Trish Stevens Liz Chase Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
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A Life Packed With Experiences Leads Texas Author To Pen Adroit Supernatural Thriller
Start with one artist experimenting with her craft, add one dead serial killer and a pinch of the supernatural and you’ve cooked up one tense thriller. In A Brush With Death, the first of a series, Jody Summers masterfully blends the supernatural and the romantic to achieve a highly satisfying read.
New Orleans painter Kira McGovern hits on something when she mixes her mother’s ashes into her oil paints and enters an altered state. She begins channeling some key moments in her mother’s life, creating a stunning work of art as a memorial and drawing in customers who want a painting done using the same method. Pleased with her success, she launches Canvas of Life and commissions start rolling in. And when it couldn’t get any better, she meets Sean; a handsome mid-western rancher, who harbors a gruesome secret of which he is unaware.
But with each brushstroke on her latest commission, Kira’s reality is becoming more and more bizarre. She awakens from dreams that are soaked in blood and filled with gruesome images of murders. And the feeling of a lurking malevolence grows ever stronger.
Unconventional is the word to describe the life author Jody Summers led before turning to writing. The adopted son of a prominent Texas restaurateur, Summers grew up in New Orleans, Memphis and Houston, learning the restaurant business while he built a career as a competitive gymnast that propelled him to a scholarship at the University of Kansas. After college, Summers followed in his father’s footsteps, owning, at one point, three 24-hour restaurant franchises along with four tanning salons in Tulsa. He has used his entrepreneurial skills for everything from a patent in the pet industry to a single’s website. A restaurateur, a gymnast, a stunt man, an entrepreneur, a pilot, skydiver, scuba diver and an accomplished martial artist for 25 years, Summers has tried it all. Now he brings all those experiences to paper in his supernatural thriller series, Art of the Dead.
To learn more about Summers and A Brush With Death, please visit the following: www.jodysummersbooks.com.
A Brush With Death Release Date: September 2, 2019 Publisher: JS Books Publishing ISBN-10: 1733177507 ISBN-13: 978-1733177504 Available from Amazon.com,
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Just days before the election, a pocket-size coloring book is being released by AARP and Florida-based HCI Books called Inkspirations Create While You Wait. The timing for this little book couldn’t be better—providing a way to de-stress when tensions run high. Enter the new series of coloring books from AARP and HCI, offering an easy and inexpensive way to de-stress and bring about mindfulness. AARP is embracing the benefits of the coloring book craze with its first internationally distributed series of coloring books.
Please read the press release below and send me your postal address if you’d like copies of Inkspirations Create While You Wait for an audience giveaway or a review, feature or interview. Thank you.
Kim Weiss Director of Communications HCI Books, The Life Issues Publisher 3201 SW 15 Street Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 (800) 851-9100 ext. 9212 [email protected] www.hcibooks.com/trade
Coloring Books For Adults Offer Creative Stress Relief: AARP And HCI Introduce New Book In The Inkspirations Series
Deerfield Beach, FL – From HCI, the original publishers of Chicken Soup for the Soul, now comes a line of coloring books ready to encourage, inspire, and help worries fade. With the newest, Inkspirations Create While You Wait, HCI and AARP are working together to help grown-ups destress with coloring.
With moving quotes alongside unique and graceful images, Inkspirations coloring books include a wide array of themes to help express creativity and enjoy therapy through coloring. To start overcoming heartache, releasing tensions, and building positive energy, readers can visit the new Inkspirations website, www.Inkspirations.com.
The website is a reader’s portal to a more colorful world, giving a peek at the wide spread of unique pages Inkspirations has to offer, and some highly anticipated releases.
