Thursday, August 29, 2013

BioDesign - Out For A Walk by Lowell Harrison Young (A Must-Read for All Teachers & More)



Welcome to BK Walker Books Etc. I'm so happy you could join me today at Napa Valley Calif.



BK: I've always wanted to visit California :). Looking out the nearest window, describe the scene you see.

We live in the beautiful Napa Valley; in a two-story home which gives me a view of oak and pine treetops.

BK: Tell us about your office. Is it a mess like mine, or is everything in its place?

My office is quite plain with a large b/w photo of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt standing atop Glacier Point at Yosemite national Park. Together they added millions of acres to our NPS.


BK: What is a must-have, such as coffee or a favorite pen, that you need to write?

I use notes sometimes, however, my keyboard has become an extension of my brain. When I am concentrating food and drink become irrelevant.

BK: Do you like to write in silence, or do you need music or background noise?

I prefer a quiet office with only the soft hum of the computer digesting my material.

BK: Tell us a bit about your hero/heroine, and their development.

Biodesign Out For A Walk is truly about 700 students who rejected the traditional high school learning process that involved massive memorization of minutiae. They taught me how to laugh and cry while learning about biology. They are my heroes.

BK: As a writer myself, I'm always curious how other writers get through stumble blocks. When you find a story not flowing, or a character trying to fight you, how do you correct it?

BOFAW is a collection of stories that span a 24-year teaching career. My biggest challenge was how to pare the narrative down to a reasonable length. It took two years to write (I am a slow writer) but there was never a dull moment.

BK: Using the letters of your first name as an acronym, describe your book...

Neat question. “L” for a love story between students and teacher. “H” for humbling to be constantly reminded of how little we actually know. “Y” for being perennially young at heart.

BK: How did your writing journey begin?

Easy! My children wanted me to write down some of my amazing adventures for their children to read as high schoolers. One thing led to another.

BK: Using the letters from the word, Summer, how would friends and family describe you?

S” sensitive, Socratic teacher; “U” usually thinks in triads; “M” multidimensional; (physical, mental, spiritual) “M” master-craftsman; “E” enjoys esoteric discussions; Religious.

BK: What is the craziest thing you've ever written about, whether it got published or not?

A male student having an erection while a beautiful nurse shaved his lower abdomen for an appendectomy. The Sanskrit description of the human penis as “The Wand Of Light”

BK: Tell us one thing you've done in life, that readers would be most surprised to know.

Surviving a hail storm with 30 high school students on Yosemite’s famous Half Dome.

BK: What can we expect from you in the future?
In terms of books? Nothing. This has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I have no interest in running this gauntlet again.

This or That...

Pepsi!

Night Owl or Early Bird?

When ever inspired. Many paragraphs were hammered out at 3:00 AM.

Fantasy or Mystery?

Mystery in the sense that all branches of science begin in mystery.


Pen/Paper or Computer?

Some pen and paper, but mostly using my keyboard as my writing tool

Burger!

Country!

Vanilla!

Mountains!


Thank you so much for having us as one of your stops today. It has been great getting to know more about you and your book, and wish you the best of success!




BK Walker


About The Author


Lowell Young and his wife Christie have lived in California’s Napa Valley for over 40 years. Mr. Young taught high school biology for nearly 40 years before he retired. The class that evolved into Biodesign was a creative, collaborative project where the roles of teacher and student were often reversed. It was well known by the students that although Mr. Young represented the physical nature of the class, Christie’s silent spiritual guidance was often felt in their classroom circles, as well as along the many miles of trails they walked. The Biodesign class may be the only one of its kind taught in a public high school in the country.






Genre: Nature/Ecology
Publisher: Outskirts Press


Book Description:

Going for a walk should be fun. So should studying biology, after all, without it we wouldn't be alive to experience the rapture, sorrow and mystery of the universe. Biodesign Out For A Walk, is a story of how spirit-sensitive students reprogrammed a left-brained biology teacher and took him on a 24-year odyssey. Following the footsteps of John Muir, they slept on the top of Yosemite's famous Half Dome. They followed Loren Eiseley and John Wesley Powell to the bottom of Grand Canyon. Ed Ricketts and John Steinbeck led them into forests and tide pools of California's beautiful Mendocino coast. Abraham Maslow challenged them to redefine science and religion. Ralph Emerson challenged them to write their own Bibles. They traced the origins of human spirituality back 100,000 years. The class was dedicated to studying biology by exercising the illimitable freedom of the human mind. Plato urged them to actively search for truth, beauty and goodness.
They studied the works of scientists, sages, poets and saints to add to their growing concept of Mother Nature. Many synchronicities were discovered that were either playful, mysterious or scary
Socrates', "The unexamined life is not worth living," and Thoreau's, "I went to the woods to live deliberately," became mottos. Although each class lasted one academic year, the teacher was guided by students for 24 years and his adventure ended when a modern-day Moses mysteriously met him on top of Half Dome.

