Formerly Imprisoned American Peace Activist Shares His Captivating True Story
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In 2018, Dr. Frank Romano stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer that was preparing to destroy a Bedouin village — Al Khan al Ahmar in the Jericho Valley, West Bank. He was promptly arrested and imprisoned in Jerusalem.
His harrowing true story, Love and Terror in the Middle East (5th Edition), recounts this last voyage to the troubled Holy Land. It covers his arrest, his experiences in jail, his living underground in Palestine, and then his second arrest and subsequent deportation.
After his arrest in Jerusalem, he was thrown into a cell with four hardened Israeli criminals who immediately attacked him, striking and stabbing him with a sharp object. Bloodied and injured, he broke away from the onslaught and pounded on the door. After the guards saw the dripping blood, they pulled him from the cell and locked him in solitary confinement.
The following day, Romano was to stand trial in Jerusalem. The police, instead of taking him to court for the trial, drove him to the airport after an Israeli Military Court convicted him of a felony and ordered his deportation. When the judge became aware of the police duplicity, she ordered them to return Romano to Jerusalem to stand trial. After the trial, he was acquitted and released, but the court ordered him to leave Israel and Palestine.
Romano disobeyed a court order to leave Israel and Palestine. Preferring to continue his work in Palestine, he went underground in Palestine to avoid arrest.
While he was hiding from Israeli police, Romano worked with a team of lawyers in Ramallah, West Bank, preparing a case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of Defense Avigdor Lieberman and American authorities, before the International Criminal Court for War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and other serious international offenses. He filed that ICC brief in August 2021.
For a decade, through interfaith grassroots efforts, Frank Romano has brought Jews, Muslims and Christians together from all corners of the world in support of peace. The story he shares in Love and Terror in the Middle East was a voyage into a tense war zone, the first time defending Palestinian Bedouins, and it is a powerful story of courage, resilience and Romano’s dedication to world peace.
He presently lives and works teaching French in the Sabra and Chatilla Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon.
Love and Terror in the Middle East Publisher: AB Film Publishing ISBN-10: 0990485234 ISBN-13: 978-0990485230 Available from BarnesAndNoble.com and Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Kelly Freeman Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Mother of Young Heroin Addict Opens Up and Says, ‘This is Us’
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Christine Naman understands all too well that those who struggle with mental illness and addiction are not faceless numbers. They are real people who are valued and cherished by their families, and she wants the world to know and understand her daughter, Natalie.
“People are silent in their shame,” Christine said in a recent interview. “They’re quiet about it. And when you reach out and say, ‘this is us,’ people are anxious to unload and say, ‘that’s us too.’”
Christine traces her daughter’s years-long battle with mental illness and addiction — and opens up about her own struggles with denial and the shame she carries for not recognizing the signs — in About Natalie, a gripping, cautionary tale of how a child can suddenly end up on the wrong path, meet the wrong people and get lost in the unthinkable.
“I did not know the signs or symptoms,” Christine said. “I didn’t know the looks of things or the smells of things. Often times, it was right in front of me. I just didn’t know what I was seeing.”
Natalie was just 15 years old when she became addicted to heroin. They were everyday people, living everyday lives, and then the floor dropped out.
About Natalie takes readers deep inside Christine’s emotional and mental turmoil as she grows into her new, unfortunate role as the parent of an addict. She steps on syringes left on the floor. She lives the nightmare of finding an unresponsive child on the floor and uses Narcan to revive her. She chases away a drug dealer and stays up all night waiting for her missing child to come home. She rejoices during periods of recovery and hope and is devastated during relapses. When her daughter suffers, Christine suffers right along with her.
Interwoven with Christine’s reflections are Natalie’s brilliant poems that share her personal pain and the unvarnished truth of her struggle.
Full of compassion, understanding and hope for those struggling with mental illness and addiction, About Natalie is a story of fighting for — and right alongside — the ones we love, no matter how difficult the circumstances. It is a story of keeping the faith, battling hard and never giving up.
Bestselling author Christine Pisera Naman is a wife to a beautiful man named Peter and a mother to three fantastic kids named Jason, Natalie and Trevor. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, which she does poorly; painting, again poorly; and volunteering at her local hospital, which she hopes she does well. She is the author of the Faces of Hope series of books that are now housed in the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City. Her other works include Caterpillar Kisses, Christmas Lights, The Novena and The Believers. About Natalie is her heart poured onto paper.
She hopes that by sharing her family’s difficult story she can bring understanding and knowledge to those who do not know these problems firsthand as well as provide comfort to those who know the struggles of mental illness and addiction all too well.
How to Raise Resilient Children in Our Complex World
(This press release may be reprinted in part or in its entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Being a teenager in today’s “age of anxiety” is scary. Being a parent of a teenager is even scarier. Zoomers may seem more together, more confident and more independent than prior generations, but in fact, they are more anxious, lonely and emotionally fragile, and less resilient to stress, says psychoanalyst, clinical social worker and parenting expert Erica Komisar.
