Learn How to Form Authentic Human Connections Through Storytelling
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In an age when business can be conducted from a smart phone, family therapist Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse has a suggestion to help people cultivate authentic, human connections: storytelling.
“Screens and data have overtaken our society; we are overloaded, digitalized and distracted,” she wrote in the introduction to her latest book, Storytelling Legacy: Everyone Has Stories—What are Yours? “Storytelling can be used to connect, engage, inspire, heal and create a brighter future.”
Wegscheider-Cruse has brought hope and healing to millions of people through her work as a family therapist, co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, acclaimed author and conference presenter. She invites readers to join her as she recounts her remarkable life in Storytelling Legacy, hoping that her narrative will encourage readers to share their own experiences through the power of storytelling.
“Communication is more than an exchange of information,” she said. “Words can inspire; words can teach important lessons. And woven together, words offer a legacy to those we love for generations to come.”
In the recounting of her legacy, Wegscheider-Cruse includes tales of celebrity, culture, humor, history, questions, relationships, surprises, spirituality, traditions and travels.
She then invites readers to go deep within, to realize the wonder of their own life experiences, and to craft their own legacy of stories.
“Everyone has a story,” she adds. “What is yours?”
About the Author Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse is a family therapist, businesswoman, and founder of Onsite Workshops. She is the author of 23 books, including 5 bestsellers, translated into 13 languages, most notably Another Chance: Hope and Health for the Alcoholic Family, Learning to Love Yourself, and Choicemaking. She has brought hope and healing to millions through her company, Onsite Workshops, TN, and fostered a movement that brought direction to millions of adult children of alcoholics. The co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA), she has trained and lectured for the US Air Force, counseling agencies, spa wellness centers, and corporations. She has developed programs in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Sharon has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Phil Donahue Show, The Larry King Show, and The Today Show. Her love for her soulmate, Joe, is everlasting and her greatest accomplishment is her joy for her children, her grandchildren, and relationships with her friends.
For more information, visit https://sharonwegscheidercruse.com/.
Storytelling Legacy: Everyone Has Stories—What Are Yours? Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: July 26, 2022 ISBN-10: 0757324355 ISBN-13: 9780757324352 Trade Paperback, 272 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.
Vengeance Can Be Deadly — Is This the End of Warren Steelgrave?
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When retired writer Warren Steelgrave finds two officers from the Carabinieri waiting for him outside his home in the tiny village of Muriaglio, Italy, he knows it’s something serious. When he learns that a dear friend and former lover has been murdered — and he was the last one to see her alive — he knows just how serious it is.
In Vengeance Can Be Deadly, book five of the Warren Steelgrave series from author Gary E. Smith, Warren has settled into a comfortable life in Muriaglio when he suddenly finds himself a prime suspect in a murder investigation.
Warren cared deeply for the victim, and he swears to avenge her death and clear his name. He slowly untangles a web of deceit, which is at first benign but then grows malignant with greed and evil. Professional criminals get involved, along with international spies and mafia accomplices. Warren’s sworn vengeance and “willingness” to find justice have put him and his loved ones in grave danger.
In Vengeance Can Be Deadly, readers will travel with Warren down the dark alleyways of intrigue through Italy and the United States. Warren is warned: Vengeance can be deadly. Will there be justice and light at the end of this literary journey, or will the last chapter be Warren’s obituary?
About the Author Gary E. Smith was born in 1948 in Hayward, California, and balances life between travel and a love of the arts. After high school, Smith joined the Naval Air Reserve and entered the electrical construction trade. He started his own electrical construction company in 1978. This became a large company and worked industrial jobs throughout the country until Smith’s retirement in 2011 when he began writing.
To learn more, please visit: www.garysmithauthor.com, or follow the author on Twitter (@g_smithauthor) or Facebook (The Willing by Gary Smith).
