Frances Fuller, Award Winning Author Of 'In Borrowed Houses,’ Announces Free Ebook Sampler Now Available For Download

Fuller's memoir, 'In Borrowed Houses' details her many years spent in Lebanon as a Christian publisher. It is an utterly unique and engaging book that could have been written by no other person

Frances Fuller, author of 'In Borrowed Houses,’ has announced a free ebook sampler of 'In Borrowed Houses.’

Told in short episodes, Fuller’s multiple award-winning book reveals the alienation, confusion and courage of civilians in the Lebanese civil war, introducing to the reader a variety of real people with whom the author interacts: editors, salesmen, neighbors, refugees, soldiers, missionaries, lawyers, shepherds, artists, students. With these people she works, studies, plays games, prays, laughs and cries, all to the accompaniment of gunfire. Together these small stories tell what war is like for civilians caught on a battlefield, and they create the impression of the Lebanese as a fun-loving, witty, patient and resilient people. They also compose, not a political history, but a historical document of a time and a place.

Introducing the sampler, Fuller said, “Just as this ebook sampler is a preview of ‘In Borrowed Houses,’ my book is a preview of current events in the Middle East. The violent struggle happened first in Lebanon, because Lebanon is a microcosm of the whole Middle East. While torn by internal tension, Lebanon is a leader, an example, loved, hated and coveted by her neighbors. Readers will gain insight into the people of the area, enabling them to think fairly about the Middle East.”

Critics have praised  ‘In Borrowed Houses.’ A judge in the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards called 'In Borrowed Houses' “…a well written book full of compassion…a captivating story…” Another reviewer described the book as “Wise, honest, sensitive, funny, heart-wrenching…” Colin Chapman, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut said, “….western Christians and Middle Eastern Christians need to read this story…full of remarkable perceptiveness and genuine hope.”

'In Borrowed Houses' took top honors in the 2014 '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' book awards. Frances was chosen as the result of her appearance on The Authors Show Radio. She also took a Bronze Medal in the Illumination Book Awards, for “exemplary Christian literature.”

Fuller was recently a guest speaker at Elon University, Burlington, N.C.  Drawing on thirty years of experience in the Middle East, Fuller addressed a large group of faculty, staff and students in the university’s Numen Lumen Center.  Her topic was “Faith and Love in Wartime Lebanon.” 

"Lebanon's population of four million is trying to take care of two million refugees, and its infrastructure is on the verge of collapse. What the world can do to save Lebanon is to help take care of these refugees.  We (Americans) did a lot to help create the mess the Arabs are in, and w can't help solve the problems without acknowledging that. If we don't have any guilt we are not thinking very well."

The free ebook sampler from 'In Borrowed Houses' is available at http://www.payhip.com/francesfuller.

Frances Fuller is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at frances0516@att.net. Fuller's book is available at Amazon and other book retailers. More information is available at her website at http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com.

About Frances Fuller:

Frances Fuller spent thirty years in the violent Middle East and for twenty-four of those years was the director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon. While leading the development of spiritual books in the Arabic language, she survived long years of civil war and invasions.

Frances holds degrees in Journalism, Creative Writing and Religious Education, and she studied Arabic at Georgetown University. She and her husband, James Wayne Fuller, live now in the foothills of the Sierras in California. They have five children, ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Contact:

Frances Fuller
http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com
frances0516@att.net

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God Helps Us Whether We Believe Or Not - Pat Chafant, Author Of 'Spirit Lights' And Former Skeptic, Offers Evidence

Oregon Spiritualist Medium Pat Chalfant's amazing psychic gifts have helped hundreds of individuals worldwide

The belief in a power outside of us is a divisive issue. Most people come down hard on one side of the fence or the other in spiritual matters. The percentage of non-believers is growing at a steady rate, as a number of surveys have shown. If there is a God, does that God care whether or not we believe in a Supreme Power? Does belief matter? Pat Chalfant, author of 'Spirit Lights- A Path To Mediumship', believes the answer is perhaps no.  

"Many years ago," Pat stated, "when I wasn’t sure I believed in God, a day suddenly came when I urgently needed His help—or someone’s—only there was nobody with me. I froze.  I didn’t know where to turn or what to do.  Then something reminded the skeptic in me that I had read somewhere that God will help us when we desperately need help whether we believe in Him or not.  The written remark had also advised that He can’t help unless we ask Him for help."

"The situation was so urgent that I bowed my head then and there sitting at my kitchen table.  Completely paralyzed with fear by then, I mentally said, “Dear God, if there is a God, I really need help and I need it right away.”  Body, mind and spirit were almost completely numb.  I waited for what seemed an eternity, but was probably no more than a few seconds.  Suddenly, as if a voice impressed itself on my mind, I was told  clearly what I needed to do.  It was a simple thing—I had to get myself into the shower so I would be virtually covered with water."

"It did the trick.  My runaway feelings that had been uncontrollably escalating began slowly to retreat. Then, after awhile, I was at peace.  It was over and I have never since felt such fear again in my whole life."

"It was many years before I would learn, as I eventually studied to become a medium, that the way to rid yourself of an unwanted spirit is to submerge yourself in water.  If you have a swimming pool handy that’s even better than a shower because you can cover yourself completely with water, but a shower will do.  Had I drawn a rogue spirit to me with my anger?   I only knew that I was in control again.  I think that I thanked God for His amazing help that day.  I am absolutely certain though that I knew from then on that it was true that you could ask God for His help and get it, whether you believed in Him or not."

"I want to point out that when I decided to pray for God’s help (not sure He really did exist), I was using my free will.  God gave us this free will expressly so that we would come to want His companionship and so he would not need to demand that we communicate with Him or force us to ask for His advice and help for our life’s problems. I believe that in large part since I decided to test the quote I remembered in my hour of need about God giving us help when we were desperate for help, if we would only ask Him for it, my companionship with God has grown steadily via my free will through the last 50 years very slowly but very surely."

"I’ve watched many people through the years discouraging others from believing we each possess God’s gift to us all of free will.  Instead they have often presented vivid television and movie images of “evil” spirits surprising people, rushing at them through the air, hiding behind trees and in dark places, then jumping out at them, etc., when what they really should have been depicting was that God has given us free will and that all that’s necessary to procure his help when we are in need is to simply say, 'Dear God, I need Your help…' and he will get us out of whatever trouble we may be in." 

"If you are the skeptic that I was before all this happened, I can imagine you’re saying by now, 'Bah, Humbug!  There is no such thing as God and certainly not some gift from Him that lets us receive help by simply saying, God, I need your help, please help me,' but I have had that assurance for 50 years.  It is my privilege to be able to write these words to you about this, just as that nameless, faceless writer once wrote in some forgotten piece I read that God would save me if I prayed and asked him for help.  Remember this.  It could save your life or somebody else’s.  It can also literally bring you happiness that you could never have anticipated.  It did that for me."

'Spirit Lights A Path To Mediumship', explains how Pat, a real skeptic regarding such matters, developed mediumship abilities and now lives a life transformed by the spiritual. Mediumship is a controversial issue and Pat understands this, but she also believes that credible mediumship holds the promise of real benefits for mankind that have not been fully explored.

In addition to offering one-on-one client consultations, Pat has penned the 'Spirit Lights Song Book' and three of those songs are in the National Spiritualist Association of Churches hymn book. There are samples of the words and music on her web site, www.patchalfant.com, and ‘Spirit Lights’ song books for sale there, too. She does readings for clients by phone and teaches mediumship development classes. She has also created a DVD entitled 'Spirit Lights Psychic Development DVD'.

Pat Chalfant is currently appearing on The Authors Show. Her interview is available now at The Authors Show site. 'Spirit Lights A Path To Mediumship' is available at her website and at Amazon. Pat is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at pat.chalfant@patchalfant.com. Pat maintains a Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9qOQWIWR-DUL8hBDqE5TnQ.  She is also available for inspirational lectures. More information is available at her website at http://www.patchalfant.com.

About Pat Chalfant:

Oregon Spiritualist Medium Pat Chalfant's amazing psychic gifts have helped hundreds of individuals worldwide. Pat has written a column on parapsychology and interviewed Hollywood stars and the psychics who read for them for a national newspaper. Other topics she’s taught and written about are: past life therapy, death and dying, the Edgar Cayce work, the Cathars, and Spiritual healing.

The Association for Past Life Research and Therapies newsletter published a series of her interviews with psychiatrists, psychologists, and hypnotherapists who were all west coast pioneers of past life therapy. Pat believes that series is destined to become a book.

She teaches internationally online and also hosts an online Spiritualist circle, Spirit Lights Chapel.

