A wonderful coming-of-age adventure set in the summer of 1980.
After reading ‘Remember the Future,’ I couldn’t wait to
download this latest book by this talented author. This excellent story is set
in Texas where the author was born and raised. In it, Bryant Delafosse who holds
a degree from the University of Texas at Austin and is a screenwriter, now
living in Southern California, takes his readers on the coming-of-age journey
of Neil Thibodeaux which takes place through the summer of 1980.
Neil lives with his short-tempered dad and bully of an older
brother in Houston Texas, however, the day our adventure begins is Monday 5th
May, memorable, not only because it is Neil’s 17th birthday, but also because
it is the day he is being torn from his friends and everything he knows to move
across state and live in Philton, in his words, the ‘butt-crack’ of the State
of Texas.
At his new job (the cause for the move) Neil’s dad has found
him work, however, Neil has other ideas and finds himself a job working in the
local movie theatre, the Lone Star Six. He is interviewed by a jaw-dropping
beauty Cecilia, or CC as she is known, and instantly Neil has a crush on her.
However love seldom comes easy and is sometimes not reciprocated, so Neil can
only look on and hope his time will come, whilst enjoying his new friends and
work colleagues at the theatre.
And so the summer begins. At home, things have never been
the same since the death of his mom. His father and the two brothers are both
struggling to cope with the loss in their own ways. Jake is off the rails,
angry and resentful, and sibling rivalry is strong, making life hard, and even
more stressful for their hard-working dad.
However, this is the summer of 1980, a summer of great music
like AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, and incredible films including the much
anticipated new box office hit, which is now considered the best Star Wars
movie of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. When it arrives in Philton it
causes a stir and the theatre has record sales. Neil is loving his job and has
been promoted to the projectionist, and the author uses his own memories of
working as a movie projectionist to add special touches to Neil’s experiences
in the story. I challenge anyone who was alive in 1980 not to be transported
back in time by their own wonderful memories this story evokes.
Like any teenager, Neil dreams of driving, and owning his
own car, getting a girl and having fun, however these things are not always
easy or straightforward to achieve. Yet through the authors wonderfully
descriptive writing, we join Neil on the rollercoaster of life lessons which he
learns that summer. Whether it is harsh realities, loves found and lost,
friendships, or dreams, we spend this summer with him having fun, laughing and
crying with him as his future begins to unfold, and starts to reveal the
opportunities to come…
A wonderfully nostalgic coming of age story, written sensitively and in a thought-provoking way by this talented author.
About the Author:
Bryant Delafosse was born and raised in Southeast Texas and currently lives in Southern California. His previous novels include the thrillers THE MALL, HALLOWED, and REMEMBER THE FUTURE. EVEN THE LOSERS is now available exclusively on Amazon.
You can contact him at: bryantdelafosse@yahoo.com, follow him on Twitter @BryantDelafosse, and become a friend @ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6153967.Bryant_Delafosse.
About the Book:
What was it like to work at a small-town Texas movie theater in the summer of 1980? For seventeen-year-old Neil, it meant his first job, his first love, and the release of the most anticipated movie of his lifetime, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. He never counted on meeting the girl of his dreams or that she would become his boss. But if he was ever going to have a shot at an older woman, he would need a car, some spending cash, and the respect of the guys in the projection booth of the Lone Star Six.
Essential reading for those considering egg and embryo donation.
Marna Gatlin became a patient of John S. Hesla MD in 1999
when she attended ORM Fertility. He was immediately impressed with her
intelligence, warmth, thoughtfulness, and candor. Marna has since founded a
large non-profit making organization, Parents via Egg Donation (PVED) which has
for many years become an important source of information for people who want to
become parents via egg donation.
Carole LieberWilkins became one of the first women in the
world to become a mother through egg donation. She is a licensed marriage and
family therapist at a private practice in Los Angeles, she is a specialist in
the field of reproductive medicine, and family building options. She is PVED’s
Mental Health Director and was a founding member of Resolve of Greater Los
Angeles in 1987.
In the last 30 years the process of egg donation has changed
a lot, and the reasons for needing egg donation are many. Marna Gatlin and Carole
LieberWilkins the co-authors of this book, call upon their own experience, and those
of others to provide their readers with an essential resource which explains
the journey ‘real families’ experiences when building a family built through
egg and embryo donation.