Praise for BioDesign:

"Digging deeper into the book, there are plenty of reminders that these are real experiences with only a few anecdotal ideas relative to genuine observations.”
Steven Burgess, Amazon Reviewer
"As you travel with Lowell, you will meet many amazing teens as they go out for a walk.”
Phroncie, Amazon Reviewer
"I recommend this book for anyone who wants a good read, especially one that is thought-provoking.”
geochrim, Amazon Reviewer

A must read for every high school teacher!”
Mark Salvestrin, Amazon Reviewer



Excerpt 1



Going for a walk should be fun. So should biology. After all, without it, we wouldn’t be able to experience the rapture, sorrow, and mystery of the universe. The “strange and wonderful magic” that created the Velveteen Rabbit is not confined to nurseries; it occurred at St. Helena High School, in the heart of California’s Napa Valley.

A scattered group of rebels magically overthrew my teaching style and curriculum and created an advanced biology course with a spiritual component. Each year, they traveled to Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and California’s Mendocino Coast, discovering themselves and their role in the world.
The birth of the class was not unlike the birth of a baby. Therewere moments of elation and sorrow, triumph and frustration, hope and despair. No one, especially me, realized that the students were responding to an ancient call which predated Christianity, perhaps by 100,000 years. Like Henry Thoreau, they were seeking a spiritual rebirth. Bloody palms, horrifying fear, and a battered ego were not included in my job description. They were, however, prerequisites for entering the uncharted wilderness of the teenage soul.

Lettie was dissecting a fetal pig when she suddenly paused, looked up, and asked, “Mr. Young, is this really important?”

I discovered later that her question was a matter of her spiritual life and death. While discussing evolution, and the now discredited story ofthe wolf/dog wandering into the ocean to become a whale, Matthew shouted, “Wait a minute! What the hell do we believe, anyway?

Did they think their way back into the ocean to become whales?” I discovered later that he was asking the most profound question that a person can ask. The collective human response will likely determine the fate of mankind.

These educational rebels elected to sit in a circle and rejected the traditional learning method of massive memorization of minutiae. Instead, they replaced it with an emphasis on critical thinking, communication skills, and problem solving. The focus was always biology, but collateral topics of natural history, evolution, the wilderness ethic, politics, sexuality, and religion were open for discussion. They understood the gravity that many had died so they could study and grow in an environment without fear, bitterness, or humiliation.

Some began to contemplate the immensity, horror, and glory of the human journey. Evolution, they discovered, often involved bloodshed, and they pondered over the hundreds of millions of people who were stoned, clubbed, burned, or nailed on crosses for what they believed.

Their class discussions were often lively but could not compare with the three, sixday field trips that they took. They tested Emerson’s adage, “The whole of Nature is but a metaphor of the human mind,” and often discovered wonders, even miracles, in Nature, themselves and each other. They learned that Albert Einstein and Loren Eiseley agreed that every branch of science was cloaked in mysteryand it would be their challenge and privilege to contemplate those mysteries.

The theme for the class was defined by John Muir; “I only went out for a walk … and found that going out was really going in.” They were invited to read the accounts of scientists, scholars, sages, and saints to see how they viewed Mother Nature. Many learned how to cope with the physical, mental, and spiritual blisters that they encounteredalong the way. Some learned to look for Jungian synchronicities and found them to be amusing, inspirational, or frightening.

Each year, hundreds of ideas were born, some resulting from close encounters with death
I have selected nearly 100 quotations which include scores of ideas from seekers whose thoughts and deeds have improved humanity. I felt that my deepest calling was not to “teach” but to share these designs with young, curious, and flexible minds and let them decide which ones they wanted to incorporate into their personal biblioteca (library).





Lowell is giving away a gift card for a Kindle Fire HD. Enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter below...G'luck!






