The Miracle Man (O-Books) by Maggy Whitehouse is a story of a modern-day Messiah who becomes a judge on a hugely popular TV talent show. But would the Messiah really come to Las Vegas rather than Jerusalem? Would he be a wealthy TV megastar? Would he be a Jew, not a Christian?
Every move that Miracle Man, Josh Goldstone, makes is blasted over the internet and makes the headlines in newspapers and on television, as he uses his healing powers to wipe out alcoholism, drug use and gambling – in fact, just about any addiction that is rampant in our culture today.
But Christianity teaches that the Anti-Christ will masquerade as a healer and fundamental Christians are quick to denounce this powerful threat to their faith. Worse, the healing of the nations means that people don’t need Medicare, drugs, alcohol or even wealth. The economy will crash with a pain-free and happy population.
Josh’s next goal is politics; joining forces with the Dalai Lama to inspire a celebrity-led peaceful liberation of Tibet and accomplishing an astonishing ‘about face’ in Chinese policy. Now he has become a threat to the whole world order.
Josh’s female PR guru Jude Isaacs (Judas Iscariot) wants to set up the publicity triumph of the year by staging an assassination of Josh live on air, believing that he will finish the story by rising once again. Will the biggest publicity stunt in history be pulled off successfully…?
The Miracle Man cleverly follows the chronology of the four Gospels of the New Testament, portraying every main character, with a modern name, and all the miracles in a present-day setting. Now the greatest story ever told can make sense to a secular world.
Maggy Whitehouse is an expert on mystical Bible interpretation and an author whose many books have been published worldwide. She is a journalist and broadcaster with more than thirty years’ radio and TV experience in her native England, and is a minister in an independent Sacramental Christian Church. Visit Maggy at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00288YAXA or on her websites at: http://www.maggywhitehouse.com and http://them1racleman.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Jane Struthers, Bella magazine and best-selling author of Literary Britain & Ireland and Royal Palaces of Britain: “If you loved the Da Vinci Code you will fall on this book with cries of delight.”
Jacky Newcomb, TV Presenter, Multi-award winner, best-selling author: “Spellbinding; Josh Goldstone is an angel for the modern world.”
Walking through Illusion: Jesus Speaks of the People who Shared His Journey (O-Books), by Betsy Otter Thompson, is written as a series of interrelated stories that, regardless of one’s individual faith, give a better understanding of the spirituality within. The book is more of an emotional accounting than a historical accounting, and is based on the premise that when we leave this world we don’t take our beliefs with us; we take the love we found from having them,
Each chapter is devoted to a specific theme around a person – from Mary Magdalene to Judas to Pilate – and each chapter helps readers to recognize the power within their own emotional actions. The author believes that the secret to happiness is in giving what you want, not in getting what you want. Walking through Illusion also offers a unique question and answer format at the end of each chapter designed to help readers bring the ideas from the book into their every day life in a meaningful way.
The stories are a means through which to explore human as well as spiritual issues – the pursuit of meaningful goals, the nature of loving gifts, the healing of our hearts, why happiness seems elusive, the reason for handicaps and, in general, why life often seems so unfair! Since we know our time on Earth is temporary, Thompson believes we need to recognize what is real and what is not; the real being that which we feel in our hearts; the illusion being that which we see with our eyes. Her intuitive book suggests that action/reaction, cause and effect, or the pulling of energy back to itself, is the force that runs the universe. And since we have the power to use those physics in any way we wish, we might as well use them to our advantage to create a better life. Visit www.betsythompson.com for more compelling messages from this author.
Betsy Otter Thompson now devotes her time to writing. Previously, she worked in media sales, and also at Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner Brothers in Los Angeles. Her goal is not to challenge history but rather to help readers to embrace the concept that we create our emotional futures. Walking through Illusion is the second book in her trilogy on the life of Jesus.
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TIP SHEET:
Joni Hudson-Reynolds, www.ebonymompolitics.wordpress.com: “This is a fascinating read from a very creative mind. The commentary gives real heft to characters profiled in the Bible. I found the chapter on Approval and the characterization of Mark to be spot on in terms of relating to the human need to simply be accepted. The commentary related how we often put on masks that reveal only a portion of our self. The fine tuned dialogue moves us gracefully to a point of self acceptance which is a tribute to the brilliance of the author.”
