Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: Within by Peter Gribble

 

Within

by Peter Gribble

 

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GENRE: Fantasy

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BLURB:

Purdu, the barbarian invader, has arrived! How can the pacifist, nonviolent City of the Magicians contain him when one faction appeals to his heart, the other to his ambitions?

Sas and Lalya are envoys of opposing camps, but Purdu throws them together to isolate them from their enclaves and assert his own authority. Yet two others decide to oppose him their way. Hyur, foremost metallurgist, secretly forges a magical weapon to tempt and subvert him. Gleswea, an astronomer, flees south to view skies she has never seen, but is swept into a culture that judges women of ability as necromancing witches deserving death.

 

Shoan, City strategist, reconstructing his wrecked plans, is unaware these four have slipped his calculations. Sas, Lalya, Hyur and Gleswea are unknowingly inching the City toward an unseen, perilous fate. Will anyone catch it in time?

 

Within, the second book in The City of the Magicians series, exposes how even as the City's old dream of a rebirth in Magic seems to be happening, traditional institutions are failing. With Purdu spearheading the revival, some Citizens fear the purposes their Magic may soon be turned to.

 

Praise for Threat, the first book in The City of the Magicians series.

 

"An exquisitely crafted, richly textured world of magic and mystery, with settings and mood so exceptionally well visualized that fans of science fiction and fantasy should not pass up the chance to walk inside." – IndieReader

 

"Apart from the beautiful writing, the robustly written characters, and the strong setting, Peter Gribble has the ability to immerse readers in a world that is well-imagined and sculpted. Having enjoyed Threat immensely, I am looking forward to the next installment in the series." - Readers' Favorite 

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EXCERPT:

Big, expensive job—procurement of materials would devour ingots, exhaust his inventory. Yet there was one item waiting generations for this very endeavor . . .

Long hidden in the inventory of the Hugurneth Family forge was the rarest, most valued item: fallen-star iron.

Along with many Citizens of his day, Hyur’s grandfather had, as a young man, witnessed the spectacular meteor streak across southern skies and fall, but only he made the difficult two-week journey to search for this scarcest of ores. He retrieved two large chunks and lugged them home again, secreting them away to wait for a special project, which never came. They passed to Hyur’s father, who similarly never had occasion to use them. Long had they bided their time waiting for him, clearly destined for this magical act of manifestation.

Augury? Superfluous. The opportunity glowed with calling . . . especially since the Deliberator Council had been incapable of keeping the barbarian out or the 5th School under quarantine.

Only a true Citizen, an authentic Magician of the City could.

Simply by tempting one man with a sword.

But how to convince Mushum . . .

Thinks I’m only good for small work, does he? Hyur’s eye fell on his pattern-welding experiments—his metal play. They were his largest sample pieces—flat, slightly longer than hand-length rectangles of different metals welded into various designs: maiden’s hair, light and dark chevrons, diagonals, cross-grain striations, flowing river, wood grain, ripples and waves, among others. When customers wanted them, he incorporated pattern-welded handles onto the tools and utensils for kitchen, carpentry or farm use. They were expensive, but people wanted them, and some designs were now specific to certain Houses.

He selected the best one each from the chevron, diagonal and hair collections.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Peter Gribble has written for NUVO and other magazines in British Columbia.

For over ten years he wrote a monthly gardening column for a local Vancouver paper.

The City of the Magicians is his first published series.

CONNECT WITH Peter Gribble 

WEBSITE - Peter Gribble – Author

https://petergribble.com/

GOODREADS - Peter Gribble (Author of Threat) | Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20904184.Peter_Gribble

PURCHASE LINKS Book One - Threat                   

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/0228812194

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/0228812194

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B08NTQ69Q7

INDIGO CHAPTERS - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/threat/9780228812197-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/threat-peter-gribble/1138327338

PURCHASE LINKS Book Two - Within

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/0228826446

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/0228826446

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B09RLZP7DV

INDIGO CHAPTERS - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/within/9780228826446-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/within-peter-gribble/1140984426

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GIVEAWAY:

Peter Gribble will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: Compassion for Life by Philip W Mason

 

Compassion for Life

by Philip W Mason

 

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GENRE: Self-Help, Non-fiction   {as in (Body, Mind & Spirit / Inspiration & Personal Growth)}

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BLURB:

During life, everyone experiences difficult struggles and pain. The relief from this pain can come when either we recognize that we are only human and make an appropriate change for the better or when another person helps us recognize it and encourages us to make that change. These two phenomena are called self compassion and compassion and are great powers that people possess to make life better. They are the first steps to take towards a healing process that results in one being able to enjoy and share all the wondrous experiences that life has to offer. 

