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Coralville, IA – Cited this morning on the NBC website (http://nbcnews.to/11FDNVe), as the result of a new study in the Journal Pediatrics linking peer abuse with abuse among siblings in the home, is sibling abuse victim, Nancy Kilgore – author of the book, Girl in the Water: A True Story of Sibling Abuse (HCI Books — $14.95). In this jaw-dropping memoir, she chronicles one girl’s triumph over extreme bullying and torture at the hands of her sister, shining a courageous light on the hidden epidemic of sibling abuse.
When Nancy Kilgore was nine years old, her eleven-year-old sister Sherry led her into the scorching midday sun, tied her to a chair, and taped her eyelids to her eyebrows with electrical tape, leaving Nancy helpless for hours to stare into a blinding blue sky. For years, Sherry physically tortured her younger sister and threatened to kill her if the cruelty was revealed. Each time Nancy walked into her own bedroom she would have to repeat self-deprecating passwords: “I am ugly and stupid.” “I am ugly, stupid, and no one loves me.” “Please may I come in?”
Girl in the Water details the most shuttering examples of sibling abuse, the untold secret in millions of homes. Each year, 19 million children are abused by their siblings and well over 80 million adults have suffered this type of abuse. With vivid imagery and heartbreaking accounts, Kilgore leads readers on a journey into the prison she was born into, where she is confronted with her childhood dreams, family bonds, coming of age in the shadow of terror and the complex after-effects of bullying and sibling abuse that followed her into adulthood. Struggling to piece together her haunted past before it consumed her, Kilgore shares her inspiring metamorphosis and victorious battle from a fragile, shattered survivor to that of an eventual speaker and activist. Girl in the Water is the story of one woman, with a phoenix-like power, who came up against all odds and won. Her story will resonate with millions of adult sibling-abuse survivors who have never felt free to tell their stories . . . until now.
With a resources section and informational strategies for parents and adult survivors, Girl In The Water is a healing tool for laypeople and professionals.
Girl In The Water: A True Story of Sibling Abuse HCI Books $14.95 ASIN: B00C0W1BF4
Boulder, CO – It would have been so easy for Alison Sawyer Current to visit the house she owns with her husband in Isla Mujares, Mexico, and not get involved – but that was never an option. From her very first visit to the island, she was shocked by the number of dogs that were abused, left to starve, die of disease, or be instantly eliminated by the local government when they did their periodic roundup of any animal found in the street. When Alison discovered there is no local help for animals in Mexico she knew she must do something. That was in 1999; today, Alison and her trusty volunteers have rescued, nursed back to health, and found loving homes for 5,372 dogs!
Isla Animals, an organization started by Alison and her husband, Jeff, is dedicated to cutting down the population of unwanted animals in Mexico through spay and neuter, and improving the lives of the animals that already exist until they can get things under control. Some of the dogs dropped off at Isla Animals are in such pathetic shape it’s a miracle they survive. They are given that miracle by Alison and her husband who have used their own resources to provide whatever was needed; surgery, medications, food – and, of course, lots of love.
‘Puppy Camp’ at the Current house was created out of necessity for the many puppies that were born in the streets and abandoned by the owners of the mother. When the numbers of litters grew and homes couldn’t be found for them, the Current house was adapted to accommodate the pups and ‘Puppy Camp’ became a whole new place – one that also included full grown dogs that started showing up at their door in dire need of help. No dog was ever turned away. After fostering up to forty dogs at a time, Alison created the Dog Gone Foundation; an adoption program that works with rescue shelters throughout the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico to place these animals in loving homes.
Alison and her volunteers work diligently with pet rescue groups on the mainland to fund spray and neuter clinics, make visits with a wellness veterinarian, and provide vaccines and flea/tick medications. Alison even goes door-to-door, checking on dogs and handing out food, vitamins and supplies. She cleans and shaves dogs that are horribly dirty and matted in hopes that the owners will be so pleased with how they look they will be encouraged to keep them that way.
