Overland Park, KS, November 10, 2011 – Visionary-political novelist Bill Douglas has an obvious gift for writing novels that seem to foresee what is going to happen – before it happens! His latest spellbinding novel is no exception. A Conspiracy of Spirits – Wall Street vs. The 99% (Illumination Corporation Publishing) was years in the making, yet the release of this environmental thriller couldn’t be more timely in today’s world climate where its visionary tales are coming true.
This fascinating story is about two people living in different parts of the country who are besieged by visions of the Arctic; one a corporate ladder-climber in southern California who wakes up in the middle of the night to find himself naked in his backyard, compelled to write down the feelings that are tearing his heart and mind apart. The other is fifteen hundred miles away – the nine year-old daughter of illegal Mexican immigrants who is plagued by cataclysmic visions of polar bears.
Simultaneously, an elderly Chinese woman living in Kansas is shocked by violent visions of a young girl and a man connected in the vast web of life and this web has been disturbed by a crime of such proportion that its perpetrators have the blood of nations on their hands. She is powerless to do anything but watch as the chaos from the crime tears at life’s fabric, leaving the two strangers’ lives shattered in its wake. Their survival is entwined with the fate of us all. The question is – will they make it? Will we?
The breakneck pacing of this latest thriller proves to be yet another white-knuckle ride, taking readers deep into our political system and environmental and economic justice issues, with characters who struggle to do what is right rather than what is habit.
So begins . . . a conspiracy of spirits.
Douglas’s first fast-paced thriller 2012: The Awakening received rave reviews, including one from Deepak Chopra, and was named Best Fiction of the Year by Spiritual Enlightenment Magazine.
When a global human awakening shakes the very foundations of powers that have ruled the world for eons, unlikely heroes struggle to find a new way to survive.
The lives of a bookish heroine, a burned-out Naval Intelligence Officer, and a deadly covert operations’ professional become entwined in a riveting thriller that unravels threads of the ancient beginnings of human consciousness. Their struggle parallels that of everyone on the planet today. Douglas expertly weaves current global issues in an ageless story that blends history, science, socio-politics and spirituality; thrusting the reader into pulse-pounding excitement on a roller-coaster ride of twists, turns and intrigue that leaves readers breathless, riveted and reeling!
In Bill’s soon-to-be-released autobiography; A Call to Duty – Miracles DO Happen!, he’ll discuss this ability of prescient thought being common to his entire family. They are descendants of a clan from the highest of the Scottish Highlands – a people known throughout Scotland for having “the second sight,” the involuntary ability to glimpse future events. Bill describes how his grandfather, Isaac Douglas, predicted JFK’s assassination days before it occurred.
The absorbing, visionary plots in this author’s novels have all the makings of incredible movies. For more information on this creative writer, please visit: www.conspiracyofspirits.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Deepak Chopra: “What a gift!”
Spiritual Enlightenment Magazine: “2012 The Awakening chosen Best Novel of The Year – With a thought-provoking, gripping and engaging storyline, no other fiction that came out this year even came close.”
Midwest Book Review: “Riveting … a must”
Enlightenment Dudes Book Review: “Mind blowing – Ten out of ten stars!”
Coleen Rowley, TIME Magazine Woman of the Year/FBI whistleblower: “Visionary!” Holmes Osborne, Actor: The Box; The Quiet American; ER; Boston Legal; The X Files: “RIVETING! With the suspense of a Da Vinci Code, the spiritual awareness of The Secret, and the fearsome aspect of Orwell’s 1984, what a terrific film this book will make!”
Las Vegas, NV – J.E. Rainey never knew Arthur Spevak, but it was Spevak’s manuscript that Rainey discovered in a trunk overgrown with blackberries behind his house. Believing himself to be the fortunate messenger for a man so unique, Rainey felt it an obligation to present Honor and Entropy (and calling it Lost Lobo Books) to the world.
Honor and Entropy is an epic adventure about the intertwining lives of two young men: one, Telly Brensen, a classic hero; the other, Arthur Spevak, an uproarious anti-hero, dragged into a quest so consuming it takes over his life.
