohol to food to work to spending. Now, in her latest book, Addict Nation: An Intervention for America (HCI Books — $24.95 – February/March 2010), in her trademark no-holds-barred style, Velez-Mitchell targets our entire culture, calling it a Nation of Addicts – arguing that Americans have collectively become dependent on and devoted to certain dysfunctions (including obsessive cleanliness, cruelty, sexual exploitation, food addiction, prescription drug dependency, overpopulation, overconsumption, war, incarceration, and crime).
When enough people are hooked on the same substance or behavior, it crosses the line into a cultural addiction. According to Velez-Mitchell, media, government, and the private sector are also culturally hooked on these destructive customs and therefore justify, romanticize, and promote them—in essence, becoming “pushers.”
In Addict Nation, Jane Velez-Mitchell calls attention to the collective denial society lives in about its addictions and overconsumption and confronts America to look at its bad behavior for what it really is: compulsive and self-destructive. In orders, Addict Nation is an intervention. It will shock addicts out of denial and inspire them to get help and get well.
Since his shocking revelations of childhood sexual abuse, the world has waited to hear more from CNN’sDon Lemon. Now at last, in Transparent (Farrah Gray Publishing), a poignant new memoir from the multiple Emmy-winning news anchor, Lemon reveals the horrific details of his experience with sexual abuse, its long term effects on his relationships, and how he found the courage to put that devastating chapter of his life behind him to become one of America’s most recognized and successful journalists.
Through compelling storytelling and rich detail, Lemon reveals his own painful youth as a lonely and isolated child who knew his abuser had made him “different” from the other children to his current position at CNN. This unique memoir offers readers a frank look at the triple impacts of childhood trauma, colorism and racism, and then soars to inspirational heights as Lemon narrates how he beat a gauntlet of low expectations and daunting odds to rise to become one of the most prominent African American men in television news. He digs beyond the surface and exposes his history with both wealth and the lack of, with family secrets and their painful revelations, and explains how enduring those early experiences shaped his ambitions and gave him the tools of empathy and courage that he brings to his work.
Lemon applies this same searing honesty to the news industry; taking the reader behind the scenes of September 11, 2001, the DC Snipers, the African AIDS epidemic, the death of Michael Jackson, Hurricane Katrina, and the election of Barack Obama. His personal experiences with Barack and Michelle Obama long before the Presidential campaign began, and his conversations with the Jackson family after the death of Michael, are all recounted in a lively, engaging and personal style.
Lemon draws upon many years of broadcast journalism experience during his extensive volunteer work and journalism lectures at Brooklyn College.
Homeboy’s Soul: Pride, Terror, and Street Justice in America (Publish America) invites readers into the vicious, unforgiving heart of street gangs to reveal the truth about life as a gangbanger. In this amazing book, which has garnered two national literary awards, Don Armijo, former shotcaller for one of LA County’s most vicious street gangs, puts the true story of his turbulent rise to power, downfall, and resurrection on display with the hope that young people will learn from his mistakes.
Despite more than 30 years of attempts to wipe out street gangs, they still thrive in nearly every community in America and have become increasingly violent. Why? Homeboy’s Soul frank revelations provide young people, parents, school officials, civic leaders, and anyone interested in the future of America’s youth answers to why so many young people are easily attracted to the homeboy’s lifestyle and ultimately to gang warfare.
Moved by the positive response to Homeboy’s Soul, co-author Fred Stawitz is organizing a national initiative to eliminate the impact that street gangs have on school-age children. “Education is the key,” reports Stawitz. “Keep children on a path to success in school and chances are good that they will not join a gang.” “Young people need developmental resources, support structures, opportunities and acceptance to develop successfully into contributing members of society,” says Stawitz, who has extensive experience working with at-risk children. “High dropout rates are an indicator that society has failed children in these areas leaving an opportunity for gangs to attract young recruits with the illusion of acceptance, power, respect, and ready access to wealth from drug sales.”
Homeboy’s Soul neither blames nor defends barrio youth for their decisions, but rather provides a basis for understanding the culture and influences that lead them to the choices that have devastated so many lives. “Increased policing and counseling alone will not solve the gang problem that plagues communities throughout America. Any long term solution,” Stawitz emphasizes, “must address the conditions in the community that impact the ability of children to complete a secondary education.”
