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AMBITION by Steven Travers AMBITION by Steven Travers May 16, 2011 Free! 707251 words Read a sample
Author bio:
Steven Travers has always been entrepreneurial. “I was turned down by my high school newspaper because they didn’t allow freshmen,” says the sixth-generation Californian, “so I started my own!” Aside from journalism, Travers was a star pitcher, playing three years of varsity baseball for the same suburban California high school that USC football coach Pete Carroll graduated from years earlier. Travers helped lead his team to the mythical national championship of high school baseball, according to polls conducted by Collegiate Baseball magazine and the Easton Bat Company. Travers attended college on a baseball scholarship, where he was an all-conference pitcher, and played collegiate summer ball in Colorado, Nevada and Canada. The 6-6, 225-pound Travers played professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals' organization, where he was a teammate of Danny Cox. Travers once struck out 1989 National League Most Valuable Player Kevin Mitchell three times in one game (he K’d 14 that night). In the Oakland Athletics' system, he played alongside Jose Canseco. “Punching out K-Mitchell was great,” he recalls, “but the highlight of my career may have been when I was with the A’s against the Giants in a Major League exhibition game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. I struck out the side and went nine-up, nine-down in three innings. Bill King and Lon Simmons announced it on the radio.” Steve later coached at USC, Cal-Berkeley and was recruited to manage a team in Berlin, Germany. After pro baseball, Travers returned to college. He studied in the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. At USC, he was a classmate of Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson. After graduation, he traveled extensively to New York City, Washington, D.C. and to Europe: London and Paris. “I almost went to work for Dean Witter in the World Trade Center,” he recalled. “After 9/11 I really started to think about ‘what might have been.’ ” Travers also went to Western State University College of Law, the Hollywood Film Institute, and was part of the UCLA Writers' Program. He served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War, and was a political consultant, speechwriter and campaign manager for a California Congressional candidate. Travers was also a sports agent, co-founding San Francisco Sports Management, Inc. The agency represented Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder Al Martin. Another client, ex-Angels' playboy pitcher Bo Belinsky, was at that time being approached by Hollywood producers about a movie depicting his tempestuous life. Travers wrote the screenplay. That script, Once He Was An Angel, was a quarterfinalist in the Quantum Leap screenwriting contest before getting optioned by a Hollywood producing group that included Frank Capra Jr. and Frank Capra III (son and grandson of the famed It's A Wonderful Life director). Thus began Travers' embarkation into a full-time professional writing career in 1994. “I’ve punched a lot of tickets,” Travers says of his background, “and I bring real-world experience to my writing.” A veteran of Hollywood, Steve has written 15 screenplays, teleplays and stageplays. His credits include The Lost Battalion (the true story of a World War I unit during the Argonne Offensive, the subject of a film starring Rick Schroder), Wicked and Baja California. His additional writing awards are for Bandit, an America’s Best quarterfinalist, and Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, a Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction quarterfinalist. He appeared in the film The Californians, starring Noah Wylie and Illeana Douglas. Travers worked closely with legendary Hollywood producer Edgar Scherick, the original producer of The Lost Battalion. Scherick started ABC’s Baseball Game of the Week and Monday Night Football with Roone Arledge. Travers also wrote for the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, and was a sports stringer on San Diego’s XTRA 690 AM radio station. Steve has freelanced for magazines, newspapers and web sites. He produced Steven Travers’ Journal on the Internet. Eventually, Travers became the number one columnist at StreetZebra, an L.A. sports magazine where he covered the USC beat and wrote a monthly "Distant Replay" of great events in the Southland's rich sports history. “I have encyclopedic knowledge of history,” Steve says. “I am truly versatile as a writer, able to use my knowledge of the past to understand the present. I have also survived as a freelancer; written extensively for the Internet and the so-called New Media; and have up-close knowledge of the ‘dot-bomb’ era that was the 1990s.” In 2001, Travers was hired as the lead sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. While writing for the Examiner, Travers was an eyewitness to Barry Bonds' historic 73-home run season of 2001. He got Bonds to agree to authorize the writing of his autobiography, but a business deal with the publishers was not worked out. Eventually, by 2002 Travers wrote the Best Seller Barry Bonds: Baseball’s Superman from Sports Publishing L.L.C. (www.sportspublishingllc.com). Actor Charlie Sheen wrote the foreword. It has gone through multiple re-prints, is now in paperback, and was nominated for a Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. A sequel, covering Bonds' alleged steroid use, additional MVP awards, and chase of Hank Aaron's career home run record, is in the works. In 2004, Travers wrote a proposal for the book that eventually became Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, who landed the deal he did not. An avid reader, Travers poured through books, at least one a month; classics, biographies, history, sports, novels, philosophy. He was also a Christian, but had never read The Holy Bible. "Sometime around March or April of 2004, I decided to read The Bible," he says. "Two pages a day. I started out with the New Testament. After a while I began to read out loud, which made a difference. Then the Old Testament. It took a little less than a year to read the entire book. As soon as I read it through, I started again. Two pages per day, out loud. At this point I have read it twice through. I am beginning to understand it. I am not an expert on it, but the Holy Spirit has come to me and inspires me each day that I read God’s Word. I will read that book until the day I die, God willing and I am able, until some day I will have read it so many times I will be an expert. . .” In 2006, Taylor Trade, a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (www.RLPGTrade.com), published his book The USC Trojans: College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty, which argues that the University of Southern California has replaced Notre Dame as collegiate football's greatest tradition. USC legend Charles "Tree" Young graciously wrote the foreword, and the book ascended to Amazon.com “top seller” and National Book Network “top 100 seller” status. It was re-released in paperback in 2010. Taylor Trade released One Night, Two Teams: Alabama vs. USC and the Game That Changed A Nation in 2007 (foreword by Forrest Gump author Winston Groom). It was re-released in paperback in 2010. This is the true story of how the 1970 USC-Alabama football game ushered in desegregation of the American South. A film is in development. USC graduate Kerry McCluggage, a top Hollywood producer (Craftsman Films); former president of Universal and Paramount TV divisions; founder of UPN; with credits that include Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Miami Vice, has optioned it with plans for a major theatrical release. The co-producer is Barry Kemp (Coach, Patch Adams, Catch Me If You Can). Potential directors include Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Delores Claiborne, The Devil’s Advocate) and Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves), with Costner possibly starring as John McKay, Tommy Lee Jones as Bear Bryant. Travers is a member of a “producer team” that includes Trojan football legend Anthony Davis and USC graduate Jim Starr. The deal was masterfully put together by Lloyd Robinson (USC ’64) of Suite A Management in Beverly Hills; Steve’s former literary agent, Craig Wiley; and Rowman & Littlefield president Rick Rinehart. Davis is on board to promote the project along with other former Trojans. When the film is released, Travers, Davis and Starr will be executive producers. In the past, Steve was repped by Peter Miller of PMA Literary & Film Agency in New York City. His agent is now Ian Kleinert of Objective Entertainment in Manhattan (who negotiated the huge Jerry West autobiography and Michael Savage’s Trickle Up Poverty). In 2009, Taylor Trade published Pigskin Warriors: 140 Years of College Football’s Greatest Traditions, Games, and Stars. In 2009, major publishing house The Globe Pequot Press published Travers’s book The 1969 Miracle Mets (foreword by Buddy Harrelson). Also in 2009: Dodgers Past & Present, Voyageur Press and A Tale of Three Cities: The 1962 Baseball Season in New York, L.A., and San Francisco. In 2011: The Poet: The Life and Los Angeles Times of Jim Murray, an authorized biography through Potomac Books. Triumph Books (www.triumphbooks.com), a division of New York publishing giant Random House, released five of Travers's books in 2007: A's Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be A Real Fan! (foreword by A’s GM Billy Beane), Dodgers Essential (foreword by the late, great Bud “The Steamer” Furillo), Angels Essential (foreword by ex-L.A. Times sportswriter Ross Newhan), Diamondbacks Essential (foreword by Phoenix radio personality Andy Dorf), and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Los Angeles Lakers (foreword by longtime sports columnist Art Spander). In 2008 Triumph/Random House published Trojans Essential (foreword by ex-Coca-Cola/North American President Terry Marks) and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Oakland Raiders (foreword by radio personality Bruce Macgowan). In 2009 from Triumph/Random House: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly San Francisco 49ers (foreword by 49er Hall of Famer Bob St. Clair) and What It Means to Be a Trojan: Southern Cal’s Greatest Players Talk About Trojans Football (foreword by Pete Carroll). Steve is the author of five unpublished books. These include From the Frat House to the White House to the Big House; God's Country, a three-volume conservative, Christian worldview of how history formed the U.S. Empire and America's manifest destiny for the 21st Century; Ambition: My Struggles to Fail and Succeed in Baseball, Politics, Hollywood, Writing . . . and The Rocky Path I’ve Walked With Christ (his autobiography); a novel, Angry White Male; and a compilation of his work over the years, The Writer’s Life. Travers contemplated an authorized autobiography of former New York Mets’ superstar Tom Seaver; a book about fascinating baseball pitching subjects; and a study of the modern nature of American politics and media manipulation, using the Whittaker Chambers case of the 1940s as its “Genesis.” The telegenic Travers has made numerous appearances on television and radio, being interviewed for the books, articles and screenplays he has written over the years. His national appearances have included "The Jim Rome Show", CNN, ESPN, and the Armed Forces Radio Network. He has appeared on TV and radio stations in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In September 2005, Steve was interviewed on College Sports Television (www.cstv.com), a division of CBS, as part of a program devoted to the 35th anniversary of the 1970 USC-Alabama game. In February 2006, CSTV featured Travers prominently in their documentary Tackling Segregation, which aired throughout Black History Month. His work was also the subject of a 2005 CSTV documentary on Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. In 2006, Travers was a guest speaker, leading a panel of distinguished former USC football players and coaches, for Professor Dan Durbin’s popular class “Sports, Culture & Society” at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communications. The subject was the 1970 USC-Alabama game, with Steve’s book a focal point. Out of this have come discussions with USC regarding Steve’s possible hiring as an adjunct professor. Travers made numerous other speaking and booksigning appearances through USC, which included appearances at the USC Bookstore, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the USC Collections at the South Coast Plaza Shopping Center in Orange County. In 2007, he addressed the USC East Bay Trojan Club in Walnut Creek, California; the incoming freshmen and parents during Parent’s Weekend at USC; the USC Orange County Trojan Club; as well as more signings at the USC Bookstore and USC Collections; and an address of the Hollywood Congress of Republicans; and the annual banquet of the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Professor Durbin invited him back for a retrospective of the 1972 USC national champion football team at Annenberg School for Communications. In 2008 Travers addressed Republican political groups in support of U.S. Senator John McCain (R.