Author Shares Expat Ideas from Costa Rica

Title:  Retiring in Costa Rica or Doctors, Dogs or Pura Vida

Author:  Helen Dunn Frame

Website:  www.helendunnframe.com

Category: Self-help (part of doing due diligence for retirement)ISBN:  9781479126095

Amazon Author's Page with second edition: https://www.amazon.com/author/helendunnframe.com 

 

Reviewed by Margaret Hegboum

 

Helen Dunn Frame's extensive background traveling and living abroad eminently qualifies her to advise on what it takes to "do it right." Although it's been said that there's no teacher like experience, getting a first-hand account of life in Costa Rica from an intelligent, experienced, and articulate source such as this writer runs a very close second. Consistent with my own much more limited experience (I lived in France for a year), her emphasis that having the right attitude: willingness to adapt, to learn the language and to keep an open mind, is indispensable to making a success of living in a foreign country, is right on the mark. It certainly made all the difference for me. The same thing is true for her admonition that in essence moving to "paradise" isn't going to magically "fix" everything if you have problems you're trying to escape dealing with. In other words, be realistic in your expectations.

 

The book, Retiring in Costa Rica or Doctors, Dogs and Pura Vida, is exhaustively researched, comprehensive and detailed-chock full of information, with scores of references on where to go to find more. The uninitiated visitor/immigrant could stumble and fumble around the country for weeks or months and still not succeed in acquiring the wealth of knowledge contained in this book. It's a tremendous head start on understanding how life "works" in CR. In addition, there are interesting anecdotes, warmth, and humor. The author's affection for Costa Rica and its people ("warts and all") shines through - tempered with a healthy dose of practicality. Reading the book is a bit like having an enjoyable conversation with a good friend over coffee. I had a hard time laying it down.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helen Dunn Frame
Retiring in Costa Rica or Doctors, Dogs and Pura Vida (Second Edition); Greek Ghosts  Website: www.helendunnframe.com   Author's Page:  https://www.amazon.com/author/helendunnframe.com  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RetiringInCostaRicaOrDoctorsDogsAndPuraVida

 

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Book Tour for Council of LIght Gets You Freebies with Order

The Council of Light: Divine Transmissions for Manifesting the Deepest Desires of the Soul
 by bestselling author Danielle Rama Hoffman.

 

Submitted by Denise Cassino    

 

I've found a book I think you'll really enjoy and find very beneficial.  It's The Counil of Light: Divine Transmissions for Manifesting the Deepest Desires of the Soul by bestselling author Danielle Rama Hoffman.    

 

Order your copy today and receive exciting gifts from 60 amazing transformational leaders, including a fabulous bonus from me! 

 

Click here for more information, free gifts and ordering

(www.counciloflightbook.com)

 The book brings you:

· Galactic teachings and practices to raise your vibrational energy and create a life of joy, abundance, and ease 

· Provides direct transmissions of spiritual technology from the Council of Light to activate the 11 Rays of Light 

· Reveals that by shifting your consciousness and raising your inner vibration, you can change your daily life experience and manifest the life you want 

· Includes guided journeys and exercises to manifest health, wealth, happiness, and purpose and to form a direct connection with the Council of Light 

Through her advanced spiritual work with Thoth, Danielle was introduced to the Council of Light—an intergalactic group of thousands of light beings from across the Multiverse. Their purpose is to support individuals as they shift into Unity Consciousness and return to their natural state of joy. The Council transmitted the teachings in this book for those seeking to accelerate their journey toward health, wealth, happiness, and their soul’s deepest desires. 

Here's what Dr. Pat Bacilli has to say about the book:

Danielle has done it again! The Council of Light invites us to live in the space that is our Divine Birthright, JOY. This is more than a book—it is an experience! It is one of the much-needed reads of our time to move beyond fear, shame, guilt, and blame. This book is transformative for anyone who chooses a life of happiness and abundance."

