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Archive for November, 2008

The ideal opportunity to make someone’s Christmas special

In perfect time for the holidays, Stacy Gooch-Anderson’s wonderfully warm Christmas story should be on everyone’s list of gifts to buy.  The Santa Letters (Cedar Fort Publishers) will undoubtedly become the next family heirloom, passed on to future generations because of the warmth, love and inspiration it contains.  Most of us know someone who is struggling with misfortune – whether it’s personal, financial, or the loss of a loved one, and understand how difficult it must be to feel the Holiday spirit under these circumstances.  Do them a huge favor – buy them a copy of The Santa Letters and they will forever thank you.  The story has already inspired and uplifted readers with its essence of magic necessary to fortify the spirit and instill hope; in other words, to bring back the enchantment of Christmas. 

In recent years, the Holidays have become so commercialized that the true meaning has easily been forgotten; the wonder of family traditions, the warmth and comfort of friends and family, and those less fortunate around us who need a helping hand.  This incredibly warm and loving story will bring it all back.  The Santa Letters is not just a book – the author has made it possible to actually create your own ‘Santa Letters’ designed with friends and family in mind.  Just log on to Stacy’s web site at www.thesantaletters.org and follow the steps to begin your own exciting Christmas tradition.  This book undoubtedly is the next classic Christmas story and future movie-in-the-making, and will “bring us as close as we can ever get to another person’s heart and soul through the written word,” says Craig Clyde, Emmy-winning Screenwriter and Director.  

This story shows how the lives of a young woman and her family were shattered overnight by the death of her husband, William.  As the anniversary of his death approaches on Christmas Eve, she finds herself sinking deeper into depression where nothing can reach her – not her job, not the love of her family, and especially not the season.  Her youngest child, McKenna, is the only one who still believes in the magic of Christmas, and in miracles.  When an ornate letter and mysterious package appears on their doorstep and one continues to arrive every day, Emma and her sons begin to experience the same magical journey to Christmas that McKenna feels and believes in. 

You will want to make this exciting book a part of your Holiday tradition.

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Put the real meaning of wonder, magic and love back into Christmas through the innocent eyes of a child

For the Love of St. Nick (BookSurge Publishing), by Garasamo Maccagnone, is a warm and compassionate story – a book that has a place in every loved one’s Christmas stocking.  It is a heartwarming and inspiring tale that will undoubtedly restore the magic and power of faith in Christmas in even the most skeptical of hearts.  

This is a story of the love between a father and his two sons.  Told through the eyes of Tiger, the older son who lost his mother at the same time his little brother Johnny was born, it is about a family who must move from California when their father, a Navy Commander, is transferred to a base in northern Michigan.  With the youngest boy continually sick, the three must learn to survive not only military life but the harsh Michigan winters.  When their father is called away just before Christmas to fulfill a secret mission for the military, they are left in the care of an elderly housekeeper.  Tiger is forced to grow up fast when Johnny experiences a near tragedy, and he turns his prayers to his favorite saint, St. Nicholas, to ask for his father’s safe return.  After St. Nick pays a special visit, the outcome restores the boys’ faith and they experience the magic and true giving spirit of Christmas.

This amazing tale provides an opportunity to experience this magical season through the innocence of a child’s eyes and will, at times, make the reader want to both laugh and cry.  While undoubtedly becoming a treasured Christmas classic, this book should not be reserved just for the holiday season as the essence of the story reminds us of what is truly important in our lives – love of family and friends.

Garasamo Maccagnone has a writing style all his own.  He has an inimitable gift that he shares with readers, allowing us to see the world through the unwavering innocence and unconditional faith of a child – full of wonder, magic and love.  For anyone who holds family and Christmas close to their hearts – this is a must read. Read more on this charismatic author at www.garasamomaccagnone.com.

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Barbie Anderson has accepted unhappiness as a way of life, but a sudden inheritance starts a chain of events that causes her world to spin out of control.