-Arizona). During the 2008 football season, Travers was again a guest lecturer in Professor Durbin's class. The subject was his book Angels Essential, and focused on "the old Pacific Coast League and the early Angels). He was the November speaker at the prestigious Pasadena Quarterback's Club next to the Rose Bowl (past speakers have included Pete Carroll), and signed books at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the third consecutive year. In 2009 Travers again was a guest panelist in Professor Durbin’s class, centered around a re-union of the USC players interviewed in What It Means to Be a Trojan. Steve is the scion of a distinguished California family. The Travers’s came to colonial America, fought in the Revolutionary War, and settled into New York and Massachusetts. They founded the Travers Stakes horse race. One ancestor, a Captain Edgerly of the Union Army, was reputed to be President Abraham Lincoln’s “personal spy” during the Civil War. Steve’s side of the family came West during the time of the 1849 Gold Rush. His grandfather, Charles S. Travers, covered the 1906 Great Earthquake as a journalist, started a silent film magazine in Hollywood, and was President of the San Francisco Press Club. Steve’s great-uncle, Reginald Travers, was a noted Shakespearean actor. His father, Donald Travers, is a retired attorney and track coach who served as a Naval officer during World War II. His mother, Inge Travers, is a renowned artist. Steve’s brother, Donald Travers II, is a former Naval officer. Daughter Elizabeth Travers is a college student. Inside Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium is the Colonel Charles Travers Big Game Room (named after Steve’s late uncle, who served during World War II) to accommodate press conferences, and (named after Steve’s late aunt) is the Louise Travers Memorial Club Room. Colonel Travers also founded a wing of the university’s political science department, dedicated to fair and balanced analysis of public affairs. Members of the Travers family have served in the military during the Revolution, the Civil War, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. His books and further information be found at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=steven+travers&x=11&y=12 or via http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q==STEVEN+TRAVERS+USC+METS+DODGERS&btnG==Search His web page is http://www.redroom.com/author/steven-robert-travers/ Steve is a board member of the USC NorCal Trojan Club, the Hollywood Congress of Republicans, and worships at Christ Lutheran Church. Steve tutored foreign students trying to learn English, as well as jail inmates, through the Marin Literacy Program. "I always wanted to give of my time," he explained, "but was too selfish to really do it. I found excuses. If at the beginning of 2006, if you had told me how busy I would be, I never would have signed up, but I did. I was assigned to a Korean divinity student named Kyung-Taek Hong. We became friends and shared Christian fellowship despite the language barrier. Almost as soon as I started tutoring Kyung, incredible good fortune began to reign down on me. Book deals, the movie deal, speaking engagements, ‘top seller’ sales, maybe a professorship at USC. As busy as I was writing, I met him every Wednesday for an hour and a half at the library. I consider him my ‘angel.’ After Kyung moved on to a Ph.D. program in Chicago, Travers taught a class at the Marin County Jail, then volunteered to work with high school kids. “As Jim Hill always says as his signature signoff on of his sports show, ‘Keep the faith.’”
THE WRITER'S LIFE by Steven Travers THE WRITER'S LIFE by Steven Travers May 12, 2011 Free! 667623 words Read a sample
Author bio:
Steven Travers has always been entrepreneurial. “I was turned down by my high school newspaper because they didn’t allow freshmen,” says the sixth-generation Californian, “so I started my own!” Aside from journalism, Travers was a star pitcher, playing three years of varsity baseball for the same suburban California high school that USC football coach Pete Carroll graduated from years earlier. Travers helped lead his team to the mythical national championship of high school baseball, according to polls conducted by Collegiate Baseball magazine and the Easton Bat Company. Travers attended college on a baseball scholarship, where he was an all-conference pitcher, and played collegiate summer ball in Colorado, Nevada and Canada. The 6-6, 225-pound Travers played professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals' organization, where he was a teammate of Danny Cox. Travers once struck out 1989 National League Most Valuable Player Kevin Mitchell three times in one game (he K’d 14 that night). In the Oakland Athletics' system, he played alongside Jose Canseco. “Punching out K-Mitchell was great,” he recalls, “but the highlight of my career may have been when I was with the A’s against the Giants in a Major League exhibition game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. I struck out the side and went nine-up, nine-down in three innings. Bill King and Lon Simmons announced it on the radio.” Steve later coached at USC, Cal-Berkeley and was recruited to manage a team in Berlin, Germany. After pro baseball, Travers returned to college. He studied in the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. At USC, he was a classmate of Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson. After graduation, he traveled extensively to New York City, Washington, D.C. and to Europe: London and Paris. “I almost went to work for Dean Witter in the World Trade Center,” he recalled. “After 9/11 I really started to think about ‘what might have been.’ ” Travers also went to Western State University College of Law, the Hollywood Film Institute, and was part of the UCLA Writers' Program. He served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War, and was a political consultant, speechwriter and campaign manager for a California Congressional candidate. Travers was also a sports agent, co-founding San Francisco Sports Management, Inc. The agency represented Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder Al Martin. Another client, ex-Angels' playboy pitcher Bo Belinsky, was at that time being approached by Hollywood producers about a movie depicting his tempestuous life. Travers wrote the screenplay. That script, Once He Was An Angel, was a quarterfinalist in the Quantum Leap screenwriting contest before getting optioned by a Hollywood producing group that included Frank Capra Jr. and Frank Capra III (son and grandson of the famed It's A Wonderful Life director). Thus began Travers' embarkation into a full-time professional writing career in 1994. “I’ve punched a lot of tickets,” Travers says of his background, “and I bring real-world experience to my writing.” A veteran of Hollywood, Steve has written 15 screenplays, teleplays and stageplays. His credits include The Lost Battalion (the true story of a World War I unit during the Argonne Offensive, the subject of a film starring Rick Schroder), Wicked and Baja California. His additional writing awards are for Bandit, an America’s Best quarterfinalist, and Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, a Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction quarterfinalist. He appeared in the film The Californians, starring Noah Wylie and Illeana Douglas. Travers worked closely with legendary Hollywood producer Edgar Scherick, the original producer of The Lost Battalion. Scherick started ABC’s Baseball Game of the Week and Monday Night Football with Roone Arledge. Travers also wrote for the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, and was a sports stringer on San Diego’s XTRA 690 AM radio station. Steve has freelanced for magazines, newspapers and web sites. He produced Steven Travers’ Journal on the Internet. Eventually, Travers became the number one columnist at StreetZebra, an L.A. sports magazine where he covered the USC beat and wrote a monthly "Distant Replay" of great events in the Southland's rich sports history. “I have encyclopedic knowledge of history,” Steve says. “I am truly versatile as a writer, able to use my knowledge of the past to understand the present. I have also survived as a freelancer; written extensively for the Internet and the so-called New Media; and have up-close knowledge of the ‘dot-bomb’ era that was the 1990s.” In 2001, Travers was hired as the lead sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. While writing for the Examiner, Travers was an eyewitness to Barry Bonds' historic 73-home run season of 2001. He got Bonds to agree to authorize the writing of his autobiography, but a business deal with the publishers was not worked out. Eventually, by 2002 Travers wrote the Best Seller Barry Bonds: Baseball’s Superman from Sports Publishing L.L.C. (www.sportspublishingllc.com). Actor Charlie Sheen wrote the foreword. It has gone through multiple re-prints, is now in paperback, and was nominated for a Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. A sequel, covering Bonds' alleged steroid use, additional MVP awards, and chase of Hank Aaron's career home run record, is in the works. In 2004, Travers wrote a proposal for the book that eventually became Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, who landed the deal he did not. An avid reader, Travers poured through books, at least one a month; classics, biographies, history, sports, novels, philosophy. He was also a Christian, but had never read The Holy Bible. "Sometime around March or April of 2004, I decided to read The Bible," he says. "Two pages a day. I started out with the New Testament. After a while I began to read out loud, which made a difference. Then the Old Testament. It took a little less than a year to read the entire book. As soon as I read it through, I started again. Two pages per day, out loud. At this point I have read it twice through. I am beginning to understand it. I am not an expert on it, but the Holy Spirit has come to me and inspires me each day that I read God’s Word. I will read that book until the day I die, God willing and I am able, until some day I will have read it so many times I will be an expert. . .” In 2006, Taylor Trade, a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (www.RLPGTrade.com), published his book The USC Trojans: College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty, which argues that the University of Southern California has replaced Notre Dame as collegiate football's greatest tradition. USC legend Charles "Tree" Young graciously wrote the foreword, and the book ascended to Amazon.com “top seller” and National Book Network “top 100 seller” status. It was re-released in paperback in 2010. Taylor Trade released One Night, Two Teams: Alabama vs. USC and the Game That Changed A Nation in 2007 (foreword by Forrest Gump author Winston Groom). It was re-released in paperback in 2010. This is the true story of how the 1970 USC-Alabama football game ushered in desegregation of the American South. A film is in development. USC graduate Kerry McCluggage, a top Hollywood producer (Craftsman Films); former president of Universal and Paramount TV divisions; founder of UPN; with credits that include Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Miami Vice, has optioned it with plans for a major theatrical release. The co-producer is Barry Kemp (Coach, Patch Adams, Catch Me If You Can). Potential