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EXCERPTS:

I had been planning on volunteering at the Weaver Homeless Shelter and could not due to extenuating circumstances. I had bought a warm winter jacket, some jeans, and a sweatshirt, intending to use them as my volunteer clothes so I could wash them of contact grime after each volunteer session. I assembled some things that were extras along with clothes I didn’t wear and placed them in the living room. The items included the warm winter jacket, the jeans, a Christmas ugly sweater, a bright red Spyder skiing sweater, three pairs of wool socks, a winter hat, a gym baseball cap, soap, a toothbrush and paste, a candle, a flashlight and extra batteries, a charger pack for his cellphone, a backpack, a pair of good running shoes, and six gallons of water. I also assembled a water-resistant binder and placed blank sheets of paper, pens, sticky notes, scissors, and scotch tape in it. Most all of these things from my apartment were either extras, or things I had no plans of using.

Lee called me the next morning, January 2, at nine. Mom and I drove back to the spot we had first met and waited for Lee. After about five minutes he walked over from another parking lot. I showed him all the items I had assembled the night before and had placed in the back of the car. He was very happy when he saw it all. He then said he wanted to take us to his tent so he could show us his home and drop the things off there. We drove the half mile and parked in a lot behind an Office Depot. We unloaded Lee’s new belongings and carried them through the woods to his tent. When we got to his tent, he found a sign on the ground that said move on. this is not yours. The only other things that were already at the spot were two tents made of tarps folded over triangle frames and an old foot-high small grill. Lee suddenly became very dejected and explained that he did not have a place to stay anymore. He and I talked away from Mom for about five minutes about what were his options at that point. We decided that I would take Mom home and come back for Lee and we would go to Winston-Salem (about thirty miles away) to pick up a tent he had been using for the past few weeks. We would then drive back to Greensboro, and he would set up his home across town in a better wooded spot than he had used before.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I grew up on small family farm in rural Gorham, Maine in the 1970’s. Farm life instilled in me a strong sense of values, including resilience, responsibility, and the necessity of team-work. When I graduated high school, I attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, starting off in mechanical engineering before switching to physics, and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1991. From there, I went to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, earning my masters and finally a PhD in physics in 1998 with my dissertation “An Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance Study of Point Defects in Wide Band-gap Semiconductors.” I have, over the course of my career, put those degrees to good use at various high-tech companies including a five year stint at the Bell Labs Division of Lucent Technologies.

And for many of the last fifteen years, I have suffered with serious mental health issues.

I have had numerous in-patient and out-patient treatment sessions and have learned about human frailty and gained a better understanding of the human condition. This has taught me to have more compassion for the world. I have also come to learn that my mental illness is not my fault, for there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I have come to accept it, have received medical care for it, and am now going through the process of healing from it. It is a very emotional recovery at times, and I now have hope for a much brighter future.

I am now able to love who I am and want to share that sense of hope and love with the rest of the world.

Connect with Philip W Mason

WEBSITE https://philipwmason.com/

GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53329158-compassion-for-life 

Buy Compassion for Life                   

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/022882673X

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/022882673X

KINDLE https://amazon.com/dp/BLOCKED20200427

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/Compassion-for-Life-Philip-W-Mason/9780228826736

SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/notPublished/1018386

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GIVEAWAY:

Philip W Mason will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: In One Lifetime by Graham Forlonge

 

In One Lifetime

by Graham Forlonge

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GENRE: Non-Fiction - Autobiography 

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BLURB:

This book is an autobiography of a man who had over 50 mostly major PTSD events in his life. It recounts the trials, struggles, and lessons learned over a life span of 67 years. It recalls his childhood, time as lifesaver, police diver, police driving instructor, member of SWOS, professional NRL footballer, running Police Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC), Security Manager of the world renowned Porgera Gold Mine in PNG and world record holder of going around Australia in under 10 days on a motorcycle. The events accounted whilst a police diver as well as a Highway Patrol Officer includes plane crashes, train accidents, body recoveries and numerous fatal road accidents, some of which are major historic events in Australian history. It also includes native raids, murders, abuse and many more traumatic events while working in PNG. Some of the accounts are captivating and others highly emotional. His life and determination to succeed was mostly driven as a result of having been sexually abused over many years at the hand of his tutor as a child. It is a true Australian story and displays considerable endurance and survival skills.