On coloring lists now:
• Inkspirations Create While You Wait (November 2016) New from HCI and AARP! Create beautiful art wherever you are with •this portable coloring book. Next time you’re waiting—at the doctor’s office, in the airport, or on the bus—stop stressing and start creating! In today’s busy world, finding peace can be a challenge. Now, with this unique, compact coloring book, you can use those idle moments to foster your creativity and enjoy a sense of calm. Perfectly sized to fit into a purse, pack, or pocket, Create While You Wait will help you color your day brighter wherever you go. A special binding lets you lay the book flat, and the unique horizontal layout is perfect whether you’re left- or right-handed. So grab your colored pencils, crayons, markers or pen—and find your inner Zen. (More at www.aarp.org/coloringbooks)
Also from HCI:
• Inkspirations Christmas Joy (October 2016)
Christmas is a time of magic, and now you can color your season even brighter with more than thirty original, festive designs, plus 12 pages of DIY projects including color-your-own gift tags, postcards, wine tags and more! From highly detailed to fun and free-flowing, each design will deck your heart and home with the holiday spirit. Designs include: trees to make your own; winter wonderlands, polar bears and penguins; charming gingerbread houses, wreaths, and stockings; whimsical scenes of snowmen and ugly holiday sweaters; a Santa sighting or two, plus heartwarming expressions of holiday cheer written in exquisite typography.
• Inkspirations for Dog Lovers (October 2016)
Dogs are our loyal, playful, energetic, goofy, and brave companions who color our lives with so much joy―now you can bring them to life on every page with this captivating compendium that celebrates the glory of canines throughout the seasons. From Boxers, Bulldogs, and Beagles, to Pomeranians, Poodles, and Pugs, to Shepherds, Shih Tzus, and Siberian Huskies, this eclectic mix of original artwork showcases the many ways in which dogs warm our hearts no matter the season. Whether it’s a spirited puppy romping through the first spring tulips, two Golden Retrievers sprinting against fiery autumn leaves, or a curious Lab leaving fresh paw prints in the winter snow, our furry friends color our world brighter every day. Inkspirations for Dog Lovers is a fitting tribute to the canine kingdom.
• Inkspirations Fruit of the Spirit (August 2016)
In a world that’s not always black and white, it’s often challenging to put the fruit of the Spirit into practice, but this captivating coloring book offers an enjoyable way to quiet the chatter, tap into your creativity, and spend some reflective time with God. Stunning original art is paired with powerful Scriptures that eloquently embody the fruit of the Spirit, inviting you to immerse yourself in the meaning of the messages and cultivate them in everyday life. This is a perfect way to relax and unwind as you create beautiful works of art while rejoicing in the blessings of the Holy Spirit. Celebrate your faith in full color!
• Inkspirations Greeting and Post Cards (July 2016)
DIY the way you say hi! From birthdays to congratulations, from thinking of you to thank you, these personalized greeting and post cards are coloring fun turned functional. Each of the Inkspirations Color Me Greeting Cards features a colorful design on the outside which is reproduced inside in black-and-white as a “color me” template, ready for a personal touch. Themes including Love, Thank You, Thinking of You, Friendship, Congratulations, and more ensure a personalized card for every occasion. For post cards, extra-thick card stock is sturdy enough to mail on its own or tuck it inside a standard envelope. Just decorate and deliver! Share then color, or color then share! Let your friends and loved ones enjoy the unique benefits of coloring their own card, or color it yourself as a personal gift—you choose! Also see www.Inkspirations.com for: • Inkspirations in the Garden (June 2016) • Inkspirations Animal Kingdom (June 2016) • Inkspirations for a Happy Heart (June 2016) • Inkspirations for Cat Lovers (July 2016) • Inkspirations for Women (March 2016) • Inkspirations for Recovery (February 2016)
For more information, please contact Kim Weiss at (800) 85109100 ex 9212, or [email protected]
Trish Stevens Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 (281) 333-3507 Phone (832) 569-5539 Fax [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety)
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Chic, Affordable And A Timely Reminder Of Faith: Olivia Sophia Stationery
Cedar Hills, TX – When Bridgette Reed learned she was expecting, she knew it was a miracle. She named her daughter “Olivia Sophia,” which means “anointed wisdom.” Shortly after, she founded her business, Olivia Sophia Stationery, a brand built on love and faith.
“The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord,” Reed explains. “We live for Him and believe He has blessed us with this great miracle. Our little baby is our inspiration, God is our foundation, love is our destination, empowerment is our goal and faith is our movement.”
Olivia Sophia Stationery products are fun, inspiring and fashionable. They are also affordable. “We believe that anything is possible,” Reed continues. “While you can get a journal from anywhere, we want our customers to be reminded that God is able and anything is possible. There is no mountain too high that you can’t climb and there is no obstacle too tough that you can’t make it through. With God on your side you can achieve anything.”
