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Ancestral Pasts and New Lands Lead to Self-Discovery in New Novel

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Discover yourself by discovering the past in Trail of the Raven, Haiti, the new novel by Chip Davis. After Ana’s death, Jack realizes he knows very little of his adoptive mother and her past. Recalling some of Ana’s final words, “The best way to learn about your ancestors is to put yourself in the same environment they were in,” Jack decides to discover ancestral roots for himself, starting his journey in Haiti. On his road of self-discovery, his ancestral roots cross paths with hidden treasure and pirates. Will Jack be able to cope with his mother’s death and discover his true potential on his journey through the past? Chip discovered a passion for travel as a boy when his family moved from Arkansas to Kenya for two years as missionaries. He continued moving regularly as an adult, working construction jobs across several states, until having two school-aged sons dictated that he settle down. Fast forward 15 years, the boys are grown, and it is time to travel once again. Chip lives with his wife in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He is continuing to design houses while developing his photography skills and planning his next adventure.

Trail of the Raven, Haiti is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-561-6) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-562-3) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s official website, www.chipdavisbooks.com.

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A Dark Past and a Dangerous Road to Discovering the Truth

Posted on August 05, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

In Bluette Matthey’s first novel, Corsican Justice, we are introduced to Hardy Durkin, an American tour outfitter who seems to experience a mystery at every stop. Hardy is visiting Corsica for the first time to explore the possibility of arranging a hiking tour for segments of Corsica's infamous hiking trail, the GR20. Seeking closure from his father’s deadly highway accident on the island of Corsica several years earlier, Hardy learns his father’s death was no accident, but murder. The truth of his father’s murder lies among arms smuggling, Russian mobsters and judicial corruption. Bluette Matthey is a third-generation Swiss American, an avid lover of Europe and its cultures, and a keen reader of mysteries. Her love of travel is shared by her husband, who formerly owned a tour outfitter business in Europe. Bluette maintains a mental list of hikes and pilgrimages she still wants to do throughout Europe. She currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, faithful dog, and band of loving cats.

Corsican Justice is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-941611-00-5) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s official website, bluettematthey.com.

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Italian Plot Driven By Mystery, Theft, and a Dark Night of the Soul

Posted on August 05, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Bluette Matthey’s latest novel, Abruzzo Intrigue, embodies mystery, thievery, and spiritual encounters in this entangled plot, all set in the landscape of rural Italy.

Hardy Durkin, an American tour outfitter, leads a hiking tour into Italy's Abruzzo region, where they experience the area's culture, food, and history.  There is a good deal of exposure to the region's religious and spiritual past, and one of the tour group members struggles with an odyssey of the soul that ends in redemption. Some of the cast of characters are who they seem to be, but most aren't. A member of the group, a grieving widower, plans to steal one of the Vatican's most precious religious relics, The First Eucharistic Miracle, from the Church of San Francesco in Lanciano.

The book is a collision of values and traditions while hiking through the oft-overlooked beauty of ancient Abruzzo.   Bluette Matthey is a third-generation Swiss American, an avid lover of Europe and its cultures, and a keen reader of mysteries. Her love of travel is shared by her husband, who formerly owned a tour outfitter business in Europe. Bluette maintains a mental list of hikes and pilgrimages she still wants to do throughout Europe. She currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, faithful dog, and band of loving cats.

Abruzzo Intrigue is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-941611-01-2) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s official website, bluettematthey.com.

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Graphic Novel Brings Color and Life to Medieval Fantasy World

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Mark Mongilutz creates a world of bravery, sacrifice, fear and hope in the graphic novel ...of Stone & Steel.

The story between the Makers and Druids is one of warriors fighting for their honor and land amongst philosophical questioning and guidance in this medieval, fantasy world. The reader will question how people should live, values by which one should be governed, and the extent to which equilibrium with one’s environment should take precedence over human progress.

The illustrations, created by Preston Farr, emphasize the action-packed plot in vibrant colors.

