Due to a scheduling conflict--I didn't write this on my calendar--I'm posting this now. Sorry for the delay. Today's giveaway is for a copy of the historical novel, Willow Pondby Carol Tiabldi.
“As the Roaring Twenties crumbles into the Great Depression, Virginia Kingsley, owner of New York’s swankiest and most popular speakeasy, Baccanal, learns her baby nephew is kidnapped. Is she somehow involved? His movie star father and her neice must set aside their differences to work with Virginia and her shady contacts to find the stolen child. A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who befriends the mother may hold a key to the mystery.”
The Roaring Twenties crumbles into the Great Depression, but Virginia Kingsley, New York’s toughest and most successful speakeasy owner, is doing just fine. Now that the world is falling apart, bootlegging is a flourishing business, and she’s queen of that castle.
Then her infant nephew is kidnapped. Her niece, Laura, and Laura’s philandering movie star husband, are devastated. The police have few leads, and speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the celebrity abduction.
Little Todd’s absence shapes everyone’s lives. When he is finally found, the discovery will bring disaster for some and revelation for others.
Read the reviews!
"Filled with drama, action, colorful characters, and plenty of twist and turns, Willow Pond is a delight to read." -- Mandy, Amazon reviewer
"Carol Tibaldi has written a fantastic story that is difficult to categorize, as there are so many different elements mixed in. There is a mystery, a love story, a detective story and a thriller all rolled into one delicious package." --Lynn Worton, Amazon reviewer
About the author:
Carol Tibaldi was born and raised in Bayside, New York and attended Queens College of the City University of New York. She loves to travel and has lived in London and Los Angeles. For twenty five years she worked as a newspaper reporter and covered the crime beat. She is a history buff and loves to research different time periods having a special affinity of the prohibition era and the Civil War. Willow Pond is her first novel and she is hard at work on the sequel.
In the movie The Matrix, the character Morpheus offers two pills to Neo—if he takes the blue pill, he will go on with life as he has before, believing what he has always believed. If he takes the red pill, he will find out what the “matrix” really is, and many of his earlier beliefs will be shattered. When it comes to taking a hard look at a specific set of beliefs about parenthood and reproduction that has driven our society for generations, The Baby Matrix is the red pill.
We commonly think our desire to have children boils down to our biological wiring, but author Laura Carroll says it’s much more than that. Unlike other books on parenthood, The Baby Matrix: Why Freeing Our Minds From Outmoded Thinking About Parenthood & Reproduction Will Create a Better World takes a serious look at powerful social and cultural influences that drive the desire for the parenthood experience, and lays out why we need to be very aware of these influences to make the most informed decisions about parenthood.
The Baby Matrix looks at long-held beliefs about parenthood and reproduction, and unravels why we believe what we believe. It lays out:
-the historical origins of beliefs about parenthood and reproduction -why many of these beliefs no longer work for society or were never true in the first place -why we continue to believe them anyway -the prices society pays as a result
The Baby Matrix shows us how we got here, brings to light what is true, which includes knowing about the powerful influence of “pronatalism,” and explains why society can no longer afford to leave pronatalism unquestioned.
“This is not a book about convincing people not to have children,” says Carroll. “I want people to be very aware of the long-held social and cultural pressures, and be able to free themselves from those pressures when making parenthood choices. This will result in more people making the best decisions for themselves, will foster a society in which those who are best suited to become parents are the ones who have children and one that knows what it means to bring a child into the world today.”
This book will make you examine your own intentions and beliefs, will rile you, and might just change your mind. Whether you are already a parent, want to become a parent, are still making up your mind, or know you don’t want children, you’ll never think about parenthood in the same way. The Baby Matrix is a must-read for anyone interested in psychology, sociology, anthropology, parenting issues, environmentalism, and social justice. But most of all, it’s for anyone, parent or not, who reveres the truth and wants the best for themselves, their families, and our world.
Pronatalism andThe Motherhood Decision by Laura Carroll
The decision to become parents is one of the biggest decisions we make in life.For many people, the decision does not come without its uncertainties. Here’s a story of a woman, Nina Jacinto, who struggling with her uncertainly about becoming a mother. From her article, “Loving So Much It Hurts: Why I’m Not Sure I Can Be a Mom:”
It’s the ‘loving so much it hurts’ that makes me want to scream and run away from the land of mamas. Caring for someone with all your heart that way requires a tremendous amount of trust in oneself, and even more vulnerability. Opening up our heart to love, and letting in everything that comes with it — happiness, sadness, fear, intimacy, risk, compassion sounds… terrifying. I struggle with this already as a daughter, as a person in a committed romantic relationship. I feel this way as a best friend. How can I take this on as a mother? The insecure and scared person inside me who has experienced and remains afraid of loss says, "What if I can’t handle it?"
If she decides she can’t handle it, that Should Be OK. She seems to be beating herself up for fearing she is not “ready” or does not have what it takes to be a mom.
Pronatalism, what the book The Baby Matrix explores in depth, includes the idea that a) there comes a time when we should all be ready to become parents, and b) there’s a strong connection between the ability to give birth and the ability to parent. Not only is a) not true, b) is a myth.
If she comes to the conclusion that motherhood is not something she has the ability to take on, she need not feel badly about this. If we lived in a society that did not unquestionably believe that parenthood should be the central focus of our adult lives, she would not have to be hard on herself for this choice.
But she does say that she thinks she wants to be a mom one day. So what could help her get beyond her anxieties and feel she has the abilities she needs to raise kids well? Living in a society that treats parenthood as a “privileged” right, where everyone is required to get solid education about parenthood before they become parents, including having to think through why they want to become parents (because it is not everyone’s biological destiny, as the The Baby Matrix also dissects), learning the skill sets that parenting requires, assessing whether they have those skill sets and what skills they need to acquire before becoming parents.
