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Angel Faces Retreat – Truly A Soft Place To Fall, A Solid Foundation For Growth

Elizabeth Malone
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
Office: (281) 333-3507
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Angel Faces Retreat – Truly A Soft Place To Fall, A Solid Foundation For Growth

Encinitas, CA – For young girls with severe and permanent disfigurement from burns or other traumatic injuries, the cruelty of the world can be almost unbearable. The stares, name-calling, teasing and cruelty of others create a sort of living hell for this special group of survivors. Lesia Cartelli knows this is true, because she lived through it herself. Her desire to heal from a serious burn injury over 50% of her face and body at the age of nine in a natural gas explosion encouraged her to create Angel Faces® for girls who suffer similar disfiguring burns and other traumatic injuries.

Angel Faces® is a national, not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Encinitas, California, whose mission is to provide healing retreats and ongoing support for adolescent girls and young women with severe and permanent disfigurement from burn/trauma injuries to achieve their optimum potential and develop meaningful relationships for themselves, their families, and their communities.

This year, the retreat for adolescent girls with severe disfigurements will be held in Wolfeboro, NH from June 21-28, with a Level 2 Retreat being added for Leadership and Mentorship training, to include Emotional Intelligence, at Brewster Academy for women ages 19-29. The girls attending this retreat are flown in from cities all around the nation.

During the multi-day intensive retreat, survivors hear first-hand from Cartelli and others who have endured serious traumatic injuries and the long road to recovery. The young girls work closely with licensed therapists to share and explore ways to facilitate emotional healing and meet others with similar struggles. They learn new tools that will help them increase their self-esteem, decrease their depressive symptoms, and have a better quality of life. Most important of all, they are given hope that they can create the life they desire through empowerment.

“The retreat is only one small component,” Cartelli explains. “We see the power in the program when the girls go back home. We receive calls, cards and emails from the parents and medical centers about how confident and content their daughter or patient is since she has returned — she joined a sports or academic team at school or now is going to prom, or interviewing for a first job, ending their social death.”

The unique retreats and aftercare programs focus on the healing process within a holistic framework of mind, heart, and spirit. In addition to art therapy and private, corrective-cosmetic sessions, the program provides licensed therapists to help the girls through their loss and trauma issues, and provides the girls with strategies to handle staring and teasing. The goal of Angel Faces® is to offer a physical, spiritual, and emotional transformation so each girl walks away with a new confidence and a hopeful outlook toward the future with the skills to be excited about their life.

In addition to being a renowned, in-demand speaker and the founder/CEO of Angel Faces®, Lesia Cartelli now adds author to her vast range of talents, having just released her new book, Heart of Fire (Carlyle Publishing). In her authentic open voice, Lesia delivers hope and inspiration to those who are struggling with pain, emotional or physical, and demonstrates how to discover blessings and gifts within any type of challenge. For anyone who has been through hard times and seeks inspiration and hope, this heart-warming, often humorous, book is a must read.

For more information on the retreat or to donate to this worthy cause, please visit the Angel Faces® website at www.angelfaces.com, or purchase Lesia’s book at www.lesiacartelli.com.

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New Breakthroughs In The Drive For Peace In The Middle East: Changing Public Opinion Through Interfaith Unification

Kimberly McCall
Ascot Media Group
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
281.333.3507 office
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Breakthroughs In The Drive For Peace In The Middle East: Changing Public Opinion Through Interfaith Unification

Houston, TX – Frank Romano, PhD, doesn’t merely talk about the possibility of sustainable peace in the Middle East, he champions programs through interfaith unification and has seen first-hand the results of these efforts. Even though he has found himself in dangerous situations, he has spent decades of his life working towards peace in the Middle East and his efforts are documented in Love and Terror in the Middle East (4th edition)

“There is definitely something positive happening right now in the US,” says Dr. Romano. “We’re realizing a favorable evolution in US public opinion. Americans are better informed and I believe this will lead to the American people demanding a louder voice on issues where the Middle East peace is concerned.”

