Ascot Media Group Blog
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When Winning The Lottery Changes Far More Important Things Than Financial Status

Ridgewood, NJ, – At some point in our lives, we’ve all wondered what it would be like to win the lottery. You Never Know (Wheatmark, Inc.) is an extraordinary novel by Lilian Duval that shows us it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be. Her story draws a parallel between two families who are friends; one has suffered great tragedy and struggles financially, while the other has enjoyed an affluent lifestyle. Little did they realize that everything in their worlds would change when one decides to buy a lottery ticket.

Having struggled through his young life with a condescending father, alcoholic mother and an artistically gifted younger brother, Tobias Hillyer’s life changes forever during a Christmas visit home when a tragic automobile accident leaves both parents dead and his younger brother Simeon seriously injured. Tobias, always the one to do the right thing, abandons his dreams of finishing college to take care of his brain-damaged sibling. He gets stuck in a low-paying job and marries a nurse he meets while visiting his brother at the hospital.

On the other hand, Martin, his college roommate, seems to have everything going his way; he finishes college, marries well and lands a high-paying job with Lehman Brothers in New York. In spite of their differences in incomes, the two couples and their children stay in touch.
 
When Tobias buys a lottery ticket on a whim – and wins – he believes his problems are finally over.  Strangely, as the roles are reversed, Tobias and his wife now get to live out their fantasies and Martin now faces bankruptcy. 

As problems surface and life gets more difficult and less predictable for Tobias, who nearly loses everything he holds most dear while trying to get his head around this staggering amount of money, it is Simeon who surfaces as the unexpected hero by realizing his own happiness and success as a result of his own efforts. As ‘Simmy’ sets out on his own personal life journey, he leaves the family with a gift that brings them full circle and grants Tobias inner peace.

You Never Know is more a story of triumph than defeat, and what stems from that winning ticket makes for an exciting and surprising read that is filled with unexpected twists and turns to the very end, proving that while chance can change lives in a split second it’s the results that can last a lifetime.

While Lilian Duval implies in her novel that her characters may be impacted by the eventual terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers in 2001, she and her husband are actual survivors of this attack and know first-hand how this experience forever changed their lives.

For more information on Lilian Duval and her extraordinary novel, please visit her website at: www.lilianduval.com.

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TIP SHEET:

Charles Ashbacher: “Tobias is a very talented college student in anthropology… The family goes out to dinner and Tobias is behind the wheel when another vehicle slams into them, killing his parents and giving Simeon a severe head injury. Blaming himself for the tragedy, Tobias is forced to cancel his participation in the research trip to take care of his brother…he meets a young nurse named Carmela and she helps guide him through the very difficult first years. They are married and together they take care of Simeon … they have twins and while Simeon eventually is able to work at simple tasks, his ongoing recovery remains expensive. One day…Tobias, missing a train, buys a lottery ticket. His willingness to aid others is rewarded as he is the winner of …in excess of $100 million. This is a story of struggle, major achievement and then struggle again with a completely different set of problems. Tobias demonstrates …that he is a very good person; he retains a loyalty to people, even when they are unable to repay their loans. Duval keeps the action going in a smoothly consistent manner…everything that happens to Tobias and his group is believable consequences of winning a lottery at that level. While bad things often happen to good people, this is an uplifting story of the good being triumphant over the bad and well as the good.”

Alan Caruba of The National Book Critics Circle: “You Never Know…explores what happens when extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. The author is a survivor of the 9/11 attack and lives in New Jersey where the novel’s protagonist, Tobias Hillyer, has a life filled with both tragedy and extraordinary luck…the characters intertwine in an ever-changing landscape of events, capped by Hillyer’s win of a MegaMillions lottery that, despite the millions involved, evoke a whole new set of problems. It an intriguing story filled with unexpected twists and turns.”

Emily Truman, Esq., Asst. Municipal Prosecutor, City of Newark: “Have you ever read a book you didn’t want to finish simply because it was so good that you didn’t want the experience to end? It’s a rare find, and one to be treasured. You Never Know is one of those books—it’s a book to be devoured in one night, but also a book you want to cherish and read slowly.”

 

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Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes and the Good Luck Circle Take Kids And Adults On The Adventure Of A Lifetime

Palm Beach, FL,  – Americans love traditions and every family has a favorite. Any time is the perfect time to read a mysteriously ‘creepy’ tale to children – one that is garnering acclaim and attention at schools around the country. We are talking about Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle (Health Communications, Inc.) by Frank McKinney. The wild tales in McKinney’s brilliant novel were inspired by thousands of one-mile trips to school with his daughter Laura on their daily trek through a dense grove of trees, past an eerie nature preserve and over a rickety drawbridge.

