The Eyes in the Tree

The Eyes in the Tree
By Carolyn VanderBeek

Published: 7/31/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 204
ISBN: 978-1-47598-919-9
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Blondos thinks she is the most magnificent chick in the cage she shares with other feathered friends inside a feed store. Forced to constantly preen in front of perfect strangers so as not to be overlooked during the selection process, Blondos is prepared to do more of the same when a kindly man enters the store one day. After a series of mishaps that nearly stand in the way of her opportunity, Blondos can hardly believe her luck when the man finally chooses her.

As she is carried out of the store in a box with five other chicks, Blondos wonders if they have all been selected for eggs or fryers. Surely she is too important and beautiful for that destiny. Soon, the chicks begin a new life where they observe their keepers as closely as they are studied themselves. As Blondos and her roommates grow from fuzzy balls into chickens, they are completely unaware that there are eyes in the tree waiting, watching, and listening.

In this whimsical animal tale, six feisty chicks must not only learn to trust their new master and mistress but also each other as they all fight to make their way in a scary new world where “Everything loves a good chicken dinner.”

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iUniverse Bookstore, Juvenile Fiction,

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Cat House

Cat House
Adventures of a Real Estate Madam
By MK Sandoval

Published: 7/31/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 386
ISBN: 978-1-47598-944-1
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Niki Brooks’ life is crumbling beneath her Manolo-clad feet.

As a Luxury Home Real Estate Broker trying to survive one of the worst bubble bursts in thirty years, she is barely hanging on. With her own house under threat of foreclosure and her retirement holdings worthless, Niki thinks “outside the house” for a way to survive and decides selling fornication instead of foreclosures will be more steady—and more lucrative—income. But her new clandestine life as The Real Estate Madam is not just bordellos and bundles of cash. Almost immediately, Niki discovers that life on the seedy side of the sex-for-sale trade can be very challenging—and dangerous.

Is the jealous wife of one of her clients going to succeed in sending her to The Big House? Could one of her girls be out to sabotage her business? Will her evil competitor follow through on her threat to run Niki out of town? What about the psycho-stalker ex-husband of one of her escorts? Will he actually pull the trigger the next time he shoves a gun in her face? Or could the mystery man following her around town—the one she calls Tall, Dark and Has Some, for obvious reasons—be interested in more than her charms?

Niki’s journey will take her to a place she never expected and to where she never wanted to be—but it will also lead her on a path of forgiveness and love, which is where everyone wants to be.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Endlessness of the Stars

Endlessness of the Stars
By Dale Boynton

Published: 6/28/2013
Format: E-Book
Pages: 208
ISBN: 978-1-47599-132-1
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

In a rural farming town in Saskatchewan, two teenagers have been engaged in a dance of flirtation for quite some time. Michelle, a ninth grader, is the epitome of the girl next door. Landon, a senior, is an all-around good guy who also happens to be a star athlete. But just as their relationship moves to the next step, Landon is killed in a tragic car crash.

As the families and community attempt to deal with the loss of Landon, Michelle seeks solace with a group of her friends. While sharing memories, the teenagers search for answers as to why their seemingly perfect world has suddenly been turned upside down. As Michelle quietly listens to their stories, she wonders how she will ever live without Landon, her protector and friend. Every place she visits and everything she touches reminds her of good times. As she courageously attempts to work through her grief, Landon’s family embarks on their own journey through heartache, all while wondering how they too will ever go on.

Endlessness of the Stars is the poignant story of love, loss and hope as a community is forever altered after one of their own is taken from them forever.


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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Mediocre

Mediocre
Making Fun of Life
By Julie McCulloch Burton

Published: 2/28/2013
Format: E-Book
Pages: 202
ISBN: 978-1-47597-596-3
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Drawing on a lifetime of experiences, author Julie McCulloch Burton shares a compilation of short stories and vignettes that reflect her self-deprecating sense of humor and her positive outlook on life, turning ordinary moments into meaningful lessons.

Including personal photographs of a wide range of subjects—food, flowers, animals, people, landscapes, seasons, studies in lines, and studies in water movement—Mediocre also presents a varied collection of writings, many of which originated as e-mails to family and friends. Burton offers narratives relaying the realities and absurdities of humorous, everyday situations; accounts of what it’s like to live with multiple sclerosis; favorite family recipes; philosophical thoughts; poetry; and reflections on moments in life when you wish you had thought things through just a little bit more.