directors include Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Delores Claiborne, The Devil’s Advocate) and Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves), with Costner possibly starring as John McKay, Tommy Lee Jones as Bear Bryant. Travers is a member of a “producer team” that includes Trojan football legend Anthony Davis and USC graduate Jim Starr. The deal was masterfully put together by Lloyd Robinson (USC ’64) of Suite A Management in Beverly Hills; Steve’s former literary agent, Craig Wiley; and Rowman & Littlefield president Rick Rinehart. Davis is on board to promote the project along with other former Trojans. When the film is released, Travers, Davis and Starr will be executive producers. In the past, Steve was repped by Peter Miller of PMA Literary & Film Agency in New York City. His agent is now Ian Kleinert of Objective Entertainment in Manhattan (who negotiated the huge Jerry West autobiography and Michael Savage’s Trickle Up Poverty). In 2009, Taylor Trade published Pigskin Warriors: 140 Years of College Football’s Greatest Traditions, Games, and Stars. In 2009, major publishing house The Globe Pequot Press published Travers’s book The 1969 Miracle Mets (foreword by Buddy Harrelson). Also in 2009: Dodgers Past & Present, Voyageur Press and A Tale of Three Cities: The 1962 Baseball Season in New York, L.A., and San Francisco. In 2011: The Poet: The Life and Los Angeles Times of Jim Murray, an authorized biography through Potomac Books. Triumph Books (www.triumphbooks.com), a division of New York publishing giant Random House, released five of Travers's books in 2007: A's Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be A Real Fan! (foreword by A’s GM Billy Beane), Dodgers Essential (foreword by the late, great Bud “The Steamer” Furillo), Angels Essential (foreword by ex-L.A. Times sportswriter Ross Newhan), Diamondbacks Essential (foreword by Phoenix radio personality Andy Dorf), and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Los Angeles Lakers (foreword by longtime sports columnist Art Spander). In 2008 Triumph/Random House published Trojans Essential (foreword by ex-Coca-Cola/North American President Terry Marks) and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Oakland Raiders (foreword by radio personality Bruce Macgowan). In 2009 from Triumph/Random House: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly San Francisco 49ers (foreword by 49er Hall of Famer Bob St. Clair) and What It Means to Be a Trojan: Southern Cal’s Greatest Players Talk About Trojans Football (foreword by Pete Carroll). Steve is the author of five unpublished books. These include From the Frat House to the White House to the Big House; God's Country, a three-volume conservative, Christian worldview of how history formed the U.S. Empire and America's manifest destiny for the 21st Century; Ambition: My Struggles to Fail and Succeed in Baseball, Politics, Hollywood, Writing . . . and The Rocky Path I’ve Walked With Christ (his autobiography); a novel, Angry White Male; and a compilation of his work over the years, The Writer’s Life. Travers contemplated an authorized autobiography of former New York Mets’ superstar Tom Seaver; a book about fascinating baseball pitching subjects; and a study of the modern nature of American politics and media manipulation, using the Whittaker Chambers case of the 1940s as its “Genesis.” The telegenic Travers has made numerous appearances on television and radio, being interviewed for the books, articles and screenplays he has written over the years. His national appearances have included "The Jim Rome Show", CNN, ESPN, and the Armed Forces Radio Network. He has appeared on TV and radio stations in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In September 2005, Steve was interviewed on College Sports Television (www.cstv.com), a division of CBS, as part of a program devoted to the 35th anniversary of the 1970 USC-Alabama game. In February 2006, CSTV featured Travers prominently in their documentary Tackling Segregation, which aired throughout Black History Month. His work was also the subject of a 2005 CSTV documentary on Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. In 2006, Travers was a guest speaker, leading a panel of distinguished former USC football players and coaches, for Professor Dan Durbin’s popular class “Sports, Culture & Society” at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communications. The subject was the 1970 USC-Alabama game, with Steve’s book a focal point. Out of this have come discussions with USC regarding Steve’s possible hiring as an adjunct professor. Travers made numerous other speaking and booksigning appearances through USC, which included appearances at the USC Bookstore, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the USC Collections at the South Coast Plaza Shopping Center in Orange County. In 2007, he addressed the USC East Bay Trojan Club in Walnut Creek, California; the incoming freshmen and parents during Parent’s Weekend at USC; the USC Orange County Trojan Club; as well as more signings at the USC Bookstore and USC Collections; and an address of the Hollywood Congress of Republicans; and the annual banquet of the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Professor Durbin invited him back for a retrospective of the 1972 USC national champion football team at Annenberg School for Communications. In 2008 Travers addressed Republican political groups in support of U.S. Senator John McCain (R.-Arizona). During the 2008 football season, Travers was again a guest lecturer in Professor Durbin's class. The subject was his book Angels Essential, and focused on "the old Pacific Coast League and the early Angels). He was the November speaker at the prestigious Pasadena Quarterback's Club next to the Rose Bowl (past speakers have included Pete Carroll), and signed books at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the third consecutive year. In 2009 Travers again was a guest panelist in Professor Durbin’s class, centered around a re-union of the USC players interviewed in What It Means to Be a Trojan. Steve is the scion of a distinguished California family. The Travers’s came to colonial America, fought in the Revolutionary War, and settled into New York and Massachusetts. They founded the Travers Stakes horse race. One ancestor, a Captain Edgerly of the Union Army, was reputed to be President Abraham Lincoln’s “personal spy” during the Civil War. Steve’s side of the family came West during the time of the 1849 Gold Rush. His grandfather, Charles S. Travers, covered the 1906 Great Earthquake as a journalist, started a silent film magazine in Hollywood, and was President of the San Francisco Press Club. Steve’s great-uncle, Reginald Travers, was a noted Shakespearean actor. His father, Donald Travers, is a retired attorney and track coach who served as a Naval officer during World War II. His mother, Inge Travers, is a renowned artist. Steve’s brother, Donald Travers II, is a former Naval officer. Daughter Elizabeth Travers is a college student. Inside Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium is the Colonel Charles Travers Big Game Room (named after Steve’s late uncle, who served during World War II) to accommodate press conferences, and (named after Steve’s late aunt) is the Louise Travers Memorial Club Room. Colonel Travers also founded a wing of the university’s political science department, dedicated to fair and balanced analysis of public affairs. Members of the Travers family have served in the military during the Revolution, the Civil War, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. His books and further information be found at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=steven+travers&x=11&y=12 or via http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q==STEVEN+TRAVERS+USC+METS+DODGERS&btnG==Search His web page is http://www.redroom.com/author/steven-robert-travers/ Steve is a board member of the USC NorCal Trojan Club, the Hollywood Congress of Republicans, and worships at Christ Lutheran Church. Steve tutored foreign students trying to learn English, as well as jail inmates, through the Marin Literacy Program. "I always wanted to give of my time," he explained, "but was too selfish to really do it. I found excuses. If at the beginning of 2006, if you had told me how busy I would be, I never would have signed up, but I did. I was assigned to a Korean divinity student named Kyung-Taek Hong. We became friends and shared Christian fellowship despite the language barrier. Almost as soon as I started tutoring Kyung, incredible good fortune began to reign down on me. Book deals, the movie deal, speaking engagements, ‘top seller’ sales, maybe a professorship at USC. As busy as I was writing, I met him every Wednesday for an hour and a half at the library. I consider him my ‘angel.’ After Kyung moved on to a Ph.D. program in Chicago, Travers taught a class at the Marin County Jail, then volunteered to work with high school kids. “As Jim Hill always says as his signature signoff on of his sports show, ‘Keep the faith.’”
A Cafe in Space: The Anais Nin Literary Journal--Complete Set by Anais Nin A Cafe in Space: The Anais Nin Literary Journal--Complete Set by Anais Nin Sep. 30, 2011 $9.99 518489 words Sample 10%
Author bio:
Anais Nin (1903-1977) was born in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, near Paris, and was the daughter of a renowned pianist and composer, Joaquin Nin. Abandoned by her father in 1913, she and her family traveled to New York, where she began her now famous diary, comprised of some 35,000 pages over a period of six decades. When the first volume of 'The Diary of Anais Nin' was published in 1966, it began Nin's meteoric surge to fame. However, often overlooked are the works of fiction she created, beginning with 'The House of Incest' in 1936, which was followed by a then-banned edition of a collection of novellas under the title 'The Winter of Artifice.' This original edition has been republished for the first time in 2007. Perhaps Nin's most acclaimed fiction is the series of short stories in 'Under a Glass Bell,' which she self-published in New York during the 1940s when no commercial publisher would take the risk. She then began a series of novels that were interconnected and finally collected into one volume entitled 'Cities of the Interior.' Her final novel was 'Collages,' about which Henry Miller said, "Even the finest collages fall apart with time; these will not." Anais Nin was one of the 20th century's most innovative and compelling artist, and now her works are finally appearing in digital format.
Much Love To All by Cathy Gaskill Much Love To All by Cathy Gaskill May 12, 2011 $1.49 416810 words Sample 30%
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The Torn Trilogy E-book by Sara Niles The Torn Trilogy E-book by Sara Niles Dec. 21, 2011 $19.95 339857 words Sample 20%
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Some of us are born with innate characteristics and talents that are ignited by the passions of personal suffering and refined by our life experiences. I was born naturally gifted with a talent for writing, having won placement in every essay contest that I entered during my youth. I have always loved the art of great literature, and developed an affinity for the classics at a young age that has matured over the years like taste in fine wine. If had lived an ideal life, I would have written about ideal lives, but because I lived and survived an unconventional life filled with an undue amount of trauma and loss, my writings are filled with the passion and pain of traumatic experiences. My drive to write about such a serious subject as domestic violence and family dysfunction is integral to my qualifications as a writer: A former victim of extreme domestic violence as a young woman; spent twelve years obtaining an academic (secondary and post secondary) education and professional work experience. My extensive training in psychology, sociology, the behavioral sciences, as well as over a decade working in the fields of domestic violence as a Trainer and Counselor, as well as in the field of mental health and drug addiction counseling, enabled me to include the subtle dynamics of human motivation within my writings, embedded unobtrusively like a shadow and to write the final book of the Torn Trilogy from a humanistic, global perspective.
