Wingdog: A Soul Pup, A Magical Mutt Memoir by Janelle Jalbert

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Memoir

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Synchon8 Publishing; 1 edition (March 1, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 194253521X
• ISBN-13: 978-1942535218

Synopsis:Angels do indeed come in fur suits. 

It's love at first sight...for both of them. An abandoned yet tenacious pup with one blue eye and one brown eye beats the odds and is enlisted as one woman's WINGDOG. It's a role he takes seriously, but he knows that his human needs more than just another set of eyes and ears. He must show her how to laugh and how to love again. His loyalty knows no bounds, and he takes his duties seriously riding shotgun as the pair travel life's highway.

A dog may be man's best friend, but the truth is...A WINGDOG is truly a woman's gift.

For readers who enjoy contemporary canine classics such as MARLEY & ME, THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, and A DOG'S PURPOSE, Janelle Jalbert's 'Magical Mutt Memoir' combines the best of these storytelling traditions. Told as a memoir - adhering to how events unfolded - one woman seeks establish a new life after moving across the country from California to North Carolina.

Her chance at a new normal arrives in the form of Goose, a pup that melts not only her heart but also the hearts of everyone that he meets. As they travel coast-to-coast and places in between, the bond that the two share proves that love and loyalty can transcend even the greatest of obstacles. 

WINGDOG: SOUL PUP is a heart-warming, emotional - and oftentimes comical - tale of how one pup becomes the consummate WINGDOG only to transform into the ultimate Soul Pup.

Review: Goose is a dog who will steal your heart. His adventures with Janelle are full of laughter--their travels around the country make his name, taken from TOP GUN, simply perfect for him. 

I loved that Janelle shares what she believes Goose was thinking/trying to tell her. It was so believable, and added a whole other layer to the story.

Animal lovers will easily relate to how this relationship changed Janelle's life and helped her to recover from traumatic events in her life. 

This book is a true keeper, and one I will read time and again.

**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Janelle Jalbert is an author of tales that promote the “Magic of Everyday Life”. Her latest release, TRIANGULATING BLISS, is a tale of living life to the fullest as part of THE MYSTIQUE OF LIVING SERIES. Janelle's next release is WINGDOG: SOUL PUP, a 'magical mutt memoir' which is a project close to her heart. She also has ghostwritten more than a dozen books, on a range of topics, for clients around the world and has worked as a copywriter for major international corporations. During her ten year tenure as a teacher, Janelle also worked as a motorsports reporter along with other pursuits. She currently resides in Southern California but is prone to wanderlust when her pack of pups allows it.

BOOK BLAST: Tears Of The Silenced by Misty Griffin

We're thrilled to be hosting Misty Griffin's TEARS OF THE SILENCED Book Blast today!  Pick up your copy!

Title: Tears of the Silenced
Author: Misty Griffin
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 444
Genre: Biography/Memoir

One freezing morning in early March I made a dash for a tiny police station in rural Minnesota. I was a frightened Amish girl with nowhere to go, a second-grade education and no ID or social security card...... Based on the authors tragic true life story.

When I was six years old my family started to live and dress like the Amish. My sister and I were kept as slaves on a mountain ranch where we were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse, and extreme physical violence. My step-father kept a loaded rifle by the door at all times and we were to terrified to try to escape. We knew that no rescue would ever come because only a couple of people even knew we existed and they did not know us well enough to care.

In my late teens, my parents feared we would escape and took us to an Amish community where we were adopted and became baptized members. I was devastated to once again find myself in a world of fear, animal cruelty and sexual abuse. Going to the police was forbidden. A few years later I was sexually assaulted by the bishop, I knew I had to get help and one freezing morning in early March I made a dash for a tiny police station in rural Minnesota. When I refused to recant my police report I was excommunicated from the Amish and found myself plummeted into the strange modern world with only a second grade education and no ID or social security card.