Within its pages the processes are explained and true
accounts given by those who have used this process. Questions are answered,
fears calmed and doubts expressed, allowing the reader to fully understand that
they are not alone, others have been through the experience. I really love the
quote from Marna which says “Don’t get
too hung up emotionally regarding your egg donor selection because at the end
of the day, the baby you have is the baby you were meant to have.”
There are no subjects glazed over in this frank, honest,
no-holds-barred book. I had to smile at the questions asked, especially about
hair color, simply because my sister comes from a family who all have blue or
grey eyes and yet hers are dark brown. These things don’t matter, and shouldn’t
be worried about, having a happy healthy child is all that matters.
Uniquely, this is the first book which provides its readers
with age-appropriate scripts to allay the fears of parents about how to talk to
their children and explain the special way they were conceived. There is also a
list of resources which contains organizations and books which you may wish to
read.
In summary: This book is an essential resource for those who are considering building a family through egg and embryo donation. Highly recommended!
About the Authors:
Marna Gatlin and Carole LieberWilkins are two experts in the field of egg donation and third party reproduction, with a combined experience of nearly 50 years. Both moms via egg donation themselves, they have dedicated their careers to teaching families how to talk to their kids about how they were conceived. Carole was one of the first people in the world to become a mother via egg donation. She is a therapist specializing in infertility, adoption, and alternative family building. Marna is the founder and executive director of Parents Via Egg Donation, which connects over 10,000 families created via egg and embryo donation worldwide every year.
About the Book:
Let’s Talk About Egg Donation was written by, for, and about families built through egg and embryo donation. It takes the reader on a journey–from infertility diagnosis, to pregnancy, to how to talk to your child about egg donation. Let’s Talk About Egg Donation tells true stories of real families who are parenting via egg and embryo donation. Their stories are woven throughout the book to craft an informative, easy-to-read narrative that focuses on positive language choices. This is the first book written by parents through egg donation that gives you age-appropriate scripts for how to take the scary out of talking to your kids about the special way in which they were conceived.
How to make your book’s title stand out from the crowd.
The author of this book, Scott Lorenz, is the owner of Westwind Communications a successful book marketing company which has, over the years helped authors realize their dreams and catapulted their books into the eyes of the public. His vast experience in this field has given him unique insights into many aspects of book realization and marketing, and in this compact book, he shares these gems with his readers.
We all know the well-known phrase, “to judge a book by its
cover,” however, first you have to find the book, and it is by the title that
this is achieved. Search boxes are brilliant however, it is what you put into
them which matters, and it is by understanding the types of keywords you should
(or shouldn’t) use in your title, that you will get your book seen by your
target audience. The importance of an eye-catching title cannot be overemphasized.
Therefore “How to Title Your Book” is one book every author should read, even if your book is already published, title changes are possible, and with the knowledge, you will acquire within these pages you will discover that a clever author doesn’t just come up with a title, they take advantage of examples out there from well-known authors, and do thorough research first.
However, the really smart author, or would-be author, will take advantage of this book, because within its pages are all the information you will need, complete with examples, crafty tips and many more things most authors just don’t consider. From lengths of titles and subtitles to alliteration, the use of numbers, and pen names, a myriad of topics are discussed. In each section, the advantages and disadvantages are clearly explained, and the impact they could have, which enable you to make informed decisions, and give your book the best chance it can have of standing out.
In conclusion, this enlightening book is, in my opinion, essential reading for authors. As author’s, we are not only extremely proud of our work, but we also want it to be read by our target audience. Let’s be honest we want to sell a lot of our books, for many reasons, fantasy author’s I am sure (even if it is in secret,) dream of becoming the next J. K. Rowling, and many children’s book authors who love animals fantasize that Disney will want to make a film of their book, I know I do. Whatever your reason for writing your book, you owe it to yourself to give it the best chance it can have to shine, and this book will help you achieve this.
About the Author:
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more.
Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.book-marketing-expert.com/ or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist
About the Book:
Nobody buys a book unless they’re first attracted by the title and cover. If the title doesn’t grab them it’s game over. That’s why Book Publicist Scott Lorenz of Westwind Book Marketing created a strategy for naming your book that’ll get attention of potential buyers. Don’t name your book until you’ve read Book Title Generator. Using the latest methods of getting a book ranked on search engines and in Amazon, Lorenz lays out a plan to help you get the right title for your book. Lorenz asks authors to consider all options in the quest for the perfect book title. From using numbers, alliteration, idioms, and keyword research, Book Title Generator covers them all. Many famous books we all know today started out with dreadful titles. Learn why when a title was changed their book sales took off! As a Book Publicist Scott Lorenz has helped title hundreds of books and promoted hundreds more. He’s a student of book titles and shares his nearly three decades of book marketing experience with authors in this book. Book Title Generator is designed to help authors and publishers spark the idea to lead them to the perfect book title. It’s the surefire way to find your winning title.
An exciting Wild West adventure, which you won’t be able to put down!
In this exciting Wild West adventure, Joe Corso displays his
incredible writing ability to the full, as he brings to his readers the life,
sights, and sounds of the Wild West.
His protagonist is Brazos Kane, a gun shark who at the
beginning of this adventure learns of the death of his uncle, Texas Jack Kane, the
man who has taught him all he knows. Immediately he leaves for Kansas City to
attend his funeral and settle his affairs. However, Bazos is very aware that he
is wanted in various jurisdictions, and so, before leaving he takes a quick
trip to the barbers to change his appearance.
His uncle, who was once known as Killer Jack Kane, was in
later years known as the best trickshot artist in the world and traveled with
circuses and sideshows showing off his talent. Brazos was very delighted to
discover that he had been willed his beautiful leather conch-embossed gun-belt
with two ivory-handled 45-caliber 1st generation single action Colt 1873s,
which his uncle used when he performed, his handsome painted horse Wizard, and
also $15,975.
However, there was also another legacy which his uncle had
handed down to him, a commission which he had taken on, but unfortunately, he
had died before it he could fulfil it.
It is to facilitate the safe passage of Amanda Collins. She
is the niece of the owner of the Grand Hotel in town, and having spent the
summer visiting with her aunt and uncle, she now needs to return to her home in
North Dakota. Her father, Governor Collins wants someone to get her home safe.
Bazos accepts the commission and is pleased to discover that
Amanda is not only a beautiful young woman but also a good rider. Saddled up they
begin their adventure, however, it isn’t long into their journey before Bazos
realizes that they are being followed. When it happens again shortly after, a
shocking revelation from Amanda unveils the reason why. Suddenly the stakes are
so much higher! Not only are they traveling through dangerous Indian
territories where the natives are keen to kill the white man who has invaded
their lands, but also interested parties are pursuing them for an entirely
different reason.
Throughout this exciting story, the hard lives of the early
settlers is clearly portrayed, along with the utter disrespect for life, at a
time when people took what they wanted and killed indiscriminately anyone in
their way. However, in the telling of this story the strength, fortitude, and
comradeship which also developed can be seen as Brazos and Amanda unite with a
wagon train and are joined by other cowboys as the follow their intrepid trail
to North Dakota. Through this story, those of us who have never visited this
vast country truly get a flavor of the courage and fortitude of these settlers
who despite all odds managed to stand their ground against the natives, build
towns, and railways, and establish methods of communication.
This book has so many facets, it is an excellent Wild West adventure, it portrays the history and lives of the people in those times, and it is also a romance, with twists and turns which will keep you guessing until the very last page.
About the Author:
I Grew up in Queens, New York. I’m a Korea Veteran and I retired from the FDNY. I started writing late in life hoping to help my grandchildren pay for their college education. I found that I could write a good story that resulted in 33 books and 38 awards and a multiple top 100 author.
AWARDS
The STARLIGHT CLUB (12 awards) 1 SILVER in the 2012 eLit contest in the ‘TRUE CRIME’ category’. 2 HONORABLE MENTION in the 2013 Reader’s Favorite ‘HISTORICAL FICTION’ category’. 3 IPPY award FINALIST in 2014. 4 GOLD SEAL MONTAIGNE MEDAL FINALIST in 2014 ERIC HOFFER BOOK CONTEST. 5 FINALIST in the 2014 (NIEA) National Indie Excellence Awards-CRIME-FICTION Category 6 BRONZE on August 25, 2014, in the CIPA HISTORICAL FICTION category. 7 FINALIST in the 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book awards. 8 Included in Shelf Unbound’s 100 best Indie Books of 2015 as a NOTABLE INDIE 9 FINALIST in the 2015 USA REBA NORTHEAST Regional Contest Fiction Category 10 HONORABLE MENTION in Library Thing 2013 Book Contest. 11 2019 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD DISTINGUISHED FAVORITE in the Crime Fiction Category.
