Genre: Self-Help
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
ISBN:0741458195

Mike was born in the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado 43 years ago. He has lived all around this beautiful world of ours, from Europe to Alaska, to his current home in the Middle East. His education is that of the experiences lifegives and school is far from being out for him. He is a lover of life, a life adventurist. He loves to travel, meet new people, and experience new cultures. He has been given a great opportunity to see life in a different light and wishes to share this with you.

Here is Mike in his own words:

This is a challenge for me to write. I’m not accustomed to writing about myself. I am a newly published author who believes in the best this life has. I’m a positive energy that is always willing to help those that seek out my help. I am an enabler, a catalyst that’s willing to set the bonfire of your soul aflame. I am nobody.. and yet I am everyone. I have the same feeling, the same hopes, the same desires, and the same dreams you do. Perhaps the one difference is my burning desire to help others come alive to find the dreams once held in my heart. My intent is to help as many people as I possibly can, to bring joy to as many lives as I can, and to empower as many people as I can to find the life of dreams again… My life has been comprised of experience, experiences that have lead me to this point in my life. I wish to share what it is that I have learned along the way so tthat we all will enjoy the time we have.

1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

For me writing early in the morning in a sun drenched window is the best place to be. The house is quiet and most of the time my mind is still empty of “other “distracting thoughts which allows me to let the writing flow. I get my pot of coffee going, gather my pad of paper and half dozen different colored pens and I just start with what comes to mind and go from there

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I get my pot of coffee going, gather my pad of paper and half dozen different colored pens and I just start with what comes to mind and go from there

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from my the experiences of my past, my travels, my determination to live every day of my life to its fullest and to inspire as many people as I can do the same.

4: Do you set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?

Nike’s slogan comes to mind…, “Just Do It!” Don’t worry about the rules, don’t worry about what people say, don’t worry about anything, just write from your soul. Let all the details work themselves out. If you don’t know how to do something the only way to know how is to “Just Do It.” Don’t let the fear of failure get in your way, everyone that is successful has fail.., everyone… It’s the way you look at things that will determine where you will go in life… Are there boulders that stand in your way or are they stepping stones to the life you wish to live, if you want the life of your dreams then you already know the answer…

5: Being a self published author how do you come up with your cover art?

I wanted the cover art to be as simple as possible.  I am a minimalist and I wanted the art to reflect this.Living in Asia, I have the greatest respect for other cultures.  I chose, the color blue for my book cover because blue according to Feng Shui has yin energy. It is calm and soothing. This color has great significance in Feng Shui as it reflects love as it heals and relaxes. Blue creates a feeling of peace and trust. Since it is the color of the sea and sky, Feng Shui associates it with adventure and exploration. Navy blue is the color of intellect and wisdom.

6: What drives you to chose the career of being a writer?

It’s always been a goal of mine to write a book, but couldn’t find a direction until I just started writing and going with the flow. I’ve been writing for ten years mostly in journals I have kept. This is my first published work though and I am excited about reaching this milestone I set for myself.

7: Do you own an ebook reading devise?

Not at this time.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

I’ve always been an avid reader, but I’ve always preferred reading to learn something as opposed to just reading for entertainment. In this pursuit I started to read about Leonardo DaVinci, Nikola Tesla, Steven Hawking, and others. I was reading Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, Wayne Dryer, Deepak Copra.  Right now I am reading: David Hawkins Power Vs. Force.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

I think video book trailers are great.  They work for movies so why not books.  I do not have one yet, but I plan to have one made soon.

10: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I’m in the final steps of finishing another book as I write this. I would like to continue to write in a way that will help people find their dreams, find their true calling in life and become a positive energy for those around them.

Arlene Crenshaw

Twelve Roses for Uretta

Genre: Fiction/Domestic Abuse
Publisher: Lulu
Copyright: March, 2010

Welcome Arlene Crenshaw who bravely deals with the topic of domestic Abuse.

Arlene is a 48 yr woman with one son and two grandchildren. She raised her son on her own. They struggled for many years but made it.  She feels blessed in so many ways. She lost her job about a year ago for something that was not her fault.  It’s been difficult, finding work, and she prayed everyday for God to help her find something in this world she woud enjoy doing. In a dream a voice came upon her (God) and said to her. “You are here for a purpose and it is to write and inspire people.”  Something she did all her life…inspire people, who would think that she would be writing novels today.  Dreams do come true if you believe.

What drew you to write in your current genre?