To all abuse survivors out there, please be encouraged, the cycle of abuse can be broken. Today, ten years later, I am a nursing student working towards my Masters degree and a child abuse awareness activist. This is my story.......

For More Information

• Tears of the Silenced is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt:

I walked through the front door of the tiny police station and went over to a heavy wood counter, where a middle-aged policewoman sat at a computer. She looked up as I stood there, watching her. I saw a surprised look on her face as she stared back at me. I imagined I was very different from the people who normally walked up to her desk.

I was a young Amish woman, just a little over five feet tall, wearing an almost ankle-length, plain, teal-colored dress and apron, followed by knee-length black socks and black shoes. My coat was a homemade denim coat with a high collar and hooks and eyes going down the front. On my head was a stiff white Amish kapp that covered nearly all my reddish-brown hair and was tied in a small bow under my chin.

I was shaking as I stood there, looking at the woman. I tried to get up enough courage to say something, I knew I was going to be shunned by the Amish church for what I was doing. I could not speak. The thought of being shunned was terrifying but I did not know what else to do. My whole body was trembling....

About the Author

When Misty left the Amish she had a bare second-grade education and suffered severe PTSD caused by the horrifying abuse she suffered as a child and later at the hands of the Amish bishop. Today, ten years later she is a nursing student, wife, and a Child abuse/Sexual assault awareness activist.

For More Information

• Connect with Misty on Twitter.

It'll Feel Good When It Quits Hurting

BOOK INFORMATION

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (September 30, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1517610753
• ISBN-13: 978-1517610753

Synopsis

Many years ago my friends and I would sit around and play what we called "Jerry Springer: the Home Game". The object of the game was to see how many upcoming shows we qualified for, with the story to support our claim, and whoever had the most at the end of the program won. I was the reigning champion. This book started off as just a lighthearted collection of antidotes, stories shared with friends over the years to both the horror and delight of my audience. But as I began to write I realized that the humor of my life comes not from the light moments, but the dark, and without those moments being included much of the humor would be lost without that context. This book is a bit darker than I initially intended, but I hope that while reading this I can make you smile, even on occasion laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of the situations I have found myself in over the years, and that you, like me, can find the humor in all the dark places. I do not believe I have any wisdom to share in this telling, nor is it even an inspirational tale of achievement by overcoming adversity, it is simply my life that I have survived. For better or worse, this is the mostly true, fairly accurate, and almost completely factual account of my life. Some liberties have been taken to protect the somewhat innocent and a few small embellishments were made for the sake of a good story.

Review
The author refers to this book as a roller coaster of emotion, and she couldn't be more accurate. This book made me laugh, cry, and feel disappointed, sad, angry, happy....a whole range of emotions! I think that everyone who reads it will find portions which directly relate to their own adolescence.

With everything the author has been through, it's an amazing testament to her perseverance that she was able to come through on the other side and actually see the humor in so many of her circumstances. 

There are some grammatical errors in the manuscript, as well as some spelling errors, but that is typical of self-published projects, and in no way deters from the stories being told.

**I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating

Five stars

About the author

Lisa Orban was born in Galesburg, IL in 1969. She was moved by her parents (without even asking!) to Quincy as a small child. Bouncing from parent to parent, and house to house until at 16 she was given a broader tour of the state courtesy of foster care. 

At 18, she voluntarily left for Phoenix with a high school friend where she lived for three years. After returning to Quincy, she went to college and earned an Associates of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Art. Over the years she has held many jobs, but never quite found the right one. She has written poetry and short stories on a variety of subjects from raising children to finance for online publication. Finally in 2013, after much urging from her friends for years, she sat down one day and started writing about her life.

She is the mother of five children, all grown and gone, except her youngest. Which she is sure is trying to drive her mad (as all teenagers do) and has plans to write another book in the future about their childhood, much to their anticipated dismay. 

She currently lives in her hometown, in the house she loves, and at the center of the chaos she enjoys so much. Often surrounded by her children, her loves, friends and the strays (both two legged and four) she takes in. She continues to seek out new adventures, misadventures and new mistakes to fill the pages of her next book, laughing as she goes.