“We are asking children to handle more — more stress, more stimulation, more pressure, more choices and more decisions — without giving them a secure foundation of support, emotional security, and real and meaningful connections,” says Komisar.
Her important new book, Chicken Little the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety, is a comprehensive guide filled with compassionate and practical advice to help parents guide, educate and connect with their children on a range of current topics, including gender and sexual identity, anxiety and depression, disordered eating, ADHD, vaping, social media and bullying, to name a few.
Chicken Little also contains valuable insights intended to help readers prevent, recognize and address mental health disorders, as well as help their teens navigate academic and social pressures, social media and technology usage, increased social isolation and family pressures. With Komisar’s guidance and support, parents will learn how to be beacons of hope and change, as well as how to raise emotionally healthy, resilient adolescents.
About the Author Erica Komisar, LCSW, is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst and parent guidance expert who has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. As a psychological consultant, she brings parenting workshops to schools, clinics, corporations and childcare settings. She is also a contributing editor to the Institute for Family Studies. She is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.
Erica lives in New York City with her husband and is the mother of three adolescent children.
Chicken Little, the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: November 2, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757324002 ISBN-13: 9780757324000 Trade Paperback, 288 pages 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
Learn How to Not Only Survive but Thrive using Practical Tools in New Book, Thriving Life
(This press release may be reprinted in part or in its entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Have you been struggling to live your best life? Do you feel stuck? Professor and trained therapist Laura Berg is a trauma survivor who understands struggle and knows how to overcome it.
Berg’s new book, Thriving Life, shows you how to transform your life by learning how to not only survive but thrive. She created the methods in this book to help people everywhere when they need a boost, no matter what is going on in their lives.
“For most of my life I felt stuck, as though I was just trying to survive life one day at a time. I found it difficult to move beyond the traumas in my past to live the life I deserved. I wrote this book to share with others my experiences and the lessons I learned that helped me overcome the obstacles in my life that were holding me back. I’m hoping that these stories and the advice I share in this book will help the reader live a more joyful and thriving life,” Berg says.
Thriving Life serves as a reference, with each chapter discussing a specific issue that many people struggle with, such as defining your own happiness, dealing with rejection and setting limits in relationships. With practical tips and a step-by-step approach to help you find what makes you happy, Berg will teach readers how to stop victimizing themselves and find strength in asking for help.
About the Author Laura Berg is a professor, author, entrepreneur, trained therapist and award-winning parenting expert. Among her many accolades, she has been named one of the Top 10 Mom Entrepreneurs, Savvy Mom of the Year, and was awarded YouTube’s Silver Play Button.
Thriving Life: How to Live Your Best Life No Matter the Cards You’re Dealt Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: November 2, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757323960 ISBN-13: 978-0757323966 Trade Paperback, 256 pages Available for pre-order 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
Harrowing Experiences in Alaska Transform Young Bride Into Woman of Strength
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
At the age of 23, new bride Deanne Burch accompanied her husband, Ernest “Tiger” Burch, to the Inuit village of Kivalina, Alaska, a barrier island 83 miles above the Arctic Circle. Tiger was conducting a study of the natives, but Deanne, a naïve city girl, was completely unprepared for what she was about to experience. Tiger would say that what happened to them was bad luck. Deanne calls it destiny.
In Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle, Deanne recounts in vivid detail her unforgettable story of the months spent in a remote Eskimo village.
“I think when something happens — the tragedy that happened to us in Alaska — you always live on the edge of it. You never forget what really happened,” Deanne said in a recent interview.
In Kivalina, Deanne lived on the edge of two worlds — the one she left behind and the one where she reluctantly participated in all aspects of the women’s lives. Skinning seals, cleaning and drying fish, and cutting beluga and caribou to store became her way of life. Plumbing, running water and electricity were not available. Loneliness was a constant companion until a few women befriended her.
During a span of six days, Deanne and Tiger narrowly escaped death during a camping trip, and Tiger suffered severe burns from a fire in their house. He spent three months in the hospital receiving treatment for seared lungs and horrific burns on his face and hands. His lungs never recovered from this ordeal.
When he was finally released from the hospital, he returned to the village with Deanne to complete the study. The life-threatening and harrowing experiences in Alaska transformed Deanne into a woman of strength who learned how to embrace challenge.
Over 50 years later, she remembers that young girl who left on an unknown journey that will live in her heart forever.
Author Deanne Burch was born and raised in Canada and attended the University of Toronto, obtaining B.A. degrees in liberal arts and social work. After the Alaska journey, she and her husband eventually settled in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, where they lived until his death.
Deanne spent 30 years as a professional international photographer who taught and lectured in the U.S. and Canada. She published several articles in photography magazines and journals. Since retiring in 2014, she devoted herself to writing short stories and children’s stories. Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle was published in March 2021.