“Twelve Roses for Uretta” It started out for me away of getting old memories out of my system, it was a healing process.  It had gotten to the point in my life that I needed to let go of all the bad memories that were embedded within me in order to move on and take charge of my life.  The story brought out things about me that I had carried within myself for most of my life and had never dealt with. The more I wrote and cried, the more things came out about my past.  It was time to deal with it.  It was time to get it all out and the story ended up turning into a novel of my life growing up with my mother.

How many novels have you written to date and are they all in the same genre? I’ve written a total of 3 novels so far.  My 2nd novel will be out the end of July of 2010 and the 3rd I will be putting it out there the end of this year, 2010. My first novel is a true story the next to follow are all fiction. One is about hidden secrets and the other will be a kid’s book.

How much time do you spent on plotting etc before you start writing? Well I don’t spend a lot of time plotting I just sit down to my computer, say a little prayer before I write then I began to write, and my story just comes to life for me.

Where do you do most of your writing? Alone, in a little room in my home just me and my computer.

5.  Looking back, what is the worst thing you have ever written? A letter I wrote to my father when I was about 9-10 years old, my father didn’t live with me and mother. So one day I just decide to write him a letter. While writing him this letter I just couldn’t think of anything to say to him, I just wanted to send him a letter from me. So in the letter I did write I kept repeating myself throughout the entire letter. Once my dad received the letter he called me and told me that if I wrote him another letter I needed to say more and write more than a paragraph.  Then he said the letter he received was a waste of stamp, envelope and paper.

Tell us about your latest release. “Twelve Roses for Uretta” This is a true story of a mother’s struggle with domestic violence, while trying to raise her eight children. The story is told through the eyes of her daughter (Erica) who carried the burden of not being able to help her mother because she was too young.  Erica also had her own private secret she was hiding.  Erica never was able to tell her mother her secret before her mother’s untimely death.

7.  How can your readers keep up with your news?  mscrenshawsbooks.com. Also I’m on Blogger,  saphire48@blogger.com and Facebook:  arlenecrenshaw@facebook.com everyday doing what I call “My quote of the day.” How do you deal with rejection letters? So, far I haven’t received any, but I understand people have their opinions and they have a right to them.

What do you think about celebrities writing book? I think it’s great!

Here is a blog about domestic abuse written by Arlene:

Domestic Violence (love shouldn’t hurt)

What is it about hurting someone that you claim you love? There are women and children that suffer everyday by the hands of someone who claims that they love them. There are women who are preyed upon daily by men who want to control every aspect of their lives.

Some of these women who find themselves in situation like these are women who at some point in their life dealt with some form of mental or physical abuse.There are men that prey on these types of women. They look and seek out women who can’t protect themselves. They look for women that are venerable in many areas in there life. Such as loneliness, low self-esteem, mental or even physical problems.

Why do they do what they do?  I’d say “control,” abuse is abuse and no one has to tolerate this type of treatment from anyone.  Love shouldn’t hurt; domestic violence is a big problem in our world today.Not only are women suffering but children suffer as well. What a women may go through who has children, then children hearing and watching their mother being abused effects these children in ways that it can follow them for the rest of their live.

Results from seeing these types of behavior are daughter growing up with dominant men controlling and abusing them, and sons growing up being abusers.

I feel everyone who is in a relationship deserves to be treated with the utmost respect. Children should be able to sleep at night, learn and play throughout the daytime. We all as individual look forward to being in healthy relationships, not dysfunctional relationship and if you are in a relationship that isn’t healthy remember love doesn’t hurt. “Stop and put an end to Domestic Violence.”

55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom
Volumes I and II.

Genre: Non-fiction/Education/technology
Publisher: Structured Learning
Copyright: 2009 by Jacqui Murray

Jacqui Murray was born in Berkley California to Irish-German parents. After receiving a BA in Economics, a BA in Russian and an MBA, she went to work–days in the typical eight-to-five business world and evenings teaching classes at community colleges–and raised her two children while writing in free moments, usually between the hours of eleven and two a.m. After twenty years, her son and daughter safely attending college, she quit her job, joined the faculty of a local school teaching computer science and pursued her writing in earnest.

