'Defeating Loneliness'

New Book Provides Tangible Solutions to Overcome Feelings of Emptiness and Desperation
Loneliness preys on individuals from all walks of life. Millions do battle with this unseen force daily, but little has been accomplished to eliminate its presence. Much of this enemy's power comes from our inability to identify its source. Dr. Peter H. Burgess' "Defeating Loneliness" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com) openly identifies the many causes of loneliness, and unveils a plan to achieve ultimate victory over the dreadful enemy.

Overcoming loneliness in one's life can only become a reality when the underlying cause of the issue can be identified and conquered. Within the pages of "Defeating Loneliness," readers will discover the root causes of loneliness, as well as strategies designed to eliminate them from their daily lives.
Individuals from all walks of life have been incorporated into this research, i.e., men, women, youth, together with lay people and theologians. No areas have been excluded from study and all the information is authentic and carefully recorded to insure the credibility of this impassioned endeavor. There are definitely some controversial issues introduced in these pages, but again, being honest and forthright is of extreme importance. As the old adage states, 'The truth hurts.' For genuine healing to occur one may well have to face some hurting in the process.
"Defeating Loneliness" provides the materials for one who is suffering from isolation and needs to overcome the enemy in his or her life's journey. Dr. Burgess compiled information for the book over the years from seminary libraries, the internet, news media outlets and multiple scholarly volumes, as well as through personal interviews and observations.
We are confronted with the underlying pitfalls in the sequestering, but will we take on the real problem? We are plagued on every side to address this vital issue and we have a God given responsibility to become actively involved. It is one thing to have knowledge of issues and still another thing to become involved in defeating this common foe ... May this provocative study create a fire in our respective lives to overcome unwelcome loneliness which has slain multitudes due to unawareness and lethargy.
Dr. Peter H. Burgess has pastored congregations all along the East Coast, from New York to North Carolina. He has also served as a Bible teacher, biblical counselor and seminary professor. For more information, please visit http://www.causewaycommunity.com.

The Pink Forest: A Tell-All Book of a Woman’s Secrets

It’s not everyday that you pick up a book of an author’s intimate confessions.
~ Dana Dorfman

"Holding a magnifying glass up to my fantasies, I see the woman I truly am," says Dorfman blushing slightly. Dubbed a semi-autobiographical read, The Pink Forest: A
PICTURE CAPTION: Book Cover: The Pink Forest. A Woman's Intimate Confessions
Woman’s Intimate Confessions (Banderae Publishing, $14.95, ISBN: 978-0-9798592-0-5) by Dana Dorfman quickly moves the reader off Fiction Street and into the writer’s evolution. The struggle of an author trying to come out of her pages is apparent in this feeling based journey. Far from a sexual confessional, the author implores readers to unfasten their emotional seatbelts as her story explodes the myth that our conscience has the last word.

The bulk of this plot takes the reader to different realities. Set in the backdrop of Oscar Season, a studio executive’s assistant opts to leave the whirl of dress fittings and crooked bow ties to seek passion. Her unique quest paints a silken figure who wants to bring life to her lips. The poor red carpet timing of her excursion creates a hyper sleep state in the reader as the cynical human psyche awakens.

The engaging view of a woman stepping out of her 9 to 5 self is captivating. Her graceful acknowledgment of being a woman tired of reporting for moral duty and a timid woman who fires her conscience are courageous marks in this feminine read. It is through this play of character and shared reflection that the author takes the reader deep into the female mystique, a place rarely visited. Clearly, the author’s ability to fling her heavy bag of morals over her shoulder to write this narrative is the true charm of her pages. Glancing into her book, it is her final reflection.

The Pink Forest is written in the language of emotion. The author's writing style is punctuated by curves of reality and tantalizing inner monologues showing the unbridgeable distance between herself and her conscience. Nowhere is this more concisely expressed than in the beauty of her intimate confessions. The sensuality of female enchantment is the magic potion of these pages but the state of existence beneath the appearance of this book is its mystical intrigue. The Pink Forest is more than a bundle of ferns. Enchantingly memorable, it is a beautiful mind oasis of unhurried thought. Wonderfully expressive, The Pink Forest is a woman's best friend.

Dorfman is an author who gravitates to the signs of life. In tune to the emotions surrounding her, she insists she can still see the first star she wished upon. Dorfman was raised as an only child and has been writing since the age of four. She graduated from the University of Southern California and considers herself a “life writer” who is able to tap into the blush of the earth. “A woman doesn’t need pearls when she has The Pink Forest,” she winks.

Dorfman resides in Los Angeles with her mystical spirit.

The Pink Forest is available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.atlasbooks.com, www.danadorfman.com and bookstores everywhere.

