War Torn: Courage, Love, Resilience by Kenneth E. Miller- On Tour

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Teddy Rose

This post was most recently updated on June 22nd, 2017

War Torn: Stories of Courage, Love, and Resilience by Kenneth E. Miller

Publisher: Larson Publications (October 17, 2016)
Category: Non-Fiction, PTSD, Current Events/World Affairs, Political Science: Genocide and War Crimes
Tour Date: Oct and Nov, 2016
ISBN: 978-1936012787
Available in: Print, 296 Pages

With some 200 million people in more than forty countries affected by armed conflict or genocide, refugees are appearing in record numbers. War Torn is timely in how it brings us intimately into the lives of civilians who have survived wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Guatemala, and Sri Lanka.

Alongside stories that convey intimately the destruction and heartbreak of armed conflict, Miller captures the courage and resilience he calls “a remarkable kind of light,” an essential counterpoint to the grief and trauma that war creates. The stories in War Torn are powerful, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable.

Advance Praise for War Torn by Kenneth E. Miller

“This is an eye-opening study. Psychologist Kenneth E. Miller and his wife Debbie began collecting data and teaching volunteers in refugee camps around the world back in 1991. In reality, there are almost 200 million people in over 40 countries impacted by war and genocide, living day to day exiled from their homes, families, and lifestyles. Kenneth Miller brings us their stories. This is a book I will read again, and share with my children. This is a worldwide problem we all need to understand, and address.”- Bonnye Reed, GoodReads Reviewer

“You could find no better guide than Ken Miller to illuminate this dark territory. A skilled story teller, he has an eye for nuance that is often missing in our cultural conversation about PTSD. I put down this book with a heart that was broken but also filled with hope. “-Ethan Watters, Author of Crazy Like Us and Co-founder of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto.

“War Torn is an exceptional, gripping account of the impact of war—a must-read for anyone interested in how war profoundly touches and shapes people. Ken Miller merges the expressive writing of a novelist with compassion and the profound understanding of a seasoned mental health professional. This collection of personal experiences and mosaic of situations provides rich and unique insights into the complexities of war torn countries.”-Dr. Mark Jordans, King’s College London

“Ken Miller weaves together for us tragic stories of war, loss and injustice with tales of friendship, family, and laughter. Ken’s gift is the way he listens, which takes him and his readers beyond simple categories of war victim or trauma to the complex experiences people have in settings torn apart by violence. I’m grateful for the way he has captured the simultaneously disabling and inspiring coexistence of darkness and light in these places.” –Jeannie Annan, PhD, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning at the International Rescue Committee

About Kenneth E. Miller

An international expert on the impact of armed conflict on civilians, psychologist Kenneth E. Miller has been working with war-affected communities since 1991 as a researcher, clinician, organizational consultant, and filmmaker. A professor of clinical and community psychology for much of his career (San Francisco State University, Pomona College), in 2015 he joined the Dutch NGO War Child Holland and is currently based in Amsterdam.

Blog: https://drkenmiller.wordpress.com/

Website: www.kennethemiller.com

Twitter: @kennethemiller

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennethemiller01

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War Torn by Kenneth E. Miller

Fran Simone, Author of Dark Wine Waters: On Tour

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Teddy Rose

This post was most recently updated on August 3rd, 2015

Publisher: Central Recovery Press (July 15, 2014)
Category: Non-fiction, Memoir, Substance Abuse, Codependency
ISBN: 978-1-937612-64-1
Tour Date: June/July, 2015
Available in: Print & ebook, 224 Pages

The dynamics of codependency are illuminated in this heartbreaking story of a marriage comprised by a husband’s addiction to alcohol.

Through the eyes of love clouded by denial, Fran saw the danger signs but ignored them. Her husband, Terry, was accomplished, romantic, and good-natured. A newly divorced single parent, Fran was ready for love. She recounts the joys and sorrows of their relationship, including Terry’s attempts to control his drinking, her attempts to control him, his death, and her subsequent recovery.

Praise for Dark Wine Waters’ by Fran Simone:

“Dark Wine Waters goes way beyond the plethora of recovery books. It is a beautifully written memoir, with its charming water motif throughout, and it so clearly offers everyone a way to continue, to be happy, despite whatever happens. In this, the author has handed all of us a true gift.”-Cat Pleska, president of Mountain State Press and author, Riding on Comets (forthcoming, April, 2015)