Contact:

Pat Chalfant
pat.chalfant@patchalfant.com
http://www.patchalfant.com

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New Short Film, 'The Truth', Based On 'The Truth' By Barbara Becker Holstein, Now In Production

Based on her highly successful book for teens, 'The Truth', the new short film features Cassidy Terracciano

'The Truth', a new short film, has begun production in Oakhurst New Jersey at the White House, a Tea House with a variety of gardens and rooms perfect for filming. The film is based on the book by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, 'The Truth, (I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything)'. The short film stars Cassidy Terracciano as the Girl. Cassidy has played Elle Woods in 'Legally Blonde', Sally Smith in 'Me and My Girl', Anne Frank in 'The Diary of Anne Frank' and Jane in 'Tarzan'. The videographer for the film is Lin Pernille, Photographer, Jersey City.

The film is the next step for Dr. Holstein. "Letting the Girl come to light through film is so exciting and gives her more room to be herself.  In the film she utilizes both her written diary and her cam recorder to capture and share her most secret feelings and thoughts."

Dr. Holstein recently presented a play based on the book,  'The Locket', at the Dramatist Guild of America in Manhattan at 1501 Broadway. The play was directed by Bob Angelini, actor/director and Artistic Director of the Revision Theatre in Asbury Park.

"This summer," stated Dr. Holstein, "a new film is being released, 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl'.  In the film the teenager speaks into a tape recorder to record and process her life.  Whether a girl chooses to write in a diary, speak into a recorder or utilize a video device, it is an important step in moving from girlhood into adulthood.  Yes, #GirlsCan.

"Diaries are important for teens and tweens, as it allows us to record what we did and/or our feelings.  We may remember keeping our diary locked and hidden. The diary for most of us was very private. As a positive psychologist I have great respect for our diaries.  They are an entrance way to the inner life we experience growing up.  Events may be accurately reported, but what is most important is our chance to 'share' with ourselves a sense of personal identity and importance.  Oftentimes the diary is the only place to put into words what hurts the most, or what feels the most wonderful.  It is a place to prove to a girl, tween or teen, that she is truly #likeagirl in the best sense of the expression."

"What is particularly interesting in today's world is the #selfie which has taken disclosure to a whole new level.  Everyone records themselves in #selfies. Whereas diaries are often locked, hidden off limits to others, #selfies are often displayed and shared, even to the point of poor judgement.  The Girl in 'The Truth' keeps her diary but she also records everything that is relevant to her on her video camera.  Who is the video record for? Herself? Others? A Guardian Angel? Who are all our #selfies for? Only time will tell."

Recent marketing campaigns such as #LikeaGirl by Always (introduced during last year's Super Bowl) and #GirlsCan by Covergirl (featuring Ellen DeGeneres and Queen Latifah) are helping to overcome many long held biases. Dr. Holstein strongly believes that it's very important to reach girls with empowering messages a very early age, as it is in those formative years that self image is formed and future plans are laid.

Dr. Holstein recently released "The Truth, Diary Of A Gutsy Tween". The new book is a revised and expanded edition of her very successful book, 'The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know Everything'. The new book is published by Sky Pony Press.

A Facebook page, thetruthforgirls, highlights many of the topics woven into "The Truth".  Articles, videos, remarks, conversations, visuals, on this page center around many of the issues that tweens face growing up.  These include: self-esteem issues, quarreling in families, divorce, moving to a new home, a new school, best friends, a crush, bullies, a death in the family, money issues, not feeling pretty, feeling sad, feeling lonely, jealousy and more. Dr. Holstein's book for teens and tweens is a first in using fiction for embedding positive psychology concepts.

Her second book in The Truth Series is “Secrets: Diary Of A Gutsy Teen”. In 'Secrets' the girl is 13 years old. She handles many adolescent issues, including a crush, moving, a death in the family, feeling fat and problems with girlfriends.  'Secrets' provides a book kids and parents and grandparents can share and use as a sounding board for needed communication between the generations.

Both “The Truth” and “Secrets” are great for parents, grandparents, older siblings and teachers to establish lines of communication with the tweens and teens in their lives. Both books have been re-released by Sky Pony Press.

Dr. Holstein is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at drbarbara@enchantedself.com. All of her works are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all other online retailers. More information is available at her website at http://www.TheTruthForGirls.com.

Profile:

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known Positive Psychologist is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®, a positive psychology method for happiness.  She is in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.

Dr. Barbara can be found on the web, interviewed, writing articles and posting video 'TED' style talks on Happiness,  Positive Psychology, Relationships and Parenting.

She has been a contributor to Heart and Soul, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbook, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, Time on line, the Today Show and Family Circle Magazine.

Contact:

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
170 Morris Ave.,
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
732-571-1200
http://www.drbholstein.com

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Book Marketing Announcements: The Authors Show Lineup For The Week Of July 27, 2015

Book Marketing serves as a resource for authors and allows members to engage in promotion and publicity for marketing purposes. The site offers no-charge marketing training, book publicity opportunities and a buyers club for book marketing services

Don McCauley of the Free Publicity Focus Group and Danielle Hampson, Executive Producer of The Authors Show, founders of The Authors Marketing Powerhouse, have announced The Authors Show radio and broadcast schedule for the week of July 27, 2015. The new show schedule is available at the Authors Marketing Powerhouse site.

For those who hope to sell books on the Internet, the challenge can be daunting. It can be confusing difficult, time consuming and expensive. Book Marketing, branded as The Authors Marketing Powerhouse, helps authors overcome these challenges by providing authors and publishers three distinct benefits:

* No charge publicity - members can upload photos, bios, book covers, video and book videos. Each author can develop a personalized page and a personal blog. The site allows for integration with Facebook and Twitter.

* No charge marketing training - provided through the Book Marketing Master Class series of training videos and peer to peer sharing of information.

* Buyers club - low pricing on products and services used by authors and publishers to market books allows members to dramatically reduce book production and book marketing costs.

The site also offers discussion forums, segmented special interest groups and allows for event listings.  The site is a joint collaboration, developed by Don McCauley of the Free Publicity Focus Group and Danielle Hampson, Executive Producer of The Authors Show.

The Authors Show radio shows offer professionally produced radio interviews that are broadcast worldwide. Segmented shows by genre include fiction, non-fiction and Christian shows. The upcoming scheduled radio lineups include:

Week July 27, 2015 On The Authors Show

Nada Jabbour Hatem
Jeannette Gagan
Maggie van Galen
Brian Aull
Saruh L. Blum
Elaine Marie Grahap
Marylee MacDonald
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Kim LM Bilodeau
T. Wrage
Olga M. Fyne, PhD
Tyra Garlington
Paul D'Angelo
MaryAnn Diorio, PhD
Vicki Augustniak, RN
Henry B. Zimmer
Brian A. McLaughlin
Mary J. Williams
David Broderick
Nancy King

Profile:

Don McCauley is a marketing strategist and is the facilitator of the Free Publicity Focus Group, a marketing and publicity firm. He also serves as the host of The Authors Show Radio.  Danielle Hampson is the Executive Producer of The Authors Show radio group of programs.

More information is available by visiting the Book Marketing site. Questions about Book Marketing can be addressed to Don McCauley by email at don (at) FreePublicityGroup.com. Questions about The Authors Show can be addressed to Danielle Hampson at danielle (at)TheAuthorsShow.com.

Contact:

Don McCauley
Free Publicity Focus Group
don@freepublicitygroup.com

Danielle Hampson
The Authors Show
danielle@theauthorsshow.com

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No Child Left Behind Misses The Mark - Brian Aull, Author Of 'The Triad,' Believes Government Could Be A Resource, Not Just A Regulator

Brian Aull offers visionary yet practical solutions to the problems of partisan gridlock, money in politics, and growing economic inequality in the United States.  He bridges the divide between liberals and conservatives with refreshing moral clarity

A recent L. A. Times news story by Howard Blume stated, "The No Child Left Behind law had an ambitious goal to reform America's public schools 16 years ago: Every student, everywhere, would be academically successful by 2014. That hasn't happened, and the vast majority of schools that receive federal funds are now labeled as failures under the law."

In a recent article published on his site, Brian Aull said that the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act focused on standardized testing as the measure of school improvement, and punished schools that did not measure up.  This created powerful incentives to reduce the classroom to a test prep center, manipulate tests, lower standards, and otherwise game the system. Congress is now ironing out new legislation to update the No Child Left Behind Act.  The current bills in both houses give states more latitude in determining learning goals and deciding what to do about schools that are failing by standard measures.

However, in Brian's opinion, "Fresh thinking is needed about the role of both state and federal governments.  How can government be a resource rather than a regulator, helping struggling schools learn from success stories, and providing the right kinds of funding to enable them to adopt best practices?"

Americans sense it. Something is not right. Divisiveness and hostility in public debate. Politics manipulated by moneyed interests. Dysfunction and gridlock in Congress. Broken school systems. High incarceration rates. Decaying infrastructure. A widening gap between the social classes.  Growing national debt.

The best political science books have documented the ill health of American democracy. Building on these works, 'The Triad' focuses on what each and every American can do to bring about the cure.

