“…Dr. McGuckin sounds the alarm on deadly, costly infections and how to prevent them. Before you or a loved one heads to the hospital, reach for this guidebook. It could save a life.”—Ceci Connolly, former national health correspondent, The Washington Post
Ardmore, PA – We all assume that going to the hospital will help us recover from an illness or injury. Going to any facility where a lot of other sick people are treated, however, can result in patients actually getting worse before they get better, simply because they “catch” someone else’s infections. Spread by healthcare workers as they move from sick patient to sick patient, or by visitors who may have touched unclean surfaces in the hospital before going into a patient’s room, these healthcare-acquired infections are difficult and costly to treat.
What most people don’t know is that healthcare acquired infections are preventable. Written by Dr. Maryanne McGuckin, an expert in infection prevention with 35 years of experience, The Patient Survival Guide (Demos Publishing), will lead us from being a patient at risk, to one knowledgeable about the simple precautions one must take to avoid easily preventable healthcare-acquired infections.
Dr. Maryanne McGuckin’s career spans several faculty and staff positions at the University of Pennsylvania. She most recently was a member of the Senior Scholars / Senior Fellows program with the Health Policy Department at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Toni L. Goldfarb is president of TLG Publications, a medical communications firm.
Available at all major bookstores and online outlets The Patient Survival Guide: 8 Simple Solutions to Prevent Hospital and Healthcare-Associated Infections by Dr. Maryanne McGuckin Published by Demos Health and distributed by Publishers Group West ISBN: 9781936303311 Paperback: $16.95
Greenwich, CT – For readers who are seeking a book that will deliver the thrill of a James Bond movie, the suspense of a Jack Ryan scene, and the action of a Jason Bourne flick, look no more—Jordan Sandor returns in Jeffrey Stephens new novel Targets of Opportunity (Pocket Star Books)! Book reviewers have embraced Jordan Sandor, comparing him to all three top action heroes, while comparing Stephens to Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and Tom Clancy.
In the first book in the series–Targets of Deception, which suspense master Robert K. Tanenbaum called “a fast-paced thriller”—Jeffrey Stephens introduced CIA agent Jordan Sandor, whom bestselling author Steve Alten praised as “terrific.” Sandor is back in Targets of Opportunity, playing for bigger stakes and facing deadlier challenges.
Whisked from his Manhattan town house to a gabled CIA safe house in Virginia, Sandor faces off with a top terrorist agent from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. In exchange for protection from his own side, Ahmad Jaber is offering the CIA explosive information on a secret, unholy alliance forged among operatives in the Middle East, a ruthless South American, and Kim Jong-II’s North Korea. Jaber does not have specifics – only that the strike will target the heart of America.
Sandor leverages Jaber’s information and assembles a small strike force to penetrate North Korea. The team knows they will not all return, but the intel they gather will be vital to American security. As their discoveries plunge Sandor into a frantic race against time, the fanatics callously bring down a passenger jet as a diversion and unleash an assault on a French intelligence installation. With the stakes being ratcheted up with every move, Sandor struggles to defeat a master terrorist whose perfectly disguised plan of destruction leaves Sandor wondering where or how he will strike next.
As a storm rages in the Gulf of Mexico, word comes that two enemy submarines have penetrated U.S. waters. With the U.S. military hampered by the hurricane, Sandor turns to a few daring Navy SEALs to duel with the enemy they cannot see… knowing only that the subs are carrying nuclear weapons aimed at a target of opportunity whose destruction would change the world order forever.
Brilliantly conceived, electrifyingly paced, Targets of Opportunity captures a terrifying twenty-first-century reality: terrorists can—and will—try as many times as it takes to attack the U.S. For the brave men and women who defend our country, failure is not an option. Targets of Opportunity leaves readers hanging on for Sandor’s next step, accompanying him until the very end.
“Drawing on her own extensive research and experience, Maureen Healy wisely leads parents and caregivers into the heart of awakening and activating the innate confidence with which every child is born. This is a book that parents will read over and over again.” – Michael Bernard Beckwith, author of Spiritual Liberation: Fulfilling Your Soul’s Potential
Deerfield Beach, FL – Ask Maureen Healy, an emotional health and parenting expert, and the author of Growing Happy Kids: How to Foster Inner Confidence, Success, and Happiness (HCI Books) and she’ll share the very best things she has learned in over 20 years of global experience fostering children’s happiness.