Bridgette Reed is best known for her self-published book Bold, Fierce and Transformed, featured on FOX Good Day, ABC Good Morning Dallas and a host of other radio, television and print media. It has been sold internationally and in major bookstore chains such as Barnes and Noble and Family Christian Stores.
Less well known is the fact that over the past ten years she has successfully created six businesses and has guided the growth of a multi-million dollar corporation including all aspects of business operations, finance and marketing. She has also taught at major corporations about business fundamentals, and now has three successful businesses, including Olivia Sophia Stationery.
Bridgette has realized her purpose in life is to help women birth their businesses God’s way, and has become an expert at helping women profit with purpose. She uses faith and God’s Word as her foundation, and grace as the standard. A loving wife and mom, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, journaling and diving into new craft projects in her spare time. To learn more about Bridgette, her Olivia Sophia Stationery store or to sign up for her affiliate program visit: www.Oliviasophiainc.com or www.businesswithbridgette.com
Olivia Sophia Stationery Inspirational Paper for the Soul www.Oliviasophiainc.com
Kim Weiss Director of Communications HCI Books, The Life Issues Publisher 3201 SW 15 Street Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 (800) 851-9100 ext. 212 [email protected] www.hcibooks.com/trade
(This press release may be reprinted in part or in its entirety)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inkspirations Adult Coloring Books: A Soothing Antidote For A Chaotic World
Deerfield Beach, FL – Just when a sympathetic heart seems like it can’t take anymore, reach for something to help quiet the mind and ease the soul. Inkspirations coloring books for adults offer a way to turn off negativity while healing the spirit. Art therapy has long proven its effects as an aid in emotional and mental restoration, and it is not news that coloring as active meditation reduces stress and quiets thoughts. From the original publishers of Chicken Soup for the Soul now comes a line of coloring books ready to encourage, inspire, and help worries fade.
Whether coloring with friends, family, or on your own, it doesn’t take much to color your day a little brighter. With moving quotes alongside unique and graceful images, Inkspirations coloring books include a wide array of themes to help express creativity and enjoy therapy through coloring. To start overcoming heartache, releasing tensions, and building positive energy, readers can visit the new Inkspirations website, www.Inkspirations.com.
The website is a reader’s portal to a more colorful world, giving a peek at the wide spread of unique pages Inkspirations has to offer, and some highly anticipated releases.
On coloring lists now:
• Inkspirations in the Garden (June 2016)
Anyone blessed with a green thumb knows that a garden is nature’s haven, and when properly tended can transform a patch of ground into a place of splendor that abounds with intoxicating colors, scents, and wildlife. Inkspirations in the Garden celebrates gardens in all their glory, from images of delightful cottage gardens to well-manicured rose gardens, from lush tropical gardens to relaxing Zen gardens. The original designs feature exquisite floral patterns to color and customize, plus heartwarming scenes of lovable backyard critters, like ladybugs and bumblebees, and even the squirrels and rabbits who sometimes become our garden nemeses. Inkspirations in the Garden pays homage to those who make weeds into wonders and have been enriched by gardening’s lessons about a life well-tended and nurtured. Please visit: http://amzn.to/21nxZQS
• Inkspirations Animal Kingdom (June 2016)
For coloring enthusiasts looking for inspiration, nature provides a dazzling array of colors and patterns – the bold black stripes on a tiger’s back, the kaleidoscope of teals in a peacock’s plumes, the fiery orange of a fox’s coat, or the rainbow of colors in a macaw’s feathers. Now you can add your own burst of color with Inkspirations Animal Kingdom, which showcases more than thirty beautifully detailed designs of a menagerie of animals large and small. Paired with inspiring quotes and heartfelt lessons we humans can learn from our animal counterparts, this book will uplift and inspire whether you are an avid colorist or an armchair explorer. For information, please visit: http://amzn.to/1Q6oUen
• Inkspirations for a Happy Heart (June 2016)
Sharing more than 30 original designs to make your own, plus motivating mantras to help you relax, unwind, and greet each day with renewed optimism and creative energy. Whether you’re new to coloring or a gel-pen aficionado, you may have already admired the artistic creations of Diane Yi, whose stunning artwork has been shared, pinned, or colored around the world. With Diane’s style of intricate details with exquisite flourishes, Inkspirations for a Happy Heart provides a perfect canvas that will inspire you to color your world a little brighter. Please see: http://amzn.to/28G4xLo
● Inkspirations for Cat Lovers (July 2016)
