Allbooks Review May 2012 Newsletter

Visit: www.allbooksreviewint.com Allbooks Review is the review and author promo source for POD AUTHORS as well as traditionally published authors. Authors around the world use our service. Great coverage for your book for twelve months +.Our complete review and author promotional package is less than $50.U.S Unbelievable value!! http://www.allbooksreviewint.com/ For complete details contact us. SUCCESS STORIES The Allbooks Review crew has been busy, congratulations to all. Barbara Watkins (Allbooks Review reviewer) announces her latest horror release, 'Six-Pack of Blood' (co-author, Betty Dravis). Having some great success and it received an Honorary Horror Award from Zodiac Entertainment. As well, the great American film Director/Producer, Armand Mastroianni wrote the foreword for our book of horror. I invite you to take a look and see what others are saying. http://www.amazon.com/Six-Pack-of-Blood-ebook/dp/B007Q7FG68/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335156506&sr=1-1 Jan Whitford (Allbooks Review reviewer) announces his latest mystery, Mystic Fear. Released by RealTime Publishing, Limerick Ireland. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=mystic+fear Shirley A. Roe Allbooks Review Managing Editor and award winning author, announces the release of When Fate Steps In. http://www.amazon.com/When-Fate-Steps-Shirley-Roe/dp/1849611505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335177664&sr=8-1 FEATURE: Improve Your Tweets (Mari Smith @marismith) #1: Share valuable content in your own voice Do your best to craft your content tweets, @replies and promotional tweets all with a seamless style that matches your personality and/or brand. Ideally, you want people to read your tweets and feel naturally compelled to click on your links and retweet you. You just want to add value and have no agenda or attachment to “making the sale,” yet you’re strategic and mindful about how you tweet #2: Use keywords in your tweets Keywords have been and continue to be a relevant and driving force for web content (whether we’re talking about a website, blog post, Facebook update or a tweet). Keywords are the backbone of content. So I’d have to say hands-down, my best Twitter marketing tip for business is to make a list of keywords that best describe your business and industry. Use these words as you compose your 140-character posts. Think quality over quantity. Make every character and tweet count! (Debbie Hemley, social media consultant and blogger) #3: Share links to useful content Sharing links to useful content is, statistically speaking, more effective at growing and retaining followers than “engaging” with them in conversation. That’s not to say that conversations aren’t useful in helping people to like you, but if you want to grow your fan base, you need to share more links than you do @replies. #4: Use search features to discover what your clients want Use the search feature in a Twitter tool like HootSuite to watch for conversations about a problem your business can solve. It will give you insight into what is on your prospects’ minds and provide an open door for you to help them. Try providing a link to a great article or video that answers their question. This one action could lead to an ongoing dialogue that in turn may lead to a customer relationship later. Improve Your Networking (Kristi Hines @kikolani) #5: Connect with the right people and tweet with them TIP Query Letters: Jeff Rivera says, "You know when your query letter sucks when you say 'Dear Agent.'" If you need to review query letter techniques since you last followed a so - so template you found on the Web, crack open your copy of The Frugal Editor (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) and turn to the section where I talk about query letters and relate several top - flight agents' pet query letter peeves. Yes, there are also sample query letters in the Appendix (along with the list of agents who said yes when I asked to interview them), but I urge you not to religiously follow any template. You’re the voice in your book and you should let it show through in your query letter. Allbooks Reviews INTERVIEW: Please state your name and location. (city and State or Province, Country) Tony Samara, London, UK Tell us the title and publisher of your book: Shaman’s Wisdom: Reclaim Your Lost Connection with the Universe, 2012 by Balboa Press Tell us about yourself: “I believe that we live at a very crucial moment in humanity's transformation and I want you to move beyond the old paradigm and discover your power, your freedom. I believe we are at a point of such transformation that we can no longer wait for someone else, or something else. I believe that we are creators and that everyone here is equal and part of that creation. I believe that God doesn't live somewhere outside, that the Divine, meaning intelligence, freedom, is everywhere. You, me, we are connected. I believe that we have to put things into practice. We can’t just sit and watch television or watch life, or watch a relationship and hope it gets better or wait for it to change. I challenge you to step away from the sofa, where it is comfortable to watch TV, and to participate. It is a wonderful thing when we realize that we have this power, which is not of the ego, but is wisdom.” Tony Samara Tony Samara, author of ‘Shaman’s Wisdom,’ ‘From the Heart,’ ‘Different Yet the Same,’ and ‘Deeper than Words’ was born in England, grew up in Egypt and also in Norway where he discovered the “Zen Buddhist philosophy”. This discovery eventually led him to the “Mount Baldy Zen Center in California, USA” where he learned the spiritual teachings of “Kyozan Joshu Sasaki.” He had curiosity to explore further the essence of spirituality and thus went to live and learn with shamanic communities around the globe including a period of time spent with some highly influential shamans in the Amazon River region and the Andes Mountains. Now people from all over the world visit Tony Samara to take spiritual guidance and experience being in his presence.