Journey Through Fire and Ice: Shattered Dreams Above the Arctic Circle Publisher: Authority Publishing ISBN-10: 1949642593 ISBN-13: 978-1949642599 Available from Amazon.com
Faith Journey Includes the Good, the Bad and the Proof that God Hears Our Prayers
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Christine Schat sat down and wrote the truth about her life even though some of it was messy. As a teenager, she lived by her own rules, became pregnant, married young, divorced and married again. She made choices that led to the tragic death of her husband and the heartbreak of a prodigal son. She had welcomed Jesus into her life at an early age, but had repeatedly veered off course. Every time she repented, she found God’s forgiveness and mercy to be always available, always complete. This is her compelling story.
The Tree of Faith, God Wants to Answer YOUR Prayer is Schat’s deeply personal memoir recounting true stories that range from dealing with regret to letting go of guilt and letting go of shame. There were many life events that prompted Schat to seek God’s will and to ask for His help. Did God always show up in exactly the way she expected Him to? No. Were her prayers answered as quickly as she’d hoped? No. But ultimately, she recognized the constant thread of God’s love that was woven throughout her life despite her sins.
Schat’s style is easy and conversational, and laced with touches of humor. She shares the moments, thoughts and experiences that led her to a most astonishing realization in the face of adversity.
She discovered that the seed of faith planted in her at birth by the Creator could grow easily in the healthy soil of a humble heart. By spiritually cultivating that seed with life-giving prayer and sonshine, her small seedling grew into a magnificently strong, fruit-bearing tree of faith, deeply rooted and stable. She then knew, that living with Christ, everything is possible.
In The Tree of Faith, readers will discover the age-old secret to obliterating fear, guilt and shame; the personal way God answers questions; strength through adversity and the power of letting go; the unique key to turning life around; and the growing faith that looks past the impossible. Along the way, readers are invited to get involved through chapter questions.
Schat shares the good and the bad of her faith journey, with personal stories and a wealth of wisdom gleaned over decades that can give readers hope that God hears their prayers.
“Now is the time to look to the Light, renew your faith and expect God to answer your prayers!” Schat said.
Author Christine Schat is a UCLA graduate and the former owner of Fort Bragg Bakery. She loves to smile, laugh and share her stories. She currently lives in Southern California but loves to travel the country visiting family and friends. She is especially fond of her grandchildren and has been nicknamed Gram-cracker. But her greatest joy is experiencing God’s answered prayers.
The Tree of Faith, God Wants to Answer YOUR Prayer Publisher: Made for More Enterprises, LLC ISBN-13: 979-8735214540 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Emily Tucker Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Life on the Grocery Line Reveals What it Was Really Like to be Deemed ‘Essential’
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Adam Kaat never thought he’d be on the front line of anything as interesting as the unraveling of American society, let alone the dismantling of the global economy. But as a cashier in a high-end grocery store, it was his destiny to witness firsthand the devastation — and desperation — stoked by an invisible, deadly force as the pandemic of 2020 unfolded.
In his powerful new book, Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic, Kaat takes readers into the eye of the storm, where some of the workforce’s lowest paid employees ride a daily maelstrom of empty shelves, angry customers, uncertainty and paranoia.
“When word began trickling in that the virus had spread to the United States and cases were growing, everything changed. The public and personal perception of what I do to pay the bills went from unnoticed to an essential part of survival overnight,” Kaat writes.
He tells his riveting story through the eyes of a character named Daniel, who watches from the frontlines as the frenzied panic caused by COVID surges like a tidal wave across his home state of Colorado. Now, he’s suddenly being called a hero just for showing up at his job, and he isn’t sure how to feel about that.
Daniel sees fear in the eyes of some customers and hostility in others, as he does his best to hold his head high and just keep making it from one shift to the next. And along the way, he learns more than he ever expected to about humanity’s response to fear, observing most prominently the way in which some people look down on the very workers they deem “essential.”
At its core, Life on the Grocery Line is about a test of the human spirit — a 21st century manifestation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea.
Author Adam Jonathan Kaat worked in a grocery store as a cashier and then as a prepared foods supervisor from January 2020 until May 2021. After college, he bounced around through the corporate world until leaving it all behind in the Fall of 2019 to write his first novel. By January 2020, he had taken a job as a cashier to earn money while preserving mental energy for his creative pursuits. He got much more than he bargained for when COVID hit. He began to blog about his experiences as a frontline worker, and 15,000 Facebook followers later, Life on the Grocery Line was born.
For more information and to read Kaat’s blog, please visit www.lifeonthegroceryline.com; or connect with the author on Instagram (@kaatadam), Facebook (@lifeonthegroceryline) or Twitter (lifeonthegroce1).
Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic Publisher: Inspired Forever Publishing ISBN-10: 1948903326 ISBN-13: 978-1948903325 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Beth Foster Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