Telly Brensen longs for his father, missing since WWII, and despises his mother’s suitors. When her priceless ring disappears, this ignites his long smoldering rage. He hunts down the ring, maiming the thug who has it, and even though this frees a man wrongfully imprisoned for taking it, he is prosecuted into choosing between the Marines or jail. His choice lands him in Vietnam where he carries out an act of extraordinary valor. Unfortunately, a gunfight with a jealous NCO turns a Medal of Honor nomination into a dishonorable discharge. Four years later, with reasons to live fading fast, Telly gets a tip concerning his father. He tracks down old friend Arthur Spevak, solicits him for backup, and sets off alone…for Borneo.
Unknown to Telly, Spevak is a tormented soul in his own right. Once orphaned, a sense of worthlessness sabotages his every attempt at romance and, in desperation, he too joins the Marines. But when sent to Vietnam, his anger at the world for driving him to such measures will not abate and he becomes a notorious rogue – until the death of a brave friend sends him home with new self-loathing. By the time Telly finds him, he is living on a Chinese mountainside; alone, aimless and broke. Since they never crossed paths in the war each is ignorant of the other’s disgrace, and they make an awkward pact. Then Telly vanishes, and Spevak reluctantly picks up the trail – unaware of how far the journey will one day take him.
Rainey hopes that readers will be moved by the same sense of wonder he was when uncovering this lost tale. He says he likes to think that Spevak will one day reappear and reintroduce himself. But what do we know of Rainey, other than he is a man who says he found the manuscript? What part does he really play in all of this? He says he believed the story to be an authentic memoir, but is now unsure, and that Spevak may have made the whole thing up. Does Spevak even exist? It is ultimately up to the reader to decide.
Clayton Clifford Bye, Book Reviews: “…There really is a terrific, well thought-out, and expertly told mystery here. And some of it runs through the many sub-plots and the characters who people them…Arthur Spevak’s Honor & Entropy, with the exception of some Ayn Rand moments…has been the most enjoyable…in a very long time. Arthur Spevak claims he is not an author. This just isn’t so. I get the feeling his characters and settings are real to him. And so these things become real to me. That, dear reader, is the job description of an author.”
David Thirtyacre: “It’s about time. The first novel which effectively paints the picture of life’s struggle; that between what’s right, what we choose to do, and the unpredictable outcome. The hero’s epic journey, bouncing between hero and zero, effectively illustrates the strange web we weave called life. But what about the other side, those who always look for the way out? Honor and Entropy charges head long into the battle of life, the choices, and never-ending mosaic it creates.”
Norman D. Park: “Honor & Entropy is an adventure woven through with layers of myth, allusion, historical fact, philosophy, and humor – and all of that stretched across a canvas of first and third person writing that never lets up. The characters are unforgettable, and the sub-plots keep the pot boiling. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a story quite so much. Like a great meal, it’s one of those things the mind keeps savoring.”
Fort Worth, TX. Vocal Trash is a unique troupe of environmental performers who have been engaging audiences nationwide with their exciting brand of entertainment. They have made guest appearances on Fox 21 in Colorado, on Good Morning Texas, and been featured in various newspaper articles.
2011 marks the tenth anniversary of this exciting, energetic group whose music is a mixture of pop, rock, swing and classic oldies that relates to all ages and crosses many cultural barriers. During this ten year period they have not only brought top rate, upbeat entertainment to audiences, but have used their music to make a positive influence on children by bringing awareness to our planet – quite a legacy to leave for future generations.
Their combination of traditional instruments together with a percussion section made of trash cans, metal objects, water bottles and other recycled items, makes a uniquely exciting presentation that teaches children to use their imagination in a meaningful and lasting way when it comes to recycling. By incorporating items that would normally end up in a landfill into their performance, they have created a powerful tool to reach young minds and made it fun!
