In the real world, “espionage is not a tuxedo and a martini,” quipped prolific author Jeffrey S. Stephens, who has written extensively about missions involving CIA operatives and national security.
“They work in the shadows. They’re in danger,” he added. “There’s so much that goes on that we don’t know about — so many near misses that we can never hear about for obvious security reasons.”
His latest book, The Handler, pays homage to those who “work in the shadows” to protect the people of the United States with a chillingly realistic plot centered on the revival of Al Qaeda and its efforts to pull off a large act of terrorism.
The book features Nick Reagan, an abundantly confident CIA operative and American hero who will go to any length to protect the country he loves. And in The Handler, Reagan and his team travel to the ends of the earth to locate an anonymous terrorist determined to unleash a series of unholy attacks on America. Can their mission succeed when they don’t even know who they’re looking for?
Readers first meet Reagan as he traces a trail of clues to China in search of the Ghost Chip — a new technology that turns cell phones into detonators and renders them untraceable. In the hands of terrorists, the Ghost Chip would be catastrophic.
When the CIA uncovers details of a violent assault planned in New York City, Reagan and his partner, Carol Gellos, are assigned to prevent it — facing long odds and danger along the way.
As events unfold, it becomes apparent the incident in Manhattan was only the first in a series of intended terrorist strikes within the United States. Even worse, Reagan discovers that the man behind this onslaught is further along in his preparations than anyone in the intelligence community anticipated.
The anonymous ISIS handler behind these assaults is using new technology, as well as information gathered from three American scientists kidnapped in Pakistan, to coordinate his plans. The result will be a gruesome fate for thousands of innocent people … unless Reagan can stop him.
After deciphering the code being used by the Handler to plot his bloody scheme, Reagan races against time, needing help as never before from his group of talented associates, including his lover, top CIA analyst Erin David.
Throughout The Handler, the author toggles between perspectives, giving readers a chilling look inside the minds of Islamic terrorists hellbent on carrying out heinous acts in the name of the Koran, while simultaneously, Reagan risks his life to thwart the awful carnage.
BestThrillers.com calls The Handler, “A taut terrorism thriller that mesmerizes with a dizzying global conspiracy and believable stakes,” and The Real Book Spy calls it, “Jason Bourne for the new millennium.”
About the Author
A native of New York City, Jeffrey S. Stephens is a successful attorney in private practice, admitted in both New York and Connecticut. Stephens has lived for more than 30 years in Greenwich, which is where he and his wife, Nancy, raised their two sons, Graham and Trevor. Stephens is the author of the Jordan Sandor thrillers, Targets Of Deception, Targets Of Opportunity, Targets Of Revenge and Rogue Mission, as well as the Anthony Walker murder mystery Crimes And Passion and the Pencraft First Place Award winning novel, Fool’s Errand.
For more information, please visit www.jeffreystephens.com, or follow the author on Facebook (Author Jeffrey Stephens), Instagram (jss50) and Twitter (@j_stephensbooks).
In the important new children’s book, Bad Touching, author and retired OB/GYN Dr. Tiffanie Tate tackles the difficult topic of inappropriate touching in a way that young minds will understand.
The 32-page picture book uses simple language and lyric rhyme to tell the story of two young sisters, Lillie and Linda, who just want to make every adult happy. They live alone with their mother, and when she gets a new boyfriend, he helps take care of Lillie and Linda. He is nice at first, but that changes. Lillie and Linda learn that there are times when making everyone happy is not a good thing if it hurts them in the process. This story helps children understand and identify abusive situations and provides directions on how to seek help.
Bad Touching is Dr. Tate’s second book and is based on her personal experiences as a child. She did not disclose her abuse until she was an adult, she explained.
“My desire is to educate children about safe people they can confide in,” Dr. Tate said. “My hope is that this book will help children who are affected by abuse know they are not alone and let them know that it is all right to tell. I don’t want them to feel afraid or scared to talk about what is happening to them and wait for decades like I did.”
Then, amid her activism to help others, Dr. Tate was “badly touched” in a medical provider’s office while receiving care on January 24, 2023.
“It was a trigger that was traumatic, but instead of waiting like I did before, I immediately reached out and got the help I needed,” Dr. Tate said, adding that she reported the event to the office manager, filed a police report, and that the individual is in the process of being held accountable.
“There is still a lot to do,” she added, “but I want to be an advocate for women and children.”