In Mediocre, Burton provides enlightenment about an ailment that does not define her, entertains with the humor that does, and teaches that the object of this game is not only to do your best on your best day, but also to do your best on your worst day.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Biography and Autobiography, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Paola

Paola
Beyond Words
By Matilde Calamai

Published: 5/31/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 82
ISBN: 978-1-47598-748-5
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

In the beautiful town of Pistoia, in Tuscany, forty-eight-year-old Paola is preparing to meet the man who might become her lover. Married with two children, Paola is resigned to living a lonely life separate from her husband, who works in Brazil. And yet she is desperate to experience joy again. As Paola enters her potential lover’s office, she faints. In a matter of seconds, her life has been transformed forever.

The victim of a major stroke, Paola is robbed of her ability to speak. Trapped between reality and a timeless dimension where she lives in a world devoid of words and full of indecipherable objects, Paola soon realizes that even the clock—once used for marking days full of dissatisfaction in her life is no longer meaningful. Intent on returning to a normal life, Paola embarks on a journey in search of lost words with the help of a Cuban healing guru, a Jungian analyst, and fi nally a famous ayurvedic nutritionist who could help Paola change everything in her life.

Paola is the poignant tale of a woman who, in the moment of her greatest weakness, must begin a quest to find the courage and inner strength she has been missing her entire life.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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The Restless Wind and Shifting Sands

The Restless Wind and Shifting Sands
By Harry J. Sweeney

Published: 1/12/2010
Format: Perfect Bound Softcover
Pages: 536
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-1-44015-931-2
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

With 1.4 billion practicing Muslims in the world it is necessary for all to better understand the culture and belief system. In The Restless Wind and Shifting Sands, author and Islamic scholar Harry J. Sweeney explains the intricacies and tenets of Islam. The educational discourse provides insight into the religion practiced by one out of five people worldwide.

The Restless Wind and Shifting Sands explores the Islamic culture through a series of fictionalized private conversations between three friends—Modi, Mani, and Radi—who each represents the moderate, mainstream, and radical factions. Through their daily talks, the friends tackle all phases of Muslim life including arranged marriages, Islamic law, female genital mutilation, predestination, honor killing, Palestine, shariah, and the Qur’an.

The men discuss how each belief drives Islamic culture and relations with non-believers. Filled with a wealth of information, the exchanges between friends seek to impart a better understanding of Islam and the challenges it poses for Western civilization.

The Restless Wind and Shifting Sands communicates that the Islamic religion can contain its fundamentalist elements and work toward a peaceful future.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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iUniverse Bookstore, Religion,

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Life Stories of a Hero

Life Stories of a Hero
Selections from the poetry of Howard Palmer, native Oregonian, 1907-1988
By BC McGregor

Published: 4/28/2009
Format: E-Book (available as PDF, ePub, and Mobi files)
Pages: 152
ISBN: 978-1-44012-217-0
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

At a time when things may seem a bit out of control, here's a chance to enjoy some enchanting stories about a time the world almost forgot. Stories like, "Ode to the Pioneers", Grandpa's view of what life was like for the early settlers. Or "Just a Fisherman's Dream", a humorous look at the classic fish tale.

All together he churned out some 150 works. Not all are award winners, but some are guananteed to give you a smile for a moment or two.

Grandpa never imagined his poems would make it beyond his family and friends. He also did all he could to help any and all children. His charity of choice was the Shriners Hospital, and with that as my inspiration, I have plans for a portion of the proceeds from the sale of "Life Stories of a Hero" to be pledged to that wonderful organization that does so much for the kids.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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iUniverse Bookstore, Poetry,

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The Cradle of Texas Road

The Cradle of Texas Road
A Model of Cultural Integration for the Nation
By Robin Navarro Montgomery

Published: 3/23/2013
Format: Dust Jacket Hardcover
Pages: 232
Size: 5.5x8.5
ISBN: 978-1-47598-006-6
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

The region north of Houston, Texas, is a cultural enclave of communities and sites distinctive in Texas history. Here, significant contributions to the history of the great state of Texas emerged, along with some of its most noted and distinctive personalities, communities, and historical sites.

Thoroughly researched and ambitious in scope, The Cradle of Texas Road explores this region of Texas to demonstrate how the Lone Star State has become a model of cultural integration in the United States. Robin and Joy Montgomery trace the evolution of this region beginning with the birth of the province of Texas through René Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle’s influence with Spain to the modern pioneers who provide inspiration for Texas and beyond.

