King Arthur Movie Tristan

Hello blog friends. Yesterday I reviewed Transformations: Give Up the Struggle. There was some really positive feedback on my review, thank you all for that. Today author Renee Wiggins is here for a blog interview. Welcome Renee!




About the author:


Renee Wiggins has mentored, trained and changed lives in the health and wellness industry for more than 20 years. A strong believer and encourager in living the authentic,healthy lifestyle , Renee specializes in designing customized lifestyle programs that are tailored to client needs, goals and habits. Renee's mission is to help people achieve optimum healthy through nutrition and fitness and supplemented with a stress management program.






Bookworm: What inspired you to write Transformations: Give Up the Struggle?




Renee: I saw men and women struggling simply because they didn't know that change is not a negative thing. I wanted the reader to break the bondage that is holding them back and move forward. When we are open to taking ourselves from one level to the next, we take our power back, chains are broken, and positive things began to happen in our lives.





Bookworm: While reading your book I found a few favorite passages, such as 'The past has no power over me unless I let it.' I agree that letting go of the past is the only way to move forward. What do you hope people who read your book will get out of it?



Renee: I want my readers to view hardships as helpers to become a stronger person and to look at obstacles as stepping stones to greatness. And just like a caterpillar grows wings and transforms into a butterfly, I want them to be open to a similar evolutionary process in their lives. If the reader is encouraged to move from one place in life to the next after reading the affirmations in this collection, the goal of my book will be met.






Bookworm: Who are your favorite authors, and what strikes you about their work? Can you recommend any books?




Renee:
My favorite authors are Max Lucado and Joyce Meyers. I like the way they take a Biblical verse and create a modern-day story that is very easy for readers to identify with. Their stories are not complicated, yet in a very powerful way they illustrate the presence of God and help readers see His role in their lives. One of my favorite books by Max Lucado is "Come Thirsty." And one of my favorite books by Joyce Meyers' is" Battlefield of the Mind."




Bookworm: Do you have any new books in the works?



Renee:

Yes, I have several, one of which will be a sequel to Transformations: Give Up The Struggle. It will be a collection of stories describing how people have danced their way through the storms of their lives. I'm really excited about it.



Bookworm:
Thank you for stopping by Renee, I enjoyed your book and the inspirational message it sends!




The book:





Transformations: Give Up the Struggle




Special thanks to Tracee over at
Pump Up Your Book Promotion for making this possible.

title: Transformations: Give Up the Struggle

author: Renee Wiggins

published: 2009

genre: self help/inspirational

pages: 91

We all have had our ups and downs in our lives, some more than others. But, how we end up in the end, determines how we actually see the storms. .In fact, these storms makes us stronger, better and a wiser person.


Resisting change can make the obstacles, the hindrances and the storms become even more unbearable. However, if we choose to view them in a different light, change can moves us into a more rewarding position.


Renee shows how our life should follow our words. These words/affirmations presented in this book can be a turning point in your life. These affirmations helps us to break the chains of negative thinking and help us to release the past and move forward.

Transformations: Give Up the Struggle
is a wonderful collection of quotes and passages that will inspire and give hope to the reader.


These quotes are all about making it through tough times in life and being able to change for the better. They are quotes about healing and living your life free from fear. This is the type of book you can pick up and read a passage out of everyday.


I think this book would make a nice gift also, especially for anyone you might know who needs a pick-me-up.




I really enjoyed reading this one and have already passed it onto my mother so she can read and enjoy these meaningful quotes and passages.

Here's a few of my favorites:

Your life can expand or shrink depending on how you see it.

Choose to see beyond your window.

I should pray before I make the choice,

instead of praying to get out of the choice I made.

I would rather spend time enjoying life instead of blaming life.

I am at peace because

I no longer hold on to people who have hurt me.

Read my interview with the author here.




Special thanks to Tracee over at
Pump Up Your Book Promotion for sending me a copy of this book.

title: Corrigans' Pool


author: Dot Ryan

genre: historical fiction

published: 2009

pages: 424

first line: Ella Corrigan began this cool mid-February morning in 1861 like any other day: up before sunrise, then down to the quarters to hand out sundry items to the Negroes-medicine, clothing, flour pork, and tools.


rated: 4 out of 5

Ella Corrigan has the weight of four generations laid burden solely on her shoulders. After her mother's accident, her father drifted to alcohol, leaving Ella to manage Greenpoole. She runs the plantation efficiently and treats her slaves with dignity. But marriage, expected for a belle of her standing, eludes her.