She has traveled from the Bronx to the base of the Himalayas helping young children lose their self-doubt and sadness. On the way, Maureen has also helped countless parents discover how to help their kids become more confident and happier no matter what.
Happiness can happen for everyone. Do you want to teach your audience simple ways to become happier? There are things they can do about it immediately to put a smile on their face, and on those of everyone around them. Maureen Healy can help your audience develop the skill of becoming happier and begin seeing how they can spark that in their kids, too. Ask her the following questions and she’ll explain:
The Science of Happiness: Happiness and all emotional health start with having a healthy brain. Neuroscientists (brain doctors) all say that so much of our brain’s development is as a result of our choices in eating well, sleeping enough, exercise, positive thinking and making smart choices. By making smart “brain choices” you create the foundation for your happiest life.
How Everyone Needs a Happiness Teacher: You wouldn’t get into a car without a lesson on how to drive, where the gas is and how to put on the brakes – would you? So why go searching for happiness without a teacher that can shorten your experience of pain. I promise the only thing you (and your children) have to lose is your unhappiness.
How Helping Others Makes You Happier: Science and spirituality both show that by helping others you feel happier. It doesn’t matter if you do something “small” like walking a sick neighbor’s dog or something “bigger” like organizing a fundraiser for someone who needs a little extra help. The mere effort of helping others actually makes you happier.
Avoid the Blank: (I’ll be happy when ____): Every parent, adult and child at some point gets caught up in thinking that I’ll be happy when (fill in the blank). The blank is the problem. You may have filled it in when my husband vacuums the house, the kids pick up the toys from the floor or someone besides me walks the dog. This type of happiness always leads to disappointment so Maureen shares her wit and wisdom on where real happiness comes from (Hint, Hint: It’s not from filling in the blank!).
Happy Kids have Rich Inner Lives: Science shows that children find their happiness from something inside of them. It is not connected to their socio-economic status, their parents’ marital status or where they live. Happier kids are reported to feel more grateful, generous and spiritual than their unhappy counterparts.
Here are 7 Keys to Raise Stronger and Happier Kids Today:
Build Confidence Daily (even for 5 minutes!): It is the everyday things we do with our children that help them feel stronger, and happier no matter what. So you may say affirmations together on the way to school (they are captive here!) or read a bedtime story every night that teaches about your child’s power within — the point is that small things done over and over again really build your child’s sense of strength.
Get Them Moving: Children need to move their bodies and get their energy released in a healthy way. Because physical activity, eating right, and a good night’s rest are the biological basis of your child’s emerging sense of self-confidence. Also, be sure they do something they love from making a garden to becoming a soccer star. (Let them pick it!)
Sign Them Up for 1 Weekly Confidence Building Activity: Your child’s weekly confidence building activity may be a sport like soccer or something else like singing lessons. Most importantly, they need to see themselves succeed (really important) and also have a regular way to see themselves master a task thus building outer then inner confidence.
See Success Together (visualize, affirm, meditate, pray, and sing): Oprah always says that if you can believe it, you can achieve it. So help your child believe more fully in him or her self. Perhaps it is doing affirmations together like “I love me” and “I am amazing in every way” or doing a guided meditation, singing a song that sparks them up or drawing a vision board. Let your creativity loose so you both become more self-assured. Have fun with this!!!
Get Inspired: Do something inspiring together whether it is going to see magnificent waterfalls, flying a new kite on the beach or learning hula-hooping. By doing something that lights your child up, they learn how to build a new skill and you’ll see their confidence soar.
Create an Uplifting Space: Decorate your child’s space so they see happy photos of themselves, their awards displayed, goals (or vision board) hung up and they have their favorite things all around them. By making the space feel good to your child they’ll realize this world is supporting them, their dreams can come true and everyone wants to see them succeed. (Feng Shui can help too!)
Play More: Happier children know the importance of play whether they are outdoors helping their parents’ garden or playing tag with their peers! So the more you help your child build skills, see their power within and play in their daily lives the happier they’ll be. I promise.
This book helps any adult nurture in themselves and their children a deeper sense of confidence and ultimately happiness. The Five Building Blocks of Confidence presented in this book has made countless children and parents feel more confident.