Sometimes the best books on politics come from authors who are not “experts.” 'The Triad’, authored by an engineer, is a case in point. Aull's vision offers solutions to the problems of partisan gridlock, money in politics, and growing economic inequality in the United States.   Bridging the divide between liberals and conservatives he advocates three civic virtues: service, learning, and community building. He calls for civic engagement based on these virtues as the key to changing the perverse incentives that lead to gridlock, media bias, and corruption, and creating a culture of collaboration. Applying these insights to specific issues, he points a path to widely shared prosperity, universal quality education, progress on race in America, the healing of the rift between science and religion, and American leadership for human rights and democratic values worldwide.

'The Triad' has received praise from a number of reviewers. Terrence Metz, Founding Principle and Partner at Morgan Madison and Company said the book is, "A wonderful approach about how to live in a democracy . . . any democracy." Peter Levine at Tufts University stated that 'The Triad' is "movingly and impressively written."

Brian Aull is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at bfaull19@gmail.com. 'The Triad' is available at Amazon. More information is available at his website at http://www.AwakenDemocracy.com.

About Brian Aull:

Brian Aull is from Indianapolis, Indiana. He studied electrical engineering at Purdue University and then at MIT, earning his Ph.D. in 1985. Since then, he has worked as a staff scientist at MIT developing solid-state image sensors.  He is also a passionate educator, teaching electrical engineering courses at Tufts University.  He spent one year as a visiting professor at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

A resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is active in the local community. He served on the boards of the Cambridge Peace Commission and the Coalition for a Strong United Nations.  He has taught spiritual education classes for children living in Cambridge.  The Triad was inspired in part by his many conversations with residents and local activists.

Contact:

Brian Aull
bfaull19@gmail.com
http://www.AwakenDemocracy.com

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Frances Fuller, Award Winning Author Of 'In Borrowed Houses', Thanks Lebanese-American Organization ATFL And Relates An Amazing Story

Frances Fuller's award-winning memoir, 'In Borrowed Houses', gives readers a penetrating glimpse of the Middle East from the inside. She puts a face on the Middle East many Americans have not yet seen

A recent article written by Dr. George T. Cody, executive director of the American Task Force for Lebanon covered the decree by the U.S. State Department that ordered all Americans to leave Lebanon in 1987 and the ATFL’s efforts to have normal travel resume after the Lebanese civil war ended.  On January 28 of that year, Secretary of State George Schultz invalidated the use of a US passport for travel to Lebanon after several kidnappings of American citizens.

In response to Cody’s article, Frances Fuller, author of the award-winning memoir In Borrowed Houses expressed gratitude to the ATFL for its positive role in lifting the ban and related an amazing story about how she overcame the hardships imposed by it and managed, not only to work in  Lebanon, but to stay long enough to adopt an abandoned baby.

At first devastated by the decree, she wrote, "Already for twelve years, an alien civilian in the middle of a civil war, I had been learning what it meant to be powerless and now I had to face a new lesson," Fuller stated. "My own passport did not belong to me.  It belonged to the American State Department, who could tell me where I could use it. On the other hand, I did have a certain amount of freedom. Though the State Department could tell me where to use their documents; it could not tell me where I could go."

Forced by the ban to move to Cyprus in 1987, Fuller commuted regularly to Lebanon by ferry in order to continue her work as director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon, finding this far more dangerous and stressful than living in her house in Beit Meri. Also her employer permitted her to stay in Lebanon only two weeks at a time and warned her to do nothing that would force the American embassy to acknowledge her presence.

"And then it happened that one morning in Cyprus I received a message by phone, telling me about the sudden unlikely appearance in Lebanon of something our family longed for. A baby boy had been found in a damaged and abandoned building; if I came soon I should be able to adopt him.  I went.  And I stayed more than two months, because after I adopted the baby there were complications with the paper work enabling me to leave the country with him.  I certainly couldn’t leave without him! Finally, my problems reached an impossible point, a conundrum that no one could solve except the American consul. But how could I, present in the country in defiance of the law, go to see the consul?  Then, through the intervention of an influential Lebanese friend, I learned that the consul knew I was in Lebanon, even knew exactly where I was and was willing to help me.  I never saw his face, nor he mine, but he performed a kind deed in my behalf.

"The baby I brought to America in September 1993 was re-adopted in Virginia by my daughter Jan, becoming my grandson, Samuel Fuller Carruthers. In March 2013 we took him to Lebanon to see the place where he was miraculously found and meet the man who found him. This spring Samuel graduated from Radford University where he has been admitted to graduate school.  Dr. Cody’s article, which inspired me to write this post, was published on July 9, Samuel’s 22nd birthday."

Told in short episodes, Fuller’s book reveals the alienation, confusion and courage of civilians in the Lebanese civil war, introducing to the reader a variety of real people with whom the author interacts: editors, salesmen, neighbors, refugees, soldiers, missionaries, lawyers, shepherds, artists, students. With these people she works, studies, plays games, prays, laughs and cries, all to the accompaniment of gunfire. Together these small stories tell what war is like for civilians caught on a battlefield, and they create the impression of the Lebanese as a fun-loving, witty, patient and resilient people. They also compose, not a political history, but a historical document of a time and a place.

Critics have praised  ‘In Borrowed Houses.’ A judge in the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards called 'In Borrowed Houses' “…a well written book full of compassion…a captivating story…”. Another reviewer described the book as “Wise, honest, sensitive, funny, heart-wrenching…”. Colin Chapman, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut said, “….western Christians and Middle Eastern Christians need to read this story…full of remarkable perceptiveness and genuine hope.”

Fuller’s message of gratitude to the ATFL, as well as to Lebanese-American members of Congress and then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was published as a blog post on her website at www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com. 

Frances Fuller is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at frances0516@att.net. Fuller's book is available at Amazon and other book retailers. More information is available at her website at http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com.

About Frances Fuller:

Frances Fuller spent thirty years in the violent Middle East and for twenty-four of those years was the director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon. While leading the development of spiritual books in the Arabic language, she survived long years of civil war and invasions.

Contact:

Frances Fuller
frances0516@att.net
http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com

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70th Anniversary Of The Bombing Of Hiroshima - Author Rodney Barker's 'Hiroshima Maidens' Details Remarkable, Little Known Hiroshima Survivor Stories

Barker's new ebook gives us a penetrating and very personal look at some miraculous Hiroshima survivor stories. It is a humanitarian epic that reveals a side of the Hiroshima story very few Americans have heard

Most Americans know that seventy years ago, the detonation of the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima ushered in the Nuclear Age. It was a moment full of horror, in which the eyes of the whole world were opened to the unimaginable possibility of nuclear holocaust. What very few American know is that it was also a moment that gave birth to a remarkable collective act of courage, compassion, and redemptive hope, symbolized by the young women who made it happen: the "Hiroshima Maidens".

Here is an entirely new story about Hiroshima: the story of how twenty-five young Japanese women, crippled and disfigured by the effects of the atomic blast, banded together to fight against their despair. They were brought to the United States in 1955 for plastic surgery – lodged in American homes and operated on at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital – in a remarkable humanitarian effort that is itself an epic. There are elements here, too of the comedy of manners, in the story of these twenty-five girls acclimatizing themselves to new places and new ways; and in the chronicle of how they did so a portrait of a now-vanished America – the America of the mid-1950s – emerges.

But the heart of this remarkable book, republished now in ebook format in recognition of the 70th anniversay, is the story of how these twenty-five young women, schoolgirls when the bomb destroyed their lives and their futures, remade those lives and re-created themselves. Rodney Barker was in a unique position to observe how they did so. The son of one of the host families, he was nine years old when two Maidens came to live in his house; he was like a little brother to them, and when, nearly thirty years later, he resolved to make their story better known to the world, he was able to inspire the kind of trust and candor in his sources that could only come from a sense of shared experience and intimacy. Focusing on three of the Maidens, but drawing on and relating the experiences of all of them, he follows them from the terrifying moments of the bomb blast, through their years of pain and shame in their own country, to their not always idyllic stay in America; and he traces their lives since – some marked by tragedy, some by heroism, some by an affecting and hard-won ordinariness.

"The story was widely covered in the media," Barker stated, "with reporting that ranged from the political - many people saw the Maidens as dramatic symbols of the horrors of atomic warfare and incorporated their suffering into an argument for the abolition of nuclear weapons – to the humanitarian - others focused on the project as an example of American benevolence and a dramatic display of traditional American compassion for disaster victims. But the story rapidly faded from public view when the women returned to Japan and all but disappeared."

"Until the early 1980’s, that is, when I received a research grant that allowed me to travel to Hiroshima to track down the surviving Maidens, and tell their story. 'The Hiroshima Maidens' was published by VikingPenguin in 1985, on the 40th anniversary of the bombing, the 30th anniversary of the Maidens project."

"As I began to research a Foreword to the book, the natural questions occurred to me. How many of the Maidens were still alive? What did the rest of their lives look like? How did their unique experiences – they were struck by lightning twice: once when the bomb exploded in a clear morning sky, and again when they were brought to the enemy country for help and healing - fit into the larger historic narrative of the city of Hiroshima itself.”

