The Pyjama Boy by Steven Murphey – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Steven Murphy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Steven Murphy spent his formative years in Sydney’s Redfern.

Abandoned by his mother when only weeks old, his father left him in the care of a cruel, alcoholic stepmother while he himself was in jail. Unbelievably, the child they dubbed the “Pyjama Boy” fought his way through life to achieve his ultimate goal. His story is a poignant and haunting one that captivates its reader from the very beginning and remains long after the book has been closed.

AN INSPIRATIONAL TALE OF SUCCESS AGAINST THE ODDS

Enjoy an Excerpt

It had been as if he had walked into the grimmest setting of his chequered childhood and before he had seen the blood. It was as if he could hear from the front room the thuds and shouts as his drunken father was bashing Nina in the bedroom, berating her as a lazy woman and a bad mother. As he ironed his uniform, Steve marveled at the changes in his life. What would Nina think of him wearing one of these? Would she swear and pour ridicule on him for going over to ‘the filth’?

Steve’s parents were heavy drinkers. Drinking shaped their lives and his. There were times when drink took all the money they had, but Vincent Murphy worked in many an honest job,
whereas Nina would rarely stir herself enough to wipe the inside of a saucepan or empty the bucket which served as a chamber pot by her bed.

About the Author:

I’ve never thought of myself as special-just someone who has lived through life’s challenges like everyone else. But over time, I’ve come to see that by sharing my journey, with all its imperfections, I might offer something meaningful to others. Life moves so quickly, and the choices we make shape everything. My hope is that by being honest about my experiences, others might find encouragement or even a little clarity for their own paths.

Speaking at Schools and events across Australia has been an unexpected privilege. These moments aren’t about presenting a perfect image; they’re about connecting with people on a real, human level. I bring photos, videos, and documents to show the truth of my story-not to impress but to connect. When I speak openly, sharing the vulnerabilities and lessons I’ve learned, something powerful happens: the audience feels it, and suddenly, it’s not just my story-its something they can see themselves in, too.

If you would like to have Steve speak to your School, group or organization he can be contacted through email: stevenmurphy_11@bigpond.com

You can connect with Steven Murphy through a number of platforms to learn more about his story and work.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube

Visit his website to view the one bedroom flats he uses to live in and show his living conditions as described in the book.

Feel free to reach out — Steven is always happy to connect with readers and share more about his journey.

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How I Obtained the Edmund Dulac American Weekly Collection by Albert Seligman – Guest Post and Giveaway

Long and Short Reviews is very happy to welcome Albert Seligman who is visiting with us to tell us about Edmund Dulac and his American Weekly Collection. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

How I Obtained the Edmund Dulac American Weekly Collection
Edmund Dulac is remembered today as one of the founding fathers of the Golden Age of Illustration, roughly from 1875-1925. His luxurious ‘gift books’ of the early 20th century were covered in vellum and issued in signed limited editions with tipped-in color plates. Many were also published in American trade editions. But after the First World War, the gift book market evaporated and Dulac, like many other artists and illustrators, was financially challenged.

In November 1923, Ray Long, one of the editors for the W R Hearst Sunday supplement The American Weekly, offered Dulac a commission to paint an annual series, from eight to twelve illustrations, on a mutually agreed upon theme. The first series, Bible Scenes and Heroes, was to appear next year in Autumn of 1924.

Dulac’s contract lasted for 28 years. He painted thirteen series and 106 covers for the Sunday supplement. In 1951 The American Weekly ceased using paintings for their covers, and started using photography.

My own involvement with The American Weekly covers was through a fortunate meeting with Ann C. Hughey, who published the complete Dulac bibliography of his nearly 100 books. At the time, I was an avid collector of Golden Age illustrators, and Dulac was my specialty. Ann wrote the American Weekly checklist for Colin White’s Edmund Dulac biography with all thirteen series and each issue by title and date. I was able to contact her through an East Coast book dealer, and she invited me to spend the weekend and see her collection. When I asked her to show me the American Weekly covers, she replied that they were never republished since they first appeared. We thought it would be a worthwhile project to find and publish all the covers in one volume, for the benefit of fellow Dulac collectors and dealers.

