A Taste of My Mind: February 2017

Monday, February 27, 2017

Book Feature: Pauli by Pamela O. Guidry

Inside the Book:

Title: Pauli the Musical Pumpkin

Author: Pamela O. Guidry

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Format: Ebook

This is an inspiring story of a family whose characters depend on each other's unique personality traits to see them through life's little journeys. With Luis, the strength and leadership is dominant, and Erin's motherly love is profound. The two boys are very different both in looks and in spirit. Dominic is adventuresome, and the outdoors is his passion, whereas Donovan's love for beauty and music is his motivation. Pauli, different from any of his family, is talented and musical and brings forth a feeling of magic when he plays his beautiful music. In the end, the family is reunited and reassured. Each of us is special in our own way. As long as we have each other, anything is possible.

Meet the Author:

Pamela O. Guidry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1960. My parents were the most loving and wonderful parents. I grew up in a family of six children. With three sisters and two brothers, an adventure was always just around the corner. Because family is the most fundamental purpose in life, the experiences we have shared have shaped my life. At an early age, I developed a passion for music, as well as a love for art and creativity. As an adult, I further pursued the imagination and use of colors and textures in my work as a decorator. And now, my passion is to travel the world so that I may experience the beauty of nature and the people I meet along the way.

Giveaway

Pamela is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins February 27 and ends on March 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on March 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

Book Feature: River of Denial by Lea Braden

Inside the Book:

Title: River of Denial
Author: Lea Braden
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Fiction/Suspense
Format: Ebook

River Bend is just another quiet picturesque town by the Missouri river-until its school superintendent is murdered in her office one evening. Under her leadership, the school district appeared to be thriving. But as investigators are about to discover, Timmons Worthington apparently had more enemies than friends. After the police find a sticky note stuffed under Superintendent Worthington's computer keyboard with seventh grade science teacher Samantha Grant's name scrawled across it, Chief Path Patterson embarks on a quest to work his way down the list of suspects that includes Samantha. As denials flow from suspects, Samantha is once again thrust into amateur sleuth mode as she sets out to find the killer and prove her innocence in an investigation complicated by flying bullets, a flaming toilet, cocaine, and her ex-husband's crazy trophy wife. Helped by friends and her Shih Tzu, Samantha doggedly searches for the truth. But will she find answers soon enough to save her from prison or will a killer walk free? In this gripping mystery set in a postcard perfect river community, a middle school teacher must turn amateur sleuth in an attempt to eliminate her name from the list of suspects and find a determined killer.

Meet the Author:

Lea Braden is a retired middle school teacher. When she is not creating compelling mystery tales, she enjoys walks along the Missouri river with her two dogs. River of Denial is the second book in the Samantha Grant mystery series.

Giveaway

Lea is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins February 27 and ends on March 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on March 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Book Feature: The Book of Steven by Steven T. Stevenson

Title: The Book of Steven

Author: Steven T. Stevenson

Publisher: iUniverse

Pages: 284

Genre: Religious

Format: Kindle/Paperback

For those of you who are bent on destroying yourselves, or even contemplating an attempt, you might want to reconsider your options. Ultimately getting rid of “you” may be more difficult than it seems.

And if you do choose to stick around and participate, you will have to roll up your sleeves and live according to you. That may mean following a path which has been laid by others, or choosing to follow yourself. Declining to take that fork in the road, however, may lead you to a place where you never wanted or expected to be. And all the universe will be able to do is watch in wonder as the story of you unfolds.

The Book of Steven is a story about participating and not giving up, and about maintaining wonder for the universe in which we live. Follow Steven’s experiences as he—and you—learn that our world was not just written for or by someone else. We are, or should be, participants in our lives and not simply content to sit on the sidelines or to wait for someone else to make the world right for us. We should also remember that as human participants, we have the ability to enact any role we choose, and not just the ones other people may think appropriate for us.

If you happen to find yourself on a difficult path and truly need to find a new way to examine your life, The Book of Steven will help you find hope where there appears to be none, and offers a unique perspective for examining the universe in which we all choose to participate. Steven’s message is that you do not have to simply be content to live in a world of personal despair, when the possibilities presented by the universe of life are truly boundless.