Danny De La Paz, actor (Boulevard Nights): “Homeboy’s Soul deserves to take its place among the best literature available today on the complex and fascinating subject of what draws a promising young life to such self-destruction.”
Richard Reyes, Pancho Claus and Gang Prevention Activist: “This book should be required reading for students, parents, school administrators, police officers and community leaders.”
Joel Valenzuela, Former Teacher: “It gives ammunition to parents waging a painful war for the souls of children caught in the deadly culture of street gangs.”
Elizabeth Rhone, First Lady, Mount Sinai Church of God in Christ: “You won’t want to put this book down!”
Barbara Tako is the author of Clutter Clearing Choices (O-Books), an exceptionally motivating and witty book that is filled with great advice on how to get organized. At this time of the year it is especially helpful as many of us get ready to switch out summer clothes for autumn and winter, but no matter what time of the year – Tako has it seasonally organized to make our lives easier; clearing out at the end of the year for goal setting in January, organizing papers at tax time, and so on. Realizing that we are all unique, she offers many choices for readers to pick from.
Barbara Tako is no stranger to audiences and is well-recognized by corporate giants, such as 3M, Medtronic, Target and Securian, who use her expert speaking skills and her humorous, common sense advice to help their employees take control of their lives – knowing that a cluttered worker is rarely as productive as an organized one. She reinforces that ‘feel good factor’ that comes from donating cast-off’s and helping someone else out. It seems we can all relate to how clutter seems to develop a life of its own and Tako’s entertaining writing style offers readers motivating ways to ‘take their life back’ and pick which mode of de-cluttering works best for them.
Not nearly so organized in her earlier years, Tako believes she could have been related to Oscar in ‘The Odd Couple.’ She kept everything forever, believing that ‘you never know when you might need it!’ She credits her ‘so clean you could eat off the floor’ mother-in-law with her metamorphosis. Witnessing time and time again the boundless energy this amazing woman always had for family and friends was an inspiration for Tako to get organized in order to have time left over for what she really wanted to do. Clutter Clearing Choices is a humorous, authentic, entertaining, and informative book on clutter clearing, home organizing, and simple living.
A former columnist, television and radio guest, and writer, Tako has definitely ‘done her part’ to give us the tools to simplify and reclaim our lives – and it’s all wrapped up in a hilarious and amazing little package called Clutter Clearing Choices! This entertaining writer has a hidden agenda where her readers are concerned; she hopes that by making them more organized they will take more time for themselves and their health. Tako is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer and has taken on the role of advocate, never missing an opportunity to encourage women to get regular mammograms. In fact, she is donating a portion of the proceeds from book sales to cancer awareness and research. Please visit this inspiring woman on her website at www.clutterclearingchoices.com.
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TIP SHEET: Victoria Moran, author of Creating a Charmed Life: “Funny, thorough, and not the least bit intimidating, this book is a godsend for the organizationally-challenged. It makes keeping the clutter manageable seem manageable after all.”
Barbara Hemphill, author of Taming the Paper Tiger at Home: “When I began my organizing business 30 years ago, it was based on four simple words: Clutter is Postponed Decisions®. Few of us…ever reach the point of being satisfied with their ability to get rid of clutter. Tako has done a wonderful job of giving her readers practical suggestions for getting rid of the clutter in their lives. Less is more!”
Barb Szyszkiewicz of Family Corner.com Magazine, Inc: “A step-by-step, concrete solution to overcoming household clutter, this book is full of helpful hints and resources…easy-to-follow program is designed to take readers through a whole year of clutter control…Tako’s book is loaded with common sense, humor, and good advice.”
Toi Duckworth, www.WAHM.com The Online Magazine for Work-At-Home Moms: “Tako’s common sense approach to de-cluttering your life is simple and easy to follow….simple, easy-to-adopt advice such as letting go of items that you no longer use yet keep for sentimental value. Tako’s book gives real, practical advice to help streamline your life.”
The Reverend Michael Mortvedt, Co-Director of Alternatives of Simple Living: “Tako has a warm and personal style of writing which helps the reader identify with her and with her struggles and successes at organizing and clearing clutter…a series of conversations with a friend about things that matter – about clearing away what weighs you down, taking care of the people you love, and living what you believe. A book I will come back to many times as the seasons change, as the cleaning bug strikes, and as a reminder about what is truly important in life.”