This historical study shows how regional pride can and should spill over into the rest of the area, thereby providing greater unity to the state itself. Focus is also given to selected communities and historical sites that harbor a significant event or personality. These include

• the gravesite of Sam Houston;
• Huntsville’s Andrew Female College;
• Bedias, home to the original Native Americans; and
• the Alamo, where William B. Travis drew a line in the sand.

Step back into history and discover some of the most dynamic examples of cultural innovation in the United States with The Cradle of Texas Road.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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History, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Masters of the Sea

Masters of the Sea
The Adventures of Jules Verne’s Mathias Sandorf
By George J. Rios

Published: 7/1/2010
Format: E-Book (available as ePub and Mobi files)
Pages: 252
ISBN: 978-1-45021-734-7
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Jules Verne, the “Father of Modern Science Fiction,” is indeed immortal and eternally young across three centuries. In Masters of the Sea: The Adventures of Jules Verne’s Mathias Sandorf, we pay tribute to Verne, who inspired pioneers throughout the world for generations. Here, we take Verne’s ultimate prediction of communication with our friends of the watery deep to its outer limits. In fact, communication with these friends was heralded throughout the world when, in 2003, America used dolphins to clear mines designed to hamper the invasion from the port of Unn Qasr in southern Iraq.

For the first time, a pioneering research Preface underscores why and how Verne proclaimed Mathias Sandorf his greatest epic science fiction masterpiece. His dedication of the original work claims “…I tried to make of Mathias Sandorf my Monte Cristo of extraordinary science fiction adventures.”

Verne drew his Austrian heroic character, Dr. Mathias Sandorf, from the reality of the battleground of Germany’s conquests of Austria and France during the 30-year period prior to World War I.

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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The Door

The Door
My Twenty-Six Years Working inside Canada’s Prisons
By Vern Thibedeau

Published: 1/12/2012
Format: Dust Jacket Hardcover
Pages: 292
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-1-46202-926-6
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

For Canadian corrections offi cer Vern Thibedeau, it all began at “Disney World”—or at least the penitentiary that ironically carried that nickname.

Within ten months, he is seriously injured. One year later he has a pistol aimed at his head during an incident in which two officers and a civilian are shot. Four years later, an inmate murders a correctional offi cer, who is Vern’s friend, and a food steward.

Over the course of a career spanning twenty six years, Vern was assigned to fi ve different prisons, but his time behind the stark walls of Kingston Penitentiary was his most difficult. During his assignment there, he dealt with some of the most notorious and dangerous inmates in Canada’s history, such as Clifford Olson and others as bad as Paul Bernardo and Russell Williams. He was part of several hostage incidents and was taken hostage himself once.

The stress of his job manifested itself in a variety of physical and emotional injuries, and he found himself forced to take time off to recover. It all culminated during a horrific time when a sex offender is taken to segregation and his victim is approximately the age of Vern’s own daughter. It all struck a little too close for comfort.

Later, Vern worked closely with police while investigating a fellow officer who was also a friend. After retirement, Vern is contacted by the police who request more information regarding the investigation.

These are his true stories of his years working behind the bars.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Biography and Autobiography, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Pacific LST 791

Pacific LST 791
A Gallant Ship and Her Hardworking Coast Guard Crew at the Invasion of Okinawa
By Stephen C. Stripe

Published: 7/13/2011
Format: Dust Jacket Hardcover
Pages: 148
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-1-46203-247-1
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

On the evening of March 31, 1945, hours before the invasion of Okinawa, Max Stripe, Billy Thornhill, and five other crewmen manned the forward twin 40 mm mount of LST 791. Riley was stationed up in the Conn, tracking enemy planes from bogey reports that came in over the radio. An increase in air attacks could be expected at sunset and dawn because—for a brief time—aircraft could see the ships clearly, but it was difficult for the ships to see the planes. Suddenly, a group of transports astern of the 791 came under attack—tracers could be seen across the expanse of water and air. The job of the LST crew was to deliver the troops, tanks, and supplies to hostile beaches and, if necessary, defend those assets with their lives. All were ordinary men; they knew they had a job to do, and they did it. Succeeding so that they could return home to their families was their goal. In Pacific LST 791, Stephen C. Stripe, author and son of LST crewman Max Stripe, brings us the incredible true story of the vital actions of LST 791 and her crew in the Pacific Theater of WWII. Our admiration and thanks belong to this hardworking, gallant breed, for their heroic courage and sacrifice brought us hope, victory, and ultimately peace.

