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“About Natalie is groundbreaking. It doesn’t preach or pretend to offer a panacea. Instead, it offers a refreshing, authentic look at one family’s struggle with addiction, easily the most powerful book published on the subject in the 21st century.” — Dr. Maryel McKinley PhD, Addictions Expert, Former Co-Host, “All Talk Recovery Radio,” Los Angeles, Ar-bitron rated No. 1 in Southern California
Like the band that played on as the Titanic sank, Christine Naman unpacked the groceries and made a meatloaf — the simple act of normalcy distracting her from an unthinkable reality: addiction was pulling her daughter under.
“Even with the picture of the situation coming more clearly into focus, I clung to denial like a kayaker who has been thrown from his boat would cling to a branch lying across the water,” Christine says. “It is amazing how deep into denial a person can go and how strongly they can hang onto it before reality smacks them around enough so that they let go.”
Christine traces her daughter’s years-long battle with addiction in About Natalie, a gripping, cautionary tale of how, in spite of a loving family and a comfortable life, a child can end up on the wrong path, meet the wrong people and get lost in the unthinkable.
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 and wrestles one from the family dog’s mouth. 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 compelling poems that share her personal pain and the unvarnished truth of her struggle.
At its core, 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 the problem firsthand as well as provide comfort to those who know the nightmare of addiction all too well.
About Natalie Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: May 2021 ISBN-13: 978-0-7573-2385-0 (Paperback) ISBN-13: 978-0-7573-2386-7 (ePub) Available from 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
Chasm Between Father and Son at Center of Compelling Story of Love, Loss and Forgiveness
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Bill Smith’s father is an enigma. Could his praying and preaching the wholesomeness of Christianity be a cover for something unspeakably dark in his past? Each man’s lifelong struggle to retain his own integrity while learning to respect the other forms the foundation of The Home Stretch, a compelling exploration of a difficult father-son relationship and the complexity of bridging seemingly unbridgeable differences.
Award-winning author Wayne M. Johnston’s thoroughly absorbing, reality-based story is presented through the voice of everyman Bill Smith (loosely based on Johnston himself) who, throughout his life, is confronted with extraordinary circumstances. Raised in a religious cult, Bill’s unconventional upbringing and strained relationship with his father inform his life experiences and underwrite his formidable urge, from a young age, to simply escape this life altogether.
Bill struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, and embarks upon a career navigating the rough waters of the Pacific on a tugboat. His tales of weathering gale-force winds and violent storms at sea provide metaphorical undercurrents for Bill’s fraught relationship with his father, his failed early marriage, his father’s descent into Alzheimer’s and his own battle with leukemia, which he is told will kill him.
Just when Bill has come to believe he has put the worst of it to rest, he learns something more about his father that opens everything up again, except this time, Bill’s sister is the victim.
Ultimately, The Home Stretch is a powerful coming-of-age story for grownups that poignantly captures the unresolved emotions that surface when our past and present selves collide. Johnston gives readers candid glimpses into life-defining moments of reckoning that many of us will have to face head-on, such as retiring from a career that defines us, becoming a caregiver to a parent and contemplating our own mortality. The Home Stretch serves as a stark reminder that the peace we hope for as we age is often shoved aside to make room for another crisis, but it is also an inspiring tale woven with themes of forgiveness and survival.
Wayne M. Johnston taught English, Creative Writing and Publications at La Conner High School for 19 years. Prior to that, he worked on tugboats for 22 years, usually as chief engineer, towing freight barges between Canadian and West Coast American ports. In 2011, he won the Soundings Review First Publication Award for his essay, “Sailing,” and has published other essays locally. For his debut novel, North Fork, he drew from years of experience reading student journals to reproduce the way kids voice serious matters to a trusted adult. North Fork was released in 2016 as a YA novel. The story is told through the voices of three 17-year-olds as journal entries for their English class. Bill Smith, the protagonist in The Home Stretch, is their English teacher, and The Home Stretch (book two in a planned trilogy) is his back story.