When Gentry Garland rides into Savannah from Texas, Ella's life brightens. Despite a contentious start, he and Ella fall in love. When Gentry mysteriously disappears, Ella, brokenhearted, and with feelings of shame for having loved him, hastily marries Victor Faircloth-a man whose proposals she has long avoided.

Corrigans' Pool is one of those books that you find hard to put down once you start reading. There's romance, drama and plenty of great characters and plot twists to keep you hooked.

Ella Corrigan is the eldest daughter, living on a plantation in the South, during the Civil War. When she was younger, her mother had a bad fall, and is now incapacitated. Ella's father has taken to drinking and it is up to Ella to help run the plantation and marry well so she can help her family.

Since Ella was a young child, an older man named Victor Faircloth had intended on making her his bride. Ella, however, does not want to marry Victor and has long been avoiding him. When out riding one day, Ella runs into a handsome man named Gentry Garland. The two don't get along straight away, but as time goes on, they fall in love.

Ella was concious of this man's eyes, his face, the way his black hair framed his tanned forehead and temples. And then there were his perfectly straight white teeth and the way his lips moved when he spoke, as if he were always on the verge of a smile.

By a twist of fate, Ella & Gentry are separated, and Ella winds up marrying into a loveless marriage. Ella is left broken hearted.


This book reminded me alot of Gone With the Wind. Gentry Garland reminded me of Rhett Butler, especially when he first makes his appearance in the book and has a cocky attitude. Throughout the book there are several scenes that reminded me of Scarlett & Rhett.

I could see this book being made into a miniseries.

Just a few moments passed before she gazed longingly after him, wishing she could escape as easily, if only for a little while. She could not attribute her sudden feeling of suffocation to any single event of the morning. It had been building steadily for weeks: her mother's illness, Victor Faircloth's unwanted pursuit, the trivial but constant battles between Hannah and Baker Ben-all were getting on her nerves more than she believed possible.

special thanks to Dorothy at as part of her Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

I'd like to give a warm welcome to Dianne Castell, author of Hot and Irresistible. Diane has taken time out of her busy schedule to stop by my blog and chat.

About the book:

In a city of history, mystery, and more than a few ghosts, four best friends who have never fit in anywhere except with each other are about to get close—and closer still—to four sexy bachelors with alluring secrets of their own…



SOUTHERN COMFORT, SAVANNAH STYLE...


Bebe Fitzpatrick knows how to take care of herself until she stumbles into the arms of a damn sexy Yankee who’s gunning for Savannah’s favorite shady entrepreneur...



Detective Donovan McCabe is as popular as General Grant.What he needs is a better game plan. What he gets is a southern wildcat who makes his toes curl...

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Reader/Writer Get-Together: Authors Helping Authors Get Published


Whenever we achieve something in out lives we’ve had help along the way. Somehow, someway we all stand on the shoulders of others. Someone has helped us to get where we want to go.


When we do achieve our goal we must then help others. It’s the right thing to do and it’s fun! Now that I’m a published author I believe I must help other get published and I must give my readers the best read I can.


Lori Foster, a dear friend since before either of us were published, believes this too so we came up with the Reader/Writer Get-together. We’ve done this for five years now here in Cincinnati and the sixth year is in the works. The cost is fifty-five dollars, just enough to cover the costs of the three meals at the Marriott where the get-together is held. It is always the first weekend in June.


The idea behind the get-together is three fold. Lori and I bring in editors and agents who take author appointments where writers can pitch their work and find representation. We have over a hundred authors attend each year so readers have a chance to meet their favorite authors and get acquainted with new authors and talk books. And we also have a huge raffle of donated baskets and a huge book fair. All the proceeds of the raffle and a percentage of the Barnes and Noble book fair go to local charities. To date the get-together has generated over thirty-thousand dollars for local charities such as the YWCA Battered Woman’s Shelter, AAF the Animal Adoption Foundation a no-kill shelter, One-Way Farm a home for abused and abandoned children.


There is nothing more fun then talking about books and there is no group of people more generous and supportive than readers and writers. Lori and I want to do our best to give back to that community. The Reader/Writer Get-together is our way of helping others and our community as others have helped us.


To see photos of the get-together visit my website www.DianneCastell.com. It’s a blast and for all the right reasons.