Mama and Me by Bette Nunn Mama and Me by Bette Nunn April 11, 2012 $5.99 300220 words Sample 20%
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Bette Nunn lives in Martinsville, Indiana, is married and has three grown children. Her other published work is a book titled “Burn, Judy, Burn” about mass murderer Steven T. Judy and the young mother of three children that he killed in 1979. She has also written a small book about the Morgan County Courthouse and articles that have been published in detective and other national magazines. Mrs. Nunn was a reporter, assistant editor and managing editor at The Reporter and Reporter-Times, a newspaper in Martinsville, Indiana, from 1963 to July 2003. Her career covered nearly 41 years and she continues to write news, feature stories and columns for the newspaper from her home. Her main interests have been her family, working for the good of Martinsville High School, Morgan Hospital and Medical Center, Morgan County Fair and US veterans. She enjoys writing and history and also plans to continue to write some children’s books. “The Yo-Yo String” is her first attempt at a fictional story. She thanked her daughter Shelley for allowing use of her pictures on the cover to portray what Annie could have looked like.
Journeying Mercies: Tuesday Was Gone by Bob Neudorf Journeying Mercies: Tuesday Was Gone by Bob Neudorf Oct. 09, 2010 $4.99 284014 words Sample 20%
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By the time I was six years old I had lived on three continents and five different countries. My parents were protestant missionaries in French Soudan (later the Republique of Mali). I have often said, in referring to my childhood, that Mom thought that God was looking after me, and God thought that Mom had me under her wing. This understanding left me mostly alone to wander the wilds of Africa, living off my hunting skills and avoiding the multitude of dangers.It was an idyllic childhood until boarding school at Mamou Alliance Academy in the neighboring country of Guinea. My brother died suddenly and later we lost a sister. I have two graves to visit sometime, if I ever get the chance to return to Mali. I returned to Saskatchewan in my teens, finished high school, found a job and in every way faded into the life of a regular Canadian. But lurking, bubbling and boiling, underneath this veneer was a desire to tell my extraordinary story.
Je veux qu'on sache ! by Julien Vertier Je veux qu'on sache ! by Julien Vertier Nov. 09, 2011 $10.00 276909 words Sample 20%
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Barack Obama: The Unauthorized Biography by Webster Griffin Tarpley Barack Obama: The Unauthorized Biography by Webster Griffin Tarpley April 18, 2012 $5.99 274151 words Sample 20%
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The contemporary philosopher of history Webster Griffin Tarpley became widely known for his best-selling George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography (1992), the first book to detail the role of the Bush dynasty in supporting the Nazis. Tarpley graduated from Princeton in 1966 with an AB degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, followed by a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Turin, Italy. He received his MA in humanities from Skidmore College in 1999; and a Ph.D. with a dissertation on Paolo Sarpi, His Networks, Venice, and the Coming of the Thirty Years' War. A veteran adversary of international terrorism, he directed the 1978 study commissioned by a former member of the Italian government entitled Chi ha ucciso Aldo Moro? (Who Killed Aldo Moro?), which accused NATO intelligence. He was among the earliest to denounce the Obama coup of 2008, publishing Obama: The Postmodern Coup (April 2008) and Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized Biography (August 2008).
Vulgar Blood: One Account of IIIMAF in I Corps by James F Pawlowski Vulgar Blood: One Account of IIIMAF in I Corps by James F Pawlowski March 28, 2011 $4.95 260208 words Sample 10%
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Jim Pawlowski, now 66, Author and Artist, is a Vietnam Veteran (USMC, 1st Mar. Div., I Corps 1966-67), and a former automotive and industrial designer. He has produced and illustrated several self-published non-fiction and fiction topics. His interests include family, the fight for liberty, oil-painting and drawing, aerospace design, and probably most significantly, strength sports and jujutsu: with the strongest view towards equal opportunity for girls and women. Mr. Pawlowski lives on a small lake in southeast Michigan with his wonderful wife, Catherine, who is also a very amazing math tutor for those struggling kids.
Edwin Edwards: Governor Of Louisiana by Leo Honeycutt Edwin Edwards: Governor Of Louisiana by Leo Honeycutt April 02, 2011 $19.99 256184 words Sample 20%
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W2G Publishing specializes in digital media of all kinds. We are based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and make a special effort to promote Louisiana talent when possible.
Indie Chicks: 25 Independent Women 25 Personal Stories by Cheryl Shireman Indie Chicks: 25 Independent Women 25 Personal Stories by Cheryl Shireman Feb. 15, 2012 Free! 253955 words Read a sample
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The Road Less Travelled by John Porter The Road Less Travelled by John Porter Feb. 21, 2012 $5.99 247914 words Sample 20%
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John Porter spent his childhood growing up amongst the fruit orchards of North Kent, and after leaving grammar school, gained his horticultural qualifications at Hadlow College near the historic spa town of Tunbridge Wells. He migrated to Australia at the age of nineteen, with his first wife, in 1980. Although deriving his main income over the years from employment in the plant industry and from his own wholesale and retail nurseries, John has always maintained the keen interest in words and storytelling that was first fired up by his father’s vast collection of books, and an enigmatic and inspirational English teacher at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Faversham. John has written for many local organisations and groups in his native England, as well as preparing a number of public documents for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the 1980’s. He has contributed many poems and short stories to various publications in England and Australia over the years, including meditations for The Upper Room – an international, non-denominational Christian booklet. The self-published autobiography, "The Road Less Travelled" (2008), was John’s first major book, and describes in fascinating detail the journey he took over three continents during his first fifty years. It is now available from Smashwords and includes many personal photographs of his journey through his first half-century. Since then he has also self-published an anthology of poems entitled "Out Of My Head", and an account of a whirlwind seven-day visit to the UK, called "Turning The Page", which humorously describes the brushes he experienced with the history, geography and sociology of his original homeland. "The Collector" is John’s first full-length novel, and will be released later in 2012. He has published a series of ten short stories with the theme of 'Dirt', which are gathered in a compilation entitled "A Collection Of Dirty Little Stories" which is available at Smashwords. A companion volume called "The Cutest Little Animal Horror Stories", published earlier has already proved very popular with readers. The author now lives and writes in a garden centre in rural New South Wales, Australia, which he runs and owns with his present wife, drawing inspiration for his books from the Australian bush, the daily customers, and the host of chickens, birds, dogs, cats, rabbits and guineapigs which are bred on the premises, as well as his own lunacy.
AN AMERICAN SAGA - Juan Trippe and his Pan Am Empire by Robert Daley AN AMERICAN SAGA - Juan Trippe and his Pan Am Empire by Robert Daley June 30, 2011 $5.99 232218 words Sample 10%
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Robert Daley is the author of seventeen novels and eleven non-fiction books. Born and brought up in New York, he graduated from Fordham University, did his military service in the Air Force and began writing stories, articles and books immediately afterward. He was a New York Times foreign correspondents for six years based in France but covering stories from Russia to Ireland to Tunisia, fifteen or more countries in all. Much later he served as an NYPD deputy commissioner, which explains why many of his books have played out against a police background. His work has been translated into fourteen languages, and six of his books have been filmed. He is married with three daughters. He and his French born wife divide their time between a house in Connecticut and an apartment in Nice. France.
Through The Mayors' Eyes by Michael Rizzo Through The Mayors' Eyes by Michael Rizzo Dec. 04, 2010 $6.99 229642 words Sample 20%
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Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Mike Rizzo stumbled on his writing career after purchasing a circa 1893 home in 2001. From that time forward he has immersed himself in historical topics of Buffalo not usually covered.
Exodus by Igor Shenfeld Exodus by Igor Shenfeld May 20, 2012 $1.29 228591 words Sample 20%
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Ordinary Lives: A Journey Through America by Jaime Espiritu Ordinary Lives: A Journey Through America by Jaime Espiritu Aug. 25, 2011 $3.99 227466 words Sample 20%
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Born and raised in the Philippines, Jaime Espiritu moved to the U.S. after college with a B.Sc. in Architecture. After twelve years in the profession and nothing to show for it, he went back to school and trained in the computer field. In it, he developed skills that saw him through a rewarding 26-year civil service career as an IT specialist with the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. In the meantime, he continued to pursue a life-long desire to write and, to date, has produced a body of work in fiction and a recently completed autobiographical novel. Jaime currently lives in a D.C. suburb in Maryland.