Like any other “job” parenting requires certain aptitudes, certain “components of capability.” What if our society required adult parenthood programs to help people really examine whether parenthood is right for them, and if it is, help them prepare for it? If we did, people like Ms. Jacinto would have a place to go to explore her feelings, and get what she needs in order for her to be able to confidently say, “I can handle it,” or decide that parenthood is not right for her, and make this decision without self-judgment, or judgment from society.
In addition to writing nonfiction books, she has worked over the last 15 years as a business and litigation psychology consultant and used her expertise in behavioral sciences, psychology, and communications to advise business, legal, and nonprofit professionals on their communications strategies and goals.
Laura is a seasoned leader of personal and professional development seminars, and has appeared on a variety of television shows, including Good Morning America and The Early Show. She has been a guest on many radio talk shows to discuss social science topics.
In celebration of the release of the latest Precinct 11 novel by Jerry B. Jenkins, The Christian Writers Guild is offering hardcover editions of all three books in the trilogy for only $45 and FREE shipping!
"The Brotherhood
Boone Drake has it made. He’s a young cop rising rapidly through the ranks of the Chicago Police Department. He has a beautiful wife and a young son, a nice starter house, a great partner, and a career plan that should land him in the Organized Crime Division within five years. Everything is going right. Until everything goes horribly, terribly wrong. His personal life destroyed and his career and future in jeopardy, Boone buries himself in guilt and bitterness as his life spirals out of control. But when he comes face-to-face with the most vicious gang leader Chicago has seen in decades, he begins to realize that God is a God of second chances and can change the hardest heart . . . and forgive the worst of crimes. A thought-provoking police thriller from New York Times best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins.
The Betrayal
Detective Boone Drake has just masterminded the most massive sting in Chicago history, bringing down the heads of not only the biggest street gangs in the city but also the old crime syndicate. The story is the biggest in decades, and the Chicago Police Department must protect the key witness at all costs. Despite top-secret plans to transfer the witness ahead of his testimony before the grand jury, an attempt is made on his life. And the person suspected of leaking this information may be one of the CPD’s own.
The Breakthrough
After years of turmoil, Boone Drake seems to be back on track. He is the youngest bureau chief in Chicago Police Department history, he heads the city's Major Case Squad, he has a new family, and his relationship with God has never been better. Still, Boone can't fight the feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong ... again.
When disaster strikes, it seems Boone is destined to repeat the past, as tragedy threatens those closest to him. And when his own family's safety is at stake, Boone is forced to make a difficult choice: stay with his wife, Haeley, who desperately needs him, or pursue a human trafficking ring from the narrow streets, alleys, and hovels of the famed hutong district in Beijing, China, to the ancient city of Tianjin. The stakes have never been higher for Boone as the all-too-personal case grows increasingly dangerous ... and time is running out."
Hurry! Offer ends September 14th! See their website for details.
Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday the Lil Diva (11) and the Lil Princess (8) were running around barefoot in the rain. It's a rainy Wednesday in Western Mass, as the remnant of Hurricane Issac makes its way up the coast. My fall vegetables will enjoy this break from the heat.
I've remained busy this week. Today is my deadline for the editing project I am working on. I'm over 2/3 of the way done, so I should make it without a problem. I've also been trying to catch up on reading. I recently posted a First Chapter Review of David Wesley Hill's At Drake's Command and a review of Healing Music by Carolyn Huebner Rankin. Today's review is of Back to Bataan by Jerome Charyn. I also recently finished the next book in Marilyn Meredith's Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Raging Water, and the final book in the Freedom Series, The Deliverer, by Kathi Macias.
This weekend we'll be hosting a sleepover for the Lil Diva's 11th birthday, which was last month. iParty didn't have The Hunger Games party supplies in stock, but we managed to create our own theme by purchasing orange and yellow plates, napkins, and cups. I think I'll come up with some type of scavenger hunt for the kids. In addition, I'm going to make a punch and call it Tracker Jacker Venom. Some blueberries could be a good substitute for nightlock berries. And what party would be complete without some bread, the kind gift that Peeta gave a starving Katniss.
If so, this award-winning book is especially for you!
This is an Exclusive, Revised and Updated Kindle Edition!
Abundance is here
Now you can learn to tap into your inner resources, master spiritual tools and follow on the path to happiness. In an uplifting, yet down-to-earth style, this simple guide offers you secrets and strategies for finding, attaining, and enjoying happiness daily, even in the worst of times.
This beautiful book discusses:
• Why God is for everyone and how everyone can be a co-creator in their own destiny. • How to pray and the power and simplicity of praying in a single sentence. • The most effective prayer you can ever pray. • How to stop worrying and fully enjoy your life. • Why it’s good to keep secrets and imperative to know and ask for what you want. • How to overcome doubts and manifest your dreams. • And much more.
*Also included is the author’s real-life story of how she personally used the strategies offered in this book to overcome the odds and receive an overflow of blessings, after being told by an expert that what she wanted would never happen.
Your New Path to Freedom and Happiness Starts here!
Bringing biblical teachings, ancient philosophies and practical techniques together in a way that’s easy-to-grasp and enjoyable to read, this spiritual guide is perfect for anyone seeking a happier, richly blessed life.
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File Size: 140 KB
Print Length: 63 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Benevolent Butterfly Press, Inc. (August 22, 2012)
Nothing in her cultured East Coast upbringing prepared Elizabeth for a teaching position on the Canadian frontier. Yet, despite the constant hardships, she loves the children in her care. Determined to do the best job she can and fighting to survive the harsh land, Elizabeth is surprised to find her heart softening towards a certain member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Book 1 of the bestselling Canadian West series.