About the Author
Originally from Compton, California, Dr. Tiffanie Tate is a Christian, mother, servant, listener and medically retired medical doctor. Her interest in becoming a physician began when she was in middle school, while volunteering with her church to help the homeless in Los Angeles. She saw people who were both hungry and sick. She wanted to do more than serve food. She wanted to help them in meaningful ways, so she became a physician.
Both of her biological parents were addicted to drugs. And while she never met her father, she had heard that he was homeless, and she couldn’t help but wonder whether he was one of the homeless she and her church were helping. With the loving support of her maternal family and, specifically, her maternal aunt who raised her (known as “Momtee”), Dr. Tate received the love, support and stability she needed to thrive and achieve her professional goals of becoming a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist. An injury led to her medical retirement, which inspired her to pursue her second passion: writing.
Dr. Tate is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served during the Global War on Terrorism. She believes in giving back and currently teaches residents by providing lectures on subjects in obstetrics and gynecology.
She is also the author of FloweTry: A Collection of 108 Poetic Flows on Life, Love, and Liturgical Issues, and the upcoming release, Little Engine Mia Sings, a children’s book that teaches about bullying and how to discourage it.
Bad Touching Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing ISBN-13: 979-8886850093 (paperback, 32 pages) Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and iTunes
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Reviews, photos, links to previous interviews and Q&As are available upon request.
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Command Sgt. Maj. U.S. Army (retired) Bart E. Womack shares the gripping true story of the March 23, 2003, unprecedented deadly terrorist attack against the men and women of the 101st Airborne Division in his book, Embedded Enemy: The Insider Threat.
Told second by second in his firsthand account as a survivor, Embedded Enemy is a potent reminder of the need for situational awareness, no matter the circumstances.
“This event shocked the armed forces, America and people around the world,” Womack said. “It forced everyone to consider more carefully whom we really trust and to begin to digest the idea that threats to our personal safety might now come from the inside. Twenty years later, the entire country has no idea how this event actually took place.”
As the book details, shortly after deploying for the war in Iraq, the Bastogne Brigade was staged at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait where they prepared for combat against Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime.During the eerie, pitch-black, early morning hours of March 23, 2003, a fellow American soldier, Sergeant Hasan Akbar, executed the unthinkable and unlikeliest of scenarios by launching a terrorist attack against his chain of command as they slept in preparation for war.
The wicked aftermath killed two officers and wounded 13 others. Despite the tragic deaths in the most unfathomable way, the Bastogne Brigade received movement orders to cross the border into Iraq just 48 hours after the attack.
“This story is about how the soldiers bonded together to rescue, treat and evacuate their brothers in arms in the midst of darkness, massive explosions, gun fire, suffocating smoke, body ripping shrapnel, and complete and total chaos and confusion, while simultaneously searching for a ruthless killer that had taken the same oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against foreign enemies,” Womack said. “Little did they realize they would meet the most improbable of adversaries — one of their very own — an ‘Embedded Enemy.’”
The soldiers and airmen killed and wounded in this attack never received the Purple Heart as casualties from an enemy of the United States. On January 9, 2023, the award was denied by the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force.
“I remain steadfast in pursuit and will continue to fight until they are recognized by the award of the Purple Heart that they so truly deserve!” Womack said. “These medals won’t bring back those killed or heal the bodies of those wounded. It will, however, serve as a testament that the United States of America recognizes their sacrifice and officially calls the attack a ‘terrorist attack.’”
Akbar was sentenced to death and currently awaits execution at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.“No profession, level of education, ideology or religion is above reproach,” Womack added. “There is no profile. The Insider Threat is closer than you think.”
About the Author
Command Sgt. Maj. retired Bart E. Womack served the United States Army with distinction for over 29 years and contributed immeasurably to the readiness of the armed forces and the security of our great nation. Highlights of his distinguished military career include Sergeant of the Guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, his career culminating in dual roles as Commandant and the 101st Airborne Division Command Sergeant Major. An Army Ranger combat veteran with two Bronze Stars, one for valor, he is also a Distinguished Member of the Regiment for the 3rd and 327th Infantry Regiments.
Post military, Womack helps veterans enhance their careers and excel. He sits on the Board of Directors for Veterans Media Corporation, is an Executive Producer for The Veterans Channel, and an actor and military technical adviser. In recognition of his selfless service and initiatives, Womack was invested as a Knight into The Order of St. George, Grand Priory of Canada & the Americas in October 2020.