Johnston lives with his wife, Sally, on Fidalgo Island in Washington State where he is working on another book.
The Home Stretch Publisher: Black Heron Press ISBN-10: 1936364344 ISBN-13: 978-1936364343 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com, Target.com and anywhere books are sold
Trish Stevens Stephanie Williams Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Pivot Your Perspective: 10 Reasons Why the Future is Bright
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It’s natural to invest a lot of time and energy into building a career and making money. After all, we need roofs over our heads and food on our tables. But what if we invested that same amount of effort into being truly, authentically happy?
“I thought that by having the house, the wife, the 2.5 kids, the vacations and the material things, I would be happy,” says Life Coach Michael Taylor. However, in spite of “having it all,” he still felt something was still missing.
Today, Taylor describes himself as an “irrepressible optimist,” and it’s all thanks to changing his perception of “success,” following his own gut and breaking free from the construct of societal expectations. He reveals his transformational journey along with insights drawn from science, spirituality and psychology in his new book, The Good News Is, The Future Is Brighter Than You Think!
Taylor challenges readers to look within their own minds and hearts to uncover the keys to authentic fulfilment. Along the way, he shares his
• 10 reasons to be optimistic about the future; • 4 pillars of a joy-filled life; and • 3 ways to know you are doing what you love.
The Good News Is dives deep into topics such as what it means to be human, divine intelligence and evolution, recognizing a higher power, creating meaningful connections, and so much more.
“If you’ve been looking for a resource that inspires you and motivates you and lights you up, this is the book for you!” Taylor adds.
Author Michael Taylor is uniquely positioned to spread hope and optimism. A high school dropout, he overcame a divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, depression and being homeless for two years on his way to becoming a successful entrepreneur, motivational speaker, radio and TV host, and author of nine best-selling books. He has dedicated his life to empowering men and women to reach their full potential by transforming their lives from the inside out.
Taylor is President and CEO of Creation Publishing Group, a company that specializes in creating programs and products that empower men and women to live extraordinary lives, and Too Cool Club, a company that develops transformational education programs for youth. He has been featured in the Amazon.com bestselling book Motivational Speakers America and in USA Today magazine about the changing roles of manhood and masculinity in society. He has won numerous awards for his dynamic speaking style, and he is an Amazon.com bestselling author.
He is the host and producer of two TV Channels on the Roku Network, Don’t Believe The Hype and Shatter The Stereotypes, and hosts two podcasts of the same names available on most podcast platforms like Spotify and iTunes.
Most importantly, he has been blissfully married for 18 years to the woman of his dreams and he is a proud father of three grown children.
To learn more about Coach Michael Taylor, please visit www.coachmichaeltaylor.com.
The Good News Is, The Future Is Brighter Than You Think! Publisher: Creation Publishing Group ISBN-13: 978-0996948777 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Jennifer Smith Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
20 Tenets to Help Women Lead Purposeful, Successful Lives Revealed in The Woman Code Morning Joe Host & Author of Know Your Value, Mika Brzezinski, Pens Foreword
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The pandemic forced everyone to pivot and re-prioritize, and for many women, that meant putting themselves last. Now, more than ever, women need to know their value, recognize their worth and fill their own cups first.
“Women are the soul of what keeps the world going. We keep our families, our companies, our communities and our nations intact,” explains Sophia A. Nelson, acclaimed journalist and author of The Woman Code: 20 Powerful Keys to Unlock Your Life (April 2021, Health Communications).
Named one of the most inspirational books by Woman’s Day in 2015-2017, this transformative book is updated with new insights about the profound economic and societal shifts that have changed our world since the pandemic. Nelson guides women through living out a powerful life Code that will lead them to purposeful, meaningful and authentically successful lives.