Of course, we didn’t know where to find the original covers, as most of the newspapers from the 1920’s through the 50’s were long gone. I was living in San Francisco and much of my book collection was provided by Bud Plant and Jim Vadeboncoeur (Jim contributed The American Weekly article for Wikipedia). Jim recommended I call Bill Blackbeard, who owned and operated The San Francisco Academy of Comic Art. Bill had the largest collection of comic art in the whole country, although I didn’t realize it at the time. He had all the Dulac American Weekly’s lying flat in his garage. Bill allowed us to remove the covers and have them professionally photographed. After he died in 2011, his entire seven-ton collection was removed to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at The Ohio State University.

Watch a video about Bill Blackbeard’s collection.
Ann Hughey self-published her bibliography two years later in 1995 and was starting on her second book, the Dulac magazine illustrations. We planned The American Weekly Covers to be her third book, and she wrote the introduction.
The photographers provided us with transparencies to use in making the printing plates for a full-color publication. We made many submissions to art and comic publishers, but no one wanted to risk the money for such a large color run. This was long before the digital process revolutionized printing, and 10,000 book runs were the minimum for profitability. Reluctantly, we shelved the project, and it never went any further. Ann passed away in 2014.
Only recently I had the transparencies digitalized, and I now have high resolution digital images, suitable for web or print publishing. My first project was an eBook of the 106 The American Weekly Covers, with only a short introduction. The goal was to have something of reference for the collectors and the public to enjoy, and that fit the bill. I discovered with such high-resolution images there were more printing flaws than I first realized. The newspaper covers were all over seventy years old when we photographed them, and were not a high-quality printing job to begin with. So, I have slowly restored the images, one series at a time, and published them individually in a series of short books.

The entire collection Edmund Dulac-His American Weekly Collection, is due on July 4, 2025, after nearly 35 years. This edition includes the Introduction written by Ann Hughey, all thirteen American Weekly series fully restored, with the original newspaper captions. The magazine illustrations from his American contributions, as well as several original watercolors from Ann’s personal collection add context and enhance the collection. These illustrations represent the largest single body of watercolors in Edmund Dulac’s long career.

Watch a video about Edmund Dulac’s art.

In 1923, “Edmund Dulac, the Distinguished English Artist,”as he was billed on the front covers, was contracted by the Hearst organization to paint watercolors for The American Weekly magazine, the Sunday supplement for the newspapers. The contract lasted nearly 30 years. Dulac painted 106 watercolors from 1924-1951 for thirteen different series for The American Weekly. This is Dulac’s largest body of work, and has never before been assembled or published.

This collection includes all full color illustrations used for the front covers and several that were never published. All the images have been restored and printed with high quality inks.

Ann Conolly Hughey was Dulac’s bibliographer, and published her edition of his nearly 100 books in 1995. She wrote his history of publishing in America for inclusion in this volume. She was also a collector of Dulac’s books, paintings, drawings, stamps and correspondence, and has one of the most complete collections in the world.

About the Author: I am a lifelong fan of illustrated books and magazines and passed many pleasant hours collecting books and sharing information and images with fellow collectors and dealers. I was especially interested in the “Golden Age of Illustration” between 1875-1925. I was a strong collector of Edmund Dulac illustrated books, and was able to photograph the complete collection of his American Weekly illustrations from the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art owned by Bill Blackbeard. The collection is now housed at Ohio State University in the Billy Ireland Comic Art Museum.

The publishing business has changed considerably over the last 30 years and by taking advantage of digital technology I hope to publish many of his famous and lesser known illustrations in the coming months.