“Brutally frank and fearless in its honesty, Fran Simone’s book is a gift for those who love or have loved alcoholics or addicts. She tells the story of how she jumped into a relationship with a man she never imagined would have the disease of alcoholism. She simply had no reference for such an illness and missed all the clues. Once in love and married, she struggled to keep their life together, admitting she made every mistake possible.
This book boldly explains how alcoholism seduces and corrupts the most innocent of people, both the drinker and the ones who love them. Nicely written and well crafted, Simone’s memoir will appeal to those who enjoy a human interest and love story. But more importantly, it is for those caught in the darkness of loving someone with this disease and how they can find joy and hope and a better way to live through recovery.”- L. Farwell, Amazon Reviewer

“Fran Simone has written an intimate, deeply honest, and absorbing memoir that clearly shows the four stages of alcoholism through the years of her marriage to Terry. When she begins writing their story and the narrative starts to take shape, she finds “the courage to admit my faults, face my fears, and forgive my husband and myself.” Her honesty is compelling.
I particularly like the way the author organizes her story, dividing the book into four parts, each opening with an epigraph of the disease stage. Part 1, for example, opens with “The addict has a ‘wow’ experience and begins to form a relationship with the drug. Family members may observe subtle changes in personality, and a formidable barrier to communication appears: denial.” I leave the rest for you to read.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a very well told narrative that intimately shares the lives of two very human people ensnared in the full throes of the disease of alcoholism.”-Mary Jo Doig, Story Circle Book Reviews

“I was absorbed in this book from the very first page. The author takes us on her journey through life with an alcoholic from the moment she falls in love with him through the inevitable sad conclusion, yet gives those of us in this struggle hope for recovery.
This book is written with the honesty that can only come from the experience of living those highs and lows. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, whether you are just looking for an engagingly candid memoir or you are looking for clues to learn to cope when and if you’ve found yourself in a similar situation.”- Peggy E. Gunter, Amazom Reviewer

About Fran Simone:

Fran Simone, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus from Marshall University in West Virginia. She is the former director of the WV Writing Project, a statewide affiliate of the National Writing Project, University of California at Berkeley. Her doctorate is from Duke University.

Her essays have appeared in The Voice and The Quarterly of the National Writing Project, the Charleston Gazette, Story Circle Network journal and anthology. Her blog posts have appeared online in Hazelden/Betty Ford. She is a regular contributor to The Addiction Blog and to the Psychology Today blog. She is a member of Story Circle Network, the National Association of Memoir Writers and West Virginia Writers, Inc. She conducts workshops on writing and speaks on addiction and recovery.

Honors: Featured author of the month, National Memoir Association, January, 2015.

Website: www.darkwinewaters.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkwinewaters

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Jane Allen Petrick, Author of HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America: On Tour

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Teddy Rose

This post was most recently updated on March 3rd, 2014

Publisher: Informed Decisions Publishing, October 8, 2013
Category: Nonfiction – multicultural; cultural/social issues; biography & memoirs; art criticism
Tour Dates: February, 2014
Available in: ebook, 143 pages

Kirkus Review named “Hidden” a Best Book of 2013!

Norman Rockwell’s America was not all white. As early as 1936, Rockwell was portraying people of color with empathy and a dignity often denied them at the time. And he created these portraits from live models.

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America unfolds, for the first time, the stories of the Asian, African, and Native Americans who modeled for Norman Rockwell. These people of color, though often hidden in plain sight, are present throughout Rockwell’s more than 4000 illustrations. People like the John Lane family, Navajos poignantly depicted in the virtually unknown Norman Rockwell painting, “Glen Canyon Dam.” People like Isaac Crawford, a ten year old African-American Boy Scout who helped Norman Rockwell finally integrate the Boy Scout calendar.

In this engrossing and often humorous narrative, Jane Allen Petrick explores what motivated Norman Rockwell to slip people of color “into the picture” in the first place. And in so doing, she persuasively documents the famous illustrator’s deep commitment to and pointed portrayals of ethnic tolerance, portrayals that up to now have been, as Norman Rockwell biographer Laura Claridge so clearly put it, “bizarrely neglected”.

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America is an eye opener for everyone who loves Norman Rockwell, everyone who hates Norman Rockwell and for all those people in between who never thought much about Norman Rockwell because they believed Norman Rockwell never thought much about them. This book will expand the way you think about Norman Rockwell. And it will deepen the way you think about Norman Rockwell’s America.

View the Trailer:

Praise for Hidden In Plain Sight:

“A fresh, well-researched study of artist Norman Rockwell’s treatment of race.”

