Explosion in Paris

Heroine Must Die so She Can Live, in Romantic, Suspenseful Novel



WOODBINE, Md., — Angela Briann Scott is startled at the sight of the most exquisite-looking man she’s ever seen, peering at her from the woods beside her home in California. Over time, Ross Leigh Stafford becomes her saving grace, her mentor, and teaches her to believe in herself again. He offers her the strength and incentive to finally escape from her abusive husband, Mitchell Scott, an influential, high-dollar architect.

If only Ross and she could ride off together into the sunset on his borrowed white stallion right then. That would paint the happy ending to their lovely story, but this is not life’s reality.
In “Explosion in Paris” (published by iUniverse), Linda Pirrung tells the story of Angie and Ross, whose love, first denied, eventually blossoms and survives — along with Angie — Mitch’s explosive rage. It’s also about the faithfulness of Ross, who mourns her apparent death. Will Angie’s messages to Ross, apparently from the grave, get through to him? Will Mitch admit to his murderous ways? This romance/suspense/adventure delights readers with page-turning drama and an overarching message that sometimes we must die so that we truly can live.

About the Author

Writing is one engrossing passion that keeps Linda Pirrung excited about life and kicks the humdrum out of her vocabulary. Linda loves to read, write, and create art. Through the years she has had a portrait studio business, “Focus on Elegance by Linda”; a doll art business, “Galerie des Enfants”; and later she invested in a villa/studio and personal retreat which she decorated in European classic splendor. She researches, shops, and chooses fabrics, rugs, fabulous art, and accessories to pull her clients’ home decor dreams together, and continues her photography and artwork. She has two previous books, “Cracked Hearts” and “I Will Wait for You,” and still resides happily in Maryland with her husband of 38 years.

Short Stories Highlights Children’s Prayers and How They’ve Been Answered

CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Does God answer prayers? If so, does he pay special attention to those in need? Do children’s prayers reach God’s ears? In her new collection of short stories, “Answered Prayers” (published by AuthorHouse), Freddie Power sets out to prove that God does answer prayers - particularly the prayers of those less fortunate than others - and has blessings for all of us.

Power drew inspiration for “Answered Prayers” from the Bible study groups she leads for residents of inner-cities including Burlington, N.C., Chapel Hill, N.C., Concord, N.C., and even Native American reservations in the Midwest. In these study groups, children gather to learn the Bible from Power, and she teaches them to pray. “They all want to pray for their families,” she writes. “Then we watch the most incredible things happen as these children’s prayers are answered for their families. For example, two little girls prayed for one year that their father would get off drugs. That father is not only off drugs now, he has gone to Bible College and is a pastor.”

With titles that speak for themselves like “Saved Just In Time,” “Elbow Healed,” “Hand Pain Gone” and “Nursing Home Healings,” the short stories in Answered Prayers provide hope and inspiration. In “Elbow Healed,” Power writes about a Concord, N.C., grandmother’s answered prayer:

We prayed this short simple prayer together, that by the power of the Holy Spirit her elbow would be healed and there would be no more pain. Immediately, she felt her arm was healed, so I had her do something she couldn’t do before without the pain coming. As that grandmother began to shake her arm and bend it, she exclaimed, ‘Glory to God! Glory to God! That pain was so terrible before, and now it is gone.’ This spirit-filled woman gave her testimony of how God came to heal and he does amazing healings!
Freddie Power has traveled to more than 20 countries performing missionary work, ministering to the poor, needy and widowed. She is a wife, mother of three and grandmother of seven. When she is not traveling with her missionary work, Power reaches out to inner-city children through Bible clubs held within their apartment communities. “Like the Energizer bunny, I will keep going and going and going as long as God prepares the way, whether it is to local neighborhoods or nations across the world,” she writes. Power is also the author of “Changing the World for Jesus One Child at a Time,” “Visions: God Speaks” and “Testimonies” (all published by AuthorHouse).

Freeing Yourself from Fear: Step-By-Step Guide

Stress. Panic attacks. Phobias. Obsessive-compulsive behaviour. Six million Canadians cope with some form of anxiety – from mild to severe – everyday. The Anti-Anxiety Workbook, a new book co-authored by Ryerson University psychology professor Dr. Martin Antony and Dr. Peter Norton, director of the University of Houston Anxiety Disorder Clinic, suggests practical ways to overcome these often debilitating health conditions.