THE STARLIGHT CLUB 2 12 2015 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR
THE LONE JACK KID (3 awards) 13 FINALIST in the 2013 READER’S FAVORITE in the ‘WESTERN’ category. (1) 14 FINALIST in the 2014 LARAMIE AWARDS. (2)
THE LONE JACK KID: THE RETURN (Award winner) (3) 15 TRUEWEST MAGAZINE – Best of the West 2016: Western Books – Self Published Category
THE REVENGE OF JOHN W. (Award winner) 16 2nd place Winner in 2015, 21st Annual C.I.P.A. E.V.V.Y. Book awards in the FICTION/WESTERN Category.
FIRE: BOX 598′ (Short Story) (Award winner) 17 BRONZE in the 2013 Readers Favorite contest – ‘HISTORICAL NON FICTION’ category.
‘ENGINE 24: FIRE STORIES 1, 2, 3’ (5 awards) 18 BRONZE-FIRE STORIES: BOX 598 19 SILVER-in the 2015 eLit contest in the ‘ESSAY/CREATIVE NON-FICTION category. 20 FINALIST-Chanticleer 2016 Book Contest in the Short Story Category. 21 FINALIST 2017 Book of the Year Award in the GENERAL NON-FICTION Category. 22 HONORABLE MENTION-ENGINE 24 FIRE STORIES 1, 2, 3 2016 CHANTICLEER OVERALL BEST SHORT STORY/NOVELETTE
LAFITTE’S TREASURE (7 awards) 23 GOLD in the 2015 eLit contest in the HISTORICAL FICTION category. 24 2015 BOOK COVER was a DaVinci FINALIST in the ERIC HOFFER BOOK CONTEST. 25 2015 BOOK was awarded Da VINCI EYE FINALIST in the ERIC HOFFER BOOK CONTEST 5 STAR REVIEW by READER’S FAVORITE in May 2015 26 2015 BEST COVER AWARD by BooksGoSocial.com. Was awarded a cash prize by Lawrence O’Brian of Dublin, Ireland. Voting performed by the public and judges. 27 3RD PLACE WINNER in 2015, 21st annual C.I.P.A. E.V.V.Y. BOOK AWARDS in the FICTION/HISTORICAL category. 28 2015 Chanticlear BOOK AWARDS CLUE FINALIST for Thriller/Suspense 29 2016 GOETHE FINALIST – Post-1750 HISTORICAL FICTION
TOMMY TOPPER AND THE PIXIE PRINCESS (2 awards) 30 FINALIST at the 2015 READER’S FAVORITE AWARD CEREMONY held in Miami. (5 STAR REVIEW by READER’S FAVORITE.) 31 FINALIST in the 2017 IAN Book of the Year Award in the CHILDREN’S FICTION Category
THE OLD MAN AND THE KING: (2 awards) 32 GOLDEN EARPHONES AWARD WINNER – by Joe Corso | Read by Al Benelli 33 Finalist in the 2017 Readers Favorite contest
THE TIME TRAVELER (3 awards) 34 FINALIST in the 2016 Readers Favorite Book Contest 35 FINALIST in the 2016 BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD CONTEST Science Fiction Category 36 The Time Traveler was selected as Many Book’s April Book of the Month under the Sci-Fi genre.
A portion of Rabia Tanveer’s December 2015 Reader’s Favorite 5 Star Review of the “Time Traveler” follows.
“I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about this novel. However, I could not help myself, I had to read it. I’ve heard great things about Joe Corso and the way he writes, so I thought this would be the perfect time to start a novel and see what he’s got. And you know what? I was so into this story that I did not even realize that I was almost halfway done. It was interesting and very refreshing. It was so good that I started to re-read it immediately after I finished it. Huge thumbs up for Mr. Corso for writing such a great story.”