It is the story of Ppeekk (pronounced ‘Peekie’) Rose Berry, who is forced to walk to her first day of school after moving from rural Indiana to sunny Florida.  Ppeekk has an unexpected chance encounter with a mysterious little man who leads her to find King Frederick the 9th, a flattened, 3-inch, dead Shiner fish who comes to life in her hands.  She aptly names him “Dead Fred,” and is soon introduced to his brilliant underwater kingdom of High Voltage. 

She discovers that Dead Fred has been dethroned by Megalodon, a fiendish 50-foot prehistoric shark who uses his entourage of vicious crabs, blood-red remora fish and three ghastly creatures to threaten and extract the imagination and joy of children everywhere – and bring the kingdom of High Voltage to an abrupt end.  As she and Dead Fred learn to love and trust one another, he enlists her help in trying to save High Voltage from the evil beast. 

Ppeekk and her friends use all their resources, including themselves as human bait, to lure Megalodon and his rogue army into the fight of their lives in a heart-pounding adventure that takes place in the middle of a fierce and deadly Category 5 hurricane.

This best-selling author’s first venture into young reader fiction has reached number five on Amazon.com’s top-selling young reader books for teen adventure/thriller. Visit McKinney’s interactive website to see how Dead Fred is charged with enthralling magic and page-turning suspense at: www.dead-fred.com.

Frank McKinney has been profiled on Oprah (2x), 20/20, CBS Evening News, USA Today and Travel Channel. His seemingly bottomless well of creativity and imagination is exemplified in Dead Fred. He is a five-time international best-selling author, philanthropist and visionary. Please check out some of Frank’s colorful TV appearances at: http://frank-mckinney.com/franks_greatest_hits.html .

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TIP SHEET:

Steve Alten, NY Times best-selling author of the MEG series:  “An engaging and uplifting tale with more interesting characters than a Narnia adventure.”
Randell L. Grant: “I had a wonderful time reading this along with my 10yr old Johanna. We made it even more fun by making different voices to go along with the many characters. Johanna didn’t want to stop reading and was disappointed to have to wait until the next night to continue. To hear her yell with joy when Dead Fred came back to life was so special. The book tells a story about the challenges we all face in everyday life – from interacting with each other in the family, making new friends, overcoming adversity, life’s triumphs and the fact that there are always new challenges (Megalodon’s) down the road.”
William Harbison: “I believe that Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes and the Good Luck Circle is one of the finest children’s books ever written. The love that Frank McKinney has poured into this book is incredible! It is exciting and fun for kids as well as adults! I would highly recommend Frank’s masterpiece Dead Fred!”

 

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Using Mexico As The Back Door To The U.S. Escalates Trafficking In Humans By Drug Cartels

Dallas, TX,  – Terror on the Border (Unrivaled Books) by novelist Ernie Hunt is a riveting story so steeped in realism of the devastation wreaked by Mexican drug cartels that it is hard to believe it’s fiction!

Dave Cunningham, author of Travel Within: The 7 Steps to Wisdom and Inner Peace says it all with: “Terror on the Border is a gripping story. The last 120 pages will take you on a breathless ride.”

Hunt’s lead character is Jack Cassidy, a fearless ex-sniper who wants justice! And he wants it for the oppressed citizens of San Miguel, Mexico, a town ravaged by violence inflicted by a malicious cartel, headed up by an egotistical madman and his evil enforcer. Married to a woman who was herself a victim of human trafficking, Cassidy and his bride Juanita set out to do all they can to help this seemingly forgotten town. 

Juanita is kidnapped along with her cousin, an American Border Patrol Officer, by the notorious Lobos gang and held for ransom in hopes of making their rich uncle pay for their release. After a daring escape from their torture chamber, they reunite with Jack and two private detectives from Dallas and set out to warn their uncle of the impending danger from the cartel.

Hunt’s compelling and inimitable style of story-telling will have readers gripped by fear but unable to put the book down as the action intensifies in bloody confrontations near the border, and the shocking twists and turns will hold readers’ attention all the way to the explosive ending!

Ernie Hunt’s novel draws attention to the $20 billion a year human slave trade that exists in Mexico and to one cartel in particular that is born of Mexican Army Special Forces deserters whose members include corrupt former federal, state and local police officers.

For more information on this prolific writer, please visit his website at wwww.eehunt.com.

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Would You Publish A Story You Found? What If The Writer Returns, Or What If He Never Existed?

