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
Former Buddhafield Follower Shares Unvarnished Truth About Cult Life
(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
Radhia Gleis spent 25 years of her adult life in the Buddhafield cult, under the influence of a narcissistic sociopath known by many names: Michel, Andreas, The Teacher or Reyji. She escaped the psychological prison of cult life over 12 years ago, but the emotional scars remain. The post-traumatic stress, forever entombed in her psyche, is repeatedly triggered by the characteristics of political and cultural leaders of today, prompting her to explore her past decisions through a much broader lens that sheds light on the blind spots — and dangers — of groupthink.
“What makes people give up their will, their sense of right and wrong — give up their moral compass and family ties for a person or an ideal?” Gleis asks in her captivating new book, The Followers: “Holy Hell” and the Disciples of Narcissistic Leaders: How My Years in a Notorious Cult Parallel Today’s Cultural Mania, giving a nod to the 2016 Buddhafield cult documentary Holy Hell, in which she appears.
The Followers lays the groundwork by skimming Gleis’ upbringing in Hollywood and tracing the steps of her adult life, when, at the age of 30, she fell under the influence of the charismatic leader of Buddhafield.
She draws striking parallels between her devotion to a cult leader — an authority — whose damaging behavior and influence she willfully ignored, and the followers of other authoritarian leaders, both past and present.
Gleis weaves her personal experiences with reflections on a number of thought-provoking topics, including:
• The search for a higher truth • Cults, groupthink and mind control • Authoritarian leaders • Malignant narcissistic personality disorder and sociopathy • The American schism • How an intelligent, well educated person may find themselves under the control of a narcissistic sociopath • Cognitive dissonance • The three basic types of people who join cults • The power of words/influence of media
Informative, raw and irreverent, Gleis’ book shares the unvarnished truth about cult followers from the viewpoint of a former follower still grappling with the consequences of her choices.
Author Radhia Gleis is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, CCN, MEd. biochemical analyst and educator for over 33 years. She has appeared as a featured guest on numerous radio and television shows including Fox News, Austin. She hosted The Health Revolution and Let’s Get Healthy on Talk 1370 AM, KLBJ, and The Wellness Connection podcast on Voice America. She was the host and executive producer of three YouTube series: Wake up America; How the Body Works; and The Natural Way. She was featured in the internationally viewed movie, Holy Hell, which was broadcast on CNN and named one of Sundance Film Festival’s and Netflix’s top 10 documentaries. It can now be viewed on Amazon Prime.
For more information, please visit www.radhiagleis.com, or follow the author on Twitter (@radhia_gleis).
The Followers: “Holy Hell” and the Disciples of Narcissistic Leaders: How My Years in a Notorious Cult Parallel Today’s Cultural Mania Publisher: Sage Card Publishing ISBN-10: 1737125803 ISBN-13: 978-1737125808 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and Audible.com
Trish Stevens Marta Riley Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