Their energetic, high octane show is a hit at every venue – whether it’s Vegas, Madison Square Garden, State Fairs or corporate events. In demand nationwide, Vocal Trash plays to a full house at every performance. Audiences love their unique blend of first class singing, industrial style drumming, comedy antics, and award-winning break-dancing – described as “Glee with a kick!” “It’s an energy thing,” says creator Steve Linder. This may just well be an understatement. Unlike many shows, it is the entire troupe that makes this seamless ensemble performance such a thrilling and enlightening experience. Their whole performance is an astounding display of excellence, synchronization, excitement, precision and musicianship. When it comes to diversity Vocal Trash is, without a doubt, the ultimate variety show woven in urban tapestry. This talented team has been incorporating recycling into every show for years – long before “green” was cool. Part street performers, part recycling gurus, these entertaining personalities make upcycling and recycling fun for kids of all ages – and makes them one of the most positive role models in entertainment today. While not yet a household name, judging from their fan base it won’t take this Broadway-style stage show long to become one. Their show travels coast to coast, appearing at some of the country’s largest theaters, festivals and state fairs, and during their “off-season” they perform for major corporations like American Airlines. You might ask, “What does recycling have to do with a high energy variety show?” It starts with seven dedicated musicians, extensively trained in the performing arts, who like to get their point across by playing car parts, trash cans, lids, water bottles, barrels, pots, buckets and brooms. Their ‘point,’ featured in their song lyrics and their one-of-a-kind instruments constructed from recycled materials, is that this ‘green team’ is out to save the planet! Please read the amazing testimonials from clients, and check out this dynamic group on their website at: www.vocaltrash.net. ###
Nov 5 Arlington, TX “Breaking Silence: A Stage for the Courageous” fundraiser University Center Rio Grande Ballroom 8 – 10pm
Nov 10 Fayetteville, AR Susan G Komen “Pink Trash Ball” 6 – 9 pm
Nov 12 Henderson, TX Heritage Syrup Festival
Dec 31 Pasco, WA New Year’s Tri-Cities – Columbia Basin College
Danny Aguilar, Delaware State Fair: “If you want a high energy show, with standing room only crowds, Vocal Trash is the way to go. They have been a huge entertainment hit for our patrons and they demand Vocal Trash return each year…family entertainment at its best!”
Vicki Imperati, Rhinebeck Events & Marketing: “Vocal Trash continues to present a high energy and entertaining show to our fair going public. Without a doubt, one of our most sought after groups at the fair!”
Candus Barnum, The Puyallup Fair & Events Center: “Amazing vocals – high energy – entertaining for all ages – a must see!”
Lisa Maldonado, Keller PTA: “…a wonderfully energetic and educational assembly…you are such professional role models.”
Deerfield Beach, FL. “Superb! – The Light Bringer displays an outstanding supernatural adventure that will pull you into a world beyond life itself and make you wonder if it’s really a work of fiction. A chilling movement across the threshold that separates this world and the next – The Light Bringer bridges the gap between the light and darkness, goodness and evil that exist in this world and our life beyond” – Dr. Tom Hill, Coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul.
COPS meets The Ghost Whisperer in The Light Bringer (HCI Books — $14.95), a mysterious story about sixteen lives inexplicably and suddenly extinguished and the man chosen to be their Light Bringer.
Those sixteen people will die on Police Officer Alan Crane’s watch. But while tragic and untimely death is no stranger to the jaded ex-Marine, his new-found supernatural ability to lead these people to their spiritual fates sends him on a sensational and scary saga that will ultimately answer: Why these sixteen? What do they have in common? And why has Alan been chosen to bring them to the light.
In a time of unending war, untimely death, and economic strife—when bad things happen to good people—we often ask ‘Why?’ The Light Bringer is a supernatural story that engages our imaginations and spirits, while acting as a source of hope and answering this most provocative question.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Chris DiGiuseppi has more than nineteen years in Law Enforcement at various levels, including Assistant Chief of Police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University School of Police Staff Command. His website is: www.thelightbringerbook.com
Mike Force has spent more than thirty years in Law Enforcement, the last nineteen as a Police Chief. Mike has numerous certifications in various areas of law, forensics, investigations, and criminology. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and served twenty-two years in the U.S. Marines, where he retired as a Captain. He also shares the website: www.thelightbringerbook.com
For more information about The Light Bringer, contact the publisher at: (800) 441-5569 or www.hcibooks.com.
