Lyrical Writings Radiate Mother’s Grief and Illuminate Paths Toward Healing
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There may never really be closure when a loved one passes on, but there can be gentle nudges toward healing and, eventually, toward the forgotten fringes of happiness.
In Blown Into Now: Poems for a Journey, Mylo Schaaf carries readers from deep sadness and loss to comfort and support, finally edging toward joy. Her melodic words become a guidebook, allowing those who grieve to witness a spectrum of responses, to understand what might give relief, and to know how to look for the signposts that will guide them down the path toward healing.
Each of Schaaf’s 45 remarkable poems is paired with a striking photograph taken by her mountaineer son, Alex Lowenstein, who passed on unexpectedly in his twenties. Schaaf’s personal journey through grief became this book.
To those who must endure such a shocking new reality, she aims to bring compassion, beauty and spiritual connection.
Her poems reveal a mother’s great heart and the love she shares with her son for granite peaks and untracked desert. Each photograph provides a pause from grief and allows us a glimpse of something we want and cannot name.
About the Author Mylo Schaaf trained as a journalist, editor and physician, before taking a left turn into poetry. Before everything changed, she was a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco, mentoring and teaching students in international, low-resource settings. Her commitment to global health grew out of her work and connection with India, the Americas, Liberia, Haiti and China. Then one day, a shocking phone call collapsed this pursuit of engagement and action. Her 24-year-old son, a mountaineer/peace-and-conflict scholar/veteran, had passed away. Poems demanded to be written. They brought relief and healing, as did warm, grassy hills, tree spirits, and arms of sky. Years wandered past. Poems continue to emerge, as the tangles of our days slip into light.
For more information, please visit https://www.myloschaaf.com, or follow the author on Instagram at writermyloschaaf.
Blown Into Now – Poems for a Journey Publisher: Blue Light Press ISBN: 979-8-9864093-0-6 (softcover, available now) Available from https://www.blurb.com/b/11208355-blown-into-now Hardcover and eBook editions coming soon (For updates on these additional formats, please visit https://www.myloschaaf.com).
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Senior Publicist Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Office 903.654.0938 Direct [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com.
What Became of the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave? Writings of the Late Dr. Noomen Offer a Positive Outlook for Humanity
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2022 Controversial Supreme Court rulings, legislative actions, or executive orders from a president can sometimes feel like an excessively autocratic approach to government, leading many citizens to push back. Do you ever wonder what happened to the land of the free?
Author and scholar Dr. Pieter Noomen had some thoughts about freedom and government, and he wrote about them on his website, www.wordsforall.org … a treasure trove of philosophical and spiritual information that Dr. Noomen (who passed away three years ago) said he was given from the highest of sources. The website access and information are free for all.
“It is erroneous to think that a structure is more important than its parts. It is the other way around,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “A corrupt government that passes laws that benefit many is still corrupt. But citizens living in a corrupt society are free — and capable — to keep their insights and striving pure and honest.”
Dr. Noomen’s writings speak largely about his belief system and often refer to messages he said he received from a higher power, but his words can resonate with all, regardless of faith. He attributes his quotations to that higher power, rather than himself.
“Engaging in noble causes or producing beautiful things is not a substitute for one’s mental and spiritual health,” he wrote. “The sanity of humanity is in people discovering — and bravely holding onto — their and earth’s universal and spiritual roots. Sanity is not attached to particular external achievements, even if those seem to improve justice, beauty, health and protection for many.”
He also wrote that “children need adults, adults need governments, laws, codes of behavior, etc.”
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen worked as a psychotherapist and staff member at a Los Angeles church. He completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and became senior minister of three Protestant churches.
An example of Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week from his website, as we continue to hold out hope that better days lie ahead:
“In the full universal reality from which our earthly world is isolated, the freedom of choice is absolute. Nothing is impossible there. … more often than we realize, we can be on top of our decision-making and of our behavior. The choice of what person to be or with what kind of attitude is ours and ours alone.”
Trish Stevens Gloria Gonzalez Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Asha of The Air Scores Coveted Kirkus Starred Review
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A life of beauty and privilege isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, in spite of what’s shown on “reality” TV.
Asha Of The Air, the powerful, sophisticated new book from filmmaker and author John Huddles, transports readers to the far future to tell the tale of Asha, a possibly mythical, possibly factual princess, whose life is at once magical and miserable.
As the last daughter of an ancient house, Asha has inherited a palace and its wonderous surroundings. But she’s stuck in a loveless marriage, and her lands are being pillaged for a native mineral that is extremely rare and valuable. She is resigned to her fate, until a stranger enters her life and opens her eyes to new possibilities. When tragedy separates the would-be lovers, Asha breaks free from the abusive prince she married at age 17 and embarks on an epic trek of body and mind to acquire self-knowledge and gain agency over her own life. Along the way, she must imagine a path beyond the totality of her past mistakes — before hope itself comes to an end.
A Kirkus “starred” review has called Huddles’ narrative, “A rich, dreamy tale that’s infused with spirituality. The prose style is accomplished and often unrestrained, with simple dialogue but descriptive flourishes and lengthy musings on meanings and motivations. The result is immersive and beautiful — a tragic romance that will appeal to lovers of diverse, original storytelling.”
A mix of legend, adventure and spiritual exploration, Asha Of The Air interweaves European chivalric tradition and the teachings of sacred Hindu texts to craft a brilliantly immersive world where fantasy and science, history and myth combine to form a tale of intense emotionality.
Asha’s story is strikingly relevant to the way that today, in 2022, the sexes are renegotiating the balance of power and learning how to reconcile the urge to dominate with the need to love.