Journal 60 by Gaelle Kermen Journal 60 by Gaelle Kermen Aug. 22, 2011 $6.99 226933 words Sample 20%
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Gaelle Kermen, auteur numérique francophone Née en 1946 en Bretagne sud, France, Gaelle Kermen a reçu une formation en philosophie, sociologie et droit aux universités de Paris : Assas, la Sorbonne et Vincennes Paris-8 (1964-72). Gaelle Kermen est une pionnière du web depuis 1995 dès les débuts sur Compuserve, alors que rien n'existe encore en français, considérant qu'il faut s'impliquer en tant qu'auteur, pour que le web ne reste pas anglophone. Elle publie son roman de jeunesse Aquamarine 67 en février 1997 sur son premier site internet du Club-Internet, puis sur ceux de Wanadoo et Free (archives de 1997 à 2009). Elle ouvre une des premières boutiques en ligne francophones (service en gestion du temps par la chronodynamie) dès mars 1998 sur un serveur américain implanté en Europe, ce qui permet de lever l'interdiction française de cryptage des données, réservé aux militaires. Le réseau de l'Internet a bien évolué depuis les débuts. Désormais elle blogue sur Wordpress, selon ses sujets de prédilection : chantiers maison et jardin, voyages, écriture. Elle expérimente les réseaux sociaux comme une expérience sociologique et une discipline quotidienne d'écriture, dans les statuts Twitter de 140 signes et les profils Facebook en 420 signes. Fidèle d'Apple™ depuis 1992, elle rêve d'avoir un iPad®, dont l'innovation lui parait une révolution aussi importante que lui apparaissait celle de l'internet en 1995, alors que peu de gens y croyaient et se formaient à ce changement de comportements. Lorsque Amazon ouvre sa plateforme d'édition numérique aux auteurs et éditeurs non anglophones le 18 janvier 2010, elle publie immédiatement Aquamarine 67 sur ce support de diffusion dès le 20 janvier. Elle s'y sent un peu seule comme auteur francophone, étant entourée de gens éminents certes, mais tous morts, comme Verne, Hugo, Dumas, Racine, Corneille, Zola... Aussi lorsque Steve Jobs présente l'iPad la semaine suivante, elle décide d'être présente sur ce support révolutionnaire dès les débuts. Grâce à l'éditeur numérique Mark Coker, créateur de Smashwords, http://www.smashwords.com, le pari est tenu. Les oeuvres sont publiées sans DRM (Digital Rights Management ou bloquage des droits numériques). Gaelle Kermen écrit sur la vie, le rythme des saisons, la politique, l'histoire du monde, les technologies qui améliorent la vie des êtres vivants, la littérature, la musique, la peinture, le jardin, le travail du bois ou du chanvre, pour la construction d'un cadre de vie permettant l'épanouissement de chacun en harmonie avec le monde qui le porte. Gaelle Kermen fait le pari de l'indépendance des auteurs vis à vis des autres acteurs de l'édition. Elle appelle les auteurs francophones à investir le réseau en sortant des chemins balisés pour de nouveaux paradigmes, de meilleurs droits et une meilleure relation avec le lectorat, but premier de l'écriture. Ayant acquis un AmazonKindle3 pour corriger ses livres, elle redécouvre ce que Roland Barthes appelait Le Plaisir du Texte. Elle voyage avec les Grands Auteurs du Domaine public, dans sa poche, Proust, Platon, Tolstoi, Shakespeare et leurs camarades au cours des siècles avec un bonheur sans limite. Gaelle Kermen, 64 ans, vit en ermite sur un domaine en Bretagne qu'elle restaure et entretient seule. Elle y écrit ses cahiers (1960-2010) et reste connectée au monde par internet et les réseaux sociaux. Elle a fait le choix de ne publier ses écrits qu'en mode numérique.
Three Lives of a Warrior by Phillip Butler Three Lives of a Warrior by Phillip Butler July 13, 2010 $9.99 222759 words Sample 20%
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Shadow Scorpion Memoirs of an Assassin by White Wolf Von Atzingen Shadow Scorpion Memoirs of an Assassin by White Wolf Von Atzingen July 25, 2011 $9.99 216389 words Sample 15%
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My name is White Wolf. If you wish to find more out about who I am you can visit my website page explaining this- http://www.waysofthewildinstitute.com/about/ I have over 40 questions about the book specifically answered on my Q&A page. I recommend that everyone who reads the book also look through this Q&A page- http://www.waysofthewildinstitute.com/2011/05/shadow-scorpion-qa/
Charlotte Bronte's Thunder by Michele Carter Charlotte Bronte's Thunder by Michele Carter July 24, 2011 $6.99 214751 words Sample 5%
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I was born and raised in Vancouver Canada. After graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Master of Arts Degree in English I taught English Lit for several years. I love writing, especially historical fiction that has a little humour for my entertainment and yours.
Wavering Between Extremes by Herman Garner Wavering Between Extremes by Herman Garner March 11, 2012 $9.99 201392 words Sample 10%
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Herman Garner is on his way to becoming one of America’s most thought provoking public intellectuals. He is a public speaker, critic and the author of Wavering Between Extremes. He graduated from Youngstown State University with a BA in Accounting. He went on to graduate from Cleveland State University with a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Finally, he attended Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
Slow Boat to China: The Personal Diaries and Letters of Pegge Parker, 1942-1951 by John Hlavacek Slow Boat to China: The Personal Diaries and Letters of Pegge Parker, 1942-1951 by John Hlavacek Dec. 28, 2010 $5.95 199313 words Sample 15%
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John and Pegge spent their lives traveling the world reporting as foreign press correspondents. John first taught English in China during the 1930s, after graduating from Carleton College. He then joined the United Press in 1944 as a war correspondent. He met Pegge Parker, a beautiful widowed journalist with an eye toward writing her way around the world. They married, living and working in India during the first years of their marriage. The Hlavaceks were then off to New York and next Jamaica, where John and Pegge supported the family by covering news events across the globe. In 1961, the family moved to Florida when John began work as staff correspondent for NBC in Havana. John and Pegge meticulously chronicled their lives before and after they met—and the stories they brought to us from afar. Today, John resides in Omaha, Nebraska. Pegge passed away in November 2008.
The Flying Phone Booth: My 3 years behind the Candid Camera by Lou Tyrrell The Flying Phone Booth: My 3 years behind the Candid Camera by Lou Tyrrell Sep. 30, 2011 $4.77 197422 words Sample 15%
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For more than fifty years I was a producer/director writer in television. In the golden years I worked on the US Steel Hour on ABC, the first live documentary show, Medical Horizons and NCAA College football. I left ABC and did closed circuit shows for doctors sponsored by CIBA Pharmaceuticals using the Eidophor dark field projector and a mobile unit producing CBS Color pictures. 1960 I directed kid shows, Pip the Piper for General Mills and Marx Magic Midway, a circus for Marx toys. Then I met Allen Funt and he hired me to direct Candid Camera, now read the book and follow my life over the three years I lived with Allen and the daily problems of putting together one of America's longest running television shows.
Ghetto Plainsman by Jarid Manos Ghetto Plainsman by Jarid Manos Sep. 21, 2011 $9.99 196572 words Sample 20%
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Jarid Manos is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Great Plains Restoration Council, which is headquartered in Houston, Texas. He has been published or written about in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, USA Today, Smithsonian, Congressional Quarterly, Houston Chronicle, Albuquerque Journal, Grist, Yes! and many others, and is a featured guest speaker nationwide, having spoken at churches, organizations, rallies, conferences, businesses, chambers of commerce, and schools and universities, including Spelman and MIT. He is also a health advocate and youth worker. Through his guidance, GPRC has helped found the new Ecological Health movement which helps young people heal themselves through healing the Earth. A vegan athlete, he also serves on the Board of Directors of the Black Vegetarian Society of Texas. Mr. Manos resides in Houston and Fort Worth, Texas. He has one son. Ghetto Plainsman is his first book.
Parachuting for Gold in Old Mexico by General Jim Hall Parachuting for Gold in Old Mexico by General Jim Hall Jan. 13, 2012 $9.99 195884 words Sample 20%
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a retired Brigadier General with the Air Force; Created the Buddy System for parachuting; the author of Parachuting for Gold in Old Mexico; President of Parachuting Associates incorporated in 1963; and the co-creator of Ripcord TV series.s Retired military from WWII, Professional parachuting that led to the creation of Ripcord television series, created the four-line cut in parachuting, wrote Parachuting for Gold in Old Mexico. Read it and find out about jumping in the 50's!
Burnished: Burnside Life Stories by Kate Shayler Burnished: Burnside Life Stories by Kate Shayler Aug. 16, 2011 $2.99 193653 words Sample 30%
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Kate Shayler is the author of: The Long Way Home: The Story of a Homes Kid A Tuesday Thing Burnished: Burnside Life Stories Kate grew up in Burnside Children's Homes, Sydney, from an early age and her works reflect her experiences and those of others. They are an important addition to the dialogue regarding Australia's history in relation to the Forgotten Australians.