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EXCERPT:

After my confidence-boosting experience in the first match, I entered the field in the second round a little too cocky for my own good! Word of my three tries and six goals had spread to the opposing team. I ran on, full of youthful bravado, ready to take on the rugby league world, with my head held high, completely unaware that I had made myself a target.

I ended up in Gosford Hospital with a fracture to a vertebra in my neck and was placed in a “Ned Kelly” plaster suit, which went from my neck to my waist right around my body and partly down my arms. I had to wear this monstrosity for a couple of months, unable to do anything physical. My billet family from The Entrance helped me greatly during those months and I was most thankful for their hospitality and love.

The doctors told me I was never to play Rugby League again - as if that was going to happen!

One day, I received a phone call from a good mate of mine and needless to say the topic of footy came up. He happened to mention to me that to be eligible to play in the finals with the Lane Cove Junior Club back in North Sydney, I had to play the last three games of the Junior Rugby League competition.

My decision to move back to Sydney was a difficult one. There was a storm going on inside my head: should I stay up at the Central Coast or move back to Sydney? I was engaging in so many pursuits that could have been construed as courageous, but was I being brave or foolhardy? What was I trying to prove and to whom? I felt a need to impress Mum and especially Dad, but they were not even with me to see all my victories and achievements. I knew that my parents didn’t really have any idea of what was going on in my life, so what was the point of it all?

The storm in my head told me that I needed to be a praiseworthy person, but more importantly, I wanted to impress my parents.

I moved back to Sydney.

Contrary to the medical advice, I went back onto the field and ended the season by scoring a try in the Grand Final, which we won against the Asquith Junior Leagues Club.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Graham Forlonge is a father, footballer, policeman, diver, security officer and the author of IN ONE LIFETIME.

In the 5-Star Review from IndieReader C.S. Holmes writes, "In the memoir In One Lifetime by Graham Forlonge, the author experiences murder, plane crashes, mine explosions, and more...on his way to healing from PTSD...Graham Forlonge’s memoir In One Lifetime is an expansively honest and brutally detailed submersion into aspects of trauma that left the author with a lifelong case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is most touching when detailing his healing process."

It took 10+ years to write his memoir. Now, Graham works as a part time counselor for the underprivileged.

Connect with Graham Forlonge

Website https://grahamforlonge.com/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19974143.Graham_Forlonge

Get your copy of In One Lifetime                  

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/0228823358

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/0228823358

AMAZON.COM.AU https://amazon.com.au/dp/0228823358

BOOKSHOP https://bookshop.org/books/in-one-lifetime/9780228823353

INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/in-one-lifetime/9780228823377-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-one-lifetime-graham-forlonge/1136260442

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/In-One-Lifetime-Graham-Forlonge/9780228823353

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GIVEAWAY:

Graham Forlonge will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: The Investment Committee Guide to Prudence by Jonathan J. Woolverton, CFA

 

The Investment Committee Guide to Prudence

Increasing the Odds of Success When Fulfilling Your Fiduciary Responsibilities in the Administration of Pension/Investment Assets

by Jonathan J. Woolverton, CFA

 

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GENRE: Non-Fiction 

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 BLURB:

JJ's investment career spans more than five decades. He has been the chief investment strategist for a pension plan sponsor, a managing director and senior consultant within a global investment planning consultant firm, and a managing director and chief operating officer of an investment management organization. Over his career, JJ has attended well over a thousand investment committee meetings as a plan sponsor, a consultant, and a money manager. In the majority of these meetings, he has found that committee members lack three things: in-depth investment expertise to effectively carry out their fiduciary responsibilities, the necessary time allocation to administer and manage the investment program in the best interests of the beneficiaries, and the ability to develop an efficient monitoring system to hold all service providers accountable for the products and services they provide.