The original book received rave reviews from critics. The Cleveland Plain Dealer called the book, “A testament to the perseverance of a group of Americans and Japanese determined to salvage some human value from the wreckage of Hiroshima.” The Los Angeles Times stated the book is " . . .controlled, fearsome, wonderful, appalling.” The New York Times said it "evokes a range of human emotions that has been lost in the dead vocabulary of annihilation and deterrence.” The new ebook includes a new afterword in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. In the Afterword Barker discusses the impact the book has had on the way people think about nuclear weapons, and the contemporary relevance of this story - a story that must be preserved as part of our national memory.

Rodney Barker is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at rodneybarkerauthor@gmail.com. The new ebook is available at Amazon. More information is available at Barker's website at http://www.rodneybarkerauthor.com.

About Rodney Barker:

Rodney Barkers family were Quakers, and regularly opened their home to others less fortunate: Fresh Air Fund kids from the inner cities; a foreign exchange student from Brazil; two of the Hiroshima Maidens and two of the Ravensbruck Lapins: Polish women subjected to senseless medical experiments by Nazi doctors. Sitting in on all those interviews by reporters who came to the house, and listening to the dramatic, human stories that were told, inspired him and set his course as a writer.

After graduating in Philosophy from Knox College in Illinois, and studying Creative Writing in the Masters Program at San Francisco State, he began a career in journalism – first as the editor of a small weekly newspaper in Durango, Colorado, then as an investigative freelancer for national magazines, and finally as an author, penning non-fiction books for Viking Penguin and Simon & Schuster. Some of his books fell into the true crime genre, others were attempts to rescue chapters in human history before they were forgotten. With his last book he achieved most of his goals: a national book tour and appearances on Good Morning America and CNN; bestseller lists, foreign and movie rights; and an invitation to testify before a Congressional hearing.

He was passing through Chicago on a research trip for another book when he came upon Cow Parade, the public art exhibition featuring artistically transformed, life-size fiberglass cows. Upon returning to Santa Fe, he decided to take a hiatus from writing and launch a similar project that would add a new chapter to the history of the horse in art. This project evolved into the development of a collectible figurine company – The Trail of Painted Ponies, Inc. (trailofpaintedponies.com) – that has become a successful business story.

His first novel, 'Tequila Twilight', will be published in 2016.

Contact:

Rodney Barker
rodneybarkerauthor@gmail.com
http://www.rodneybarkerauthor.com

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6 Questions To Ask Before Undertaking Cosmetic Surgery - Transformational Coach And Best-Selling Author Reba Linker Offers Guidance

Linker believes that cosmetic surgery can be used for the wrong reasons; but there are also reasons why it might make sense. It all comes down to self-love

Transformational coach and best-selling author Reba Linker believes no amount of cosmetic surgery can change what surgery cannot change - a lack of self love, or perhaps a body image that is out of line with reality. In a recent statement she suggests that there may be a less painful way, a more successful way, a more self-loving way of managing the questions of beauty and appearance.

Many people try to attain an image, rather than a reality. Others may be tempted to take a path like the famous “Human Barbie” who modeled herself after a plastic doll. Some even become cosmetic surgery 'addicts'. Sadly, some people substitute art, craft, or artifice for reality. An airbrushed glossy magazine image may be fabulous, but that’s just what it is: an image, a 2-dimensional layout made of pixels and ink. Ultimately there are reasons for and reasons against cosmetic surgery.

"When I was a ballroom dance instructor," Linker stated, "I taught a lot of wedding couples. As a then single woman trying to make sense of the dating world, I was frequently amazed at which women ‘got the guy.’ I noticed that it had NOTHING to do with their looks, or even their personalities. My conclusion: it had, mainly, to do with their feeling of deservingness and entitlement. IF ONLY attaining happiness, approval, respect, love, success, and belonging was as (relatively) simple as undergoing minor surgery, I would be the first on line – but it’s not."

"Cosmetic surgery for the wrong reasons is the start of an endless road. Surgery won’t scratch your itch, though you may keep trying. You may spend your time, money, energy, your entire LIFE chasing a dream that can’t be caught through cosmetic surgery. If you think you will feel more confident if you had higher cheekbones – just know that even if you had the surgery, the feeling of confidence comes from within, and it is the feeling – not the cheekbones – that is creating the more confident you."

Reba Linker is the author of several best-selling books. 'Imagine Self Love: A Journal' allows readers to boost the dial on the self-love meter. Daily Quotes, Journal Prompts and Action Steps are designed to strengthen their self-love practice, and helps establish self-care as the most rewarding habit in one's life.

'The Little Book of Manifesting Big' contains universal techniques, learned from a true spiritual master, expressed with clarity, humor and wisdom. Readers learn to experience a life that is as abundant as one's wildest imaginations.

The soon to be released 'Happiness is a Habit' is based on Reba’s 30 years of study with a great spiritual teacher. The book interweaves stories, anecdotes, exercises and personal history to bring the reader to a deep understanding of what makes happiness, and to give the reader the tools to create their best and happiest life. 'Happiness is a Habit' will be released in 2015. Reba's true calling however is Transformational Coaching.

"Transformational Coaching," she stated, "addresses the issues that may be keeping you from your best results. The goal is to enable you to move beyond the blocks that may have stopped you in the past, and free you to move into a more joyful and satisfying experience of life."

"The two most important tools used in Transformational Coaching are wisdom and compassion. The wisdom is, truly, the wisdom within YOU. Transformational Coaching is the process of uncovering that wisdom, and giving you ever greater access to your own knowing of what is right and good for you."

"My wisdom has been gained from over 30 years study with an extraordinary spiritual teacher, as well as from the knowledge gained from my own personal journey of healing and of creating my best life."

Reba Linker is available for media interviews and coaching consultations and can be reached using the information below or by email at reba@rebalinker.com. The recent piece on cosmetic surgery is available at her blog at http://rebalinker.com/self-love-for-the-cosmetic-surgery-addict/. All of her books are available at Amazon.com and wherever books are sold online. More information on her best-selling books and Transformational Coaching sessions, including the recently published information regarding cosmetic surgery, is available at her website at http://www.RebaLinker.com.

About Reba Linker:

Before opening her dance studio, Empire Dance in New York City, Linker's previous professional experience had been in arts management and dance instruction. She received a BA in Dance and an MA in Dance History from the University of California, Riverside. She lives with her family in New York City.

Contact:

Reba Linker
reba@rebalinker.com
http://www.rebalinker.com

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Best Summer Reads 2015: The Year Of The Midlife Crisis

'Summerlong' has been recognized as the Summer 2015 blockbuster. Wayne Clark's novel 'he & She' has been named as one of 16 best summer reads by IndieReader. Both center on the subject of midlife crisis

Exactly 50 years after the coining of the term “midlife crisis” readers might be excused for wondering whether this is the year of the midlife crisis novel. Two novels, one by its title and the other by virtue of having been named one of the 16 best summer reads of  2015, have done belly flops into the normally placid summer reading pool. The former is ‘Summerlong’ by Dean Bakopoulos, and the latter, ‘he & She’ by Wayne Clark. The two authors take approaches as different as summer and winter but their characters are motivated by nearly identical fears and presentiments about the course of their lives.

The summer blockbuster ‘Summerlong’ was described by Ron Charles, editor of the Washington Post’s Book World, as a story for adults about adults going wild one summer in the tiny town of Grinnell, Iowa. Its main characters, a deeply indebted real estate agent named Don, who is haunted by the ghost of an alcoholic father, and his wife Claire, a writer originally from Manhattan who hasn’t written in a decade, or, more precisely, since having had her promising career supplanted by all-consuming motherhood. Charles describes them as always teetering between despair and bliss.

A review of ‘Summerlong’ by Ellen Emry Heltzel in the Seattle Times is entitled: “Too Hot to Handle in a Midwestern Summer”.

Both main characters, Don and Claire, are around 40, perhaps younger than most people who walk into a spotless glass window called midlife crisis. Heltzel, in her review, points out that in terms of marriage we often talk about the Seven-Year Itch. In Claire’s case, the “get-me-outa-here” moment doesn’t occur until Year 15. Midlife crisis doesn’t have a schedule.

From Don’s point of view, according to a New York Times review by Jennifer B. McDonald his “long, mostly happy” marriage is in a state of putrefaction.

In Clark’s ‘he & She’, the middle-aged protagonist, Kit, realizes through an alcohol haze that the soul that once wanted to translate great literature and play great music has evaporated somewhere along the way. He doesn’t have a marriage to blame it on, just himself. Like Claire in ‘Summerlong’, Kit is all but friendless.

In his desperation, Kit all but invents a solution, latching onto an image of a young woman he finds while aimlessly browsing the Internet. She turns out to be a dominatrix. He has never met a dominatrix in his life, nor considered seeing one. But in his befuddlement he convinces himself against all logic that she will be his salvation, and the pursuit begins.