Maureen Healy is a children’s emotional health expert with more than 20 years of global experience. She writes a popular blog for Psychology Today, and the PBS Series, This Emotional Life. Her work has been featured on ABC, NBC, the CW and in popular magazines like Spirituality & Health and Parenting, too. Maureen also uniquely brings together western science and eastern wisdom to help any adult raise happier kids today. More info: www.growinghappykids.com.
Contact: Kim Weiss/HCI Books (800) 851-9100 ex. 212 or [email protected] Author is also available on short notice – call her directly at 828-450-2023 or [email protected] Growing Happy Kids: How to Foster Inner Confidence, Success, and Happiness Maureen Healy ISBN: 978-0757316128 $14.95 April 2012
Bonita Springs, FL – Only a family knows the unvarnished truth about someone. Everyday, face-to-face interactions can reveal character more effectively than anything else. Al Capone’s brother, Ralph Capone, knew this – and that’s why he begged his granddaughter Deirdre Marie Capone not to publish the Capone family secrets until she was the last living member of the family. Uncle Al Capone, The Untold Story from Inside His Family (Recap Publishing) is the result, revealing for the first time many startling facts about one of the most famous gangsters of the twentieth century.
In one hard-hitting chapter after another, Capone examines her great-uncle’s involvement in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the real reason he went to Alcatraz, ethnic prejudice in the early twentieth century, and much more. She offers compelling evidence that Al Capone was specifically targeted for prosecution by law enforcement agencies with the collaboration of the media, which made gross exaggerations of her uncle’s exploits and fueled a phenomenon of half-truths and utter falsehoods. From the family’s roots in Angri, Italy to the author’s ongoing investigations today, this debut offers a comprehensive and moving portrait of an iconic American family and one woman’s efforts to make peace with the past.
As a child, she didn’t know he was a notorious gangster; he was just her Uncle Al. He taught her how to swim, ride a bike, and play the mandolin. But after he died on her seventh birthday she began paying the price of being a Capone. From age 7 to 13 her classmates were not allowed to play with her. When she was 10 her father committed suicide due to the burden of the Capone name. At age 18 she was fired from her first full-time job because of her name. As soon as she could, she left Chicago and her family name behind.
Readers have found Uncle Al Capone dramatic, unyielding and provocative. A moving, highly readable portrait of the Capone family and its mob ties, the book takes a close look at what it means to survive a legacy of notorious criminal activity. Through years of meticulous research and exhaustive interviews with aunts, uncles and cousins, Capone tells the story that eluded dozens of writers: Al Capone as a loving, if flawed, family man.
Deirdre Marie Capone has been a guest on a number of regional and local radio and television shows, and appeared on NBC’s Today Show, the CBS Sunday Morning Show, the Fox Network and The History Channel.
Available at bookstores, online or at www.unclealcapone.com Uncle Al Capone: The Untold Story from Inside His Family (Recap Publishing) ISBN13: 978-0982845103 $17.99
Ridgefield, CT – It reads like a deeply personal account of a year in a woman’s life. But it is, in fact, fiction. It reveals the passion, commitment, and daily challenges in the life of every mother, professional woman and citizen. This Mother’s Life (Infinity Publishing) is written as a daily journal, exploring topics as wide-ranging as politics, religion, relationships and divorce.
Nina Mohadjer chose to write a novel instead of an autobiography because in many ways, the life she chose to portray is one common to every working mom. “This character doesn’t have a name because I would like to have every woman identify with her,” she says.
“…[W]e know how it is to do the splits as we stretch to balance family and work for twenty hours a day. Only a woman who has children and a boss can understand how….unforeseen events have to be expected and taken into account. Only she will understand how running from a parent–teacher conference to a new policy meeting to a night of intimacy is an everyday task,” Mohadjer continues.
Reviewers have applauded her candor and spirit. “It is gritty, big time, Nina has put into a book things women might ‘think’ but being ladies would never say, but she says it all….She drills down to some no-holds-barred conversation….It’s all in there, marriage, sex, prejudice, raising children, how women feel about each other, everything. This is a brutally honest book that comes from her life and maybe from yours.” Another reviewer calls This Mother’s Life “riveting” and “heart wrenching.”
Readers will recognize the journey of this remarkable woman as she moves from feeling foreign wherever she is, to feeling at home in the heart of her dreams.
