Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Author John Meikle Releases 'Daughters Of The Outback' A Sweeping Tale Of Adventure and Romance In The Australian Outback


John Meikle's personal familiarity with the Australian Outback region lends a sharp touch of realism to his debut novel featuring survival, romance, wealth and international intrigue

In his deftly written debut novel, John Meikle spins an engaging story involving the daughter of a controlling father who desperately seeks her independence. Her journey leads to the largest station in western Australia, Naringa, where her story highlights intrigue, conquest and endurance in the brutal but majestic expanse of the great Australian Outback.

Mr. Meikle relates, "I wrote this book to memorialize the notable characters that were integral to my early adventures in the Australia Outback. The barren outback culture, the copper mines, the colorful people and the famous whaler horses were inspirations for “Daughters of the Outback.” As a firm believer, once you’ve visited the Outback, it will forever become a part of your soul.

The story further evolves around a charismatic disillusioned priest, a dynamic dashing rancher who steals the heart, a family member murdered in New York City, a NYPD homicide detective and guitar-playing inner city priest, all figuring into this remarkably enticing story that, despite the global scenery, is always close to the Outback.

'Daughters of the Outback' is skillfully narrated by the reclusive Mrs. Abernathy, as she returns from many years of living abroad to bury her husband's ashes, she’s confronted by a gutsy novice reporter who courageously wins the exclusive rights to her personal story intertwined with the history of Naringa, her two million acre Outback station.

This finely constructed story spans almost five decades from 1953 to the present, its characters are highly engaging and relatable; dialogue is natural and completely uncontrived, descriptions of the people and environment absorb the reader into another time and place. The readers will love this story of happiness, sadness, and spirit captured in the intrinsic strength and grace of this hard-scrapple society.

John Meikle is available for media interviews and can be contacted at john@johnnymeikle.com.

‘Daughters Of The Outback’ paperback books can be ordered on the website at DaughtersOfTheOutback.com, as well as downloadable Kindle and Nook eBook readers.

Profile:

As a New Zealander, John Meikle experienced the Outback as a young man working in the copper mines of Mt Isa. It was a young man’s adventure and a way of making a living, but many years later while raising his family in Rye, New York, his love of the Outback and the people who called it home remained powerful. As the years passed, the Outback mystically called him, inspiring visual earthbound images of those years.

After completing 'Daughters of the Outback,' Meikle was surprised to discover Henry Lawson’s poem, written in 1897 and now included in the foreword of his book. The poem astoundingly reflected the identical impressions in Meikle's 'Daughters of the Outback' written 114 years later.

Contact:

John B. Meikle
1612 West Camino del Rio
Vero Beach, Florida 32963
Phone: 772-492-6754
Email: John@JohnnyMeikle.com
Website: http://DaughtersOfTheOutback.com

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Florida Author Gary Showalter Announces Release Of Mystery Novel ‘Twisted Key’


Gary Showalter writes in the tradition of John D. MacDonald, Elmore Leonard, James Grippando and Carl Hiassen. His novels have been called 'impossible to put down'

Florida author Gary Showalter has announced the release of his latest novel, ‘Twisted Key’. In addition to his other novels, ‘The Big Bend’ and ‘Hog Valley’, ‘Twisted Key’ is available in paperback, Kindle and Nook formats.

Gary Showalter’s works follow in the tradition of great mystery novelists such as John D. MacDonald, Elmore Leonard, James Grippando and Carl Hiassen.

In the ‘Twisted Key’ storyline, retired cop Terry Rankin has taken on a new client; Fatima al Natsche, a Muslim woman living under a sentence of death for her work on behalf of women suffering under Islamic law. Terry’s a businessman – he’ll protect just about anyone who can pay the freight. In fact, he admires Ms. Al Natsche and the sacrifices she’s made to get her message out.

But when her daughter flies over from Norway and gets snatched off the street in front of her mother’s home, all of the masks come off and all of the dirty little secrets come out to play in the Florida sun.

