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With our eighth PW Select we complete two years of quarterly presentations of self-published titles and reviews. As of next year, PW Select will appear bimonthly, that is, six times a year, beginning in February.
Back Words: One Painter's Voice in the Conversation.
Peter Malone. CreateSpace, $11.95 paper (152p), ISBN 978-1-4781-8221-4; $8.75 e-book ASIN B008O6JYNQ
A narrative of artistic development and a critique of the university as educator of artists offers a new assessment of contemporary art.
Drawing with the Spirograph Multicolor Pen: 51 Original 10-Color Design Instructions for the Spirograph Toy of the 1960s
Howard Richman. Sound Feelings Publishing, $9.95 paper (28p), ISBN 978-1-882060-92-4
The combination of this new instruction booklet and a Spirograph Multicolor Pen will breathe new life into a cherished toy of the past.
Biography & Autobiography
Hell on Wheels: The Incredible Story of Rookie Roller Derby Queen Cindy McCoy.
Karen Mueller Bryson. Short on Time Books, $8.99 paper (124p), ISBN 978-1-4776-9075-8; $2.99 e-book ASIN: B008KO2LBO
This captivating biography reveals the details of sports legend Cindy McCoy's inspirational life story.
Beamish Boy: A Memoir.
Albert Flynn DeSilver. The Owl Press, $8.99 e-book (262p), ISBN 978-1-4524-4611-0
Smashwords; B&N
"A beautifully written memoir... poignant and inspirational, comical and terrifying!" says Kirkus Review.
Casting Norma Jeane: A Starlet Is Transformed into Marilyn Monroe.
James Glaeg. The Woodbine Press, $12.95 paper (246p), ISBN 978-0-615-61206-5; $6.99 e-book ASIN B008RPQAFO
A restless starlet described as "pretty but plain" steps into a role that will make her the most photographed woman of the 20th century.
Full Circle: A Journey in Search of Roots.
David A. Hecker, Ph.D. Crab Walk Press, $14 paper (253p), ISBN 978-1-4664-2397-8; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62111-035-4
After the author finds his lost great-grandparents, he writes poems, a historical novel, and this memoir about the many family secrets found during the journey.
A Child Lost in Flight: Moving On After Tragedy on Flight 229.
Mohan K. $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62314-538-5
A first-person account of a father coming to grips with the sudden death of his child on an international flight.
Up the Park.
Richard D. Kutz. Inkwater Press, $17.95 paper (338p), ISBN 978-1-59299-792-3; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-59299-793-0
Join a group of kids who mature while working out life together, through team sports and a strong camaraderie, to become fine young adults.
My Top 40 at 40: Making the First Half Count: A Modern Man's Story Collection.
Kari Loya. XK Productions, $24.95 hardcover (252p), ISBN 978-0-9847637-0-2
To celebrate turning 40, the author shares 40 favorite stories spanning six continents and two decades that will inspire readers to live fun, meaningful lives.
Dodging Machetes: How I Survived Forbidden Love, Bad Behavior, and the Peace Corps in Fiji.
Will Lutwick. Peace Corps Writers, $15.95 paper (266p), ISBN 978-1-935925-11-8; $7.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-935925-12-5
Romeo and Juliet meets Eat, Pray, Love in this seriocomic memoir, in which a Peace Corps volunteer and a local Indian girl become star-crossed lovers in Fiji.
Boocoo Dinky Dow: My Short, Crazy Vietnam War.
Grady C. Myers and Julie Titone. CreateSpace, $13.99 paper (168p), ISBN 978-1-4679-5568-3; $6.99 e-book
Grady Myers was an artistic but aimless teen in 1968, when, desperate for troops, the U.S. Army overlooked his extreme nearsightedness and transformed him into Hoss, an M-60 machine gunner. His illustrated memoir is by turns funny and sobering.
A Sea Story: The Untold Story of the U.S. Navy Response to 9/11.
Joseph Pignataro. CreateSpace, $8.70 paper (216p), ISBN 978-1-4752-4131-0 ; $4.99 e-book ASIN B007W9F4A8
A Navy boarding team struggles to survive on a Iranian tanker smuggling weapons to the Taliban on 9/11; based on true events.
Antonia De Rocsini, Queen of the Pirates
Rinaldo Rinaldini. Krys Roxien Books, $20.95 paper (410p), ISBN 978-0-615-47722-0
A 17th-century biography of one of the least-known female pirates, trans. from the French by Krys Roxien.
Cancer Country: A Survivor's Memoir.
Chet Skibinski. Inkwater Press, $12.95 paper (202p), ISBN 978-1-59299-806-7; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-59299-807-4
Amazon; B&N; inkwaterpress.com
Discovering you have cancer is like being thrust into a foreign country that was next door all the time.
13 Years in America.
Melanie Steele. CreateSpace, $10.95 paper (288p), ISBN 978-1-4752-1566-3; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007M4C780
An inspiring memoir of an immigrant from Canada traces one woman's fearless pursuit of happiness and fulfillment in modern-day America; both personal story and sharp social critique.
Broken Innocence: A True Story of Soul Redemption.
Gregory Allan Voss. Inkwater Press, $15.95 paper (268p), ISBN 978-1-59299-767-1; $4.99 e-book ASIN B0085XH22I
The story of one man's journey from the shattered innocence of an abusive childhood to hard-won redemption in later life.
Great Black War Fighters: Profiles in Service.
Ben L. Walton. Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co., $29.97 hardcover (256p), ISBN 978-1-61897-108-1
With a foreword by LTG (Ret.) Robert G. Gard Jr., Ph.D., this is a chronicle of 29 African-American admirals and generals who reached the pinnacle of a military career with one to four stars, since President Truman abolished segregation in the nation's armed forces.
Body, Mind & Spirit
It's All About Me... or Is It?
Christopher Barron. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (164p), ISBN 978-1-4775-2566-1
A first-person narrative delves deeply into the the meaning of being human and reflects on the moments of our days that should not be ignored or neglected.
Be Your Best Without the Stress: It's Not About the Medal.
Katrina Radke, M.F.T. Motivational Press Inc., $24.95 paper (262p), ISBN 978-1-935723-61-5
Embrace your inner Olympian, maximize your potential, manage obstacles, take care of your health. Find deep satisfaction within as you discover your best, true self.
Living Beyond the Pain: Insights for Your Journey of Transformation.
Gordon Selley, D.C. Selley Enterprises, $14.99 paper (164p), ISBN 978-0-9855268-0-1
The author shares his comeback from permanent neck injuries to fulfilling life to help readers pull themselves up from whatever circumstances have them stuck in the darker places of life.
Love Promised: A Future Life Revealed.
Kent Smith. Universal Life Strings, $19.95 paper (318p), ISBN 978-0-9851654-2-0; $3.33 e-book ASIN B007W4M8TS
Smith relates how death is a part of life through her own love story, fashioning a guide to recovery from grief for those who have lost family or friends, revealing the messages she has received from loved ones after their death, and connects quantum theory to her experiences.
A Passage to Eternity: A Mystical Account of a Near-Death Experience and Poetic Journey into the Afterlife.
Azmina Suleman. Inkwater Press, $18.95 paper (228p), ISBN 978-1-59299-801-2
inkwaterbooks.com, Amazon
A rare account by a Shia Ismaili Muslim of a near-death experience candidly explores the Canadian journalist's experience. "What is important is... its moral value; its power to inspire faith, and care for others," says John King of the University of Calgary.
Business & Economics
You Can Get the Truth—You Can Fix the World: A Step by Step Guide.
Joe Fedison. You Can Get the Truth, $19.95 paper (312p), ISBN 978-0-9858258-0-5
A "how-to" guide shows exactly what needs to be done to get at the root of problems and outlines specific strategies for fixing them; includes examples, instructions, guidelines, and templates.
The Business of Wanting More: Why Some Executives Move from Success to Fulfillment and Others Don't.
Brian Gast. Barnegat Press Co., $24.95 hardcover (184p), ISBN 978-0-9849419-0-2; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9849419-1-9
The former CEO tells his personal story of why success was his undoing and teaches the four elements of fulfillment along with a roadmap to being both fulfilled and successful.
Smart Customers, Stupid Companies: Why Only Intelligent Companies Will Thrive, and How to Be One of Them.
Michael Hinshaw, and Bruce Kasanoff. Business Strategy Press, $24.95 paper (200p), ISBN 978-0-9851339-1-7; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9851339-2-4
Massive disruption is coming to every industry. The authors offer a five-step plan for companies to profit from disruption rather than falling victim.
Values—Not Just for the Office Wall Plaque: How Personal and Company Values Intersect.
Irial O'Farrell. CreateSpace, $18.97 paper (208p), ISBN 978-1-4610-5836-6; $12.29 e-book ASIN B007PK9FTU
A management consultant provides a nuts and bolts explanation of what personal and company values are and how their successful intersection can benefit a business's bottom line.
Customer 3D: A New Dimension for Customers.
Bill Self. CustomerEDU, $21.95 paper (234p), ISBN 978-0-9853908-0-8; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9853908-1-5 Amazon; (800) 380-2308
Exceptional companies are remaking themselves to become more customer-centered with the Customer 3D strategy.
On Top of Everything: Manage Your Projects and Life with Ease.
Laurence H. Seton. Projecteze Inc., $37.95 paper (187p), ISBN 978-0-9810629-0-7; $37.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9810629-1-4
Describes how to stay organized and achieve work-life balance with technology you already own, using Projecteze, a simple and effective task management system.
Comics & Graphic Novels
Max Overacts, Vol. One: Hold On to Your Stubs.
Caanan Grall. Occasional Comics, $19.95 paper (164p), ISBN 978-0-9879042-0-1
Max is the next great serious thespian and every day is an opportunity to showcase his talents, whether anyone else likes it or not.
Polterguys, Vol. 1.
Laurianne Uy, and Nathan Go. Mumo Press, $12.99 paper (192p), ISBN 978-0-9851920-0-6; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9851920-1-3
A nerdy college girl moves into a house that's haunted by five guys. Once invisible to live boys, she's the only one who can help the ghostly ones now. Winner of the Xeric Award 2012.
Family & Relationships
This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store: Unapologetic Admissions from a Non-Contender for Mother of the Year.
AK Turner. Fever Streak Press, $12 paper (190p), ISBN 978-0-9855839-0-3; $3.99 e-book ASIN B008FIBV20
A girl who scorns the idea of family majors in Russian, minors in vodka, and one day finds herself with child... and in-laws.
The Crawford Affair.
Michael R. Adams. Solemn Chanting Press, $2.99 e-book (322p)
Horatio Crawford plans and executes lavish "memorial" events, but his family is entangled in the affairs of love, gossip, and town politics.
Making Believers: Connect to the Light Within.
Linda Amato. Hay House/Balboa Press, $17.95 paper (223p), ISBN 978-1-4525-3543-2
Abuse needs to end in relationships by the simple transformation of discovering that God is within all. Gracie and Amanda live as a mother and daughter filled with their demons on a daily basis, yet in death Gracie leaves Amanda a gift that enables her to transform her life.