Punished for Purpose by Lauri Burns Punished for Purpose by Lauri Burns Feb. 27, 2011 $8.99 191320 words Sample 20%
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Growing up in Long Island, New York in an upper class Jewish family, who would have ever guessed my life would turn out as it did. I had everything a kid could want. It was perfect. My mom told me I was around 3 when the beatings began. Whenever my dad was in “a mood” he would come looking for me. I was like the punching bag that most guys keep in the garage. As a child, I believed I was a witch in a past life and that the beatings were payment for my sins, hence the name of my book, Punished for Purpose. I failed to bond to people. The abuse, coupled with the fact that no one was protecting me, solidified my belief that people could not be trusted. I was 13 when my mom left us in search of a new life. That was when my father’s violence escalated. One day he began to beat me failing to notice that I had a friend in the house. Then everything changed. Afraid that he would get in trouble, he hid a handgun and told the police I threatened to kill him with it. I was committed to a mental institution for the criminally insane. I tried to kill myself several times. In order to protect me from myself, they tied me to a bed in a straight jacket in a solitary room and kept me drugged. By the time I was released, the damage was done. On a suicide mission, I spiraled. I was made a ward of the court and sent from home to home. Unable to rebound from my circumstances, I started shooting intravenous drugs at the age of 16. The drugs helped to push the memories away. I gave birth to my daughter when I was 19, but even my love for her couldn’t save me. On January 5, 1987 after being arrested for prostitution several times, I was taken into the woods by two gunmen and raped severely. Not being able to endure one more beating, I begged them to shoot me. That night my life was saved by a stranger and within 24 hours I was in a safe shelter. It was there that I began talking about my childhood. I learned that I had protected my father at the price of killing myself. Slowly but surely I began to see that I had value and that ‘maybe’ my dad was wrong. Two years later, at the age of 26 I took in my first abused teenager. I knew at that time this was my calling. It was around that time that a man who really believed in me asked me this question “Lauri, Do you know the difference between you and Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King Jr?” I was intrigued. He said, they didn’t just think about doing things, they did them. That’s it. He also said “If you put fleas in a jar and close the cover, they will hit their heads on the lid. After a few hits they will jump short. When you release them from the jar, they will continue to jump “short." No matter how long they’re out of the jar, they will never return to their full potential for fear of hitting their heads. Lauri, you are living your life like you are still in the jar.” That was when I lifted the lid off my life and starting believing everything was obtainable. I let go of all preconceived limitations. I had a GED education, no practical job skills and within a few years I was earning well over 6 figures and I had five abused teenagers living in my home. Today I am an executive at a Fortune 100 company, an author, an international speaker, I have been a mother to 30 abused teens and I have a nationwide foundation for street kids. I realize now I was never being punished for sins in a past life, but rather prepared for the most amazing life imaginable. It is the memories from the darkest times of my life that I must draw from to help the children that enter my door. If I had to do it all over, I wouldn’t change a thing. Lauri Burns is a corporate executive at a Fortune 100 company, an inspirational speaker, a mother to over thirty troubled foster children (drugs, prostitution, cutters, eating disorders and behavioral disorders) and the founder of The Teen Project, for homeless youth, which she established in response to her overwhelming feeling that no matter how many teens she fostered, it was never enough. She is a part of Oprah’s Angel Network and has been approached by multiple networks for a feature, movie rights and pilot show. It is her dream that no teen should ever be without a safe home or a family. Excerpt from the book: It was 2am. I heard a noise in the hall bathroom. Unaware of what is happening, I avoided turning on the light. As I reached the bathroom, Rita came into view. Her body was drenched with sweat; her hair was pressed against her face. Screaming and banging her head against the wall with an intensity that it hurt me to witness, I rushed to her. When she saw me she screamed out, “WHY?!!!! Why did my mother leave me? Those men hurt me! I don’t want to sleep! They’re here again! I fucking hate myself!” She slammed her head against the wall over and over again. All of a sudden I am twelve again. I am in the bathroom; my dad is at the door. “I fucking hate you! I hate you God!” My head hits the wall over and over and over again…. Bang! Bang! Bang! I am shaking. Having processed no thought of what to do next, I am catapulted back into the bathroom with Rita. Do not turn on the light, scary…no light…Talk quietly…No big noises…quiet voices…Do not touch…Touch is scary… I quietly whisper into the darkness. “I am here with you sweetie…it is okay now…the bad man is gone… We are on the other side now…no more hurt honey…no more bad people here…Please don’t hurt Rita anymore…” The creaking of a door behind me interrupted the intensity of the moment. My eyes now adjusted, I turned my head. I see Mary quietly tiptoeing from her room. Her large eyes tell me she is scared. I put my finger over my lips as if to say, shhhh. Now Yvette is coming. Quietly they collapse to the floor, falling into the darkness by Rita. The only sound is Rita’s heavy rhythmic, breathing. She is rocking back and forth slowly with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and her head tucked between her knees. The girls gently put their hands on Rita and they too begin to cry. They are hugging each other. Rita lets out a soft cry and hugs them in return. Although the small room still remained dark, the light in the room that night was undeniably brilliant as we walked together out of the darkness. Wiping the tears from Rita’s face, we all stood up together and walked downstairs. Although I don’t normally encourage smoking, this is one night I would let the mountains be mountains and the little things lie. As they sat in the garage, passing the cigarette around with their wet faces, I closed my eyes and thanked God. Thank you God for letting me be twelve again, thank you God for my father. Thank you for my little bathroom so long ago, for it is in the pain of my childhood that I have been blessed with the power to take the hand of a child who is in the darkness; and lead them out. Thank you for having me go before them and showing me the way out…
EEOC: The Real Deal - Do They Really Support Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act? by Phillip Duse Sr. EEOC: The Real Deal - Do They Really Support Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act? by Phillip Duse Sr. Nov. 17, 2010 $6.99 188726 words Sample 10%
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The author is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer (CW2) Retired. He traveled extensively throughout the U.S. Europe and Asia, and attended five universities during off duty hours State side and during overseas assignments. The effort earned in excess of 100 credit hours resulting in the award of an AA degree from the "University of Maryland" European Division. After retiring from the US Army, his initial civilian employment was as a logistical supervisor with "Bendix Field Engineering" outside of Baltimore Md. Then he held a Government position, Property Administrator with the Defense Logistics Agency's Contract Management Command, Silver Springs, Md. Next assignment was with the US Navy's Naval Air Systems Command, VA, where he served as the senior Property Manager. Then he returned to the Defense Logistics Agency's Contract Management Command employed in the "Special contract [Black Box] office, retiring from Government employment in 1997. He continued his writing education through completion of courses offered by the "Institute of Children's Literature" and a Free Lance Writing Course offered by "Hardcourt Learning Direct" before publishing his first book "Phil Duse Versus the Tyranny of DOD/DOJ and its Intelligence and Investigative Agencies". He has written or contributed to authorship of several logistics related manuals, published by the Department of Defense. He is also the author of "EEOC: The Real Deal" (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and "New Short Stories and Three Hand Pinochle" before authoring this book "False Color of Authority" all published by Xlibris. Phillip Duse is the author of "EEOC: The Real Deal - Do They Really Support Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act?, "False Color of Authority - Government Hit Men" and "US Government Quacks and Dolts - Engaging in Defamation/Entrapment Strategies to Get Phil Duse."
A Bumpy Ride by Ronjon A Bumpy Ride by Ronjon May 06, 2010 $4.99 183668 words Sample 15%
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A Note from Ronjon: I was born in Virginia and raised in Washington D.C. and Prince Georges County, Maryland. This story is based on my life. I am sixty years old now, and I have done more than my fair share of drugs and hard-core partying, and kicking ass. Most of the names, times and places have been changed for obvious reasons. I slept on army cots most of my life, whether they were in my aunt’s basement laundry room, my cousin’s back porch way down in the boonies of Virginia, or whatever institution I was in at the time. I was in and out of institutions from the beginning of my early life. I guess I was hardheaded or at least as they say, “Hard to train,” or maybe it was because of someone else beside my family was raising me, who knows? In this story, you will read what a living hell is all about, and what evolves from having no control over your children and letting them basically run loose and raise themselves because,, of no parental control, or love. When you read this story, you will sit back and probably say that there is no way that anybody in the world has been through this much in just sixty years of life. This is the first time that I have decided to sit down, write, and share my life with anyone! It is far from what I am proud of; believe this. I am ashamed, as well as embarrassed! I can only hope that these stories will help some young man to realize that this kind of life, brings nothing but misery, and despair! These events have often been so very painful to recall, events, or nightmares if you will; that I have tried all of my life to forget. I continue to fine-tune this story, which only reaches my twenty-one years of life
Rolling Stoned by Andrew Loog Oldham Rolling Stoned by Andrew Loog Oldham Aug. 26, 2011 $9.99 181750 words Sample 10%
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Andrew Loog Oldham was the original manager of the Rolling Stones, created their image, and made Mick Jagger and Keith Richards into songwriters. Without Andrew Loog Oldham, the Rolling Stones would not have become "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World."
Misfits, Mercenaries & Missionaries by Peter Mclaren Misfits, Mercenaries & Missionaries by Peter Mclaren Nov. 15, 2011 $9.99 180555 words Sample 5%
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Peter has over 12 years of professional work experience in international emergency operations with NGO’s and UN agencies with a specific focus on project management and reporting. Prior to this Peter has served in the Australian army, attained a Finance and Accounting Degree and has worked for a publically listed bus manufacturing company. His first aid work posting was to northern Iraq from 1992-1994. During this period he was placed in charge of procurement, storage and distribution of hundreds of millions of litres of petroleum products, he was also in charge of safety and security issues relating to all aspects of this program, and liaised with several government agencies and police force to ensure the security of his team and all their assets. Misfits Mercenaries’ & Misfits is a true story based on this initial mission. During 2001 Peter worked for Feed The Children International, an NGO that was keen to recruit an experienced aid worker to run its operations in Moscow. This project involved buying Russian made pressure cookers for installation in hospitals and schools to improve nutrition to fight the rise of Tuberculosis. In additions to the cookers, FTC provided donated soybeans from the US Department of Agriculture and cookbooks and training in how to prepare delicious hearty meals for Russian persons. After the Russian sojourn Peter was sent to Afghanistan where he submitted a proposal to WFP from FTC-UK, in conjunction with Islamic Relief, and the two charities where given an $900,000.00 cash grant to construct bakeries in Masluck refugee camp outside He-rat. At the time, WFP had never made such a large cash grant to any NGO. During this phase, Peter negotiated all contracts, hired all staff and set up reporting lines and financial controls in conjunction with his Afghan staff and small team of expatriate aid workers. Since then he has worked in northern Uganda, with victims of the Lords Resistance Army, and along the Thai Burma border supporting Burmese refugees and displaced people. More recently, Peter took a break from the issues involved with emergency & disaster relief and runs the leading scuba dive shop in Nha Trang Vietnam along with several partners. This has allowed him to recharges his batteries, (aid work can be stressful) and he is currently contemplating life, the universe and everything, and also considering writing another book ☺
Living on the Borders of Eternity - The Story of Samuel Davies and the Struggle for Religious Toleration in Colonial Virginia by Robert Bluford Jr. Living on the Borders of Eternity - The Story of Samuel Davies and the Struggle for Religious Toleration in Colonial Virginia by Robert Bluford Jr. April 12, 2011 $9.99 178744 words Sample 20%
Author bio:
Photo by Ken Odor — Rev. Dr. Robert Bluford Jr. and Del. Chris Peace stand in the doorway of the structure which marks the site of the historic Polegreen Church, destroyed in the Civil War. The Rev. Robert Bluford Jr. has been a B-24 fighter pilot in World War II, preacher, historian, preservationist, a Presbyterian pastor and campus ministry director in the Southeast, and the Virginia Press Association’s Virginian of the Year for 2011. He is also the founder and president of the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation and helped to save land around the historic Polegreen Church in Hanover County, Virginia, and was the 2004 recipient of the annual award presented by the Council of America’s First Freedom. The retired Presbyterian minister's passions have included the Fan Free Clinic, which he helped found in 1968, and Civil War site preservation. At 92, he is still an activist, working for better treatment of Virginia's Native Americans and establishing a Civil War memorial being among his top pursuits. His Civil War dream is to plant a tree for every American killed during the war along a 100-plus-mile stretch of US 15. The author in detail: In his younger days, Bob, a Richmond, Virginia, native, interrupted his studies for the ministry at Hampden-Sydney College in May 1942 to volunteer for the U.S. Army Air Force. He served as a B-24 bomber pilot and squadron leader in the 8th Air Force during World War II, then returned to Hampden-Sydney and graduated in 1947 as valedictorian. He subsequently graduated, cum laude, from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond in 1950 and earned graduate degrees from the seminary in 1954 and 1957. In the 1950s, he also served as campus minister at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and in pastorates in North Carolina and South Carolina. He was active in the civil rights movement on campuses in the 1960s and in peaceful protests of United States military involvement in Southeast Asia. In 1971, Bob was a co-founder of the Fan Free Medical Clinic in Richmond. He served on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood in Richmond. Over the last 30 years, he has served as minister or associate at Presbyterian churches in Richmond and at 86 was still active as a pastor and preacher. During his ministry he served as a leader and volunteer in projects to preserve numerous historic sites in Virginia, including two — the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation in Hanover County and the Laurel Historic District in Henrico — that were placed on the Register of Historic Places of the U.S. Department of the Interior. He currently is director of the Douglas Southall Freeman Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Since 1990, he also has been active with the United Indians of Virginia’s effort to recover nearly 2,000 skeletal remains of their ancestors from the Smithsonian Institute. He was elected to the United Indians’ board of directors in 1995 and is the only non-Indian to be recognized as a board member. Since 1989, he has devoted time and energy to the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation, the church whose early history is told as an engrossing you-are-there story in this book by the foundation’s founder. Bob Bluford was recognized “for his determined preservation of the Polegreen meeting house site” as the Virginia recipient of the 2004 First Freedom Award bestowed by the Council for America’s First Freedom.