Cats are curious, regal, intelligent, and playful. They oblige us humans by allowing us to share our lives and hearts with them. Inkspirations for Cat Lovers celebrates the magic, mystery, and merriment of cats throughout the seasons, from Siamese to the Sphinx, Abyssinians to Persians, Maine Coons to calicos, and more. From long-haired to short-haired and everything in between, you will find more than 30 original designs that celebrate the many ways in which cats bring joy (and fur!) into our lives. Inkspirations for Cat Lovers is a fitting tribute to our whiskered companions who color our world brighter every day. Please see: http://amzn.to/1PuN3G7
Also see www.Inkspirations.com for:
• Inkspirations for Women (March 2016) • Inkspirations for Recovery (February 2016)
Ken Morrison Ascot Media Group Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 Office: (281) 333-3507 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
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Rethink, Remember, Renew – Nothing Captures The Beauty Of Life Like Images Of Nature
Memphis, TN – When Rebecca Webb Wilson’s parents gave their young daughter a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye years ago, they could not have known where it would lead her. While taking photographs of hawks along the expressway in her hometown of Memphis opened the gates to her passion for wildlife photography, her first job as a PanAm flight attendant fueled her wanderlust.
This avid traveler and accomplished nature photographer’s passions gracefully combine in Well Seasoned: Savoring Life’s Lessons (Inspire on Purpose), her new book that chronicles the seasons of life, illuminated by her unconventional and uplifting philosophy, in a collage of breathtaking photographs and inspirational essays. By pairing carefully crafted words with more than one hundred vibrant, full-color images, Wilson savors the clarity that time and experience make possible for all who journey.
Sprinkled with thoughtful quotations and fragments of poetry, her unique book shares the author’s abundant gratitude for the sudden surprises and unexpected joys revealed in nature’s seasons, and her own passing seasons – offering renewed hope to anyone hesitant about the aging process.
During her many travels, the author climbed and photographed Mount Kilimanjaro, the Swiss Alps part of the Haute Route, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, as well as capturing on film so many other wondrous places. This exquisite collection pays tribute to Rebecca’s deep sense of adventure and desire to capture the moment for all time. For readers, it offers a temporary respite from everyday life – to be immersed in beauty and tranquility and to reflect on their own tender memories. Rebecca says it so well: Rethink. Remember. Renew.
About the author: After her time with PanAm, followed by a brief stint as a realtor, Rebecca attended law school at the University of Memphis and served several years as an Assistant United States Attorney. She later became involved with the Memphis Zoological Society in its efforts to remodel and revitalize its facility. She founded a youth leadership program in Memphis called Bridge Builders, which to date has had 21,000 participants from surrounding public, private, and parochial schools. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she serves as a member of its Board of Trust, and also serves on the board of directors of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation.
Named one of Memphis Woman Magazine’s ‘50 Women Who Make a Difference,’ she also received the Legends Award from the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis in 2010. She lives in Memphis with her husband and they share their time between two sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren.
For more information on this accomplished photographer, author and dedicated humanitarian, please visit: www.hawkeyenature.com.
Well Seasoned: Savoring Life’s Lessons Publisher: Inspire on Purpose ISBN # 978-0-9898008-6-0
Houston, TX – The power of music is legendary. Not too long ago, one musician decided to ask the question – and then set out to find the answer by traveling the globe: can music help bridge gaps between people? The answer proved a resounding “yes,” and for proof author Osseily Hanna offers his fascinating book, Music and Coexistence: A Journey across the World in Search of Musicians Making a Difference (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing).
What at first seemed a simple question soon proved not so simple. “Musicians from across the world helped me get closer to answering this question,” says Osseily Hanna, the author. “I wanted to find musicians who break boundaries and traditional modes of thinking to create a ray of hope.”
He found them building bridges through music in a world where animosities are all too visible. “On everyone’s mind presently are conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and between Russia and Ukraine, but we know these will keep shifting. This past summer it was Gaza; before then it was Darfur. What I’m tapping is something bigger, looking at the ways music breaks down the walls nations and sometimes even communities work so hard to erect.”