She’s the author of the career book for college-bound teens called Building a Midshipman: How to Crack the USNA Application (the real-life adventure of her daughter’s journey from confused teen to midshipman at the US Naval Academy) and a series of eight computer workbooks for grades K-8. She won the Southern California Writers Conference Outstanding Fiction Award for her upcoming techno-thriller, To Hunt a Sub (excerpt available on Scribd.com). Reviewers laud her novel as ’strongly written’ with ‘interesting and unique plot hooks’. She currently writes a column on tech tips for Examiner.com and is working on an ebook of tech tips for the non-geek. She lives in Laguna Hills CA with her husband, adult son and two beautiful Labradors.

The two-volume 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom is part of Jacqui Murray’s eight-volume comprehensive tech ed series geared for both the classroom teacher and the homeschooler. They include one hundred and ten simple-to-follow projects that integrate technology into language arts, geography, history, science as well as life skills such as problem solving, research and critical thinking, using student-centered lessons that meet NETS-S national guidelines and many state standards. Each project includes software required, time involved, suggested experience level, subject area supported, tech jargon, step-by-step lessons, extensions to dig deeper, troubleshooting tips, reproducibles, grading rubrics and many samples. Software used in the lessons includes Microsoft Office, Google Earth, keyboarding, email, Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, internet start pages, social bookmarking and photo storage), Photoshop and Celestia. Also included is an Appendix of over 200 age-appropriate child-friendly websites. Skills taught include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, creativity, digital citizenship, information fluency, presentation, and technology concepts. In short, these two volumes include everything you need to integrate technology into the twenty-first century classroom. See the publisher’s website at structuredlearning.net for free downloads, access to their virtual classroom, help from their on staff tech teacher (via her blog) and more details.

Click on Jackie’s name above to get to her website and vlick on the book title to purchase the book on Amazon.  You can also purchase it on her website or a pdf version on scribd.com.

Three Lovers. Two Species.  One Way to Survive.

Set in Alaska in 2060, when April enters her Sophomore year at University, she thought Robert might be the love of her life, but as she discovers, she is hiding something inside her, something the rest of the world believes to have died out. She struggles with who she was and who she is  becoming as she learns of a family she never knew existed and of enemies she will have to outrun, outfight or outwit to survive. As April embraces her new identity, will she have to leave the life she leaves the life she loves behind?With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through  the pages of April’s story. http://amiblackwelder.com All the purchase links are at  her  site, including kindle and prints.

About the Author

Teacher. Writer. Blogger. BA in English. Lived in Asia for 8 years. Love Thailand. Love storytelling.I write historical and paranormal romances that focus on the forbidden aspects of passionate love. Here class, culture, religion, time, death, and species differences are all obstacles. Amy writes prolifically.  She has done an exciting futuristic book called Rain.  It  is very well conceived and has originally drawings.  Rain is the protagonist in the book, and she can kick some serious butt.  The drawings are very colorful.  Ami  is very talented and has an original mind.  She is very generous to other authors by hosting the virtual tours,  writing reviews and  putting them on her site.  She also does book give aways for the authors. Ami is giving away one limited edition copy of The Hunted of 2060 to the person who makes the most interesting comment on this blog.  She can’t wait to respond to interested readers.

Unbreakable Hostage

Loving Her

Imperfect

Genre: Mystery/Romance/Suspense
Publisher: Vanilla Heart Books and Authors

We are happy to welcome L. E.  Harvey to our Virtual Tour Stop.  Here we are spotlighting three of her books.  Please ask questions and comment, L.E. will be happy to respond.  Click on the author’s name to visit her website and click on her book titles above to purchase her books.

Bio

A fun, vivacious, studious, and very creative person, L. E. Harvey brings life to all of her various forms of work. She  is also an activist for human rights, animal rights, women’s rights, and gay rights. When L. E. is not writing or working on the political scene, she models as a pinup and “alt” (alternative) model.  L. E. admires women like Betty Page, and “Rosie the Riveter” has been her idol since childhood.  She is currently affiliated with The Gypsy Queens, Angels With Ink (AWI), The Cherry Girls, and Curvy and Rocker Pinups.

L. E. Harvey is a proud participating author in Operation E-book Drop, sending e-book copies of her books to the men and women of the U. S. military across the globe!

Unbreakable Hostage

This is a suspense/thriller novel.  Lareina Oliveira is a Ph. D. student in algebra with a seemingly ordinary life.  She has a wonderfully close relationship with her family and her roommate, Sandy.  Everything seems fairly normal, until she is kidnapped by one of her classmates.  Lareina sends them messages using her wits and knowledge of algebra to help them to find her.  Sandy, Lareina’s professor, and a lonely but dedicated Missing Persons policeman named Marcus Raymer work night and day to try to save Lareina.  She is held hostage and tortured for days on end.  Will they be able to get to her in time?

“9 out of 10!”

“Suspenseful – a quick read!”

“Intriguing!”

“Very well done!”

Loving Her

Loving Her is a collection of stories celebrating love and life!  Loving Her is a collection of short stories celebrating love and life between women; each story tells a story, and together, they create a depth and understanding of women’s love for each other and for life.  Loving Her is L. E. Harvey’s work of fiction in 15 years; it is a series of intertwined short stories that all compile to make one full story.  There’s a wide variety of characters and life experiences in this collection of stories about friends, family, and lovers.

“L.E. Harvey weaves together stories of a remarkable group of diverse women and their extended family who are brought together by their innate ability to love. Harvey’s descriptions and dialogue allow the reader to identify and experience the deep emotions as these couples make their way together to forge wonderful, strong bonds of friendship and love.”

Imperfect

Imperfect is the story of Carol Mathers.  Carol was born a sickly child, and received a blood transfusion in the early 1980’s.  Now in her mid-thirties, she’s a highly sought IT guru in St. Louis.  She has built a great life for herself with her partner of twelve years, Alexandria.

Carol and Alexandria face prejudice as a lesbians, and as an interracial couple.  Fighting tragedy and sometimes finding triumph, both of the women live day to day.

During her tumultuous life, Carol discovers that she has acquired AIDS as a result of her childhood transfusion.  Now, they face even more obstacles, prejudice, and a new life as AIDS patients.  Carol learns just how much her chaotic past has affected her, and how she can never really escape it, even as she tries to move on with her life.

An unexpected hostage event creates even more pain and tragedy in Carol’s life, and causes her to wonder about the meaning of and purpose of her own life.

Coming July 2010

Gypsy Crystal

Genre: Paranormal/Thriller/Romance
Publisher: Eternal Press
Copyright: March 2010

Bio

Lorrie lives in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, right outside of Pittsburgh. She has founded and led writer and critique workshops in her area. An avid reader all her life, she has studied the art of writing by reading great how-to books, keeping butt in chair, and practice, practice, practice.

She has two daughters who have left the nest, but not her heart. When she’s not at her computer, you can find her strolling along the riverfront or having lunch with local authors.

Lorrie writes short stories in many genres and has been published in various magazines. Her first long piece is “Gypsy Crystal,” and she promises it won’t be her last.

Synopsis: Will gypsy lore and mysticism help Rita catch the serial killer terrorizing her town?

Rita Muldova is a homicide detective in Keyport, PA. A serial killer is on the loose in her town and targeting prostitutes. But Rita has an edge. She wears a mystical crystal amulet that has been handed down through her Roma maternal bloodline that allows her to see, in the dead victim’s eyes, the last face they had seen.

But now, the crystal has quit working. Is the magic gone?

Rita confronts her mother, Anna, a crystal ball gazer and great seer, for answers. Anna and Uncle Dragus leave Rita more unsettled than before.

Matt Boulet, a special FBI agent has been following the killer’s trail from New Orleans. He has a personal score to settle and holds back secrets from Rita and the task force.

There is a magnetic pull between Rita and Matt, an attraction they can’t deny. And too many secrets are kept by both, plus Rita’s family.

When all the secrets are finally revealed, Rita swims through a whirlpool of shock, horror and confusion. Her renewed determination to put an end to the killing spree spells danger ahead for all involved.

Click on the author’s name to visit her website.  Click on the book title to purchase.

A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns

Bio

My husband and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains with our two small dogs and two cats, where we love to night fish on one of the beautiful lakes here and work in our yard.I have been an ordainded minister since August of 2007.  I’m called  to minister to hurting women who carry the emotional scars of domestic abuse.for as long as I can remember I have always loved to write.  When I couldn’t express myself verbally, one only had to hand me a pen and paper and out would flow my thoughts.I have written poetry most of my life and now my life-long dream has come true.  I have written a book.

About the Book

My book, A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns is the story of a woman’s journey from domestic abuse, through healing, to forgiveness.

After finally receiving the divorce that LaRae believed would finally set her free from domestic violence, she ends up staying on the run from her abusive ex-husband, James, who stalks her across the country. When she finds herself really free of James, LaRae struggles through the up and downs of trying to make a peaceful life for herself. A life free of the violence that left scars of fear and pain, not only physically, but mentally as well. LaRae finds a friend that helps point her on a path that leads to hope, healing, and a new life.