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History, iUniverse Bookstore,

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The Fibber's Club

The Fibber's Club
Remembrances of Boys Growing Up in the Thirties
By Angela Saale Helmandollar

Published: 6/28/2013
Format: E-Book
Pages: 238
ISBN: 978-1-47598-894-9
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

It is 1984 in a used car lot in Chillicothe, Missouri, as a group of old fibbers share stories of their good times and misadventures while growing up together in small town America during the 1930s. As Max and his aging buddies play cards and swap tales, they all agree that there’s nothing like stories of the good old days.

Max begins by recalling the summer he turned eight and traveled with his family to his aunt Selma’s house in Denton, Texas. Max thinks he has already seen lots of excitement just in the train trip there, but it is only after he meets his cousin, Gaylord, that he learns the true meaning of ornery. After Chuck confesses that his sister, Carrie, and her baby goat is the reason Principal Koodle banned all farm animals from school, he tells all the old fibbers exactly the reason why. As the stories continue through weddings and funerals, high school pranks, misfired fireworks, and one dead dog, the old fibbers gladly return in memory to a simpler time.

The Fibber’s Club shares a collection of entertaining stories about young Max and his buddies as they embrace all life has to offer during an unforgettable era in Middle America.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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El arte de convivir en sociedad y evitar el reachazo

El arte de convivir en sociedad y evitar el reachazo
Maneras practicas para evitar ser excluido, el comportamiento ideal, para siempre ser aceptado
By Francisco J Palacios

Published: 3/29/2013
Format: Perfect Bound Softcover
Pages: 372
Size: 5.5x8.5
ISBN: 978-1-47598-192-6
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

This work is made to change behaviors and manners at every person looking for that level of acceptance achieved with an overwhelming personality and charisma.

I’ve interviewed thousands of people looking for that you fail beings who disqualified before entering his world and now I’ve been accommodating it to find out how you can find that overwhelming personality that all can do.

This work shows a guide for configuring this being all he can and all do it with talent ability and style.

Always feel discomfort to discover that we are not accepted, and indeed everything lies in details infimos of behavior, which we can modify, d glitter many not lies in their ability or their knowledge, todoesta in a personality that love and that love, and this is achieved in this work and here are the keys for this purpose.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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iUniverse Bookstore, Psychology,

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Windows and Holidays

Windows and Holidays
By Ejike Igboanugo

Published: 2/7/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 82
ISBN: 978-1-47596-644-2
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Windows and Holidays is a collection of poetry that resonates with a young person’s expectations of a world which unfolds disquietingly. This is a collection of dreams—the dreams of a young man about his immediate surroundings. Conflicts here and there are poet Ejike Igboanugo’s major concerns, and his poetry gives him the voice to express those concerns. He considers the future, contemplates the religious, addresses nature, and raises questions regarding society in his poetry.

At the very heart of Windows and Holidays lies a message of selflessness, and this collection conveys that it’s important for us to get along and strive for understanding, hope, and peace. Our hearts and our society need this desperately; we must be reminded from time to time that work is love and love gathers all.

Of all the things I believe in, I believe in tomorrow the most.
I believe in the things to come because today will soon be gone,
and yesterday is not coming back.
Although rich memories gladden the heart,
I believe tomorrow holds more.

Tomorrow being what it is, a whole lot to comprehend,
is far greater than can be put down in ink, even by the poet.
Tomorrow is like a recurring beginning of creation:
a chance to grow up every time;
to make amends; to repay debt;
to take on a challenge; and to overcome.
Though memory keeps experiences like forever,
I believe tomorrow holds so much more ...