“The book is very timely,” says Dr. Antony, who is also Ryerson’s psychology graduate program director and director of research at St. Joseph’s Healthcare’s Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre in Hamilton. He is also president-elect of the Canadian Psychological Association.

“These days, people have a lot on their minds. With the economic downturn, they are stressed about jobs and money. Plus, in recent years, there have been growing concerns about personal safety – for example, the threat of terrorism, SARS and avian flu.”

According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the country. Anxiety can have a significant impact on quality of life, negatively influencing relationships, social interactions, school or work.

The workbook helps readers pinpoint their anxiety triggers, change beliefs and behaviours that make symptoms worse, and develop a safe, gradual plan for confronting fears. Established relaxation and stress-reduction techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, are also covered.

“Fortunately, anxiety disorders are highly treatable,” says Dr. Antony. One such treatment, which plays a major role in this self-help manual, is cognitive behavioural therapy. Patients, under the supervision of their therapist, can use this treatment to identify, and then challenge their anxiety-inducing thoughts.

“Our goal is to help people become better informed about their particular type of anxiety,” Dr. Antony says. “For some people, the book alone might prove useful. Other might use it as a springboard to seek formal treatment.”

Dr. Antony has published more than 25 books on anxiety disorders and related topics, including When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism (New Harbinger Publications) and several self-help manuals such as 10 Simple Solutions to Panic, and The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook. The Anti-Anxiety Workbook was published in February 2009 by Guilford Press.


Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative career-focused education, offering close to 90 PhD, master’s, and undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Arts; the Faculty of Communication & Design; the Faculty of Community Services; the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science; and the Ted Rogers School of Management. Ryerson University has graduate and undergraduate enrolment of 26,500 students. With more than 64,000 registrations annually, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education.

‘Approaching Neverland: A Memoir of Epic Tragedy & Happily Ever After’

SAN RAMON, Calif.— Imagine a mother attempting to murder her five children and telling them they will soon be in Neverland. Imagine, too, surviving this attempted murder and still loving one’s mother unreservedly. Peggy Kennedy, author of “Approaching Neverland: A Memoir of Epic Tragedy & Happily Ever After” (published by iUniverse) tells such a story where love is unconditional. Drawing on the certain knowledge that mental illness was the reason why her mother behaved as she did while knowing she still loved her children, Kennedy shares how she managed to overcome tragedy by the support she and her siblings gave to each other.

During a time when mental illness was little understood, not to mention feared, Kennedy and her siblings were fortunate to have people explain that their mother was suffering from an illness. Still, there was turbulence from growing up under the shadow of this illness and of being shuffled from one family member to the next. In addition, one of the author’s worst fears was that she’d become like her mother even though there were parts of her mother she wanted to resemble.

Mental illness was not the only situation the author had to handle: A near fatal car crash paralyzes her brother, her sister is murdered, and another sibling dies from AIDS. However, Kennedy maintains a sense of humor through all the tragedies and even reunites with her husband, whom she’d left for another man early in the marriage. “Approaching Neverland” shows how one woman rose above her tragic past while reminding us that mental illness does not mean one must forfeit knowing how to love and be loved.

About the Author

Peggy Kennedy grew up in the Bay Area and attended Mills College, where she received a degree in Asian studies. She sold real estate for eight years before splitting with her husband and moving to San Francisco to start an events business that developed sponsorship for the Bay Bridge 50th Birthday Celebration, the Bay Bridge Permanent Lighting Campaign, In Concert Against AIDS, and the annual Chinese New Year celebration. Compelled to write her family’s unique and moving story, Kennedy began work on “Approaching Neverland” in 2004. She won 1st prize for non-fiction from the 2008 San Francisco Writer’s Conference. She has been reunited with her husband for 19 years and lives in the East Bay with their younger son, chocolate lab, three horses and their son’s annoying cat. Kennedy continues to market the Chinese New Year celebration.

‘Mamma Called the Doctor: A Mother and Child’s Final Journey’

TORONTO — Sometimes what had been a black-and-white issue suddenly can become gray when it hits home. That is what Antoinette Romana discovered when an amniocentesis revealed that she was pregnant with a Down syndrome baby. Antoinette and her husband, already parents of three small children, had to face one of their most difficult situations while making a choice that stirred both criticism and support. What Antoinette soon discovered was that it was no one’s decision but her and her husband’s. She wrote about it in her moving memoir, “Mamma Called the Doctor: A Mother and Child’s Final Journey” (published by iUniverse).