The Light Bringer Chris DiGiuseppi and Mike Force July 2011 ISBN: 0-7573-1573-9 $14.95
GOSPEL LEGENDS VICKIE WINANS AND KURT CARR To Headline 10TH Anniversary Concert Celebrating BLACKGOSPELPROMO.COM AND ITS FOUNDER, VEDA BROWN At Impacting Your World Christian Church in Cherry Hill, NJ MONDAY, JULY 25, 2011 @ 7:00 PM
Celebrity Journalist Jawn Murray and Radio Veteran Neicy Tribbett To Emcee Lonnie Hunter & Structure, and Stellar Nominee Bryan Wilson Will Also Perform
Washington, DC, July 6, 2011 – Almost 200,000 people receive Veda Brown’s daily Black Gospel Promo e-mail blasts. The colorful, slickly designed emails promote everything from greeting cards, Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Hawthorne” TV series and Kirk Franklin’s chart- topping CDs to all of Tyler Perry’s movie promos. “Black Gospel Promo has become the CNN of gospel marketing,” says Grammy nominated producer Steven Ford. “Black Gospel Promo has revolutionized the way that the black church spreads the word about its products.”
Now, the gospel music and church communities are coming out to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Black Gospel Promo and the July 27th birthday of its founder, Veda Brown. Gospel legends Vickie Winans and Kurt Carr are headlining the concert in honor of Brown and her enterprise. Radio One’s syndicated on-air personality Lonnie Hunter and his Philadelphia-based group, Structure, will perform songs from his Top CD “I’m Back.” Veteran gospel artist, Bryan Wilson, best known for hits such as “His Eye is on the Sparrow” and “If You’re Talking About Jesus,” will be in the house too. Church leaders such as Bishop Andrew Merritt, Pastor Maria Gardner, Bishop Andrew Ford, and Prophetess Francina Norman will be on hand. Former Billboard magazine gospel critic Lisa Collins, marketing expert Melanie Few, Habakkuk label CEO April Washington-Essex, BET.com blogger Torrence Glenn, PR maven Jojo Pada, BET Sunday Best executive Neily Dickerson and TV producer Bobby Cartright will all attend. “Tom Joyner Morning Show” celebrity journalist Jawn Murray and veteran Philadelphia area radio personality Neicy Tribett will co-host the festivities.
A Philadelphia native, Brown rocketed into cyberspace long before the church market took note of the Internet. After college in the 1990s, she founded AOL’s Net Noir Black Gospel Chapel. AOL eventually sold Net Noir and Brown briefly took a job with a pastor with his own record label. She sent out email blasts on one of the pastor’s CD projects. To her surprise, she received a call from gospel star Fred Hammond’s brother who asked her to send out an email blast on the Commissioned Reunion concert in 2001. “I had no other job at the time,” Brown says. “So, I said, well, let’s try this for a little while.”
A while has turned into a ten-year operation that has allowed the firm to earn six figure revenue grosses in the boom years and to become the leading black gospel marketing company today. It sends out 1,800 eblasts a year for clients ranging from Verizon, McDonald’s, Revlon, Sony Music and Turner Broadcasting, among others. “I’m grateful to still be here working,” says Brown. “The economy has been very unstable the last two years and that’s had a big impact on my business but we’re still doing what we do and I’m thankful.” The free concert takes place at Impacting Your World Christian Center located at 2901 W. Chapel Avenue, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002.
Media Contact: Bill Carpenter at (202) 506-5051 or [email protected]
“Old age ain’t no place for sissies,” H. L. Mencken declared. It’s especially true the way Marshall Ulrich does it.
This July, to celebrate his 60th birthday, Ulrich will climb two deadly mountains in the same week — right after he finishes running 146 miles across the hottest place on earth.
During the climbs, he and his fellow mountaineers will be roped in, but the best insurances against plummeting off Mount Eiger (13,025 feet) and the Matterhorn (14,692 feet) are strength and experience, both of which Ulrich has in legendary measure. He’ll need them: the Eiger has earned the nicknames “the Ogre” and Mordwand (German: “death wall”) because more than 60 people have perished while trying to scale the north face since 1935. The Matterhorn has claimed even more lives: 500 since it was first climbed in 1865. This fact just makes Ulrich all the more eager to conquer them.