Every woman lives by a Code, whether she realizes it or not. It informs how she treats herself and others and how far she is willing to go in order to find success. Nelson calls on women to examine whether the Code they’re living by is truly helping them create the lives they desire. A senior columnist for USA Today and a frequent commentator on CNN, Nelson reveals 20 powerful Codes including:
● Know Your Value ● Be Resilient ● Choose Your Thoughts and Words Wisely ● Lift Other Women as You Climb ● Practice Love, Laughter, Loyalty
With life quotes from philosophers and poets, mystics and her maternal grandmother, plus her experience as a Black woman rising through the ranks of a male-dominated news industry, The Woman Code is an essential tool of transformation for women to enjoy in reading groups, retreats and Bible study groups. It will help women honor themselves while navigating the demands of work, home, family and friendship no matter what their age or stage in life.
About the Author Sophia A. Nelson is an award-winning American author and journalist who appears regularly on CNN’s Inside Politics and Newsroom as a legal and political analyst. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
Nelson covered former First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House from 2010–2012. The author appears frequently on CNN and has been a contributor to MSNBC, NBC, Fox News, the BBC, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer and the Today show. She writes for The Huffington Post Healthy Living and The Daily Beast. She has also contributed to USA Today, Essence, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post. She is the author of The Woman Code, Black Woman Redefined, and E Pluribus ONE.
Healing Can Be Found Through Personal Relationship with Spiritual Energy Doctor shares his extraordinary journeys on the spiritual plane and invites readers to explore their own unique interpretations.
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During times of uncertainty or hardship, having a spiritual connection with the “One Who is Life” may provide a path toward healing, suggested minister and licensed psychotherapist Dr. Pieter Noomen.
Visitors on his website, www.wordsforall.org, can explore — and perhaps draw inspiration from — Dr. Noomen’s remarkable collection of vivid experiences and wisdom he gained during transformative “visits” with a spiritual presence.
As Dr. Noomen himself explained, “I can only say that the information came from a presence on my innermost spiritual level I was in communication with for some time. The words seem the result of my spirit merging with the spirit of life It/Her/Himself.”
Dr. Noomen does not use the word God when writing about his experiences with the One-Who-Is-The-Totality-Of-All-Existence. Instead, he relays his extraordinary journeys on the spiritual plane with an openness that invites readers to uncover and explore their own accessibility to spirituality without labels or constructs. What others will experience, he explained, will be as unique and as personal as the individuals themselves.
The information on www.wordsforall.org is organized into 12 writings. Each one explores, in great detail, a different aspect of his direct contact with the world of the Positive State and the insights he gained.
He grew to believe that, either directly or indirectly, all life stems from one common source, and when we can connect with that source, we reach the highest level of existence. And perhaps more importantly, he believed that being in direct contact with the ALL of existence is possible for every human being.
A man of profound introspection and awareness, Dr. Noomen passed away in 2019, but his wealth of wisdom and insights freely shared on www.wordsforall.org will continue to inspire people throughout the world to broaden their spiritual paths.
An example from Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week at www.wordsforall.org:
“We all know that anything can go wrong anytime: in nature, parts of our body, relationships and, of course, technical equipment. Even our mind can suddenly take a dip. All these wisdom’s state that Life Itself is Love, however it may be battered and damaged. This may be hard to hold on to in days of breakdowns and misery. Yet when we do just that, holding on to all Life’s true nature being Love, it brings us ‘home’ and is healing; spiritually, mentally and perhaps even physically. How do I know? Life in me shows me. We all can have a personal relationship with Him/Her.”
The Unmistakable Sounds of Nelson Riddle Transformed Generations of Music
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Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Judy Garland’s “Come Rain or Come Shine” and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” would not be the same immortal melodies without the musical genius of prolific composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, arguably the greatest of his era.
Riddle collaborated with the biggest musical stars of his time, including Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. But it was his work with Frank Sinatra that made him a household name the world over. By the time his career was winding down, Riddle was working with new names on the scene like Linda Ronstadt. He also wrote the hit TV theme “Route 66” from the 1960s series of the same name, composed the score to Batman: The Movie (1966) and turned down an offer from Paul McCartney to collaborate on a song. His shelf included Grammy and Oscar awards.