The topic of abortion is an incendiary one, but the author discovered that it is also a personal one and that there are no easy answers. During a time in her life when she didn’t think she could be any happier, Antoinette, a suburban stay-at-home mom, was suddenly confronted with a decision that would cause her grief, no matter what she decided. Instead of hiding what she was considering, she discussed it with family, friends, doctors and counselors, all who had a variety of opinions. Yet, the final choice was up to Antoinette and her husband — one that would ultimately forever change their lives. The author had to ask herself if she was being selfish and was she really putting the child’s interests first.

Written with truth and honesty, the author shares how her difficult decision put her into a deep depression, and yet, the one who pulled her out of it, the one she believed she most disappointed, was God. “Mamma Called the Doctor” is a journey of both heartache and faith, but one the author believes happened for a reason. What she learned along the way was to find forgiveness in herself. Antoinette’s memoir is her story, but one that she is prepared to discuss with anyone willing to listen.

About the Author

Antoinette Romana is a housewife and mother of three children. She lives in the Toronto suburbs of Canada with her husband. She is available for interviews.

New Children’s Book Combines Entertaining Story with Important Lessons

Avelea Nixon Debuts with “OwlCat”

In her whimsical new children’s book, “OwlCat” (published by AuthorHouse), Avelea Nixon uses delightful animal characters to convey important lessons about acceptance, racial issues, balance in nature and finding happiness after a tragedy.

“OwlCat” tells the story of OwlCat, an orphaned cat who has been raised by owls and ventures out to find his long-lost sister in the mountains. Along the way, he meets many interesting animals and gets to experience the lush countryside. Nixon writes:

Later, OwlCat came to a large field of wheat. All he could see was the swaying Wild Emmer tops being fanned by the light breeze. The wheat had grown so high that it hid OwlCat completely. But he wasn’t alone. “Halt. HOO goes there?” OwlCat heard an unexpected voice calling out from the field and turned to see a handsome, tawny-coloured stallion standing before him. OwlCat told the stallion about the village of cats where his long-lost sister lived. Had the stallion heard of it? “Just over that mountain. That’s why the call them the CATSKILLS, silly cat,” the arrogant stallion replied. “Off with you then,” snorted the stallion as he chomped away on some wheat. “You’re being too noisy and I’m not supposed to be in here.” Excited, OwlCat left at once, running up the mountain to catch a bird’s eye view of his long-lost sister’s village.
Nixon seeks to teach children some important life lessons with her simple tale. When OwlCat meets animals that could eat him, or smaller moles that he could eat, the balance of the animal kingdom is highlighted. When he arrives to the village of cats, he finds animals of many colors — or races, as Nixon points out — living together in harmony, and when OwlCat and his sister decide to share each other’s adoptive families, they illustrate the importance of finding happiness despite the tragedy of being apart for so many years.

The artwork in “OwlCat” was done by Nixon’s 12-year-old niece, Jaimi, and young readers and listeners are sure to delight in the colorful illustrations. By combining important lessons with a tale of adventure and happy endings, “OwlCat” appeals to parents, teachers and children alike.

Avelea Nixon was born and raised in Woodstock, Ontario. “OwlCat” is her first published book, with more adventures to come. She is also working on a book of short stories, “Crime.”

Role Model or Menace? Book Considers Captain America’s Cultural Legacy

No superhero wears patriotism on his sleeve quite like Captain America.

Decked out in his signature stars and stripes, the Cap has fought Nazis, Communists and upheld American ideals through comic books and cartoons for nearly 70 years.

But is he truly a hero for this cynical age? Is his country-first mentality a positive example for today’s jaded youth, or has he become the troubling embodiment of America’s muscle-flexing foreign policies in the post-9/11 world?

Rob Weiner, pop-culture author, guru and an associate humanities librarian for the Texas Tech University Libraries, decided to examine the character’s legacy in light of his highly-publicized assassination in 2007.

His book, “Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays,” goes deeper under the mask and into the psyche of the shield-bearing patriot than perhaps any other work written on the subject.

“The book takes a look at Captain America as a cultural icon,” Weiner said. “He is arguably the most patriotic superhero, and represents what America can and should be.

I wanted to create a forum where scholars from all disciplines could treat him as a focal point for scholarly discourse.”

Weiner invited scholars including historians, political scientists and art professors to delve into more than 60 years of Captain America comics, dissecting the writers and story arcs to consider how such a symbolically charged character can impact popular culture.

The result is a work that uses Captain America comics as a lens to study America’s shifting political attitudes, race and class struggles, international relations and ideological ambiguities.

“Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays” is published by McFarland and available through Amazon.

Weiner has expertise on topics ranging from the Grateful Dead to American presidents in film. His previous book, Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications: An Annotated Guide, is an exhaustive 385-page reference work on the universe of Captain America, Spidey, Iron Man and The Fantastic Four.

Unique Silk Road Experience

Following Marco Polo's Silk Road is about a couples passion for travel. It provides an autobiographical account of their travels through the Middle East and Asia. They followed the broad route taken by the legendary Venetian explorer Marco Polo. Starting in Venice, the book follows the Lawrenson's adventures as they travel through Turkey, Syria, Jordon, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kashmir, India, Nepal and China to eventually reach Beijing.

50,000 people a month Google "Silk Road" and the numbers are increasing. Travelling the Silk Road has never been more popular. Everyone with a zest for adventure travel is heading to China before the "old China" is lost in it's rush to modernise. Brian Lawrenson and his wife Jill recently spent three months travelling the Silk Road and have written Following Marco Polo's Silk Road that describes their adventures. It is a book about their passion for travel.

It provides an autobiographical account of their travels through the Middle East and Asia. They followed the broad route taken by the legendary Venetian explorer Marco Polo.

There are so many wonderful places on earth that many people just don't know exist
But more important than the natural environment is the diversity of the peoples, their cultures and the experiences that you have along the way.
"There are so many wonderful places on earth that many people just don't know exist," Lawrenson says. "But more important than the natural environment is the diversity of the peoples, their cultures and the experiences that you have along the way."

Starting in Venice, the book follows the Lawrenson's adventures as they travel through Turkey, Syria, Jordon, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kashmir, India, Nepal and China to eventually reach Beijing. Completed over a number of years, the collected journeys include a recent account of the Taliban's influence in Pakistan's Swat Valley, a flash point in the ongoing struggle against extremist ideology in western Asia. This happened during a three week Jeep journey through remote parts of Pakistan.

Other experiences include riding camels along part of the Karakorum Highway in China, reaching the hard-to-find Shipton's Arch (the world's tallest natural arch) in China, travelling in India by taxi and crossing Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. These stories make this a unique book that provides a low-cost escape from news of the current recession.

He’s Giving Away His New Book for Free

ORLANDO, Fla., — A bestselling author whose 15 books have sold more than 5 million copies is taking an unusual approach with his latest work - he’s on a crusade, giving the book away to help people not only survive America’s economic meltdown, but thrive emotionally and spiritually.

Written by Dr. Patrick Morley, How to Survive the Economic Meltdown features 35 hard-earned spiritual, practical and financial survival strategies. Morley, who also wrote the critically acclaimed book The Man in the Mirror, which was named in “100 Christian Books that Changed the 20th Century,” is allowing people to download copies of How to Survive the Economic Meltdown for free, in addition to selling hard copies at a deep discount.

He explains, “A lot of parents can’t afford to take their kids to McDonald’s, much less afford a book. I know what they’re feeling - and I want to help.”

In the 1980s, Morley was one of Florida’s top real estate developers. Then came the economic meltdown of 1986 - Morley would spend the next seven years of his life successfully fighting off a multi-million dollar bankruptcy.

“Every day for seven long years, I woke up not knowing whether or not I would be forced into bankruptcy,” he remembers. “So I feel compassion for those caught up in the current meltdown. In many cases, they have the courage they need, but they simply don’t have the right information.”

More than 20,000 copies of the book have already been purchased or downloaded from SurviveTheMeltdown.org, which launched just a few weeks ago. Many who are downloading the book are also sharing it with family and friends via email.

Morley recently received a letter from a California real estate developer named Michael, who has been struggling in this down market. He recalls how one day, as he was preparing to meet with an attorney regarding his financial challenges, he received an email from a friend.

“Attached was Chapter 1 of How to Survive the Economic Meltdown,” Michael explains. “I got the book, and it has really guided me during these difficult times. I’ve used it to encourage my friends and colleagues, too.”

He concludes, “The Lord brought this book into my life at just the right time. It’s going to be a long road. But I know that God will get me through this.”

ABOUT PATRICK MORLEY

Dr. Patrick Morley is the bestselling author of The Man in the Mirror, with more than three million copies of the book distributed worldwide. His international ministry, also called Man in the Mirror, trains and resources more than 40,000 leaders, who help men to change their lives and become more effective at home, work and in their communities. This ministry has directly affected the lives of nearly 10 million men worldwide.