Embedded Enemy: The Insider Threat Publisher: Inspired Forever Books ISBN-10: 1948903393 ISBN-13: 978-1948903394 Available from Amazon.com
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Reviews, photos, links to previous interviews and Q&As are available upon request.
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Providence Heights Brings Renewed Hope to Seattle’s At-Risk Women
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Seattle spends more than $1 billion per year on fragmented programs to support its homeless, according to Puget Sound Business Journal. This figure is staggering, yet offers no guarantees that these vital services will be available from one year to the next. Too much hinges on donations and government programs — dollars that hang in the balance relative to the local economy. Women and children are especially vulnerable to the dangers of living on the streets or in unsafe environments, and one woman who has survived unthinkable adversity has founded an organization unlike most others.
In 2019, Christine Soule launched Providence Heights, a Christian-based nonprofit designed to empower Seattle’s women in need through housing, employment opportunities and personal development programs. The organization’s business model includes multiple sources of revenue to generate a sustainable income, something Soule likes to call Capitalism for the Poor. Additionally, “Our unique retail space integration will secure revenue as well as provide apprenticeship, jobs and entrepreneurial skills,” Soule explains.
The initial Phase I launch will provide housing and resilient growth programs for approximately 100 women at risk of going under who simply need an opportunity to regroup and equip themselves to not just survive but to thrive. Also for those who have come out of a program such as the Union Gospel Mission and are fully prepared to commit to changing the trajectory of their lives.
Phase II aims to more than double the capacity and provide housing for more than 200 women, including those with children. Once the revenue stream is firmly established in this phase, Providence Heights will enter Phase III — the final phase — when the organization will replicate this model from city to city. They hope to also empower similar organizations to use its successful blueprint to help those they serve.
Providence Heights Founder and Chief Executive Officer Christine Soule is a lover of people and passionate about leading them toward a restored and dignified life. From her personal experience, she has great compassion for homeless and abused women. She co-founded The Purpose and is a philanthropist, author and inventor. Her recently released book, Broken and Beautiful, chronicles her remarkable journey from trauma to triumph. Christine is also a mother of five and married to Mitch, the love of her life.
Trish Stevens Anna Jones Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
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Powerful True Story Chronicles Woman’s Triumph After Unspeakable Heartaches
In 1979, life changed dramatically for Soheila Adelipour and her family. Fleeing chaos and persecution in Iran following the Islamic revolution and landing in New York, this family found stability there and worked hard to achieve education, jobs, spouses and children. But life had yet to take its cruelest toll.
Chronicling their experiences in Dancing to the Darkest Light, Adelipour recounts how her only brother became a neurosurgeon while others followed different paths. But their successful relocation and the joy they felt over each triumph was soon shattered when the Adelipour’s second son, Stefan, was killed in a dorm room fire before his scheduled graduation from Boston University.
Adelipour channeled her grief into the foundation she established in his name. Soon after, her older sister had to undergo five brain surgeries that left her blind and deaf before ultimately claiming her life. The same week, their only brother who was supervising her care was diagnosed with leukemia. Adelipour gave him her bone marrow and 60 percent of her liver when his liver stopped functioning. Doctors ultimately announced he was cancer-free with a perfectly functioning liver, but the week he was to come home, he died from pneumonia.
How one perseveres under the weight of all this loss is at the core of Dancing to the Darkest Light. “When life plays different music, we have to be fluid and dance to the new tune,” Adelipour said.
Adelipour received her bachelor’s degree in business and her master’s degree in Art Gallery Management while her first two children were in diapers. She was involved with the World of Arts and Antiques in New York City and followed that by operating high-end gift stores.
For more information visit www.soheilaadelipour.com.
Dancing to the Darkest Light
Released: September 2019
ISBN-10: 173371264X
ISBN-13: 978-1733712644
Trish Stevens Allison Janse Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com (800) 851-9100 Ext. 9204
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Unresolved Trauma And Toxic Stress Seep Into The Way We Partner, Parent, Labor And Love
This groundbreaking new book by Dr. Tian Dayton offers a path to healing for the
millions of people who grew up with addiction, trauma, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Toxic stress and trauma are gaining a rightful place in our country’s national health agenda. Almost two-thirds of people reported at least one adverse childhood event (ACE), and more than one in five reported three or more. When trauma remains unresolved, it can emerge in adulthood as co-addictions, depression, anxiety, PTSD, intimacy issues, and even physical illnesses.