America's Fool: Las Vegas and the End of the World.
Jay Amberg. Amika Press, $17.95 paper (400p), ISBN 978-0-9708416-7-4
TV reporter Andy Wright must prevent fanatics from murdering thousands of people in Las Vegas with a powerful poison and destroying our democratic system of government.
A Song Apart.
Jeffrey H. Baer. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (352p), ISBN 978-1-4564-9292-2
A rising pop star and her biggest fan fall in love and fight society for respect, then discover they only need each other.
Honeymoon with Harry.
Bart Baker. Big Muddy Books, $8.63 paper (301p), ISBN 978-1-4752-5655-0
Amazon; B&N
A shocking tragedy thrusts two enemies on an emotional odyssey as they travel together to spread the ashes of the woman they both loved. Announced as a New Line Cinema film.
The Other Pilot.
Ed Baldwin. Brasfield Books, $14.95 paper (350p), ISBN 978-0-615-67322-6
A political action thriller with a military aviation background.
It's Not Easy to Unfuck Things Up.
Earl Barret. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (274p), ISBN 978-1-4751-2152-0
A tragic WWII novel of a West Coast teenager whose first love is about to be interned for the duration of the war.
Staying Alive in Lampasas County.
Glenn A. Blake. E-Booktime, $12.95 paper (189p), ISBN 978-1-60862-349-5; $5.95 e-book ASIN B006ZCUE76
E-Booktime.com; Amazon; B&N
Based on an actual feud and violent shootout between two families on the Texas frontier in the mid-19th century, this novel features a young man trying to live right in a cruel and lawless land.
Women from Venus.
Ed Brodow. Lulu, $15.95 paper (196p), ISBN 978-1-300-00712-8; $6.99 e-book ASIN B008LUM5JA
A collection of four short novels by the author of Fixer and Negotiation Boot Camp.
Victoria Brown. Woodchuck Publishers, $14.95 (272p), ISBN 978-0-9854391-1-8; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9854391-2-5
This gripping tale of corruption, greed, murder, and betrayal tells the story of three boyhood friends during Prohibition and explores the meaning of friendship, family, love, and loyalty.
My Way Home.
Cynthia Lee Cartier. Story Creek Books, $12.95 paper (368p), ISBN 978-0-9850224-2-6; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9850224-0-2
Cammy's lost as she faces the end of her 25-year marriage, but an abandoned lodge on an island gives her new dreams.
Michaelbrent Collings. CreateSpace, $15.97 paper (424p), ISBN 978-1-4781-6776-1; $2.99 e-bookASIN B008GFLVQI
A loving father is attacked by a supernatural presence that wants to possess him, and kill his children.
Lay Saints.
Adam Connell. Adam Connell, $4.99 e-book (434p), ISBN 978-0-9854855-0-4
Enter the underbelly of Manhattan, where warring crews of telepaths read or alter the thoughts of the "hacks" around them, for a fee.
Window Above the Porch.
Kevin Costanzi. Amazon Digital Services, 99¢ e-book (211p), ISBN 978-1-4675-3289-1
A fictional portrayal of warfare in Iraq that examines what motivates men to fight far from home in the midst of morally complicated and threatening conditions.
Doom Spore: A Summer Movie in a Novel.
John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $16 paper (264p), ISBN 978-1-4775-2994-2; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-7433-1149-6
Terrifying jungle horror turns San Diego citizens into fungal zombies. Lt. Linsey Simon and hard-hitting reporter Jack Simon desperately fight back to save the world.
Orbital Sniper: A Jack Gray Thriller.
John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $19.95 paper (500p), ISBN 978-1-4774-2526-8; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-7433-1403-9
Jack Gray, a 21st-century cross between James Bond and the Saint, combats Dr. Night, whose orbital sniper rifle threatens terrorist mass murder.
The Spy's Daughter.
John T. Cullen. Clocktower Books, $22 paper (454p), ISBN 978-1-4752-9838-3; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-7433-1228-8
A wealthy woman, searching for her roots and her vanished WWII spy father, uncovers his love story in a panoramic adventure reminiscent of Doctor Zhivago.
Don Quixote.
Gerald J. Davis. Insignia Publishing, $14.99 paper (361p), ISBN 978-1-4774-0119-4; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4762-2439-8
The author of eight novels offers a translation of the story that a Nobel Prize Committee survey of a hundred of the world's best writers named "the greatest book of all time."
The Militant Genome.
Braxton DeGarmo. BookBaby, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62309-226-9
Combines state-of-the-art medical genomics and an Ozarks white supremacy group for a thriller with a life-threatening conspiracy of murder, kidnapping, and rising racial tensions.
No Alternative.
William Dickerson. Kettle of Letters Press, $12.99 paper (329p), ISBN 978-0-9851886-1-0; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007RZZX76
An explosive coming-of-age drama blasts open the grunge-era world of suburban American teenagers in the early '90s.
e.r. dinsmoor. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper (448p), ISBN 978-1-4775-0519-9
Amazon; B&N
Fleeing a brutal foster home, a Gullah teen crosses the paths of two powerful feuding Southern families. Troubled yet memorable characters uncover a murderous conspiracy to destroy him and protect his life.
What Smiled at Him.
Colin Dodds. Royal Pulp, $12 paper (280p), ISBN 978-1-4774-0331-0
Two childhood friends find every clue they need to solve a grisly double murder, but, for their own reasons, choose not to.
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla: A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery.
R.E. Donald. Proud Horse Publishing, $13.95 paper (348p), ISBN 978-0-9881118-0-6; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4657-6920-6
A compelling whodunit, this first in a series of character-driven mystery novels features Hunter Rayne, a former RCMP homicide detective turned long-haul truck driver, who's enlisted to find the murderer of a fellow trucker.
Skyscraper Secrets.
Jennifer Dozier. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper (180p), ISBN 978-0-7433-1379-7, 978-0-7433-1378-0; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007MCO3IY
Amazon; B&N
Muriel and Sarah engage in a passionate, sentimental summer romance during the bleak, terrifying 1950s. They will marry and move on, but never forget.
Searching for Lincoln's Ghost.
Barbara J. Dzikowski. Wiara Books, $13.95 paper (172p), ISBN 978-0-9840305-0-7; $8.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9840305-1-4
Amazon; B&N
Andi Powell, 11, lost both her parents in a car accident and lives with her grandmother, who's obsessed with death. In this coming-of-age tale set during the tumultuous 1960s, Andi hopes to find the truth from Lincoln's ghost, said to haunt her elementary school.
The Final Confession of Justine Moritz.
Mark Ferra. Vook, $1.99 e-book (191p) ISBN 9781614309475
The Frankenstein family's housekeeper is framed by the Creature for the murder of young William Frankenstein. This is her confession, unearthed from a Vatican archive.
The Drought.
Patricia Fulton. CreateSpace, $14.50 paper (400p), ISBN 978-1-4680-7480-2
Amazon; B&N
Killer heat and a priceless baseball signed by Carlton Fisk thrust Jared Riley into a dark world where an ancient evil is waiting.
God Bless the Dead.
Evan Geller. Evan Geller, $7.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-67420-9
A biophysicist grad student and an enigmatic Irish emigré develop a mind-reading technology that will profoundly change society, but threatens to uncover the dangerous past of the biophysicist's wife.
Jane George. Paper Grove Publishing, $9.99 paper (210p), ISBN 978-0-9851307-1-8
Amazon; B&N
Love is a drug.To win aloof artist and bicycle messenger X-It, young J.J. Buckingham tries to become queen of the club scene in 1980 Manhattan. Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences.
The Last Minstrel Show: A Detective Story.
Peter Goldman. CreateSpace, $12.50 paper (324p), ISBN 978-1-4700-0837-6
Someone is killing members of a touring black basketball-plus-minstrel-show troupe, and a burned-out PI named Max Christian is on the case in "postracial" America.
9/11 to Global Jihad: The Grand Plan.
Don Gould. GrumpyFox Books, $16.95 paper (500p), ISBN 978-0-9857381-0-5; $9.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9857381-1-2
A masterfully complex story of Islamic terrorism begins with an unnerving, catastrophic global assault called 9/12, which leads to a new Islamic initiative called the Grand Plan.
The Snow Angel: A Novel.
Michael Graham. Schaffner Press Inc., $12.95 paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-936182-35-0
Based on a true story, this is the tale of a multiracial kidnapping that threatens the stability of a struggling urban community, as three cops work the case before the town explodes.
Packages from America.
Carol Wilson Grandin. Rockland Press Rhode Island, $15 paper (196p), ISBN 978-1-4699-0425-2
The Neumanns, an East German family, are trapped by communism. Their hand-to-mouth existence from the end of WWII is revealed in letters to an American family who send packages of food and clothing.
Jonathan Grant. Thornbriar Press, $18.95 (468p), ISBN 978-0-9834921-2-2
Charlie Sherman has no idea what madness awaits when a stranger persuades him to finish a dead man's book about a crime that's gone unpunished.
No Cure for the Past: A Vin Hardin Novel.
Rick Halpern. CreateSpace, $9.95 paper (244p), ISBN 978-1-4774-7178-4
When PI Vin Hardin's mentor is senselessly murdered, Vin doesn't anticipate that finding the killer will require delving into his own troubled past.
The Lake and the Glacier.
Markku Hietala. BookBaby, $7.99 e-book (267p), ISBN 978-1-62095-540-6
The stories of a terminally ill man's promise to an Indian boy and a newlywed couple escaping the monotony of their lives come together with a lake and a glacier among the clouds high in the Himalayas.
Naked Brain.
Michael Allen Hunt. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (346p), ISBN 978-1-4700-1359-2
In this apocalyptic thriller, one man must sacrifice everything and destroy the U.S. Defense Department's OPLAR Spacecraft before it becomes operational and causes the extinction of all humankind.
Oversoul: Stories and Essays.
Mitchell S. Jackson. The Collections House, $4.99 e-book (92p) ISBN 978-0-9853409-1-9
A collection of short fiction and essays explores fictional and nonfictional characters struggling with such vices as drugs and avarice while dealing with the fallout of strained family ties and ill-conceived notions of love.
Sharing a Man.
R.W. Jaeger. Gold & Water, $12.95 paper (144p), ISBN 978-0-9827042-2-6
www.ingrambook.com, Amazon
A woman from the East Coast and a woman from the West Coast meet at a gravesite in Chicago and discover they both were lovers of the deceased. Tensions between the women lead to transformation. Cocoons are shed. Wings unfurl. A man is resurrected.
Yield, Book 1 of the Armageddia Series.
Bryan K. Johnson. Bedside Books, $24.95 paper (436p), ISBN 978-1-58982-681-6; $9.95 e-book ASIN B008WNXM3Y
As people are caught between the lives they know and the anarchy that follows a devastating attack against the U.S., those that remain are confronted with the worst in humanity... and themselves.
Another Broken Wing, Flap Flap: Swimming Alone in the Deep End of the Gene Pool.
James Sumner Kendrick. Easy Street Stories, $14.49 paper (325p), ISBN 978-0-615-66768-3
A barrage of seemingly random coincidences in Stormy Day's life connect his mother's disappearance 30 years before with today's absurd conspiracy to defraud the lottery.