‘Summerlong’ comes to an end with Don and Claire in a booze-fueled night with other partners at a lake near their little town. The Times described the lot of them as “libidinous, delusional and increasingly intoxicated.” Though the Times calls the tale a “muddle of fantasy and emotional baggage,” the characters are seeking the same resurrection as Kit sitting alone in his apartment on a hot and humid Manhattan night. They all want to taste life again.

“Because there’s so much talk about midlife crisis these days,” says ‘he & She’ author Wayne Cark, “it seems people are coming out of the woodwork to point out that it’s not a physical or chemical illness. Of course it isn’t. It’s just what happens to many people when they’re getting on in years and they realize they’ve allowed their life to become something they can no longer identify with. The realization that time is getting shorter, whether you’re 40 or 60, makes the realization all the more desperate.”

A review of ‘he & She’ by IndieReader summed up the last-ditch, mad search for meaning as: “A remarkable investigation of a man attempting to save himself from stagnation.”

“I’m not a psychologist,” says Clark, “but I’d lay odds that people, regardless of age, who have someone or something to feel passionate about don’t get snared by midlife crisis.”

Wayne Clark is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at clarkw@videotron.ca. 'he & She is available at Amazon and other book retailers. More information, including a blog post on the subject of the 'summer of midlife crisis' , is available at Clark's website at http://www.wayne-clark.com.

About Wayne Clark:

Award-winning author Wayne Clark was born in 1946 in Ottawa, Ont., but has called Montreal home since 1968. Woven through that time frame in no particular order have been interludes in Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, Germany, Holland and Mexico.

By far the biggest slice in a pie chart of his career would be labelled journalism, including newspapers and magazines, as a reporter, editor and freelance writer. The other, smaller slices of the pie would also represent words in one form or another, in advertising as a copywriter and as a freelance translator. However, unquantifiable in a pie chart would be the slivers and shreds of time stolen over the years to write fiction.

Contact:

Wayne Clark
clarkw@videotron.ca
http://www.wayne-clark.com

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Book Marketing Announcements: The Authors Show Lineup For The Week Of July 20, 2015

Book Marketing serves as a resource for authors and allows members to engage in promotion and publicity for marketing purposes. The site offers no-charge marketing training, book publicity opportunities and a buyers club for book marketing services

Don McCauley of the Free Publicity Focus Group and Danielle Hampson, Executive Producer of The Authors Show, founders of The Authors Marketing Powerhouse, have announced The Authors Show radio and broadcast schedule for the week of July 20, 2015. The new show schedule is available at the Authors Marketing Powerhouse site.

For those who hope to sell books on the Internet, the challenge can be daunting. It can be confusing difficult, time consuming and expensive. Book Marketing, branded as The Authors Marketing Powerhouse, helps authors overcome these challenges by providing authors and publishers three distinct benefits:

* No charge publicity - members can upload photos, bios, book covers, video and book videos. Each author can develop a personalized page and a personal blog. The site allows for integration with Facebook and Twitter.

* No charge marketing training - provided through the Book Marketing Master Class series of training videos and peer to peer sharing of information.

* Buyers club - low pricing on products and services used by authors and publishers to market books allows members to dramatically reduce book production and book marketing costs.

The site also offers discussion forums, segmented special interest groups and allows for event listings.  The site is a joint collaboration, developed by Don McCauley of the Free Publicity Focus Group and Danielle Hampson, Executive Producer of The Authors Show.

The Authors Show radio shows offer professionally produced radio interviews that are broadcast worldwide. Segmented shows by genre include fiction, non-fiction and Christian shows. The upcoming scheduled radio lineups include:

Week July 20, 2015 On The Authors Show

Emeka Iwenofu
Michael Cupo
D. D. Marx
Alan Noble
Tina Martel
Daniel P. Douglas
Maria Daddino
DK King
Karynne Summars
Vicki Augustiniak, RN
Anthony Wright
Cindy Lewis
Arleen Alleman
Katherine Wynter
Tonia Oldham
Dr. Nicole Audet
Kass Ghayouri

Profile:

Don McCauley is a marketing strategist and is the facilitator of the Free Publicity Focus Group, a marketing and publicity firm. He also serves as the host of The Authors Show Radio.  Danielle Hampson is the Executive Producer of The Authors Show radio group of programs.

More information is available by visiting the Book Marketing site. Questions about Book Marketing can be addressed to Don McCauley by email at don (at) FreePublicityGroup.com. Questions about The Authors Show can be addressed to Danielle Hampson at danielle (at)TheAuthorsShow.com.

Contact:

Don McCauley
Free Publicity Focus Group
don@freepublicitygroup.com

Danielle Hampson
The Authors Show
danielle@theauthorsshow.com

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Author Tarra Helfgott To Appear On The Authors Show On July 20, 2015

Helfgott is the author of 'Looking for Mr. Straight: A Guide to Identifying the Closeted Gay Men You May Be Dating'

Author Tarra Helfgott will appear on The Authors Show on July 20, 2015. Helfgott is the author of 'Looking for Mr. Straight: A Guide to Identifying the Closeted Gay Men You May Be Dating.'

Helfgott's guidebook helps women become more aware of an important dating issue: the closeted gay male who doesn’t know or want to know that he’s gay. First-hand tips and insights will help women recognize the key factors associated with gay men in the closet. They will then be able to apply these insights to the real world and learn to just go with their gut. As someone who has been through it, Tarra is here to reassure readers that there is something behind the feeling they have when "something doesn’t seem quite straight."

'Looking for Mr. Straight' brings the issue of closeted homosexuality to light and how it is complicating the dating lives of many women. In addition, stories, tips and insights can help women come to terms with their personal situations, whether they are struggling in the dating scene or questioning the sexuality of their partners.

“There is a common misperception that homosexuality is generally accepted in our society today and that gay men are no longer closeted," says Helfgott. "But the reality that millions of women face is that they are either married to closeted gay men, or are dating and becoming romantically involved with them. Women don’t have to struggle like I did and waste their time dating or staying in relationships/marriages with men who are struggling themselves.”

'Looking for Mr. Straight' has a 5 star rating on Amazon. Reviewers have stated, "This is a MUST read for any woman in search of her soul mate." and " . . .her pithy sense of humor and urbane style make for a great gal pal book group offering."

Tarra's show will be running at The Authors Show site on July 20, 2015. She is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at thelf26@gmail.com. 'Looking for Mr. Straight: A Guide to Identifying the Closeted Gay Men You May Be Dating' is available at Amazon and other book retailers. More information is available on her web site at http://www.lookingformrstraight.com and on her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Looking-for-Mr-Straight/189346951139579.

About Tarra Helfgott

Tarra Helfgott is a well-accomplished copywriter in the field of advertising and a magna cum laude graduate of Cornell University. Tarra spent over 10 years gaining dating experience through singles events, dating web sites, and set-ups and inadvertently dated many closeted gay men in the process. In addition, testimonials from other single women as well as the knowledge and insight from her gay best friend have contributed to her expertise on identifying gay men in the closet. She currently lives in Manhattan.

Contact:

Tarra Helfgott
thelf26@gmail.com
http://www.lookingformrstraight.com

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Paranormal Fantasy Romance Author Vanayssa Somers Announces Release Of Free Ebook Sample Download Of 'Pagan Flames'

Vanayssa Somers writes paranormal fantasy romance and contemporary romance that revolves around trusting one's heart, overcoming challenges and transformation. 'Pagan Flames' is a paranormal fantasy romance

Paranormal fantasy romance author Vanayssa Somers has announced the release of a free ebook download sampler from 'Pagan Flames'. The book is for anyone who enjoys a mix of supernatural and love or perhaps those who just love love.  The book has received rave reviews from readers.

'Pagan Flames' is a paranormal romance novel set during the Spanish Inquisition in 15th century Majorca. In 'Pagan Flames', a young orphaned girl who lives with Nuns commits to undergo secret training in the Brilliant Arts. Knowing she will die an agonizing death at the stake if discovered, she chooses to trust her Teacher in the Wizardly skills of Shapeshifting, Time Travel, and Flight.

Somers commented recently on the power of romantic love: "Romantic love gives us wings. We all have discovered that, all of us who have been bewitched by another person. Somehow, our human chemistry is calibrated for that, for falling under the spell of another's mind, habits, beauties, flaws. It comes without warning, usually, though sometimes in a slow waltz of events, and is none the less powerful for that.

"But beware. For those glorious wings provided by true love can fly us headlong, unexpectedly, into a dragon's lair. A huge, terrifying, fire-breathing dragon capable of our destruction. We don't expect that. We never expect that. And yet, like any fabulous gift, it has no purpose if it does not teach us one fiercely valuable thing. What love teaches us, ultimately, is that dragons can be destroyed. In 'Pagan Flames', little Theresa must reach into the depths and breadth of all that she has become to complete her destiny - a destiny linked with the magnificent Arch Wizard, Melchior, her teacher."