Web Sites: www.DanaDorfman.com, www.WishUponLife.com and www.BanderaePublishing.com

Virginia Nygard's Debut Novel 'Deja Vu Dream'

Novel Combines Serendipitous Romance and Suspense with Influences of
Precognition and Visions

In "Deja Vu Dream," author Virginia Nygard weaves a tale of Jennifer Jenssen, a
young woman caught up in a life over which she believes she
has little control. Yet Jennifer learns to accept what she
cannot avoid or change, and makes the best of it. In doing
so, she is led to a love and a life she never imagined
possible.

"It's a story that will intrigue women from their 30s into
the Boomer years," said Nygard. She explains that the book
follows Jennifer, the main character, for several decades
beginning in her late 20s. Set in New York City and
Connecticut, where Nygard grew up, "Deja Vu Dream" begins
with a tragedy that brings two people together but returns
to alter the course of their lives.

Jennifer awakens from one nightmare to find herself facing
another - one she feels may be of her own making. She is
left wondering whether her husband's death could have been
avoided if she had heeded the powerful message sent through
a dream. Buried deep in Jennifer is anger for the curse of
visions she fails to interpret correctly, and secrets so
painful she has no memory of them. Don Summers provides the
support and strength Jennifer needs to grow beyond the pain
of loss ... but he is powerless to prevent her
confrontations with death.

In part, the character of Jennifer's mother is based on
Nygard's own mother and the forewarnings she experienced in
life. In more than one instance, the author's mother had a
premonition of someone's impending injury or death.

Reviewer Bettie Corbin Tucker praises "Deja Vu Dream,"
Nygard's first novel: "[S]he has done an incredible job in
providing all the ingredients for an exciting and intriguing
read ... There are compelling twists and turns in the
plotting that, combined with the author's skillful writing,
make it a must-read. I personally can't wait for the
sequel."

Tucker won't have to wait too long, for Nygard is currently
working on the sequel: "Beyond Deja Vu."

"Deja Vu Dream" is distributed by Ingram Book Group, the
world's largest wholesale distributor of book products. The
book is available at Amazon.com, Borders.com,
BarnesandNoble.com, Booksamillion.com and at the writer's
own site http://www.virginianygard.com where a signed copy
can be ordered.

About Virginia Nygard

Following two successful careers, first as a primary
education specialist then as an associate librarian, Nygard
now releases the long-suppressed writer in her soul. She has
published poems and letters in several newspapers as well as
creative pieces in Early Years magazine and The Good Apple
educational newspaper. Her poetry appears in A Concise
Treasury of Arkansas, Maryland, and Connecticut Poets and
Their Poems, published by The National Society of Published
Poets. She has written online book reviews for Amazon and is
currently working on a collection of short stories.

New Book Offers Administrators Guide to Using Data to Improve Their Schools

Data can help school administrators boost student achievement, support teacher performance and improve parent-school relations, according to a new book by Vanderbilt University education faculty.

The book, Leading with Data: Pathways to Improve Your School, was written by Ellen Goldring, professor of education policy and leadership, and Mark Berends, associate professor and director of the National Center on School Choice at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development. It outlines how administrators can and should use data to improve their schools.

"School administrators, now more than ever, are bombarded with demands to be accountable and to raise student achievement," Goldring said. "Too often, policy decisions are made without any reference to what is shown to be working, or not working, at a particular school or in the larger educational system. We wrote this book to give school administrators guidance on how to use data to make decisions based on their students' and teachers' performance and needs, and to help identify, collect and analyze the most useful data."

Standards-based reform continues to be a primary driver of education policy in the United States, and all of its components--content and performance standards, curriculum and instructional alignment, assessments and accountability--assume that data will be collected, reported and used. However, these standards vary from state to state and often miss school-level conditions, complicating administrators' abilities to meet calls for reform and to use the data in a manner that meaningfully impacts student achievement.

"The uses of data extend beyond test scores to community, school and classroom conditions that support positive student outcomes," Berends said. "Being able to support your decisions with a variety of verifiable data, and make mid-course corrections based on those data, will help administrators build stronger and more meaningful relationships with all of their various stakeholders. And in an era of increasing school choice, good data is essential to marketing your school to parents of prospective students."

The book details how to collect and analyze relevant data for school improvement and student learning and how to use it to guide decisions. In addition to test scores, data can include student and program information, student work, portfolios, performance reviews and more.

Throughout the book, the authors outline four key reasons for using data to drive decisions: to work toward continuous improvement; to meet accountability requirements; to focus efforts and monitor progress; and to develop a sense of community through organizational learning.

The book is soon to be released by Corwin Press.