If you have suggestions for future Dulac titles or own original artwork you would like to have included in future editions please contact me. I am looking forward to working with other Dulac fans and collectors.

If anyone is wondering if I am the same author of The Sport Band System, indeed I am. Unfortunately, the Sport Bands are no longer being produced. After writing this instruction manual I spent my last years in the training profession at UCSF in the Dept. of Neurology. There I had the privilege of working with medical professionals and patients developing physical training rehabilitation programs for MS, stroke, PD, SCI and other neurological related maladies. I retired in 2008 and now I am enjoying my “Golden Years” working with the Dulac eBooks project.

Just so you know I’m not a ‘one trick pony’, I have a nice Arabian Nights non-Dulac survey that was released in December. There are around 50 English language illustrated editions from 1800-1950 of the 1001 tales and their Golden Age illustrators.

Alamy Portfolio Page
Buy Arabian Nights Illustrated and The American Weekly Covers of Edmund Dulac at Amazon. The hardcopy version of the book is now available at Amazon.

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My Bully, My Aunt, and her Final Gift by Harold Phifer – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Harold Phifer will be awarding a $15 Starbucks gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to Long and Short Reviews. Can you share an excerpt from My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift?

Next, the secretary advised me to take a seat while she notified the headmaster of my arrival. During those dreadful moments, I did everything I could to remain calm. Nervously, I kept patting my foot on the floor and heard each and every tap. Suddenly, shouts of extreme havoc rang out just like the other times! “Oh God no! Jesus, please help me, Lawd! I got you, Sir, I got you,” were screams filling the airwaves. The door opened, and a battered female raced right past me with her hands covering her face. She kept mumbling phrases that shouldn’t be repeated by innocent lips. I couldn’t believe those disgusting words coming out of her baby-sized mouth.

Then damn, another nightmare was possibly moments away. I needed an out and fast. Fearing for my life, I formulated my plan of action. Right before Principal Shellshock steadies his paddle, I was going to blow out all the gas I reserved in my little butt. I was never a fan of the fart game, but I was scheming like a veteran. That’s all I had, and it was my “A game.” I intended to rip a good, hard one that opens my belt, ruffles my pants, and sends my new shoes flying across the room. Then all options would be left to the principal. He could chance tearing into me and losing a lung or take cover and let me go. Punishing me will become a hazard to his health.

For the moment, I felt really good about that notion. I didn’t have much else to cling to, but I was dangerously packing breakfast from Aunt Kathy. Yes, I was sure my stink bomb defense would win that day. According to past reports, I would be the first and only kid at Mitchell Memorial to get on the scoreboard against the headmaster. Make that, Hal “1” and Principal Shell Shock “0.”

What characters or part of the book was the most fun to write? Which part was the hardest?

“Two Of A Kind” was the most fun! However, the opening was hard to write because I felt a lot of guilt for appearing to celebrate her death. After all, Aunt Kathy was a relative and all the lineage I had left.

Are you a punster, planner, or someone in between?

I’m definitely in between. I love little puns just for the laugh or shock value. Like: “When I get you, you’ll know you have been got!” But, I do plan out a lot of “gotchas or cliches just for the fun of it. Many of my characters are from my past experiences. Some, I do drum up to fit the situation.

Where do you get character inspiration?

Many of my characters are from my past experiences. Some, I do drum up to fit the situation.

Aunt Kathy made his childhood miserable—now her funeral might just set him free.

In this wickedly funny and deeply honest memoir, Harold Phifer revisits the chaos of growing up under the thumb of a domineering aunt who ruled with twisted wisdom and unpredictable wrath. As he plans her awkward memorial, Hal finds healing in the most unexpected place: her absence. My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift is a heartfelt journey through trauma, truth, and the strange gifts we inherit from those who hurt us most.