Frank Romano’s story began decades ago with a move from California to France to study philosophy. He later ventured to Morocco on his way to the Middle East, where he was to participate in the interfaith peace movement. In his quest for the universal religion, which at first he thought might be Islam (meaning “peace”), he soon realized that the Islamic sect he met had little to do with peace and more to do with radicalism. After daring to ask questions relating to Islam and women, he was wrongly accused by Muslim extremists of being a Zionist spy and was imprisoned. This ultimately led to a spiritual awakening and, eventually, to his escape.

While Dr. Romano is due to return to his interfaith activities in the Middle East, he wants to be a part of what is certain to be more involvement by the American public relating to Middle East issues. His hope is to create a positive impact on American thinking which seems to be more open to interfaith peace activities.

Dr. Frank Romano is a lawyer, author, speaker and professor of law, literature, history and philosophy of law, and continues to be an advocate for peace in the Middle East.

For more information on Dr. Romano’s book or his ongoing drive for peace, please visit:
http://www.frankromano-loveandterror4.com (book)
http://www.frankromano363.blogspot.com/ (blog)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQ-TYRDIVI (Interview)

Available at Amazon.com and major online outlets
Love and Terror in the Middle East, 4th edition
By Frank Romano
AB Film Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-0989706865

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As Girls Rush To See Fifty Shades of Grey On The Big Screen, Many Moms Are Outraged By Its Message

Caroline Sanders
Ascot Media Group
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
Office: (281) 333-3507
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

As Girls Rush To See Fifty Shades of Grey On The Big Screen, Many Moms Are Outraged By Its Message

Medicine Lake, MN – While girls are flocking to see the record-breaking movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, their mothers are increasingly concerned by the message it sends on casual sex. Receiving five-star reviews on Amazon.com, Susan Jensen’s new book, College Basic Training: Strengthen Your Mind and Body to Leap Any College Hurdle (Swan Fitness Books), is being hailed by parents as a vital resource for college-bound girls that covers every topic from body image to the dangers of treating sex like a casual hobby!

Written by health coach and personal fitness trainer Susan Jensen, the author does a masterful job of taking a serious subject yet, through colorfully whimsical and easy-to-read chapters and eye-opening personal stories, makes this be-good-to-your-body guide an appealing read!

Since girls are often more preoccupied with weight gain than their personal safety, Jensen draws young readers in with vital information on fitness and nutrition, then leads into other chapters that contain warnings and common-sense solutions on safety (and sure to help parents breathe a little easier).

Written in a lighthearted, casual and humorous narrative, College Basic Training is being hailed by reviewers as a ‘user friendly’ informative guide for young women. Packed with sound advice, it provides the necessary tools to avoid or overcome adversity and the pressures that come with college life – resulting in a healthier lifestyle and more positive future.

Susan Jensen has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota and Personal Fitness Trainer and Health Coach certifications from the American Council on Exercise. The founder of Swan Fitness and Health Coaching, Susan is passionate about helping young adults stay healthy and safe as they navigate from the security of their homes to the challenges of college life. Susan’s book was inspired by the experiences of her two college-age kids and their friends, and she hopes it will be a way to help young people strengthen their minds and bodies, leap unexpected hurdles, and develop new wisdom and self-respect. Her knowledge and expertise enable her to provide the essential tools for achieving a healthy and happy adulthood.

For more information on Susan or her book, please visit: www.Swanfitcoach.com

College Basic Training: Strengthen Your Mind and Body to Leap any College Hurdle
Swan Fitness Publishing
Available online at Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon
$19.99 Paper
ISBN-13 978-0990578925

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An Opportunity To Rise Above The Ordinary: Remembering Olympus

Monica Foster
Ascot Media Group
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
Office: (281) 333-3507
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

An Opportunity To Rise Above The Ordinary: Remembering Olympus

Dallas, TX – Good news for all those who look around at their ordinary humdrum life: there is more. At the heart of Remembering Olympus (Koehler Books) by Royce Murcherson is the belief that one life is not your only life; love is real and eternal, and we are capable of creating our own reality through the sheer power of mind.