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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iUniverse Bookstore, Poetry,

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Trudy

Trudy
By C. S. Ross

Published: 5/31/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files) What's This
Pages: 98
ISBN: 978-1-47598-665-5
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

This is a story of a washed – up detective who can’t resist trying to solve a mystery. In spite of trying to stay out of other people’s business, this character always manages to get tangled up anyway. Without trying the detective gets involved in the life of a little girl who just happens to be the sole hair to her family fortune. And, where there’s a lot of money involved, there’s always some sleazy characters trying to get their hands on it. The story takes some unexpected twists and turns as our hero tries to remain unnoticed by the press and his former associates. Follow our hero through unexpected events and unwanted danger. Sometimes you’ll laugh, sometimes you’ll cry but you won’t have time to get bored. In this story, each day’s a chapter and each chapter’s another mess out hero manages to fall into.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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MOM'S THE WORD

MOM'S THE WORD
A Memoir of Love and Survival
By E. Stoddard

Published: 4/13/2006
Format: Dust Jacket Hardcover
Pages: 196
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-0-59583-772-4
Print Type: B/W

Overview:As the third of nine children in a tight-knit Catholic family, author E.M. Stoddard learns how to be resilient early in life. Although her childhood has many happy memories, Stoddard is determined not to re-live her mother's life-burdened with too much responsibility and dependent on an emotionally distant husband.

Soon after her high school graduation, Stoddard marries her boyfriend Patrick, whose personal problems begin to cause trouble for the couple almost immediately. As the years go by, Patrick's behavior continues to deteriorate, and divorce becomes the only logical choice.

After the dissolution of her marriage, Stoddard's life changes dramatically. With the responsibilities of a new job, a mortgage, and most importantly, her nine-year-old son, Matt, Stoddard can't rely on her ex-husband to provide support. She has to do it on her own.

Since her new position requires extensive travel, Stoddard decides that live-in help is an absolute necessity. But finding a trustworthy, dependable nanny becomes an educational experience as she hires a total of seven individuals over the next few years, most with qualities that make them less-than-ideal child care providers.

Mom's the Word: A Memoir of Love and Survival tells the inspiring and often humorous story of Stoddard's experiences as she, her son and their fat beagle survive the craziness, heartache, fear, joy, and personal growth that come with life's challenges.

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Family and Relationships, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Pieces of Broken China

Pieces of Broken China
By Dean R. Blanchard

Published: 7/11/2012
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files) What's This
Pages: 118
ISBN: 978-1-47593-062-7
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

In life, one either chooses to rise above temptation or fall into a black pit of despair and oblivion. In Pieces of Broken China, his first collection of short stories, author Dean Blanchard introduces a group of compelling characters who march on an unforgettable journey through the heartrending emotions that accompany a dysfunctional life.

A father struggles to tell his long-lost daughter that he is not a predatory sexual molester. A promise ring becomes the symbol of a boy’s love for a girl he thought he knew. A son stands by his dying mother, and in return, she helps him to make peace with his adopted father. A mother attempts to help her daughter deal with an emotionally crippled Vietnam vet, who happens to also be her father. A wife senses her husband’s sexual preference long before he does, but one evening, he must face his sexuality after an encounter with a gay man in a straight bar.

Pieces of Broken China chronicles one man’s painful past as he searches for his identity and is forced to deal with a label that will shadow him for the rest of his life.

* * * * * * * * * * *


Pieces of Broken China are not only the title of Blanchard's collection of short stories it is an apt metaphor for the lives of the characters and the author of this semi-autobiographical piece. Life begins as a piece of china---glowing in its virginal newness, beautiful in form, functional in design, and fragile in substance.

Pieces of Broken China are the stories of the broken and scattered pieces of that china plate and the author's struggle to gather all the broken fragments and to glue them back into place. With fingers bloodied from handling the shards of pottery the pieces are found over time and reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle. The completed puzzle doesn't look like the picture on the outside of the box. It's not just the web of cracks, the smudge of glue or the smeared blood stains---some of the pieces were never found leaving holes that are filled in by our imagination as we connect the dots that are the lives of the characters.

As advertised Blanchard's piece is written in raw honesty marinated in mixture of angst, anxiety and self-torment. The raw dough of manuscript rises with the sprinkling of humor and the needing of experienced hands.

Reading Pieces of Broken China is like hearing the soul wrenching confession of your dearest friend where tears flow freely over broken hearts and finally warmed by the long hug of understanding and acceptance. The only thing lacking in this first effort by Blanchard is...more. I look forward to reading more of Blanchard's works.


Beth Fairchild
Ku-Che: The Way of Being
ISBN 9781301378814

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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The Measure of a Leader

The Measure of a Leader
A Review of Theories About Leadership and a Methodology for Appraising Leader Effectiveness
By Robert I. Mann

Published: 3/27/2013
Format: Perfect Bound Softcover(B/W)
Pages: 470
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-1-47596-794-4
Print Type: B/W

Overview: What makes a great leader? Personality? A response to the demands of time and circumstance? Where is leadership located in modern organizations? Has it a place in the management of corporate enterprise? What contributes to a leader’s control? These and many other questions are explores in the theoretical background of this work. An examination of twentieth century theories about the sources of personal powers, the social forces that enabled it, the psychological roots of leader relationships, the ingredients of leader style and quality, and the conduct identified as a leader behaviors is directed at identifying the measurable elements of this social phenomenon.