Vengeance Can Be Deadly Publisher: Gatekeepers Press ISBN-10: 1662904401 ISBN-13: 978-1662904400 Available from all major booksellers and www.garysmithauthor.com
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Senior Publicist Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Office 903.654.0938 Direct [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Life on the Grocery Line Reveals What it Was Really Like to be Deemed ‘Essential’
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Adam Kaat never thought he’d be on the front line of anything as interesting as the unraveling of American society, let alone the dismantling of the global economy. But as a cashier in a high-end grocery store, it was his destiny to witness firsthand the devastation — and desperation — stoked by an invisible, deadly force as the pandemic of 2020 unfolded.
In his powerful new book, Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic, Kaat takes readers into the eye of the storm, where some of the workforce’s lowest paid employees ride a daily maelstrom of empty shelves, angry customers, uncertainty and paranoia.
“When word began trickling in that the virus had spread to the United States and cases were growing, everything changed. The public and personal perception of what I do to pay the bills went from unnoticed to an essential part of survival overnight,” Kaat writes.
He tells his riveting story through the eyes of a character named Daniel, who watches from the frontlines as the frenzied panic caused by COVID surges like a tidal wave across his home state of Colorado. Now, he’s suddenly being called a hero just for showing up at his job, and he isn’t sure how to feel about that.
Daniel sees fear in the eyes of some customers and hostility in others, as he does his best to hold his head high and just keep making it from one shift to the next. And along the way, he learns more than he ever expected to about humanity’s response to fear, observing most prominently the way in which some people look down on the very workers they deem “essential.”
At its core, Life on the Grocery Line is about a test of the human spirit — a 21st century manifestation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea.
Author Adam Jonathan Kaat worked in a grocery store as a cashier and then as a prepared foods supervisor from January 2020 until May 2021. After college, he bounced around through the corporate world until leaving it all behind in the Fall of 2019 to write his first novel. By January 2020, he had taken a job as a cashier to earn money while preserving mental energy for his creative pursuits. He got much more than he bargained for when COVID hit. He began to blog about his experiences as a frontline worker, and 15,000 Facebook followers later, Life on the Grocery Line was born.
For more information and to read Kaat’s blog, please visit www.lifeonthegroceryline.com; or connect with the author on Instagram (@kaatadam), Facebook (@lifeonthegroceryline) or Twitter (lifeonthegroce1).
Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic Publisher: Inspired Forever Publishing ISBN-10: 1948903326 ISBN-13: 978-1948903325 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Beth Foster Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Renowned Photographer and Teacher Reveals Life-Threatening — and Life-Changing — Ordeals
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Deanne Burch made her mark as an internationally renowned photographer who taught and lectured through the United States and Canada, but few know that during her younger days, she survived an ordeal that changed her life forever. She decided to tell the whole story in a new memoir, Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle.
At the age of 23, Burch accompanied her husband, Ernest “Tiger” Burch, to the Inuit village of Kivalina, Alaska, a barrier island 23 miles above the Arctic Circle. Tiger was conducting a study of the natives, but Deanne, a naïve city girl, was completely unprepared for what she was about to experience.
In Kivalina, she lived on the edge of two worlds — the one she left behind and the one where she reluctantly participated in all aspects of the women’s lives. Skinning seals, cleaning and drying fish, and cutting beluga and caribou to store became her way of life. Plumbing, running water and electricity were not available. Loneliness was a constant companion until a few women befriended her.
During a span of six days, Deanne and Tiger narrowly escaped death during a camping trip, and Tiger suffered severe burns from a fire in their house. He spent three months in the hospital receiving treatment for seared lungs and horrific burns on his face and hands. His lungs never recovered from this ordeal.
When he was finally released from the hospital, he returned to the village with Deanne to complete the study. The life-threatening and harrowing experiences in Alaska transformed Deanne into a woman of strength who learned how to embrace challenge.
Over 50 years later, she remembers that young girl who left on an unknown journey that will live in her heart forever.
Author Deanne Burch was born and raised in Canada and attended the University of Toronto, obtaining B.A. degrees in liberal arts and social work. After the Alaska journey, she and her husband eventually settled in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, where they lived until his death.
