A Meaningful Message for Early Readers: Now What? Celebrates Gift of the Present
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From the creators of the critically-acclaimed It’s Just So… book series comes the gift of imagination with the playful new children’s book Now What?. Award-winning author Brenda Faatz and illustrator Peter Trimarco craft humor and mindfulness into a picture book that speaks to young and old alike.
Now What? celebrates friendship, whimsy and the power of good old-fashioned, screen-free fun through the adventures of precocious, redhead Lizzy, her amusing animal sidekick, and Luna, a new neighbor from the Caribbean, as they discover ways to entertain themselves through an otherwise very gray day!
The contagiously enthusiastic Lizzy and her story spring to life, with lyrical rhyme, colorful illustrations, and playful onomatopoeia. There are new friends, new discoveries, and the new realization that often, the best of times are “right now.”
Written with young children ages 4 to 8 in mind, Now What? has been praised by Kirkus Reviews as “A lively, innovative story of friendship that encourages readers to think creatively
With its subtle yet effective messaging, Now What? is an engaging picture walk for little ones, a fun read-aloud for older kiddos, and gives readers of all ages a little something to giggle and think about.
Brenda Faatz has an undeniable connection with children. Some say it’s because they instinctively know “one of their own.” A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Musical Theatre, Brenda is a professional singer, dancer, actor, writer and director. Having established herself on stages from Minneapolis to Aspen, Boulder and Denver, Brenda has turned her talents to creating fresh content for youngsters. She has penned music, lyrics and scripts for original musical theatre works for children and is the founder and director of the Notable Kids Arts Center in Denver. While collaborating with her husband and illustrator Peter Trimarco, Brenda has authored the award-winning It’s Just So … children’s book series.
Peter Trimarco started his professional doodling career as an editorial cartoonist before turning to commercial art and designing packaging for both the film and music industries. Along the way, he also established himself on the business side of music as an executive producer and creative director on over 40 productions, with two going on to garner Grammy nominations. Currently focusing on children’s book publishing, he is on the Board of IBPA and is serving as President of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation in Colorado. In addition to designing album covers and book covers, he is the illustrator of Ella McBella In The Dark by Laura Pells, and the It’s Just So … book series.
Now What? Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing ISBN-10: 1733354824 ISBN-13: 978-1733354820 Available from Bookshop.org, BN.com, Indiebound.org, Amazon.com, and distributed through Independent Publishers Group.
Trish Stevens Kelly Newsome Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Overcoming Awkward Aims to Help Introverts Thrive in the Workplace
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Some people are electrified by the idea of business networking events, cold-calling and striking up conversations with total strangers. But for introverts, new people, new places and new challenges can trigger a knee-jerk reaction to run and hide.
To thrive in any industry where success hinges heavily on an ability to build relationships, an introvert must break free from crippling shyness and social anxiety. Here to help is bona fide introvert master marketer Monica Parkin.
In her ground-breaking new book, Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales, Parkin shares actionable strategies to create connections, build relationships, and establish loyal, repeat customers.
“How did a shy, socially awkward introvert like me turn into a master relationship builder?” Parkin asks. “Well, the answer is that you can evolve. … I was making myself crazy with all the social cues I did not understand and wondered why this comes so naturally to some people but was so impossibly hard for me. Today, I love the opportunity to go to events, meet people, hear people’s stories and build relationships. I can have the best of both worlds now, and so can you.”
Part memoir, part instruction guide, Overcoming Awkward reveals Parkin’s private struggles, shared with candid honesty and vulnerability. Her “one step at a time” approach, punctuated with personal anecdotes and humor, is easy to follow and implement.
In Overcoming Awkward, readers will learn:
How to overcome social fears;
How to build relationships effortlessly;
Effective social media marketing;
How to sow seeds for organic growth;
How to win over angry clients;
How to expand their comfort zone;
The value of expert mentorship;
And so much more.
“This is the definitive guide you’ve been waiting for,” Parkin adds. “Gone is the advice to introverts that they must learn to take on a persona that is light years away from who they really are. You will finally be free to just be you and will discover that your vibe attracts your tribe.”