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.

For more information on this extraordinary book, please visit: www.honorandentropy.com.

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TIP SHEET:

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.”

 

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THE LIGHT BRINGER By Chris DiGiuseppi And Mike Force – An Incredibly Imaginative Ride To The Other Side

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

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Entrepreneur At 6. Radio Host At 9. Wall Street Office At 13. Millionaire A Year Later. What Has Farrah Gray Done For An Encore? Farrah Gray Publishing

Farrah Gray Publishing is a premier, celebrity boutique book publishing house and one of the largest African-American-owned book publishing companies in the country.

Farrah Gray Publishing brings timeless, bold, and ambitiously contributive messages to an ever expanding, audience-base of self-development seekers. Through various formats of self-help and self-development literature, FGP is passionate about providing true access points of transformation to those who desire true change in varying arenas of their lives.

Farrah Gray Publishing has a distribution deal with Health Communications Inc.  HCI Books is world-famous for publishing the New York Times, USA Today, the Guinness Book of World Records and the No. 1 best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Chicken Soup for the Soul has sold more than 112 million copies, with titles translated into more than 40 languages. Total retail sales of Chicken Soup for the Soul-branded merchandise have topped $1.3 billion.

Farrah Gray Publishing’s CEO and Founder is Dr. Farrah Gray, acclaimed entrepreneur, international success teacher, and prolific book author himself.

Farrah Gray began his book career at HCI, publishing with his first book and runaway success, Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out. Gray went on to publish other successful titles at behemoth publishing giant, Penguin Publishing Group in New York. However, with Dr. Gray’s interests forever being entrepreneurial at the core, he has stepped forth to carve out an even larger impacting legacy in the publishing world by launching his own imprint and publishing company, Dr. Farrah Gray Publishing, Inc.

Gray began his entrepreneurial career, personal and civic development as a stellar young citizen at six years old selling homemade body lotion and his own hand-painted rocks as bookends door-to-door. At age seven, he was carrying business cards reading “21st Century CEO.” He went on to foster companies as diverse as a venture capital fund to food manufacturing.

Between the ages of twelve and seventeen, Gray founded and operated business ventures that included KIDZTEL pre-paid phone cards, the One Stop Mail Boxes & More franchise, and The Teenscope “Youth AM/FM” interactive teen talk show.  Gray was also Executive Producer of a comedy show on the Las Vegas Strip and owner of Farr-Out Foods, “Way-Out Food with a Twist,” aimed at young people with the company’s first strawberry-vanilla syrup product. Farr-Out Foods generated orders exceeding $1.5 million. He also acquired INNERCITY Magazine from Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, the largest privately-held radio broadcasting company in the U.S. that primarily targets African-Americans.

His rise from poverty to international renown as an entrepreneurial icon and preeminent power speaker has inspired millions around the world and is now available to readers in Reallionaire; Get Real, Get Rich, and The Truth Shall Make You Rich. Gray’s books have been translated into Russian, German, Polish, French, Korean, Indonesian, and Vietnamese languages with book sales in Africa, Australia and Europe and in Central and South American countries. Gray’s books have also become required reading in university classrooms at Harvard and Princeton, among others.

At the age of 26, Farrah Gray has achieved more than many people achieve in a lifetime.  Raised in the impoverished south side of Chicago, Dr. Gray defied the odds and became history’s youngest self-made millionaire, beyond the field of entertainment, by age fourteen.  

Since his first interview at age eleven on KVBC Channel 3, Gray has become a celebrity, featured in thousands of print, magazine, radio and television media including The NBC reality show Starting Over, 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, The Montel Williams Show, Oprah & Friends, Tom Joyner Show, The Michael Baisden Show, Russ Parr, Radio One, TV One, The Tavis Smiley Show, CNBC, BET, NBC, FOX, CBS, BRAVO, PBS, NPR, Bloomberg, Ebony, Jet, Essence, Upscale, Black MBA, “O” The Oprah Magazine, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. AOL Black Voices named Farrah Gray one of the ‘Top Ten Sexiest Black CEO’s’ along with Kenneth Chenault, Tiger Woods and Sean “Diddy” Combs. What makes him extra attractive is the stack of accomplishments he has achieved at such a young age. He is also a syndicated columnist with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) federation of 200 weekly newspapers reaching more than 15 million readers. As an AOL Money Coach, Dr. Gray gives advice to millions of AOL subscribers daily on leadership, personal development, diversity, strategic planning, creativity, business development and financial management.