Deanne spent 30 years as a professional international photographer who taught and lectured in the U.S. and Canada. She published several articles in photography magazines and journals. Since retiring in 2014, she devoted herself to writing short stories and children’s stories. Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle was published in March 2021.
Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle Publisher: Authority Publishing ISBN-10: 1949642593 ISBN-13: 978-1949642599 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Jean Lungren Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
The Dog Lady of Mexico Gives Hope to Thousands of Unwanted Animals
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Alison Sawyer Current experienced a calling — a powerful pull that she couldn’t ignore — and gave renewed hope to the starving, unwanted cats and dogs roaming Isla Mujeres and set a profound example for others to follow.
The Dog Lady of Mexico shares Alison’s remarkable journey, which began when she and her husband, Jeff, were soaking up the sun on the Mexican island during a much-anticipated month-long honeymoon. The stray animals roaming freely seemed to be woven into the island culture — just another aspect of the backdrop. Until she took a closer look. First, a tiny, pregnant, toothless cat caught Alison’s attention. Then along came a dog with a litter of 12. The animals were suffering, disease-ridden and without any sources of food or clean water.
Alison’s honeymoon became the catalyst to a lifelong pursuit to save as many neglected cats and dogs as humanly possible. Her first rescue took place in 2001, and before she knew it, she was assisting with the creation of the island’s first spay and neuter clinic.
The Dog Lady of Mexico compellingly and accurately depicts Alison’s story through a character named Rose. Her valiant efforts to help stray dogs and cats eventually grew into the nonprofit Isla Animals, which offers free spays and neuters, low-to-no cost veterinary care, arranges adoptions, and runs owner education to help whittle the number of animals destined for the same bleak existence.
The problems Alison encountered were numerous. There are no veterinarians in many areas, so most of the animals are never vaccinated or treated for parasites. The average dog is thin, mangy, and tick and flea infested. Needless to say, they are not welcome inside the home so even dogs that have owners are subject to the same conditions as street dogs. Since most of the people can’t afford a car, and taxi drivers refuse to pick up passengers with dogs, they have no way to get to a veterinarian … and the cycle just goes on and on.
Readers of The Dog Lady of Mexico will experience a world very different from their own, and will see firsthand the blood, sweat, tears and, yes, even laughter, that accompany such massive rescue efforts. They get to share the journey of Rose, whose life takes an uncharted course into unknown territory, and experience the passion that changed a life forever.
Alison is a recipient of The Doris Day Animal Kindred Spirit Award, and in 2007 she was invited to Mexico City for the first Forum on Small Animal Overpopulation in Mexico. To date, Alison has spayed or neutered more than 20,000 animals and promoted adoptions in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Alison resides with her husband in Boulder, Colorado.
Theology and Politics Collide in Reality-Inspired Cold War Thriller
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When Pope John Paul I died of an apparent heart attack in September 1978—just 33 days after his election—the United States and the Soviet Union went on high alert.
The United States could loosen communism’s stranglehold on Eastern Europe if a non-Italian successor is chosen to lead the Catholic Church. Conversely, the Soviets are determined to keep an Italian in the papacy. A dangerous competition ensues as the two countries aim to further their own interests while limiting those of the other party. CIA and KGB agents infiltrate the Vatican as Cold War tensions mount amid the backdrop of a hastily arranged conclave to elect a successor.
Meanwhile, back in the states, army officer Carter Caldwell is sent to persuade American cardinals to wield their influence in the conclave. He meets beautiful CIA analyst Katherine O’Connor. Carter can’t get her out of his mind, although plenty of problems demand his attention.
Before the conclave is over, the Sistine Chapel will be bugged, a spy in the Vatican’s kitchen will be murdered, and CIA and KGB operatives will exchange gunfire. As the most important figure in the Catholic world is finally chosen, one question remains: Will he survive long enough to become pope?
Conclave from Tom Davis weaves an in-depth thriller where Catholic theology and Cold War politics collide. The result is a gripping, fictionalized retelling of what might have happened as these real-world events unfolded.