“We humans are capable of accomplishing magical things when we truly understand ourselves,” says author Royce Murcherson. “I wrote Remembering Olympus for people who want to broaden their understanding of the universe, our place in it, and our purpose for being here.”

Part mystery, part magical, Remembering Olympus is a story of ‘life after life,’ tangled destinies, and the creative power of love and jealousy. Aaron Payne is a typical urban professional running away from his impoverished past. Seemingly by coincidence, he meets Miranda Reed, a beautiful gentrified heiress. Though their relationship is awkward, he believes she is the key until unforeseen events throw his life into upheaval.

When his path crosses with an enigmatic publisher, Claire Vinson, they become entangled in a mystery as Aaron begins to remember pieces of another existence that pull him into a maze of shifting time and past lives.

Prophetic in tone, Remembering Olympus is a mystical revelation, peeling back the layers of certainty, challenging perceptions of reality, and asking, “Are humans more than mere mortals?”

Royce Murcherson holds a Ph.D. in English and is currently a professor of English in Dallas, Texas. She has taught American and African-American literature, creative writing, composition, business writing, and visual rhetoric for seventeen years. Her interests include the literary genre of magical realism, Eastern philosophy, and Jungian psychology.

Prior to teaching literature and writing, Royce spent several years in the business world and recently published an instructional book, The Guide to Persuasive Business Writing: A New Model that Gets Results. Royce is also a guest writer on business writing and workplace etiquette for BOSS, a business and office systems support resource at Richland College.

For more information, visit: www.roycemurcherson.com.

Remembering Olympus
Koehler Books
Available May, 2015 online everywhere
ISBN-13: 978-1940192994
$17.95

 

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A Restful Mind: Learning How To Stay Positive In The Face Of Chronic Pain And Mental Illness

Teresa Moseley
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
Office: (281) 333-3507
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

A Restful Mind: Learning How To Stay Positive In The Face Of Chronic Pain And Mental Illness

Little Canada, MN – There’s no big secret to staying positive: all we have to do is look for the positive side in any situation. In A Restful Mind — Daily Meditations for Enhancing Mental Health (Hazelden) and Living With Chronic Pain One Day at a Time (Freedom Enterprises), Mark Zabawa helps us achieve a better outlook, even when life is difficult.

There are about 40 million or more people with a mental illness diagnosis or a problem with chemical dependency. About 118 million people have been diagnosed with chronic pain, says author Mark Zabawa. “I wanted to let people with mental illnesses and chronic pain know there is help available,” he explains. “They can live with their illnesses and be successful and follow their dreams and goals. If my books or public speaking helps prevent just one person from committing suicide, it’s all worth the effort.”

Zabawa is involved with a number of charitable organizations, including NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), S.A.V.E. Suicide Awareness and the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs.

“Recovery from mental illness is a process,” he continues. “It means taking care of ourselves each and every day — spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It means actively working towards change. A Restful Mind is a testament to experience, strength, and hope.” Its daily meditations speak to all of us, regardless of our diagnosis.

Zabawa has found that the same is true for Living With Chronic Pain. “In my workshops I share my experiences of coping with a mental illness for the past 22 years and chronic pain for the past 31 years. My talks empower, inform, inspire, and make a positive difference to anyone who is affected directly or indirectly by mental illness and chronic pain.”

Mark Zabawa has a degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling and Human Services (A.A.S.) and he has worked at Abbott Northwestern Hospital Chronic Pain Program as a patient monitor and counselor for 10 years. He has had appearances on Knowledge for Wellness, Channel 6, and he’s been a Guest Speaker on C.H.U.M. Live Radio Show in Canada.

For more information, visit: http://www.markzabawaauthorspeaker.com.