Steven’s journey is not an easy one to take, however, and for those of you who may not need to explore alternative perspectives for our world, you may wish to devote your attention elsewhere.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Book Blast: Anger Management by Mark Stricklin

Inside the Book:

Title: Anger Management

Author: Mark Stricklin

Publisher: iUniverse

Genre: Psychology

Format: Ebook

Author Mark Stricklin knows what it's like to do bonehead things in spite of your best intentions and then get angry at yourself (and occasionally with others). In fact, unless we have given up caring about everything, we all get angry from time to time-and we all need ways to deal with that feeling. In Anger Management, Stricklin explores what makes us angry, how to deal with our anger, and how to deal with angry people. What's more, he focuses specifically on managing anger rather than eliminating it. He draws his knowledge both from his degree in psychology and from many years of dealing with people from all walks of life, who brought with them a wealth of knowledge and experience to his weekly classes in a transitional shelter. Through these classes, Stricklin has learned, relearned, changed, and reevaluated the process of embracing anger and anger management-and now he seeks to share that insight. Practical and straightforward, this guide offers down-to-earth advice on what causes anger; how to manage, accept, and express it; and how to deal with others who are angry.

Giveaway

Mark is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins January 30 and ends on February 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on February 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

TOUR SCHEDULE

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 6

February 7

February 8

February 9

February 10

Book Blast: Songs (Still!) Waiting for a Rock Band by Manu Rodriguez

Inside the Book:

Title: Songs (Still!) Waiting for a Rock Band
Author: Manu Rodriguez
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Genre: Music/Lyrics
Format: Ebook

"Tenerife... It was at that time that I had the urge to communicate what music meant to me. And there I was, buying records... and then a mixer, and I tried my hand at being a DJ, and I worked on the radio... And I wanted to have a rock band to melt my feelings with music and others. But that remained a fantasy, a dream. And so I started writing poems, lyrics, songs inspired by other songs and by that time I was living." ... "Tenerife... Fue en aquel tiempo que sentí la urgencia de comunicar lo que la música significaba para mí. Y compraba discos... Y una mesa de mezclas y ugé a ser DJ y trabajé en la radio. Y quería tener una banda de rock y fundir mi emoción con la música y con los demás. Pero esto quedó en un quería, en un quise, en un sueño hasta hoy no cumplido. Y así es que empecé a escribir letras, poesías, canciones inspiradas unas por el momento y otras por las de otros." - Manu Rodriguez, Edinburgh December 2015 Poignant and personal, introspective yet outgoing. Young and carefree, yet heavy with the weight of age and responsibility. These pieces of poetic lyrical prose are like photographs, well thumbed and cherished. Each is a vignette, a window, through which we only see what the writer chooses to reveal. In a real, immediate sense, these might be songs - rock songs, even. I have even been putting some of them to music, with Manu's blessing. Even so, these elusive lyrical fragments are, in their own haunting way, still, waiting for a rock band. - Calum Carlyle, musician, Edinburgh April 2016

Book Blast: That Rainy Day by F. de Sales Meyers

Inside the Book:

Title: That Rainy Day
Author: F. de Sales Meyers
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Ebook

As Veronica Adamo grows up motherless in an Italian neighborhood in East Baltimore, she passes her time listening to her jazz musician father play the piano, hanging with the neighbor boys, crabbing at the dock, and swimming in the dark harbor waters. With her poor and broken best friend, Dalton Braskey, always by her side, Veronica eventually matures into a woman who attends college. But when she captures the eye of Karl Jasinski, a fast-talking, handsome musician, everything changes for Veronica. Without a mother to guide her, Veronica throws caution to the wind and soon falls prey to the dark world that surrounds Karl. Lured away from common sense and her friendship with Dalton by drugs, good times, and easy money, Veronica struggles to escape her father's despair about his failing career and fear of losing her. But when he finally reveals the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of her mother at the same time Karl shows his true colors, a now emotionally fragile Veronica asks Dalton to do the unthinkable as her life comes full circle in one life-changing moment. That Rainy Day shares the poignant tale of a young woman's coming-of-age journey as she strives to deal with loss and life's unfortunate twists and turns.