About the Author: Harold Phifer was born in the rebellious South of Columbus, Mississippi. As a kid, he worked the streets, hustled the neighbors, and bused tables at bars he didn’t belong in. After graduating from Caldwell High School, he went on to earn degrees from Mississippi State and Jackson State Universities. He became an Air Traffic Controller in Memphis, Tennessee, but after 23 years, he sought purpose elsewhere—working as an international contractor alongside soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. After narrowly escaping the Taliban takeover in 2021, he took refuge at Guantanamo Bay and resumed his writing while continuing his work as a controller. In 2024, he returned to the Middle East, where he continues to write about life, love, and the human spirit.

Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Rise and Read

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Align Your Business with the Real You by Jennifer Musser – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jennifer Musser will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Is the exhilaration of entrepreneurship tainted with exhaustion? Discover more for your business and yourself.

Do you feel like your professional and personal lives are out of sync? Maxed out trying to juggle work and family? Are you unsure where you belong or how to create a roadmap to get there? Global business consultant and passionate creative Jennifer Musser has spent decades helping high-functioning corporations solve complex puzzles, reduce risk, and increase profit. And now she’s here to show you how to refresh your perspective and fuel the future you want.

Align Your Business with the Real You: Connect with Yourself, Create What Matters Most, and Define Your Success is a groundbreaking paradigm shift for anyone interested in running a company. Well aware of common concerns and struggles faced by every founder, Musser delves into finding your true goals with help from practical exercises, empathetic stories, and easy-to-apply insights. And as you use her ego-free blueprint, you’ll delight in a bounty of unique takeaways that let you stay grounded no matter the situation.

In Align Your Business with the Real You, you’ll discover:
– Strategies for staying honest with yourself that keep you on the right track
– Tips for writing your own definition of success, so your personal and professional life is fulfilling
– Ways to healthily engage with your emotions and feel good about your everyday
– How to remember that you’re the boss and permit yourself to funnel time and money toward your ultimate objectives
– Tools that you can instantly put to use, ideas for renewing your commitment, and much, much more!

Align Your Business with the Real You is a fresh and candid guidebook for entrepreneurs. If you like relatable teachers, down-to-earth chats, and heartfelt advice, then you’ll adore Jennifer Musser’s straightforward approach.

Read Align Your Business with the Real You to start getting results right now!

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Do you feel connected with yourself? Do you feel in sync with your business and your life?

Your ability to connect with yourself and others is an asset, and the most valuable connection you can make is with yourself. It is never too late to connect with yourself. In Chapter 1, you’ll learn how connecting with yourself allows you to find where you belong in life and business. In Chapter 2, you’ll discover how knowing where you belong positions you to connect with like-minded others and conquer the right opportunities. As worthwhile experiences flow, the clouds begin to part. You feel engaged and at peace.

Let’s connect.”

About the Author: JENNIFER MUSSER shines a light on the financial operations of businesses where it is needed most to raise profit, solidify processes, save time, optimize talent, reduce risk, and help business leaders achieve meaningful growth with results they can see—and feel.

Jennifer knows how to lead businesses. She holds over twenty years of experience in global consulting, corporate finance, and entrepreneurship. Jennifer is the founder of JLM & Associates Consulting, LLC, where she applies her big company expertise to steer high-achieving business leaders with financial and operational tools and support for growth with less stress.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Villanova University, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, and multiple certifications in business strategy, Jennifer is committed to helping small businesses succeed.

She loves life (and coffee) with her family and two dogs, Penny and Rockie, in New Jersey.

Website | Blog | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email
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What My Book is About and Why People Should Read It by Robert Bruce Adolph – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Robert Bruce Adolph will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What My Book is About and Why People Should Read It

My book is the true story of my experiences on humanitarian and peacekeeping missions for the United Nations. I dealt with child-soldiers, blood diamonds, a double hostage-taking, an invasion by brutal guerrillas, an emergency aerial evacuation, a desperate hostage recover mission, tribal gunfights, refugee camp violence, suicide bombings, and institutional corruption. My UN career brought me face to face with the best and worst of human nature and I share it all in my book.