Catching on Fire.
Sue Knott. Foot Drop Publishing, $12.99 paper (302p), ISBN 978-1-4774-5049-9; $3.99 e-book ASIN B007VTEC4S
Visions of a dystopian future drive Rachel to find answers in mysterious symbols. On her quest she discovers that answers and love are elusive.
Eyes Behind Belligerence.
K.P. Kollenborn. CreateSpace, $18 paper (460p), ISBN 978-1-4701-6816-2; 99¢ e-book ISBN 978-1-4524-7114-3
Two Japanese-American families survive racism, the harsh elements of the desert, gang violence, and boredom while interned inside detention camps during WWII in the U.S.
Wright for America.
Robin Lamont. Grayling Press, $14.95 paper (252p), ISBN 978-0-9858485-0-7; $6.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9858485-1-4
A struggling actress enlists a troupe of fellow unemployed actors to teach a venomous ultra-conservative radio host just how powerful words can be.
Urban Legend: Murder at the House of Blue Lights.
Garry D. Ledbetter. CreateSpace, $9.99 paper (226p), ISBN 978-1-4751-3373-8
Amazon; B&N
This novel delves into the Indiana urban legend of "The House of Blue Lights," a place with 150 cats, a pet cemetery, tunnels, and blue lights that cast an eerie glow on the countryside.
Kill Town, USA.
Joseph Love. Squanch Books, $8 paper (98p), ISBN 978-1-4699-2330-7; $3 e-book ASIN B007FVST8C
Jack Heart is out of work and on the run from zombies in a quarantined Appalachian town.
The Sun at Midnight, or As the Planet Warms.
Nick Mann. CreateSpace, $12.49 (512p), ISBN 978-1-4538-5683-3
Three unconventional young people from Washington, D.C., become celebrities in early 1960s Hollywood, but their lives aren't wonderful. Melody goes mad. Her kid brother Damon copyrights sex. Their pal Colleen embraces death.
Awake in the Mad World.
Damon Ferrell Marbut. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (343p), ISBN 978-0-9855452-0-8; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9855452-2-2
An energetic coming-of-age novel about college graduates seeking to find their place as creative thinkers in a world apparently indifferent to their passions.
One Passion.
Teresa Matvejs. Dorrance Publishing, $24 paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-4349-1126-1
Follow circus performer Rose Vitkov-skis and her colorful cohorts as they laugh, cry, and entertain their way through small towns in the Australian outback.
Through the Door.
Jodi McIsaac. Inkwood Publishing, $12.99 paper (296p), ISBN 978-0-9880472-1-1; $5.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9880472-0-4
Celtic mythology and the modern world collide in the tale of a child with an ancient power and those who want to control her.
Crossing the Bridge of Sighs.
Susan Ashley Michael. Twin Oaks Press, $8.99 (200p), ISBN 978-0-9844354-7-0; $8.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62095-068-5
Amazon; B&N
Claire, a brokenhearted travel writer, travels to Venice where she finds herself in a romantic comedy of errors, magnified by advice from the shades of Byron, Tintaretto, and other literary and artistic spirits. Plenty of romance, recipes, and pithy proverbs.
Silk Road: Seals of Destiny, Book One.
T.J. Michaels. Bent West Books, $11.99 paper (270p), ISBN 978-0-9857874-1-7; $7.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9857874-0-0
The first Descendant in millennia with the power to use an ancient artifact is being hunted—by the good, the bad, and the worst.
Arthur Mokin. CreateSpace, $15 paper (280p), ISBN 978-1-4637-7391-5
Amazon; B&N
A love story set in ancient Egypt is told against the narrative of the Bible's Book of Exodus.
The Accident Stager.
Susan Moss. Re:Source Publications, $14.95 paper (260p), ISBN 978-0-9642329-4-5; $6.99 e-book
Gaude Velasquez is a master of the highway accident insurance scam. But his next mark, an older woman and artist named Joy, fights Velasquez and her insurance company to prove who was at fault in the "accident."
Forging of a Knight.
Hugo Valentin Negron. Lulu, $16.99 paper (380p), ISBN 978-1-105-50634-5; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-105-85152-0
Amazon: lulu.com; B&N
A young warrior named Qualtan joins forces with a half-orcne thief named Glaive as they battle through undead hordes, evil druids, shape-shifting Maugs, hungry trolls, and more as Qualtan journeys to become a knight.
M.P. Nicholaou. Publish Green, $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-938297-44-1
Two disparate groups clash on the London to Brighton train, but when two Muslim suicide bombers threaten to blow up the train, the two groups must work together to save the train and its passengers.
Baden-Powell's Beads, Book One: Beads Series.
Paul D. Parsons. Tate Publishing, $21.99 paper (292p), ISBN 978-1-61862-090-3; $8.99 e-book ASIN B008EA28WQ
Amazon; www.tatepublishing.com; B&N
A thriller based on the true story of Zulu beads recovered in South Africa in 1888 and the doctor who was given one by a dying patient.
To Wander the Labyrinth.
Brian Peters. AASP Press, $16 paper (238p), ISBN 978-0-9838572-0-4; $9.99 e-book ASIN B0085OOI38
Protagonist Clay is an "interrogator" in a totalitarian U.S. that would make Kafka and Dostoyevski proud. One of his victims, Maya, could be the source of his redemption.
Jimmy Lagowski Saves the World.
Pat Pujolas. Independent Talent Group, $12 paper (198p), ISBN 978-0-9840093-0-5; $7.99 e-book B007ATF6WQ
A murder trial unravels through strange, overlapping narratives involving the defendant, jury members, and the title character.
Grandpa Ben and His Pirates: A Novel of the American Revolution.
John W. Ravage. CreateSpace, $18.95 paper (533p), ISBN 978-1-4679-1043-9
(360) 683-5216
Ben Franklin moves to Paris to find support for the American Revolution and gain release of more than 3,000 colonial POWs in English jails.
Into the Woods: A Novel.
Jacob Reece. Amazon Digital Services, $3.99 e-book (177p) ISBN 978-1-62050-337-9
Ten-year-old Billy Raymond is a practiced liar, but he really is threatened by the neighborhood bully. Will his parents believe him before it's too late?
Grasshopper Speaks.
Katrina Register. Armando Diaz, $9.95 paper (192p), ISBN 978-0-9851734-0-1
Amazon; B&N
One woman dares to acknowledge how insecurity, self-hate, distrust, and bitterness affect her as she fumbles her way through life, searching for what she has never truly felt: love.
Made in China.
Mark Reutlinger. Abbott Press, $23.95 paper (371p), ISBN 978-1-4582-0314-4; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4582-0315-1
Amazon; B&N
A gripping tale of love, murder, and a race to revive America's abandoned industries when everything "made in China" suddenly disappears from the nation's marketplace.
Fire Angels: A Southern Novel.
Joseph Richardson. CreateSpace, $15.95 (387p), ISBN 978-1-4421-2902-3
Amazon; B&N
The Coopers live on a small central Florida farm. Over the years of 1915 through 1925, their lives are affected by WWI, murders, lies, deceit, fueled by ethnic and racial tensions.
Klavern: A Sherry Russell Mystery
James K. Rone. Arno Press, $14.99 paper (422p), ISBN 978-0-615-66168-1; 99¢ book ASIN B008F8Y27Q
During a 1967 Ku Klux Klan uprising, ex-Nashville PI Sherry Russell investigates a heinous racial hate crime in rural Alabama, counting among its victims the brother of Sherry's African-American housekeeper.
No Nice Girls: A Sixties Noir Thriller
James K. Rone. CreateSpace, $13.50 paper (339p), ISBN 978-1-4775-0830-5
In 1965 Nashville PI Sherry Russell is hired to stop a scandal targeting the sexpot queen of country & western, but finds herself in sin-city Biloxi, Miss., playground of the Mafia, down mean streets where "no nice girls" walk.
The Epiphanist.
William Rosencrans. William Rosencrans, $8.62 paper (360p), ISBN 978-0-615-64996-2; $2.99 e-book ASIN B0082MWDM6
Vladimir lives on an island nation of genetic rejects. When war destroys his home he must fight his way through jungle and political intrigue to freedom.
The Last Falcon: Book 1 of the Cael Stone.
Colleen Ruttan. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (327p), ISBN 978-0-9881343-0-0; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9881343-1-7
Amazon; Smashwords
A young woman sets out to find justice for the murder of her father and finds herself caught up in a deadly struggle for power.
The Return of Elliott Eastman: The Occupy Wall Street Manifesto.
Ignatius Ryan. Telemachus Press, $7.99 paper (310p), ISBN 978-1-937698-35-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-937698-36-2
Eastman, former congressman and billionaire, has six months to live. With the help of some former men-at-arms and his long lost love he goes back to Washington with an audacious proposal, one that will change the future of America forever.
Pinching Lobsters.
Dax Santi. Dax Santi, $10 paper (214p), ISBN 978-0-9849092-1-6; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9849092-0-9
Amazon; B&N; iBookstore
A failed marriage proposal sends a man off the deep end where he forms an unlikely bond—with a lobster.
Metagalaxy: Conclusions.
Russell Scott. Xlibris, $29.99 hardcover (294p), ISBN 978-1-4691-3339-3; $3.59 e-book ISBN 978-1-4691-3340-9
Amazon; B&N
Can SamSon convince others and himself that he is still the Metagalaxy's defender? Or will SamSon's own power lead to the Metagalaxy's destruction?
Conspiracy to Assassinate Jesus Christ: A Novel of Historical Fiction and Religious Suspense.
Chris Seepe. Synchronopedia Corp., $14.99 paper (223p), ISBN 978-0-9878193-0-7; $4.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9878193-1-4
Opposing forces, coerced by the most powerful person in the Roman Empire, maneuver Jesus as a pawn in a conspiracy to overthrow Tiberius, Rome's emperor.
Elizabeth Segrave. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (274p), ISBN 978-1-4679-6329-9
Two murders and two missing Carnival masks. A romantic sci-fi mystery that takes grad students Violet and Tom to Venice, London, Scotland, and beyond.
Dead Weight.
Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book ISBN 978-1-4659-8001-4
A newly divorced scuba diver finds more than she bargained for on a diving adventure in the South Seas.
Growing Chocolate.
Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4658-2925-2
A chocolate tree becomes the source of miracles for a grieving mother and a troubled teen.
Willful Ignorance.
Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4657-3991-9
Dr. Ryan Parker uses a medical convention to escape the strictures of his life, from the hellish end of his marriage to a pending malpractice suit, with the bonus opportunity to pursue a pretty patient away from the complications and restrictions of Los Angeles.
One Pink Line.
Dina Silver. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (260p), ISBN 978-1-4637-7253-6; $3.99 e-book
Spanning generations, One Pink Line charts the story of Sydney and Grace, whose lives are decades apart, but dramatically shaped by the same event.
A for Argonaut.