Music and Coexistence explores the courageous work of musicians who compose and perform with their ostensible enemies or in extraordinary social situations. Hanna documents the political and economic constraints faced by musicians, from the wall that encloses a refugee camp in Jerusalem, to the tensions among KFOR and Carabinieri peacekeepers who keep Serbs and Kosovar Albanians apart, to the cultural and linguistic suppression that afflicts minority communities in Turkey.
Hanna talks to the individuals and groups at the forefront of the effort to bridge ethnic, cultural, and religious divisions. Featuring musicians from thirteen different countries and territories across five continents, Hanna’s story includes a remarkable cadre of performers. These include the musicians who comprise Heartbeat, a group of Israeli and Palestinian youth, who compose, record, and perform music together; the Albino musicians of Tanzania, who regularly combat persecution by local shamans; the multiracial and thriving samba musicians in Sao Paolo, and a former child soldier from Cambodia who seeks to revive traditional music following the genocide in the 1970s.
With photos taken by the author during his travels, this work is a remarkable intersection of world music and peace studies. It will open the eyes and the hearts of every musician and music lover who recognizes music as a universal language. The companion film was recently screened at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver.
Osseily Hanna was born in London, where he began violin lessons at the age of eight and played with the North London Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He gave up a successful career in global financial markets in 2011 to develop Music and Coexistence as a film and book project. Fluent in English and Spanish, he has also studied Arabic, French, Italian, and Turkish.
For more information, please visit: www.musicandcoexistence.com
Music and Coexistence: A Journey across the World in Search of Musicians Making a Difference Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Available December 16, 2014, online from Barnes & Noble and Amazon and other fine booksellers 978-1-4422-3753-7 (Hardback) $40.00 978-1-4422-3754-4 (eBook) $39.99
Deerfield Beach, FL – “I never thought that my hobby of photographing the sun would turn into my ‘passion project,’ never mind a book,” says photographer/author, Kim Weiss about, Sunrise, Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude (HCI Books – Fall 2014 — ISBN; 9780757318085– $10.95). “Odd as it is to go from publicist to ‘author,’ I was moved to share the sense of awe I get to experience every day from my 14th floor terrace.” Her universally loved sunrises (& sunsets) fill the pages, accompanied by the sage words of inspiring people we admire. Each week commentary from people like Candace Bushnell, Lisa Nichols, Jack Canfield, Joan Halifax, Marty Becker, Marci Shimoff and many, many more complement the visual beauty of sun rising and setting.
“I’m actually thrilled to see that a growing number of admirers of my photographs have convened on Facebook and Instagram and not only like my pictures but are inspired to post their own,” says Weiss. “We’re many thousands strong and have posts from Nova Scotia to Guam.”
Sunrise, Sunset, (which happens to fit nicely inside a bag, or perch on a nightstand), is the ultimate gift book for saying “thank you,” sharing a blessing or offering an oasis for spiritual awakening. From sunrise to sunset this book will be a perennial source of inspiration.
Weiss’s actively growing community of backyard photographers can be joined on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KimWeissSunriseSunset and all her events and reviews can be seen at: www.sunrisesunsetbook.com
We hope this will interest you for a gift guide, a feature, or as a giveaway for your audience.
A significant portion of the proceeds from book sales goes to AVDA – an organization dedicated to helping and bringing hope to women who have suffered domestic violence. For more information on this very worthwhile cause, please visit: www.avdaonline.org.
In great appreciation of your consideration. Please contact Kim Weiss at (800) 851-9100 ext. 212 or [email protected] for an interview, excerpt, or a review copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Weiss (Boynton Beach, FL) has been a publicist in the book industry for many years and coaches other writers aspiring to be bestselling authors. Her love of nature and photography began when she was just a little girl and bloomed into the writer and photographer she is today. From her 14th floor terrace she witnesses the beauty of nature and captures it through the lens of her camera. As a storyteller, Kim has contributed to the hugely popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series and The Ultimate Bird Lover with “America’s Vet” Marty Becker. You can also find Kim’s stories and photos in Arielle Ford’s acclaimed book Hot Chocolate for the Mystical Soul. When she’s not working with authors, Kim is studying opera, playing guitar, being entertained by her birds and cats, or taking photos from her terrace at sunrise and sunset.