Monica Parkin is a licensed mortgage broker and successful serial entrepreneur. She is an award-winning international speaker and the host of the Juggling without Balls podcast. She is also a self-professed introvert and crazy goat lady who lives on a small farm with an assortment of furry creatures. She loves to hear feedback from readers and looks forward to opportunities to speak on topics that empower others to feel more connected, confident and successful.
Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales ISBN-13: 979-8773835998 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and Goodreads
Trish Stevens Andrea Harding Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
The Gift of Love: Committed Helps Readers Cultivate Lasting Relationships
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Stories of flawless families and perfect romances fill social media feeds and TV screens year round, but during the holiday season in particular, these idyllic narratives can trigger feelings of loneliness in those still searching for that special someone.
Here to help readers discard preconceived notions, reconsider unrealistic expectations, and truly understand people and personalities that work well together is world-renowned psychologist Dr. Carmen Harra.
“Commitment can’t be forced, scheduled or altered. It either comes from the heart or it doesn’t,” says Dr. Harra.
Whether you’re entering the dating scene for the first time, starting over or hoping to strengthen a current relationship, Dr. Harra’s new book, Committed: Finding Love and Loyalty Through the Seven Archetypes, will prompt you to reevaluate the way you think about love and ultimately make better choices.
In Committed, Dr. Harra and co-author and daughter Alexandra Harra, who is a certified relationship coach, explain the seven main archetypes we all encounter, the promises they hold and the challenges they pose to relationships.
The first part of Committed is devoted to the work we need to do on the inside, and readers will learn how to reexamine core beliefs they hold, clear karmic patterns, heal any emotional trauma, liberate themselves from people who no longer serve them and develop an unshakable sense of self-worth.
The second half of the book teaches readers how to identify archetypes in others and themselves, navigate the world of online dating, build emotional intimacy, mediate external influences and apply real-world solutions to resolve relationship problems.
Ultimately, Committed aims to help you find and keep the love you deserve: an authentic, impassioned relationship that fills you with excitement each morning and puts your mind at ease every night.
Dr. Carmen Harra is an intuitive psychologist, best-selling author, radio show host and relationship expert. In the past 25 years, she has helped over 40,000 people rediscover peace of mind, reclaim personal power and regain joy. Her clients come from all walks of life, from the lady next door to Hollywood celebrities and eminent politicians. She’s the author of international best-sellers like Everyday Karma, Decoding Your Destiny, The Eleven Eternal Principles, and Wholeliness, among others. Carmen has been featured in such publications as The New York Times, New York Post, and New York Daily News, and on shows like Good Morning America, The View, Good Day New York, the Today show, and Fox News. She currently hosts Miracle Guidance for Everyday Life every Tuesday on OMTimes Radio, and her new show, Live Now!, debuts on KMET News ABC Radio Affiliate Station on January 7, 2022.
Alexandra Harra is a certified life and relationship coach and author, while also boasting commendable career accomplishments as a writer. She writes regularly for renowned publications such as The Huffington Post and proactively aids her mother’s mission to bring joy and love into people’s relationships.
For more information, visit www.CarmenHarra.com, or follow the author on Instagram (carmenharra) or Facebook (DrCarmenHarra).
Committed: Finding Love and Loyalty Through the Seven Archetypes Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing Inc. ISBN-10: 1638812586 ISBN-13: 978-1638812586 Available everywhere books are sold, including Amazon.com and BN.com
Trish Stevens Melissa Conrad Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Book and Online Course Teach Veterans How to Market Their Value and Secure Their Futures
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After nearly a decade as an Air Force aviator, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato is now a marketing professional and entrepreneur who knows first-hand the military-to-civilian transition chaos that all service members must navigate as they become veterans. Her groundbreaking new book, B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé, and companion online course deliver a solution that is described by Tiscareño-Sato as “counterculture to the institutionalized, ineffective, outdated way the DoD and DoL ‘prepare’ people to exit the service via the Transition Assistance Program.”