Michael J. Stedman. Clipper Trade Books, $14.99 paper (374p), ISBN 978-0-9856477-0-4; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9856477-1-1
A Special Ops commander teams up with the "Queen of Diamonds" to hunt down African terrorists before they bring the U.S. to its knees.
Sea of Crises.
Marty Steere. Penfield Publications, $15.95 paper (314p), ISBN 978-0-9854014-0-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9854014-1-2
What really happened to the crew of Apollo 18 in the Sea of Crises? Sons of mission commander Bob Cartwright risk their lives to find out.
About Luv.
Angel Stell. Heavenly Image Press, $13.95 paper (280p), ISBN 978-0-9834853-0-8
The story of three friends in their 20s who are each involved in complicated relationships that lead them to question their desire to find true love.
Mind Over Murder: A Jake Roberts Novel.
Cary Allen Stone. Fine Line Books, $7.99 paper (238p), ISBN 978-1-4774-6188-4; 99¢ e-book ISBN 978-1-4774-6188-4
Incarcerated serial killer Lori Powers assists her ex-lover, Det. Jake Roberts, in the apprehension of the wealthy serial killer Jared Hamilton.
The Trinity Signs.
Scott M. Sullivan. Sullivan Publishing, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-67187-1
Tobias, the last Guardian, must light the way to the fabled Trinity Signs and protect the unknowing world around him before all is lost.
The Newts.
Matt Valenti. Tri-Cornered Hat Books, $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-937572-71-6
Just in time for the presidential election, The Newts is a satire of American politics and religion that leaves no high-profile target unscathed.
The Dogs of Pilothead Sound: Book One of the Days of Pilothead Sound (DOPS).
C. S. Walkingheart. CreateSpace, $21.99 paper (568p), ISBN 978-1-4782-0521-0; $8.99 e-book ASIN B006WWGUX6
On opposite sides of the world, a lighthouse keeper, an actor, and an exiled Incan noble see their destinies mesh in a poignant saga.
The Bull.
Matthew Weber. Pint Bottle Press, $8.99 paper (190p), ISBN 978-0-9854590-0-0; $5.99 e-book ASINB0081KBFXC
Frank Standish, tired of new taxes and regulations choking his livelihood, decides to do something about it.
The Blue Poppy.
Robert W. Welkos. CreateSpace, $18.99 paper (400p), ISBN 978-1-4701-5383-0
A treasure trove of Tibetan religious artifacts, known only as the Blue Poppy, has disappeared. Only one man may know its whereabouts—former FBI agent Robert Frazier, convicted of espionage and imprisoned at a high-security federal penitentiary.
City of Spirits.
Eric Wilder. Gondwana Press, $16.95 paper (298p), ISBN 978-0-9791165-5-1
It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and French Quarter sleuth Wyatt Thomas is dealing with a new client and a very old curse.
Hens and Chickens: A Story About Love.
Jennifer Wixson. White Wave, $14.95 paper (272p), ISBN 978-0-9636689-8-1; $7.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9636689-7-4
Two women, downsized by corporate America, move to Maine to raise chickens and sell organic eggs—and discover more than they bargained for, including romance.
The Last Arakad.
Guillaume Wolf. CreateSpace, $8.63 paper (260p), ISBN 978-1-4701-6902-2; $2.99 e-book ASIN B007ZI6AVS
A story of about life, loss, and magic, The Last Arakad is a thrill ride that talks about letting go of fears and claiming your own power.
First Born.
Neil Edward Wolfson. CreateSpace, $9.99 paper (198p), ISBN 978-1-4679-6169-1
First Born is the story of a former Special Forces officer intent on solving the murder of his wife and child.
Thorn of Béxar.
Robert Wuench. Reelfoot Publishing, $12.95 paper (166p), ISBN 978-0-615-64285-7; $4.95 e-book
Amazon; B&N
A taut tale of battles, personal conflict, and the human side of legendary people who helped shape the United States in the 18th century.
Geoffrey Young. Top Shelf Books, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-43022-5
Fall is the darkly comic story of Paul, a young man recounting how he ended up a fugitive writing his life story on a Manhattan fire escape.
Race to Glory: Olympics from the First Century.
Barbara Youree. CreateSpace, $13.99 paper (327p), ISBN 978-1-4701-1019-2
To win an Olympic crown Timos must overcome the curse of young Nero, his nemesis, while Kyniska must gain her independence from her tyrannical father.
The God Antenna.
Niko Zinovii. Zinovii Art Studio, $13.95 paper (258p), ISBN 978-0-9852230-0-7; $6.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9852230-1-4
Amazon; B&N
A story of unusual extraterrestrial visitation and post-human worlds, love, betrayal, and artificial intelligence in an ancient alien civilization.
Intense Restraint.
Anonymous. CreateSpace, $6.99 paper (176p), ISBN 978-1-4775-1445-0; $2.99 e-book ASIN B00865T4JE
Steven endures a horrifying ordeal as he simultaneously plans his escape and attempts to help his abductor find his way back to normalcy.
King's Dream: Barack Obama Becomes President of the United States of America.
Sherry Hutson and Lynn Lyons. Sherry Hutson, $29.95 paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-105-83821-7
Amazon; B&N; Lulu
King's Dream is the story of the 2008 Democratic primary and general election, told by over 500 writers from nearly 200 sources.
The Great Cotzias: Discoverer of the Treatment for Parkinson's Disease.
Dr. Bernard M. Patten. Peak Achievement Publishing, $4.44 e-book ASIN B008QG810Q
In Greece, George Cotzias is a hero to Parkinson's patients. This is a portrait of Cotzias and his remarkable research team.
Juvenile Fiction
Patalosh: The Time Travelers.
Z Altug and Tracy Gensler. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (326p), ISBN 978-1-4635-2133-2; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4635-2133-2
A 10-year-old boy from a distant planet living on Earth frantically searches for his missing parents with the help of seven unique friends, battling many deadly obstacles and one terrifying enemy along the way.
My Merlin Awakening: Book 2, My Merlin Series.
Priya Ardis. Ink Lion Books, $14.99 paper (340p), ISBN 978-0-9848339-3-1
A young Merlin has woken and must control a high school girl to wield Excalibur to stop a natural disaster—but then falls in love.
A Moment in Time.
Jennifer Butenas. The Perfect Moment, $17.99 hardcover (40p), ISBN 978-0-9840039-0-7
(603) 493-8400
A story in rhythm and rhyme about a family of four and their moment in time—a balmy summer on Cape Cod.
Sweet Savage Blood.
Carolina Courtland. Carolina Courtland, $13.15 paper (366p), ISBN 978-1-4750-1263-7
A teen vampire romance about undying love that sweeps across time from the 19th to the 21st century.
VOLUSPA—A Magical World.
Sam D and Ray East. Pramita, $8.99 paper (214p), ISBN 978-0-9856816-0-9; 99¢ e-book ISBN 978-0-9856816-1-6
A YA novel that is a crossover between urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a mythological and dystopian twist.
Randal the Flannel Camel.
Ann Goshia Diedrich. AuthorHouse, $17.99 paper (24p), ISBN 978-1-4685-8822-4; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4685-8823-1
Amazon; B&N
A young camel gets lost, is found, and shops for something special to wear.
Fangs and Stilettos.
Anthony DiFiore. InGroup Press, $14.95 paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-935725-07-7
Fashion's greatest secret—who is the driving force behind the globally burgeoning industry?—is revealed in this globe-trotting mystery.
Caller Number Nine.
Debbie Duncan. Debbie Duncan, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-615-47740-4
Thirteen-year-old Laura wins a trip for two to Hawaii with L.A.'s coolest deejay in 1967, when times are changing and girls are discovering their power.
The Society's Traitor: The Discoveries of Arthur Grey, Book 1.
V. K. Finnish. Panama Hat Publishing, $12.99 paper (326p), ISBN 978-0-9852202-1-1
Amazon; B&T; Ingram
The adventure of 11-year-old Arthur Grey intertwines legend, history, and modern Peru as he attempts to reveal a traitor and discovers more than he bargained for.
Blaze of Glory.
M. Garzon. Petal Press, $13.95 paper (344p), ISBN 978-0-9880013-0-5; $5.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9880013-1-2
Tea, at 17, confronts the end of her promising career as a horse-jumper after an accident. After a series of bad choices, her older adopted cousin, Jaden, steps in to help, and Tea's love for horses soon becomes a love for Jaden. A USA Today recommended read.
The Mumbo Jumbo Circus.
Jane George. Red Willow, $12.95 paper (336p), ISBN 978-1-936539-08-6
Amazon; B&N
A 15-year-old girl must save a rag-tag, magical circus that is home to a group of throwaway teens.
Jadhu Ram and the Thirsty Forest.
Kirk B. Gradin. Banyan Studios, $17.95 hardcover (36p), ISBN 978-1-105-04735-0
When drought strikes, a young Indian sage forsakes his blissful forest life in order to rescue the village folk and a forest of creatures.
The Hellandback Kids: Be Careful What You Wish For.
L.L. Helland. CreateSpace, $14.99 paper (302p), ISBN 978-1-4538-5218-7
A fable about how the search for what we want may never be complete without first living out our dreams.
Book: Baby Unplugged.
Dr. John Hutton. Blue Manatee Press, $7.99 hardcover (14p), ISBN 978-1-936669-06-6
A celebration of books—turning pages, discovering letters, words, friends, places, and imagination—from the award-winning Baby Unplugged series, dedicated to "old-school" childhood.
The Casting.
Joyce Shor Johnson. Pugalicious Press, $16.99 hardcover (208p), ISBN 978-0-9838240-1-5
Amazon; B&N; Igram
At Samhain, Robyn chooses red-hot crucibles of molten bronze and roaring fires over midwifery. Will she survive her training and see her dreams come true?
The Yawning Rabbit River Chronicle.
J.L. Kimmel and David Ceccarelli. Springtree Press, $17.99 hardcover (296p), ISBN 978-0-9785007-1-9
Amazon; B&N; B&T
An illustrated and complex tale of unconditional love, courage, perseverance, and forgiveness.
The Not-So-Grim Folk Tales.
A. A. King. AuthorHouse, $19.95 paper (313p), ISBN 978-1-4678-4557-1; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-4678-4554-0
Amazon; B&N
New tales woven out of stories by authors from the Grimm brothers to J.K. Rowling and everybody in between—including Star Wars.
Paris-Chien: Adventures of an Ex-pat Dog.
Jackie Clark Mancuso. La Librairie Parisienne, $17.95 hardcover (40p), ISBN 978-0-615-54542-4
When Hudson, an adventurous terrier, moves to Paris and tries to make friends, he discovers that Parisian dogs only speak French. Now what
Angie McCullagh. CreateSpace, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9850330-0-2
Six-foot-plus Emily and best-friend-gone-wild Trix discover their friendship can't withstand the search for love, acceptance, and absent parents.
Ethereal (Celestra Series Book 1).
Addison Moore. Addison Moore, 99¢ e-book ISBN 978-0-9834782-0-1
Skyla Messenger finds out the hard way that angels aren't always there to help—sometimes they want you dead.
Mystery of the Egyptian Scroll: Secret Agent Zet Book One.