~Pat Bacilli, PhD, host of The Dr. Pat Show

Offering an opportunity to form a direct connection with the Council of Light, this book provides practical tools to move from a life of worry, debt, exhaustion, and isolation to one of joy, abundance, purpose, ease, and connectedness, with a team of Divine supporters to assist you along the way.

 

When you are connected to your expanded self you are in tune with the larger picture of your life--of your soul's evolution, of your past experiences, of having purpose, and of everything that has happened in your life being the best thing that could have ever happened. It is this expanded state that allows you to be neutral enough to decide that everything in your life is good and is a reason for joy. 

Sonia Choquette, author of Trust Your Vibes and the New York Times Bestseller The Answer Is Simple says:

 

"The Council of Light is a brilliant gift from the Universe to all those who are ready to heal their hearts, receive the blessings of love and abundance, and elevate their human experience to a divine level. I loved it and so will you."

 

And, if you order the book today, you'll receive more than 60 downloadable bonus gifts from many of Danielle's gifted colleagues.

 

​ 

Click here for more information, free gifts & ordering

​​

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Children's Book on Love Inspiring

Title: How Long Will You Love Me?

Author & Illustrator: Patti Brassard Jefferson
Publisher: Halo Publishing, Int.
Genre: Children's book
ISBN Number:  ISBN: 9781612441658
Publication Date: June 2013
BONUS: Each page also has a heart drawn in it somewhere. While they are not very difficult to find, the search will also take the reader through some of the other subtle jokes such as a banner behind the bunny band that promotes Carrot-oke or a whale who's reading Moby Dick on the beach.

Places where available for sale:

                www.howlongwillyouloveme.com

                www.halopublishing.com/bookstore

                http://www.amazon.com/author/pbj

                www.bn.com

Author Website:  www.HowLongWillYouLoveMe.com

Blog Address: www.1crayonshort.blogspot.com
Twitter URL: pbjmosaic
Facebook URL: facebook.com/pbrassard
Facebook Fan Page URL: facebook.com/howlongwillyouloveme

 

What started as a single drawing for a Valentine's Day card, has slowly, but oh so surely, become Jefferson’s debut book.

About the Book:

Whether it's a question from a child to a parent or an adult to their significant other, the question “How long will you love me?” probably gets asked more than you think...even if it just stays in your head and you are the only one who hears it. Patti Brassard Jefferson's creative first book starts with the question and each page gives a warm, rhythmic reassurance --- "I promise I will love you 'til..." It's the perfect book to read to someone to let them know your love is endless.

So, just how long WILL I love you? The answer is perfectly clear in this book!

EXCERPT:

"I promise I will love you

'til the oceans turn to sand

and all the whales and  dolphins

are laying out to tan."

 

BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rURvHEDnCfM

 

About the Author:  Patti Brassard Jefferson lives under a palm tree in sunny Florida with her husband, Ken and their 2 rescued mutts. How Long Will You Love Me is the first children's book that PBJ has written and illustrated. She began drawing when she was a little girl and forgot to stop when she grew up. She thinks doodling is a lost art and has a special place in her heart for the smell of a new box of crayons.

More details:  Patti Brassard was born in upstate NY in 1962 but moved with her military family to Virginia when she was 11 years old. She always loved art in school but never gave a thought to making it a career until she started college in 1980. With no idea where a Fine Arts degree would take her, she instead studied Media Arts Advertising and after graduation, started her own graphic design company so that she could continue to be a work-at-home mother to her daughter Nikki.

It was while Nikki was learning to read that Patti mocked up her first book aimed at teaching pre-readers the alphabet. She only shared it with her daughter and her kindergarten class. It was very well received but Patti never pursued the project any further.

Over the following years Patti opened a paint-it-yourself pottery studio and got back to being involved in more artistic endeavors. In  2010, she remarried and added Jefferson to her name: Patti Brassard Jefferson.  They moved to the Florida Keys with their two rescued dogs, Marley & Mollie, and she opened an art gallery.