The Titan by Russian Classics Pro The Titan by Russian Classics Pro March 17, 2011 $0.99 178507 words Sample 10%
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Russian Classics Pro were found in 2010 by two friends Dmitry and Konstantin, fascinated by the Reading and who like to share this passion with others. It specializes on books, published in Russian language.
The Vernons of Hanbury by Andrew Harris The Vernons of Hanbury by Andrew Harris May 08, 2012 $7.99 178440 words Sample 20%
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I am a retired businessman, and live in Droitwich, Worcs, UK. I have been interested in local history for many years, and have completed a study of the Vernon family of Hanbury Hall, Worcs, also workhouses and the Andover Union scandal, as well as the Pakington family. I can be contacted on andrewharris1@mac.com
The Up-Country Man by Kenneth C Ryeland The Up-Country Man by Kenneth C Ryeland Sep. 08, 2010 $4.49 178219 words Sample 20%
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After 20 years living and working in Africa, the Far East and the Middle East, the author returned to the UK and occupied various senior engineering and research posts within the motor and insurance industries before retiring in 2004. He is a widower, has three grown children and likes gardening, writing, cross-country walking, classic British motorcycles and fine red wines.
It's the Artist's Life for Me! by Tery Fugate-Wilcox It's the Artist's Life for Me! by Tery Fugate-Wilcox March 18, 2011 $12.99 176809 words Sample 10%
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Tery Fugate-Wilcox & Valerie Monroe Shakespeare,1944-2011, have led an amazing life, from running away from home, (Valerie) to getting married at 18 after knowing each other only 3 days, to moving from a tiny hick town just outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan to New York City, ("Gee! More people live in that building than in my whole home town!) to pursue his career as a full-time artist, (Tery). We become icons in the art world, entertain many celebrities & royalty, own our own gallery,then lose everything in the aftermath of 9/11. Undaunted, we start over again, homeless & pennyless after 40 years of marriage, We are still rich. We just don't have any money.
boys cry too by John Mark Clubb boys cry too by John Mark Clubb Aug. 20, 2010 $7.99 176531 words Sample 20%
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John Mark Clubb is a native of Louisville Kentucky born in September 1960. After graduating from high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps as an enlisted man and served 4 years in the Marine Corps Reserve as a field Military Policeman while attending Eastern Kentucky University earning a management degree in 1983. After graduating from college and obtaining an honorable discharge from the Marines, he attended Aviation Officer Candidate School at Pensacola Florida earning a commission as an officer in the United States Navy in 1983. After commissioning he attended Navy Flight School and the E-2C Hawkeye Replacement Training Squadron at Naval Air Station Miramar earning his Naval Flight Officer wings in May of 1985. Over the next three years he was a Naval Flight Officer part of Airborne Early Warning Squadron 114 (VAW-114) attached to AirWing 15 and the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). After leaving his squadron he was stationed at the University of Minnesota as an NROTC instructor teaching midshipmen Naval History and Navy Weapons Systems. He left active duty in 1991 and served the remaining of his navy and military career at various reserves centers and flying assignments throughout the U.S retiring in 2000 after 22 years of military service. In 1998, he fulfilled a lifetime dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot and has worked for a major airline flying the 737, 757, 767 and Airbus 320 aircraft since. In 2009, he published "boys cry too", a seminal account of his abuse at the hands of his father, a former Southern Baptist Minister and the physical abuse he received at the hands of his mother. In “boys cry too” he chronicles the hidden pain, negative echoes, self defeating behaviors, his multiple negative relationships with both men and women and finally the healing journey which lead him to the place where he was able to say, "I forgive you" to his abusers and in doing so freed him of the chains of his father’s crimes against him. In his off time from flying airplanes, he is an author, business owner, screenwriter, short story teller, playwright, competitive rower and father. "Abuse does not have to be a life sentence"©
Disguised as a Man: Malachi Martin & Me by Sally Hawthorne Disguised as a Man: Malachi Martin & Me by Sally Hawthorne Jan. 05, 2012 $3.99 176356 words Sample 5%
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Sally Hawthorne is a writer with a background in religious philosophy, research and design. She was born in Texas and completed a master's degree at Columbia University. Since then she has lived in New York, Japan, northern New Mexico and India. She has been a librarian, a fashion-design student, a Tokyo housewife and a merchant mariner. Her literary mentor was the late priest-author, Malachi Martin. Hawthorne reads and travels extensively and now lives on the road in Asia.
To Drink The Wild Air - a memoir - One Woman's Quest to Touch the Horizon by Birgit Soyka To Drink The Wild Air - a memoir - One Woman's Quest to Touch the Horizon by Birgit Soyka April 12, 2011 $4.99 174859 words Sample 20%
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Birgit Soyka was born and raised in Germany. After she successfully completed her apprenticeship in retail sales, she changed fields and worked several years for the motorcycle magazine ”mo” in Germany. She became one of the first female motorcycle racers in her time. In 1985, she decided to take a leap of faith to embark on the longest journey of her life following nothing more than her intuition and the path of unexplored territory. She took advantage of many opportunities and built a successful business career in the international Logistics sector. Eventually she experienced career burnout, which was the trigger to re-think life as it was. Today she makes her home in San Francisco, California, and has embarked once again on a journey of self-exploration, planning another adventure on a motorcycle—this time focused on environmental challenges and alternative technology.
Conversations with a Scammer..My Secret Life Online by Maria Clay Conversations with a Scammer..My Secret Life Online by Maria Clay Feb. 13, 2012 $5.99 173612 words Sample 20%
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First of all, please accept my apology for not having a picture of myself where you can see what I look like. That is me up there, though. I simply don't want anyone to know who I really am! If you read my book, you will understand why. I'm just a simple mid-western gal who got herself caught up in a romance scam and decided to write a book about it.
Hippopotamus Sea; My Viral Sobriety by Jared Bryan Smith Hippopotamus Sea; My Viral Sobriety by Jared Bryan Smith July 16, 2010 $0.99 171793 words Sample 5%
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Jared Bryan Smith is a survivor of alcoholism, acute psychosis, delusional grandiose thinking, and himself in general. His journey with all drugs, hippies, needles, women and pain are an entertaining read, up until he totally loses his mind and finds the rooms of AA. Upon being relieved of the obsession to drink and drug, he finds he has Hepatitis C, requiring a year of Interferon treatment, for which he does not have health insurance. Miracle upon miracle allow the impossible to happen. An entertaining, personal memoir.