About the author:




USA Today best selling author Dianne Castell writes for Kensington BRAVA. She also writes a monthly editor interview column for Romance Writers Report. Her books have won Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, been on the cover of Romantic Times Magazine and included in Rhapsody Book Club, Doubleday Book Club and have made the Waldenbooks Bestseller list.

The second book in her Savannah Sizzles series for the BRAVA line, Hot and Irresistible, hits the shelves Nov‘09. Hot Summer Nights is out May ’10.
Dianne lives in Cincinnati with her two cats and will do just about anything to get out of housework.

You can visit her website at www.DianneCastell.com .


------------------------------


Thank you Diane for stopping by today! The Savannah Sizzles series sound great! And the Reader/Writer Get-Together sounds wonderful. What a great way to get together with fellow book lovers and help others in the process.

Special thanks to Dorothy over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for making this possible.

I'd like to welcome senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic and successful author Pat Williams to my blog today for a guest post. Mr. Williams is on a virtual book tour promoting his latest book Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams. You can read his guest post below then read on to learn about the book.







There was a time in the NBA world that there was such a thing as an off-season, but those days are no longer. From the Finals to the draft to free agency to the summer leagues, fans of the NBA receive a steady diet of hoops to last them through July. This summer’s offerings have been especially tasty.





NBA fans are still trying to digest all of the front office maneuvering so far this summer: Richard Jefferson traded to San Antonio, Shaq to the Cavs, Vince Carter returning home to Orlando, Ron Artest teaming up with Kobe on the Lakers and the Celtics adding Rasheed Wallace to their frontline. The league’s elite teams visited the Golden Corral all-you-can-eat buffet while the rest of the NBA stayed home and had grilled cheese. The question is which of these teams helped themselves enough to be crowned 2010 NBA champions?





The general consensus is that San Antonio, Cleveland, Orlando, the Lakers and Boston are the clear cut favorites to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Because of their off-season moves, each team is deeper, more versatile and, potentially, better equipped to win an NBA title. However, there is one major unknown component here. How will these newly constructed organizations come together as teams?





Team chemistry is a phrase often bandied about but never defined. Sometimes it even takes on another name; for the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics it was the African word Ubuntu. Throughout my four decades in the NBA, I have found that team chemistry is based on eight essential factors: playing with top talent; having great leadership, both on the bench and the court; being committed to team goals; playing with passion; thinking “team first”; empowering teammates; building respect and trust amongst players and coaches; and having people in the organization of great character.





I cannot speak for the impact that Richard Jefferson, Shaquille O’Neal, Ron Artest or Rasheed Wallace will have on their new ball clubs; I don’t know their locker rooms all that well. Those teams have talent and they have leadership, and I know that those organizations are made up of great people. I just think that you don’t get any better than the team in Orlando.





In Orlando, we have accomplished all of our goals. General manager Otis Smith has done a tremendous job surrounding our talented core – Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard – with an outstanding supporting cast. Our team is led by people of great character; players, coaches, staff and ownership are all committed to being champions on and off the court. From owner Rich DeVos to head coach Stan Van Gundy, we have some of the best leadership in all of professional sports.





The team and the fans in Orlando are not arrogant or cocky, we’re just confident. That confidence comes from believing that our staff, our leadership and our players will sacrifice their personal goals for the betterment of the team. In fact, for many of our players, the betterment of the team IS their personal goal. All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson always explains his personal goal as this: “To be the best teammate that anyone has ever had.” That’s the reason Jameer is one of the captains of this team. That’s also the reason Orlando is confident that the Finals will be back in town in June, 2010.







ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Pat Williams is the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. He is a popular motivational speaker averaging over 150 appearances a year. Williams has spent 45 years in professional baseball and basketball as a player and executive. He served as general manager of the 1983 world champion Philadelphia 76ers and managed the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.



Williams is the author of 55 books. He and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of 19 children, including 14 adopted from four nations. He and his family have been featured in such diverse publications as Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Journal, and Focus on the Family as well as all the major TV networks. Pat and Ruth recently received an award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for their efforts in adoption. To learn more about Pat Williams, visit www.PatWilliamsMotivate.com.



ABOUT THE BOOK:



Human beings are designed for teamwork, and teamwork is the only way to make seemingly impossible dreams and bold visions come true. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, not by himself, but with the backing of his coaches, mechanic, and teammates. Charles Lindbergh may have been called “the Lone Eagle” because of his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic, but he assembled a first-rate team to make his dream possible.