In his day job as a filmmaker, Huddles is developing a limited series based on his novel for movie producer J. Todd Harris, most recently Co-Executive Producer of the Oscar-nominated Trial Of The Chicago 7 and Executive Producer of the Golden-Globe-winner for Best Picture (Comedy Or Musical) The Kids Are All Right, among many others. Huddles’ own films as writer-director include the sci-fi fantasy The Philosophers, praised by The Los Angeles Times as “impressively written and directed … unusually creative and ambitious … packed with smart, provocative ideas.”
To learn more about Huddles and his new novel, please visit www.AshaOfTheAir.com or www.JohnHuddles.com.
Asha Of The Air Publisher: Notable Publishing ISBN: 9781735853529 ISBN-10: 1735853526 Distributed by IPG and available wherever books are sold, plus Bookshop.org, Amazon.com and BN.com
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Senior Publicist Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 903.654.0938 Direct 281.333.3507 Office [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Angel Faces Retreats Facilitate Emotional Healing for Women Disfigured by Trauma
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Since 2003, the nonprofit Angel Faces has helped transform the lives of adolescents and young women who have suffered severe, permanent scars and disfigurements from burn injuries and traumatic events through intensive, residential retreats, and ongoing support.
Founder Lesia Cartelli was severely burned by a natural gas explosion when she was just 9 years old, and as an adult, she recognized the psychosocial needs of adolescent girls and young women with disfigurements.
The next retreat takes place June 11-16 on a private compound (courtesy of an anonymous donor) on lake Winnipesaukee in beautiful Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
The theme for this retreat is “Let it Roll,” and sessions led by licensed mental health professionals will focus on managing healthy relationships, boundaries, post traumatic growth and understanding the impact of trauma on our lives.
Professional artist Kate Lemay will lead an art project, “Let It Scroll,” during which participants will create beautiful scrolls on canvas decorated with both words of forgiveness for their past selves and motivational messages for their budding, future selves.
Additional program elements include yoga, climbing and journaling, plus one-on-one instruction from professionals in the cosmetics industry to teach the women how to minimize scarring while enhancing their individual beauty.
“Our six-day retreat is a unique gathering of women who have been left marred by severe trauma (abuse, car crashes, bonfires, explosions, war and house fires) to find the courage to heal,” Cartelli said. “We encourage the participants to not waste their pain, and to use their trauma as a gift to discover their resilience and strength. Time at the retreat is inspiring for attendees and those who are privy to volunteer.”
Angel Faces Founder Lesia S. Cartelli has witnessed and experienced the struggle with social interactions, boundaries, and self-esteem issues that plague adolescent girls and young women with scars. In her 40 years of experience in developing educational and psychosocial programs supporting trauma victims, she became aware of the intense need for a more in-depth program. She created Angel Faces to inspire and empower adolescent girls and young women with burn/trauma injuries to reach their optimum potential and develop meaningful relationships with themselves, their families and their communities.
Cartelli is also the author of Heart of Fire (Carlyle Publishing; ISBN-13: 978-0990430711), in which she shares the details of her own traumatic experience and the path that led to her founding of Angel Faces.
For more information and a schedule of 2022 retreats, please visit www.angelfaces.com, or follow the organization on Instagram and Twitter at @angelfacesinc.
Trish Stevens Beverly Moore Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Embrace Your Imperfections and Embark Upon a Healing Journey with God as Your Guide
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Crippling fear permeated every aspect of Christine Soule’s life from an early age and followed her into adulthood. Her past of brokenness — abuse, dysfunction, addiction and other trauma — could have very well defined her future. But once she turned to God and let Him lead the way, she found a path toward a brighter future.
“The key is discovering who you are in Christ — your true identify. And that’s especially significant if you, like me, have a past of brokenness,” Soule writes in her inspirational story, Broken and Beautiful. “So much of how we see ourselves revolves around the demands our society places on us, insisting we live up to its expectations. Don’t listen to the world. Listen to God.”
Soule’s life was a jumbled pile of broken pieces. Her father was married seven times; her mother four times. Between her parents’ divorce when she was 5 years old and the day she allowed the power and presence of God into her heart, she watched her sister have an affair with her adoptive father; met 15 siblings she never knew at her biological father’s funeral; turned to drugs and alcohol; got pregnant at 17; had twins less than two years later; and became a victim of human trafficking. She had to break the cycle for the sake of her children. With nowhere else to turn, she dropped to her knees and prayed. And that’s when everything changed.
Broken and Beautiful is Soule’s remarkable story of how God took the pieces of her broken, astonishingly dysfunctional life and transformed it all into a breathtaking mosaic of joy and purpose.
“The places where you feel hopeless are exactly what He wants to redeem and fill with beauty, dignity and strength. He has a plan for your pain. A wonderful intention for your failures. A purpose for your hardest, darkest stories,” Soule writes.
Told with honesty and surprising touches of humor, Soule shares her journey from drug- addicted stripper to exuberant Jesus lover with a passion for helping others embrace God’s love. Broken and Beautiful is a raw, authentic story of hope, from a place of experience.
Author Christine Soule lives with the love of her life, Mitch Soule, in Seattle. They have five kids and three wonderful grandchildren. She is the founder and CEO of Providence Heights (www.providenceheights.org), a nonprofit created to house women and children in need and to provide counseling, education and jobs.
Broken and Beautiful: Let God Turn Your Mess into a Masterpiece ISBN-13: 979-8662957619 Available from Amazon.com (Broken and Beautiful), providenceheights.org and christinesoule.com