SHOOTOUT IN CHEYENNE (2 awards) 37 2016 BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER in the WESTERN CATEGORY 38 2017 TRUE WEST BEST OF THE WEST – SELF PUBLISHED & SMALL PRESS WESTERN BOOKS CATEGORY
_______________________________________________________________________________ *** The 2020 STARLIGHT CLUB BOOK TOUR begins Febuary 20. 2020, Visit www.corsobooks.com and click on the BOOK TOUR tab to learn more.***
A not to be missed irreverent look at the lives and times of Donald Trump by Preston Coleman the King of Satire!
Preston Coleman, the author of this extremely witty book is a professor of communication with a doctorate in media studies. Anyone reading this clever story will not be surprised that he has won awards for his teaching, research, and satire.
At a time when many Americans, and indeed the rest of the world are frustrated and concerned about the words and actions of Donald Trump, through this clever work of historical fiction, the author gives his readers a satirical look at the life and times of this egotistical world leader.
The recent discovery of a previously unknown gospel in the basement of a Russian Orthodox church in Weehawken, New Jersey, written by Donald of Gaul has opened the eyes of the world in a revolutionary new way.
In this gospel, Donald Trump is Donald of Gaul, a wealthy entrepreneur with a hospitality empire. Forward-thinking he is always looking for new talent and acts, and having seen John the Baptist baptize Jesus he thinks they are magicians of the best caliber and admires their ability to draw crowds, just what he is looking for! And so the story continues bringing forth from me a stream of giggles as I read this talented author’s work.
With Donald of Gaul taking us through the four gospels, the New Testament, and the history of Rome from Julius Caesar to Nero, in his own unique ‘business speak’ he gives his reader his tongue in cheek take on the holy book and the teachings of its prophets.
Whilst the Lost Gospel of Donald is an extremely entertaining, ingenious work of fiction, it also, at the turn of every page, give its readers an interesting wealth of discussion topics, and copious material for debate. With clever comparisons, the author has highlighted some of the terrible career decisions which Donald Trump has made, and which have caused untold frustration to many people both in America and throughout the world.
In Conclusion: This irreverent, clever and witty book is just what we need! It sums up the worrying mind and makeup of this current world leader precisely, and I think it will become a classic, and afford talking points for years to come.
About the Author:
Professor of love, master of satire, expert fingerer of guitar strings and more!
Big heart, huge forehead, enlarged prostate–truly the total package.
Preston Coleman has been busy being born since 1961. He enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, then suffered through a difficult adolescence that lasted 25 years.
By age 37, Coleman had earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in media studies from the University of Iowa. In addition to teaching and conducting research, he wrote local newspaper columns and a series of political satires including:
Kingdoms of Paper and Glass The Tennessee Leprechaun The Oinky Boinky Machine Elmo Frumpkin and Those Arkansaw Bumkins.
These were published by his own Piccolo Press, so named (without irony) because it was small, but shrill. Rarely have an author and publisher shared such love and admiration. The end result was the creation of a personal library of over 1000 volumes, more than half of which Coleman wrote himself.
In the late 1990s, Coleman made the difficult transition from adolescence to middle age, and, at the beginning of the 21st Century, a second wrenching transition from local print media to the global Digital Age. He wrote and published realstupidnews.com, a news satire site that “s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d the truth, so you get more!” and newsprism.com, a news portal that ranked 500 news sites based on quality and orientation.
He was the official announcer and a performer at the 2004 Libertarian National Convention in Atlanta.
A vagabond professor of communication, Dr. Coleman has taught at numerous colleges and universities including the University of Iowa, Kennesaw State University, American Intercontinental University, Gainesville State College, the University of North Georgia, and Chesapeake College.
He’s won various awards including:
The Robert Bostrum Award for Outstanding Research The Ann Matthews Purdy Award for Outstanding Faculty The NISOD Excellence Award Best Overall Satire, thesatireawards.com Player of the Decade (1970s), Atlanta Colt Youth Association, 78-pound division
In 2020, Coleman resumed his writing career with the publication of The Lost Gospel of Donald and a compilation of previous work, Those Arkansaw Bumkins with The Oinky Boinky Machine and Elmo Frumpkin. He’s begun a new work, TBA, as he enjoys a quiet life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with his wife, dogs, guitar, and kayak, in that order.