'Pagan Flames' has received rave reviews. One reader stated "Pagan Flames is one of the best supernatural romance books I have ever had the pleasure of reading." Another said, "I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Vanayssa Somers made the story and the characters come to life in a way that few authors are able to do." Another called 'Pagan Flames' "absolutely delightful . . ."

Somers has also written a contemporary romance novel entitled 'Sacred Trust'. In 'Sacred Trust', Jan Kendall is the wife of a U.S. Congressman, enjoying the limelight and all its privileges. One day, for good reasons, she flees their elegant home, private jet, holiday homes, and big bank account. But as time goes on, Jan realizes that her high-flying, immensely powerful husband is looking for her and won't take 'no' for an answer. She sees two choices, run scared for the rest of her life or bring the man she once loved to justice. Taking her own power for the first time, she sets out on a path that will test every ounce of courage she ever possessed.

The free ebook sampler of 'Pagan Flames' is available at Payhip at https://payhip.com/Vanayssa.

Vanayssa Somers is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at horses21@shaw.ca. 'Pagan Flames' and 'Sacred Trust' are available in paperback and Kindle versions at Amazon. More information is available at her website at http://www.paranormalfantasyromance.com.

About Vanayssa Somers:

Vanayssa grew up in the deep forests of Vancouver Island. Over the years she trained as an R.N., working in hospitals in different parts of the world, before she earned a B.A. in Sociology from University of Victoria. She has worked as a Reiki Master, Psychic and NLP counselor.

She is a graduate of The Monroe Institute and a follower of Bruce Moen's books and website, She works in soul retrieval and connection with her family in the Afterlife. She believes romantic love to be one of life's highest experiences. Writing romance is her joy.

Contact:

Vanayssa Somers
horses21@shaw.ca
http://www.paranormalfantasyromance.com

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Author Brian McLaughlin's Inspirational Book, 'A Flight Without Wings', Details Amazing Near Death Experience

McLaughlin's book is raw and it's real. There is no embellishment, no theology and no hidden agenda

Near death experiences are fascinating and mysterious to many people. This is because most people seek to find certainty – the certainty that there truly IS something more beyond a single life on Earth that ends in death. We collectively seek certainty, clarity and ultimately peace. It is peace that passes all understanding. It is a state of peace that results from knowing with certainty that we exist forever.

Brian McLaughlin’s journey to Heaven and back brought that sense of certainty, clarity and peace. But what he realized afterward is that the peace we seek is not something we will find far off in an unknown future – it is instead right here, right now. We CAN be certain now. We CAN experience that peace in this very moment. His epiphany occurred when he heard the phrase “My peace I give you,” as he understood, for the first time, what those words were meant to convey.

In his inspirational book, Brian vividly depicts his journey into Heaven and his following return to life caused by a massive head trauma sustained while vacationing in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico twenty-one years ago. Unlike other books on the subject, Brian's book is raw. It is real. There is no embellishment, no theology and no hidden agendas or requisites in order to embrace the benefits.

"My book differs from others on the same subject," McLaughlin stated, "in that the experience described was MY experience and I told the story in MY voice. I wrote as honestly as I remember; without help or outside interpretation  of any kind.”

Heaven is not a future place. It is instead a current state. Heaven is available to anyone, at any time, if we are willing to open our eyes and look. Like others who have had the same type of experience, Brian's life was transformed by his near death experience. He was sent back for a reason.

“ I am convinced now, after 21 years, that I was sent back to share this validation with all that need the same confirmation  and support of their beliefs that I did.  I have come to realize that the peace I experienced in death is available at least in part, right here and now in our daily lives.”

Brian McLaughlin is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at bamclaughlin5579@gmail.com. He recently appeared on The Authors Show and a video of that interview is available at his website. 'A Flight Without Wings' is available at Amazon and other book retailers. More information is available on his website at: http://www.BrianMcLaughlinBooks.com.

About Brian McLaughlin:

Brian McLaughlin is the author of 'A Flight Without Wings'. In his inspirational book, Brian vividly depicts his journey into Heaven and his following return to life caused by a massive head trauma sustained while vacationing in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico twenty-one years ago.

Contact:

Brian McLaughlin
bamclaughlin5579@gmail.com
http://www.BrianMcLaughlinBooks.com

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How To Find Inner Peace - Award Winning Author Grace Mattioli Offers Insight In 'Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees'

Grace Mattioli delivers insight through story.  She writes engaging and moving tales that combine the insight and inspiration of 'The Alchemist' with the humor and quirkiness of 'A Confederacy of Dunces'

To achieve the state of inner peace is the capstone of the human self actualization pyramid. Inner peace is what we seek, regardless of the myriad forms that search may take. All of our other goals  - love, status, satisfaction, achievements are, at the very core, nothing more than the quest for inner peace masquerading as something else. Inner peace is of utmost importance as, without it, nothing else we achieve will mean much at all.

Achieving the state of peace on a personal level is the key to living a rewarding and fulfilled life. The number of paths to that state peace are endless - as varied as the number of souls on the planet. But how can we define inner peace? And how do we achieve it?

Award-winning author Grace Mattioli's 'Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees' is a wildly entertaining story about finding the path to peace. Imagine you are asked to plan a gathering for a feuding family of six that has not been gathered together in over six years. Add to this the fact that the parents of this family are newly separated and that your own life is falling apart. This is the challenge that befalls 23 year old Silvia Greco when she is drafted into helping her mother plan a party for her younger brother’s high school graduation. She takes it on, and in doing so, must negotiate with each member of her family, appealing to their individual needs and interests, in order to get them to go. Through this process, she learns that peace is not something that is easily achieved or freely existing. It is something that needs to be created, cultivated and nurtured. In other words, she learns that “olive branches don’t grow on trees.”

The father, Frank, works as a judge in a local courthouse, and spends his spare time drinking, cooking food that no one eats and maintaining the most perfectly manicured yard in town. The mother, Donna, is a college professor, and is giving single life a go after spending almost all of her adult life with Frank. Angie, the eldest child, married rich and devastated her father by moving from South Jersey to North Jersey, which as far as Frank is concerned, might as well be another planet. Silvia’s older brother, Cosmo, is brilliant and great at everything he does, but is also a classic underachiever. Her younger brother, Vince, is bursting with energy and is on his way to save the world. And then there is Silvia: Energetic, idealistic, and young, striving to bring her family together, while also struggling to settle down and find a career in which she may utilize her artistic talents. She is extremely independent as she can drive across the country and move from place to place alone. She is highly adaptable and does whatever she has to do to get by, whether that be working as a nude model for art schools or a candy store manager at a mall. Last but not least is Grandma Tucci, whom Silvia loves fiercely. She has passed away years ago, but remains with Silvia in spirit, almost as if guiding her through her adventures in the lessons of life, love, and peace.

"I really wanted to write a story about peace as I’m very passionate about this subject," Mattioli stated. "I believe that peace begins at home, so a family story was the perfect genre. I created a dysfunctional, contentious family that had not been together in several years so that the protagonist would have an especially difficult time of achieving her goal of reuniting them.”

While this book addresses such serious issues as alcoholism and offers insight on such topics as forgiveness, it is very humorous and entertaining. As one reviewer wrote:  "The author weaves a tale that is a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing a witty sense of humor and subtle messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive."

In her realistic fiction books, Mattioli paints pictures with words. Her works are filled with vivid descriptions and her characters are extremely dimensional and unforgettable. While her books center around serious issues such as family relations, death and addiction, they are very humorous and fun; readers will be entertained as they gain valuable insights that they can take with them long after they have finished the last page.

Grace Mattioli has won numerous awards. She was chosen as one of '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' in 2015. 'Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees' was named as one of the 'Best Of 2012' by Suspense Magazine.

Grace Mattioli is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at grace@gracemattioli.com. Her contemporary fiction books are available at Powell’s, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iTunes. More information on all of her work is available at her website at http://www.gracemattioli.com.

About Grace Mattioli:

Grace Mattioli is the author of Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees (2012) and Discovery of an Eagle (2014). She has worked as a librarian for over 19 years and has been writing creatively since she was a child.

Contact:

Grace Mattioli
grace@gracemattioli.com
http://www.gracemattioli.com

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Video By Shark Expert Ila France Porcher, Author Of 'The Shark Sessions', Available For Shark Week 2015

“The Shark Sessions” relates the story of sharks who were Porcher's companions for many years in Tahiti. When they were finned and massacred by a company from Singapore, she wrote down their story so that the world would find out : what they were like, and what had happened to them. Her powerful mini-documentary is now available

Shark expert Ila France Porcher has announced the release of a new video mini-documentary to coincide with Shark Week 2015. Porcher is the author of 'The Shark Sessions: My Sunset Rendezvous'. The book presents the story of her long-term ethological study of reef sharks in Tahiti, and the resulting findings, against the background of the uneasy society surrounding it. Intelligence in wild animals in general, and sharks in particular, is the major theme.

"In 2004, I was interviewed by the BBC for Discovery's 'Shark Week' regarding the evidence for thinking in sharks that I had found during my underwater study of their behaviour," Porcher stated. "For years, I had been keeping track of more than 600 sharks who passed through the area, and could recognize 300 on sight.