You will find my story lives up to its promise of “violence, corruption, betrayal and redemption” during my years as a senior United Nations security chief in the most difficult and demanding security region on the planet. As a former Green Beret and retired lieutenant colonel I explain the distinctions between soldiering, peacekeeping, and working for UN humanitarian and development agencies as I discuss my career which took me to Liberia, Yemen, Sierra Leone, Iraq, and more. Beyond corruption and bureaucratic inefficiencies, I encountered many life-and-death challenges. The most devastating was the jihadist bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad in 2003.

After that suicide bombing, I was deeply angry and hurt. There were twenty-two dead and over one-hundred fifty wounded, including my wife. The people that were to blame never faced accountability for their lack of action. I had to set the record straight by telling the truth, no matter the personal cost. I felt the call to action because nobody else would. I had never felt so alone and utterly vulnerable in my life.

What may make my book a page-turner is that every word is real. Every emotion is raw. Every mistake has consequences. Contrary to popular belief, death seldom has meaning. Violence is often proven stupid. And, finally, justice is not always served. Reality, when reading it, cannot be denied, and is recognized by readers. The lessons learned are invaluable.

This is the astonishing true story of a US Army Special Forces soldier who became a warrior for peace. In his humanitarian and peacekeeping missions for the United Nations he dealt with child-soldiers, blood diamonds, a double hostage-taking, an invasion by brutal guerrillas, an emergency aerial evacuation, a desperate hostage recovery mission, tribal gunfights, refugee camp violence, suicide bombings, and institutional corruption. His UN career brought him face to face with the best and worst of human nature and he shares it all here.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The unarmed variety of peacekeeping is a different sort of military mission. UN member states provide officers to serve as military observers. The most common term is UNMO, short for UN Military Observer. The general mission statement is to “observe and report.” UNMOs observe the status of the peace and write reports for the gratification of the UN Security Council that establishes the mandate under which the mission operates. Essentially, unarmed UNMOs are placed on the ground between former belligerents. Their lives are then held hostage to the peace process. Although little-reported, it is not uncommon for military observers to die in the performance of their duties. I found this type of peacekeeping service, in the abstract, to be an honorable endeavor. The reality, though, was sometimes something else entirely. As a matter of historical import, approximately three thousand eight hundred peacekeepers have died in the performance of their duties around the globe.

Another type of peacekeeping involves the use of armed battalions. I had seen this permutation in 1990 while serving with UN Observer Group-Lebanon in the form of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon, and two years later with the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia. My future mission would combine elements of both UNMOs and armed battalions.

The key assumption on the part of the UN Security Council when establishing a peacekeeping mission is that there is a genuine peace to keep. That assumption proved false in several countries.

About the Author: Robert Bruce Adolph is a retired UN Chief Security Advisor & US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. He holds master’s degrees in both International Affairs (Middle East Studies) from American University’s School of International Service and National Security Studies and Strategy from the US Army’s Command and General Staff College.

Adolph served nearly 26-years in multiple Special Forces, Counterterrorism, Psychological Operations, Civil Affairs, Foreign Area Officer, and Military Intelligence command and staff assignments in the US and overseas. He also volunteered to serve on UN peacekeeping missions in Egypt, Israel, Cambodia, Iraq and Kuwait.

After he retired from active military service in 1997, he began a second career as a senior UN Security Advisor. Among his positions he served as the Chief of the Middle East and North Africa in the UN Department of Safety and Security.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

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The Atrocities of Hope by Michael Olukayode – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael Olukayode will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Nigeria is dealing with a level of disorderliness that is neither compatible with functionality nor with long life. Our problems did not start today; they have been with us for as long as we have existed as a country. But just like a disorder left untreated, our problem has incapacitated us, and the rate of deterioration is currently becoming alarming.

The long-term survival of our country is no longer as assured as it used to be. We are on a slippery slope with nothing to hold on to.