While in Florida, she decided to dust off unfinished children's book project that she had put on the shelf. It had started as a Valentines card years before and had morphed into the beginning of a book. Over the next 2 years, Patti worked on the illustrations and adding more pages. It was finished in October 2012 but she had no idea what the next step was. A friend and fellow author had just self-published a novel so Patti did some research.  She decided to start a Kick Starter campaign to raise the funds necessary to self-publish her book. The campaign launched in April of 2013 and funded 30 days later. She signed with Halo Publishing International and the book was released in June!

You can find out more about Patti Brassard Jefferson, her work and World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/pxvhsc7

Submitted byVirginia S Grenier 

Founder & Partner, 

World of Ink Network

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com

Bringing Authors and Readers Together

http://worldofinknetwork.com

Office: 435-625-1743

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook

Award-winning Author & Editor

http://vsgrenier.com 

Member of League of Utah Writers/HWG chapter

http://heritagewriters.tripod.com

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Maggy Downey "Fell in Love" with This Book!

 

 

Title: The Girl Who Could Fly

Author: Victoria Forrester

http://www.victoriaforester.com/home.html

ISBN: 0312602383

Reviewer Name: Maggy Downey

Link: http://maggydowney.blogspot.ca/

Originally published: http://maggydowney.blogspot.ca/

Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Who-Could-Fly/dp/0312602383

Genre of book: Children, fantasy

Hooray for the Girl How Could Fly

Let me start off by saying Victoria Forrester is an exceptional storyteller.

Eleven-year-old Piper McCloud lives in Lowland County on a farm. She has been gifted with the extraordinary ability to fly since birth.

When Piper learns about her unique talent she decides to hone her God-given gift by flying from her parent’s roof top.  That is until her parents learn about it and put a complete stop to it, well they tried to anyway.  But like any tenacious child that went in one ear and came out the other. ‘How could she stop flying? She was made for this,’ Piper thought.

However, when the people in Lowland County learn about this the gossip mill goes so far out that it reaches the headquarters of the Institute of Normalcy, Stability, And Non-Exceptionality (I.N.S.A.N.E), a government institute for children with extraordinary talents. Naturally, Piper becomes the latest recruit to join this talented pool of children.

Happy to be surrounded with children like herself, Piper settles into her new life at I.N.S.A.N.E. But just before she becomes all-too comfortable, her fairy-tale world begins to crumble, leaving her with shattered dreams and an urgency to get back home to her once simple life.

This story is so gorgeous and rich with quality writing. I could not put this book down. Each page came to life for me. It is a turn pager for sure.  I fell absolutely in love with the children, especially Conrad. There was a poignant part in the book that just left my heart broken in two. 

I highly recommend The Girl Who Could Fly for children both young and young at heart.

I hope she makes this into a series.

 

SUBMITTED BY Maggy Downey.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Lisen Minetti Reviews Paranormal Romance

Title: Fallen Redemption

Author: RB Austin
Author's Website: http://rbaustin.com
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1-61935-260-5
Link to Purchase Book: http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Redemption-Trihune-Series-ebook/dp/B00E49OQ12/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381662190&sr=8-1&keywords=fallen+redemption

Reviewer by Lisen Minetti originally for her blog 

Synopsis:

Cade committed himself to saving lives before he learned the full consequences of his life-altering decision. It wasn’t until he was tending his sick wife that he learned the enormity of what he’d done and he was unable to save her from the monster he had become. Consumed with guilt and praying for absolution, he threw himself into killing every Fallen he could find to save the humans he’d sworn to protect. But then Emma, deliciously mortal and completely forbidden, swept into his world, stirring an overpowering desire. Now he’s not only fighting soulless creatures, but also his inner cravings, trying to maintain his distance and continue on his path to forgiveness. He can’t afford to lose control again and sacrifice another love.

Review:

In her debut novel, RB Austin has taken a subject that has been done to death and breathed new life into it. In a world where we have millions of books to read and ideas are no longer new, this is extremely difficult, but she does it with ease.