Scott Peters. CreateSpace, $6.99 paper (114p), ISBN 978-1-4783-0570-5; $3.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9859852-0-2
In ancient Egypt, 12-year-old Zet must capture a thief to earn a much-needed reward.
The Klampie Mystery.
Luis Rodriguez. Mascot Books, $14.95 hardcover (32p), ISBN 978-1-62086-031-1; $8.95 e-book
Samantha gets a stuffed koala before going to Australia. On the plane ride home, the koala turns out to be quite a mysterious plush animal.
Aliens in Disgise: Rise of the Heroes.
M.M. Scott. AMPM Press, $9.99 paper (154p), ISBN 978-1-937970-01-7
An anti-bullying handbook disguised as a sci-fi story.
Xor: The Shape of Darkness.
Moshe Sipper. Amazon. $7.99 paper (296p), ISBN 978-1-4750-7868-8; 99¢ e-book ASIN B007HKOS90
On his 12th birthday, Lewis Nash discovers he's a Shaper from Xor. Moreover, it seems Xor is doomed— and Lewis is its only hope.
Heart of a Hero.
Billi Tiner. CreateSpace, $7.99 paper (182p), ISBN 978-1-4701-1014-7; $2.99 e-book
Lady, an Irish setter puppy, lives on a farm in Ohio in the 1940s, but her life takes a dangerous turn—into a world war.
Murder from Beyond the Grave.
Yvonne Yourkowski. CreateSpace, $10.99 paper (200p), ISBN 978-0-9880932-0-1; $6.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9880932-1-8
Officer Kaila Porter stares at the mutilated body of her mentor. Fresh from the Police Academy, she has something to prove and is determined to find justice.
Oscar's Adventures in the Woods
Pam Stone. Outskirts Press, $14.95 paper (16p), ISBN 978-1-4327-6382-4; $7 e-book
Amazon; B&N
A true story of a little girl, Shelby—the author's daughter—and her pet turtle, Oscar.
The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain.
Oldman Brook. Troubadour Publishing, $10.25 paper (440p), ISBN 978-1-84876-761-4; Matador, $1.52 e-book ISBN 978-1-78088-768-5
Can two boys from the past, and one wizard in the future, save Everlast from an otherworldly monster? Ages 10–up.
A Biplane and Her Boy.
Mary Coleman-Woolslayer. 2010 Tigermoth Publications, $24.95 hardcover (45p), ISBN 978-0-9844785-0-7
A poignant story of a 1943 Stearman biplane that dreams of being reunited with "the boy" who owned and flew her better than anyone in the world. Ages 6–12.
Ben, His Helmet, and the Too Tight Hair.
Nelle Frances.
Janelle Wall, $20 paper (12p), ISBN 978-0-9751168-1-4
Amazon; www.aspergerchild.com
Ben found an alien helmet down near the back fence. It wasn't very long before he discovered it was a magic helmet. Written by the mother of a child with Asperger's, this series aims to help children adapt to their Asperger's or autism diagnosis.
Mrs. Cora's Clothespins.
Anthony Melancon. AuthorHouse, $12 paper (10p), ISBN 978-1-4670-3943-7
Mrs. Cora uses clothespins for more than hanging clothes and gives them life in her own way. Neighbors' clothespins want to live with her.
The Time for Justice: How the Excesses of Time Have Broken our Civil Justice System.
Anthony V. Curto. Onward Publishing, $14.95 hardcover (187p), ISBN 978-0-9849005-1-0; $9.95 e-book ISBN 978-0-9849005-2-7
Curto highlights inequities in our justice system and provides "time fixes" to correct it and help rebuild confidence in the system.
The Proof Is in the Poodle: One Veterinarian's Exploration into Healing.
Donna Kelleher. Two Harbors Press, $16.95 paper (195p), ISBN 978-1-937928-06-3; $9.99 e-book
This memoir by a doctor of veterinary medicine explores why and how we heal animals through the wisdom of an herbalist mentor.
Life Is Good: Conservation in an Age of Mass Extinction.
Jeremy Leon Hance. Mongabay.com, $10.95 paper (218p), ISBN 978-1-4680-1250-7
An environmental journalist explores the many ways conservationists are striving, with limited funds and little time, to save Earth's vanishing species and wild places.
Lust=Death, Kiddies!
Clayton Kinnelon Greiman. CreateSpace, $6.50 paper (139p), ISBN 978-1-4782-0497-8
A Christian and vegetarian, Greiman warns about the risks and dangers of a homosexual lifestyle. Illustrations by Ozzy Longoria.
Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playgrounds, 1920–1975.
Brenda Biondo. Blurb, $47.95 paper (158p), ISBN N.A.
Illustrated with contemporary photographs and ephemera, Once Upon a Playground offers a visual tour of vintage playgrounds and celebrates their place in American culture.
Living in the Mouth of the Wolf: Based on a True Story.
Salvatore DiVita. Thunderbird Press, $19.95 paper (352p), ISBN 978-0-9742406-2-6
Raised in the youth movement of Fascist Italy, Antonio is forced to question and take up arms against an ideology to which he once swore allegiance.
California's Next Century.
Marcus Ruiz Evans. CreateSpace, $10 paper (202p), ISBN 978-1-4751-8602-4
Will California eventually become an independent nation? Evans proposes that America grant California independence so that it can become a new global negotiations hub.
Heaven's Child.
Caroline Flohr. Book Publishers Network, $15.95 paper (140p), ISBN 978-1-937454-36-4; $9.99 e-book
A heartwarming story about prayer, compassion, hope, courage, love..
Never Give In to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom.
Marti MacGibbon. Stay Strong Publishing, $15.95 paper (376p), ISBN 978-0-9860067-0-8
(800) 266-5564
A memoir that chronicles a drug-fueled descent into the underworld.
Savannah Shadows: Tales from the Midnight Zombie Tour.
Tobias McGriff. Blue Orb, $20 hardcover (205p), ISBN 978-0-9792523-0-3
An uncensored look at life and afterlife in Savannah, Ga., America's most haunted city, according to the author.
Go for It! 100 Ways to Feel Young, Vibrant, Interested and Interesting After 50.
Mary McHugh. CreateSpace, $18 paper (122p), ISBN 978-1-4752-1829-9; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-1-62110-867-2
How to be good to yourself, rev up your marriage, and experience life anew.
Escape: My Lifelong War Against Cults.
Paul Morantz and Hal Lancaster. Figueroa Press, $29.95 paper (310p), ISBN 978-0-18-213220-1
Morantz devoted his legal career to fighting brainwashing and nearly every major cult movement. It nearly cost him his life.
Cherries from Chauvet's Orchard: A Memoir of Provence.
Ruth Phillips. Red Ochre Press, $16.95 paper (242p), ISBN 978-2-9534500-1-9
An English painter moves to Provence and discovers how hard it can be for one man to face a blank canvas—even in relative paradise.
Beach Wars: 10,000 Years on a Barrier Beach.
William Sargent. Strawberry Hill Press, $15.95 paper (150p), ISBN 978-1-4752-8263-4
On March 19, 2012, the Cape Cod National Seashore demolished five barrier beach homes threatened by sea level rise. It was only the latest skirmish in the ongoing battle over the use of the area. Beach Wars chronicles the pirates, Indians, rumrunners, and farmers who have made use of this beach.
Prescriptions from Paradise: Introduction to Biocompatible Medicine.
Carlos M. Viana. Healing Spirit Press, $25 paper (238p), ISBN 978-0-9789920-4-0
A holistic medicine reference guide for optimum wellness that draws on Dr. Viana's decades of clinical experience.
Majoring in Motherhood.
Barbra Roylance Williams. CreateSpace, $12.99 paper (192p), ISBN 978-1-4681-4898-5
The diary of a young girl who is faced with teenage pregnancy while battling domestic violence.
Secrets of the Primaverse: Why God Cannot Exist & Nothing Can Exist Without Him.
Joel H. Posner. Metafisica, $22 hardcover (140p), ISBN 978-1-936940-24-0; $9.99 e-book ASIN B008OKNPC8
Secrets of the Primaverse strives to dismantle the orthodoxies that polarize atheists and people of faith.
Clinging to the Promise.
Mary Beth Cordle. Change of Heart Publishing, $12.99 paper (492p), ISBN 978-1-4679-7481-3
The devotionals in this collection offer an alternative to the narrative devotional while seeking to convey understanding to those looking for more spiritual material.
Political Science
China: Hungry for Resources and Know-How.
Wil Souza. Dorrance Publishing, $11 paper (58p), ISBN 978-1-4349-1622-8; $6 e-book ISBN 978-1-4349-1571-9
An explanation of China's global reach to secure global resources as well as high-tech know-how from developing and developed countries.
Holy: The Bible Companion.
Anthony Jon Beavers. Kinetic Press, $9.95 paper (100p), ISBN 978-0-578-10427-0; $7.95 e-book ASIN B007SPPKLE
Holy brings timeless wisdoms, passed through generations, into focus. Four treatises provide a firm foundation in thinking to achieve better health, wealth, love and leadership.
The Science of the Quran: Proving God's Existence Through Established Modern Science.
Ahmad Hassan. Lido Horizons Publishing, $26.67 paper (240p), ISBN 978-0-615-49984-0
The Science of the Quran attempts to prove God's existence by presenting modern-day scientific insights provided by select verses of the Qur'an.
The Master of Evolution: An Illustrated Voyage of Truth and Light.
Gregory Hatton. Universal Wisdom Publications, $34.95 hardcover (256p), ISBN 978-0-9880275-2-7
An astronaut travels to the moon and encounters an Angel who reveals cosmic secrets about Christ and the divine purpose of humankind.
Customer Service and the Imitation of Christ.
Ron Johnson. CreateSpace, $9.99 paper (134p), ISBN 978-1-4681-6205-9; $7.99 e-book ISBN 9781468162055
An unemployed professor accepts a job in a customer service call center and learns why it's so hard to get good service.
Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Amazing New Insights from Qur'an.
Sayeedur Rahman. CreateSpace, $18 paper (286p), ISBN 978-1-4750-5256-5; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-81-88497-27-0
Working in the religio-scientific realm, Extraterrestrial Intelligence seeks to advance beyond where science has brought the investigation of alien life.
Stop Acting Your Age: Start Living Your Life.
David James Demko. CreateSpace, $9.95 paper (156p), ISBN 978-1-4538-0246-5
An expert on aging offers advice on how to remain youthful.
Living Successfully with Chronic Pain.
Ruth Stella MacLean. CreateSpace, $10.89 paper (103p), ISBN 978-0-9878295-0-4; $5.39 e-book ASIN B007CH1JXQ
Amazon; B&N
A nurse with 20 years experience in living with chronic pain offers strategies for living every day in the presence of pain, allowing the individual to move from denial, fear, and hopelessness to a place of acceptance.
12 Ways to Put Money in Your Pocket Every Month: The Skinny Book That Makes Your Wallet Fat.
Jennifer S. Matthews. Pickett Fennell Group, $15 paper (106p), ISBN 978-0-9833864-8-3
Guides readers by adjusting current spending to create cash, converting expenses into income opportunities.