About the Author

F. de Sales Meyers earned a Bachelor of Science degree and National Key from the School of Journalism at Boston University. After serving in the navy during World War II, he worked for the state department in the Public Information Office of the Department of Health and Hygiene. That Rainy Day is his debut novel

Giveaway

F. de Sales Meyers is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins January 10 and ends on February 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on February 11
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

Book Blast: Thomas and the Magic Marble by David M. Hall

Inside the Book:

Title: Thomas and the Magic Marble

Author: David M. Hall

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Format: Ebook

When Thomas Applegate is cheated out of his marble collection he heads for the local junk shop where he's sure Mr Armitage the owner will have some marbles at a knockdown price. Little does he know that he's about to embark on an adventure of extraordinary proportions when he discovers a large marble that was hidden inside an old Chinese vase. The marble's magic takes him back in time to ancient China. Here Thomas must use all of his wits to save and help mysterious magician Wing Ling who has been trapped in the marble for a thousand years.

Giveaway

David is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins January 30 and ends on February 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on February 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

TOUR SCHEDULE

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 6

February 7

February 8

February 9

February 10

Book Blast: Making it Home by Chris Clouse

Inside the Book:

Title: Making it Home

Author: Chris Clouse

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Genre: Self Help/Personal Growth

Format: Ebook

We are cocreators, both directing and observing this movie called life. So are you cocreating this quest with me! Are you not producing a holographic image of this book, which contains words that we have manifested into time and space together? Like every book, this book, Making It Home, has already been written. The question you should ask is, "What part about these words and this book do I need right now in my life?" If you know the right question-or "quest you are on"-your mind will produce an answer out of the material of life itself, and the book becomes a catalyst for your own story. When you read-and more important, think-about the information in these pages, your chakras will activate, and new cognitions will be created about heaven. This of course depends on one condition: that you have a deep-seated desire to achieve joy, love, and peace in this lifetime.

About the Author

Chris Clouse leads a full career balancing two professional disciplines while maintaining an active lifestyle with his wife and three kids. In the field of project management, Chris has created Centres of Excellence for two world-class IT organizations. His longtime passion in life has been in the area of spiritual science, for which this book was created. As a certified master life coach, Chris brings his pursuit of excellence and passion into his classes, helping others find their power and purpose

Giveaway

Chris is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins January 30 and ends on February 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on February 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

TOUR SCHEDULE

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 6

February 7

February 8

February 9

February 10

Book Blast: A Small Town Girl by David Delmonte

Inside the Book:

Title: A Small Town Girl

Author: David Delmonte

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Genre: General Fiction

Format: Ebook

A young woman arrives at a rural town in America. No one knows who she is or where she's from. The girl, Pity Grace Collins, is caught stealing, but evades the locals' attempts to eject her from town by inveigling her way into the favors of the local men. With her character, she's either going to make it big or come crashing down to earth. It's anyone's guess.

Meet the Author:

David Delmonté is the author of COCONUTS KILL MORE PEOPLE THAN SHARKS, and EH?, He lives in Winchester, England.

Giveaway

David is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins January 30 and ends on February 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on February 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

Book Blast: Thunder Cloud by Daniel Hibbert

Inside the Book:

Title: Thunder Cloud

Author: Daniel Hibbert

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Genre: Psychology

Format: Ebook

The way businesses manage reward has not adapted to changes in the employment relationship and the nature of work in the digital age. Reward is usually treated like a clock, as if it were predictable and easy to read. In reality, it is part of a large complex ecosystem-it is often like a thundercloud, dark, volatile, and difficult to understand. This book uses ideas from behavioural science to re-define the meaning of reward for the digital age. It explains how the intrinsic psychological rewards are just as important as pay and the other extrinsic rewards. It also shows how reward can easily become a psychological threat if it is not managed well. Reward needs to connect with the types of jobs people are doing and to regain its place as a central part of the way that people are managed. In the digital age employers need to be better at communicating reward and managing employee expectations. They also need to be very careful in linking reward with performance. The purpose of this book is to show that reward does not have to be a dark cloud. If managed with care, it can make a positive contribution to the employment relationship.

About the Author

Daniel Hibbert has over twenty years of experience in advising businesses on reward and performance. For most of this time he has worked with global professional services firms and now works as an independent consultant. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and previously qualified as an accountant and tax advisor.

Giveaway

Daniel is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
This giveaway begins January 30 and ends on February 10.
Winners will be contacted via email on February 11.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

TOUR SCHEDULE

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 6

February 7