In his new book, Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams (Center Street, July 22, 2009), Orlando Magic co-founder and Senior Vice President Pat Williams says that teamwork is the key to making extreme dreams a reality. Named one of the 50 most influential people in the NBA (National Basketball Association) after following his dream and helping to build the Orlando Magic from the ground up, Williams gives inspiring accounts of the power of teamwork—many of them personal—in a book that leadership guru Patrick Lencioni calls “the most comprehensive and interesting collection of wisdom on teamwork I have ever read.”



In Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams, Williams points out that extreme dreams are only fulfilled when teams are led with characteristics like respect, empowerment, commitment, trust and passion. “Once you put teamwork into practice in your organization, these principles will begin transforming everything. They will transform how you view the world, including our society and its problems, and the political and environmental issues we face…you’ll begin seeing the world through a lens of extreme dreams, extreme possibilities, and the power of teamwork,” says Williams.




Special thanks to PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS

"We take books to the virtual level!"

www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com



And thank you to Mr. Williams for stopping by today! It's been a pleasure reading about him and his book. Wow, 19 children including 14 adopted from four nations! That is amazing.

title: Undone

author: Karin Slaughter


genre: crime thriller

published: 2009

pages: 436

rated: 5 out of 5 stars







An older married couple is driving home when they hit what they think is a deer on the road. When they get out of the car to investigate further, they realize they have hit a woman. Once the dying woman is rushed to the emergency room, she is attented to by Dr. Sara Linton. They doctors soon realize this woman is on the brink of death, having not only just been hit by a car, but having been tortured for days. She is barely alive and Sara manages to get her name, the woman whispers 'Anna'.


Faith Mitchell and Will Trent work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and are assigned to the case. Soon enough, they discover another victim and discover an underground torture chamber. They realize that the killer keeps two women inside at a time. Shortly after, another woman is taken and Faith and Will realize that there is a serial killer on the loose and time is running out. Sara Linton winds up also getting involved in the case and as the story goes on you get to learn a bit about her past as well as Faith's and Will's.






Undone took off from page on and didn't stop. I love when i'm reading a book and it feels like the author is taking me for a wild ride. This is what this book was like, a rollercoaster ride, fast, surprising and thrilling. The suspense slowly builds and I found myself absolutely hooked.

The plot was great and the characters were well written. They were multi dimensional, and I enjoyed getting to know them as the story went along. The ending was really good, and all in all, it was a fantastic read. This is the book I was staying up late into the night reading and neglecting some of my household chores to read just one more chapter..... At just over 400 pages, I finished it in 4 days.






If you're a fan of fast paced crime fiction pick up a copy of Undone, you won't regret it.







About the author:

Karin Slaughter is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including Beyond Reach and A Faint Cold Fear, which was named an International Book of the Month selection; she contributed to and edited Like a Charm. She is a native of Georgia, where she currently lives and is working on her next novel, which Delacorte Press will publish in 2010.

Visit her on tour at:

UNDONE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '09






Special thanks to Jaime over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for sending me this book.

title: Cynthia and Constantine

author: Kathye Quick


first line: "My lady! He comes."

pages: 182

genre: historical romance

published: 2008

rated: 4 out of 5

Lady Cynthia of Abertaine is trapped. Not only has her fiancé, Sir William Leyborne, not been back to the castle for over ten years, but she's also not a titled Lady. Lord Simon of Cowell, a renegade warlord aligned with Mordred against Arthur and his Knights, has declared himself sovereign over Leybourne Castle and everything that once belonged to Sir William-- including Cynthia. Sir Constantine, Knight of the Round Table, has come to the shire to give Cynthia the news that her fiancé has fallen in battle. With him is William's oral will giving all he owns to Cynthia as though they had been wed. But when he finds Cynthia and discovers the shire under the control of an evil warlord, he knows he cannot leave without first driving Simon and his soldiers from the land. Drawn together by an attraction older than time, Cynthia and Constantine soon discover that though a vow made by a knight's honor has brought them together, it may just also cost them their lives.

Lady Cynthia is engaged to be married to Sir William. However, she has not seen Sir William in over 10 years. When he dies in battle, William sends Constantine, a Knight of the Round Table, to give her the news. Cynthia is heartbroken. But slowly she and Constantine begin to fall in love. However, Lord Simon, a man who is against King Arthur and his Knights, has decided that Cynthia and all that belonged to Sir William is rightfully his.