This book attempts to answer the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘who’, and ‘what is next’ of our problems. As is always the case when truths are discussed, be ready to be offended.

But if you are open-minded enough to be offended and not switch off and open-minded enough to be offended and keep reading – you might learn one or two things at the end of this book.

Read an Excerpt

Nigeria as a country has been on a downward trend for decades, and anyone in touch with reality can see this. Of course, some will cloak wishful thinking with the shawl of patriotism or deny by faith the level of suffering going on in the country today, but it only takes an honest reflection for even the most positive ‘patriot’ to accept that things are not going well for our nation and that the probability of a better tomorrow is non-existent . . . if we continue down the same path.

Like most Nigerians, discussing the problems of Nigeria and praying for its peace, progress, and prosperity have been parts of my life since I have been old enough to think and pray.

But despite all the prayers, Nigeria has maintained its downward journey. Being burdened with an inquisitive mind and the ability to think about thoughts, I have contemplated the Nigeria question from an early age. I have always asked: Why are Nigeria’s better days always in the past?

Why does Nigeria keep going backward despite all the fasting and prayers?

I eventually outgrew fasting and praying for Nigeria to work—because I knew prayer without work is a waste of time and energy—but despite stopping the prayers and the fasting, I could not stop thinking about the ‘whys’ of our problems.

About the Author:

Michael, a self-described realist with a touch of cynicism, is a UK-based, Nigerian-trained psychiatrist and the author of The Atrocities of Hope: An Analysis of the ‘Nigeria Problem.’

Michael’s lived experience in Nigeria, his inquisitive mind, and his ability to pull back and observe despite being involved combine well with his skills as a mental health expert to create this work.

Michael is a fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Faculty of Psychiatry, and is an affiliate member of the Royal College of Psychiatry. He plies his trade as a psychiatrist in the Northwest of England. He describes himself as a member of a speciality that helps you in the fight against your worst enemy: yourself.

Michael is a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a neighbour, a member of the public, a lover of music, and a lover of movies and books.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/drkay18

Twitter: http://www.instagram.com/drkay18

Theads: https://www.threads.com/@drkay18

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1779626762
Better World Books: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/9781779626769
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781779626769

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God and Petroleum by Roberto Aguilera – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Roberto Aguilera will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It’s been many years since God planted in my heart the idea to author this book. To do so I relied on science and engineering, looking deep into the earth a few thousand feet, dreaming of petroleum reservoirs I could not see, and evaluated them using mostly indirect sources of information. Petroleum hydrocarbons in earth are of organic origin (they form from dead plants and animals) and are intimately related with water. I also had to look to a different scale deep into the universe when it was created 13.77 billion years ago to try to understand the origin of hydrogen, the birth of the first hydrogen star (the seed star), its explosion in a supernova, and the repetitive births and explosions of subsequent stars that led eventually to the formation of elements such as carbon and iron and to hydrocarbons in the universe. These are hydrocarbons of inorganic origin.

Then I moved into the micrometer scale of human cells and to top research informing us that we are very close to chimpanzees, and a very persuasive discussion about evolution that I agree with. The book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman in the sixth day, and that he formed man in the seventh day of the dust of the earth and woman of the rib of man. At first glance all of this seems contradictory, but it is not. This book shows that available science supports Genesis’ seven days very well. They do not contradict each other.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Writing petroleum engineering technical papers and books is complicated. I have done it many times, but authoring this book has been my major challenge.

In here I try to link the heavens (universe), earth, humanity, and the word of God as presented particularly during seven days beginning on day 1 with the first verse in the book of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The work of Monsignor Georges Lemaître (1894–1996), a Belgian Catholic priest, original developer of the theory of the primeval atom, later known universally as the Big Bang theory is inspirational as it shows scientifically that there was a beginning, and it links perfectly with Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning…” This is covered in Chapter 1.