Dominant Species Volume One: Natural Selection by David Coy (Book Tour & Huge Giveaway)



Dominant Species Volume One – Natural Selection

by David Coy


Walking the Edge of Plausibility

To my way of thinking, stories that walk too safely within the lines of believability eventually fall into a chasm of predictability from which there is no escape. In Dominant Species – Natural Selection, I try to move the narrative along just at the edge where the suspension of belief around key events or themes is an easy and pleasurable tradeoff between the plausible and the impossible. Luckily, most readers have no trouble following along and seem to enjoy the journey so close to the edge. Others, not so much. I often think that predictability is the least loved of all fiction’s attributes, at least for those readers who have read broadly. Film is even more susceptible to the disease of IKWN (I Know What’s Next). Films, horror in particular, with a “twist” or even several of them strategically placed seem to do better nowadays, and though not a substitute for good dramatic fundamentals, at least provide a satisfying respite in the form of a surprise or two along the way. Stanley Kubrick has said that it isn’t enough for a scene to be real or believable. It has to be interesting. I couldn’t agree more. I’d give up easy believability for fascination any day.
Enough preaching. Where do you like to walk? Inside or outside the lines?





About The Author:


I’ve had a lifetime love of science fiction and horror. I suspect it started in puberty since most obsessions do. My passion for it was so strong as a penniless youth, I resorted to boosting copies of my favorite authors’ works off the shelves of the book section of the local Federal’s department store. My friends and I soon had a collection of great sci-fi at discounted prices to read and read again. But I’m not wholly without conscience about those shifty activities as a scrawny youth. I’ll shake my head from side to side and mumble “Crap, that was stupid” once ever decade or so. But that’s about it.
I consider myself a sci-fi film Nazi. I’m sure I’ve seen every sci-fi movie ever made – certainly the vast majority of them. I can’t pass up even the worst of it. All those god-awful, black and white B flicks of the 40’s onward, with their outrageous and ham-handed themes of science vs. ignorance and good vs. evil, wrapped in whatever pseudo-scientific covering was popular that year, transfixed me, entertained me, and like the works pinched then stashed in my friend’s basement, made me think. When pivotal films like “Alien” and John Carpenter’s “The Thing” elevated sci-fi film up out of the gutter with all those glorious and expensive production values, I was im himmel.
I attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Like so many of my peers at the time, I left Wayne State with an utterly useless BA with a major in psychology. I’ve cleaned tractor cranes for money and worked as a steel mill laborer when the last one of those plants in Michigan still existed. I’ve worked as a night janitor. I moved to southern California when I was 30 years old and sold cars for a while. Shortly thereafter I worked for what used to be called the Hughes Aircraft Company as an in-house photographer. For the last 10 years of my work-a-day life I worked as a senior project manager for Computer Sciences Corporation. I now live in Oregon where I started and recently sold a fitness gym. I relate this choppy history to drive home my favorite maxim relating to life and the living of it: you never know where in the fuck you’ll end up. You’ll find my books laced through with that persistent theme. I hope you find the journey of reading them, should you attempt it, if not straight and linear, at least interesting.




Book Genre
Science Fiction / Sci-Fi Horror
Publisher
David Coy
Publication Date
Digital editions – June 2012

Purchase At Amazon:

Book Description:
Imagine an alien science where tissue, bone, nerves, and muscle are used like we use iron, wood, rubber and wire. Now imagine yourself held captive with hundreds of others by beings who wield this grisly technology as easily as we do hammer and saw; beings whose lineage can be traced through the morally hollow, parasitic branches of nature's evolutionary tree. What would you do to survive? Would you re-draw the boundaries of your own morality to stay alive? What would you compromise? How might you escape? This is the context of NaturalSelection, the first of three volumes of the Dominant Species series of books. What distinguishes Dominant Species from other stories in its genre is its visceral imagery and more importantly, its rich subtext. The story can appeal to those fascinated and drawn to horror and strong drama, and at the same time will fascinate those who can tune into its broader message about our relationship to the natural world. Taken as a whole, the series is a puzzle linked together with genetic threads that unravel like a double helix. Viewers intrigued by mystery and dramatic puzzles will find a fascinating playground for guesswork, thought and discussion.


The first volume sets the stage for the ongoing conflict between Homo sapiens and a visiting alien race. Like all successful serial drama, the story poses many questions to be answered, each one carefully laced into a central theme about human survival, the action driven by antagonists both alien and human.
The story is character driven, each character fully developed and rich, providing the colorful characterization required by serial drama. Central to the first volume is teacher Phil Lynch.