B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé readers will complete the “extracting product attributes” exercise, see nearly 30 examples of great branding created by veterans Tiscareño-Sato has personally coached, and learn how to write their own AUTHENTIC personal branding to influence their intended target audience. Tiscareño-Sato teaches readers a repeatable marketing messaging process that will be useful for years to come.
Asked about the book’s title, Tiscareño-Sato said, “I created the B.R.A.N.D. acronym to emphasize that military veterans must first Become Relevant, Authentic, Noticeable and Differentiated, instead of writing resumés that nobody will read. We are professionals with diverse, transferable skills earned during our military service. We must, however, first intrigue potential employers and networking partners with our distinctive value.”
The book has already reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in the Military Family category, and the Military Writers Society of America recognized B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé with a 2021 Silver Medal.
If you’re a veteran or transitioning service member who has difficulty communicating the distinctive leadership experiences and achievements earned on active duty, Tiscareño-Sato’s guidebook and online course can equip you with the skills you need to demonstrate your worth, secure those job interviews, and achieve post-military success.
Author Graciela Tiscareño-Sato is an Air Force veteran, award-winning author and bilingual public speaker who has coached over 5,000 veterans, service members and professionals with live and virtual Authentic Personal Branding workshops. She is a highly decorated USAF aviator and was a 2014 White House Champion of Change honoree, which recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations whose extraordinary accomplishments positively affect communities. She completed her Air Force ROTC Aerospace Studies and her degree in Environmental Design/Architecture from U.C. Berkeley as a scholarship cadet. During Operation Southern Watch, she became the first Latina Air Force aviator to earn an Air Medal for combat air operations.
Tiscareño-Sato has won numerous literary awards for three prior publications, including a bilingual children’s book series inspired by her decade of military aviation service. Good Night Captain Mama/Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá and Captain Mama’s Surprise/La Sorpresa de Capitán Mamá are the first-ever bilingual children’s books about women flying airplanes in our nation’s military. She has been featured by NPR, USA Today, the NBC News website, CNN en Español, Univision and Telemundo.
B.R.A.N.D. Before Your Resumé: Your Marketing Guide for Veterans & Military Service Members Entering Civilian Life. Publisher: Gracefully Global Group Hardcover Release Date: November 11, 2021 ISBN: 978-0-9973090-7-2 Available now in paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0997309065) and Kindle (ISBN: 978-0997309067) formats from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Avery Winters Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
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Being a teenager in today’s “age of anxiety” is scary. Being a parent of a teenager is even scarier. Zoomers may seem more together, more confident and more independent than prior generations, but in fact, they are more anxious, lonely and emotionally fragile, and less resilient to stress, says psychoanalyst, clinical social worker and parenting expert Erica Komisar.
“We are asking children to handle more — more stress, more stimulation, more pressure, more choices and more decisions — without giving them a secure foundation of support, emotional security, and real and meaningful connections,” says Komisar.
Her important new book, Chicken Little the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety, is a comprehensive guide filled with compassionate and practical advice to help parents guide, educate and connect with their children on a range of current topics, including gender and sexual identity, anxiety and depression, disordered eating, ADHD, vaping, social media and bullying, to name a few.
Chicken Little also contains valuable insights intended to help readers prevent, recognize and address mental health disorders, as well as help their teens navigate academic and social pressures, social media and technology usage, increased social isolation and family pressures. With Komisar’s guidance and support, parents will learn how to be beacons of hope and change, as well as how to raise emotionally healthy, resilient adolescents.
About the Author Erica Komisar, LCSW, is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst and parent guidance expert who has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. As a psychological consultant, she brings parenting workshops to schools, clinics, corporations and childcare settings. She is also a contributing editor to the Institute for Family Studies. She is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.
Erica lives in New York City with her husband and is the mother of three adolescent children.