His main countries of activity are in Europe yet with the assistance of the Internet is attracting a Global audience through frequent online interviews and live satsangs. His function is as a Spiritual Teacher who encourages all to lead their lives actively in a noble way in order to realize the evolution of human consciousness. Tony Samara is a mirror of what is possible, a shining reminder of the continuous possibility of being human. The completely natural state of joy and wisdom experienced as the heart opens to life is the remarkable path he expounds. The path that is free for everyone to experience. Verbal dialogue is not the essence of his teachings, but he explains in a direct and simple way that everyone can understand how each individual can practically integrate greater acceptance, peace and joy into their daily lives. Tony teaches with humour, humility and with infinite patience, empowering the individual with courage, trust and inner strength to continue on this journey back into wholeness, a path that leads towards real freedom. Like many spiritual teachers, Tony Samara is concerned with practical inner work and liberation. He teaches by personal example and instruction, guiding the seeker to realise bliss here and now, through growing spiritual awareness rather than mental effort. Part of Tony's teachings remind us that food and eating are fundamental to our inner well being, as well as to our physical health. He explains in his many programmes that the body is our temple and that the food we eat helps us to create a strong foundation that allows inner work and transformation to take place. He also explains that food is not just a physical substance which nourishes the body but that it also contains spiritual and emotional energy. Hence the importance of being conscious and taking the time to be present when we are eating and to become more sensitive to what will nourish our body, our temple rather than eat only what we feel like eating. Tony also encourages a balanced vegetarian diet which includes organic products that are full of life force. When was the book released? Second Edition (current) - January 2012 as a amazon Kindle eBook and April 2012 as paperback and eBook with Balboa Press First Edition - 2009 by Findhorn Press Give us an overview of your book. “SHAMAN’S WISDOM” presents in a simple and practical way, universal shamanic knowledge that Tony Samara learned and experienced throughout his path to initiation. From the consumption of food to working with dreams, the four elements and the cardinal points, the presentation of some respiratory and physical exercises which support spiritual development, as well as many other topics, this book reminds us of positive ancestral wisdoms, more useful than ever in today’s world. Help yourself to change your life for the better. What inspired you to write this book? As I truly feel that knowledge and wisdom come from a deep space of knowing and experience I feel it is truly valuable for everyone to receive this knowledge in the form of this interesting book so as to be able to bring more harmony and happiness into their everyday lives. For me writting this book is a way of me being of service and a way to give rather than to always wanting. I feel it is an amazing gift and adds true value to one’s life. By writing I hope to impart wisdom and knowledge that comes from the heart and that is deeper than words. A direct transmission of a totally natural experience connected to universal wisdom. How is your book different from other books in this genre? This book is unique as it is written by a Spiritual Master who is still alive today. In practice and philosophically this book clarifies the mysteries that have been asked throughout the ages in a simple yet profound way that engages the reader to betterment of the self thus helping the betterment of humanity. At this time when there is so much information available to people that can sometimes create an information overload it is refreshing to find the simplicity and honesty that is portrayed in this book. Initial feedback about the manuscript is that beyond being engaging it seems to touch the heart and answer many questions directly related to issues that we are all facing today. Where can people buy your book? At the moment only on the several amazon website and soon in many other places as Balboa Press is going to distribute the book and eBook worldwide. http://www.amazon.com/Shamans-Wisdom-Connection-Universe-ebook/dp/B006XTFUZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330772477&sr=1-1 Are you working on another book? If so when do you expect it to be published? Yes, in the end of 2012/beginning of 2013. ‘From The Heart’ and ‘Deeper Than Words’ are two other books that I have written and which are available on all amazon websites: 'Deeper Than Words' - in all amazon websites: UK | Germany | USA | France | Italy | Spain | Japan | Canada 'From The Heart' - in all amazon websites: UK | Germany | USA | France | Italy | Spain | Japan | Canada If you self published, what advice can you give to fellow writers? Make sure you know your audience and write not for fame or gain but rather to reach the right people who will truly enjoy your gift of writting. If published traditionally, tell us how you benefited: Shaman’s Wisdom’s first edition was published by Findhorn Press in 2009 plus many of my books have been published by major publishing houses in many different countries. Findhorn Press opened the English markets in the USA and the UK for my work. Can you share one of your marketing successes with us? ‘Shaman’s Wisdom’ eBook lauched in January 2012 reached #1 on amazon.de and amazon.fr under the category of Shamanism in the first week of its launch. It is currently in the top #100 books on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk under the category of Shamanism and Personal Transformation. How did you find Allbooks Reviews and what are you hoping for in your relationship with us? I have received an email from Allbooks Reviews offering their services. I thought to give it a try and applied to have a review created for ‘Shaman’s Wisdom’. I liked the review and the service very much and hence applied for reviews on two other books I have written: ‘From The Heart’ and ‘Deeper Than Words’. Was the low cost a surprise? What other things would you like Allbooks Reviews to offer writers? The cost was an interesting amount to create a book review with a company that I did not know anything about. I have now had three books reviewed by Allbooks and look forward to more. Self published authors are always seeking for easy ways to market their books so perhaps having a step by step guide on how to market self published books would be a great idea. Thank you for this interview and best of luck with your book. If you would like to see your interview here, contact us at: allbooksreview1@aol.com. www.allboooksreviewint.com