The story starts as a peaceful visit to his weekend getaway in the Sierra foothills. Hours later he finds himself living an unthinkable nightmare. Paralyzed and taken prisoner, his body is used as an unwilling host in a bizarre and grisly series of parasitic infections. On board the alien vessel within which he is imprisoned are more than a hundred other humans – and like Phil – just as confused and terrified – their bodies subject to unfathomable violence for a dark and malevolent purpose. As the terrible truth about the alien visitation unfolds, a small group of captives must first understand – and then fight for escape from the terror that holds them captive. That struggle will stretch razor-thin the limits of the human will to survive.


There is strong language in the story because humans under stress often use such language. There are no puppy love or adolescent motifs of intimacy in the story. Instead there are very many mature, psychosexual themes that run through all three books. Some are represented symbolically, others described explicitly. There is violence. The story is not PG-13.



The story is a human drama that will be appreciated by most adult demographics. It is strong, unflinching theater played through characters who repulse us, fascinate us, and often, appeal to our better natures; ones who continually remind us of our human strengths—and weaknesses.

Excerpt

Mary listened to the droning sound that came to her through the wet air and thought of her mother’s soft humming. She wanted her mother to be there now, to hold her and hum softly to her, to soothe her. She drifted toward her mother’s round arms and warm smile on the ghostly crest of that ugly sound.
Then the dread came. It crashed over her like a cold, brown wave and the memories of her mother’s soft touch were washed away. She was in the big chamber. The big chamber was where the droning sound was. The droning was the collective sound from others just like her, others not asleep yet not awake; others unable to move their limbs.
She could turn and lift her head and see and hear and smell. She could not talk, but she could make a deep sound, a groan, if she tried. When the pain came, the groan would be its outlet. The groan would be the dull steam her violated body would vent in its outrage.
She prayed for a miracle. She prayed that when she opened her eyes she would see big, blue sky and bright light. She pressed her eyes closed and prayed hard but when she looked, only the chamber’s ceiling filled her vision. Its black, bubbly surface gave substance to the dread and when the cutting began, the ceiling’s gloom would stamp its dark print on her soul once more.
Mary turned her head slowly and saw the naked body of a young woman. Then she breathed the warm scent of perfume. The woman was new and a splash of luscious scent had been captured with her. The woman looked at Mary, her face slack with paralysis. Mary could not speak, but if she could have spo#ken the result would have been the same. There was nothing to say to this newcomer, no consolation to be offered. There was no comfort where none could exist.
Then her surgeon witch was there, its long head hovering, twisting and looking. Its thin, quick hands moved like rats over her body, feeling here and there with spiderlike squeezes. For the moment, her body was numb to the creature’s touch and she was thankful for it.
There was a motion under her skin, in her neck, deep in the muscles. It was a roiling little pressure she’d grown to know quite well. A grub was moving, and from the feel of it she thought it was moving upwards. As the larvae fed on her tissues, it caused a single sharp note of pain that grew in volume second by unmerciful second. She heard the high-pitched hiss of the witch’s cutter and was relieved that the cutting was starting.
Mary began her retreat from the sound and the growing bite of the cutter and of the pain of the worm and joined her voice with the others.





Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Sapphire by Bryan Alaspa - Promotional Tour & Giveaway



Bryan W. Alaspa is a freelance writer and professional author of both fiction and non-fiction. Having lived in Chicago almost his entire life, he spent a few years living in St. Louis. Bryan's writing first began when he sat down and wrote a three -page story on his mom’s electric typewriter in the third grade. It’s been all up-hill since then!
With over 20 books in both fiction and non-fiction genres available, you can find most of them at Amazon.com with few books just for your Kindle and iPad users. Be sure to check them out.
A blogger for some time, you can learn about upcoming books as well as various author events Bryan is involved in.




Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: SalGad Publishing
Release date: June 2, 2013

Book Description:

Jimmy Parker is a typical high school student. Unpopular with the girls and picked on by the boys, he’s just trying to survive long enough to escape the tiny Pennsylvanian town of Knorr. With Jimmy and his friend, George, heading to the school dance, they expect nothing but the usual ritual humiliation from their peers. But when a girl in a brilliant blue dress enters their lives at the side of a lonely old bridge…everything changes.