Nina Mohadjer was born in 1970 in Iran, raised in Germany and has lived in the US since 1993. With a German law degree, an American law degree, and a MBA, she speaks five languages and has worked for several years in eDiscovery for class-action lawsuits. Mohadjer started writing at age seven and has always been fascinated by women’s rights and life’s challenges. Growing up between two cultures made her realize that she was not only bi-cultural, but also at times torn between the two worlds. Nina lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut with her two teenage daughters.
This Mother’s Life is available in softcover and eBook online here and at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com $12.95 ISBN13: 978-0-7414-6710-2
“This is like no self-help book you have ever read. It’s both highly original and grounded in practical reality. Its focus is deeply personal while also shedding light on our larger culture. The authors come across like the kind of people they are helping others to become – gracious and powerful, smart and humble, connected to others, and fully themselves.” William J. Doherty, Ph.D., professor and director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project at the University of Minnesota and author of Take Back Your Marriage.
“…our genetic survival will depend on human beings who cooperate, care for one another, and who have the capacity for limbic resonance, rather than just pursuing more and more stuff.”
Deerfield Beach, FL – This thought-provoking book goes far beyond the tired clichés of typical self-help books. America, and many other nations, is so out of balance that we are too often confused by who is “the victim” and who is “the perpetrator.” Those who are too “nice” get exploited, and those who are too “mean” get what they want at others’ expense.
From their ecological-systemic perspective, psychologists John and Linda Friel explain the role of evolution, genetics, and biology; personal, marital, and family dynamics, and cultural and political forces in creating a society that is riddled with entitlement, narcissism, incivility, fake self-esteem, and a disturbing lack of basic knowledge. In their latest book, The Power and Grace Between Nasty or Nice: Replacing Entitlement, Narcissism, and Incivility with Knowledge, Caring, and Genuine Self-Esteem they show how and why these must be replaced by caring, humility, genuine self-esteem, and real knowledge.
Power without graciousness results in bullying and nastiness. Graciousness without power results in being a doormat. When we temper power with graciousness, we elevate ourselves beyond our purely brutish selves and become competent, grateful, humble, effective, and truly powerful—attributes that are sorely lacking in a fast-shrinking world where anxiety and over-reaction often reign supreme. Using cutting-edge neuroscience and down-to-earth examples, the Friels show how you can move into the power zone between victim and perpetrator, and how even one very small change held firmly for six to twelve months can cause more system-wide change than anything else you can do, whether it’s in your home, your office or in your community. You’ll discover:
Non-citizens now launch half of all Silicon Valley start-up companies.
The U.S. divorce rate is very high in southern states—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas—that do not support gay marriage, and lowest in northeastern states like Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, which do support gay marriage.
The term “American Exceptionalism” was coined by Soviet Communist Party leader Joseph Stalin.
There is a genetic link between how much we contribute to charities, whether we are liberal or conservative, how many risks we take, how much pleasure we get from volunteering at a soup kitchen, and how tolerant we are of others’ differences. Thomas Jefferson wrote: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be”
Why conflict can be a life-enhancing part of human relationships and why avoiding conflict can be just as destructive as constantly pushing for it.
Why the opposite of dysfunctional is dysfunctional. One who is hyper-independent is just as dependent and needy as one who is clingy and helpless.
Why cutting off all contact with relatives—even in quite abusive situations—will keep you almost as hooked in to them as if you simply stayed home and lived with them.
Why not always getting along with a family member is normal; and why not speaking to them for years is not normal, and is destructive to all members of that family.
Why the ability to allow disappointment to enrich your life is one of the keys to happiness.
And, why any system in nature—the solar system, the nervous system, a system of work-mates in a work-group in a high-tech corporation—will never change until there is a disturbance in the system. This provocative and profound book will show you how to navigate those changes by bringing your best self forward.
About the authors: John C. Friel, Ph.D., and Linda D. Olund Friel, M.A., are internationally recognized authors and skilled clinicians. They are psychologists in private practice in St. Paul, MN. John also has an office in Reno, NV. They are New York Times bestselling authors, selling over 500,000 books, are the founders of the ClearLife® Clinic Program, and have appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC News 20/20, in USA Today, Parents, and Cosmopolitan.
Available online or at bookstores or to order directly from the publisher, contact: (800) 441-5569 or www.hcibooks.com The Power and Grace Between Nasty or Nice: Replacing Entitlement, Narcissism, and Incivility with Knowledge, Caring, and Genuine Self-Esteem (by John & Linda Friel) ISBN-13: 9780757315862 $14.95 May 2012