Beware the Purple People Eaters: A Personal Look at Leadership.
Anthony Paustian, Ph.D. BookPress Publishing, $19.95 hardcover (160p), ISBN 978-0-9855133-0-6
Beware the Purple People Eaters delivers inspired thinking about leadership through an entertaining blend of humor, nostalgia, and research.
The Ten Most Important Things Ever Said.
Dan D. Schinzel. AuthorHouse, $16.95 paper (201p), ISBN 978-1-4772-2799-2 978-1-4772-2797-8
Amazon, B&N
Schinzel brings together quotes from a variety of sources, each followed by fictional conversations and historical stories that elaborate on the intentions of the author.
Defending Happiness: And Other Acts of Bravery.
Amy Shea. Danzatore Publishing, $14.95 paper (130p), ISBN 978-0-9831247-0-2
The collection of stories that demonstrates how one woman faced breast cancer, online dating, and motherhood.
Keyboard Results: Piano and Fundamentals for Everyone, Vol. 1.
Jay Snyder. Golden Retriever Media, $29.95 paper (204p), ISBN 978-0-578-08110-6
A self-help guide with a gentle pace for those starting from scratch or resuming piano.
Social Science
Juan Makes Lemonade.
Raymond G. Ramos (Giovanni Rosario). Raymond G. Ramos, $19.95 paper (174p), ISBN 978-0-9855114-0-1
Amazon; B&N
Juan learns to survive on the streets and energize "the jaguar in his soul."
Sports & Recreation
Splish! Splash! Dolphins and Kids Having Fun in Water.
Karen Board. Stone Fence Publishing, $11.95 paper (32p), ISBN 978-0-9827847-8-5
The Open Door Bookstore
Cartoon characters Olivia and Jack discover how similar children and dolphins are while having fun playing water games and telling jokes.
Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation.
Jesse Aizenstat. Casbah Publishing, $26.95 hardcover (240p), ISBN 978-0-9837009-1-3; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9837009-0-6
A first-person account of what it is like to surf around the closed, war-torn Israeli-Lebanese border.
Wellfleet: An Insider's Guide to Cape Cod's Trendiest Town.
Alexandra Grabbe. Alexandra Grabbe, $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9858094-0-9
Wellfleet, Mass., celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2013. Grabbe, an innkeeper, explains what to see and do there and why this Cape Cod town means so much to so many people.
The Everyday Space Traveler: Discover Insights of Space Travelers.
Jason Klassi. Space Traveler Publishing, $24.95 hardcover (220p), ISBN 978-0-9817674-0-6
Amazon; B&N
A book that brings space travel down to Earth and presents the profound insights that have been gleaned by space travelers.
True Crime
The Bookie's Daughter: A Memoir of Growing Up in a Crazy, Crime-Ridden Family.
Heather Abraham. Sagis Books, $15.99 paper (316p), ISBN 978-0-9838635-1-9
The raw, provocative, and comedic reflections of a young girl caught up in her parent's seedy world of violence, crime, and addiction.


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Ready to Ship Fancy Feminist Leopard Print Bodysuit
Bodysuits are the new bra and pantie set combined into one awesome piece! This Fancy Feminist Leopard Print Solid Lace Bodysuit is designed for versatility to be worn alone in the bedroom, lounging about your house, or layered under an outfit for every day use. The back dips low to highlight the curve of your lower back and hips and the front reaches high to your neckline. This bodysuit is lined in elastic but does not have underwires or any stiff structuring offering a comfortable fit for all day wear.
Designed and handmade with Love by Siobhan Barrett. Check out my sizing guide if you're not sure about your size and FAQ's for information on orders.

subset: commoncrawl


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Poor air quality is a concern. Did you know that, on average, we breathe in 3,000 gallons of air each day? Throughout the day, you are breathing in tiny particles (invisible to the naked eye), without being aware of it. Have you ever stopped to think what these tiny particles are that you're breathing in? Unfortunately due to negative air pollution health effects, we are confronted with the probability that we are hurting our overall health just by doing a simple (yet vital) task.
Air pollution can damage plants, trees, crops and lakes. It can also damage your body. Below are just some of the effects of air pollution as related to our overall health.
- Irritation of the throat
- Difficulty breathing
- Respiratory problems (especially for those with asthma)
- Burning in the nose and eyes
Perhaps most frightening is that we are not just susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution while we are outside, but also while we are in the comforts of our own homes. In fact, indoor air quality is one of the top five risks to public health according to the EPA. Perhaps even more alarming is that 87% of American homeowners are not aware that the pollution outside may not be as bad as the pollution inside (this according to dosomething.org).
The reasons for this can vary from a lack of filtration to inadequate ventilation. Being a company that specializes on filtration, we naturally tend to focus on this part of the issue. However, this can make a huge difference. While you may not be able to make an immediate impact on air pollution on a national or even global scale (due to various laws, regulations, etc.) you can make an immediate impact on the air quality in your own home. Furnace filters capture debris, dust, and more from your air which improves your overall air quality. Beyond that however, failure to regularly replace furnace filters is generally the number one cause of furnace repairs. In addition, since your motor and furnace fan will have to work harder to push air through a clogged filter, your system consumes more energy to compensate causing you to spend more on your next bill.
You don't have to deal with poor air quality at home. A furnace filter, and remembering to regularly replace it, can leave you breathing in fresh air.


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UK and EU applicants should have, or expect to have:
72 UCAS tariff points from at least two full A-levels, or equivalent.
Examples of the above tariff may include:
All applicants must also hold GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above.
Essex Pathways Department accepts a wide range of qualifications from applicants. If you are unsure whether you meet the entry criteria, please get in touch for advice.
Essex Pathways Department is unable to accept applications from international students. Foundation pathways for international students are available at the University of Essex International College and are delivered and awarded by Kaplan, in partnership with the University of Essex. Successful completion will enable you to progress to the relevant degree course at the University of Essex.
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 5.5 overall. Specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.
Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels required. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications
If you are an international student requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Our Year 0 courses are only open to UK and EU applicants. If you're an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to your chosen degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College.
External Examiners provide an independent overview of our courses, offering their expertise and help towards our continual improvement of course content, teaching, learning, and assessment.
External Examiners are normally academics from other higher education institutions, but may be from the industry, business or the profession as appropriate for the course.
They comment on how well courses align with national standards, and on how well the teaching, learning and assessment methods allow students to develop and demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills needed to achieve their awards.
External Examiners who are responsible for awards are key members of Boards of Examiners. These boards make decisions about student progression within their course and about whether students can receive their final award.
A module is given one of the following statuses: 'core' – meaning it must be taken and passed; 'compulsory' – meaning it must be taken;
or 'optional' – meaning that students can choose the module from a designated list. The rules of assessment may allow for limited condonement
of fails in 'compulsory' or 'optional' modules, but 'core' modules cannot be failed. The status of the module may be different in any exit
awards which are available for the course. Exam Boards will consider students' eligibility for an exit award if they fail the main award or do not complete their studies.
1. To equip students with the knowledge and skills that are currently in high demand in computer and electronic engineering 2. To provide students with a foundation for further study and research3. To enable students to acquire a broad understanding of computer systems engineering and associated electronics, whilst providing opportunities for them to develop expertise within particular areas of specialisation4. To develop the students' ability to make an effective contribution to team-based activity5. To encourage students to adopt an investigative approach and develop autonomous study skills in order to ensure their continuing professional development6. To provide students with an understanding of the industrial context and an appreciation of a range of external factors that affect the work of the professional computer and electronic engineer
On successful completion of the programme a graduate should demonstrate knowledge and skills as follows:
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes,
for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements, industrial action, lack of demand, departure of
key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery
of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour
to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the
Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the
University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.
Should you have any questions about programme specifications, please contact Course Records, Quality and Academic Development; email: email@example.com.


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Author Archive
Business, Op-ed - Written Friday, September 11, 2009 by Mike Dover - 3 Comments
Wikipedia…does tenacity matter more than insight?
Like most social media communities, most people are users of Wikipedia rather than contributors. Although it is the "encyclopedia that anyone can edit," most people don't. I can speak from experience that it is not always that people are too lazy, disengaged or intimidated to participate. If you are not an "insider" or a frequent poster it is hard to make your edits stick.
An excellent study conducted recently by the Wikimedia Foundation and UNU-Merit identified some interesting facts including that only 13% of the respondents were female Wikipedia contributors (meaning that they actually posted content). Speculation on the implications of this fact appeared throughout the blogosphere including this article by Ryan Tate which includes this passage:
MIT instructor and alumni Philip Greenspun has floated a theory as to why women are underrepresented in high-end scientific professions: Science is generally a terrible career choice, but it contains a dysfunctional status hierarchy that tends to appeal the male egos.
"A lot more men than women choose to do seemingly irrational things such as become petty criminals, fly homebuilt helicopters, play video games, and keep tropical fish as pets (98 percent of the attendees at the American Child Association convention that I last attended were male). Should we be surprised that it is mostly men who spend 10 years banging their heads against an equation-filled blackboard in hopes of landing a $35,000/year post-doc job? …Young men strive to achieve high status among their peer group. [Yet] men tend to lack perspective and are unable to step back and ask the question "is this peer group worth impressing?"…
So it is with Wikipedia. Why invest your free time wrangling with a politicized Wikipedia bureaucracy of infighting editors and bitter story subjects, all for the honor of creating a free resource for other people and paying out of your own pocket to go to high-level meetings for the Wikimedia elite? If you're a man, for the honor of being near the "top" of something, no matter how fruitless.
To Greenspun's point, there is a lot of work involved in contributing to Wikipedia. Not so much in actually making the edits, but in defending the changes against people with generally a lot more time to engage in an edit war. In essence, being right isn't enough if you don't want to put a lot of effort into convincing people that you are right.
From my personal example (the fact that the topic seems to be banal proves the point), I made an edit on the Frasier page a couple of years ago. It was in regards to a reference that John Mahoney who plays Martin Crane, like many of his colleagues previously appeared on Cheers. No surprise here, of course, the former was a spinoff of the latter and they shared not only the title character but also the same producers. Mahoney's role on Cheers was a washed-up ad man hired by Rebecca Howe (who had a budget of $50) to write a jingle for the bar. He ended up playing the piano while he sang the jingle "Beer and Pretzels that's our game…" Because of this someone had described him the character as a pianist. I changed the entry to describe him as an "ad man" because while pianist was correct, it wasn't completely accurate (the post could have said he played a vertebrate which was equally true). In any case, an edit war occurred and I eventually lost interest. By the way, I checked before I wrote this post and (no thanks to me) the entry now reads the way it should…
Some cast members of Frasier appeared previously in minor roles on Cheers. John Mahoney, who played Martin Crane, appeared in an episode of Cheers, as Si Phlembeck, an over-the-hill advertising executive hired by Rebecca to write a jingle for the bar. In it, Grammer and Mahoney exchanged a few lines.