Short List Of Farrah Gray Publishing Notable Authors:
 
Don Lemon
CNN Primetime Newsroom Anchor/Reporter
Emmy Award winner and Edward R. Murrow Award recipient
 
Kim Zolciak
Reality TV Superstar Kim Zolciak is one of the hottest and most talked-about women in entertainment today. The vivacious blond is most notably known for starring on one of cable TV’s most popular docu-drama’s based in Atlanta.

Ky-Mani Marley (Son of legendary Bob Marley)
Grammy® Nominated Musician.
#1 Album on the Billboard Reggae charts
Sony Pictures film star
Named ‘Philanthropist of the Year’ by Prince Albert II of Monaco
 
Flavor Flav
Rapper, television star, and member of the rap group Public Enemy
Flavor Flav and VH1 shattered rating records with 7.5 million viewers

Tasha Smith
Acclaimed actress Tasha Smith has brought style and intense character portrayals to the screen. Best known for her notable roles in Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married,’ ‘Why Did I Get Married Too,’ and many more.

Merald “Bubba” Knight
An Original member of Gladys Knight and the Pips
Inductee of the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and Museum
President Bill Clinton and sister Gladys Knight are doing the foreword for his book
 
Russell “Russ” Parr
Host of the nationally syndicated ‘Russ Parr Morning Show’ with more than 4 million listeners in 45 U.S. cities and host of a weekend show, ‘On Air with Russ Parr’ that airs on more than 40 different (USA) radio stations.

Toya Carter
The Tiny & Toya Show has over 3 million viewers, making it the most-watched original series premiere in BET’s history.
The new show will be called ‘Toya’s Family Affair’ and will premiere this winter
Letters To My Younger Self – Priceless Inspiration Book foreword by Lil Wayne.

Victoria Rowell – FGP contracted the foreign sales and foreign distribution for the New York Times Best-seller The Women Who Raised Me
Victoria Rowell is a two-time Emmy Award-nominated and an eleven-time NAACP Image Award-winning actress. Victoria is known for her roles as Drucilla Barber Winters on ‘The Young & The Restless.’
 
And many more…

For information on Farrah Gray and Farrah Gray Publsihing visit: www.FarrahGray.com

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TIP SHEET:

Bill Clinton, (Former) President of the United States of America: “I know Farrah Gray and we have discussed his future. His motivation determines what he will do. His attitude determines how well he will succeed at making a difference.”

O: The Oprah Magazine dubbed Farrah Gray an “all-star” with “priceless advice.”

Suze Orman, New York Times Bestselling Author: “You are just the best and the real thing.”

Good Morning America: “Farrah Gray is the ultimate American success story.”

ABC 20/20: “America’s Reallionaire.”

CNN: “Farrah Gray is the youngest African American of his generation to make his mark on Wall Street and to become a millionaire.”

MSN.com placed Farrah Gray on its ‘2010 Young Tycoons List’ along with Mark Zuckerberg.

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Hiding behind legitimate business doesn’t make the crimes of drug cartels any less heinous

Terror on the Border (Unrivaled Books) by novelist Ernie Hunt is a riveting story so steeped in realism of the devastation wreaked by Mexican drug cartels that it is hard to believe it’s fiction!

Dave Cunningham, author of Travel Within: The 7 Steps to Wisdom and Inner Peace says it all with: “Terror on the Border is a gripping story. The last 120 pages will take you on a breathless ride.”

Hunt’s lead character is Jack Cassidy, a fearless ex-sniper who wants justice! And he wants it for the oppressed citizens of San Miguel, Mexico, a town ravaged by violence inflicted by a malicious cartel, headed up by an egotistical madman and his evil enforcer. Married to a woman who was herself a victim of human trafficking, Cassidy and his bride Juanita set out to do all they can to help this seemingly forgotten town. 

Juanita is kidnapped along with her cousin, an American Border Patrol Officer, by the notorious Lobos gang and held for ransom in hopes of making their rich uncle pay for their release. After a daring escape from their torture chamber, they reunite with Jack and two private detectives from Dallas and set out to warn their uncle of the impending danger from the cartel.

Hunt’s compelling and inimitable style of story-telling will have readers gripped by fear but unable to put the book down as the action intensifies in bloody confrontations near the border, and the shocking twists and turns will hold readers’ attention all the way to the explosive ending!

Ernie Hunt’s novel draws attention to the $20 billion a year human slave trade that exists in Mexico and to one cartel in particular that is born of Mexican Army Special Forces deserters whose members include corrupt former federal, state and local police officers.

For more information on this prolific writer, please visit his website at wwww.eehunt.com.

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