Alison ventures into very poor neighborhoods where she gets local children to help her find and care for dogs in need – all part of her efforts to educate the people on controlling and caring for the animal population.
Now a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization, Alison invites everyone to visit her website at www.islaanimals.org and check out each animal’s story, with the before and after pictures, to fully understand the extent of the wonderful work being done here. Isla Animals is always in need of funding and they run strictly on donations – which are tax deductible. Please also follow Alison on her main Facebook page as well as the newest Facebook page called Isla Animals Furever Alumni where people can post their own stories about the dogs they have adopted from her and how they are doing in their forever homes.
Amarillo, TX – The band Mustard has been nominated for the 2014 AIM (Artists in Music) Awards in the rock category, and voting is now open for fans at bit.ly/17xysrm. Bringing energy and passion to the indie music scene, band founder Jack Mustard is optimistic about the success of their album “In the Dark” released in April 2013.
“I wanted to write meaningful alternative rock music with deep roots,” he says. “But there’s diversity between tracks. Some have a powerful heavy overtone, and others are more poetic, even symphonic.” Tracks from the EP are regularly heard on independent radio around the world, such as Audioburger.com, a London station, and Rockunderground.tv, an American station. A second EP titled “In the Light” will be released in August 2013.
Since its inception in 2012, Mustard has generated a global appeal which transcends music genres. “The music speaks for itself,” Mustard continues. “Powerful, earth driven energy that’s provocative in nature. Dynamic riff patterns overlay intense lyrics about life, love, war, power, and death.” Although a new band, the music seems destined to make waves and seat itself in time with great power based rock bands.
Occasionally appearing onstage shirtless and in dreadlocks, Mustard’s live performances quickly have fans up and the energy level high. Compelling and forceful, tracks such as “Dark Lit Bar” and “Heaven and Hell” showcase Mustard’s skill as an artist, bringing deep emotions to light. Acoustic sets have a power and charm all their own; Mustard likes to say that even their love songs pack a punch. Mustard is represented by ReTake Talent Search.com, an innovative company dedicated to helping all artists get the recognition they deserve.
Mustard’s album is widely available online at www.mustardmusic.net via ITunes. At ReverbNation.com, Mustard donates 50% of the proceeds to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.
Deerfield Beach, FL – As imperfect human beings, we often face ethical and moral challenges as we relate with others on a daily basis, be it with our office mates, our Facebook friends, or our best friend since grade school. In Ethical Wisdom For Friends: How to Navigate Life’s Most Complicated, Curious, and Common Relationship Dilemmas (HCI Books), a riveting and insightful tour of the meaning and purpose of connection, Matousek draws from personal experience, interviews, and letters from readers to provide a reservoir rich in wisdom about friendship, commitment, honesty, greed, jealousy, loyalty, competition, imitation, abandonment, and reconciliation. In twenty-four succinct essays, each followed by thought-provoking questions, he examines a plethora of moral dilemmas.
Backed by scientific evidence, interviews with experts, philosophical teachings, and psychological insight, Ethical Wisdom For Friends is a simple, edifying, and entertaining look at these concepts for everyday seekers who are more interested in hands-on advice than abstract information.
Ethical Wisdom For Friends By Mark Matousek Publisher: HCI Books-June 2013 ISBN: 9780757317279 — $14.95
New Canaan, CT – Jon Corzine and other leaders at MF Global walked into a disastrous situation with their eyes wide open. Now, respected Wall Street veteran Scott Skyrm offers a detailed account of what really happened, and why. The Money Noose: Jon Corzine and the Collapse of MF Global (Bricktower Press) is like a car wreck: it’s hard to look at, and at the same time, hard to look away.
“MF Global had the wrong business model and the wrong people, at precisely the wrong time…. We did not deal with our central problem of unprofitable core business operations and out-of-control overheads….” A senior member of the MF Fixed Income management team is just one of many sources insider Skyrm has uncovered to explain the self-inflicted collapse of MF Global.