 

This book outlines the steps to be taken in establishing investment policy; formulating asset mix strategy; creating an appropriate investment management structure; undertaking investment manager searches; and highlighting the conflicts of interest, biases, and self-interests of the various service providers.

 

This book is designed to assist members of investment committees in their role as fiduciaries/trustees/administrators.

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EXCERPT:

One of the more important tasks of the investment committee members is to agree upon a common set of beliefs as they relate to the various segments of the capital market. The following capital market beliefs should be addressed: first, investment committee members need to decide whether they believe that markets are efficient—or not. If specific asset classes or asset class segments are perceived to be within a relatively efficient market, then the focus should be on seeking out passive/index-matching approaches

within these markets that will mirror the asset class, or asset class segment, at the lowest fee. Active management is a viable alternative if investment committee members believe that: a) some markets are inefficient and can be exploited by active management to provide a value-added return, within an acceptable risk tolerance, while more than compensating for the cost and risk of active management; and b) that valued-added managers can be identified in advance with sufficient confidence. If choosing active management, the investment committee must also recognize that costs matter—costs are certain, whereas the value added is uncertain.

A second market-related belief is the importance of time. The pension or investment fund is usually (but not always) considered to have a longer-term time horizon (i.e., disbursements from the fund will continue many years in the future); in that case, depending on the resilience of required contributions in downturns, short-term volatility of fund results might not be a major concern. From a return perspective, the odds significantly favor ownership-type assets the longer the perceived time horizon. Studies have stated that an additional long-term net return of 1% per annum may well reduce long-term funding costs by 15–25% in an open plan or for a defined-contribution plan member, and by 10–15% in a closed plan or for a retiree living on a pool of assets.

Another market-related belief is the concept of mean reversion. One of the few truisms within the capital market is that returns tend to revert back to their normal trend line over time. However, there are two caveats here: the first is determining what the “normal” trend line is, which too can change with the era or regime, and the second is that the direction of the expected reversion is much more evident than its timing.

In addition, there is the belief that higher risk can be compensated for by higher returns—for sound economic reasons. The focus here is to determine the extent of: a) the shorter-term market price risk that the fund and its risk-bearers are willing to accept; and b) the greater uncertainty of longer-term dollar downside. Note, again, the difference here between “risk” and “uncertainty.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jonathan J. Woolverton, CFA, has spent his whole career in the investment field—over fifty years. After graduating from university in Pennsylvania, he moved to Toronto, Canada, where he began his career in the investment department of an insurance company. In his role as investment officer he was responsible for formulating investment strategy and overseeing all investments within the equity and fixed-income divisions. JJ later joined Ontario Hydro as their chief investment strategist where all pension funds were managed internally.

JJ left the money management business to become an investment planning consultant. He was a founding partner and managing director of Frank Russell Canada. He moved back to the money management side as the managing director and chief operating officer of Guardian Capital Inc. JJ graduated from Westminster College with a BBA and achieved his Chartered Financial Analyst certification. JJ has published numerous articles on the pension and investment industries and has been the keynote speaker at many conferences and seminars.

CONNECT WITH Jonathan J. Woolverton

WEBSITE - Jonathan J. Woolverton, CFA – Author Website (jjwoolverton.com)

GOODREADS - Jonathan Woolverton (Author of The Investment Committee Guide to Prudence) | Goodreads

PURCHASE LINKS THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE GUIDE TO PRUDENCE

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/0228861594

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/0228861594

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B09PGSP1Q9

INDIGO CHAPTERS - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-investment-committee-guide-to/9780228861591-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-investment-committee-guide-to-prudence-cfa-jonathan-j-woolverton/1140839660

APPLE IBOOKS - https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-investment-committee-guide-to-prudence-increasing/id1603529759

SMASHWORDS - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1124083

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GIVEAWAY:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: The Art of Self-Supervision by Laurie Ponsford-Hill

 

The Art of Self-Supervision

Studying the link between self-reflection and self-care

by Laurie Ponsford-Hill

 

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GENRE: Self-help, Non-fiction

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BLURB:

At last, the field of relational therapy has a technique for the art of self-supervision. Everyone agrees that supervision is essential, however the ultimate goal of supervision is to provide a tool beyond supervision for self-supervision. This book captures the primary ingredients of self-supervision and proves the link between self-reflection and self-care. No matter where you are on your journey as a professional, The Art of Self-Supervision: Studying the link between self-reflection and self-care will lead you to a process to tune into your own expert guidance and a greater capacity to help yourself. 