Review of Heartwood by Gregory J. Saunders

Heartwood, by Gregory J. Saunders, is a story of man versus beast, fear versus courage, habitat versus humanity. On the side of habitat we have a nameless creature, living within the heart of the woods, feeding off the life force of the trees in which it dwells. Dormant for centuries at a time, and awakening only to mate, or in response to danger, it is unforgiving, unstoppable, and almost ageless, having survived, unnoticed, for thousands of years. On the side of humanity we have Osvaldo “Oz” Salazar, Chief of the Jicarilla tribal police authority, and urbanised descendant of proud apache warriors. Circumstance and necessity force him to team up with Paul Killian, a racist Caucasian wilderness expert and lifelong poacher. The two men, who both miraculously survived creature encounters on their own, must join forces, and destinies, to stop it, or die trying. This book has its ups and downs. On the up side, Saunders shows in his writing an almost palpable respect for nature, aboriginal culture and beliefs, and the foibles of his own characters, which cause them to resonate as truly three dimensional people. People, that in the end, you really care about and can root for. Some very creative thinking went into the creation of the creature itself, actually making it believable that such a thing could go unnoticed and undiscovered for thousands of years. No easy task. On the down side, there are some pacing problems. This is a book that tries to do more than it needs to. With unnecessarily frequent historical side trips to illustrate the longevity of the creature, the pace and rhythm of the story suffers. You just get into the events of the present and have to pause for an Aztec encounter set in 1539, or visit to a logging camp in the 70s. All the author needed to do to illustrate the creature’s longevity and character was to set the establishing chapter in 1211 A.D, and then switch to the creature in the present, seemingly unchanged. He did this in fact. Making the other scenes, while well written and historically well-researched, redundant and, for me, disruptive to the flow of the narrative. As it stands, Heartwood is an interesting, unusual and suspenseful story with some (for me quite serious) pacing issues. With some solid editing, it could be a story I would recommend without any hesitation at all. Instead, it gets a conditional “you should go ahead and read it”. There are many things to enjoy. Reviewer: JP Layberry, Allbooks Review Int. www.allbooksreviewint.com