"In 'Hog Valley', my second book," stated Showalter, "I introduced Fatima al Natsche as a new client. I was fascinated by her 'backstory' and spent idle time while completing 'Hog Valley' thinking about what the future might hold for that new relationship between Terry Rankin and al Natsche. And I wanted to write a story about the wreck of a treasure ship nobody even knew existed. 'Twisted Key' is the result of all of that game playing I did with al Natsche and Rankin. It turned into a cracking good story, and is currently outselling my first two novels. It's not only a tale about a buried treasure, and greed, and revenge. It's a story of what lies beneath - what really motivates people - what you learn when all of the masks come off and people are forced to expose themselves for what they truly are."

A recent Amazon reviewer stated that Showalter’s latest book “has a lot going for it. The background he brings to the story adds considerably to the tale, including knowledge of boats, weapons, the Florida coastline, etc. Plus, the story line itself is big and complex enough to keep the reader engaged. It's a tale worth telling.”

Gary Showalter is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at gary@garyshowalter.com. More information is available at his website. Click on the “For The Media” button on the left side of the home page for a complete bio, photographs, podcasts and transcripts of interviews, etc. All of Showalter’s novels are available in both print and electronic versions at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

Profile:

Gary Showalter was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He lived in Aruba, Florida and the Panama Canal Zone before joining the U.S. Army during the 1960s. He served in the Israel Defense Forces Reserves for sixteen years, and when not on active duty he worked in government and private security. He has also served in senior management positions in two software development companies in Israel.

During his time in Israel, Mr. Showalter published articles dealing with international terror and the Israel-Arab conflict in the Jerusalem Post, Israel national News and several political science web sites.

Mr. Showalter returned to the United States in the fall of 2003.

Contact:

Gary Showalter
gary@garyshowalter.com
www.garyshowalter.com

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Schoolkids Win Against Corporate Giants In World Class Food Competition - Create Jobs For Adults And College Scholarships


The City Kidz Food Science Programs’ Viva Vanilla ice cream recently won second place in ‘World Dairy Expo Product Championship Contest’. In so doing they will create jobs for adults in the Jacksonville Florida area, along with college scholarship opportunities nationwide

In regards to ice cream, most kids could be called ‘experts’. The term expert is usually used to denote ‘experts at eating ice cream.’ Recently however a group of young people demonstrated a talent for creating world-class ice cream. Not only did they create one great ice cream, they beat out nearly all the ice cream manufacturing corporations in one of the largest professional competitions in the US. And, in so doing, they have created real job opportunities for residents of the Jacksonville Florida area and college scholarship opportunities for students nationwide.

City Kidz Food Science Educational Lab is regarded as one of the best programs of its kind in the United States. The program teaches students food science, and takes them from the classroom to supermarket shelves. On October 4, 2011, one of their creations, Viva Vanilla ice cream, won second place in ‘World Dairy Expo Product Championship Contest’. Of the 705 corporate contestant entries submitted, the City Kidz Viva Vanilla won second place in the Philly Style vanilla ice cream category. This was the first submission ever created by high school students in the contest. This is no small accomplishment, in that The World Dairy Expo Product Championship Contest is the largest judging contest of it’s kind in North America.

The new ice cream will be sold in local supermarkets throughout Jacksonville, Florida, creating manufacturing related jobs in the area. But these kids are not going to stop at just mere just job creation. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the ice cream will benefit a college scholarship fund for students nationwide.

“I am extremely excited,” stated Pastor Clinton Bush, program director, “about our student’s recent accomplishment at the World Dairy Expo Competition to go from classroom to supermarket shelves to raise monies to offset their college costs. To create a national educational endowment fund for all qualifying students nationally, and to put American Citizens back to work by creating manufacturing jobs, is a great achievement.”

The Viva Vanilla ice cream is currently available at the City Kidz Café in Jacksonville and, in a recent head to head blind taste test, Viva Vanilla scored higher than Breyers®, Blue Bell®, and Haagen Daz®. The panel of professional panel judges included three executive chefs, one of whom was Chef Amadeus, recently awarded the title of "Extreme Chef"® by the Food Network®.

