New Release: Travel with a Purpose

Title: ALONG THE TEMPLAR TRAIL: Seven Million Steps for Peace
Author: Brandon Wilson
Paperback/Hardcover: 328 pages with 42 photos and maps
Publisher: Pilgrim's Tales, Inc.
Publish date: January 1, 2008
(now available to pre-order from Amazon.com)
ISBN: 9780977053681 9780977053698
Website:
Genre: Travel / Mind, Body, Spirit

Quotations from Richard Bangs and M. K. Gandhi

“[Along the Templar Trail is]A vivid and eye-opening blend of history, adventure, religion, mysticism and modern conflict. Brandon Wilson has crafted an exquisite chronicle of an obsessive journey where we are compelled to come to terms with the consequences of good intentions and bad politics. We cannot resist being swept along with the fervor of this quest. Wilson writes with extraordinary clarity, lyricism, sensitivity and grace. It is simply one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time, and one that proves that with the right combination of character and determination great things can be done, and the eyes of the world can be opened.” ~ Richard Bangs, world-adventurer, author/host of the PBS television series Richard Bangs' Adventures With Purpose, co-founder Mountain Travel Sobek


"A fascinating testimony of faith and gumption that inspired two men to take seven million steps for peace. A must read…" ~ Arun Gandhi, president, M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, University of Rochester, NY
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This book is coming in January 2008. It is avaialble for pre-order on Amazon now.
Visit: http://www.PilgrimsTales.com for excerpts, photos, movies, interviews and more.

Inspiration Through the Divine

Title: Miracle: the novel
Author: M.L. Bushman
Genre: Inspirational fiction
ISBN: 978-1-934340-55-4/1-934340-55-3
Rating: Five cups (highest possible)
Publisher: Jigsaw Press

Reviewed by Lettetia @ Coffee Time Romance

Carol Flannigan lost her fiancé through a suspicious accident. He was trampled to death by the horse he took so much pride in. Or was he really? Carol has lost faith with God, life, and with everything else in her life. Her father’s ranch is failing and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and all she can think of is ending it all. Rory Flannigan lost one of the very best horsemen when he lost his future son-in-law to a senseless accident. He has been praying for a miracle to help them find out what happened to Chase and to help his daughter overcome the numbing grief and suspicion clouding the ranch.

Micah Divine is a heavenly being on his latest mission. Overseen by Gabriel, he first encounters Carol when she flings herself off a cliff, only to be caught by Micah. He is not quite sure what to make of the human form and vocabulary, but one thing is certain; there is a killer at the Flannigan ranch. Kerry Penfield is in charge of the horses now that Chase is dead. Caught by Rory and Micah whipping a valuable stallion, he shows a vicious streak. When Micah shows him what a true “horse whisperer” really is, Kerry is reassigned to work as a plain ranch hand. Resentful, he is full of secrets and plans; is he responsible for the death of Chase? He is the only witness after all.

Micah, Carol, Rory and the hands all have their suspicions about the death of Chase, but it will take divine intervention to bring them healing and resolution. While Micah is becoming more adept at the nuances of human form, he is also on the trail of a killer. Will he discover who the villain is in time, or will someone else have to die first?

M.L. Bushman captures the essence of a spiritual being, flaws and all, with an impressive flair. Micah is indeed “Divine” and a much needed healing presence in the lives of so many wounded souls. The storyline kept a steady pace, with plenty of intrigue and tension to keep this reader turning pages to finish the story. Riveting, realistic, fascinating, witty and emotional; all of these add up to a whale of a tale that I will re-read again and again. Bravo, Ms. Bushman, Miracle is truly one of a kind!
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Lettetia
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance

Ever Felt You Were Dreaming the Truth?

When She Sleeps
By Leora Krygier
Published by Toby Press
Author's Website

Excerpted from the Library Journal

“This novel... uses the dualities of light and dark, dreaming and waking, and East and West to remarkable ends. The horror and disruption of war, never discussed directly, are instead made evident in the actions and interactions of the characters. A good literary look at the Vietnam War, this brings together the Vietnamese and the American perspective through the lens of divided families.”
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Library Journal reviews

Highway Hypodermics: Travel Nursing Explained

Title: Highway Hypodermics: Travel Nursing 2007
Author: Epstein LaRue, Rn, Bs
Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: Star Publish
Publised Date: January 1, 2007
ISBN-10: 1932993657
Author Website: www.epsteinlarue.com
Author E-mail: epi@epsteinlarue.com


So you think you might want to become a travel nurse, but you don't know the first thing about how to do it?

Epstein La Rue RN, BS, Travel Nurse will take you through all of the necessary steps in her latest book. Highway Hypodermics Travel Nursing 2007 explains it all in an easy to read fashion.

This book takes you inside travel nursing from many different vantage points and gives you the pros and cons of travel nursing, including how to home school your child while you travel. It is a terrific resource for all travel nurses.

Highway Hypodermics Travel Nursing 2007 is a terrific resource for anyone considering travel nursing. Ms. LaRue even takes you inside the travel agency to explain the roles of the admin. staff.

Most of the top travel nursing agencies are critiqued quite honestly and fairly, and the perks and the pitfalls of travel nursing explained with finesse and a great sense of humor.

A multitude of travel nurses share their stories and experiences as well. This book covers it all from A to Z. It is a MUST read for anyone thinking about becoming a travel nurse.
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Reviewed by Kathy Quan RN, BSN, PHN, author of THE EVERYTHING NEW NURSE BOOK and THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO CAREERS IN HEALTH CARE, both published through Adams Media. She is also the author of articles published in About Nursing and is the guide for About Nursing, a New York Times Company. Used by permission.