Bonnie Neeley, a 5 Star Review on Amazon: Provocative Spiritual Mystery “Walking Through Illusion by Betsy Otter Thompson is a book you will want to read over and over if you are interested in spiritual matters. The chapters each take a Biblical character and in a Q & A format the author has a dialogue with Jesus about that person and the purpose of the trials or temptations he or she had in life. The situations all are presented in such a way, with Jesus’ answers so thought-provoking, that anyone can extrapolate the circumstances to his or her own life… It will take many readings to comprehend these simple illustrations which contain the Great Mystery. An EXCELLENT book.”
A Prolific Book Reader near Illinois, a 5 Star Review on Amazon: What an Amazing Book! “Unlike any other book I’ve read that just talks ‘about’ Jesus – this one felt more like I was part of a hypothetical personal interview with Jesus and all the biblical people who actually ‘knew Him’…. it’s hard to find the kind of honesty that is exhibited by this author where she shares how her own life has also been greatly influenced by the book’s messages. This book did more in helping me to understand my own spirituality and to question my perspective on life than anything else I’ve read… A must-read for anyone who has questions about their own faith and beliefs and the part the church plays today in their life. There are so many unique possibilities to be gained from Walking Through Illusion!”
Cathal O’Briain, Author & Therapist “Powerful Mind through Self-Hypnosis” “In Walking through Illusion, Betsy Otter Thompson delves into the human heart through her exploration of the people around Jesus. As her vehicle, she creates a conversation with him in order to understand his journey and the journeys of those around him. Her honest introspection of how the message affected her life helps the reader to remove the veil that keeps us from living life more fully. It’s an inspiring contribution from an inspiring author.”
Florida Reader Judith, a 5 star review on Amazon: “This book is very different from all other ones I’ve seen about Jesus. It doesn’t “talk” about Jesus and all the people we read about in the bible and bible classes. Instead this book gives the reader insight into how these people were affected by his life and choices. This is not a historical book. This is a book for those of us who have questions about our own faith and belief structure and the part it plays in today’s life. Read it more than once. Enjoy this book with an open heart, welcome the lessons.”
There is no more urgent time in our history than right now to bring back the morality of the 50’s, combined with the racial and gender gains accumulated, and loudly sound the alarm that while America is in a dire financial crisis – what is even more insidious is its culture, which is in total ruin. Victor Baltov’s new book, Baseball is America: Origins and History; the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Author House), drives home the point that America is no longer leading the world and has, by following the principles and values of other countries, put the future of the American free market enterprise system in jeopardy!
By drawing a parallel with Baseball and America, Baltov’s book is extremely informational in the areas of baseball history and issues, American history and cultural issues, and drug use within baseball. It explains why free market enterprise only works with Christian principles as its moral code, not political correctness; by making Americans live up to the true meaning of its creed and judge people by the content of real character within the strike zone (realm) of Founding principles and Christian values.
While America has freedom of religion, its people are not allowed to practice the doctrine of their faith in the public eye or corporate structure, but instead practice political correctness (man’s law) which is now, sadly, serving as our moral compass. Humanism allows for liberal ways of living that normalize unacceptable Christian behavior – expanding the acceptable behavioral strike zone that views acts such as cheating and stealing as simply the ‘competitive edge’ or ‘strategy.’ In other words, making it whatever we want it to be in order to win!
Arguing that Synthetic Era baseball is un-American, the author causes Americans to pause and ask ‘What is American?’ Are we really the United States of America or the United States of Entertainment? It goes a long way in convincing readers to elect public service officials who represent the Spirit of ’76 instead of the spirit of secularism – bringing back a system of rewarding those playing by the rules and obeying American laws instead of the exact opposite.
There is a sense of urgency exhibited in Baltov’s writing that reflects the cultural and economic crisis our great country is in. By trying to awaken the sleeping giant out of its complacency, he hopes people will be ready to respond if and when disaster strikes.