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EXCERPT:

Building on the importance of self-care, this section explores the benefits of using art as a means for self-exploration.

Malchiodi (2007) and C. H. Moon (2002) observe that art-making promotes self-understanding and self-awareness and is a useful means for the art therapist to maintain authenticity. In her discussion of the self-portrait, Malchiodi (2007) refers to the self-portrait of an art therapist, Don Jones, as an example of a portrait that precisely captures the essence of “drawing from within” (p. 4). She underscores the importance of setting the stage, describing this as a significant part of the creative process when making art for self-exploration. When art is used for self-exploration, the art: reveals conflictual, difficult and/or ineffectual elements in the artist’s life; identifies positive themes in the artist’s story; indicates growth, improvements in self-understanding and self-appreciation; and increases meaning in the lived experience.

Janson (1986) states that in the visual arts, “We might say that a work of art must be a tangible thing shaped by human hands” (p. 11). Like Bruce L. Moon (1995; 1997) and Jennifer A. Moon (1999), Janson (1986) indicates that “The creative process consists of a long series of leaps of the artist’s imagination and his attempts to give them form by shaping the material accordingly” (p. 11). Bruce L. Moon (1997) observes that the mastery of process and media are as important to the artistic process as the use of imagination and creativity, and links mastery to self-discipline and self-regard. Rogers (1959) indicates that self-discipline and self-regard are necessary for the therapist to be in a therapeutic relationship with self. For purposes of this research, self-discipline refers to being in control of oneself, while self-regard relates to self-esteem and consideration of one’s own interests. Self-reflection is the act of thinking on experience with careful consideration and practicingself-reflection requires the individual to observe and/or be mindful of experience (B. L. Moon, 1997; Rogers, 1959). Art provides a means for self-discipline and is important to the maintenance of art within therapy for the art therapist.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Like many therapists, Laurie Ponsford-Hill began as a newly graduated therapist feeling like she could provide her services all day, every day. She realized at a certain point in her career that this was simply not true, and this fueled her determination to understand everything about the need to maintain balance in her life.

Laurie earned a Master of Divinity degree, and directed her work towards pastoral care, later earning a Master of Counselling Psychology degree and furthering her Registrations to that of Psychotherapist, Marriage and Family Therapist, Social Worker, and Art Therapist. Her career led her to a greater understanding about herself and her relationships. Laurie continued to broaden her education and went on to complete a doctoral program in Human Relationships at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.

Laurie feels fortunate to have attained balance in her work and home life and empathizes with many others engaged in their own personal struggles to attain balance. She has dedicated her career towards helping others on that journey, designing the Self-Supervision program, which was meticulously tested in this clinical research study. The Art of Self-Supervision: Studying the link between self-supervision and self-care chronicles the remarkable findings of this study: that professionals can overcome burnout and improve their health and life balance by focusing on their self-portrait.

Laurie is currently the Clinical Director and Supervisor at The Counselling House, in both London and Woodstock, Ontario, an agency that focuses on the supervision of counselling interns and newly graduated therapists, and their development of self-supervision. Laurie maintains a private consulting practice specializing in the development of maintaining healthy relationships with self, work, home, others, God, and the world.

Connect with Laurie Ponsford-Hill

WEBSITE http://www.thecounsellinghouse.ca/

GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18861141.Laurie_Ponsford_Hill

Get your copy of The Art of Self-Supervision                       

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/0228806283

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/0228806283

INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-art-of-self-supervision/9780228806301-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-art-of-self-supervision-laurie-ponsford-hill/1130528139

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Art-of-Self-Supervision-Laurie-Ponsford-Hill/9780228806288

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

Laurie Ponsford-Hill will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: Ya Gotta Laugh by Barbara Alldritt

 

Ya Gotta Laugh

by Barbara Alldritt      

 

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GENRE: Short Stories, Contemporary

 

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BLURB:

 

In "YA GOTTA LAUGH", Barbara Alldritt presents a series of short stories based on her own experiences, and those of others, about living life with joy & happiness, in spite of life's challenges.