For Authors: On Covers, Queries, Spacing, Agents and More

From Christy's Bookshelf at Midwest Review

The Frugal Editor
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Red Engine Press
Branson, MO
ISBN 9780978515874
$18.95

Reviewed by Christy Tillery French for Midwest Book Review


As the literary market continues to tighten its proverbial belt, today's writer must assume more of the responsibilities surrounding book publishing than ever before. No longer can a writer depend on a publisher or agent to accept a manuscript in need of editing, and submitting a manuscript that isn't as near perfect as possible will, in all probability, result in rejection. To the rescue comes acclaimed author Carolyn Howard-Johnson with The Frugal Editor, the latest in her How to Do It Frugally series.

This little gem is a must-have for any writer, published or not, bestselling or unknown. Filled with valuable tips, The Frugal Editor touches on all aspects of self-editing, such as how to spot common grammatical errors, from superfluous adverbs to confusing dangling participles, as well as how to organize the workspace, format the manuscript, and use Word's tools to the fullest. Also included are sample query and cover letters, and pointers on correcting intrusive taglines, when to use an ellipsis, and correct spacing, to name a few. The book takes the reader step-by-step through the editing process, from rough draft to galley. No questions are left unanswered, no topics left uncovered. This generous writer goes so far as to recommend resources through other books and websites, with plenty of advice from agents and editors.

The Frugal Editor is one of those reference books every writer should have by their computer for constant use and study. Highly recommended.

Publisher Recommends Frugal Promoter to Contest Entrants, Those Seeking Publisher

Nov. 6, 2007 -- Jared D. Vineyard, publisher for J. D. Vine Publications and Editor of The Creative Writer, an anthology of winning stories, recommended the Frugal Editor on his blog today. He says, "If you want to be a professional writer, your work must be of a professional caliber. The Frugal Editor by Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a book that could help writers of all skill levels increase the professionalism of their copy. Reading and using the techniques in this book could make the difference of not being accepted for publication in the Creative Writer or becoming the series next Featured Author."

For the complete blog entry go to http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=153595515.

Stop by Jared blog and feel free to leave a comment.

The Frugal Editor is Best Book in USA Book News writing and publication category.

Silent Generation No Longer Silent: A Blessing, Not a Lack of Patriotism

BEYOND PELELIU
By Peter Baird
Ravenhawk Books, 2006

Reviewed by John Kane for the Denver Post (Permission given to reprint by the reviewer.)

In September 1944, 45,000 U.S. marines and soldiers attacked the tiny Japanese held island of Peleliu in the Palau Islands. The attack served no useful military purpose and was based on faulty intelligence that the island was lightly defended and its capture would take just days. More than 13,000 Japanese troops fought with suicidal intensity for over a month; fewer than 2,000 of them survived. Eighteen hundred American troops were killed and another 8,000 wounded.

BEYOND PELELIU is the fictional story of one American who returned. More than that, it is the story of how the carnage of war resonates through generations to affect the son he barely knew, and his son’s eventual relationships with his own wife and children. Peter Baird’s powerful and sensitive tale exposes how the Greatest Generation and its successor, the Silent Generation, were affected by a war from which even those who returned in body never really came home.

Tom McQuade is a surgical resident in Boston married to an exotic woman, Virginia, with a newborn son, David, when Pearl Harbor ends their idyllic life. Drafted and made a captain in the Army Medical Corps, Tom goes ashore at Peleliu. He returns to his family crippled in body and spirit. With his hand shattered, his promise as a surgeon becomes a bitter memory.

To Virginia’s consternation, Tom refuses to discuss what happened at Peleliu, but it has changed him irrevocably. His anger and frustration lead to drinking and an inevitable divorce. Virginia and David move on with their lives.

Forty years later, David is a successful trial lawyer in San Francisco. Like his father he is a warrior, but his battlefield is the courtroom and it, too, is strewn with casualties.

After Virginia dies and Tom has entered the early stages of dementia, father and son reconnect. For the first time, the jaded lawyer with a briefcase full of courtroom triumphs and failed relationships learns the awful secret of what happened to his father on Peleliu and experiences the liberating force of truth.

What became of the sons of the Greatest Generation? Although the Silent Generation did not go to war, many of its members were indelibly shaped by the effect of war on parents who tried to pick up the pieces of shattered lives and couldn’t. All boys develop an ideal father – a hero who rescues them, a template for their own development into men. Those whose fathers go to war create particularly potent ideals for the absent parent, who rarely measures up if he indeed returns. Until a boy comes to grips with the reality of who his father is, without the need to idealize and the consequent betrayal of that ideal, he cannot become a man. David McQuade’s reconciliation with Tom enables both men to become fully realized.

BEYOND PELELIU goes far beyond the faulty intelligence of a disastrous battle and the psychological carnage that afflicted a father and son. It is the story of redemption that comes from embracing the truth that lies at a parent’s core. It is also the story of practicing a profession with external success, but devoid of meaning. Only by embracing truth in all circumstances can David become more than the shell of a man. Indeed, only by embracing the truth can he himself become a hero.

Baird’s style is spare and clean, expressed in short paragraphs blissfully free of adverbs and adjectives. His prose is characterized by strong nouns and active verbs reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver. His attention to detail in describing every scene and event make the development of each character natural, credible and consistent with the plot. His use of dialogue is masterful.

It is not surprising that Baird, a prominent trial lawyer, describes the work of lawyers with such authenticity, but the medical aspects and the battle scenes are equally well done. The demons of war infuse them all. There is not a dull passage in the narrative; it moves like a rocket to its thudding and entirely human conclusion.

Readers of any generation will understand themselves better and share in the experience of real and memorable characters. In BEYOND PELELIU Baird speaks to and for the Silent Generation. We can be grateful that it is silent no more.