Three chapters document experimental attempts to analyse leader performance, recognizing form, style, and quality in quantifiable detail. The use of descriptive questionnaires as means of labeling leader performance and quantifying its characteristics provides definitive insights into the nature of this social phenomenon.

Finally a unique system for leader appraisal, the Leader Appraisal Questionnaire (LAQ), based upon sound theoretical principles and twenty years of experimental research with the questionnaire methodology, is detailed. This novel system, adaptable to all kinds of organizations and enterprises, provides a unique tool for leadership evaluation and development. Given that leadership is a primary consideration in all kinds o organizational pursuits, this book is a must for every major institutional ans corporate executive office, every government administration, institutions of higher learning and research, and any person who wishes to undertake and make success of a group enterprise.

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Business and Economics, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Guardians of the Amulet

Guardians of the Amulet
The War for the Galaxies
By Amy Zhang

Published: 6/28/2013
Format: E-Book
Pages: 122
ISBN: 978-1-47598-579-5
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Upon the heartbreaking loss of her colleagues and mentor, Sable, the guardian of darkness, finds herself facing a new battle with enemies rising darker and stronger than ever before. But it is her destiny to unite the others and save the galaxy as we know it.

Although her loss has left her feeling ashamed, frustrated, and betrayed, Sable gets back on her feet and shoulders the responsibility to search for and train the next generation of guardians. She quickly discovers the four elemental protectors for the star princess and begins teaching them their individual skills of magic to prepare for a great battle that is about to unfold.

But there is dissension in the ranks. The four protectors have trouble getting along, and working together is incredibly difficult. Sable must unite them if they are to be victorious against the darkness about to enfold the galaxy. Can they live up to the challenge and rekindle the amulet? These girls must overcome their differences in one epic mission, with millennia of history on the line.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Who We Are

Who We Are
Our Lives and the Human Condition
By Herbert Spohn

Published: 2/28/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 76
ISBN: 978-1-47597-056-2
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Herbert Spohn’s poetry is rooted in his life experiences. In his collection of free verse, Spohn illuminates elements of the human condition, such as romantic love, identity, aging, death, and childhood in post–World War I Germany.

Spohn, an émigré from Nazi Germany and decorated World War II veteran, relies on both his personal and professional backgrounds to share his unique reflections on life. With a style that is at times warm and lyrical, analytical and searing, and sensual and thought-provoking, Spohn encourages others to look inward and rediscover emotions about such relatable subjects as falling in love, the betrayal of an aging body, and the pain of loss.

Who We Are is a poignant and sophisticated collection of poetry that shares one man’s reflections as he looks back on an imperfect, yet fulfilling, life.

Words float at random

arrayed in patterns on the surface.

Meanings they seem to yield

seduce us readily into belief.

When they disaggregate

we do not know we are betrayed.

Misled by ineluctable formations,

we walk in truth until we fall.

Words can lead us into regions

where our pain resides.

Yet they can lift us into ecstasy,

and bring us healing love.

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iUniverse Bookstore, Poetry,

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Unlikely Warriors

Unlikely Warriors
The Army Security Agency's Secret War in Vietnam 1961-1973
By Lonnie M. Long Gary B. Blackburn

Published: 5/28/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 488
ISBN: 978-1-47599-059-1
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

In early May 1961, a U.S. military aircraft taxied toward a well-guarded terminal building. The plane slowed to a halt; steps were maneuvered up to its side, and the door was pulled open. The tropical night air was heavy and dank, and the moon shone dimly through high thin clouds. On board the aircraft were ninety-two members of a specially selected team. The men were dressed in indistinguishable dark suits with white shirts and dark ties, and each man carried a new red U.S. diplomatic passport inside his breast pocket. The men held copies of their orders and records in identical brown Manila envelopes, and each man’s medical records were stamped “If injured or killed in combat, report as training accident in the Philippines.”