Science tells us that the universe started around 13.77 billion years ago and the earth about 4.6 billion years ago. But in the beginning, it was mostly hydrogen.

When Edwin Hubble (1889–1953) discovered that galaxies were moving away at speeds proportional to their distance (Hubble-Lemaître law), it corroborated the theory previously posited by Lemaître.

In the beginning darkness covered the face of the deep space; it was the dark ages. The first star was made of hydrogen. Eventually, the first star (I think of it as the original seed) exploded.

About the Author: Roberto Aguilera is professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Calgary (Canada) and president of Servipetrol Ltd. He specializes in the evaluation of naturally fractured, tight and shale petroleum reservoirs worldwide. He has authored and co-authored six books dealing with petroleum engineering subjects and over 300 technical papers. He has rendered training and/or consulting services in over 40 countries worldwide. This is his first book linking God, His creation, and the benefits of petroleum to humanity while debunking alarming claims about its use.

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In Search of Recognition by Jim McAllister – Spotlight and Giveaway




This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jim McAllister will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In Search of Recognition: The Story of Search and Rescue in British Columbia provides background on why and how organized volunteer search and rescue became a reality in the province, and how search and rescue evolved over many years to meet the increasing demands of finding lost people and rescuing those injured outdoors. The primary focus of the thousands of volunteers is to save the lives of persons lost or injured outdoors; training and fundraising for equipment and other costs also require time and energy. Through personal involvement and references, the author provides insights into how funding and other support for the volunteer service was achieved, through government, responsible agencies, organizations and individuals working together to find ways to assist those who strive “so others may live.”

Enjoy an Excerpt

As long as people have lived together, there has been some form of search and rescue. Family and community members would go looking for someone overdue from a hunting/gathering trip. A community member would be lost or injured in the backcountry, and the local sheriff would form a posse to search for and rescue the individual. Mariners would respond to sinkings and vessels in distress to save lives, long before maritime laws required such. With the advent of flight, pilots would keep their eyes open for missing persons or aircraft, and respond to pick up and transport injured people as the fastest way to get them to medical attention.

About the Author: Jim McAllister has been involved in search and rescue for over 45 years, starting as a volunteer member in the Rocky Mountains in 1977 with Golden and District SAR and then Cranbrook SAR. He became the SAR specialist for the Province of B.C. in 2002. In 2008, Jim retired from the provincial government as a director with Emergency Management British Columbia and became a volunteer director for special projects with the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association. Jim has been involved with many major projects: the establishment of Avalanche Canada, the updating of volunteer reimbursement rates, the establishment of health and safety guidelines, the formation of a joint health and safety committee, Swiftwater Rescue standards, sustainable funding for search and rescue and the establishment of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial. Jim wrote a book on the last project, titled A Monument to Remember, and one on incidents, titled One Week in August: Stories from Search and Rescue in British Columbia.

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Smoke & Mirrors by Joanie Olson – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Joanie Olson will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Searching for an answer to a question you haven’t asked yet? You are not alone. One small realization and a whole world unravels.

Woven through these pages are a series of my most significant life events relating to narcissistic victim/survivor syndrome. Inside are keys unlocking mysteries of complex PTSD, compounded through various forms of abuse.

A journey of highs, like the Freedom Convoy, and the lows of a failed longtime marriage. With spiritual forces at work behind the scenes, could a Christian home have so many secrets? The smoke will clear to reveal our true mirrored self.

Enjoy an Excerpt

I was sitting in the back of the plane, settling in between two passengers. My hair in a ponytail, wearing comfy sweatpants and a T-shirt with excitement in my chest. Others around me seemed like seasoned pros fluffing their pillows, adjusting their screens, ready to endure the long flight overseas.

I tried to act like a frequent flyer but struggling to plug in my headset must have given me away. Fidgeting in my seat to get comfortable, I remembered to put my phone on airplane mode. That’s when I saw a missed call from my son.