But this is not the first time he has thumbed his nose at advancing age:
• In 2008, when he was 57 years old, Ulrich ran 3,063 miles (the equivalent of 117 back- to-back marathons) across the United States, breaking records set by men more than 15 years his junior.
• Four years earlier, he had ascended Mount Everest.
• To mark his 50th birthday in 2001, he had run across Death Valley four times in a row for a total of nearly 600 miles, crossing the scorching desert and going up and down Mount Whitney in order to raise money for orphans.
This time he will run the Death Valley route just once as his warm-up to the Alps climbs. The infamous Badwater Ultramarathon, dubbed by National Geographic as the toughest footrace in the world, accounts for the first 135 miles but then Ulrich, a 4-time winner and 16-time finisher in this race, never stops at the finish line. He always runs up Mount Whitney and back to make it 146 miles, just because … well, just because.
Earlier this year, Ulrich debuted his memoir, Running On Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America (Avery; $26). He is frequently asked why he waited so long to write it because his athletic accomplishments warranted examination sooner than this, readers say. Ulrich responds that he is glad he waited, as this book is richer and more reflective than one he might have written as a younger man. “Before, I didn’t feel qualified to speak with authority,” he admits, though most would argue the point. “Finally, I felt comfortable to write about something more than sport, to communicate some valuable lessons I’ve learned about living.”
It is also because an important element in the book is a recounting of how Ulrich met his wife late in life and how she taught him to love again after great personal tragedy. He credits her not only with helping him to become a better man but also with being essential to his completing this epic, record-setting transcontinental run.
Ulrich has been competing in extreme endurance sports for nearly three decades, but he didn’t start his athletic career in high school as did most peak performers. It wasn’t until his thirties that Ulrich discovered his formidable talent for ultrarunning and set records on some of the world’s toughest courses. In his forties, he became an innovator in the sport, finishing feats of endurance no one had accomplished before and many of which no one will ever attempt to beat. And then he diversified into adventure racing, taking on multi-day team events requiring a combination of such skills as long-distance trail running, ocean paddling, mountain biking, and (on occasion) camel riding.
As he entered his fifties, he was hailed by Trail Runner magazine as one of the legends of the trail; Outside crowned him “Endurance King,” and Adventure Sports highlighted him as an athlete “Over Fifty and Kicking Your Butt.” That’s when he started climbing and went to the top of the highest mountains on every continent, reaching all seven summits on his first attempts.
So Running On Empty is both a love story and a thrilling look into the life of someone who has accomplished more than most people can comprehend–and who continues to take on new challenges to show that the human body and the will to endure are miraculous indeed. For Ulrich, there are no such things as “too old,” “too far,” or “too difficult.”
For a closer look at the life of this extraordinary man, please visit his website at: www.MarshallUlrich.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Dean Karnazes, acclaimed endurance athlete and bestselling author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner: “Marshall is The Man. Definitively. His run across America at the age of 57 sealed that distinction forever. He’s living proof that endurance never sleeps, never gets old, never tires. Nothing can stop him, and that gives us all hope, gives us resolve to keep trying.” — Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place and subject of 127 Hours: “Usually, graceful would be applied to a runner’s form. With Marshall Ulrich, it’s even more apt a descriptor of his spirit, his soul, which he generously shares with us in Running on Empty. Tempting as it might also be to describe him as superhuman, Marshall has fallen and struggled and risen and struggled some more. His story, therefore, is ours, and whatever one might admire in him is also, therefore, in each of us.”
Mark Burnett, Emmy-award winning producer of Survivor, Eco-Challenge, The Apprentice, and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? “Marshall and I go way back to the first Eco-Challenge in 1995. An athlete of astonishing grit both then and now, he never fails to push the limits of his sport, no matter what extreme endurance event he’s chosen. Running on Empty tells the story of Marshall’s greatest test: reading it, you get a sense of how tough this man is, but there’s also a bit of Everyman in Marsh. He’s an inspiration to all of us.”
“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: www.hcibooks.com or (800) 441-5569.
THE MEDIUM NEXT DOOR Adventures of a Real-Life Ghost Whisperer Maureen Hancock
