43 Years Later, the Unseemly Saga of Spectacular Bid is Revealed
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In an era of spectacular thoroughbreds, Spectacular Bid may have been the most exalted racehorse of them all. In 1979, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness — and transcended his sport on a run of 12 consecutive stakes victories. But his quest for the Triple Crown was lost with a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes due to a series of bizarre events that have never been accurately reported.
In The Fast Ride: Spectacular Bid and the Undoing of a Sure Thing, author and journalist Jack Gilden tells the story of what really happened the day “the Bid” lost the biggest race of his life. Along the way, Gilden introduces readers to a cast of characters from the gilded age of late twentieth-century horse racing, from Bid’s owners, the renowned Meyerhoff family, to Grover “Buddy” Delp, the fast-talking trainer, to teenage jockey Ronnie Franklin, whose meteoric rise to fame aboard Spectacular Bid came at the cost of his innocence and well-being. “I came into the story as Franklin lay in an East Baltimore hospice gasping his last breaths,” Gilden writes in the introduction. “I was aided and abetted by one of his friends who had decided it was time that the truth came out.”
Also present in Gilden’s narrative are four of the era’s magnificent Latino riders, Ángel Cordero Jr., Jacinto Vasquez, Georgie Velasquez and Ruben Hernandez. They all felt the sting of rejection and bigotry during their long careers, even as they found their way and raised the level of competition to a feverish pitch.
Underlying Spectacular Bid’s saga was the thin line between hard work and excess, including substance abuse, animal manipulation, doping and race fixing. Hardly anyone in the horse’s circle made it out unscathed or undamaged.
The Fast Ride is the story of a great racehorse, unfulfilled dreams, the exhilaration and steep price of striving at all costs, and an American era in which getting everything you ever wanted could be the most empty and unfulfilling sensation of all.
Jack Gilden is the author of Collision of Wills: Johnny Unitas, Don Shula, and the Rise of the Modern NFL (2018). His editorials, columns and articles have appeared in Orioles Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, the Evening Sun, Chesapeake Life, Style magazine and the Baltimore Jewish Times. He has written about the anti-Semitism of H.L. Mencken, the literary life of Bernard Malamud, the lost legend of “Swish” Nicholson, Joe Louis as civil rights hero and the profane genius of Earl Weaver. He scripted the Orioles 40th Anniversary Video, narrated by the legendary Jim McKay. Gilden lives in Baltimore with his wife, two children, two step-children, and his dog.
For more information, connect with the author on Twitter at @JackGilden, or visit www.williamsonlit.com.
The Fast Ride: Spectacular Bid and the Undoing of a Sure Thing Publisher: University of Nebraska Press ISBN-10: 1496230507 ISBN-13: 978-1496230508 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and other online retailers
Trish Stevens Ben Marshall Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Penguin Who Dreams of Flying Lifts Children’s Spirit of Adventure
“A Penguin’s Quest is an uncommon, spirited picture book in which an unconventional penguin’s daring decisions inspire her friends.” – Foreword Reviews
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Young readers can take a journey with Ingrid the penguin as she ventures from her home in Antarctica in search of a mythic place where it’s said a penguin can learn to fly in the enthralling children’s tale, A Penguin’s Quest.
Ingrid’s story begins as she heeds advice from some seriously lost NYC pigeons and sets out determined to accomplish something that no other penguin has ever done. A globe-trotting, epic journey ensues, with a cast of colorful characters that includes sea captains, Penn Station rats, a trip inside the NYC pigeon underworld and a ski instructor named Klaus. The mystery of Ingrid’s destination holds the answers as this intrepid penguin is on the verge of a discovery that could rock the penguin world.
Brought to life by author (and world-renowned photographer) Scott McDermott, with illustrations by Christine Anderson, this engaging adventure about pursuing a dream, no matter how improbable it may seem, unfolds like a short, animated film and culminates in a wonderful end. Written for children with a reading age level of grades 2-3, A Penguin’s Quest is a perfect early reader chapter book in a picture book format.
Author Scott McDermott grew up in Switzerland, backpacked through the American West, and trekked the Himalayas before spending the last 25 years as a commercial photographer and filmmaker in New York City. He has photographed many of the most influential figures in Hollywood, the music industry, business and government, along with directing a feature film and many commercials. McDermott recently started writing children’s fiction, inspired by the stories he made up to tell his own children. He is also learning to play bass guitar, primarily to back up his son on guitar.
Illustrator Christine Anderson is a Senior level Illustrator and Surface Pattern Designer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She received a BFA in Graphic Design/Illustration from Drake University and has worked in commercial design for over 20 years. Though she had a successful career as a muralist and furniture designer, as well as being commissioned by corporations such as Learnin’ Tree, American Express, Hobby Lobby, Trader Joe’s, Michaels’s, QT Fabrics and Boston International, Anderson longed for her drawing board. She decided to refocus and get back to her true love, illustrating, with children’s books being part of her journey.
Or find them on Instagram (@Apenguinsquest_book; @scottmcdermott_; @christineandersondraws; or @Notablekidspublishing), Twitter (@ScottMcdermott_) or Facebook (scott.mcdermott.33).
A Penguin’s Quest Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing Publication Date: February 2, 2022 ISBN-10: 1733354859 ISBN-13: 978-1733354851 Available from Amazon.com and BN.com
Bee Scared Plants the Seed of Environmentalism in Young Minds
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“Your Majesty,” said the Scout Bee to the Queen of the Bees, “The Honeybees are in trouble. They are disappearing in great numbers!”
What will the queen do? Who will she turn to? How will she keep her hive safe from harm? Without bees there will be no fruit, no vegetables and no flowers.