“With the certainty that comes with repeatedly verified, first hand knowledge of their behaviour, I had learned that individual sharks could be easily distinguished, not only by their appearance, but because they each had distinctive ways of behaving. I was able to report that:

•    each shark is a unique individual.
•    behaviour patterns that had been considered automatic and purely instinctive, such as roaming, reactions to sudden events, and their responses to other sharks and to me, were actually flexible and varied at different times.
•    they showed a range of emotional states including fear, rage, curiosity, excitement, and happiness.
•    they treated people, and other sharks, as individuals.

"From my long association with with the resident sharks who accompanied me during my observation sessions, I learned that sharks can develop companionships with people if the person approaches them with patience and calmness so that they can let go of their fear.

But Shark Week  left out my urgent message that those sharks were actually being finned and were in need of protection, and omitted my findings. The presenter stated, 'Ila claims that these sharks have personalities, but the jury's still out on that.'

"But the jury was not out. Cognitive thought in fish was beginning to be recognized, and my findings that sharks were capable of it too, had already been presented at a scientific conference by then. Since that time, more and more discoveries have been made about the sentience of a wide variety of oceanic life.

“The discovery that sharks are intelligently aware, and are pursuing lives of meaning to themselves, has startling implications. It changes our perception of them, and of their place in  nature, as well as ours. Yet, these scientific facts are being ignored, and many to continue to present sharks as brutal  man-eating killers.”

So she created a mini-documentary to complement the Shark Week entertainment this year, which shows actual footage of the sharks she studied, and some surprising shark behaviour.

Ila France Porcher is available for media interviews and can be reached by email at ilafranceporcher@gmail.com. Her mini documentary is available on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hryPvS5cmqM. More information is available at her website at http://ilafranceporcher.wix.com/author.

About  Ila France Porcher:

Ila France Porcher is a self-taught, published ethologist. She grew up in British Columbia, Canada, and at an early age became fascinated by watching and drawing wild animals. As a result, she naturally became a wildlife artist, and in time began documenting the behaviour of the animals she painted, being especially intrigued by actions suggesting intelligence and cognition.

In Tahiti she found sharks to be the first wild animals who came to her instead of fleeing. They were so intriguing that she launched an intensive study of them, systematically observing and recording their behaviour. Following the precepts of the field of cognitive ethology, and later with the guidance of world class marine ethologist Dr. Arthur A. Myrberg Jr., University of Miami, she learned to interpret their behaviour. Part of her study was subsequently published in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Biology, and some of her observations are considered to be the first documented cases of cognition in sharks. She is credited with the discovery of a way to study these much maligned predators that does not involve killing them, and was dubbed “the Jane Goodall of Sharks,” for her investigation of their intelligent behaviour in the wild, while giving a presentation about them at the University of Miami.

Contact:

Ila France Porcher
ilafranceporcher@gmail.com
http://www.ilafranceporcher.wix.com/author

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Three 'When-Then' Signs, Including Iran And Jade Helm, for Bible Believers of Impending Judgment, One for July 27

'The Harbinger' was about a series of events needing explanation in Cahn's best-selling book of impending judgment. Now three biblical signs point to destruction; one to martial law, and the Supreme Gay Marriage Vote is a Harbinger - for July 27

Dr. Richard Ruhling, prophecy expert, believes it may be important for Bible believers to review the reasons they live in the city and have a plan for leaving before fall if a serious event occurs July 27.

The Bible is the #1 best-selling book and most people who read it get the conviction that it is God's Word. It shows the first city was built by the first murderer. Now cities are the focus of crime, violence, perversions and poverty. Many who take the Bible seriously say the “signs of the times” are ominous. Here are three omens:

1.    “The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, 'Peace and safety' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.” The apostle Paul's warning echoes the destruction that fell on Egypt as it birthed Israel-- they fled the next day.

With six nations focusing years of concern and negotiation in an agreement for Iran to have nuclear power, it is “Peace and safety.” Many leaders believe Iran is not to be trusted. Ruhling believes we are we betraying Israel, our only real ally in the Middle East to favor a militant Islamic Iran, formerly Persia.

Persia conquered Babylon (Daniel 5) and now we have “hundreds of links to terror group [ISIS] across 50 states.” Can't we see history repeating for America? The White House forgets Neville Chamberlain as it appeases Muslim militancy for a coming Imam Mahdi.

2.    “When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong...flee.”  Early Christians understood Christ's warning to mean military, and when the Roman army came, they fled Jerusalem and were spared the siege when Titus brought destruction.

Tomorrow the US government initiates a military operation “where it does not belong.” The Posse Comitatus Act forbids use of military in the US against civilians, but the US government is pushing a UN agenda to grab guns, a 2nd amendment right that has kept our nation safe from government tyranny for hundreds of years. Civil war II?

JADE HELM means "Homeland Eradication of Local Militants". Christians could soon find themselves trapped in the cities under martial law, or in a FEMA camp for re-education if they don't heed Christ's warning.

The FEMA camps came from REX 84 (31 years ago) to deal with illegal aliens. Now they are ok with aliens, but the camps may be used for  “dometic terrorists” that the government says includes Bible prophecy believers who oppose a New World Order.

So who do we trust--the government, our own perceptions (when the government has lied about surveillance and appears to be sold out to a global government agenda) or will Bible believers trust Christ's warning?

3.    “As it was also in the days of Lot...on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire...”  The Supreme Court decision for gay marriage suggests impending judgment to many.

All three of these harbingers are current issues. The nuclear treaty with Iran is a done deal. JADE HELM begins July 15. The Supreme Court decision fell on June 26, but it has a July 27 focus.

June 26 was the 9th day of the 4th Jewish month, counting from the new moon crescent, a date when in Bible times, “there was no bread for the people” in Jeremiah 52. 

This has a spiritual application. Christ likened bread to God's Word. The Supreme Court was saying, "In God We [Don't] Trust." Solomon's Temple burned a month later...on the 10th day of the 5th month. It was the end of an era.

The same timing fit 70 AD when Herod's Temple burned--it was also the 10th day of the 5th month, according to Josephus, and again it was the end of an era.

Those temples enshrined the Ten Commandments, but they burned because the people didn't honor the Ten Commandments. The Supreme Court also enshrines the Ten Commandments over its entrance, but it's as empty of wise law as Israel was then—their favor of Obamacare is another example of “the worst thing since slavery.” (Dr. Ben Carson).

We're at the end of an era and the cities will not be safe. Government policies have made huge problems and they hope to quell the violence with military and UN force as seen on YouTube.

"Cities have become cesspools of crime, violence and perversion that ruin our children with perverted education," Ruhling stated, "but we won't give asylum to homeschoolers fleeing Germany, but offer full benefits at tax-payer expense to Muslims from the Middle East and Catholics from Latin America. Can we see any inequity here?"

Considering a need to leave the city, a month early is better than a day late. Martial law (when things may change forever) may only have a 2-hour warning.

"The 9th day of the 5th month is when many Jews fast and pray," Ruhling stated. "It's Sunday, July 26. Why can't churches everywhere be filled with people who care enough about America to skip supper and come to church for prayer?  Elijah had the guts to pray for judgment to fall in order to turn Israel back. Do we? Isn't it time?"

"Why not share this with your pastor and ask him, Why not? God just may answer big."

About Dr. Richard Ruhling:

Dr. Richard Ruhling is a physician whose interest in retirement is Bible prophecy and alternative healthcare. More information on these and many other topics is offered on his site at http://TheBridegroomComes.com.

Contact:

Dr. Richard Ruhling
ruhling7@juno.com
http://www.TheBridegroomComes.com

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Inspirational Book, 'The Caleb Years: When God Doesn't Make Sense' Earns Honorable Mention In Foreword Reviews Indiefab Book Of The Year Awards

'The Caleb Years' is a refreshing and inspirational account of the journey through treacherous waters of uncertainty and deep emotional wounds parents of chronically ill children must endure

'The Caleb Years' by David Ingerson has earned the Honorable Mention in Foreword Reviews Indiefab Book Of The Year Awards for the best indie books of 2014.

Winners were chosen from over 1,500 entries in 63 categories by a select panel of librarians and booksellers. Winners were announced during the American Library Association Annual Conference in San Francisco on June 26. This year’s list of winners includes the Dalai Lama, Lev Grossman, Jeet Heer, Chuck Palahniuk, Zack Whedon, Georges Jeanty, Lee & Low Books, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kent State University Press, Rizzoli, Abingdon Press, Quirk Books, Cleis Press, and Six Sisters Stuff.

'The Caleb Years' is a refreshing and inspirational account of the author’s journey through the treacherous waters of uncertainty and the deep emotional wounds parents of  chronically ill children must endure. It chronicles the medical maladies and life-stirring challenges Ingerson and his family faced after his fourth child, Caleb, was born with a major congenital heart defect (CHD)--as does Bret Baier's book, 'Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love.'

