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WHO CAN ENTER?
Print and audiobooks can be submitted by: • Independent publishers • University presses • Hybrid publishers • Association presses • Self-published authors If you are a big five publishing house, you must submit your books to our fall competition, NYCBigBookAward.com, which has a separate committee and entry fee. Outside of the big five publishing houses, any publisher or author may submit to both competitions, IndependentPressAward.com (every spring); and NYCBigBookAward.com (every fall). See webpages for complete details.
WHEN CAN I ENTER the Independent Press Award? We are on a rolling submission, approximately every two and a half months, with two hard deadlines: (1) March 2024 to August 30, 2024; (2) September 1, 2024 to December 30, 2024 All entries must be postmarked no later than December 30, 2024. This final deadline will not be extended. What if I miss the deadline? Enter our fall program NYCBigBookAward.com as we take books until August 30th. ENTRY FEE $125 per title/per category, plus $75 for any additional category
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS Decide which books (copyright date within the past three years is recommended but not required) to enter into this year’s competition. 2 Calculate the total entry fee. Choose which categories, https://www.independentpressaward.com/categories, to enter each book into. You may enter a book into as many categories as you’d like. The fee for the first category is $125. Any additional book categories for that same book is $75 per category. • SINGLE BOOK, MULTIPLE CATEGORIES: One who enters “Book One” in Children’s Educational and Book Cover Design Childrens category, the entry fee is $125 + $75 = $200. 1
Educational and Book Cover Design Childrens category, the entry fee is $125 + $75 = $200, and “Book Two” in Mystery and New Fiction (first-time published), the entry fee is $125 + $75 = $200, so $200 + 200 = $400 in total book entry fees. 3 Download a form from this page, OR submit the entry form online on this page, https://www.independentpressaward.com/online-entry-form-1 Complete form 4 Duplicate each Entry Label if you are entering multiple categories. For print books, a copy of the completed Entry Label must be placed inside the front cover of every book submitted. Up to four physical copies for entry into four or more categories. Audiobooks, a single copy of the completed Entry Label must be submitted along with either an Audible gift code or Authors’ Direct code. IF SUBMITTING ONLINE and sending a book directly from Amazon.com or other retailer/printer, NO PAPERWORK IS REQUIRED to accompany the book(s). 5 Pay via PayPal button on the website or mail a check, along with your books and printed entry form, and ship to:
INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD 63 Clinton Road Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 USA www.IndependentPressAward.com
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Publisher’s Letter As we ready ourselves for the Memorial Day weekend, I always find it helpful to have a few great book recommendations. In this issue, you will find choice award-winning books in key categories to satisfy your weekend reading. In addition, I’m always curious about the authors, their story, and how they came to write such a book. In these pages, a number of the award-winning authors share their stories in their own words that recently won the Independent Press Award. If you’re interested in learning more about the authors and their stories, you can check out theIndependent Press Award GAB TALKS www.independentpressaward.com/thegabtalks . To note, the Independent Press Award is open to authors who have published their books independently or through small presses. The awards are a great way to discover new and talented voices in the literary world. Are you an author, publisher, or aspiring one? Then you must join us for BookCAMP 2024! Three days of education, networking and doing business: www.independentpressaward.com/ipabookcamp. The BookCAMP 2024 event is happening June 23-25, 2024, and is where independent authors, publishers, industry experts gather to learn, trade success stories and network. BookCAMP 2024 will help indie authors & publishers market, publicize, meet with other publishers & authors, make literary agents available, cover audiobooks and its impact on print books, direct on how to get your books into Costco, Target, and other big box stores, among a myriad of topics. At BookCAMP 2024, we also recognize our worldwide authors of our award programs. This year, we will host 200 attendees for our Independent Press Award / NYC Big Book Award awards ceremony & dinner at BookCAMP 2024 on June 24, 2024 with authors from Australia, Bangladesh, China, etc. and of course the United States. Come join the celebration of award-winning authors and be a part of the publishing industry. Until next time, keep on reading!