The Ride takes readers on a roller coaster journey as depressed housewife Barbie Anderson discovers that the aunt who raised her is actually her mother and has left her a sizable inheritance, all while her husband has been acting very uncharacteristically.  A clever charmer comes along and sweeps Barbie off her feet and onto a path of self- discovery.  Author Jane Sutton leaves readers laughing out loud as she follows the misadventures of this forty-something underachiever while she discovers that life can be one fantastic and fun ride.

For years, author Jane Sutton satisfied her passion for writing through correspondence with friends and family while living in Taiwan, Korea, England, the Netherlands, Italy and Saudi Arabia.  While abroad, she had several articles published in the American Women’s Association of Rome Forum Magazine, and assisted with the publications of other international women’s clubs.

Now a full-time resident of Fort Myers, FL, Jane has evolved to writing fiction.  She is a member of the Florida Writers Association and the Gulf Coast Writers Association.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

www.janesutton.com

Recipe for Suburban Surprise:
1-Take one deeply depressed housewife.
2-Add one unexpected windfall.
3-Carefully fold in one very handsome, very clever charmer.
4-Separate and discard one totally self-centered, slightly abusive husband.
5-Place all remaining ingredients into red-hot, shiny red convertible cruising on Route 66 and wait to see what happens!

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Greed and desire for power cause death of scientist who discovers substitute energy source for fossil fuel

No Urn for the Ashes (Bayfire Press Publishing) is the outstanding premiere novel of Alison Sawyer Current.  A composite blend of adventure and thrills, compassion and grief, Ashes shows an incredible psychological insight into human nature in the author’s choice of dynamic characters. 

Tennyson Garland had the right idea when he decided to keep his discovery quiet – he knew there was nothing in this world that would attract the greed of man more than the discovery of a substitute energy source for fossil fuels.  After this brilliant scientist and his young daughter tragically die in a fire at their isolated mountain cabin, Taylor, his widow, soon realizes that there are forces at work that will stop at nothing to control the world with this discovery.  Eight years later, in the midst of a failing marriage, and still suffering the loss and grief of her first husband and child, Taylor finds herself once again dealing with the past and caught up in the treachery of Kevin Levine, her first husband’s former colleague who was always left behind in the wake of Tennyson’s brilliance.  The drama that follows leads Taylor to believe her daughter may, in fact, still be alive.  

This intriguing story keeps the reader turning the pages as they are transported to Nicaragua and on to Mexico when a new struggle ensues – with the prize being the ownership of the greatest discovery of modern times.  We travel with Taylor in her search for her long-lost child as she deals not only with the past, but with the return of her absent father who is tortured by his own demons, and a mysterious stranger hired by her father who may represent a greater threat than even Kevin Levine’s insane ambition for control!  We share Taylor’s relationship with Ruby, her dearest friend and most intimate confidant, and the uneasy and emotion-packed truce with Patricia, the mother by adoption of a girl named Emma – who may very well be Taylor’s long-lost child, Rebecca.

The action never ends in No Urn for the Ashes.  To read more on this talented and diverse writer, please visit www.bayfirepress.com.

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Finding Sunken Treasure with a Satellite – Tom Williams many reviews clearly displays an author to watch

Lost and Found (published by Arche Books) is a captivating story about a modern-day treasure hunt – minus the pirates.  Just released on September 1st, this clever tale covers one of man’s favorite pastimes – searching for gold, but with the distinct advantage of today’s technology. 

Lost and Found, an exotic escape from reality, begins with two English expatriates who are hired by an oil consulting firm to track oil reserves around the globe using a geological survey satellite.  When they realize it will not find oil, they reconfigure it to find gold, resulting in accusations of sabotage and their termination from the company.  A co-worker is murdered after she smuggles out data that would prove their innocence, but their corrupt boss has given them only thirty days to find gold or be arrested.  After meeting up with a beautiful salvage captain in Florida, the three travel to Turkey and there follows a quest for the riches that is fun, intriguing and non-stop action, filled with unpredictable twists and turns.  In the exciting race for the treasure, the cast of characters battle a treacherous storm, an earthquake, a tsunami, and each other. 