A revealing new biography from Geoffrey Littlefield, Nelson Riddle: Music with a Heartbeat, takes readers inside the world of the wildly successful but enigmatic Riddle. With the help of the late composer’s musician son, Christopher, Littlefield shares first-hand anecdotes, never-before-seen photographs and stories of some of the 20th Century’s biggest names in entertainment.
Littlefield traces Riddle’s life from the small town of Oradell, New Jersey, through a career that saw him hailed as the veritable king of what came to be known as the Great American Songbook — the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century.
But Littlefield reveals that, like so many creative souls, Riddle was a complex and troubled figure. His marriage to Doreen, with whom he had seven children, was rocky and constantly under threat from his numerous affairs.
“A complex and often forlorn genius, he will forever be remembered for his work with Sinatra,” Littlefield says. “But like fine wines, his later vintage was just as palatable, if somewhat of a surprise.”
Author Geoffrey Littlefield is a baby boomer born in London, England, whose lifelong passions include soccer and music. His first magazine article was published when he was just 13 years old, featuring interviews with Chelsea FC and England soccer players. His love of music grew simultaneously, with particular focus on the Great American Songbook. Geoffrey eventually moved into professional music management and record production, and his written works include an exclusive interview with singer Vic Damone. He has been the subject of several radio and television interviews about the Great American Songbook, both in the U.K. and U.S. Littlefield continues to write, produce and direct. He has two movie screenplays in development and a documentary set for release later in 2021.
Follow author Geoffrey Littlefield on Instagram at musicheartbeat1; on Twitter at @GeoffreyLittl13; and on Facebook at NelsonRiddleBook.
Nelson Riddle: Music with a Heartbeat Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing ISBN-10: 1839754400 ISBN-13: 978-1839754401 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com, www.getmybook.tv and many other outlets
Trish Stevens Holly McClure Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Biblical vs. Eastern Meditation: Brain Expert Explains the Benefits and the Differences
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Meditation offers a drug-free way to lower your blood pressure and heart rate, and achieve better focus and concentration. But are all forms of meditation equally beneficial?
From psychiatrist and author of The God-Shaped Brain Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., comes a helpful guide that explains the differences between Eastern and biblical meditation—in both practice and outcome on brain and mind.
Meditation: Biblical Method Versus Eastern Method, A Guide to a Bible-based Experience with God documents the differences between biblical and Eastern meditation; describes divergent meditation methods and their impact on brain function and character outcomes; and demonstrates how readers can engage in healthy biblical meditation. Also included is a simple test to help readers determine which form of meditation they’re practicing.
Dr. Jennings describes Eastern meditation as a form of self-anesthesia that relieves transient emotional distress (like pain medication for an injury) without providing an actual cure for the problem.
Alternatively, biblical meditation is like surgery for the soul, he explains. It takes one through the valley of the shadow of death, removes the cause of the emotional distress and cures the problem, resulting in genuine peace for the soul.
The Bible tells us to meditate upon God’s word and God’s wonders in creation, and Meditation can help readers understand the practice of biblical meditation so they can heal their hearts and minds, and return to their oneness with God and with each other.
Author Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, international speaker and founder of Come and Reason Ministries. He operates a private practice in Chattanooga and has successfully treated thousands of patients. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Life-Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Jennings is also a prolific author whose books include The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life; Could It Be This Simple? A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind; The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind; and The God-Shaped Heart: How Correctly Understanding God’s Love Transforms Us.
To order your free copy (while supplies last) of Meditation: Biblical Method Versus Eastern Method, or to learn more about Dr. Timothy R. Jennings and his approach to brain and body health, please visit: www.comeandreason.com.
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 903.654.0938 Direct 281.333.3507 Office [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