In The Soulful Journey of Recovery, esteemed clinician Tian Dayton offers a way out, drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, her decades of work as a therapist, and her personal experience as a child growing up in an addicted household. With exercises, journaling prompts, and astute advice from the heart and the trenches of psycho-therapy, Dr. Dayton reveals both a path and a plan to heal.
Discover:
• Why there’s no “normal” for anyone with unresolved trauma—and how to take the first steps to recover.
• The hidden connection between trauma and addictions—and what you can do if you or someone you love is numbing their pain.
• How childhood traumas can make us physically sick as adults.
• How to tell if someone is “emotionally dyslexic”—with ways to build emotional sobriety and emotional literacy.
• Why our biggest triggers can become treasures that lead to a path of healing.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. Learn how to change the script with The Soulful Journey of Recovery.
From the Foreword by Gary Seidler:
For those who have grown up in a family with addiction, mental illness, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the heartache and pain doesn’t end when they grow up and leave home. The legacy can last a lifetime and spread to generations unseen. In The Soulful Journey of Recovery, Dr. Tian Dayton details an action plan for readers based on the best research of the past two decades. Herself an adult child of an alcoholic, Dr. Dayton has devoted her life’s work to help others free themselves from the trauma they thought they had left behind; triggered pain and anger from the past that can derail the present or make relationships unnecessarily stressful. Powerful, focused exercises and meditations will put readers in touch with their creative, spontaneous side, leading to positive life changes. A journey of self discovery, the book presents hope circuits of positive psychology, showing readers how to take themselves from a place of pain to one of presence. Readers will discover that recovery is a self-affirming life adventure, and the kindest and best thing they can do for themselves and future generations.
Author Bio:
Tian Dayton, PhD, is a senior fellow at The Meadows. She has an MA in educational psychology and a PhD in clinical psychology and is a board-certified trainer in psycho-drama. She authored 15 books including The ACoA Trauma Syndrome, Emotional Sobriety, Trauma and Addiction, Forgiving and Moving On and The Living Stage. She taught psychodrama at New York University for eight years and is the Director of The New York Psychodrama Training Institute. She is a fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry & Group Psychotherapy, and sits on the professional standards committee. She is the winner of ASGPP’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Scholar’s Award and President’s Award, The Mona Mansell Award, and The Ackermann Black Award. Dr. Dayton has been a guest expert on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, Montel, Rikki Lake, John Walsh, and Geraldo. She blogs for Thrive Global and The Huffington Post.
The Soulful Journey of Recovery By Dr. Tian Dayton Release Date: November 1, 2019 ISBN: 978-07573-2200-6 paperback Health Communications, Inc., (800) 851-9100, Sales – Lori Golden extension 228, www.hcibooks.com; available wherever books are sold.
Trish Stevens Maria Jenson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Crisis Of Purpose Hinders Humankind’s Efforts To Resolve World’s Biggest Challenges
The defining crisis of our time isn’t growing authoritarian regimes, economic uncertainty or even climate change. It is a crisis of purpose. Our hope for the future will ultimately depend on how we best conceive of progress if our actions are to result in real human advancement.
In Hope and the Future: Confronting Today’s Crisis of Purpose, the first of a three-part series, Dr. Charles M. Johnston contends that much of civilization lacks a narrative, a compelling human story that can propel us forward. The challenges we face require that we think, act and relate in new ways, he says, and the critical questions before us require that we “grow up” as a species in order to deal with these challenges effectively.
Among the critical questions the book tackles are: How do we best ensure a safe human future in a world filled with weapons of mass destruction? How do we address inevitable environmental catastrophes? How do we make love endure in the future with gender roles in flux today? How will we deal with important challenges that require global cooperation, such as terrorism and the need for a stable economic infrastructure? How do we make moral choices, given their growing complexity and the weakening of cultural guideposts? And finally, how do we best determine if our actions result in real human advancement?
Dr. Johnston’s book distills 30 years of work by the Institute for Creative Development, a Seattle-based, non-partisan think tank and center for leadership training. It introduces the “creative systems” concept of cultural maturity and provides a compelling guiding story for going forward.
Author Charles M. Johnston is also a psychiatrist and futurist, and is best known for founding and directing the ICD and is the originator of Creative Systems Theory, a comprehensive framework for understanding purpose and change in human systems. He is the author of 10 books and numerous articles on the future and how we can best prepare to meet it.
Hope and the Future: Confronting Today’s Crisis of Purpose
Publisher: ICD Press
ISBN-13: 978-1732219007
Available from Amazon.com, www.hopeandthefuture.com/hope and www.ingramcontent.com