As a tidbit to this book, Baltov will, in his third book in the series, step into a New Age of Enlightenment where he will fearlessly express his cure for our cultural woes. In fact, he attempts to accomplish what Karl Marx tried in the 1840’s – to change an unfair and unjust system – but that is where the similarity ends! Baltov’s vision is the complete opposite of Marx; where Marx once viewed religious beliefs as an obstacle to wealth redistribution and social status, the author views the practice of religious values and principles as imperative in alleviating injustice and unfairness naturally, through voluntary behavior, instead of forced government action. Since baseball incorporates four sub-systems (family, youth activities, education and the entertainment industry), reflecting the larger American cultural superstructure, it means that those playing by the rules should be rewarded, and those not playing by the rules and laws should be subjected to impartial justice and no longer hailed as role models!
The inspiration for writing Destination of the Species: The Riddle of Human Existence (O-Books) emerged from the author’s own need for a better understanding of our place in the universe, prompting questions such as: Is the world driven by pitiless, directionless chance as the Dawkins and neo-Darwinian view would have it, or is there a verifiable evidence of purpose detectable within it? A Member of Parliament for nearly forty years, frustrated and disgusted in the corruption of modern politics, where conviction, vision, and sense of purpose have been replaced by personal ambition and manipulation, Meacher turned to physics, biology, chemistry and cosmology in an attempt to find answers.
Written with careful deliberation and without the preconceived propagandistic viewpoint of religion, science, philosophy or environmental dogma, this fascinating book began as a personal quest to figure how it all fits together. By merging the religion of his youth, the philosophy of his degree, the politics of his occupation, the science of the universe, and the threat to the environment and our survival on Earth, the author has brilliantly made sense of the central question – what does it all mean?
Not a book to easily put down, Destination of the Species points out the ultimate reality; not of the human race as the summit of evolution, but of an overarching cosmic plan of which we may well be a key part. Visit Meacher’s enlightening website at http://www.michaelmeacher.info/ where every topic of interest to mankind today is discussed in great detail.
She was the most formidable creature that ever lived, a 70-foot,100,000 pound Great White shark with a mouth filled with seven-inch teeth. Thirty-five years after Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster kept audiences out of the water, the prehistoric cousin to JAWS returns this summer in NY Times best-selling author Steve Alten’s MEG: Hell’s Aquarium (Tor/Forge), the latest installment in his series about Carcharodon Megalodon (MEG for short). And MEG is not the only monster to resurface; in Hell’s Aquarium we’re introduced to some of the most terrifying sea creatures of all time, all occupying a lost sea located seven miles below the surface, hidden beneath the Philippine Sea Plate.
There are other surprises in the storyline, including a cameo appearance by real-life former Bond girl and Playboy Playmate, Lana Wood.
Alten, who read JAWS when he was a teen and soon after began “devouring” every shark attack story he could find, was in the middle of writing MEG: Hell’s Aquarium when he received an e-mail from Lana. “She said she was a huge MEG fan and asked me if I would write her into the book as a character. All of my characters are real fans who enter contests to become immortalized in the pages. Lana wanted something a bit wilder. Being a huge James Bond fan, how could I say no?”
The author called Lana, who played Plenty O’Toole in Diamonds Are Forever and the two became fast friends. Alten describes her terrifying scene in MEG: Hell’s Aquarium as a bit “juicy.” “After I wrote it, I e-mailed her the chapter, afraid of what she might think. Turns out she loved it.” Months later, Alten flew Lana and her grandson, another big shark fan (also a character in the book) to pose for publicity shots in the largest set of Megalodon jaws in the world.
Thirty-five summers after JAWS terrorized moviegoers, MEG: Hell’s Aquarium is rising up the New York Times best seller list. With a new MEG script, top producers, and $150 million in financing, Alten is hoping to hear good news soon about his own monster shark franchise. After being inspired by reading JAWS as a teen, Steve Alten is passing the baton to tens of thousands of teens across the U.S. MEG: Hell’s Aquarium is part of Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide secondary school (free) reading program that gets even the most reluctant teen to read. And the MEG novels are a big reason why.
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TIP SHEET:
Steve Donoghue Open Letters: Arts & Literature Review: “The Moby Dick of giant killer shark novels.”