 

While pursuing an academic career, Barbara was hit hard by a debilitating disease. She quickly determined she needed a new direction in life. Always interested in writing, she turned to creating stories about this new path.

 

These are stories that show that even in trying circumstances, there are still ways to find humour.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Thinking the garden renovations would be complete, we left for my house. As soon as we arrived, I smelled mould and knew I was in for trouble. It wasn’t the typical mould smell I recognized from after a rain. I was hypersensitive to a whole host of airborne pollutants, but moulds were the worst at that time. I had worked very hard to clean up the old house where I lived, and the mould culture test results showed that my one-hundred-year-old house was as free of moulds as a new apartment.

 

Michael sheepishly walked to the car to warn me. He and a friend had decided to cut down the old apple tree in our backyard while I was out, and because it was a warm day, all the windows in the house were open. The mould smell was everywhere. Inside and out. Michael said he had no idea how rotten the tree was inside before he started cutting into it. Everyone found the smell offensive, and it gave them headaches and made them achy.

 

My capacity to move declined almost immediately. I used a scooter or a wheelchair to get around, but this was a whole new story. I was effectively paralyzed within two hours even though I stayed outside, away from the stump and its cuttings. We decided to call an ambulance.

 

At the emergency ward, the doctors agreed the best place for me was in the hospital for the time being. I had never been in hospital before, but I ended up staying ten long days.

 

Thirty hospital meals.

 

Two hundred and forty hours of senile roommate mumbling.

 

Too many rings for the bedpan.

 

Six bouquets of flowers.

 

Five washes in the bed.

 

Five showers (two of them attended by male nurses).

 

A dozen visitors.

 

And many other things I’ve chosen to forget.

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Author Barbara Alldritt was born and raised on a farm in Saskatchewan and although there was always work around the farm she preferred hiding behind the couch reading a book rather than be out in the fields hoeing potatoes or washing dishes in the kitchen. After High school she travelled extensively in Western Canada and then set out on a 2-year adventure around the world and met her husband on that trip in Western Samoa. They returned to Canada settling in Calgary. Barbara then returned to higher education at the University of Calgary and completed her Honours Degree in 1988, and was awarded the Faculty of General Studies Gold Medal and the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal for that year.

 

They then moved to Vancouver, BC, and Barbara entered a master’s program at UBC. In the throes of completing her MA and preparing to start her PhD, MS hit her hard and put a stop to her academic work.

 

Needing a new direction and given her interest in both research and writing she looked into many options for maintaining her health from taking up aqua-fitness to nutrition and what she should and should not eat.She also became active in the MS Society and produced their newsletter, in which she wrote stories that looked at the humorous side of living with a disability.

Many who read her stories were inspired to contact her to tell their own tales and adventures. She interviewed them and added them to the newsletter, resulting in this compendium of stories.

 

CONNECT WITH BARBARA ALLDRITT

 

WEBSITE - https://barbaraalldritt.com/

 

GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21918420.Barbara_Alldritt

 

 

PURCHASE LINKS YA GOTTA LAUGH                

 

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/0228854482

 

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/0228854482

 

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B09HKPLHG2

 

INDIGO CHAPTERS - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/ya-gotta-laugh/9780228854500-item.html

 

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ya-gotta-laugh-barbara-alldritt/1140284315

 

BOOK DEPOSITORY - https://www.bookdepository.com/Ya-Gotta-Laugh-Barbara-Alldritt/9780228854487

 

SMASHWORDS - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1107091

 

APPLE IBOOKS - https://books.apple.com/us/book/ya-gotta-laugh/id1588808339

 

 

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GIVEAWAY:

 

Barbara Alldritt will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: A Day in the Life of Larry and Roger: A Pair of Diabetic Feet by Vicki Myhre

 

A Day in the Life of Larry and Roger, A Pair of Diabetic Feet

by Vicki Myhre

 

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GENRE: Non-fiction, Self-help, Self-improvement 

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BLURB:

"When we get to the end of our day, we want to sit back and reflect on everything we did, and we want to know in our hearts that we did a good job being good diabetics for another day."