The demise of MF Global is a chaotic story, one in which individual actions taken in and of themselves are relatively minor. But the sum of those individual actions equal the same end result. Skyrm goes further, exploring the question of how investors can protect themselves from this outcome in the future. The best answer, he says, is education. Concise and informed, The Money Noose is a must-read for anyone who takes investing seriously.
Scott E.D. Skyrm is a leading figure in the repo and securities finance markets today, and regularly quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg News Service, Reuters, Market News, and Dow Jones. He is highly regarded as a former salesman, trader, trading desk manager, and global business head in fixed-income, securities finance, and securities clearing and settlement.
He recently left Newedge, where he was their Global Head of Repo, Money Markets, and Fixed Income Clearing. He is now writing commentaries on the repo market, the short-end of the Treasury market, Federal Reserve policy and general Wall Street topics. He has worked on Wall Street for over 22 years and has taken billion dollar risks on the trading floor, managed a multi-billion dollar balance sheet, and consistently ran one of the most profitable trading groups at every firm where he worked. Prior to Newedge, he managed the repo desk at ING Barings, worked summers at Shearson Lehman/American Express and started his full-time career at The Bank of Tokyo.
Temecula, CA – The Before I Formed You Foundation, a nonprofit organization, has a mission . . . to reach out to every Crisis Pregnancy Center, Abortion Clinic, Planned Parenthood center, Legislator and OB/GYN in the nation.
Renowned Christian artist, Ron DiCianni and his son Grant developed the foundation around Ron’s painting titled: “Before I Formed You In The Womb . . .” (Jeremiah 1:5). Please see his powerful painting at: www.formedyou.org .
A picture does paint a thousand words and it is the Foundation’s hope that by using this image they can visually impact every single person involved in the abortion process.
Both Ron and/or Grant DiCianni (co-founders) are available for interviews. And a full electronic media packet is available upon request.
Ellaville, GA – It only takes a single call to turn the world upside down. In 2008, Jackie Carpenter’s life was shattered by a call telling her that her son had been arrested. After accidentally killing a man, her son had to fight for his life and freedom. Night after night, thieves were stealing copper from his worksite and on the advice of a deputy, her son armed himself and waited in the dark to hold them until police arrived. Unfortunately, as he held them at gunpoint, the gun accidentally fired. One of the men died. For the next ten months, Jackie’s near-perfect life suddenly became a terrifying journey to hell and back.
“Every day during the first six months of this ordeal I felt as though I was dying, physically, mentally, and emotionally,” she says. “I wrestled with the ‘what if’ factor. What if God doesn’t help us? What if God lets Jason go to jail even though he’s innocent? All those ‘what if’ questions weakened my faith. It was only when I stopped doubting and started trusting that I received ‘peace’ and now God is showing me the next piece of the puzzle.”
The Bridge: Between Cell Block A and a Miracle is Psalm 91 (Xulon Publishing) is Jackie’s account of the harrowing events following her son’s arrest. It is a story of fear, love, faith and hope, a chronicle of the support Jackie found in Psalm 91 and how she used this prayer of protection to hold her family together as her son fought for his life.
Although Jackie never considered a career as an author, she felt compelled to write a second book to follow the success of The Bridge. Georgia Justice is a story of faith-building, she explains. “It’s a a how-to guide of what it takes to escape from the tightening grips of doubt and depression,” she says. “And then to begin the journey to renewed and strengthened faith, hope, and ultimate victory.”
A Cry for Justice (Triple Horse Studios) is the award-winning movie that was made from Jackie’s two books and tells the riveting true story of her fight to save her family. Please watch the exciting trailer at: acryforjusticemovie.com.
Jackie Carpenter has been a featured guest on television, radio, and in newspaper articles. For more information on this author and her remarkable story, visit her website at: www.bridgetoamiracle.com .
