A difficult choice facing us every day: Sweatpants or Stilettos?

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Many months of this year were what I call the sweatpants days. Don’t even try to tell me you don’t understand what I mean by that statement. But just so we’re all on the same page, sweatpants days are those days that all you want to do is stay in bed with your sweatpants on and have Netflix at your beck and call to create your own marathon event. They are the days in which the sun should not shine, the world should not move on, and no one should smile, laugh or be happy.
Thankfully, I have learned this year that sweatpants days don’t last forever. I have seen them go from sweatpants to jean days to leather pant days and then on to stiletto days. Those days where you feel the absolute best and are 100% yourself, doing what you were created to do, with people you love to be around, and everything is falling into place. Blessings from heaven abound. Yeah. Those days. They are the stiletto days. They are the take-on-the-world-tell-them-whose-boss-no-one-can-stop-you kind of days. And they are awesome. I love those days.
Educator, DIY junkie, and Believer, Rachel candidly reveals some of her darkest days and brightest moments. In Sweatpants and Stilettos, she speaks to the truths of Christ that have been put on display through life’s variety of circumstances. She gives light to real and honest conversations we have with ourselves while battling life’s trials, all while still managing to be both brutal and comical.

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(Not a review - Book cover and blurb posted as part of an advertising package - review to follow)

An Epic Adventure!!! A Humble Heart by Tim Vander Meulen

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Book Description

An epic fantasy of war and adventure! Set in the world the Elves call Iělŗenväd, where peace has been upheld between the Elves, Dwarves, and men for a century, the human country of Gemdals is conquered by those that possess the Mark of Evil. Receiving this news from two young boys who escaped the battle, the leader of the Elves must decide, per their request, to take the long journey to the West and recapture the lands of men. 

As far as anyone knows, the two young refugees are the only remnants of the 

human race in the world. As they decide to comply with the boy's request and seek out the allied races to join with their cause, the characters find that the war is not only something external, but is within their own selves. They are not out to fight another race entirely, but they fight the Possessors - Elves and Dwarves and men who have chosen to abandon their old ways and join a cause that opposes the survival of their former kindred. 

It takes great courage to survive the growing night, and morality has no place in the grand shift of the world. "

A Humble Heart" is a term applied to Delenas Farlong, the leader of the Elves, who throughout the tale faces tremendous adversity and who shows great valor and humility as he leads his people on their dangerous journey.

From the Back Cover

Sightings of Northerners...

An attack on the Elven tournament...

The appearance of a band of Dwarves and two human boys who possess three magic stones...

Could it mean war?

For a hundred years there was peace in Elveran. Now the Elves learn that the kingdom of men has been invaded. The two young refugees, Henty and Clese, ask that the Elves and Dwarves go to recapture their homeland, and so the choice is laid before Delenas, leader of Elveran. But it is not an easy decision, for it would mean marching an army across half the world, facing unspeakable dangers, and joining forces with people who would not easily agree to the venture.

Can the boys succeed in their mission? Will the Elves and Dwarves agree to their request? Will they all be strong enough to resist not only the enemy but their own inner conflicts, both of which seek to destroy them?

"Whether we go to our deaths, or to end all darkness, now is the time of testing."

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May Jabberwocks, JubJub Birds, and Bandersnatches dominate your dreams.......

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"Jabberwocky: A Novella"  by Theodore Singer

Inspired by the Lewis Carroll poem, this is the story of a quest by young Astreus to find and slay the monster known as the Jabberwock.  It is the simple tale of a journey undertaken by a lone hero through strange places: an island inhabited by immortal aristocrats who play games with love; a city ruled by chess-playing cats; a land where evil has triumphed; a mysterious bridge across the ocean that saps your will to live with strange dreams; the edge of the world; and finally, the house of the Jabberwock itself, where Astreus must discover the true nature of his quest.

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Cutting the Soul: A journey into the mental illness of a teenager through the eyes of his mother

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Theresa Larsen’s son, Matthew, comes to her with a cut on his hand, explaining it away as an accident with a pocket knife. But as she cleans and treats the wound, she discovers dozens of slashes covering both of his arms. Thus begins Larsen's compelling personal memoir about what it's like to be the parent of a mentally ill teenager.

Cutting the Soul offers a firsthand look at mental illness, both financially and emotionally. Matthew, fourteen years old when he starts cutting, goes on to face other hardships, including suicide attempts, severe depression, and multiple stays in psychiatric hospitals.