Ted Olczak Publisher
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Table Of Contents 2
Call for entries for the Independent Press Award
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IPA BookCAMP 2024
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Publisher’s Letter
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Michael C. Higgins, author of Exploring WIne Regions, The Central Coast of California
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Xuemo, author of Into the Desert
10-11
GAB TALKS with Dr. Josh McConkey
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Beth Ann Hooper, author of The Roots That Clutch
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Ronna Wineberg, author of Artifacts and Other Stories
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L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40
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Dr. Danielle Camer, author of Sophie Won’t Sleep
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Laurisa Brandt, author of Birthright of Scars: Rising
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Judie Dziezak, author of Petals from Mars: A Memoir of Resilience and Triumph over Adversity Aurita Maldonado, author of The Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Becoming One with the Storm
PWR’s MEMBERSHIP
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a. Four issues of BookCamp Magazine included at NO CHARGE with an annual membership. b. BONUS: Want to find the right Master of Fine Arts program?, Learn more about Small Press and Fall Trade Book Fairs? (AUGUST 2024 special supplement) c. Full access to our Publishing Professionals database. You will find literary agents, designers, distributors, editors, marketers, printers, publicity firms, publishers, other publishing professionals. d. Sign up now & receive an ADDITIONAL BONUSES as we add them throughout the year! (Outside of the United States /International digital magazine only).
No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without express permission from the publisher. The magazine Independent Press Award and NYC Big Book Award present is published eight times per year and has been issued the following ISSNs by the U.S. ISSN Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.: Format: Online Format: ISSN 2836-9157; and the Print Format: ISSN 2836-9149. Any questions or comments, please contact the Publisher Ted Olczak at Ted@GabbyBookAwards.com or Ted@PrintedWordReviews.com.
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All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system - except by a reviewer who provides us credit may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper without permission in writing from the publisher. To submit your book for review, send to: Printed Word Reviews, 63 Clinton Rd, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028. Allow 8 - 12 weeks. Unpaid reviews are not guaranteed. More details available on our website at https:// printedwordreviews.com/
The magazine Independent Press Award and NYC Big Book Award Present is published eight times per year and has been issued the following ISSNs by the U.S. ISSN Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.: Format: Online Format: ISSN 2836-9157; and the Print Format: ISSN 2836-9149. Any questions or comments, please contact the Publisher Ted Olczak at Ted@GabbyBookAwards.com or Ted@PrintedWordReviews.com.
To submit your book, visit our websites: Fall 2024: https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/ (More consumer focused; different judging; allows for all authors and publishers to participate; announced in the fall of every year) or Spring 2025:
Reads SUMMER
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To advertise, please contact Ted@GabbyBookAwards.com, or visit our website, https://www.independentpressaward.com/advertise www.IndependentPressAward.com
monthly (only $5 per month) or annually ($50 per year)
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Michael C. Higgins, author of
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Exploring Wine Regions, The Central Coast of California
t all began with a bottle of Malbec. Self-described “serial entrepreneur” Michael C. Higgins is the author of Exploring Wine Regions, The Central Coast of California. The third in a visually spectacular book series. It is the Winner of the 2024 Independent Press Award in three categories: Coffee Table Book, Gift Books and Travel. Each book in the series incorporates travel, wine education, culinary experiences and in depth profiles of sommeliers, winemakers, chefs and more.
As the publisher of Flying Adventures Magazine, a lifestyle travel magazine for food and wine lovers who own and travel on private airplanes, Michael said he grew tired of the constant deadlines. He decided to take a trip to Argentina to discover why the Malbec wine is so unforgettable with hopes of returning with a good piece for the magazine. Four years later and countless trips to Argentina, Michael published Exploring Wine Regions, Argentina. The series highlights Michael’s talents as an author, photojournalist, food enthusiast, and wine expert. “Wine grapes are the smartest species in the world
because they live in the most beautiful places on the planet,” Michael said.
Michael knew he was on to something unique. The second book, Exploring Wine Regions, Bordeaux was also completed in four years. Exploring Wine Regions, The Central Coast of California took three years from inception to publication. It’s easy to understand why Exploring Wine Regions has won so many awards and has received so many accolades. It’s an in-depth insider’s guide to wine, food, travel filled with over 800 spectacular and mouth watering photographs taken by Michael. “Every photographic line I wrote from my experience of being there,” Michael said. “In fact, if I go to a place and there’s something they have and I don’t experience it, I don’t put it in the book. That’s why it takes a long time. I only do one winery a day because I want to dine with the owner and the winemaker in their vineyards and in their winery. I want these wineries not just to have great wine, but they have to have great tourism.”
Reads SUMMER
education The Art of Being a School Counselor Nancy Regas Multi-award winning. Are you thinking about school counseling as a profession or just starting as a school counselor? Okay, maybe you’re already an established school counselor; congratulations! However, are you feeling stuck, lost, or frustrated in your present position? If you answer yes to either question, this book is definitely for you. Enjoy your journey towards a personal and professional reawakening!