Wellness Warrior

Wellness Warrior- Fighting For Life in Fabulous Shoes

By Lisa Douthit

Genre: Nonfiction, Medical

Synopsis: Have you ever awakened to find you’ve contracted a devastating disease that ended life as you knew it forever? Lisa did . . . multiple times. After surviving four different cancers, she hit the final wall when a life-threatening autoimmune disease took over. Exhausted and discouraged, she had to make a choice: was she going to give in to disease and let nature take its final course, or would she use whatever strength she had left to figure out what the hell was happening to her . . . and, more importantly, WHY?

After immersing herself in the study of illness from physical, emotional, and spiritual perspectives, Lisa learned how to recreate her body from the cellular level while keeping her sense of humor. Throughout her crazy journey, she shares practical skills and a quirky higher guidance to create positive shifts in your health which will serve as a roadmap through the darkest hours of life.

Review: I've become a big fan of stories that have to do with health, particularly those which have a positive outlook. This is one of the best of those I've read recently. 

The author takes us along on a journey which would have most people hiding from the world, ready to give up. But in spite of her difficult times, she never loses her sense of humor as she shares her experiences.

There is a plethora of advice in this book. The author shares therapy plans, exercise benefits, dietary changes, and spiritual advice. She also shares the importance of creating balance in your life.

This book is inspirational and helpful to everyone, whether you suffer from illness or just need to put your life in order.

Rating: Five stars

About the author

Lisa Douthit is a holistic therapist who is passionate about healing from all perspectives. After struggling with multiple bouts of cancer and autoimmune disease, no one understands the physical, spiritual, and emotional rollercoaster better than she does. Somewhere between contracting lymphoma and myasthenia gravis, she made it her mission to understand the lessons available to us through illness. And as a homeopath, Reiki Master, Theta practitioner and through expensive nutrition education, she learned how to recreate herself and others from the inside, out.

https://www.facebook.com/wellnesswarrioronline

@lisadouthitww

http://www.wellnesswarrioronline.com

On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1OeqM0U

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Gry5fv

Eat Now; Talk Later: 52 True Tales of Family, Feasting, and the American Dream by James Vescovi

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Biography/Memoir

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (January 6, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1491831480
• ISBN-13: 978-1491831489

Synopsis: Prepare yourself for a feast consumed in delicious bites. Stories in this collection can be read before bed, on a lunch hour, or waiting in line. They can even be shared with friends who complain they have enough to read. Together they ask the question, “How do you make modern life run smoothly for parents or grandparents who grew up when oxen were used for plowing, children left school after third grade to tend chickens, and meat was eaten only on religious holidays?

When Tony and Desolina Vescovi arrived in America, they collided with the 20th century. Born around 1900, they were stumped by telephones, banks, fast food, TV wrestling, and supermarkets. It was up to their only child, a son, to serve as their shepherd, and it wasn’t easy For example, how to explain that his job was taking him and his family 700 miles away when, in their day, sons stayed put to work the family farm? Or that it wasn’t wise to hide $10,000 in the bedroom? Or that the ice cream they just tried and enjoyed is called ‘Chubby Hubby’?

This collection of 52 bite-size stories offers a twist on the American immigrant tale and is a testament to love, loyalty, and frequent half-truths. For those who not only like to eat, but love to cook, the book includes recipes. Topping it all off is a collection of family photos.

Review: This is the sort of story collection that every family would love to have to connect them to their immigrant roots. The stories are touching and humorous and are very well-written. You can feel the author's love for his grandparents and parents, as well as his sympathy for his father, who tried to live a modern American life as well as honoring his parents Old World ideas.

There are photographs included throughout the text, which helps the reader to picture everyone in the stories. The author also includes some of his grandparents favorite recipes, which I look forward to trying out soon.

Since the book is a collection of short stories, you can read as much or as little of it at a time as you have time for--each story is a very quick read.