 

A book for all ages, and whether you are diabetic or live with some one who is, this book is a valuable and educational read for everyone.

 

Larry the left foot and Roger the right foot are sure to delight and amuse you as they take you through a typical day in their lives. They show you how they strive to be the very best diabetics that they can be by living a healthy lifestyle every single day. As a result of dedication to their plan, they are certain that they will live longer, happier lives full of enjoyment and fun.

 

This is a multidimensional book featuring a short illustrated story that portrays a day in the life of a diabetic. On a whole different level, each page is full of great information for those who wish to dig a bit deeper into the whys and hows of simplifying diabetic life. It also includes many references, in a system that is built to help in teaching you how to find the answers to any questions that you may have. 

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EXCERPT:

“Practicing good personal hygiene is important for keeping the body healthy and clean.

Good personal hygiene involves keeping all parts of the external body clean and healthy. It’s important for maintaining both physical and mental health.”

Daily cleaning and care help to keep us healthy, strong, and happy. Knowing what to do and what not to do will help to keep us on track.

We enjoy having fun in the tub, and it’s just a small part of our daily “dos and don’ts” of foot care. Today is bath day … hooray, hooray! We will crawl into that soapy deliciousness right after our morning diabetic routine of checking our blood sugar and taking the necessary medications and insulin.

“Do you remember when I used to get so worked up about the injection?” asks Roger. “It’s simple and just like taking my vitamins now. Necessary and easy-peasy.”

Even the smallest decisions we make are made with the intention of being good diabetics and looking after our health. As Roger surfaces above the bubbles, he looks at me and says, “Bubbles bring me so much joy. Why can’t we just stay in the tub all day long?”

I respond with a snicker and a “Chop chop, buddy. We have things to do today!”

After our bath, we grab our journal and a pen and then sit down to eat breakfast and plan our day. Wise choices are on the table today and every day.

“For people with poor personal hygiene, the body provides an ideal environment for germs to grow, leaving it vulnerable to infection.

On a social level, people may avoid a person with poor personal hygiene, which may result in isolation and loneliness."

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Vicki Myhre is a dedicated and experienced Certified Podologist who has specialized in diabetic foot care, with a focus on helping diabetics weave their way through a sea of information.

Vicki's mission is to use simplified and well-balanced information to help preserve the freedom of mobility, and improve quality of life for as many diabetics worldwide as possible. She has evolved from more than ten years of offering hands-on diabetic foot care and counselling, to advocating and reaching out to share her expertise.

After five years of sharing Larry and Roger's adventures in a column in the local magazine, Vicki decided it was time to take these characters to a broader audience, in an attempt to help even more diabetics continue to lead a healthy life, one STEP at a time, regardless of age or diabetic history.

Vicki's goal is to provide the reader with information that is simple to comprehend and is a positive addition to anyone's diabetic lifestyle.

She hopes you will visit her on her website, where her five years of columns full of fun, facts, recipes and information will remain posted so that you can enjoy them for free. While you are visiting there, please drop a line or comment, and she will always respond personally to you. You will also find access to all of her social media platforms through the website: www.vickimyhre.ca

CONNECT WITH VICKI MYHRE

WEBSITE - https://vickimyhre.ca

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/VickiLMyhre

INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/vicki_myhre

TWITTER - https://twitter.com/VickiMyhre

LINKEDIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-myhre-b49a0360/

PINTEREST - https://www.pinterest.ca/vickimyhre/_created/

GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21642023.Vicki_Lea_Myhre 

PURCHASE LINKS A DAY IN THE LIFE OF LARRY AND ROGER, A PAIR OF DIABETIC FEET   

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/0228817897

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/0228817897

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B09798162G

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-day-in-the-life-of-larry-and-roger-a-pair-of-diabetic-feet-vicki-lea-myhre/1139762479

BOOK DEPOSITORY - https://www.bookdepository.com/Day-in-the-Life-of-Larry-and-Roger-Pair-of-Diabetic-Feet-Vicki-Lea-Myhre/9780228817895

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GIVEAWAY: 

Vicki Myhre will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway