Non-fiction

Guest Post by Marnie Swedberg

Social Networking (SN) is no longer an optional activity for authors. The time has come for you to make friends on Facebook, tweet on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

Pick your poison, swallow that frog or tackle that tiger, but take action today!

I was never going to get caught up in this SN thing, but thanks to a business coach, I decided to do a test. Within a couple months, income from SN interactions had replaced that of my Google Ads, despite the fact that I was only spending 15 minutes a day working on it. I now maintain groups of hundreds or thousands at several SN sites and you can it, too!

Here are five time-saving tips that will help you fit SN it into your busy schedule.

1. Choose a winner. There are dozens of social networking sites, but you probably only need to join one. Think back to your previously ignored SN invitations to learn where your friends, family and associates are hanging out, and join them there.

2. Publish your profile. Each site has different requirements and options. You will be able to complete the sign-up forms at most sites easily, but some will require you to tap into the contents of a recent resume.

3. Post a current photo. As a professional author, your head shot must capture your personality and support your career. Ask yourself: “If I was a media rep from Good Morning America, would I call this person?”

Topics of conversation:

• What is Sensory Processing Disorder?  Signs, symptoms, and potential causes.
• Laird candidly talks about daughter Jamie's experience with SPD.
• Helpful resources for parents, plus inspiring advice and support from Laird.
• Current medical understanding of SPD, treatment protocols, public awareness.
• Lairds experience writing a memoir, publishing a book with a niche market, future projects including new book "Sensory Diet."

Listen to interview

Author Gayle Redfern
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781449057602
Purchase

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (01/10)

The author, Gayle Redfern, felt guided by her spiritual connections to write a book about the teachings and guidelines of the indigenous world.  In doing so, she wrote “Ancient Wisdoms: Exploring the Mysteries and Connections.”  She recognizes that much of our modern society has forgotten the teachings of the past.  She tells us, “Following the lessons of the Ancients helps us understand the present.”

Covering every end of the globe, Ms. Redfern discusses aspects of a multitude of ancient cultures.  Some of these cultures still exist today, some have vanished, and others have evolved to enmesh themselves in the modern times.  Obviously having done extensive research, much of which is referenced, the author takes us on a fascinating journey around the world to explore the beliefs of these people.  She points out both the similarities and the differences among these peoples.  I found this incredibly fascinating because some of these ancient cultures developed on opposite sides of the world from each other, yet share many similarities.

Geoff Ryan, P.M.P.
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781449041960
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views

The three main factors for each construction project - and actually, for any kind of a project - are quality, cost and time, or as  Mr. Ryan calls it in his book, the Schedule (productivity). If you’ve ever been involved in any construction or renovation, you will have to smile when reading the wonderful little example from the introduction to the book:

“A Plumber once summed it up for me by telling me that I could have a project:
Good and Fast, but it won’t be Cheap.
Or Good and Cheap, but it won’t be Fast.
Or Fast and Cheap, but it won’t be Good.”

The author then argues that it is possible to have a project done good, fast and cheap, as long as one focuses on good and fast. This can be achieved by using the WorkFace Planning process, which has been identified as a best practice amongst constructors by the Construction Owners Association of Alberta (COAA) in 2005.

Ingrid King
iUniverse (2009)
ISBN 9781440166242
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (10/09)
Purchase Buckley's Story 


If you've ever had the great honor to share your life with a pet, "Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher" will not come as any surprise to you, but it will certainly make you shake your head in agreement and cause you to smile often, particularly when you'll reach some parts which will greatly remind you of your pet's habits. Animals could - and do! - teach us so much, if only we stop for long enough and truly listen to them.

Guest Post by  James Diehl

Between 1941 and 1945, tens of thousands of American men responded to the grave threat posed on the world by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. For nearly four years, these heroic men put their lives on hold to fight against evil on the battlefields of Europe, Asia and Africa.

They were selfless men who, almost to a man, felt they had a responsibility to defend the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” They’ll tell you today that they’re not heroes, but that they were merely doing their jobs.

Those beliefs and values are a big reason why men and women of that era became known as the greatest generation in history, as Tom Brokaw so eloquently stated a few years ago. The men who survived the horrors of World War II often withstood a dozen or more close calls with death – they are heroes, as are the ones who never made it home.

It makes me shiver to think what life would be like today had the Allies not won the war. America would certainly be a very different place in the 21^st century, as would the free world.

Think about it for a second. What if the Axis had won the war and imposed their will on the United States, mandating a similar fate to the one the Allies imposed on Germany in the post-World War II era?

Arturo B. Condell
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781438940342
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (11/09)

Purchase Live Your Purpose and Be Happy 

From his beginnings as a young boy in Cuba to the successful man he is today, Arturo B. Condell has never stopped striving for success. Young Arturo learned this from his father Issac.  Issac was never plagued with doubt of defeat; he was always a positive thinker, hard worker and a kind and generous man. Arturo retained these values while he continued to seek his fortune. He headed off to America in hopes of becoming a lawyer. He eventually found his way to New York. While in New York, Arturo encountered many different people and many adventures on the road to his goal. All these encounters add to his well-rounded education and eventually with all his hard work, he is accepted into law school and graduates as a lawyer.