LITERARY FICTION/GENERAL FICTION
CLEAR-CUTS Joshua S. Narins A raw, visceral, unflinching tale about the ties that bind coming unbound.
HINT: If you are an administrator, this book will help you understand the role of a counselor; correctly utilizing your counseling staff will increase the effectiveness of your school. If you are a teacher, this book will help you comprehend the multiple roles of counselors and guide you in working collaboratively with them. Enjoy your journey towards becoming the best educator possible! Finally, parents, you can use this book too! It will help you understand what it takes for your son/daughter [in middle school or high school] to be a successful student. When you grasp that, your guidance will become more impactful.
In the ensuing seventy-two hours, a father’s legend, a family’s ancestral lore, and two brothers will all collide. Set in the rough-hewn woods of northern Maine, Clear-Cuts, is a tense fast-paced New England narrative, piercing and resolute in tone, relentless and unwavering in storytelling.
ISBN: 979-8986427041 • $16.99
ISBN: 978-1647422271 • $17.95
Paperbacks: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org For Retailers: IngramSpark • E-Books: Amazon, Kobo, Nook www.joshuasnarinsauthor.com
Available on Outskirts Press, Amazon http://bit.ly/3iPyAzs
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We are all familiar with Sonoma and Napa Valleys and the extraordinary wines produced there. What was so compelling about the Central Coast?
Listen to the entire interview on https://www.thegabtalks. com/. To learn more about Michael C.Higgins and purchase the Exploring WIne Regions book series please visit
“The Central Coast is like a shadow of their success. I thought it would be better to have a book to show people how good the Central Coast is,” Michael said. “The wines are just as great. The food is amazing, the area’s spectacularly beautiful, it’s all along the ocean and it’s just a great place.”
https://www.exploringwineregions.com/.
The series was originally conceived to incorporate three regions. The current plan is for 11 books in the series. The fourth edition, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, is expected to publish this October. The fifth edition, Exploring Wine Regions: Greece is anticipated in 2026. Each book in the series is filled with a plethora of rich information: details of wineries, restaurants, lodging, attractions and maps. as well as a Glossary of wine terminology. Everything one needs to explore each region. Michael can also design itineraries and organized trips to wine regions. “I don’t do this for the money. I do it for the lifestyle,” Michael said. “The wine, the travel and the people. Cultures. To me that is like I’m living life really great and and while I’m living life, I’m capturing it and sharing it with the world so other people can live life in amazing ways.”
CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE / FAMILY / LIFE
Revolutionary Marriage: How to Have a Marriage that Changes the World Dr. Mark DeYoung Dr. DeYoung set out to write a book for Christian couples that was radically different from most published works. “This book is intended to present a revolutionary, countercultural model of marriage...What I propose here will confront both secular and current Christian views of marriage. The task is large, and the work between spouses will be difficult. Because of this, the approach must be radical...” - Dr. Mark DeYoung “Mark does an excellent job framing marriage in the category of vocation and removes it from the romanticized, self-actualization pinnacle often framed by religious and contemporary cultures.” - Dr. David Fraze
ISBN: 978-0991131181 • $14.95 Available on Amazon.com and author’s website. https://deyoungconsulting.com/revolutionary-marriage-book/
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Xuemo, author of
Into The Desert
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ue Mo (Xuemo) was born in a remote village in the Liangzhou district of Gansu province. Despite growing up in an environment surrounded by poverty, sand, and drought, he was fortunate to have a loving family. Although his parents were illiterate, Xue Mo yearned to become a writer from a young age. Due to limited access to books in his village, he drew inspiration from the many stories told by relatives and guests, traditional Xianxiao music performed by blind street musicians with sanxian (a three-stringed lute), and the classic tales of the Monkey King’s adventures in Journey to the West. Xue Mo admired the Monkey King’s incredible strength, supernatural powers, and his quest to bring Buddhist scriptures from India to China. He literally memorized all the stories and retold them to his father’s delight. Xue Mo’s uncle was another prime source of his inspiration. Following local beliefs, he advised Xue Mo’s parents to place a lamp at the top of a tall pole in the family courtyard. He said that if they lit the lamp every nightfall, someone in the family would gain fame and even make a contribution to the world. Despite the financial burden of higher electricity bills, Xue Mo’s parents followed his