Andrew Tallackson, Entertainment Editor, The News-Dispatch: “A knockout. Steve Alten’s imagination, his wicked wit, his rip-roaring sense of adventure are on full display here. This is Alten at his delicious best.”
Chip Minemyer, Editor, The Tribune-Democrat: “Steve Alten’s monstrous Meg series grows more frightening, yet riveting, with each installment. With Hell’s Aquarium, you’ll be tempted to read ahead, but don’t you dare skip one terrifying turn on this thrill ride!”
Devorah Rose came to the United States from Venezuela at the age of five, not knowing a word of English. Yet this accomplished, down-to-earth young woman went on to graduate from an Ivy League college, earned a position as Editor-in-Chief of a fashion and luxury lifestyle publication, rose to the upper echelon of the New York social circuit, and has made herself a familiar face on the CW, Bravo and MTV networks.
Devorah hopes that the new show, with all its personalities, drama, and tongue-in-cheek humor, will give viewers a hysterical, behind-the-scenes look into the New York City social scene, enabling them to make their own judgments and determine what is real and what is a myth.
For more information on this vibrant, accomplished young woman, please visit her website at: www.devorahrose.com and check out just a couple of past articles on Devorah at:
Ed Hale stirred up a great deal of controversy in 2005 with the Transcendence album Sleep with You that explored relationships, sex, women, romance, drugs, and life on the road. Anyone who knows him best appreciates his deep passion for music, writing, and his unyielding frankness when it comes to matters close to his heart; however, unknown to some, he is also the author of an award-winning screenplay and a pop-culture/ sociology non-fiction book, about to hit the market, as well as being a guest columnist on the Sundance Film Channel Website covering how “green” peace on earth really is.
Music is in the blood for this man who released his first album at the tender age of 17 and whose great-uncle was none other than the famous musical conductor and arranger, Antonio Morelli, well known for his many years at the infamous Copa Room in Vegas during the ‘Rat Pack’ years. After having received a guitar from his mother at a young age to ‘vent his creativity and keep him out of trouble’ – the rest, as they say, is history!
The songs on Hale’s latest impressive new album Ballad on Third Avenue are said to be the most personal and intimate collection of songs he has ever recorded. An eleven song acoustic singer/songwriter venture, it is said to be reminiscent of Bright Eyes, Kings of Convenience, Rubber Soul era Beatles, Belle and Sebastian, and Simon and Garfunkel. Not surprising that his latest album debuted on the CMJ Most Added Chart at #14 and then climbed to #140 on the CMJ Top 200, along with the release of the first single, I Walk Alone, which became a staple on Triple A radio stations all over the United States and Canada.
Hale’s respected and tireless efforts in social and political activism may also be something in the family blood since Hale is the nephew of Eleanor Cutri Smeal, former president of the National Organization for Women and one of the leading American feminists of the 20th century. Named a Civilian diplomat, he represents the United States around the world and never tires in his efforts for world peace, earning him the nickname ‘the Ambassador.’ Not content simply working with Habitat for Humanity in providing homes and a new beginning for those less fortunate; he strives daily to make the world a better place in his honored role as one of this country’s civilian diplomats. In fact, it was in this role that he first visited Iran in 2008 to discuss peace between the two countries, and later met directly with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations in an effort to promote world peace.
Alongside Hale’s incredibly talented music, openly public spirituality, and activism for human rights and world peace, there is an ambitious entrepreneur who has founded numerous multimillion-dollar companies over the years that include a chain of health food stores, real estate, a clothing line, a multi-media company, and his latest venture in a New York based business consulting firm with offices worldwide.
Fans of this rock star extraordinaire will be happy to learn of his national tour this Summer promoting Ballad on Third Avenue (dates have already been announced for Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver), plus the upcoming release of another new Transcendence album, the long awaited All Your Heroes Become Villains, only this time Hale will surely be accompanied by his lovely new wife, Nahal Mishel-Ghashghai, who was the inspiration for the band’s alterna-rock smash Superhero Girl on the controversial album, Sleep With You. To hear songs from the new album or connect with Ed Hale online, visit www.edhale.com or his official fan-pages on Facebook or MySpace for more on this diverse artist. Promo copies of Hale’s new CD Ballard on Third Avenue are available by request for review or article purposes.