For me, this was far less a novel about vampires than it was about the internal struggles of Cade as he battles centuries worth of regret only to question everything he knows when meets Emma. RB’s writing shines in her depiction of Cade’s inner conflict and his journey to overcome it. Emotions swirl and I was sucked into his turmoil, and his uncertainty, right along with him.

And then there is Emma. Spunky, strong-willed Emma. I have found in most romance novels, the leading lady never truly stops to question why she is falling fast for her hero. Not so much with Emma. She wonders every minute what the hell is wrong with her. Whereas Cade is busy dealing with his centuries of fear and doubt, Emma questions her sanity at every turn when she is confronted with Cade’s world and any feelings she may have for him. And I love that about her. She is not one of those sappy female characters who swoon and flutter for the man – jabbing her finger into his chest while giving him a piece of her mind is more her style.

The interaction between them, and between Cade and the rest of his brothers (the Trihune) is engaging to say the least, and I really hope that RB explores those secondary characters more in her next book.

Of course, Fallen Redemption is not all about the feelings that have sparked between Cade and Emma – Cade and his brothers still have to worry about saving the souls of the humans around them from the Fallen, including dealing with a force stronger than they have ever encountered before.

I know earlier that I said this was a novel about vampires, but I think just leaving it at that sells the story short. When I think of vampire novels, the same old images are conjured up – evil blood sucking fiends allergic to sunlight and garlic that have a penchant for hunting the innocent. Or the opposite: the Stephenie Meyer induced phenomena of sparkly teenage vampires who just want to be normal(ish).

RB has created a universe where her characters are nothing like this. In fact, she almost never refers to the Trihune as vampires – she only uses the word six times in the entire novel. I personally wouldn’t even consider it a book about vampires. Because really it isn’t. Two forces of immortal beings fighting against one another in the ultimate battle of good vs evil – light vs dark; yes. Vampires, not so much.

I highly suggest giving this book a read, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

If you want to connect with RB Austin you can find her on her blog, 2unpublishedgirls, which she co-writes with her sister. In fact, that’s where I first found her – which then inspired me to go get her book. You can also find her on Goodreads, or even better go right to Amazon, where her book is for sale, currently for $2.99 (less than you’ll spend on coffee this week! And it will last longer too!)

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

RB Austin
www.rbaustin.com 
Creating worlds in which love transcends the normal
FALLEN REDEMPTION, available NOW, published by Soul Mate Publishing
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Crystal J. Casavant-Otto Reviews Swimming with Maya

Title: Swimming With Maya
Author: Eleanor Vincent
Author's Webssite (Link): http://www.eleanorvincent.com/
Genre/Category:  Family Relationships / Motherhood / Memoir / Loss / Organ Donation
Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Swimming-Maya-Mothers-Story-ebook/dp/B00BCMCUX0/
ISBN-10:  0988439042

Swimming with Maya appeared on my TBR (to be read) pile toward the end of my pregnancy. The memoir was said to be "heartbreaking and heart-healing," but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to handle the heartbreaking part under the circumstances. I picked up Swimming with Maya and put it down after a few pages. I loved the story but was fearful of how I might deal with the loss and heartache Eleanor had to endure. Vincent’s writing and her triumphant spirit kept pulling me back in. I was so drawn in by the heart-healing part of the story that I found myself enjoying the memoir so much I couldn’t put it down.

No parent wants to think of the unthinkable death of a child; and yet each of us does. We don’t want anything to happen to our children, and yet as we carry them we fear miscarriage, after they are born we worry about sudden infant death syndrome, then there are school shootings, traffic accidents, etc… since death is a fact of life, we encounter thoughts and fears of loss each and every day. Eleanor Vincent raised her two daughters, Maya and Meghan, virtually as a single-parent and in my opinion this makes the mother-daughter bond even stronger.

It’s impossible to imagine what Eleanor Vincent was feeling when her 19 year old daughter, Maya falls from a horse and is left in a coma which eventually took her life. Eleanor's made the courageous decision to donate Maya's organs. Eleanor uses her difficult situation and Maya’s death to tell an inspirational and motivational story and Eleanor is even stronger (as is the reader) at the end of the story.