Bee Scared, an Old Doc Turtle adventure from author Richard Faith, follows the Queen and her community of family and friends as they try to find a solution to this scary problem. They use music. They call on Auntie Bee. Even Old Doc Turtle becomes concerned! Can your young reader think of any ways to help Auntie Bee save the honeybees?
This delightful children’s tale delivers a simple lesson about the challenges of climate change and global warming — and the impact on nature’s tiniest but mightiest of creatures — in a way that young audiences can understand. Bee Scared can help you open a dialogue with the curious young people in your life about the importance of conservationism and protecting the future of our planet.
Author Richard Faith is passionate about raising awareness regarding the impacts of global warming and climate change. He is also the author of the science fiction series, Megamerse, which features a superhero who fights for Mother Earth. Megamerse has been turned into a screenplay and talks are ongoing with a movie studio. Faith’s other book titles include “I Can Barely See” Said Mandy Manatee, Barkley & Silvia, Crocodilly Lilly: Not so Toothy A Grin and The Owl that Said What.
Faith is also the executive director of Mother Nature Festival Live Incorporated (http://mothernaturefestival.live), a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to educate, inform and inspire everyone to get involved in helping Mother Nature.
Bee Scared Publisher: Jongleur Publishing ISBN-13: 979-8652428013 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Alex Winters Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Famous Feline Shares Heartwarming Journey from Shelter Kitty to Social Media Sensation
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From spa days and birthday parties, to playing dress-up and Target “shopping,” the humanlike antics of an affable ginger tabby named Carrot have been shared with the famous feline’s nearly 300K Instagram followers, capturing the attention of human celebs like Ellen DeGeneres and Katie Couric.
The social media sensation is now giving readers a glimpse into a year in her furry, fun-filled life in her new book, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot, an uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story told from Carrot’s perspective.
From her humble beginnings as a tiny orange stray to being welcomed into a loving family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—through her rise to internet stardom, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot chronicles her remarkable journey.
Carrot lived in the same shelter that had once housed the family’s previous internet star, Bailey, whose adventures were featured in Bailey, No Ordinary Cat. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets.
Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime.
Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin’s Law nationwide with a mission to keep our children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.
Diary of the Cat Named Carrot Publisher: Health Communications, Inc. Release Date: March 30, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757323901 ISBN-13: 978-0757323904 Available wherever books are sold
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Celebrate a Year in the Life of Social Media Celebrity Cat, Carrot
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Bailey was certainly no ordinary cat. The charismatic orange tabby’s humanlike antics made him a social media sensation, and he was adored by feline lovers around the world. When Bailey passed away at age 14, his family grieved their profound loss. They’d never find a cat quite like him—or would they?
Just as Bailey’s family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—were mending their broken hearts, a tiny orange tabby kitten, born as a stray, found her way into their lives.
Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is the uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story of Carrot’s humble beginnings in a shelter and her eventual rise to internet stardom. Told from Carrot’s perspective, readers can follow along on her remarkable journey from the same shelter that had once housed Bailey to top Instagram celebrity feline. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets.
Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime.
Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin’s Law nationwide with a mission to our keep children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.
Diary of the Cat Named Carrot Publisher: Health Communications, Inc. Release Date: March 30, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757323901 ISBN-13: 978-0757323904 Available for pre-order on 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
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Your veterinarian chose to dedicate his or her life to the altruistic pursuit of tending to the health and lives of pets. What you may not have considered is that the health and life of your veterinarian also needs protecting: he or she is nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than someone among the general population. But there are ways you can help.
Sandy Weaver, author of the groundbreaking new book Happy Vet Happy Pet: Caring for Your Pet’s Caregiver, is on a mission to ease the lives of veterinarians, one client’s heart at a time.
“I’ve known for years, as have those in the veterinary field, that there was an issue with suicide and veterinarians,” Sandy says. “Then in early 2019, the CDC report on veterinary suicide was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and what had been anecdotal became data: male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely, and female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely, to complete suicide than their non-veterinarian peers.”
Happy Vet Happy Pet is a distillation of Sandy’s research into neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology mixed with data from the CDC report. The result is an impactful approach that weaves easy-to-understand science with stories that touch the minds and the hearts of pet owners — empowering them to be part of the solution.
Chapters dive deep into topics all pet owners should understand, including:
The heart, mind and life of a person who decides to become a veterinarian;
The very human, very vulnerable person behind the scrubs;
The ways clients unknowingly mistreat their pets’ caregivers;
Three simple rules to follow to help your veterinary team; and
What to do if you feel that someone near you is facing suicidal desperation.
Happy Vet Happy Pet shares Sandy’s unique point of view that it takes a village to save a veterinarian. “Making pet owners mindful of how their behavior impacts their veterinarian mobilizes the village to help solve the problem,” she adds.
This book will change your relationship with your veterinarian and their team forever. And what you learn in this book could save your veterinarian’s life.
Author Sandy Weaver is an expert speaker, trainer, mastermind facilitator and lover of all things dog.
As the Program Director of the Center for Workplace Happiness, Sandy creates the training programs, workshops, mastermind groups and keynotes that help people lead happier, more successful lives. She is also a citizen-scientist in the fields of neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology. In 2019, she took the resilience tools and strategies she’d been teaching to general audiences and crafted programs specifically for veterinary teams. Her goal is to touch the life of every veterinarian and technician in a way that helps them avoid the pain and despair that comes with an inability to manage stress.
Now in her 40th year of Siberian Husky ownership, Sandy is a passionate advocate for veterinarians and their teams and an ongoing donor to Not One More Vet.
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.