Petrick (Beyond Time Management, 1998), in this smart, nuanced book, encourages readers to look again at Rockwell s varied body of work. She argues that Rockwell was far from a closed-minded portrait artist; he actually went to great lengths to represent African-Americans and other minorities in his works, motivated by an intense desire to represent all of America. She provides many frequently overlooked examples,including Working on the Statue of Liberty (1946), which depicts five workers cleaning the famous statue; the model for the figures was white, but Rockwell painted one of the workers as having brown skin.
Petrick relays all this with clarity and insight, drawing on the portraits, Rockwell s own biography and the ample scholarship that surrounds the artist. She also talks to the African-American models for some of his paintings, and these interviews can feel extraneous at times, as when the author occasionally delves too much into the models lives today. However, they highlight Rockwell’s desire to capture all facets of America and all of its stories.
The irony, Petrick wisely points out, is that so few people choose to see this side of Rockwell today, preferring instead the whitewashed version. In this book, she manages to say something revealing about the artist and about us. A brief but enlightening social history of a great American artist. –Kirkus Review

“Whether you love the work of Norman Rockwell, hate it or just haven’t given it that much thought, after all it pervades most of American life in one way or another, this book is well worth your time to read to gain a new perspective on his work, or allow you to look at it with fresh eyes.
Through thoroughly engaging and captivating stories the Author lets the reader into the mind of Mr. Rockwell and experience his feelings about those in society who are ‘hidden in plain sight’. This book features a section of those people, those of colour, who he used as models for his work which in turn served to give his illustrations a depth and also a social awareness that many have failed to notice. In compiling this book the Author provides the reader with a greater understanding of America, as seen through the brush strokes of an artist who snubbed his nose at convention and included people in his artwork that were largely overlooked by society as a whole. I highly recommend it.”-Cate’s Book Nut Hut

“Hidden in Plain Sight shows a beautiful and fun kind of history. It’s the kind that has not been told within the confines of a normal history of Rockwell. Any history or art buff will love to get their hands on this fascinating display of culture, history, and an America revealed.” –Katelyn Hensel, Readers Favorite

“ This book delivers more than beautifully written narratives and documentation about some of the many hidden lives of the models for Norman Rockwell. This elegant book simultaneously brings to life aspects of the Artist and the Man and looks closely at the Icon himself in unpretentious, non-didactic, easy-to-read prose. This is pure American History; gracefully revealed on multiple levels.”- Niobrara, Amazon Reviewer

About Jane Allen Petrick:

Jane Allen Petrick is the author of several books on topics ranging from biography to workplace issues. She was a bi-weekly columnist for the Knight Ridder Newswire, and her articles have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, the Denver Post and the Washington Post. Kirkus Review describes her book, Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America as “smart, nuanced” and written with “clarity and insight.”

Born and raised in Connecticut, Jane earned a BA in economics from Barnard College and received her Ph.D. in organizational psychology from Saybrook University. Retired as a vice-president of ATT Wireless, she is now an adjunct professor at Capella and American Sentinel Universities, and has provided consultation in organizational behavior and diversity competence to numerous corporate clients including IBM, Nextel and Xerox.

Jane Allen Petrick was chosen as one of the “100 Best and Brightest Business Women in America” by Ebony Magazine.

Long a passionate supporter of cultural and historic preservation, Jane has contributed to local preservation efforts in both Florida and New York State. A licensed tour director, Jane conducts cultural heritage tours on the East Coast, from the Everglades to the Maritimes.

Jane and her husband, Kalle, divide their time between New York’s Hudson Valley and Miami, Florida.

Website: http://www.janeallenpetrick.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaneAllenPetrick

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So Many Precious Books Feb 6 Review, Giveaway
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Rebecca Park Totilo, Author of Organic Beauty With Essential Oil: On Tour

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Teddy Rose

This post was most recently updated on February 7th, 2014

Publisher: Rebecca At the Well Foundation, Jan. 3, 2013
Category: Health & Beauty, Non-fiction, Self-help
Tour Dates: January, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 232 pages

Organic Beauty With Essential Oil: Over 400+ Homemade Recipes for Natural Skincare, Haircare and Bath & Body Products

Looking for that perfect all-natural bath product?

One that will keep your skin looking great, is appealing to smell, has actual therapeutic benefits, and doesn’t break the bank? Well, here it is!

Sweep aside all those harmful chemically-based cosmetics and make your own organic bath and body products at home with the magic of potent essential oils! In this book, you’ll find a luxurious array of over 400 Eco-friendly recipes such as Exotic Patchouli Massage Oil, Zesty Banana-Lemon Foot Cream and Jasmine Bath Bombs filled with breathtaking fragrances and soothing, rich organic ingredients satisfying you head to toe.

Designed with the naturalist in mind, each formula draws from essential oils’ well-known skin rejuvenating effects, showing you how to best care for your unique skin and hair type using all-natural botanicals. Included you’ll find helpful tips and customizable recipes – all with step-by-step instructions – so you can have the confidence knowing which essential oil to use and how much when creating your own body scrub, lip butter, or lotion bar!

Discover how easy it is to make bath treats like fragrant shower gels, dreamy bubble baths, luscious creams and lotions, deep cleansing masks and facials for literally pennies using only a few essential oils and ingredients from your own kitchen with Organic Beauty with Essential Oil.