Her name is Sapphire, and she is the most alluring girl that Jimmy has ever met. Yet, there is something strange about her; something different. Why has he never seen her at school? Why does she only want to meet up near the bridge? And why does everybody keep warning Jimmy to stay away from her?

Before long, Jimmy is plunged into a decades-old mystery. The town of Knorr has many secrets; some held by powerful men. Men that would do anything to keep them from getting out. Something dark happened one night in Knorr, and now Jimmy is a part of it whether he likes it or not.

And Sapphire holds the key to understanding it all.

Jimmy discovers that his bond with the mysterious girl creates a unique power between them. A power that bridges time, space, and even dimensions. It is the one thing that could save them both.

Because sometimes the most powerful force on Earth is love.


Praise for Sapphire:


A superb, well written story with a 50 year timeline. Initially a ghost story that turns into a mystery that becomes adventure and investigation turns again into a whodunit.” ~Robert Drake, Amazon Reviewer

I was drawn to this book for the cover and it had been recommended to me by friend who knows my love of Western PA. I thought this book really captured the rural feel of a teenager's life and just as I was feeling a little complacent about it, Jimmy and George meet up with Sapphire on the river bank and the story really takes off.” ~Mary H., Amazon Reviewer

A story of mystery and murder. A chilling, ghostly tale. An account of the pains and joys of youth, a romance, a love story like no other.” ~Daniel Cheely, Amazon Reviewer