Readers get an inside look at Matthew's life through the inclusion of his selected journal entries, and Larsen shares her own struggles with personal demons as she tries to help her son. It's a first-person account and an educational guide worth reading for any parent who’s coping with the mental illness of a child.

Check out this 5 star review by a customer!

Will and love for her child to do what was necessary---even when ...

by Thomas Phillips on January 13, 2015

This is an extremely important book for anyone who cares for someone suffering from mental illness. If you haven't been touched by this disease, you will be touched by one mother's determination, will and love for her child to do what was necessary---even when necessary was heartbreaking. Cutting the soul is an honest,open and emotionally jarring read with the power to offer hope and resources to those who need it and don't know where to turn.

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(This is not a review - this is the cover and book description from Amazon and is part of an advertising package purchased by the author).

Invictus Part 1 - Introducing Richard - Fast Paced Adventure!

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Richard Cummings lives the life of a successful banker — except he isn’t. He and his family enjoy the trappings of a middleclass existence: a delightful four-bedroomed house on the outskirts of Gloucester, England, the benefits of his success — except they aren’t.

The facade that is his public life masks the secrets of another clandestine existence, a duty.
 
Events conspire to force Richard’s surreptitious reality to the surface, with deadly consequences. The shocking discovery that her husband is not who or what she had always believed him to be plunges Julia into the unknown, a world of terror, of politicians, of Somali pirates, of death, torture, and ultimately, of revenge. 

Like a spike driven into the icy cover of a frozen pond, her world is fractured, shattered, and weakened; as a wife, as a mother, as a human being, she has to find a way to do what is best for her family, no matter what the cost.
 
As the layers of deceit and treachery are peeled back, so the need for revenge is intensified, all Richard has to do is survive long enough.
 
How can Richard Cummings not be Richard Cummings – Banker?

Another Pixel Hall Author! "Traveling Left of Center" by Nancy Christie

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“Girl,” my mama had said to me the minute she entered my hospital room, “on the highway of life, you’re always traveling left of center.” (from “Traveling Left of Center”)

What happens when people face life situations for which they are emotionally or mentally unprepared? They may choose to allow fate to dictate the path they take—a decision that can lead to disastrous results.

The characters in the 18 stories in “Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories” are unable or unwilling to seize control over their lives, relying instead on coping methods that range from the passive (“The Healer”) and the aggressive (“The Clock”) to the humorous (“Traveling Left of Center”) and hopeful (“Skating on Thin Ice”). But the outcomes may not be what they anticipated or desired. Will they have time to correct their course or will they crash?

The website link for the book is www.pixelhallpress.com/TLOC.html. A “Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories” study guide for book clubs, classrooms and other discussion groups is available as a free download at www.pixelhallpress.com/_assets/TLOC%20Study%20Guide.pdf. 

(Not a review - cover and book description only from my friends at Pixel Hall Press!) 

Book Excerpt Here!!!

More Inspiration From Ray White! Read "Alexia's Legacy"

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On June 15^th, 2014, Father’s Day, the unthinkable happened - that moment in your life that you can never imagine, except in your worst nightmares. Alexia Ardeleanu, a beautiful young lady with unlimited potential was suddenly and tragically taken from us by a drunk driver. The drunk driver who killed her was driving 82 miles an hour when she plowed into Alexia’s car and others that were stopped at a stoplight in Houston, Texas.

We spent a lot of time crying and still want to cry every time we think about it. But we have chosen instead to honor her memory. We want to share the lessons she taught us and we feel she would have taught others, if she had been given the time. Alexia was special in what she accomplished and in how she lived her life.

She had a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average in a double major of Accounting and Finance at the University of North Texas. She had taken her GMAT and was working on her LSAT so she could get double graduate degrees in Law and an MBA. She was successful in her job and was a campus leader. She was a Resident Assistant, had won multiple scholarships, and was President of the University of North Texas Professional Leadership Program. 

But most importantly she was a wonderful friend, daughter, and servant leader. She was special because of her daily focus on the important things in her life and how she unconditionally gave to others.

We want to emphasize that she was not perfect and that was what made her special. The leadership lessons we learned from Alexia are techniques anyone can learn and apply. She was not successful because of natural gifts; she was successful because she made choices every day that led her to be successful and a true servant leader. 

Our goal in this book is to share her real life examples and choices so you can learn how to make these lessons work for you. We hope that you can see the obstacles and challenges all successful people face and can learn how to persevere and live a life of happiness, success, and servant leadership.