Their lips touched, meshing together as though paired by the angels themselves. Shivers ran up Cynthia's spine when Constantine's hand roamed her back. A small sigh
escaped her mouth as she surrendered to the sensations tumbling one against the other.

He kissed her eyes, her mouth, her cheeks, her chin, as though he could not get enough of her. Cynthina caught his lips in short, quick kisses that left her breathless.

I liked the two main characters, Cynthia and Constantine, and the romance between them. I also liked the way Kathye Quick describes the setting. Some passages were really nice.

Cynthia Locke of Abertaine stared out at the distant hills from the balcony of her chamber. The morning breeze caught her hair, sending the golden strands dancing around her face. .....The morning sun had not yet burned off the mist that clung to the low lying fields, making the area surrounding the castle look draped in magic.

Cynthia and Constantine was a juicy, romantic read. Just the book for a quick romance fix. The plot was interesting and I found myself not wanting to put the book down.
The one thing I am not too crazy about is the book cover, I think a simpler cover would have been better.





Special thanks to Dorothy over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for sending me this book.

The Obama Revolution


I recently read and reviewed The Obama Revolution by Alan Kennedy-Shaffer. Today the author has kindly stopped by my blog on his virtual book tour!
Without furthur ado, here is Alan's post:






What is the Obama Revolution?

By Alan Kennedy-Shaffer


Since The Obama Revolution, my second book, hit bookstores a month ago, I have delivered lectures, appeared on panels, autographed copies, and answered questions from readers and fans. Most people ask: What is The Obama Revolution? That one’s easy. The Obama Revolution, the first book published about Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign by a former staffer, provides an in-the-trenches look at how the 44th President of the United States came from behind to win the presidency and sparked a movement that has changed the face of American politics forever.



Sometimes powerful, sometimes poignant, always hopeful, The Obama Revolution includes encounters with Barack Obama, insight into why thousands of organizers left their jobs, their schools, and their families to join the most organized presidential campaign in American history. It is the story of how thousands of organizers spurred millions of Americans to register to vote and recruited millions of volunteers. At once meticulously researched and motivational, The Obama Revolution tells the story of a generation of young people—most under 30—who dropped everything to get involved.



But what is the Obama Revolution? Posed to me on more than one occasion by wizened professors, this question is more nuanced and difficult to answer than the first question. Was Barack Obama’s presidential campaign revolutionary in its rhetoric? Was the campaign revolutionary in its policy proposals? Was the campaign revolutionary in its grassroots strategy? Yes. But there is something deeper about Barack Obama’s rhetorical calls for a new era of responsibility that struck a chord with organizers and voters in a way not seen in decades.


Consider this excerpt:

There may seem to be little in common between the young children who scampered after me in the housing projects on Allison Hill, eager for Obama stickers, and the Democrats in Westmoreland County who turned out in droves for rural action meetings. But below the surface, they all hope for a brighter future for their children and they share a belief that America can—and will—change. . . . Empowered to serve as the backbone of Obama’s well organized, well funded, quintessentially grassroots presidential campaign, young people left their jobs, their schools, and their homes, in order to recruit and mobilize an army of volunteers committed to positive change.

From just this brief passage in The Obama Revolution, it is possible to begin to get a sense of what made Barack Obama’s campaign truly revolutionary. Although Barack Obama’s speeches were electrifying, the campaign’s policy prescriptions solidly formulated, and the reach of the campaign’s 50-state strategy unprecedented, the revolution was first and foremost visible in eyes of the children who called to their mothers when I rang the doorbell, “Barack Obama’s at the door!” More than a campaign, the Obama Revolution is a call to arms at a challenging moment in history.



The Obama Revolution is a revolution in the way we campaign and the way we look at our government. And it is our government. Ultimately, the buck stops with the organizers, the volunteers, and the voters who made history by electing Barack Obama and who will continue to make history by keeping our nation accountable to the ideals upon which it was founded. We have an historic opportunity to turn the hope expressed by millions of Americans at the ballot box in November into the change that this nation needs. This is our moment. This is our time. This is our revolution.



Alan Kennedy-Shaffer is the author, most recently, of “The Obama Revolution.”