In such clandestine fashion, the first fully operational U.S. military unit arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam. The unit was so highly classified even its name was top-secret. It was given a codename, a cover identity to hide the true nature of its mission. The unit’s operation was housed in a heavily-guarded compound near Saigon, and within two days of its arrival, Phase I was implemented. Its operatives were intercepting Viet Cong manual Morse communications, analyzing it for the intelligence it contained and passing the information to the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group-Vietnam. The Army Security Agency was on duty.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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History, iUniverse Bookstore,

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I Am Dianna

I Am Dianna
By MJR

Published: 9/19/2012
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 420
ISBN: 978-1-47593-560-8
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Modern day Manhattan artist Dianna Dubois is experiencing Salem, Massachusetts, of the1690s in the most bizarre way possible—in nightly dreams that have the potential to kill her. She has spent a lifetime futilely seeking answers from the best doctors, the finest hospitals, the latest medicines, and exhausting therapies. With the dreams worsening, Dianna’s nights are cursed with visions of death and seemingly endless suffering at the hands of angry captors determined to strip her of all love, belonging, and family, leaving her alone and desperate in the midst of a final confrontation no one sees or believes.

The life she’s experiencing is that of Margaret Darling, an eighteen-year-old girl living outside of Salem, Massachusetts, in the time just after the hysteria of the witch trials. Margaret must go to town to barter herbs and medicines for goods her family desperately needs—a dangerous prospect for a forest girl in tense times, when anyone can be accused of witchcraft.

As Dianna frantically grasps for a lifeline with the help of her psychiatrist, Dr. Ray Williams, she wonders if he will be able to help her. Even after she discovers he has the ability to visit her dreams with her, she realizes that if the two of them do not find answers soon, she will most certainly die.

In the dark of night, as different times converge as one, Dianna is willing to do anything to find peace—even so, as long as Margaret faces mortal danger, so too, does Dianna.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Of One Womb

Of One Womb
The Essence of Two Families
By G. Paul Lawrence

Published: 6/28/2012
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files) What's This
Pages: 208
ISBN: 978-1-47592-472-5
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

In 1969, newlywed Dorothy Tucker envisions herself living with her husband in quaint Minden, Louisiana, surrounded by their families, raising a family of their own, and becoming part of Minden history. The joy doesn’t last long. After the birth of their child, James Lee, Dorothy obtains a divorce from her abusive and philandering husband, Fred. But Fred’s parents are not about to lose control of their grandson.

When Dorothy loses custody of James Lee through Child Protective Services, she flees to California to start a new life, vowing to reconnect with her son someday. While waitressing and attending college, she meets and marries Jesse Barns, a black airman stationed at LAX. Together, through the haze of racism fueled by their mixed marriage, Dorothy and Jesse raise two children.

Twenty-five years later, she receives letter from James Lee, who says he wants to meet with her. The letter reveals James Lee as a racist who has just been released from prison. Dorothy must determine if this man, her firstborn son, will be a positive influence in her family’s life, or if his racist attitudes will bring them all down.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Delicious Rejection

Delicious Rejection
The Memoirs of a Hopeless Romantic
By James Robert Russell

Published: 8/2/2010
Format: Dust Jacket Hardcover(B/W)
Pages: 176
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-1-45024-335-3
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Neither a salacious tell-all book nor a venomous bashing of the participants, Delicious Rejection shares the depths of emotions that James Robert Russell experienced in his relationships with the women in his life, both past and present. This autobiographical collection of stories and poems follows his amazing emotional ride on love’s roller coaster. He recounts the details of those relationships—some happy and some that still occasionally haunt him. He dreamed enough to suffer through the pain of disappointment, rejection, and betrayal, while also living every moment to the fullest; recognizing and appreciating the smallest details helped him soar to the heights of passion, love, and excitement.

As a parent, husband, professional, and member of his community, everything that he has done, written, or accomplished has been about what he was, not who he is personally. Delicious Rejection represents the mark Mr. Russell intends to leave on this world—an indelible mark about who he is and how he feels. These poems, stories, and expressions of his journey come straight from the heart, where the words originated.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Biography and Autobiography, iUniverse Bookstore,

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The Seven Sages

The Seven Sages
By Patricia Anne Dye

Published: 4/30/2013
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 478
ISBN: 978-1-47597-677-9
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Many world legends suggest that at any given time, seven sages walk the Earth, tasked with the responsibility to anchor wisdom on behalf of humanity. Each one stands as the personification of a different rung of human consciousness. Together, they represent humanity’s innate ability to save itself—or doom itself.
• Earthwhisperer knows the secrets of the Earth, its pleasures, and its pains.
• Lila understands the nature and workings of sacred pleasure.
• Solomon has learned how to wield both moral and ethical power.
• Philomel has captured the art of immaculate loving and heartfelt joy.
• Dattatreya lives out his version of crazy wisdom with his innovative family.
• Marianina is fey, with a vast and accurate perspective on the human soul and its cosmic context.
• Horus is a human sun, the indicator of human destiny, well above normal human consciousness.