uncle’s advice. The faint glow of the lamp in the darkness served as a beacon of hope for Xue Mo. His uncle also taught him to recite a statement every day, “The enlightened exert themselves constantly, the virtuous endure onerous duties,” which encouraged him to constantly work towards self-improvement and social responsibility. At the age of 15, Xue Mo wrote an essay titled “A Letter to Uncle Scientists,” which later became a model essay studied in many schools and earned him admission to Wuwei No.1 ranked Middle School. In 1980, Xue Mo failed the college entrance exams, but fortunately, he was accepted by a vocational school. This opportunity also allowed him access to a large number of books and magazines, including translated classics from overseas. During this time period, Xue Mo developed a daily habit of reading and keeping a diary, as well as practicing Kung Fu to stay fit. Without a teacher to guide him in his literary ambitions, he looked up to Leo Tolstoy as a role model and imagined himself talking freely with Tolstoy while reading, thereby developing his own inner voice. After graduating from Wuwei Vocational School, Xue Mo became a teacher at a local
MEMOIR / BIOGRAPHY / PERSONAL GROWTH
Petals from Mars: A Memoir of Resilience and Triumph over Adversity
MEMOIR & AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NONFICTION W IN
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Judie Dziezak
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Humble Yet Fierce: My Life Behind the Curtain of the CIA
From turbulence and heartbreak to grace, an inspiring memoir of a fiery battle for holding one’s power and standing firm when life demands submission. A moving story about refusing to be defined by one’s environment. Dziezak navigates enduring secret abuse from her mentally ill mother and how hard-earned treasures from that experience ripple into her success in male-dominated fields. Evoking hope, “Petals from Mars” unfolds a look at how difficulty can blossom into resilience, strength, and self-love.
Katy McQuaid Katy McQuaid, former deputy director of logistics in the CIA, brings her true-life stories of courage, faith, and adventure related to her thirty-two year journey in the secretive and often dangerous world of intelligence gathering. From the life-changing events in her first year of college to her remarkable career in the CIA, McQuaid shares that you don’t have to be loud to be strong.
ISBN: 978-1954920750 • $19.99
ISBN: 979-8889269410 • $15.99
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and online booksellers https://judiedziezak.com
Retail / distributor availability: IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and www.katymcquaid.com
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middle school. With his first salary, he purchased books and magazines to broaden his literary horizons and continued to write in his spare time. Xue Mo didn’t give up his literary dream and spent the following six years honing his craft. At the age of 25, Xue Mo’s debut work “Sunset and Clouds” was published in Feitian magazine, and his career as a young writer from Gansu province began to soar. However, this newfound recognition was overwhelming, and Xue Mo struggled to write for a while. To cope, he turned to the philosophies of Mahamudra and adopted related practices that helped him overcome his anxiety and restore confidence in his writing. The stories he discovered during this journey inspired his next two publications, the magical realistic novel The Holy Monk and Spirit Woman and the spiritual practice manual The Essence of Mahamudra. From then on, Xue Mo produced works of various genres, including novels, poems, epics, and philosophical essays that delve into themes such as love, freedom, life and death, and the relationship between human and nature, meeting the spiritual needs of today’s readers. In the year 2011, Xue Mo founded the Guangzhou Research Institute for Shangpa Culture. In 2017, he founded the Yishan Academy in Shandong,In order to cultivate more talents, Xue Mo established the Wuwei Academy in Gansu province since 2019, Xue Mo has slowly became a notable figure in the international literary community, attending book fairs and academic conferences to share his expertise and influence global societies.
MEMOIR / TRAVELOGUE / VIGNETTES
THE BLACK ATTACHÉ: VIGNETTES FROM A LIFE JK CHEEMA The Black Attaché is an irresistible blend of history, travelogue, and reflection that takes you on a journey from the childhood in India, where Cheema lived through the partition of India and Pakistan, nearly dying on the last train out of Pakistan during the riots, to her career as an American diplomat stationed in hardship posts around the world. With honesty and warmth, Cheema describes her memories and events from places like Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Burkina Faso, amongst others.
ISBN: 978-1960250803 • $16.99 AVAILABLE ON AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE AND ONLINE BOOKSELLERS
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Dr. Josh
McConkey
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AUTHOR OF:
Be The Weight Behind The Spear
e The Weight Behind The Spear, earned a Distinguished Favorite in the 2024 Independent Press Award in the Motivational category. The author, Dr. (Colonel) Josh McConkey has more than 20 years of experience as a Board Certified Emergency Physician. While in medical school he was commissioned into the Nebraska Army National Guard. Josh deployed to Iraq in 2007 as a flight surgeon. After some time in the Air Force Reserves as a Critical Care Air Transport physician, Josh earned the rank of Colonel in 2019 during his time at a rescue squadron in Oregon. He is a highly decorated member of the United States Air Force Reserves and commands the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron. Josh was a professor at Duke University from 2013-2014 and an adjunct until 2018. He offers youth leadership training, business leadership development, and team building workshops. Josh lives in Apex, North Carolina with his wife Elsa and their three children.