Click on the author’s name to go to her website. Click on book title to purchase.

Let  Me Just Say This

And Again…Let Me Just Say This

B. Swangin Webster is the author of two novels and is about to release the third installment of the Let Me Just Say This Trilogy.  She currently lives in Maryland and has five children and 4 adorable grandsons. She was encouraged by her high school English Teacher to complete an assignment by turning it into a book. She has always wanted to write fiction.  Her work has been  categorized as urban fiction, however her storyline is universal.  Her characters weren’t even African American until the publisher said that they were putting her under the African American section, which then caused her to tweak her  story to make it a “black couple .”   She loves to mentor students at the middle school she works at and also loves to talk about the writing process and also mentors other authors. She describes herself as “living in color” due to the fact that “dreaming in color has given her the opportunity to “live in color” by being a published author.”

Let Me Just Say This: Cheryl and Matthew have the marriage everone would love to have, until you travel behind closed doors to be the fly on the wall. The secrets that they fight to keep, become uncovered and Cheryl will do anything to keep the secret hidden from Matthew’s circle of elite friends.

And Again…Let Me Just Say This:

Cheryl has finally left behind the marriage from hell, but she has stepped straight into the world of “living single.” With a daughter running wild and an ex husband still calling the shots, will Cheryl have the strength to let the new love in her life stand by her, or will she succumb to the pressures of the  world around her?

Please click on author’s name to go to her website.  Please click on book title to purchase book.

The Forest Portal by Melody  H. Dempsey

About Me

I was born in Chelsea Massachuttets on the Military base. I guess you could say I was a Military brat.  We moved around for about four years after I was born, then we settled down in the small town of  Lynchburg Va, my father’s childhood home. I was raised in Lynchburg until I was 18 years old. I then moved to Roanoke to be with my fiance” who is now my husband of 31 years. I have two grown daughters.

About My book

The Forest Portal tells the story of three teens as they embark on n amazing journey through time. Thrilled about the last day of school, Cameron Maine, his younger sister Collette, along with their friend Taden, decide to go to the beach for an afternoon of fun and relaxation, but Cameron has other plans he has not revealed to the other two. He tells them he wants help collecting seaweed, shells, and other seashore items. Taden questions his friend’s request, but reluctantly decides to lend a hand.

Cameron has plans to develop a sealant that turns old wood new again. Taden, feeling doubtful about the plausibility of Cameron new project soon discovers, along with Cameron and Collette that the sealant actually turns out to be a paint that has the ability to turn wood bight, rainbow colors. Excited, the three decide to paint some trees in a heavily wooded area behind Cameron and Collette’s house. The three soon discover, to there amazement that the two freshly painted trees has the ability to transport them into another time, another place. The trio find themselves probing even more into a dimension so bizarre, deeper into the realm of an unknown world that they discovered, sending them on a journey that makes a summer they will never forget!  Purchase at http://www.Amazon.com

Review

The Forest Portal by Melody Dempsey was a great read! The title is perfect for the plot within the pages.Cameron Maine is about to graduate high school. On the last day of school when the bell rings, Cam and his sister Colle…tte and friend Taden head to the beach for some last day of school fun. Cam being the inventor type, decides he is going to gather some seaweed and shells to try and concoct a serum to turn old wood to look brand new.Much to his dismay, what Cam actually invents is a glowing rainbow paint. Disappointed with failure, Cam, Collette, and Taden take the paint to the woods, intending to make the trees more colorful.When painting the trees in the woods, he finds it doesn’t glow like it did back at his house. As Taden steps between two trees that were standing close together and both wearing Cam’s paint, the kids are stunned as the glowing neon colors surround Taden and he disappears.After a few seconds of Cam and Collette standing in awe, the colors reappear and Taden is back. They discuss what happened and realize Cam didn’t invent a serum to restore old wood, but a serum that created a time portal.Follow Cam, Collette, and Taden on their adventures through time travel. Where they go into a time of the past, meet ancestors all the while trying to maintain their secret.Will they change the future by altering past events? Find out in The Forest Portal.

Dempsey did a fantastic job of keeping the intrigue alive. this story has a great plot with some unusual twists. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure will be. I give it ****1/2 (4.5) Stars, BK Walker, reviewer for BK Walker Books, Author of “Near Suicide” and “Dares And Dreams”. http://bkwalkerbooks.weebly.com
Click on Melody’s Banner to learn more about her book.