A Restful Mind – Daily Meditations for Enhancing Mental Health
Hazelden
Living With Chronic Pain One Day at Time
Freedom Enterprises
Available from the author’s website: markzabawaauthorspeaker.com

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National Enquirer’s Own Columnist, Mike Walker, Pens Yet Another Winner In Out For Blood

Trish Stevens
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
281.333.3507 – Main
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

National Enquirer’s Own Columnist, Mike Walker, Pens Yet Another Winner In Out For Blood

Houston, TX – Mike Walker, veteran columnist for the National Enquirer and accomplished author, is the only reporter to have ever written two bestselling books on the same major story! This was accomplished when he penned Nicole Brown Simpson: Private Diary of a Life Interrupted with Faye Resnick which hit the #1 New York Times bestselling spot and, just months later, Private Diary of an OJ Juror, co-written with Michael Knox, which hit the #5 spot.

This highly respected author is now drawing rave reviews for his latest hilarious book, Out for Blood. In true form, Walker’s lead character is Clark, who just happens to be the #1 go-to guy for gossip in Hollywood and who makes a living by revealing everyone’s secrets. But only a handful of people know he’s a vampire. This proves to be a real bonus since he uses his power to get the best scoop on the hottest stars of the day!

Mike, a record-breaking regular on Howard Stern’s top-rated radio show for 16 years, has been dubbed “the Hemingway of gossip” by shock-jock Stern. Walker’s inimitable skill as a storyteller, coupled with his charm and unassuming wit, has made him an all-time favorite on television and radio and a repeat guest on such top TV shows as Nightline, Larry King Live, The O’Reilly Factor, Maury, Nancy Grace, Joan Rivers, A Current Affair, Entertainment Tonight, and Politically Incorrect. (Note: Nancy Grace, in her novel The Eleventh Victim, featured “Mike Walker of Snoop Magazine.”)

Mike hosted the nationally syndicated ‘Mike Walker Show’ on the Westwood One Network (CBS) for years that was heard on 165 stations nationwide and 24 BBC affiliates and independent stations throughout Great Britain. He was also co-anchor on ‘Geraldo,’ making more appearances than any other guest on that show ever! He then created and hosted the MGM-TV hit series, “National Enquirer TV.” Although best known for his skills as Hollywood’s #1 source of celebrity gossip, Mike Walker is also the highly respected author of several successful books to date, including the novel Malicious Intent.

Walker has lectured on journalism and gossip at such distinguished journalism schools as the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University. He also scored the prestigious invitation to become a Fellow of Ireland’s legendary Trinity College, Dublin.
Walker and his wife of 40 years live in both Palm Beach, Florida, and in Los Angeles, California. They raised two children, both of whom are grown.

For more information, please visit: http://ow.ly/JRMw5

Out for Blood
by Mike Walker
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop
ISBN: 978-1612131573
Available nationwide at independent and major book stores, including Amazon.com.

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Nationally-recognized, Award-winning Dietician Shows How Super Foods Are Transforming Lives

Kim Weiss
Director of Communications
HCI Books, The Life Issues Publisher
3201 SW 15 Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
(800) 851-9100 ext. 212
[email protected]
www.hcibooks.com/trade

Nationally-recognized, Award-winning Dietician Shows How Super Foods Are Transforming Lives

Whole Body Reboot: The Peruvian Super Foods Diet To Detoxify, Energize,
And Supercharge Fat Loss
By Manuel Villacorta

What exactly is the Super Food Incan diet, and what makes eating the Peruvian
way so beneficial?

San Francisco, CA – In his third book Whole Body Reboot: The Peruvian Super Foods Diet to Detoxify, Energize, and Supercharge Fat Loss (HCI Books/Dec 2014 $18.95), Manuel Villacorta lays out the important elements that make his dieting plan a well-seasoned recipe for long-lasting health.

Super food refers to foods that are low in calories and high in nutrients.

“Superfood” is not just a buzz-word or a passing vogue; it’s the integral component to leading a healthy lifestyle, a word many of us are recognizing by the minute. As these once obscure products find broader distribution and consumers have greater access, super foods are finding their way into mainstream supermarkets, gradually becoming a staple to the American diet. The benefits of consuming Peruvian super foods are astonishing: from fighting cancer and reducing inflammation to boosting energy and enhancing memory – these foods have it all.