Tom Williams resides on Marco Island, Florida, and is a master merchant marine officer licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard for twenty-three years, specializing in shipwrecks and salvage diving.  It is this vast background that enriches Lost and Found with true life experiences, providing the specialized environment necessary to make it a plausible maritime treasure hunt.  He lends credibility to an imaginative plot – Lost and Found truly is an epic vacation inside every page.  Williams’ web site displays the many reviews received, long before the release date, clearly showing that this is one author to keep a close eye on: http://www.lostandfoundadventure.com/  

Please watch Tom Williams being interviewed on TV recently at the following link: http://www.ascotmedia.com/pressroom.html Use arrow to scroll to his interview.

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Political Unrest Among Planet Tarizon Survivors

A secret government project with aliens from the planet Tarizon is compromised when teenager Peter Turner realizes his father isn’t telling the full truth, and now Peter must accept exile or be killed.

Tarizon: The Liberator, the first in novelist William Manchee’s exciting Tarizon Trilogy, begins after a series of super volcanic eruptions nearly destroys all life on planet Tarizon. The planet is slowly recovering ecologically but the political situation is volatile. The fight is between the Purists who want to rid Tarizon of a growing mutant population and eliminate all non-human intelligent life-forms, and the Loyalists who want to restore the Supreme Mandate that guarantees freedom and basic rights for all humans and other beings. Much to his dismay, Peter learns that many on Tarizon regard him as the Liberator and expect him to lead a revolution to settle the political unrest.

Departing from his typical mystery writing, Manchee explores new territory with The Tarizon Trilogy. He presents a storyline that is a must read for the young adult science fiction audience, as well as older readers who yearn for action-packed thrillers. Through exciting characters, fitting dialog and an engaging storyline, Manchee has created a fascinating story that offers sci-fi fans everything they could want.
 
Inspired by 20 years of true-life experiences as an attorney, Manchee discovered his passion for writing in 1995.  He has written 14 books including the Stan Turner Mysteries Vol 1-8, Rich Coleman Novels Vol 1 and 2, as well as a non-fiction work, Yes, We’re Open, Defending the Small Business Under Siege, which is currently in print in the United States and eight foreign countries.
 
A resident of Plano, Texas, Manchee and his wife Janet have been married 40 years and raised four children. For more information about William Manchee and his current project, The Tarizon Trilogy, visit his website at http://www.williammanchee.com/

Video book-trailer
http://tarizon.com/video.html

REVIEWS
The young adult science fiction audience will go for William Manchee’s Tarizon: The Liberator, the first book in his new trilogy. It reminds me of the Star Wars series, Among the Hidden (Margaret Peterson Haddix), Dancing With An Alien (Mary Logue), and Ender’s Shadow (Orson Scott Card).

This book has everything a sci-fi fan could want: an alien world, mutants, conflict and civil war, spaceships, super-technology and chapters full of action! There is even romance for young Peter.

The reader is pulled into the story, learning along with Peter the language, customs, food, technology and warfare practices of this alien culture. The vivid descriptions of the planet will feel as if readers are there assisting the earthling as he struggles with doing what he believes is morally right. There is a message here, which is oft repeated, a message of tolerance and hope. –SIBA Galley Call by Reeden Wright

“.  . . a gripping page-turner with a unique plot, fascinating characters and an electrifying ending.” 
—  H. J. Ralles,  popular young adult author of the Darok and Keeper Series.

“  . . . readers will enjoy this action-packed exciting thriller . . . William Manchee has created a fascinating world in trouble that anchors this exhilarating powerful morality tale. — Harriet Klausner, Americas most influential reviewer, Time Magazine

“. . . Characters are fresh, exciting, filled with vivacity. Dialog is fitting, often gritty, hard hitting potent. Storyline is attention-grabbing, engaging and out of the ordinary. Settings are nicely detailed, reader is drawn into the action, and interest is compelling from beginning to end. Plot twists, subterfuge, stratagem, and chicanery abound, heroes are heroic, and villains are down-right vicious.”  — Molly Martin, Midwest Book Reviews

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