He had reached adulthood and well able to care for himself. A hard worker, smart as a whip and living life on his terms. With a few more minutes before the plane departed, I took the opportunity to give him a call.

“Hey Michael, Mom here. Sorry I missed your call. I was kind of busy.”

Michael responded, “That’s OK Mom, sorry I never called you back yesterday. What are you up to?”

“Well,” I said as I let out a laugh, annoying the man sitting beside me. I leaned over with my head down between my knees. Cupping the phone to muffle the sound of my voice, I went on to explain. “I’m on a plane headed to Paris, France!”

“WHAT?!” he replied.

About the Author: Joanie was raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Life revolved around chores, school and church. Six older siblings and all the nieces and nephews added up to a large family.

Strong in doctrine and armed with a passion for truth, she’s walked the walk of faith, facing challenges to overcome. She was married at 19, became a mother to a stepdaughter, and later birthed two children. Following years of turmoil in her marriage, she hit the inevitable breaking point.

Starting life over, she attended broadcasting college, going on to anchor morning news for the airwaves. Feeling isolated and rejected, her drive to help others who have gone through similar circumstances inspired this book. Through the Refiners fire, she’s ready to share tools required to escape the fake and embrace the truth.

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Being Broken by Geoffrey R. Jonas – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Geoffrey R. Jonas will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A young woman dies alone in a hotel room, her fentanyl-poisoned cocaine still on the desk. She had been missing for nearly 2 weeks. Social Services had been trying to find a place for her to live with her 3-year-old son, whom she had left with her parents. Six months later her father fights for his life in intensive care, but succumbs to his illness because of a lifelong use of alcohol and tobacco. A month after his death her mother is assessed by doctors to be unable to care for herself because of her Alzheimer’s and mental health issues brought on by benzodiazepine and alcohol addiction.

The son, brother, stepson is the only one left to pick up the pieces. He begins a journey of the self and finds out the truth of his family. After going over letters, notes, emails, videos, and text messages, he uncovers a disturbing picture of the abuse his sister suffered at the hands of their parents. He also begins to better understand his own struggles with mental health and substance addiction because of the trauma and abuse he also suffered from their parents.

Follow the son as he looks through his family history to discover the generational abuse that trickled down through the years. Learn about how parents who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder emotionally abuse and manipulate their children. See how the abuse and trauma becomes mental illness in the abused, and how they fall into vicious traps of addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Witness the transformational change of the son as he works on the recovery of his inner child and tries to become the man he was meant to be.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Prologue

Defining Narcissistic Parental Abuse
Normal Narcissism vs. Narcissistic Personality Disorder

To understand the tragedy’s conclusion, we must define the patterns of learned behaviours and the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) that caused it. To do that, we first need to discuss what NPD is and how it differs from normal or healthy narcissism (NN).

Many of us have heard the tale of Narcissus from Greek mythology. Narcissus starved to death because he fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water and refused to leave it. This results from pathological narcissism or NPD. If he had just checked his reflection like we all typically do in the morning and moved on with his day, that would be healthy narcissism. We are all guilty of a bit of healthy narcissism, especially in these days of social media. Healthy narcissism can generate positive self-image and self-esteem, but can lead to bragging or even demeaning others. The key difference here is that someone with NN will recognize that what they have said or done has hurt others, can feel empathy, and will try to correct the situation.

For someone with NPD, the lack of empathy for others is a key criterion for diagnosis. Sufferers of NPD need what is called ‘narcissistic supply’, meaning the emotional reaction from others, whether negative or positive, to fill the gaping hole of low self-esteem most of them have. They require constant reassurance and admiration from others and can become hostile and angry, even rageful, if we do not meet their needs. They will use any means necessary to get their supply, even lying and being aggressive or demeaning towards others.

About the Author: Geoffrey is a first-time author. He lives peacefully by a lake, spending his time writing, painting, gardening, and woodworking. His recovery is ongoing, and he enjoys his privacy and seclusion.

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