Excerpt



Jimmy stood in front of the full-length mirror and did not like what he saw. The sleeves were too short. The white cuffs of his shirt stuck out from the sleeves of his jacket. Any dork could see that. Unfortunately, most of the student body at Knorr High School already thought of him as a dork. The last thing he wanted was feeling that way during his senior prom. However, here he was, looking at an image that could only be described as “dork.”
No one will notice,” said his mother from behind him. She was hovering over his shoulder like a specter. She was smiling and proud. “You can take it off once you get there, and no one will even be paying any attention. Everyone will be too busy having a good time to care what you’re wearing.”
Jimmy sighed and tugged uselessly at the jacket’s sleeve. “Mom, you just have no clue.”
She came forward and hugged him. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Jimmy felt even more like a geek.
I’m not supposed to,” she said. “Mothers are not supposed to have a clue.”
Why couldn’t I have rented one?” Jimmy asked for the nine-hundredth time that afternoon.
You know why,” she said, turning her back and fussing with something out of his sightline. “We can’t afford it. Your uncle had this perfectly serviceable tuxedo and it’s a shame not to use it.”
She reappeared beside him in the mirror, her hand on her hip. Her mouth was a tight line. Jimmy knew that poking at the nerve that they were not a family of means was a low blow. He had seen that look before. This was the same look she had given him as a kid when he wanted a toy that was just too expensive. It was the same look she had given him when he begged her for a cell phone. And he saw the exact same look from her whenever he talked about needing a car.
I spent a lot of time getting the shirt and pants to fit you,” she said. “I did the best I could with the jacket. If you want, you can spend the night at home with me instead of going at all. So, either deal with this situation the best you can or don’t go. I really don’t care.”
She cared. Jimmy knew she cared. She and his father had worked their fingers to the bone to provide for Jimmy. The family had never gone hungry. They had never been without clothes. They may have shopped for their new school wardrobe at Goodwill, but they had clothes. They may have eaten more macaroni and cheese than others, but they were never hungry. Their car may have been rusted through and coughed out oily blue smoke, but they always got where they needed to go. The house may have been run down and it may have been in the part of town most of the other kids avoided, but they always had a roof over their heads. Then his father had died, suddenly, a few years ago. The pain was always there, behind Jimmy’s eyes, lurking around every corner. His dad had done what he could to make sure his family was cared for, but it had not been easy. His mother worked very hard.
Jimmy smiled his crooked smile. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I appreciate it, Mom. Come on, it wouldn’t be a weekend if I didn’t complain about something.”
His mother’s face softened and then her smile returned. Jimmy managed to turn away, searching for the bow tie, before she could plant another kiss on him. He was only willing to be gracious up to a certain point. He found the tie and fiddled with it for a moment. When he turned back toward the mirror his mother was fiddling with something behind him again. He affixed the tie and straightened it. He took another look. His image still said “dork,” but he had lived with that image for a long time.
Before too long he would be elsewhere, and all of the things he had gone through in high school would be over. He could live with looking like a dork for another night. Besides, he was going with his best friend George, anyway, so things couldn’t get too bad.
When is George getting here?” his mother asked.
About five more minutes,” Jimmy said.
I wish you two had managed to find some nice girls to ask,” his mother said.
Mom, there isn’t a girl in Knorr High School that would be caught dead attending the senior prom with Jimmy Parker or George Howell,” he said as he adjusted his tie one more time. It immediately went crooked again, and he decided that the tie really didn’t matter.
I’m sure that’s not true,” his mother said.
Jimmy turned to face her. “Mom, trust me on this one. George and I are not the most popular kids in school. In fact, we are far from it.”
She reached out and pinched his cheeks. This was the one thing worse than the kiss on the cheek. One thing was certain: his mother had some kind of cheek fetish.
But you’re such a smart, nice kid,” she said.
Jimmy snorted. “Mom, even in your day the smart and nice kids were not the popular ones in school, were they?”
She put her hands on his shoulders. “I found your father in high school. He was smart and nice.”
He also played football,” Jimmy said.
He was the kicker,” she said. “You know, back in the old days when dinosaurs walked the Earth, and your father and I were young.”
Kickers still wear uniforms,” Jimmy said. He paused to make sure his hair looked OK one more time. The cowlick towards the back of his head was still there despite the industrial strength hair gel he had put in there.
Just then, the phone rang. Jimmy’s mother vanished into the kitchen and Jimmy turned back to the mirror and adjusted his tie for the millionth time. He also tried to plaster his hair down, but to no avail. He sighed. He was always going to look this way, right?
Jimmy,” his mother said, returning to the bedroom. “It’s Jesse.”
Jimmy smiled. Jesse was the town’s librarian. The library was small, but filled with wonder, as far as Jimmy was concerned. It overlooked a river and was surrounded by touristy attractions, but inside it was all books and musty smells. Jimmy had buried himself there when his father died and Jesse had taken a kind of liking to him. It may have been a stretch to say that Jesse was a father figure, but their relationship was pretty close. Jimmy ran to the phone.
Hey, Jimmy! Are you looking sharp in your suit?” Jesse asked.
Jimmy laughed. “Jesse, I would not look sharp wearing a suit full of razor blades.”
Come on, you know that isn’t true,” Jesse said. “I’m sure you and George will have a good time. Maybe try to get up the nerve to ask a girl to dance.”
I wouldn’t put money on that,” Jimmy said. “I’m betting most of the girls there arrive with dates.”
You just never know,” Jesse said. “I had a pretty amazing time the night of the big dance when I was your age. And I ended up going with a beautiful girl, to boot. You need to be a bit more positive.”
A honk came from outside. This was followed shortly by a sound that was only slightly quieter than a Howitzer shell going off in the living room. George had arrived with his car. The engine settled into a low rattle as the car set about trying to shake itself to pieces again.
Yo, Jimmy!” came the bellow from the car. That could only have been George leaning out the driver’s side window. George was not known for being subtle.
That sounds like George,” Jesse said.
Yeah, that’s him,” Jimmy said.
There was a pause. It seemed like there was more to say, but anything else would have crossed some line between them and that line was still held by Jimmy’s father, even though he was gone.
You be careful tonight, Jimmy,” Jesse said. “Come by the library when you can and tell me all about it or give me a call tomorrow.”
I will,” Jimmy said, and paused, then added. “Thanks for calling.”
You bet,” Jesse said.
Then he was gone, and Jimmy ran back to the bedroom. His mother was there with her hands to her throat in an unconscious anxious gesture she often did, looking as if maybe she had been crying. His mom appreciated how Jesse looked after him, but the pain of losing his father was still there. Jimmy smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Another honk came from outside, so Jimmy had to move.
Jimmy tried to move past his mother, but she grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him back and looking him full in the face again. She smiled, and, much to Jimmy’s consternation, he saw tears swimming in her eyes. She was about to give him some sort of speech about how proud she was of him. It would be similar to one she had given him when he had first gotten the scholarship to attend Clark University.
Be careful,” she said instead, her voice quavering. “And have fun.”
Jimmy smiled. This time, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He left quickly just because he did not want to see her cry. He ran down the hall and through the living room.
Jimmy bolted through the door and heard it bang shut behind him. George was hanging out the window of his car, his tuxedo jacket already tossed in the backseat. He had a huge grin on his face, his hair already wild and windblown from driving with the window down.
Come on, the party awaits!” he yelled in the rather odd way of speaking that George had and that so marked him as an outsider, and leaned back into the car, reaching over the passenger’s seat to unlock the door.
What’s it waiting for?” Jimmy asked as he opened the large, rusty door with a loud screeching sound.
Us, my man,” George said as Jimmy planted his ass on the passenger seat and slammed the door. “It is waiting for us.”
Jimmy laughed. “You do live in an amazing fantasy world.”
George leaned around the passenger seat to peer out the back window as he shifted into reverse. “You should move into my world, my friend,” he said. “Plenty of room, and the fun never stops.”
Jimmy laughed again. He thought that maybe it would be a night to remember, after all. Once Jimmy was situated in the passenger seat, as often happened when he was with George, Jimmy’s own form of speech slipped into the oddly formal way that George spoke.
Then lead on, sir,” he said. “Lead on!”