-----------------------------------------



About the book:


The first book to be written by a campaign staffer and offering rare insider glimpses, The Obama Revolution explores how a generation of believers and the politics of hope won the presidency for Barack Obama and changed the world.
The Obama Revolution carefully examines what Obama plans to do as president, how Obama clinched the Democratic nomination and won the general election, and why Obama’s evocative rhetoric inspired millions of Americans to create a political revolution that toppled the status quo and changed the face of American politics forever.


Drawing on both first-hand campaign experience and scholarly analysis, the author delivers everything from personal stories of grass-roots organizing and grueling all-nighters to candid assessments of the Obama campaign’s strengths and weaknesses. Insightful and powerfully written The Obama Revolution offers an enlightening, annotated, documented overview of Obama’s path to the White House and what it means to every American.


Learn how Obama used policies of change, strategic vision, and the rhetoric of hope to transform the campaign into a political movement. Discover how field organizers (most under 30), using cell phones and the Internet, mobilized and energized a whole new generation of voters. Follow the author as he registers voters, spreads the word and is touched by the people he meets.
Anyone wondering whether America's flame still burns brightly needs to read this book and be inspired by the hope, the promise, and the ardor of Barack Obama and “Generation Change”—the future of America—as they work hand-in-hand to fulfill the legacy of change that is the Obama Revolution.




-----------------------------------------



About the author:


Alan Kennedy-Shaffer served as a regional field director for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in Virginia. Educated at Yale University and William & Mary Law School, Kennedy-Shaffer is the author of Denial and Deception: A Study of the Bush Administration’s Rhetorical Case for Invading Iraq. Kennedy-Shaffer’s writings have also appeared in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, the Patriot-News, the Daily Press, and the Virginia Gazette. Alan lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. You can visit his website at
http://www.alankennedy-shaffer.com







Special thanks to Dorothy over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for making this possible.

The Obama Revolution

author: Alan Kennedy-Shaffer

pages: 265

genre: Nonfiction/Political

published: 2009

first line: Tears of joy streamed down my face on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, when the television networks proclaimed Barack Hussein Obama the next president of the United States.

rated: 4 out of 5

The first book to be written by a campaign staffer and offering rare insider glimpses, The Obama Revolution explores how a generation of believers and the politics of hope won the presidency for Barack Obama and changed the world.

I found The Obama Revolution to be a well written and interesting book. Author Alan Kennedy-Shaffer was a former regional field director for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in Virginia. In his book he speaks about Obama's campaign, and the behind the scenes events. Also about how Obama reached out to voters by making himself personable, by telling his own story about coming from a multi-racial household and about how his mother once qualified for food stamps.



I really enjoyed this book, i'd recommend it to anyone who'd like to take a peek behind the scenes of Obama's campaign. The author also includes some of Obama's speeches, which I really enjoy now having on hand. I think Obama is a fabulous public speaker, his speeches give me goosebumps.

Winning more votes than any presidential campaign in history, the Obama campaign mobilized a generation willing to fight relentlessly for change.

With graceful optimism and extraordinary eloquence, Barack Obama carved out a space in modern politics for the rhetoric of hope. He pulled on the heart strings of millions of Americans desperately seeking a president who promised a return to democratic ideals, egalitarianism, and the principle that we can do better.

Promising to end the culture of corruption that pervaded Congress for much of Bush's tenure and the culture of denial that pervaded the Bush White House, Obama railed against corporations that stiff the middle class whenever possible and then beg for bailouts whenever needed. He railed against policies that favor the wealthy, policies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer. And he railed against an insular political culture that has ignored working families for far too long.

Special thanks to Dorothy over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for sending me this book.

Author of
The Light, The Dark, and Ember Between , J.W. Nicklaus, is stopping by my blog today on his virtual book tour. Let's give him a warm welcome!





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


J.W. Nicklaus resides in a place not entirely fit for human habitation about five months of the year. No pets to speak of, only the apparitions from which all romantics suffer.


An Arizona native, he’s been from one coast to the other, and a few places in between. College brought an AA in Journalism with a minor in Photography, and a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications. His work experience has run the gamut from Creative Director for a small advertising firm in Tucson to a litigation support bureau in Phoenix (and assuredly some awkward stuff in the mix).


Snow has been featured prominently in his stories, perhaps because of the seasonless cli-mate he lives in. Nature was meant to be enjoyed and experienced, not hidden from the senses. So to that end, he hopes someday to live amongst those who are able to live through four true seasons, and not just blast furnace and warm.