That’s what gives them the confidence and the monster egos that they have. That’s allowed them to do some of these crazy things. We asked them to put their lives on the line every single day so Americans can be the weight behind the spear. I think that’s really important. I’m trying to get that message out. GABBY: You said “the strength of the American family and the cultural bonds formed around the dinner table offer some of the key ingredients required to ensure the success of our children and their future.” Why is that so important? JOSH: When your children see that you take that time every day to sit down with them and ask them about America. You’re going a hundred different directions, but just sit down, as best you can, a couple of times a week.
GABBY: Your leadership initiative was inspired from your childhood, your time spent in combat and as a United States Air Force commander. Explain the significance of your title and your leadership ethos Be The Weight Behind The Spear.
Sit down as a family and just have that bonding time. It shows your kids that you care.They can go out and they know they can come home every night and sit down at a dinner table with their family. It really builds everyone up around you and makes your family unit stronger. Your kids use that confidence to go out there and do great things with their lives.
JOSH: That leadership ethos is really a call to action for Americans. With 22 years in the military, I got to do a lot of very unique and interesting things. My time in Iraq, there were a lot of scary, scary things. I was very lucky to survive there. I’m trying to get people to engage in their communities. We can’t all be the special operators kicking in doors.
GABBY: Why is a dialog about our values so relevant to national security?
JOSH: We try to develop critical thinking, and that starts at a very young age. You know, I think that mentorship model would be the weight I take care of men and women that do that. For the rest of Americans behind the spear with those family values and the cultures that we it’s getting behind their future leaders, their children.The heroes in develop. the police, firefighters, your teachers. The best resource that we have in this country is our people, coaches, mentors, volunteers That is what sets America apart. That’s what China fears. That’s and families. That’s what makes our special operators, these men what Russia fears, it’s our people. They know we have a very well and women, do some pretty amazing things. equipped military, but it’s our people. It’s the coaches, teachers, www.IndependentPressAward.com
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volunteers and families behind our heroes that really give us the securing this country and providing our future national security by edge. developing the youth of this country. That’s incredibly important. I think everyone needs to recognize how important the roles are for GABBY: our teachers in society. You’re a highly accomplished man. You’re a surgeon. You’re a highly decorated officer. Why become an author all of a sudden? And my wife is a teacher. My mom is a teacher, my aunt is a teacher. That’s why I really highlighted some of the teachers in my life. The JOSH: book shows that those things matter. I see every day in American society and in the emergency department, the repercussions from the anxiety, the depression Listen to the entire interview on https://www.thegabtalks. and unfortunately, some increased suicide risks. There’s an entire com/. To learn more about Dr. Josh McConkey and to purchase generation of Americans that I feel like we have failed miserably. Be The Weight Behind The Spear, visit weightbehindthespear. com or joshmcconkeyforamerica.com The whole impetus behind this book was to try to get this message out there. America right now is separated politically and generationally. It has been for a very long time. I’m trying to get Americans to focus To listen to the full interview or on what I believe are some of the deep problems with our youth. to learn more, please visit This is the future of our country. We have to teach them these basic skills of leadership because I think I feel like we set them up to fail. GABBY: What would you say is the most important, most relevant theme of the book? JOSH: What you do every single day matters. Those little things, those little decisions, those family dinners, you have a huge part to play in
www.TheGABTALKS.com
MILITARY FICTION
Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu Paul Alenous Kluge Dien Bien Phu battle in 1954 would tip scales everywhere. France was desperate for a win. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh was betting on the support of the Soviets, the Chinese, and his own fire-eating army.Weeds of War is a story of common soldiers-privates with no authority-whose success was essential to the victory. On one side are the young zealots of the communist Vietminh who do not hesitate to throw themselves into suicidal wave assaults. People like Private Nguyen. Then there are those who enlist in the Foreign Legion, which is teeming with Wehrmacht survivors-hard core, professional soldiers. Included is a troubled and naive Irish teen. But war is not all blood and guts. There is room for humanity and sometimes even a little romance across enemy lines. For this is a world of strange bedfellows where patience and resilience prevail.The privates depicted here are fictional, but their experiences are from actual battles. This is how it really was, to live and die among the weeds.