In his Peruvian super foods diet, Villacorta provides simple yet thorough explanations of weight-loss, anti-aging, and disease-fighting concepts by using an appealing page layout displaying beautiful color photography, easy-to-read bullet points, and sidebars summarizing each health benefit.

What makes Villacorta’s book so enticing, aside from his mouth-watering recipes, is that he offers specific meal plans geared towards both men and women looking to lose weight and lead a healthier life. He has also created custom 7-day meal plans for vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, and gluten-free diet preferences. By using the core principles from his first book, Eating Free, and referencing his second book Peruvian Power Foods, Villacorta proves to his readers that they can successfully follow a super-health weight-loss plan, easily gain the skill in cooking from scratch, dine with elegance, and reduce everyday stress.

Among the myriad of recipes offered in Whole Body Reboot, here is a sample:

Day 1: Red Reboot
Red represents energy, strength, power and courage, according to color psychology. Red fruits and vegetables are rich in lycopene and anthocyanins, powerful phyto-chemicals that possess the characteristic red pigment. Lycopene and anthocyanins are linked with:

• Reduced risk of certain cancers
• Heart, lung, and urinary tract health
• Improved memory
• Ability to ward off infection

Ingredients for 1 Serving

1 ½ cups Strawberries, fresh or frozen
½ cup Tomato
½ cup Cooked Beets
1 tablespoon Chia seeds
1 teaspoon Camu Camu powder*
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Coconut water
20-25g protein, Protein powder (rice, pea, or whey)

*Note: Camu Camu is a Peruvian super food that provides therapeutic levels of vitamin C in its natural form. Refer to Appendix C to find where to buy camu camu. If you choose not to purchase camu camu, skip this ingredient. Another great alternative to include a Peruvian super food with Camu Camu is to add a shot of youthH2O.

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add tap water until it reaches the desired consistency.

Note: if making the smoothie the night before, the chia seeds will absorb some of the water and it could thicken the smoothie. No worries; just add more tap water the next day and shake or stir the smoothie to the desired consistency.

Per Serving: Kcal 349, Protein 31g, Carb 48g, Fat 5g, Sodium 327mg, Dietary Fiber 15g
Daily Value: Fiber 58%, Vit C 1429%, Vit A 18%, Vit D 0%, Calcium 20%, Iron 47%

Recipe may be reprinted with the following credit: Recipe from Whole Body Reboot by Manuel Villacorta / HCI Books/December 2014 – ISBN: 9780757318214

About Manuel Villacorta:

Health is not a diet plan, but a lifestyle. Understand your body, your strengths, and your limits and use this knowledge to make a change. Stop dieting, start living.
— Manuel Villacorta

Registered Dietitian. Educator. Author. Speaker. Spokesperson.

A nationally recognized, award-winning registered dietitian with more than 16 years of experience as a nutritionist, Manuel Villacorta, M.S., R.D., is a respected and trusted voice in the health and wellness industry. He is the founder of Eating Free, an international weight management and wellness program, and one of the leading weight loss and nutrition experts in the country. He is the author of Eating Free: The Carb-Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger, and Keep the Weight off for Good (HCI, May 2012) and Peruvian Power Foods: 18 Super foods, 101 Recipes, and Anti-aging Secrets from the Amazon to the Andes (HCI, October 2013).

Manuel served as a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2010-2013), and currently acts as a health blog contributor for The Huffington Post, an on-air contributor to the Univision television network, and a health and lifestyle contributor for Fox News Latino. Manuel is the owner of San Francisco-based private practice, MV Nutrition and the recipient of five ‘‘Best Bay Area Nutritionist’’ awards from the San Francisco Chronicle, ABC7 and Citysearch.

His warm, approachable style and his bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish have made him an in-demand health and nutrition expert on local and national television and radio channels, as well as in articles appearing in print publications and online. Manuel is a compelling, charismatic speaker.

Manuel has acted as a media representative for food companies such as Foster Farms, Eggland’s Best “California Latino 5-A-Day Program” and “Got Milk.” He is now the chief of public relations and spokesperson for the Pichuberry Company.

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