He enjoys the occasional Arizona Diamondbacks game with his son, as well as watching him grow up. The experience of being a single dad has taught him far more about himself than he ever thought possible.


Within the expanse of every waking moment, he hopes his guardian angel keeps its arms open wide and heart ever watchful, for there but for one true Hope goes She.


For more about J.W. visit http://www.avomnia.com



ABOUT THE BOOK:


A collection of short stories, each a splinter's reflection of the human condition, firmly centered upon our oft tenuous, sometimes tensile bond with Hope, and careening flirtation with Love.


Fifteen stories: From the wispy fog of a love lost at sea, to an orphaned child who delivers a present of her own during a war-torn Christmas. These stories are gentle reminders to each of us of what it is to be human, and certainly of our affinity for the slightest glint of Hope.



GUEST POST:



Stacks of 'em. Row upon row of shelves happily choked with books of all sizes and a dizzying cornucopia of titles. Mom made sure my brother and I made frequent visits to the library when we were younger, and yet I can't possibly recall the first book I ever checked out—or read for that matter.


What I can recall was unrelenting encouragement towards reading in our household.. Spending time in the library was something I always looked forward to, for a couple reasons: (1) it was quiet and welcoming, and (2) a good part of the year in Arizona it's hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, so the library was a cool retreat.


Four very specific things come to mind as I consider the question of loving to read or write.

1. RIF (Reading Is Fundamental)

2. Scholastic magazine and book ordering in class

3. Read-A-Thons

4) Schoolhouse Rocks

Numbers one and four are, believe it or not, distantly related in my world. For many years I watched Saturday morning television—I bet many of you did too: HR Puff'nStuff, Land of the Lost, Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Bugs Bunny/ RoadRunner Show, The Pink Panther, etc. Many of those Saturday mornings we'd see PSA's (Public Service Announcements) for RIF and the RIF mobile's as they'd wend their way through the state. I never went to one, but even at that time I thought it was pretty cool to bring reading to kids who might not otherwise get much exposure to its pleasures.



Schoolhouse Rocks taught the basics of language structure through the guise of entertainment. Remember A Noun's A Person, Place or Thing, Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here, and Conjunction Junction? I still do. To this day I can trace my familiarity with how a bill becomes law back to I'm Just A Bill. Mixed in with all the animation were the PSA’s for RIF. Thankfully their efforts continue to this day at RIF.org.



I can't speak for the school you went to, but in my elementary school years they used to hand out a 'magazine' from Scholastic Books (I believe it was them) from which we could order books and they'd be delivered to the classroom. I certainly don't remember my parents ever saying I couldn't order any books. I couldn't wait for those books to arrive! Get home and show them off, then go plunk down on my bed and start reading—which was normally the same place where I did my reading for those Read-A-Thons. Do they do those anymore? You'd get people to pledge a certain amount for each book you completed in a one or two week span and the money collected went to some worthwhile charity (or maybe even the schools themselves; I never really cared, I was just reading).


Time, and the educational system, have a way of stifling the pleasure to read. Eventually you have to read stuff you wouldn't ordinarily dream of picking up given your druthers. But here's the key: A lot of that dreaded required reading opened up completely new avenues I never would have considered traveling. We read books like Homer's Odyssey, The Iliad, All Quiet On the Western Front, and To Kill A Mockingbird. I'm not going to tell you that I suddenly ran amuck and absorbed any piece of classic literature I could find, not even close. But it did give me a deeper appreciation for fine writing. Eventually I wound up reading the likes of Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and Mark Twain, authors who have undoubtedly influenced my own writing style to some degree.


I'm not quite certain that anyone is born a 'reader'. I'm more inclined to believe that a love of reading is a factor of developmental environment. My parents have, as near as my faintest memory allows, always had a book to read, and I've always encouraged my son to read. If ever he found a book he was interested in I'd always buy it, regardless of cost. Even now, he's reading some of the same books I read in school. I fervently hope that he, too, tends to the glowing embers of pleasurable reading, and will never be further than a page away from immersing himself in the wonders of imagination and flights of thought that reading can quietly provide.





Thanks for the opportunity to guest post, Naida! This has been a lot of fun!





Thank you J.W. Nicklaus for stopping by! Yes I do remember watching Land of the Lost and the Hanna-Barbera cartoons. And I do remember R.I.F and Schoolhouse Rocks. Thanks for the great guest post.








Special thanks to Dorothy over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for making this possible.