Chicken Little, the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: November 2, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757324002 ISBN-13: 9780757324000 Trade Paperback, 288 pages Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Mother of Young Heroin Addict Opens Up and Says, ‘This is Us’
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Christine Naman understands all too well that those who struggle with mental illness and addiction are not faceless numbers. They are real people who are valued and cherished by their families, and she wants the world to know and understand her daughter, Natalie.
“People are silent in their shame,” Christine said in a recent interview. “They’re quiet about it. And when you reach out and say, ‘this is us,’ people are anxious to unload and say, ‘that’s us too.’”
Christine traces her daughter’s years-long battle with mental illness and addiction — and opens up about her own struggles with denial and the shame she carries for not recognizing the signs — in About Natalie, a gripping, cautionary tale of how a child can suddenly end up on the wrong path, meet the wrong people and get lost in the unthinkable.
“I did not know the signs or symptoms,” Christine said. “I didn’t know the looks of things or the smells of things. Often times, it was right in front of me. I just didn’t know what I was seeing.”
Natalie was just 15 years old when she became addicted to heroin. They were everyday people, living everyday lives, and then the floor dropped out.
About Natalie takes readers deep inside Christine’s emotional and mental turmoil as she grows into her new, unfortunate role as the parent of an addict. She steps on syringes left on the floor. She lives the nightmare of finding an unresponsive child on the floor and uses Narcan to revive her. She chases away a drug dealer and stays up all night waiting for her missing child to come home. She rejoices during periods of recovery and hope and is devastated during relapses. When her daughter suffers, Christine suffers right along with her.
Interwoven with Christine’s reflections are Natalie’s brilliant poems that share her personal pain and the unvarnished truth of her struggle.
Full of compassion, understanding and hope for those struggling with mental illness and addiction, About Natalie is a story of fighting for — and right alongside — the ones we love, no matter how difficult the circumstances. It is a story of keeping the faith, battling hard and never giving up.
Bestselling author Christine Pisera Naman is a wife to a beautiful man named Peter and a mother to three fantastic kids named Jason, Natalie and Trevor. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, which she does poorly; painting, again poorly; and volunteering at her local hospital, which she hopes she does well. She is the author of the Faces of Hope series of books that are now housed in the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City. Her other works include Caterpillar Kisses, Christmas Lights, The Novena and The Believers. About Natalie is her heart poured onto paper.
She hopes that by sharing her family’s difficult story she can bring understanding and knowledge to those who do not know these problems firsthand as well as provide comfort to those who know the struggles of mental illness and addiction all too well.
Learn How to Not Only Survive but Thrive using Practical Tools in New Book, Thriving Life
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Have you been struggling to live your best life? Do you feel stuck? Professor and trained therapist Laura Berg is a trauma survivor who understands struggle and knows how to overcome it.
Berg’s new book, Thriving Life, shows you how to transform your life by learning how to not only survive but thrive. She created the methods in this book to help people everywhere when they need a boost, no matter what is going on in their lives.
“For most of my life I felt stuck, as though I was just trying to survive life one day at a time. I found it difficult to move beyond the traumas in my past to live the life I deserved. I wrote this book to share with others my experiences and the lessons I learned that helped me overcome the obstacles in my life that were holding me back. I’m hoping that these stories and the advice I share in this book will help the reader live a more joyful and thriving life,” Berg says.
Thriving Life serves as a reference, with each chapter discussing a specific issue that many people struggle with, such as defining your own happiness, dealing with rejection and setting limits in relationships. With practical tips and a step-by-step approach to help you find what makes you happy, Berg will teach readers how to stop victimizing themselves and find strength in asking for help.
About the Author Laura Berg is a professor, author, entrepreneur, trained therapist and award-winning parenting expert. Among her many accolades, she has been named one of the Top 10 Mom Entrepreneurs, Savvy Mom of the Year, and was awarded YouTube’s Silver Play Button.
Thriving Life: How to Live Your Best Life No Matter the Cards You’re Dealt Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: November 2, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757323960 ISBN-13: 978-0757323966 Trade Paperback, 256 pages Available for pre-order wherever books are sold
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