Sunday, August 25, 2013

It's A Book Bash! 31 Days To Millionaire Marketing Miracles by Tracy Repchuk + Giveaway



Genre: Self-Help, Business
Publisher: Wiley Publishing
Release Date: August 19, 2013

Book Description:

A marketing blueprint for attracting more leads, getting more clients and making more sales

31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles is a breakthrough blueprint outlining the proven steps for successfully attracting more leads, getting more clients, and making more sales. Author Tracy Repchuk shows entrepreneurs, business owners, and opportunity-seekers what to do, when to do it, and the order in which it needs to be done to build an online marketing presence that is stable, predictable, and expandable. Whether you want to dominate your market globally or locally, this thirty-one-day guide allows you to take your product, service, or message, and turn it into a moneymaking machine.

  • Best Selling Author Tracy Repchuk is recognized as the Top Woman Speaker in the World for Internet Marketing and an entrepreneur in the IT and internet industry since 1985
  • Serves as a reference guide to newbies and entrepreneurs wanting to turn their passion into profits and accelerate business results
31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles guides you along a proven path to profits and shows you an Internet marketing formula that will attract more leads, get more clients, and make more sales.


Excerpts:

"There are hundreds of blog services and some reside within specific niche areas, which may be better suited to your product. Simply go to Yahoo! or Google, and type “your niche” blogs and you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.
When branding your identity, blogs can be a big part of the success for a full-scope campaign. As you may know when you are putting together a campaign for a product launch or company launch, there are a number of pieces for which you should start to lay the foundation. These originate from the four types of websites and their purpose."


Praise for 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles:

"A step by step process that does not leave me scratching my head!" ~Wayne R. Hagerty, Amazon Reviewer

"This book has been a HUGE help in getting my business started and expanding it! Tracy is very up front and in your face. It is very refreshing and relieving especially after trying a TON of different programs and having nothing work." ~ Desiree P., Amazon Reviewer

"This is not just another internet marketing book! Tracy Repchuk's 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles is about how to create an online presence that is sustainable and built on practical business principles so you can dominate the internet, get your message out there, and attract the customers you need. Excellent!" ~ Sharon McRill, Amazon Reviewer

About The Author:


Tracy Repchuk is an internet marketing and social media strategist and speaker. She is a best selling author, and has been an entrepreneur since 1985 and has helped thousands of clients get their message out around the world. Tracy is an internationally acclaimed speaker and motivator in over 35 countries. She keeps audiences engaged with her ability to break down complex concepts and turn them into formula based success.

Tracy started her first software business at the age of 19 which still supports Fortune 100 companies. She has been nominated for awards such as Entrepreneur of the Year, Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year, Coach of the Year and Stevie Awards for Business Mentor of the Year, received Provincial Volunteer and software development awards and has appeared in the International Who's Who in 7 categories.

She graduated in Business Computer Systems, and went on to receive a Certified Management Accountants designation. In 2007 Tracy won "New Internet Marketing Success of the Year" from the World Internet Summit and catapulted into success with her best selling book, speaking engagements, and extensive internet experience in web development, software integration and marketing since 1996.
Tracy specializes in online marketing campaigns that build a cohesive corporate or personal brand using an integrated web strategy that helps you attract more leads, get more clients and make more money. Her solutions are done with marketing and results in mind. In addition she has appeared on TV: ABC7, NBC, King5, 7 For Your Money, 4 On Your Side, WBZ, Report on Business Television, CTV news, USA Today, Radio, magazine, newspaper and her work has appeared in over 50 publications including 2 motivational movies.

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