Review of F-Stop: A Life in Pictures by Emily-Jane Hills Orford

Young Jean Downer’s passion for photography continued into adulthood. After she married Norman Hills and started having children, her love for preserving her family’s history was, in great part, documented through photographs. Jean Downer’s story starts in 1929, when she is quite young, of kindergarten age, and continues through her marriage at age 19 in 1946 to Norm Hills. The 61 years of marriage fly by and she’s grateful she and her husband developed an interest in genealogy, for she would have more than just her writing to pass on to her family after her death. Jean is quite friendly and approachable and her words pull the reader toward her. In fact, the reader wonders if he was invited to pull up a chair and have a cup of coffee because the atmosphere is as comfortable as home. The mixture of stories and personal photographs allow the reader a well-round glimpse into the life of a woman who had a lot of love to share with her family, friends, and students. Using her father’s memoirs, the author writes what she believes could be her mother’s story. She bases the dialogue and details of the stories on her own perspective as she remembers the events, and as told to her from other family members. Some of her mother’s unpublished writings also contribute to the story Orford wants to tell. The writing is conversational and from her mother’s point of view. Including the personal family photos with captions seemingly written by her mother, the author is able to remain out of the spotlight. Her intent is for readers to know her mother’s story, and her approach accomplishes the task. Emily-Jane Hills Orford is the youngest daughter and fourth child of Jean and Norman Hills. Orford divides her time between her family, her music studio, and her writing. She believes in writing about ordinary people. Many of her stories include the people who were most important and influential in her life, such as her mother and grandmother. Her stories and novels reflect her national pride. Her writing accomplishments include countless articles, short stories, children’s picture books about artists, musicians and Canadian personalities. F-Stop: A Life in Pictures is a very personal and intimate look into Jean Downer Hills’, the author’s mother’s, life. The stories deal with love, life, and loss from young and old perspectives, through pictures and words. The family pictures included with the stories pull the reader in closer, so that by the last page, the reader feels part of the family, too. It is a recommended read. Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews, www.allbooksreviewint.com. Publisher: Baico Publishing Consultants, Inc. ISBN is: 978-1-926945-68- Pages: Price: November 2011

Review of A Gift Called Mother: The Stages and Fantasies of Motherhood by Sherlyn Powell

“Life gets difficult at times, but who else on this earth, but family has your back when you are down?” Pg. 51

This heartfelt testimonial brings together a love of God and an attachment to family values. From the birth of her children to the rocky roads all families must go through to the final happiness as a grandparent, Sherlyn Powell opens the door to her world as a guardian, a protector, and a mother. Her personal story will make you shed tears of compassion and empathy, but also thank the Lord with true humility.

            Sherlyn Powell is many things: a businesswoman, a writer, but most importantly a mother. We are used to thinking that our everyday lives is not something that is interesting to write about, but A Gift Called Mother proves us wrong. Sherlyn Powell took simple life experiences and made us connect to them, showing us how special each of these personal experiences really are. This book is full of unrestrained emotion, and by the end you will have truly understood the meaning of the eight words on the first page:

            “It is a blessing to be called Mother.”

 This book is highly recommended by Boyu Huang, Allbooks Review.

ISBN number: 978-1-60264-704-6

Publisher: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing

Number of pages: 72

Price: CDN $12.41

www.sherlynpowell.com

November 2011

IN THE NEWS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALLBOOKS REVIEW INTERNATIONAL

Bookstores Now, More than Ever

February 9th, 2011 · 18 Comments

by Kassia Krozser

The loss of booksellers — traditional and innovative — is a huge blow to book discovery.