Profile:

City Kidz at the corner of 3rd and Main Street in Jacksonville Florida and is a shining jewel in the city’s restaurants. Recently recognized for its award winning ice cream, Viva Vanilla, and its programs on food science programs for inner city high school youth, City Kidz focuses on its passion for the community and its commitment to serving the local communities of Jacksonville. More information is available at the group's website.

Contact:
Clinton Bush
Director-City Kidz Food Science Educational Lab
1303-113 N. Main Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32206 USA
Cell Phone (904) 451-9688
Phone (904) 598-5115
Pastorbush@citykidzicecream.com
www.CityKidzIceCream.com

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

FPFG Marketing Strategist Releases New Video - 'Top Ten Reasons Your Book Marketing Strategy Is Not Working'

Top ranked marketing and publicity firm offers no charge audio and video focused on book marketing strategies

The Free Publicity Focus Group, a top ranked Internet marketing and publicity firm, has released 'Top Ten Reasons Your Book Marketing Strategy Is Not Working'. Both audio and video versions have been released to demonstrate how book marketing strategies have been impacted by recent changes in the publishing industry.

"The marketing model used for books," stated McCauley, "has changed dramatically and will continue to morph into new models that will be primarily Internet based. There is nothing new in that of course. However far fewer authors will have the marketing machinery of the big publishing houses behind them. They will necessarily have to learn the basics of effective Internet marketing, versus using outdated marketing methods such as book signings. Though the model has changed, the core components of successful marketing will not change."

The Free Publicity Focus Group offers marketing consulting services to authors and publishers, small business and service business clients. The company specializes in marketing strategy development. The range of specific services includes search engine marketing, search engine optimization, Internet marketing and publicity and a host of other services that assist companies and individuals in the implementation of marketing strategies that produce results.

"Today, there is quite a bit of hype out there, and lot of hearsay advice that, while not misleading, is not based on proven facts. Following a popular trend seldom produces real results. Every target market is specific in regards to age, gender, geographic region, wants, needs and preferred approach. Developing an effective marketing strategy in the Internet marketing environment is every bit as difficult as building a marketing strategy for a brick and mortar business. Our goal is to assist clients in navigating the minefield of ineffective options out there and to develop and implement marketing strategies that produce sales."

The company offers no charge ebooks, reports and video training at the Free Publicity Focus Group website. These can be downloaded and put to use immediately by those hoping to create success by utilizing proven, common sense marketing methods, tools and strategies. McCauley offers one final piece of advice that is especially important to those who hope to create success in today's inbound marketing environment.

"Don't use a tool or method," McCauley continued, "because of hearsay or because someone else said it should be used. Failure often results from concentrating on a marketing tool, rather than concentrating first on the blueprint - the strategy. The underlying strategy is the key component, as it is this plan that will determine WHICH methods the individual should use, HOW they should be used, IF, WHEN and WHERE they should be used."

Don McCauley is available for media interview and can be reached using the information below. More information is available at the website. Both the video and audio versions of 'Top Ten Reasons You Book Marketing Strategy Is Not Working' are available at the website and on YouTube and Metacafe. The audio version is available at no charge from the FPFG website and from iTunes.

Profile:

Don McCauley is a marketing strategist with over 30 years of experience. He helps individuals, small businesses, authors and professionals create low cost and no cost publicity and marketing campaigns to increase sales. The primary goal is to demonstrate how anyone can develop an effective marketing and publicity campaign for little or no money. This is accomplished by utilizing cutting edge strategic marketing and publicity resources. He serves as facilitator of the Free Publicity Focus Group. He is the co-founder of 'Book Marketing - The Authors Marketing Powerhouse', and serves as host for several of 'The Authors Show' radio programs.

Contact:

Don McCauley
Free Publicity Focus Group
http://www.freepublicitygroup.com
don@freepublicitygroup.com

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