"I am very pleased," Ingerson stated, "that my book has been recognized by this competitive award. I believe my story will be helpful to many others as they read how we faced and overcame the challenges all parents experience when their children suffer with life-and-death medical struggles."

Ingerson encourages his grieving readers to also read the inspirational book 'Losing Cooper: Finding Hope to Grieve Well, ' by J.J. Jasper. For those that are seeking further inspiration in dealing with the questions of suffering, Ingerson highly recommends one of Max Lucado's latest books, 'You'll Get Through This - Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times,' as well as Philip Yancey's recent book, 'The Question That Never Goes Away: Why?.' Likewise, Ingerson enjoyed reading 'Tuesdays with Morrie,' by Mitch Albom during his tumultuous Caleb years. For further inspiration he also heartily recommends 'Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,' by Laura Hillenbrand.

To fight for the life of a child with a long-drawn-out chronic illness is agonizing enough, but to then lose that child, as the Ingerson family did, as the result of the reckless behavior of another—a blood donor giving his potentially HIV-tainted blood despite his known at-risk behavior--is beyond words.  Despite his raging anger, Ingerson did not seek vengeance when faced with this very situation. Instead, he took action and vowed to do something to help prevent this type of tragedy from happening to others.

Although we may not be able to determine the final outcome of such tragic situations, we can decide how we are going to live each day – with hope and thankfulness or with anger and bitterness. David Ingerson and his family, as intensely described in this inspirational story chose the way of hope, even when facing the menace of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and the dread of HIV. While it did not take away their pain, it did give them the strength to live each day with meaning.

Phillip Yancey, 'NYT' best-selling author of 'The Jesus I Never Knew' states, “I have read the full account of Caleb’s life in ‘The Caleb Years’, and I’m glad I did. Especially, I appreciated that David didn’t offer saccharine answers. He showed the raw, up-and-down vulnerability that always accompanies such a trial.”

Eugene H. Peterson, best-selling author and translator of ‘The Message’ and Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College said, "Caleb was born with several undiagnosed congenital anomalies and endured ten major surgeries. His father writes the story, saturated with both pain and prayer, but remarkably without a trace of bitterness. His marvelous witness written with such skill, crafted in language honest and vivid, will not fail to deepen the faith and joy of all who trust God."

"Faith and forgiveness are two key themes of our story. Our faith was tested when after our son was born with CHD, so many asked, 'Why was Caleb born this way?' Also, in that our son was infected with HIV due to the irresponsible action of a donor who knew of his at-risk behavior but chose to keep quiet about it and donate his blood anyway, we were forced to face the difficult question, 'Can we forgive the donor for his reprehensible act?'"

About David Ingerson:

David P. Ingerson is an exciting communicator who has spoken to audiences around the world. During his twenty years as a U.S. Air Force officer and pilot he traveled extensively and lived abroad with his family. He has trained and led teams on short-term missions to the Philippines and Cambodia. As a corporate pilot he has traveled to nearly every country on five continents and takes with him great respect and appreciation for the myriad of cultures he encounters.

Having suffered his own share of trials and setbacks as an entrepreneur, he encourages his listeners to rise above life's difficulties and griefs. Given his track record of overcoming challenges, Ingerson has credibility when he exhorts others that the path to success is found and walked with intentionality, faith and hard work. He is genuine and passionate as he encourages his listeners to honestly admit their challenges and disappointments. Through his personal inspirational story of triumph through tragedy, he spurs others to rise above life's frustrations and overcome in spite of intimidating obstacles—even as dreadful as facing CHD, HIV and grieving the death of a child.

David and his wife, Kathleen, are the parents of five children and make their home in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Contact:

David Ingerson
thecalebyears@aol.com
http://www.TheCalebYears.com

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Ben Bryant, Author Of 'Three Stages, My Journey - Book One' Shares Memories Of Football Legend Don Coryell

Bryant has shared the stage and personal occasions with hundreds of celebrities. However, many people are not aware that in the the early part of his journey he played for Don Coryell at Whittier College

Ben Bryant has written a series of entertainment books no other person could write. His books offer an insider’s backstage – and on stage – view of the inner workings of the entertainment industry at nearly every level for over five decades. His memoir, spanning three volumes, reads like a 'Who's Who' listing of stars and celebrities from New York to Hollywood.

Before stepping into a career in entertainment, Bryant played football for Don Coryell at Whittier College. That story is related in the first volume of his memoir. Now, Don Coryell is again a finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame. In a recent San Diego Chargers article, a host of NFL greats including Joe Gibbs, Don Shula, John Madden, Tom Landry, Dan Fouts and many others called for his induction. Ben Bryant believes the honor is overdue and well deserved.

"Don Coryell, my second NFL Hall of Fame coach to be, was well named," Bryant stated. "Unlike my first one, the great George Allen, Coach Don was a yeller to his core."

"The fall of 1953, supported by a football 'grant-in-aid', I started Whittier College. I was third string fullback under the tutelage of Coach Allen. He was a fabulous coach and a great character. Have you ever had an experience where you wished that you’d written something down, sealed it in a dated envelope and opened it ten years later? After the first week of practice I believed Coach Allen was destined for the NFL."

"After a year out of football and another year out of school to earn money (no football, no grant) the fall of ’57 was technically my senior year but even though I was fully involved in theatre and music courses and back in the choir I just had to go out, again, for football. Coach Allen had moved on to the LA Rams (as I predicted) and his replacement was another man who would gain fame in the NFL, Don Coryell."

"Coryell was as big a fanatic about offense as Allen was about defense. Once full contact drills began we found out what an offensive fanatic Coach Coryell truly was. He’d give the offense the ball on the five yard line and if we scored (field goals weren’t allowed) the defense had to run a lap. If we didn’t score not only would we have to run a lap but he’d go nuts. One time I remember him banging his own head against the goal post when we didn’t get into the end zone."

"But alas, after three or four weeks the theatre and music departments won out and I hung up my cleats for the last time. The Whittier College Poets went on to win the conference that year as well as the next two that Coryell coached."

"Now Coach Coryell is being considered for induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.  To quote the SD Chargers’ article: “He’s most known for his revolutionary ‘Air Coryell’ offense that transformed football into what we know today. It’s not a stretch to say that without Don Coryell, the modern NFL would be a much different game.”

Ben Bryant’s captivating memoir captures the entertainment industry experience in ways no other work has ever captured it before or ever will again. He is a consummate storyteller. Every segment of the industry – theatre, television, Las Vegas, national tours, The Metropolitan Opera and the Broadway stage – occupies a place in his engaging tales. Bryant’s "backstage view" of the world of entertainment is panoramic. His up close and personal stories form the basis of a work that readers will find revealing, amusing and highly entertaining.

While working as an actor/singer, Ben Bryant performed on Broadway, at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as well as on stages and in concert halls all over the USA and Canada. He was even briefly an opera singer at the Met. He has known and worked with many extraordinary people. After leaving the stage he worked as a motion picture camera assistant, a sound man, a producer, a production manager, an assistant director, a cameraman, a video director and editor. He was involved in the production of over 1,000 commercials and several movies, short films and documentaries. During his years in production he worked with many more household name level stars - from Carole King whose Central Park concert he production managed to Tony Randall and Paul Newman with whom he did commercials as an Assistant Director.

Ben Bryant is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at authorauthor@earthlink.net. All three books are available at Amazon in Kindle format, at Barnes & Noble for Nook and at Payhip in all eBook formats. A free ebook sampler from 'Three Stages', relating some of the best stories from his memoir, is available at Payhip at http://www.payhip.com/BenBryant. Paperback versions are available at Lulu.com. More information is available at Bryant’s website at http://www.EntertainmentBooksByBen.com.

About Ben Bryant:

Ben Bryant’s show business and real world careers include being a line gang grunt, a jackhammer operator, a swimming and water safety instructor, a gym trainer, an Air Force medic, a choir director, an oratorio soloist, a musical theatre singer, an actor, a jazz arranger, a recording artist, a theatre director, operating partner in a typography company, a magazine production manager, a dancer, a motion picture camera assistant, a sound man, a producer, a motion picture production manager, an assistant director, a cameraman, a video editor, an author, a mentor and a video director.

He has performed on Broadway, at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as well as on stages and in concert halls in the USA and Canada. As an actor he worked on a large number of TV shows and dozens of commercials. In his work and/or personal life he has been associated with known stars such as Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Neil Diamond, Mel Brooks, Frank Zappa, Christopher Walken, Charles Bronson, Dave Brubeck, Roy Rogers, David Carradine, Jon Voight, Michael Bennett, Leonard Bernstein, Tony Martin, Charles Durning, Mary Martin, Jack Benny, Jack Jones, Frankie Avalon, Barbara Hershey, Dale Evans, Ricardo Montalban, Raul Julia, Cyd Charisse, Alan King, Jerry Orbach and many others.

Contact:

Ben Bryant
authorauthor@earthlink.net
http://www.entertainmentbooksbyben.com

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