Predictions about the future are difficult, mostly because it hasn’t happened yet. Darn future! There is no doubt that the bookselling landscape will change. Some, most notably Mike Shatzkin, are wondering what the physical bookselling landscape will look like in five years. I agree with Mike that it will be vastly different. But do I think (physical) bookstores will go the way of dinosaurs? Absolutely not. We are human. We are social animals. We need someone to wait patiently while we painstakingly describe the book we want, finding it for us despite the fact we a) got the author wrong, b) described the cover art wrong, and c) described the entire plot wrong. We want someone to talk to us about books and guide us.

Review of Sleepers Awaken by Michele Doucette

“Authentic living means having the strength and the courage to remain true to yourself.” Pg.14

The statement speaks the truth as both will be challenged many times throughout your life. The fact that you are interested in this book or any other of it’s genre is a clear sign that deep within yourself you are not fulfilled or at peace. Think of it as taking your first steps to changing your mind, therefore changing your life.

After careful and honest reflection of your past, you must accept your responsibility for your part in it, move on taking the knowledge gained from it. To begin, set up achievable goals, reach out for guidance and with a strong, positive mind begin your journey to inner peace. There are pertinent questions in the chapter ‘Effective Learning’ to guide you.

The unconscious mind controls 90% of our thoughts but can be reprogrammed through meditation, detachment, visualization and strengthening activities such as yoga. Researchers now realize that with concentrated effort we can physically change our brain, developing new pathways leading to positive experiences. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to reorganize its neural connections, even develop new ones. As you see the changes, you will understand that you can become a conscious creator and actually create your own reality.

“Your outer world is a direct reflection of your inner world.” pg109 If you project negativity, negative experiences follow. If you become in control of your own life in a positive manner, you will attract positive people and experiences.

Michele Doucette has been seeking out and then sharing her knowledge of both secular and spiritual levels of self- discovery for over 20 years. She has written several successful books. Living on the west coast of Newfoundland, she is not only an author but a Special Education teacher, webmaster and amateur genealogist. This fact based, well researched, documented book is a good place to start your journey to becoming empowered.

I have been traveling my own journey to empowerment. It takes time, effort and definitely education to be successful. It helps to have a support group of family, friends, educators and fortunately for me, a mentor. A Highly Recommended Read.

Reviewer: Cheryl Heinrichs, Allbooks Review International @ www.allbookreviewsint.com

Title: Sleepers Awaken

Author: Michele Doucette

Publisher: St. Clair Publications

ISBN-13: 978-1935-786085

Pages: 185

Price: $16.95 USD October 2011

For more infor: www.portalsofspirit.com

Review of Baghdad ER by Todd Baker, MD

Ever since man began to band together to combat other bands of men for whatever reason there has been one common factor to all armies. That is how to care for those who are wounded. Unfortunately medical science has lagged far behind man’s ability to cause mass casualties on opposing forces. Despite the continual playing of ‘catch-up’ there have always been mean and women dedicated to caring for those who have been harmed in combat. It is for this reason and these people that Dr. Todd Baker has written this book.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been especially burdensome to the medical services of the armed forces. This is not due to the ferocity of the campaigns, but instead to the almost personal natures of the weaponry in use, primarily the IED or Improvised Explosive Device. The injuries caused by these weapons are tragic in relation to the cost and ease of their deployment. This puts an even greater burden on medical personnel.

A major reason that these weapons of terror haven’t succeeded is the dedication and ability of these very same medical personnel. Dr. Baker does an admirable job of portraying an accurate and engrossing view of the day-to-day saving of lives. In some ways Dr. Baker’s descriptions of events are almost clinical which adds a stark realism to it. He wastes no adjectives to emphasize that which is in need of none.

As stated previously some descriptions appear almost clinical in their stark realism. This is not to take anything away from the story itself. It takes a true talent and lots of experience to write in this style. It’s easy to open up a thesaurus or to use clichés like “it was a dark and stormy night,” but to be matter of fact and still put the reader in the author’s crosshairs makes this book well worth the reading.

“Baghdad E.R.” is definitely highly recommended on all levels.

Reviewer: John Helman, Allbooks Reviews.www.allbooksreviewint.com

Title: Baghdad ER

Author: Todd Baker, MD

Publisher: Gray Fox Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-578-06992-0

Pages: 371

Price: $15.00 US

For more info: www.baghdadER.com