Beads on a String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History by Ey Wade Beads on a String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History by Ey Wade May 14, 2010 $4.00 170694 words Sample 30%
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Knowing me as a writer and author is like cracking an egg’s shell in the air and wondering how far the splatter will spread. Wait, that’s kind of like knowing me as a person. I’m like all over the board and always working on three to five projects at a time. I have no favorite spots to work and my view tends to be pointed at the keyboard. When an idea comes into my head I just flow with it. I haven’t been able to conform my writing to any specific pattern. I am more than often working on one story and the characters from another will just be dying to get my attention and I have to go into their world. I tend to write in various genres from fiction to picture books. Using pen (same one for the past eleven years) and paper, laptop and as a newly favorite the word program on my cell phone. I have found I can write anywhere with that little contraption and my focus is intent. Has to be with those tiny keys, right? And then I just email to myself and copy past into my manuscript. Before becoming a self-published author I followed the rules. Wrote outlines, character back stories, did the word counting, queries and everything. I even had an agent once. Unfortunately he was a horrible choice. Directed me away from Ballantine books (wish I would have known who they were then) who wanted The Perfect Solution and straight into the corrupt hands of Publish America. What a crock. After that fiasco I was so humiliated I couldn’t write. Fought and had my rights returned and now, I am back. I tried the querying again, but became frustrated when it seems the agents’ rules are so varied, too confusing for me. Not to mention the rejection letters can be soul crushing. I received a lot of positive reviews for The Perfect Solution when it was first published and yet when I began querying one agent informed me no one would like the book and yet it deals with negligence in the child care system. So, off I ran on my own. I have recently put three novels, three picture books and a creative non-fiction book into the Amazon and Smashwords systems. I think e-publishing is one of the greatest inventions God has given to the world. I would advise any author to go that route when they have something they feel strongly about. I have worked in the childcare profession for over thirty years, and was bound to Sam. I us those experiences to write novels which have gained the attention of parents, parents-to-be, child care professionals and discerning readers. I thinks of myself as a caged in frustrated author of thought provoking, mind bending ebooks, an occasional step-in parent, a fountain of knowledge, and ready to share. As a writer I have had an essay in Essence magazine, several articles printed in the local paper and magazines. Oh, and to let you know I do have a stable life….I am the (always single) mother of three daughters who are all grown now. I home schooled them on a string and a prayer. Though it may seem as if I am a bit scattered brained I was able to school them into college by the age of seventeen and sixteen. The two eldest have graduated, yeah! I am the drooling proud ‘Lovey’ of a baby boy named Jett Parker Ellington and that’s me and my writing life in a nutshell. Website: http://wade-inpublishing.com Facebook-: Written by Ey Wade Twitter @jumpouttheboat & eywade Author Sites: http://wade-inpublishing.blogspot.com In the Chair- http://theinterviewedcharacter.blogspot.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHECK OUT THESE BOOK REVIEWS- 5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for History buffs!, June 8, 2011 By bookmom -This review is from: Beads On a String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History (Kindle Edition) Beads on a String is an approachable, conversational, and interactive history of diversity in America. Instead of a melting pot, Ey Wade envisions the country as a piece of jewelry where the contributions of all of the people who have immigrated here from all over the world add to the beauty of our society. It honors all of the peoples that contributed to this country in a nicely balanced way. Designed as a resource for students it suits the classroom or homeschool classroom but also is an enjoyable read for armchair historians and fans of the History Channel. It's a must read for history lovers. _____________ 5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read In So Many Ways, June 2, 2011 By Jonathan Ellis "This works." (New York, New York) This review is from: Beads On a String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History (Kindle Edition) I just finished Beads on A String and in all sincerity I have to say it is a work of subtle genius. Several years back I read one of the most unusual history books ever written, "The Peoples' History of the United States." Anyone who has read that revelation of history as events that really happened, as opposed to events as reported by those who were left holding the most power, will see a similar sort of understanding in this amazing work by Ey Wade. An alternative title for her work could well be, "A History of the People of the United States. I can give this work no higher compliment. I was consistently fascinated by unexpected connections, accomplishments and contributions being added to the ongoing tapestry of our country by so many people from so many ethnic and cultural backgrounds, that I simply couldn't put the book down. If I could ask for anything more, it would literally be just that...more. This is the story of the heroes of our collective past. What is incredibly moving is that so many of these heroes have gone unsung for so long. I can gladly recommend this book to anyone interested in the historical journey of the land we live in. Beyond that, I can just as easily recommend it to anyone who just likes a great read. __________ 4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Solution -Isn't!, February 8, 2011 By Patricia Hardy "patticake 545" (New Orleans,LA USA) This review is from: The Perfect Solution-A suspense of choices (Kindle Edition) The story dealing with the abduction of a pre-K student from a day care center shows the necessity for more stringent safety measures to be applied to all day care centers. The characters are sympathetically protrayed and you do feel concern for their perdicament, but you just wanted to shake the people who ran the day care center and ask "What were you thinking" I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a well-paced suspense story. __________________ 5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Read !!!!, May 2, 2011 By sjp (uk) - See all my reviews This review is from: THE FISHING TRIP-A TRIAL BY WATER, EXECUTION AND A DELIVERANCE OF RETRIBUTION (Kindle Edition) Ms Wade, has shown the mastery that she truly has in the writing, construction, and execution of this book. It tells of how once you are something, no matter how well you try to mask yourself, the truth will ALWAYS rear its ugly head. The jumping back and forth works perfectly, as does all of the situations Ms Wade has created. I would highly recomend this book as a must read. I was unable to put it down, and felt a part of the story imbedding itself into me. 100% perfect !!!!
Flying With My Angel - surviving religion, sex and helicopters by Phil Latz Flying With My Angel - surviving religion, sex and helicopters by Phil Latz April 25, 2010 $2.95 170583 words Sample 20%
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Phil, was born in a church Hostel in isolated Central Australia - no doctor there. He grew up on a Lutheran Mission in desert isolation with Aboriginal friends and ate snakes, lizards, grubs & ants. He survived penny-less Church boarding school life after a 3 day, 1000 mile steam train trip. Then various different apprenticeships, underground mining, a broken heart and love affairs. Persistence saw him morph into a world-wide chopper mechanic/pilot/manager. The media declared him dead at various times but his `angel' saw him through. Religious problems and skiing in Europe were followed by a society wedding in England, living/working in countries from Fiji to UK, before divorce occured. Phil was involved with con-men, suffered near ruin, and saw corruption in many countries. He describes his amazing, `paid to see the world' life in frank detail and shows examples. Further info & reviews are on his website & at Amazon.
David vs.Goliath: 9/11 and Other Tragedies by Rodney Stich David vs.Goliath: 9/11 and Other Tragedies by Rodney Stich Nov. 05, 2010 $10.00 168284 words Sample 20%
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Navy Patrol Plane Commander in World War II and pilot instructor in PBY Catalina aircraft. International airline captain, incluiding captain with Japan Airlines, flying planeloads of Muslim pilgrims from throughout the Middle East to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Key FAA airline safety inspector; guest on over 3,000 radio and TV shows since 1978; author of over a dozen highly documednted books on corruption throughout government. See site at www.defraudingamerica.com and www.rodneystich.com.
MilSpeak: Warriors, Veterans, Family and Friends Writing the Military Experience by Sally Drumm MilSpeak: Warriors, Veterans, Family and Friends Writing the Military Experience by Sally Drumm Dec. 24, 2009 $1.99 167503 words Sample 20%
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SALLY DRUMM served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1978 through 1998. Sally developed and leads Milspeak Creative Writing Seminars (MCWS), a free program for military people who want to write about their lives. She is the acquisitions editor for Milspeak Books and editor of Milspeak Memo, an online literary magazine dedicated to freedom of speech and sharing military life in the words of those who live it. Sally is editor of Milspeak: Warriors, Veterans, Family and Friends Writing the Military Experience. Meet Sally at Association of Writing Professionals Conference at the Hyatt Regency Denver, April 9, 2010. The AWP/Scars On My Heart will be presented at Mineral Hall, Hyatt Regency, Denver, April 9, 10:00 AM, with a Meet the Editor event, Press 53 location, AWP Bookfair, 12:30 - 1:30pm. http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2010awpconf.php Sally’s writing has appeared in Gargoyle, The Gettysburg Review, Lowcountry Weekly, Mythic Passages, ArtNews and other venues. Jick’s Journey, a play written in collaboration with Dennis Adams and John Blair, was performed at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Performing Arts Center during March 2007. During May 2007, Mythic Passages, journal of Mythic Imagination Institute, published Jick’s Journey. “Letting Go” (published in The Gettysburg Review ) earned honorable mention in Best American Essays 2005. Scars On My Heart: Military Life in the Words of Those Who Live It, a play composed of 14 vignettes excerpted from the Milspeak anthology, was performed at Beaufort Performing Arts Center during July 2009 in celebration of the anthology’s publication.
Финансист by Theodore Dreiser Финансист by Theodore Dreiser April 01, 2011 $0.99 167493 words Sample 15%
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Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and journalist. He pioneered the naturalist school and is known for portraying characters whose value lies not in their moral code, but in their persistence against all obstacles, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency.
The Emigrant by George Baker The Emigrant by George Baker May 18, 2011 $4.99 166951 words Sample 15%
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I was born in Tientsin, China in 1934. My mother was a White Russian migre who had lived in China since 1923 after escaping the Bolsheviks' Revolution. My father was an English soldier who served in the British Army based in Tientsin.In my youngest years I had a dream to become a teacher of Classical Literature and Music. But my dream was torn apart by unimaginable events. This is my story and I hope that readers will forgive me for some of the language used but it was necessary in order to express the iniquity of the events that occurred.
John Somerset Pakington: his first 50 years by Andrew Harris John Somerset Pakington: his first 50 years by Andrew Harris April 11, 2012 $4.99 166445 words Sample 20%
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I am a retired businessman, and live in Droitwich, Worcs, UK. I have been interested in local history for many years, and have completed a study of the Vernon family of Hanbury Hall, Worcs, also workhouses and the Andover Union scandal, as well as the Pakington family. I can be contacted on andrewharris1@mac.com
Junk Sick: Confessions of an Uncontrolled Diabetic by Norman Savage Junk Sick: Confessions of an Uncontrolled Diabetic by Norman Savage Feb. 15, 2009 $0.99 165426 words Sample 15%
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I was born into a crazed Jewish family, 1947, and raised in Coney Island. I became a diabetic in 1958 and insulin dependent two years later; five years after that I was to begin what would be a 45 year journey as a junkie, writer, lover, thief, scholar, asshole and idiot to myself and all those I came in contact with. I split from confines of my home early on and, when cutting school, found myself in Greenwich Village where I met and fell in with those also outside the rules of boredom and adopted a lifestyle that deceived me into thinking I could ever really escape myself.