A native of Western Washington, Mark Mongilutz has served in the U.S. Army, earned a few degrees, motorcycled for a time, re-visited the Army once, rock climbed on occasion, tried his hand in both education and the corporate sector, been engaged briefly, and writes when he can no longer bear not to write. Though forever in love with his home state, he now lives elsewhere (though still west of the Mississippi).

...of Stone and Steel is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-530-2), hardcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-531-9) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-532-6) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s official website, mjmongilutz.com.

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Children’s Book Helps Youth Embrace Themselves and Others

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Being confident in your differences is already difficult enough without having someone point it out negatively. Nancy Grossenbacher, author of The Butterfly Who Became A Cocoon, teaches youth how to embrace differences in themselves and others through the story of Oliver the butterfly. Oliver the butterfly lives a content life in the garden. That is, until the day Cornelius the Ant criticizes him for his differences compared to the other garden dwellers. How will Oliver overcome his bully and embrace his true identity without shame? Find out in this new children’s book. The story originally premiered as a ballet titled LEPIDOPTERA and has been performed several times. The ballet will be transformed into a musical to be performed in Los Angeles come spring 2015. Nancy Grossenbacher was one of the first women to attend Texas A&M University. She attended both Texas A&M and Sam Houston State University majoring in Journalism. Mrs. Grossenbacher was inspired by teachers, Skip Lebo and Leon Hale, who taught her to see the world both accurately and creatively.

 The Butterfly Who Became A Cocoon is available in hardcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-526-5) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s official website, nancygbooks.com.

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New eBook on Overcoming Adversity To Be Offered Free July 24

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 1 Comment

International award-winning film maker and University Lecturer David Brady’s compelling story enlightens audiences on how to overcome severe adversity, find peace of mind and prosperity in the second half of life in his new book, Aging With Dignity, Living With Grace.To make the book available to everyone, the author is offering the Amazon Kindle version free on Thursday, July 24, 2014.

Brady could never have known his life was going to be turned upside down four years ago, when he went to talk to a 21-year-old man with a severe mental illness at the request of the man’s mother. Without warning, the boy punched Brady so hard he was forced on his back while the man delivered six or seven rage-filled punches into his head, sending his skull smashing into the hardwood kitchen floor.

The result of this incident was brain damage, effectively altering Brady’s life forever. Those few minutes impaired his hard-earned career as a writer/producer/director for television and film. How does one overcome these challenges and, thinking further, how many other people have to face similar blink-of-an-eye, life-altering events? Aging With Dignity, Living With Grace represents how David Brady was able to overcome this misfortune and find peace of mind and prosperity.   David Brady, MFA, is a respected international writer, producer and director of over 130 prime-time television episodes and 4 feature films. He is on the faculty of Motion Picture Arts at Capilano University and was previously on the faculties of York University and Ryerson University, receiving the CESAR Teaching Award. David was the President of three successful production companies and has spoken extensively on overcoming adversity and finding peace of mind and prosperity, utilizing spiritual principles.

Aging With Dignity, Living With Grace is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-474-9) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. The eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-545-6) is currently available on Amazon.com. The printed book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s official website, davidbradybooks.com.

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Writing and Surviving Through Extreme Religion

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

In Cult Fiction: One Writer’s Creative Journey through an Extreme Religion, K. Gordon Neufeld combines the art of memoir with fictitious short stories, poetry, and academic essays, all surrounding his experience with cult and extreme religion. In 1976, Neufeld joined the Unification Church of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, where he remained an avid member for ten years. After departing the church, he returned to his original ambition to be a writer and began to explore his experiences from the past decade through this medium. This books details his journey in cult religion as well as surviving afterwards through his writing and research of the past 40 years. Readers will discover how Neufeld's involvement impacted his writing and the value composition can have for other survivors of extreme religions. K. Gordon Neufeld lives with his wife, Mary Jo Downey, and stepdaughter, Eiry, in up-state New York. Neufeld is the author of Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years under Sun Myung Moon, A Cult Survivor's Memoir and several short stories published in literary journals such as The Windsor Review and The Nashwaak Review. Neufeld received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of British Columbia in 1997.

Cult Fiction is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-517-3) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-518-0) at Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. The books can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at neufeldbooks.com.

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