At this time, the sages have the profound challenge to help humanity reclaim balance, compassion, and hope—when these qualities seem lost forever. Through a whirling cascade of shifts in perception, can the sages inspire each person to embrace his or her unique brand of wisdom in time?

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Body, iUniverse Bookstore, Mind and Spirit,

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Asses and Angels

Asses and Angels
A Journey from Abuse to Achievement
By Gail L. Black

Published: 9/19/2012
Format: E-Book (available as ePub, Mobi, and PDF files)
Pages: 353
ISBN: 978-1-47594-048-0
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

Gail Black is living proof that success and failure in life are interwoven like the tangled brambles in a thicket of wild berries. Asses and Angels shares the moving story of her personal path through life as it wove through tangled fields of good and evil. She learned to hope and survive on her journey from abuse to achievement.

Born just as World War II intensified, Gail grew into a spirited little girl and then into a woman who never forgot that each day was a new opportunity with the possibility of success and happiness. Family health challenges compelled her to mature early. Religious control, physical abuse, and financial manipulation caused her to experience divorce, widowhood, and annulment. Learn how she prevailed in male-dominated business ventures and environmental battles as she farmed her land. Her grit, sense of humor, work ethic, and love for her farm helped insure her entrepreneurial success in the business of making fruit syrups with her grandmother’s recipe.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Biography and Autobiography, iUniverse Bookstore,

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Elements

Elements
Prism’s Edge
By Grace Snow and Jack Wilde

Published: 7/5/2013
Format: Dust Jacket Hardcover(B/W)
Pages: 364
Size: 6x9
ISBN: 978-1-47597-724-0
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

After the death of Lily’s sister, Star, Elder Karyn assigns fifteen-year-old Lily to the office as the Light Element of Earth—a role for which she feels very unprepared. She finds herself facing a foreign culture in which she must learn to avoid the Dark Elements, navigate the nuances of human society, and graspthe Elemental laws, all while struggling to control her burning hunger to find her sister’s killer.

With her newfound powers and weapons, Lily must learn to survive the perils of this new world. She will need every bit of her wit and skill to solve a series of murders in order to free the only living person who can protect the Elements from the unchecked dark forces.

Lily and her friends face a mysterious hooded figure possessing unknown weapons with a nightmarish potential that brings a new threat to their race. With the extinction of her people looming, all have placed their hope and future in Lily.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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In a Cottage We Once Knew

In a Cottage We Once Knew
Eldric and Matilda
By Robyn Tocker

Published: 1/31/2012
Format: E-Book (available as PDF, ePub, and Mobi files)
Pages: 212
ISBN: 978-1-46973-827-7
Print Type: B/W

Overview:

As the children of Snow White and Prince Ferdinand, twins Eldric and Matilda are born into the wealth and privileged life of royalty. But when a witch seeking revenge against their parents kidnaps and then abandons the babies, they are discovered by seven little men. With no knowledge of their past life, the children are raised by their foster fathers, who shelter them from the outside world—perhaps too much. Matilda is content to keep house for the family, while Eldric and the dwarfs work in the mines. But Eldric eventually grows restless, torn between his desire for independence and his loyalty to his family, especially Matilda.

When Eldric gives in to his curiosity about the world outside their forest home, he runs off in search of his own destiny, leaving Matilda behind. It isn’t long before he encounters the mysterious Galina, who gives him jewels that, when cracked open, will change his life forever. Will he have the courage to open them without knowing what lies inside? Meanwhile, Matilda, against her fathers’ warnings, opens the door to a bedraggled stranger one day while home alone during a thunderstorm—thus beginning a journey to the discovery of her own inner strength.

In a Cottage We Once Knew picks up where the tale of Snow White and her prince leaves off, offering a fresh look at romance, the meaning of family, and the courage needed to grow up and claim one’s own place in the world.

Sources: iUniverse Bookstore

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Fiction, iUniverse Bookstore,

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