Swimming with Maya was more about triumph than I had imagined. I was thankful to have read through the difficult times to see the memorable and motivational message. I admire Eleanor Vincent for being able to put her story down on paper for all to read. I cannot imagine the tears that were shed as she relived those moments that would forever change her life. Thank you to Eleanor, Maya, and Dream of Things Publishing for sharing this triumphant story with readers everywhere. My personal thanks to Eleanor for writing in such a way the healing is more pronounced than the hurt – it was this reason alone I was able to read and finish Swimming with Maya.  

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Author, Speaker, and Life Coach Pens Memoir

Book Title: Bringing in Finn

Author: Sara Connell (Seal Press Pub. October 2013)
Genre: Memoir / Family
WOW! Blog Tour Dates: 10/21/2013-11/21/2013
Book Hashtag: #BIFinn
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Seal Press (August 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580054102
ASIN: B00BJYM6IU

 

Book Summary:   Bringing in Finn is an incredibly moving story of surrogacy and how it created a bond like no other between a mother and daughter


In February 2011, 61-year-old Kristine Casey delivered the greatest gift of all to her daughter, Sara Connell: Sara’s son, Finnean. At that moment, Kristine—the gestational carrier of Sara and her husband Bill’s child—became the oldest woman ever to give birth in Chicago.  Bringing in Finn: An Extraordinary Surrogacy Story  tells this modern family’s remarkable surrogacy story.

After trying to conceive naturally without success, Sara and her husband Bill dedicated years to a variety of fertility treatments—but after Sara lost a third pregnancy (including the loss of twins at twenty-two weeks), they started to give up their hope. When Kristine offered to be their surrogate, they were shocked; but Kristine was clear that helping Sara become a mother felt like a calling, something she felt inspired to do.


In this achingly honest memoir, Connell recounts the tragedy and heartbreak of losing pregnancies; the process of opening her heart and mind to the idea of her sixty-one-year-old mother carrying her child for her; and the profound bond that blossomed between mother and daughter as a result of their unique experience together.


Bringing in Finn is the true story of a couple who wanted nothing more than to have a family and a mother who would do anything for her daughter. After unsuccessfully trying to conceive naturally, years of fertility treatments, miscarriage and a late term loss of twins, Sara and Bill Connell were emotionally and financially depleted and at a loss as to how they could have a family. When Sara’s mother Kristine offered to be their surrogate, the three embark on the journey that would culminate in Finnean’s miraculous birth and complete a transformation of their at-one-time strained mother-daughter relationship. - See more at: http://www.saraconnell.com/books/#sthash.2dbPO5eJ.dpuf

Bringing in Finn is the true story of a couple who wanted nothing more than to have a family and a mother who would do anything for her daughter. After unsuccessfully trying to conceive naturally, years of fertility treatments, miscarriage and a late term loss of twins, Sara and Bill Connell were emotionally and financially depleted and at a loss as to how they could have a family. When Sara’s mother Kristine offered to be their surrogate, the three embark on the journey that would culminate in Finnean’s miraculous birth and complete a transformation of their at-one-time strained mother-daughter relationship. - See more at: http://www.saraconnell.com/books/#sthash.2dbPO5eJ.dpuf

Author Bio:


Sara Connell is an author, speaker, and life coach with a private practice in Chicago. She is a frequent contributor in the media and has appeared on Oprah, NPR, WGN, FOX News Chicago- upcoming: Good Morning America, Nightline an The View. Sara's writing has been featured in: Elle Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, Psychobabble, Evolving Your Spirit and Mindful Metropolis magazines. Her first book- Bringing in Finn; an Extraordinary Surrogacy story- nominated for Book of the Year 2012 by Elle Magazine- is Sara's first book. (Sept 4, 2012 Seal Press)

Finding Sara online:

http://www.saraconnell.com

http://www.saraconnell.com/blog

https://www.facebook.com/SaraConnellAuthorSpeakerCoach 

https://twitter.com/saracconnell 

 

List of Guest Post Topics----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.