Was the election of non-Italian Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II in October 1978 somehow orchestrated through the US’s covert influence on the papal conclave? Today, his election is viewed as a turning point in the Cold War—just 13 years later, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Warsaw Pact disintegrated.
Author Tom Davis is a retired army officer and corporate executive. After graduating from West Point, he had numerous assignments and experiences in the army, including commanding an artillery battalion in Operation Desert Storm, being a key advisor to a Secretary of the Army and several Army Chiefs of Staff, and serving as an Assistant Professor of Social Sciences at West Point, where he taught International Relations, Political Science, Economics and Middle Eastern Affairs. He served a brief tour in the Department of State as part of the Palestinian Autonomy negotiating team, where he heard a story that inspired Conclave.
After retiring from the army, Davis had a successful career with General Dynamics Corpora-tion. He has written numerous articles and editorials for major newspapers on a wide range of topics, and has published major studies on federal budgeting and the management of the nation’s national security programs. His previous book, 40 Kilometers Into Lebanon, analyzes the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. He holds degrees from the US Military Academy at West Point and Harvard University. He retired from General Dynamics in 2013, and is currently the Forrestal-Richardson Industry Chair at Defense Acquisition University and an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School.
Conclave has captured the attention of an independent film company based in Germany and has been converted into a screenplay for future development into a six-episode mini-series.
Conclave Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN-10: 1534706615 ISBN-13: 978-1534706613 Available from Amazon.com and www.tomdavisauthor.com
Trish Stevens Anna Jones Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
50+ And Healthy Examines The Importance Of Mental Health As We Age
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The worldwide stay-at-home orders have turned weekend warriors into daily dog walkers, joggers and cyclists — all hoping to stay fit and avoid the “quarantine 15.” But there’s more to being healthy than having a fit physique. Mental health is equally important, but often gets buried beneath the stigma surrounding it.
“Many of you recognize that mental illness is often a taboo subject … due to seeming com-plexity, mystery and stigma,” explains Murali Rao, MD. “Unfortunately, the high discrimina-tion of the subject leads to a statistic of nearly two-thirds of the world population refusing to seek help for mental health related issues.” Adding: “Though this primer is directed towards learning to help elders, the material can readily apply to any age group.”
Rao, an expert on clinical geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, addresses the concepts of men-tal health and mental illnesses in the overarching context of healthy aging in 50+ and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging — for You and Your Loved Ones. This exceptionally strong, evidence-based guide emphasizes the im-portance of nurturing our mental health as we grow older.
Using easy-to-understand language, he explores common health-related conditions, how to recognize symptoms, practical approaches to treatments and his GAME PLANTM method for helping yourself and your loved ones, of any age, during times of distress or mental health crises.
For readers of any educational and professional background, 50+ and Healthy offers easily presented information and relatable case studies.
With this book, you can learn from a world authority about:
Healthy aging and mental health
Common mental illnesses, why people get them, how to identify them and how to manage them
Practical approaches for first aid and later interventions
Self-care for mental health and successful aging
If you are interested in healthy aging and how to help yourself, your family members and your friends with mental health, this book is for you. All proceeds from book sales go to a nonprofit organization engaged in mental health awareness education in the United States and India (www.nndcifoundation.org), founded by Dr. Murali Rao.
Author Murali Rao, MD, is a professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. He specializes in liaison and emergency psychiatry. Additionally, he serves as a member of multiple professional bodies including the American College of Psychiatrists, the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, CINP, the Indian Psychiatric Society and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).
Dr. Rao has received multiple awards and fellowships, including Distinguished Life Fellow by the APA, Outstanding Academician Award by the Indo-American Psychiatric Association and the Master Teacher Award by the Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Rao has also had more than 80 journal publications, books and book-chapters. He has recently published trainee and trainer manuals on Adult Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Workplace Mental Health.
For more information, please visit www.nndcifoundation.org, or follow the author on Twitter at @MuraliRaoMD.
50 + and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging — for You and Your Loved Ones Publisher: Loyola University Chicago ISBN-10: 1735177504 ISBN-13: 978-1735177502 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Terri Lynn Polk Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