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Rating: Four stars

About the author

James Vescovi’s essays about his eccentric grandparents have appeared in The New York Times, Alimentum Journal: The Literature of Food,Creative Nonfiction, Newsday, Gazetta Italiana, the anthology Our Roots Are Deep with Passion: New Essays by Italian-American Writers (Other Press), and other venues. His fiction and essays been published in Midwestern Gothic, The New York Observer, the Georgetown Review, Calliope, and Natural Bridge. He teaches at high school English and lives in New York with his wife and three children. On warm Saturday afternoons, you can find him in his volunteer garden trying desperately to make things grow.

Magic Fishing Panties by Kimberly J. Dalferes

Book Information

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 214

Publisher: Booktrope Editions

Publication date: August 5, 2015

ISBN: 1513702033

Synopsis: Have you taken to blaming the little people for stealing all the things you can’t find, like the damn Chico’s gift card you are 100% sure you left on the dresser? When you take off your bra, is it as if an airbag has deployed? Have you more than once started a sentence with the phrase “Back when I was in school…”? If you answered yes to any of these questions, welcome to the middle-aged cheap seats.

Magic Fishing Panties is the follow-up to Dalferes’ debut book I Was in Love With a Short Man Once. This collection of humorous tales offers new perspective from the self-proclaimed crazy Southern Irish gal and recent inductee into “Club 50.” Rather than wallow in the self-pity often induced by sagging jaw lines, empty nests, and menopause, the author offers colorful depictions of life in the middle. You will find yourself contemplating:

• How would you react to being in public during an earthquake? Oh, and you’re naked.
• The wedding starts in five minutes and your best friend needs to pump her breast milk, but all the bathrooms are occupied. Where should she go to quickly resolve her situation?
• You are depressed and alone on your 39th birthday. What do you do? Hint: tattoo anyone?

You’ll come to know Kimba as a true gal pal, someone who will gladly lend you her size 11 black boots, favorite red coat, and anything else you might need to rule the world – with the exception of her magic fishing panties. Because letting you borrow those would be a little weird, don’t ya think?

Review: It's been a while since I read a book which had me laughing until I cried--but this is definitely one of those books. So many of the author's stories are easy for women of "a certain age" to identify with, as we've been there right along with her.

The author does touch on subjects such as racism and sexism, but she has managed to do so with class and grace. She is an amazing writer, and I look forward to more of her humor in the future.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Kimberly “Kimba” Dalferes is a native Floridian, but currently pretends to be a Virginian. She is an accomplished king salmon slayer, estate sale junkie, and sometimes writes books. Her first book, I Was In Love With a Short Man Once, was published in 2011, with a 2nd edition released in 2015 by Booktrope Publishing. She recently published her second book, Magic Fishing Panties, also with Booktrope Publishing. Her stories have been featured in diverse publications including Voices from Smith Mountain Lake (an anthology published in 2013 by the Smith Mountain Arts Council), The Roanoke Times, Hippocampus Magazine, Marco Polo Arts Magazine, The Business of Being An Author, The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, Generation Fabulous, Better After Fifty, Laugh Lines-Finding Your Funny, and Midlife Boulevard. She is also a columnist–her humor column Dock Tale Hour appears regularly in Laker Magazine (an affiliate of Times-World LLC).
The author happily serves on the Board of Governors for the Virginia Writers Club (VWC). She is a member of the Orangeberry Book Tours Hall of Fame (2012), is a featured writer in The Authors Show, 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading (2012), and won gold in the AuthorsDB 2013 Book Cover Contest. She has also been recognized for her nonfiction writing as the winner of the 2014 Golden Nib Award; VWC’s highest honor.
Dalferes divides her time between Fairfax and Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia with husband Greg, Bonz the cat, and occasionally her son Jimmy, when he is home from college. She is also often found hanging out in The Middle-Aged Cheap Seats–her blog. She continues to sing hopelessly off-key and waits patiently for that phone call from George Clooney.