That episode ended up being incredibly valuable for Mahoney as it certainly led to his casting on Frasier and the ensuing vast riches. There is an interesting story behind how he got the role described here by the writer of the episode. I'd edit the Wikipedia entry to reflect the cool info, but once bitten, twice shy my friend.
- Technology as a Behavior Magnifier
- Is a Monty Python/Star Trek mash-up art? Let's let YouTube decide.
- Grey Flannel Suit vs. the Hawaiian Shirt
- Sabermetrics as Mass Collaborators
- Catcher in the Rye doesn't translate for the Net Gen
- When Mass Collaboration is Smarter than April Fool's Day
- Community Panel at the 2.0 Conference
- GovLoop, the "Facebook for Feds," Reaches 10,000 Users in Less Than a Year
- It's not you…it's twitter


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AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- An Ohio teenager was convicted Tuesday in the slayings of three men and the wounding of a fourth who all responded to a bogus job ad posted on Craigslist.
The jury in Akron deliberated 20 hours over four days before finding Brogan Rafferty, 17, of Stow guilty of multiple counts of aggravated murder, attempted murder, robbery and kidnapping, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
He faces the possibility of life in prison when he is sentenced Monday by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Lynne Callahan.
Co-defendant Richard Beasley, 53, who authorities say was Rafferty's mentor, is to stand trial in January.
Jurors Dana Nash and Michele Lewis, both of Akron, told the newspaper they were led to find Rafferty guilty because they found his testimony contradictory.
"We was kind of skeptical," Nash said. "Because he was kind of contradicting his self during his testimony and some of his interviews. Luckily, we took good notes and the evidence was there.
"We were trying to be fair and we were fair. We came up with the right decision. It was very difficult for us because, like I said, he's a child and it was very hurtful."
The victims responded to a 2011 help-wanted ad that promised $300 a week and a trailer to live in to oversee the use of an expansive property in Noble County.
Ralph Geiger, 56, Timothy Kern, 47, and David Pauley, 51, were killed, while Scott Davis, 48, escaped and alerted authorities. All four men were described as down-on-their-luck bachelors.


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Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an Italian-American actor best known for starring on the TV series Taxi and Who's the Boss?, for which Danza was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the sitcom The Tony Danza Show.
Danza was born as Anthony Salvatore Iadanza in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Anne Cammisa (1925–1993) and Matty Iadanza (1920–1983), both of whom died from cancer. His family was of Italian ancestry. He has a younger brother, Matty Jr. (born 1954), a Los Angeles restaurant owner. When Danza was 14, he and his family relocated to Malverne, New York on Long Island. Danza attended Malverne High School, graduating in 1968. Danza earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1972 from the University of Dubuque, which he attended on a wrestling scholarship.
It was during his first year of college that he got the Robert Crumb Keep on Truckin' tattoo on his upper right arm. In a 1985 interview in Us Weekly magazine, Danza remarked, "I was playing pool with a guy who had all these tattoos, and I wanted to be friends." Danza sports a "Keep Punching" boxing gloves tattoo on his right shoulder. In college, Danza met and married his first wife, Rhonda Yeoman, with whom he had two children. From 1976 to 1979, Danza was a professional boxer with a 9-3 record, with all of his fights, wins and losses, ending by knockout.


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There is no cure for presentation stage fright. You can reduce the symptoms with beta blockers, but when the drugs wear off, you're still… you. You're still up there with a cracking voice, runaway heart rate, and nauseating dread.
So what do you do? You read posts with titles like "Ten Tips For Better Presentations", "Kick-ass With PowerPoint", and "Public Speaking Secrets of Martin Luther King". You read excellent books like "Resonate", "Presentation Zen", and "Confessions of a Public Speaker." You Level Up Your Presentation Skills.
You practice practice practice.
You work on your 12-17 seconds of eye contact. You work on your posture, hand-gestures, and VOICE PROJECTION. You watch a thousand hours of TED talks.
You work on your Opening With Humour, your 3-Act Narrative, and your Emotional Hooks.
And since the bar has gone up for even the geekiest conferences today, you work on your evocative-yet-not-cliche graphics, your designer-but-not-default-theme layout, and your clever-yet-clean typography.
But because you are a human, your stage fright now–after working on it so very very hard–is worse.
Nothing cuts stage fright like focusing on the million ways you're doin' it wrong.
If you have severe stage fright, the worst way to improve your presentation is to focus on your presentation skills.
Presentation skills are all about YOU. What YOU do. What YOU say. How YOU say it. Stage fright is all about YOU. What they think about YOU. What they tweet about YOU. What they tell everyone in your professional community about YOU.
The Big Problem is… YOU.
Or rather, the problem is thinking that what matters in your presentation is you. Because unless you're a paid performer – musician, comedian, motivational speaker – you are not the reason they came to the conference. They are sitting in your session because of someone that matters far more to them than you: themselves. They are there for their own experiences, and "watching you present" is not one of those experiences.
My path to coping with heart-stopping stage-fright is to focus NOT on what I do but on what they experience. And since I'm a software developer, I'll think of the audience as my users.
And if they're my users, then this presentation is a user experience.
And if it's a user experience, then what am I?
Ah... now we're at the place where stage fright starts to dissolve.
Because if the presentation is a user experience, than I am just a UI.
That's it.
I am a UI.
Nothing more.
And what's a key attribute of a good UI?
It disappears.
It does not draw attention to itself.
It enables the user experience, but is not itself the experience.
And the moment I remember this is the moment I exhale and my pulse slows. Because I am not important. What is important is the experience they have. My job is to provide a context in which something happens for them.
When you design for a user experience, you quit focusing on your skills and start focusing on their skills. What experience can you help them have? Can you give them a more powerful perspective? Can you give them a new idea with immediate implementation steps they can't wait to work on? Can you give them a clear way to finally explain something to others that they've been feeling but could not articulate? Can you give them a new tip or trick that has such a high-payoff it feels like a superpower? Can you give them knowledge and insight into a tough topic, so they can have more interesting, high-resolution conversations in the hallway?
And now we're truly at the heart of what matters most in a presentation. Look at the previous paragraph of experiences you can help them have. What's the common thread? It's not really about the user experience they have during your presentation. Like your presentation, their experience of it is also just the enabler for something bigger. Because what matters most is NOT the UX but the POST-UX UX. What happens after and as a result of the user experience? The best software and product designers know this. The best game designers know this. The best authors know this. The best filmmakers know this. What happens after what happens happens?
When they walk away from the user experience, then what? Are they different? Are they a little smarter? Are they a little more energized? Are they a little more capable? Are they a little more likely to talk to others about it?
This is no different from the goals we have for any other product/service/tool/book we create for others to use. It is always about the post-UX-UX. Otherwise, we have wasted their precious time and scarce cognitive resources. And when that happens, they will care about our non-optimal presentation skills.
But we still need Minimum Useful Presentation Skills to "be a UI"
We need just enough skills to create the UX that leads to the post-UX UX. And that's a hell of a lot less than what we've been told we need. Your users must be able to hear you, so try to not speak too quickly for the room acoustics. They must be able to see what's on the screen, so it's worth paying attention to text and graphic sizes and contrast. And they must be able to stay awake and focused, so it's worth trying to have some sense of pacing and variety, though there's a surprisingly easy presentation hack for this. A hack that violates a lot of the standard presentation slide advice. A key to helping your audience stay focused is to NOT maintain a consistent look and feel.
If you watch my presentations, you'll see my slides frequently shifting from black text on white background to white text on black background. I change fonts. I place the text in different (yes, random) places on the screen from slide to slide. I do almost everything you are NOT supposed to do. I do not make beautiful slides. I often use way too many slides (300+ in my last 1 hour talk).
I have taken this to an extreme that sometimes does get in the way, drawing attention to itself, and that is the one thing I am working to correct. If too many fonts and variations becomes noticeable on its own, then I've just violated the "UI should vanish" rule. The goal is to have enough variety to keep their brain alert, but not so extreme that it draws attention to itself.
And what of the three-act, emotional hook, narrative arc? What about personal stories, appropriate humor, etc.? None of this really matters unless/except in service to the user experience you're designing for. And again, there is a surprisingly simple trick that is usually just as effective as the most artfully-crafted narrative:
Open with a question they would very much like an answer for.
That's it. Pose a question. You don't have to announce you're going to answer it, just… start. If you're looking for an opening phrase, try something like, "Imagine you want to…" and then go. Don't hesitate. And whatever you do, do NOT try to "establish your credibility". Never try to tell them or sell them on why they should listen to you. If the question is one they want answered, their brain won't let it go. The rest of the presentation is just a steady reveal of the answer(s).
Be the UI
When I give a presentation, whether it's a mega-event keynote or a small intimate meeting, I have one crucial rule: nobody is allowed to introduce me. If they insist, then it must be only my name (though I try to discourage that too). And I do not introduce myself. This has been my rule since my first conference, and not only does it send the message that I (the presenter) am not what matters, it's also a powerful stage-fright reducer. It lets you step up to the podium as a UI rather than The Presenter. This matters.
Because if YOU are a UI, then what is a presenter's introduction? That annoying splash screen.
If you, like me, struggle with terrifying stage-fright, you might try this: as you prepare a presentation, keep a giant post-it in front of you that says, "YOU ARE JUST A UI". Keep the focus off of you so you can get on with creating an experience for the people who do matter: your audience. Your users. Because every moment we spend obsessing over how this will make us look is a moment NOT devoted to how our presentation will make them look.


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September 17, 1999
Mr. Edward M. Opton, Jr.
University Counsel
The Regents of the University of California
Office of General Counsel
1111 Franklin Street, 8th Floor
Oakland, California 94607-5200
Dear Mr. Opton:
This is in response to your March 15, 1999, letter to this Office requesting our guidance on the University of California's (University) response under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA to a subpoena duces tecum that may be issued for certain students' education records. Specifically, the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has served (or will serve) a subpoena duces tecum for "directory information" about the University's teaching assistants. You ask for our advice on the following:
Whether the University would violate FERPA by complying with a subpoena that may be issued by the PERB.
Whether there is any other provision contained in FERPA that would allow the University to lawfully provide education records to PERB.
Whether FERPA allows notice of a court order or subpoena to be made by publication in campus newspapers or on campus bulletin boards, or would individual letters be required.
What is the purpose of § 99.61 of the FERPA regulations?
This Office administers FERPA is responsible for providing technical assistance to educational agencies and institutions regarding issues related to education records.
As you are aware, FERPA is a Federal law that affords parents and eligible students the right to have access to education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of information from the records. See 20 U.S.C. § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99. When a student turns 18 years of age or attends an institution of postsecondary education, the student becomes an "eligible student" and all FERPA rights transfer to the student. As explained more fully below, records of teaching assistants are education records under FERPA and may not be disclosed without written consent of the student or unless the disclosure meets one of the exceptions to the prior consent rule under FERPA. Each of your questions is addressed below.
Can the University lawfully comply with a subpoena that may be issued by the PERB?
In your March 15, 1999, letter you state that the PERB may issue a subpoena duces tecum to the University for "the names, departments where employed, and home addresses for several thousand students who are employed in various campus positions, chiefly as teaching assistants". You specifically ask if the University can provide this information under a subpoena for those students who have exercised their right to opt out of the disclosure of "directory information." The PERB wants the information "because it is planning representation elections this Spring at most of the University's nine campuses to determine whether the student employees wish to be exclusively represented by a labor union in their employment relationship with the University."
You indicated in your letter that you are concerned that "compliance with the subpoena duces tecum may violate FERPA." It appears you believe that if the PERB issues the University a subpoena duces tecum, it would not be valid or considered "lawfully issued" because, in your opinion, the PERB may not have the authority under its enabling statute to issue a subpoena for the teaching assistant's education records. The enabling statute, according to your letter, states that the PERB shall have the authority:
- To hold hearings, subpoena witnesses, administers oaths, take the testimony or deposition of any person, and, in connection therewith, to issue subpoenas duces tecum to require the production and examination of, any employer's or employee organization's records, books, or paper confidential under statute.
Cal. Gov't Code § 3563 (g).
In your letter, you also state that it "does not appear that FERPA conflicts with state or local law under the facts that I have described—instead, the conflict is between FERPA and a directive (and potentially a subpoena duces tecum) issued by a state agency."
As you aware, Ms. Margo A. Feinberg, counsel to the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), AFL-CIO, also sent a letter to this Office regarding the potential subpoena duces tecum. In her letter, dated March 19, 1999, she makes the following statements:
The UAW has filed representation petitions to represent academic student employees in such titles as Teaching Assistants, Readers and Tutors at the University of California campuses. . . . PERB has held several lengthy hearings as to the status of these positions and has determined that they are employees as defined by the Higher Education Employment Relations Act (HEERA) (California Government Code Section 3560, et seq.), and as such have a right to representation.
It is our position first and foremost that any interpretation of HEERA rests with PERB and in certain circumstances the California courts. Therefore, it is not for the Department of Education to evaluate whether PERB's subpoena is legitimate.
- We, however, share PERB's view that it has legitimate subpoena power.
As you are aware, FERPA broadly defines the term "education records" as those records that contain information that is directly related to a student and that are maintained by an educational agency or institution or a party acting for the agency or institution. FERPA specifically includes in the term, those records relating to an individual in attendance at the agency or institution who is employed as a result of his or her status as a student. 34 CFR § 99.3 (b)(3)(ii). You indicated in your letter that teaching assistants are students in attendance at the University and one cannot be a teaching assistant unless one is a student. Therefore, it is our determination that records maintained by the University regarding teaching assistants are "education records" under FERPA.
This Office is not addressing the question of whether the records of readers and tutors are subject to FERPA because sufficient facts were not presented in either your letter or Ms. Feinberg's letter to enable us to determine whether the readers and tutors are students in attendance at the University. However, to the extent a University employs readers and tutors and their employment is contingent upon their being students in attendance at the University, then the same conclusion as teaching assistants would apply and their records would be considered "education records."
With regard to the disclosure of education records, FERPA generally provides that an educational agency or institution may only disclose a student's education record to a third party if the eligible student has given appropriate written consent. 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b)(1) and (b)(2)(A); 34 CFR § 99.30. However, FERPA does permit the nonconsensual disclosure of education records in certain limited circumstances, such as when the disclosure is made in compliance with a lawfully issued subpoena or court order. CFR § 99.31(a)(9). A student's decision to be excluded from the disclosure of "directory information" has no bearing on the institution's compliance with a lawfully issued subpoena or court order. That is, an institution may disclose personally identifiable information from education records in compliance with a lawfully issued subpoena or court order regardless whether a student has opted out of the disclosure of directory information (see below).
While FERPA does not specifically define what constitutes a "lawfully issued subpoena," this Office has consistently advised that institutions, in consultation with their counsel, are best able to determine whether a subpoena has been lawfully issued because what would be considered a "lawfully issued subpoena" varies from State to State. In short, we have concluded previously that if a subpoena is issued in compliance with State law, it is "lawfully issued."
Please note that while a "lawfully issued subpoena" or court order may compel disclosure of information, FERPA does not require an educational institution to disclose information from a student's education record to anyone other than to the eligible student to whom the records relate. Rather, FERPA permits the disclosure of education records without prior written consent in certain limited situations, such as when the records are the subject of a subpoena or court order. In addition, unless the subpoena is a Federal grand jury subpoena or other subpoena issued for a law enforcement purpose, and the subpoena contains a provision that the eligible student must not be informed of the existence of the subpoena, the institution must make a reasonable effort to notify the eligible student in advance of compliance with the subpoena. This permits the eligible student to seek protective action from the court, such as limiting the scope of the subpoena.
Is there any other provision contained in FERPA that would allow the University to lawfully provide education records to PERB?
Absent prior written consent, no. As mentioned above, records containing information on teaching assistants are education records under FERPA. FERPA does provide that written consent is not needed if the disclosure concerns information the educational agency or institution has designated as "directory information," under the conditions described in 34 CFR § 99.37. See 34 CFR § 99.31(a)(11). The definition lists items that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed which includes, but is not limited to: a student's name; address; telephone listing; date and place of birth; major field of study; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; dates of attendance; degrees and awards received; and the most previous educational agency or institution attended. 34 CFR § 99.3 ("Directory information"). Should a school disclose the names and addresses of its teaching assistants under FERPA's directory information exception, the school would also be disclosing, at the same time, the fact that those students are teaching assistants. Under FERPA, the fact that a student is a teaching assistant is not directory information.
Ms. Feinberg states in her letter, however, that the "University has previously released the names and addresses of teaching assistants in identical proceedings." She lists situations or mechanisms in which she states the names of the teaching assistants, tutors, or readers have previously been disclosed or made public. They include printing the names in the course catalog, posting them to the web page of the University, in the tutorial center, in the departments, on the office doors and mailboxes. She also states that the "individuals when voting in the election release their name as part of the process and obviously assume the University will have to release information to verify if they are currently employees in the bargaining unit." In addition she states: "The University already provides the names and addresses of these academic student employees to other state agencies that cover employment issues, such as the Franchise Tax Board and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, as well as to the health insurance providers."
Although Ms. Feinberg states that the University has previously released the names and address of teaching assistants, the nature and circumstances in the situations she describes differ from the disclosure of information to a specific third party, the PERB. Our advice does not relate to the publishing of a teaching assistant's name and address on-campus, action that an individual who is acting as a teaching assistant knows is inevitable as part of his or her teaching curriculum. However, in general, it is our understanding that in circumstances such as those described by Ms. Feinberg, an educational institution would ordinarily have obtained the student's permission to make his or her name and designation as a teaching assistant available to certain students and staff as part of the actual employment application process for teaching assistants.
Also, Ms. Feinberg states that "the University already provides the names and addresses of these academic student employees to other state agencies that cover employment issues, such as the Franchise Tax Board and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, as well as to the health insurance providers." We do not have enough information to consider how FERPA applies to these disclosures. For example, we would need to know whether at any point in the employment application process the individual signed a consent form for the release of his or her education records.
As noted previously, records containing a student's name, address, and status as a teaching assistant are considered "education records" because of the teaching assistants' status as students. As such, under the circumstances provided and assuming the absence of any other exception, such as a lawfully issued subpoena, the University would be required to obtain the consent of the teaching assistants prior to disclosing such information to the PERB.
No other provisions in FERPA are applicable to the particular circumstances you have presented. However, it appears from a subsequent communication that the University has taken action to overcome the problem of withholding the teaching assistants addresses for those who opted out. We are pleased that it appears you have resolved the issue. Although you did not elaborate on how the situation was resolved, we offer you the following two suggestions as possible solutions or actions the University may want to consider taking in the event it finds itself in a similar situation in the future.
- The University could add a consent portion to the teaching assistant's application giving the teaching assistants the option of having their names and addresses released to the PERB for the purpose of elections.
- The University could volunteer to mail or deliver the literature that PERB presumably would like to have provided to the students via their mailing addresses. This would avoid any disclosures of education records to a third party.
- The University could add a consent portion to the teaching assistant's application giving the teaching assistants the option of having their names and addresses released to the PERB for the purpose of elections.
Is notice of a court order or subpoena by publication in campus newspapers and on campus bulletin boards sufficient or are individual letters required?
This Office has consistently interpreted FERPA to require that students be notified in advance of the compliance with a court order or subpoena by individual notice. Notice on campus bulletin boards or in campus newspapers would not be adequate to meet this requirement. In contrast, the requirement in § 99.7 of the FERPA regulations that institutions must annually notify students of their FERPA rights may be provided by individual notice, publication in campus newspapers or on campus bulletin boards.
What is the purpose of § 99.61?
In your letter you ask whether the purpose of § 99.61 is to allow this Office to grant exceptions in appropriate cases to the restrictions that the FERPA places on the release of education records. If so, you then ask whether the University may be granted such an exception.
The purpose of § 99.61 is to require an educational agency or institution that determines that it cannot comply with FERPA, due to a conflict with a State law, to notify this Office regarding such conflict. Once notified, this Office reviews the law and any pertinent interpretations made by the State and provides guidance to the agency or institution regarding its applicability to FERPA. The Department has no authority to grant an exception or waiver to any of the provisions in FERPA.
In sum, compliance with portions of a State law that conflict with FERPA may jeopardize an educational agency or institution's continued eligibility to receive Federal education funds. FERPA provides that the Department may not make funds available to any educational agency or institution that has a policy of denying parents or students their rights under FERPA. Thus, to the extent that a conflict does exist between a State law and FERPA, and the agency or institution has a practice or policy of violating FERPA in order to comply with a State law, the agency or institution would be in jeopardy of losing Department of Education funds.
I trust that the above information is responsive to your inquiry. Should you have any further questions on FERPA, please feel free to contact this Office again.
LeRoy S. Rooker
Family Policy Compliance Office


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HBP Trailer Watch: Latest Report on a Teaser Attached to The Mummy?
Jul 15, 2008
There is another installment today in the continuing saga and wait for any sort of trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Last night our friends at Bloghogwarts let us a know a rep for WB Mexico gave them a tip that teaser trailer was due here in the US on August 1, attached to "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." Today comes word from Oclumencia, that they have received notice from WB Brazil saying the same thing regarding an August 1st teaser trailer here in the US. Finally, Potterish let us know that in Brazil, they will see a teaser attached to "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" when it opens on August 15.
As interesting as all of this is, it should be stated that official word from Warner Brothers here in US, UK or elsewhere has not yet been issued regarding any sort of a trailer, either a teaser or the heavily rumored main trailer, here in the States and/or Europe, and we will update with an official US WB confirmation when it happens.
Also, it would seem those reports about a tiny teaser before the IMAX trailer are indeed true, as AintitCool.com and multiple readers have owled to say what is actually airing is not a 'trailer' unfortunately, but rather 15 seconds of simply the "Half-Blood Prince" logo on a black screen (no footage at all), with a voice saying "Coming in IMAX this fall with some scenes in 3-D." Alas. Thus, we continue our watch for trailer news and will update once we get something more concrete from WB US.
Thanks Alejandro Oclumencia and Potterish!