 

Note from co-author Ray White:

 

I was lucky enough to be a mentor for Alexia; and as in most of my Mentor/Mentee relationships, I definitely learned as much from her as she did from me. In this book you will see a lot of emails addressed to me from Alexia. Our relationship included daily updates about how she was doing and whether she was on track for reaching the goals in her life and more importantly being happy and successful. We focused a lot on making sure she made taking care of herself a priority and took time for the actions necessary to keep her healthy and happy so she would have the energy be a successful servant leader for others. These emails are a great way to capture what she was thinking and what was really going on in her life. They give us the opportunity to not only see the important characteristics of a good leader but also to observe the concerns, challenges and imperfections as well.

 

We have structured this book to show real life examples from Alexia or people she interacted with, a summary of the lesson, and then an opportunity to help you reflect and improve on your related leadership skills.

We hope you enjoy the book and learn the reality about how you can be a servant leader who is both successful and happy.

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New Book! The Sword of Agrippa by Gregory Lloyd!!! Science, shamanism, past and future collide in the search for dark energy.

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The oligarchs control science and religion. Roy Swenson, a scientist banned from the US is in Prague on a quest to discover dark energy, a form of energy which could transform the world and lead to a new tech revolution. Not everyone is happy with his prospects.

Mainstream science and religion view him as a threat. Dark energy could change humanity's view of everything and disrupt a lucrative status quo for the world's leaders and their backers.
 
Unconventional Science
 
Roy chases his dark energy dream with everything from graphene-coated sensors to experiments with pineal glands and DMT. His team of PhDs includes experts across an assortment of fields, from shamanism to advanced sensor technologies.
 
At night Roy's dreams take him through secret rooms in the Great Library of Alexandria as a young Roman soldier, Marcus Agrippa. Agrippa falls in love with an Egyptian slave priestess. In the secret chambers of the Great Library she guides him through racks of now lost scrolls.
 
Empire of Blood

Along the way Agrippa is forced into making painful, personal sacrifices for the glory of Rome. He eventually builds the Pantheon, not as a tribute to war, but as a quiet dedication to the priestess who introduced him to love and enlightenment.

Both heroes fight to the end, each in their own way. Their dreams power them through devastating events and sacrifices as they seek the betterment of humanity.                                  

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(Not a review - Book Cover and Description as part of a paid ad - come back often to see the review and author interview!)

Manipulating media? That doesn't really happen, does it? (Really)?

The most unusual, insightful, readable business book of the year.

The Manipulator, by Steve Lundin, is a satirical techno noir business thriller about marketing, madness and the fast paced edge of our communications-rich society. It's a prophetic look at communications just a few years over the horizon, when master media manipulators will insidiously shape almost every aspect of culture and ultimately society. This unique insider perspective on marketing and the media is wrapped around a fast moving, witty and action packed story that will keep you turning pages while you should be working!

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If you are resting on your laurels - you are a prime target for being passed by!

By Doug Lescoe    Amazon Link

After producing superb software, most companies fail to give adequate attention to making a User Interface (UI) of equal quality for their products, leaving the end-users to play annoying guessing games. Thus, a competitor with a similar product but with a higher quality UI can quickly decimate its rivals before they can react.

When Google was incorporated in September 1998, it was operating from a two-car garage; four months later, PC Magazine named Google as the best search engine. In the US, Google is used about 67 percent of the time for on-line searches.

Within two months after its release, Apple sold 125,000 iPods, in less than two years one million, and by Christmas season 2005 a million units a week. The iPod seized 65 percent of the market and became the generic name for a MP3 player. Among the most important reasons for Google’s and Apple’s impressive surge to the status of market leaders was their better quality UI.

Good to GREAT by Jim Collins contains case studies about good companies that became great. He said those companies that achieved the “great” status put the right people “on the bus and in the right seats.” By following his advice, other companies can possibly reach the status of “great.” A company in each market could create high quality UI and capture most of that market. Will it be yours or someone else’s?

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Here is something to smile about!

Don't wait until you reach success to become happier!  

Most of us are relatively happy, but we are also aware of a deep sense that we could be happier.  

We believe happiness will come when we reach certain goals in our lives like getting married, buying a new home, getting a raise, a promotion, or a new job.   So we forego a little happiness today and this week so we can reach those goals sooner.  

Our challenge is the days and weeks turn into months and years.  

The goals we thought would make us happy turn out to be just milestones on a long journey, and our happiness does not materialize like we had hoped. Happiness in the form of a deep sense of contentment, satisfaction, and fulfillment seems to be missing. 

This book will help by providing a clear plan on how to choose happiness and then leverage that happiness to become even more successful.

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Web Site:  http://connectinghappinessandsuccess.com/

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