Praise for Organic Beauty With Essential Oil:

“Smart and easy recipes. Just love this book , makes life easy. Good recipes to follow and also healthy. So I don’t have to waste my money buying stuff full of chemicals. I just make them myself with organic ingredients”–Shirlmore, Amazon Reviewer

“I recently opened my own massage business. What I wanted to do was offer a service where I could use organic, soothing oils and lotions that would rejuvenate and refresh my clients all while allowing their bodies to absorb essential nutrients. Sure, I found products I could buy at stores that promised the same effects for a lot more money, but I would end up losing more then I was gaining. Then I found this book. I don’t know what I would’ve done without it. It was literally everything I was looking for. I was able to create all different types of massage oils: lemon-aloe, grape-fruit honey, the list goes on!. The best thing was that all these ingredients barely cost me anything! And I have so much fun experimenting with different ingredients! My clients love it and my business is booming! Couldn’t have done it without this.”–DJesus, Amazon Reviewer

” I’ve recently been having an issue with my body lotion and the soap I’ve been using. Every time I would get out the shower I’d itch and it was because the soap was too harsh on my skin and would remove all the natural oil from my body! Thank god for Rebecca Totilo. The best part is that the book doesn’t just stop at teaching you how to make your own soaps or body wash, you can also make your own mouthwash (the spearmint-aloe is INCREDIBLE) and lip balm! Literally everything that author Rebecca Totilo writes about are products that leave you feeling refreshed, clean and completed renewed! Now I’m itch free and loving my yogurt walnut facial scrub and my Rosewater night cream. Greatest book ever! Kid you not!”– Charlie “Reuben”, Amazon Reviewer

” How cool! Organic Beauty With Essential Oil made me a hero. My wife, who is into natural products and essential oils, has been hounding me to move away from “unnatural” remedies. Well…imagine her surprise when I came home with this book and was able to share with her some things she didn’t know. Now she’s confiscated the book and has fallen in love with the wealth of knowledge that is contained in the pages. Rebecca has a potential best seller on her hands and for those interested in a better life this is a must read!”–Chuck Gallagher, Amazon Reviewer

“This is a wonderful book and a superb guide to essential oils. The writer was very thorough and included recipes for skin, hair,mouth, feet, hands – let me say for every part of the body. The recipes are also easy to follow and come from things that are already in the home for eg., apple cider vinegar, mint leaves and witch hazel to name a few. I am new to making cosmetics so I wanted a book that would guide me to the use of the various essential oils – this book did not disappoint! All I wanted to know about essential oils was there. I can now tell the difference between fragrance oil and pure essential oil and also how to use them for my health and skin care. This book is a classic, a must have for everyone who wants to get in the organic skin care. Beautifully written and so easy to work with. It is one of my favourites.“-Esther, Amazon Reviewer

About Rebecca Park Totilo:

Rebecca Park Totilo’s flair and passion for life bursts into living color when she writes and speaks, as you will see in the visual way she presents herself. She literally believes in the “show, don’t tell” principle in everything she does. Becca has ministered to literally millions of people via television, radio and live appearances. She is an award-winning published author of over 40 books, including “Therapeutic Blending With Essential Oil”, “Heal With Essential Oil”, and “Through the Night With God.” Her credits include working as a contributor writer on two best-selling series (“Quiet Moments with God” and “Stories for the Teen’s Heart”) which sold over one million and five million copies respectively. She is also a freelance writer for several national magazines include Christian Parenting Today, Discipleship Journal and Woman’s World.

Rebecca’s photography work has appeared in numerous national magazines such as Woman’s World, Sports Spectrum, Evangel, and Sharing the Victory. But by far, her greatest accomplishment, if you asked her, is after a decade of rejection slips (with almost 150 in one year!), Rebecca hit it big in 1999, with over 13 books contracts, ranging from teaching curriculum to gift books and devotionals for adults. Truly, its her grit determination that makes her inspirational writings draw such a mass market appeal.

Rebecca graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1986 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Information Systems. In addition, she attended Faith Bible Institute in Richmond, Virginia for instruction in ministry and University of the Nations in Hawaii. She is also trained as a Clinical Aromatherapist and is an international educator offering online courses on the art of perfume-making and how to blend with essential oils worldwide on her website http://rebeccatotilo.com. Rebecca owns a cute soap boutique, Aroma Hut, near the beach in Florida where she practices as an Clinical Aromatherapist.

Rebecca won the Writer of the Year in Non-Fiction (National Writer’s Association)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.totilo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaTotilo
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/rebeccatotilo/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/107886342939364698718/posts?cfem=1

Buy Organic Beauty With Essential Oil:

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