ISBN: 978-1736684313 • $14.00 Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and online booksellers www.IndependentPressAward.com
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Beth Ann Hooper, author of The Roots That Clutch
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PhD Student Uncovers a Shocking communications. She is the founder of Family Secret in The Roots That Tower of Babel Communications and Clutch Publications. In addition to the Independent Press Awards and many accolades for the “It’s very hard to accept that your life was print version, The Roots That Clutch was determined before you were born”, said awarded Best International Short in the Beth Ann Hooper, author of The Roots That Swedish International Film Festival. Beth Clutch, Winner of the 2024 Independent is also the producer of the award winning Press Award for Book Cover Design AND a documentary “In the Interest of The Child”. Distinguished Favorite in World Literature. Beth currently lives in New Hampshire after The Roots That Clutch spans 21 years. It a lengthy residency in the Netherlands. The takes place in universities and manuscript Roots That Clutch is Beth’s debut novel. libraries throughout Europe and in the United States. Though it is based on a true Hooper’s father presented her with a family story, it is told through the experiences of heirloom that changed the trajectory of all Hooper’s literary persona, Jane. During her their lives while shedding light on a secret PhD research on T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, past. The heirloom is a copy of the poet Jane discovers that her grandmother had William’s autobiography. It was inscribed an affair with the American Modernist poet, to her grandmother, Doris Hooper. It read William Carlos Williams. This leads to yet “Doris Hooper for old time sake” dated April another revelation that her father is possibly 1st, 1952. Betrayal, family secrets, poetry and the biological child of Williams. the ties that bind. Beth Ann Hooper is an American born bilingual author, ghostwriter, poet, producer and documentarian with 25 years of experience in international business
“Whatever we do, no matter everything we perform, we try to conceal, it eventually will come out and it usually comes out in the children.” Listen to the entire interview on https:// www.thegabtalks.com/. To learn more about Beth Ann Hooper and purchase The Roots That Clutch please visit www.therootsthatclutch.com.
The Roots That Clutch is a line from The Wasteland, by T.S. Eliot, the subject of her Ph.D. “The roots that clutch signifies that basically it is in the blood,” Hooper said.
NONFICTION/PARENTING & FAMILY/MENTAL HEALTH/ANIMAL LOVE
Emptying the Nest: Getting Better at Goodbyes
FICTION / HISTORICAL / WORLD WAR II; FICTION / ROMANCE SUSPENSE
Morgan Baker A memoir about reinventing yourself, learning how to handle loss, and emerging from depression. During her older daughter’s last year of high school, the family takes on an adventure of breeding their kind and gentle Portuguese Water Dog, Spray, and raising her ten puppies. They find loving homes for nine of the pups, and keep one, Ezzie. At the end of the year, Maggie, Morgan’s oldest, heads off for her own adventure at college. All these goodbyes don’t sit well with Morgan and she falls into a depression.
Ruler Of The Seas—An Admiral’s Diary Don Mazzella When his marriage to a provocative Venezuelan heiress changes the arc of his career, Navy officer Eric Dykman’s true-life adventures begin in the pre-World War II South American spy wars. Given broad authority after America entered the war, he overcame bureaucratic roadblocks to keep the Atlantic Ocean highway open for the Allies. But, personal tragedy strikes him when he makes a Faustian bargain with the Mafia. Ruler of the Seas is the first volume of the Tidal Pool trilogy.
What she learns from climbing out of the depression is that life continually changes. Her dogs and children teach her lessons on living in the moment and embracing change, instead of running from it. Morgan’s identity shifts during the years after her kids leave the house. She discovers she’s more than a mother.
ISBN: 9781590190074 • Print price $16.95 198 Pages Binding: B&W 6 x 9 in or 229 x 152 mm Perfect Bound on White w/Matte Lam Binding: B&W 6 x 9 in Library: Tidal Pool Trilogy, Series Number: 1 www.IndependentPressAward.com
ISBN: 978-1645384816 • $16.99 Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and online booksellers https://www.bymorganbaker.com/book 12
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Ronna Wineberg, author of
Artifacts and Other Stories When I was eight-years-old I wanted to be a writer or an artist. I created a newspaper at home. All the news was made up, and also the books, movies, and reviews. I handprinted the articles and drew illustrations. In college, I decided writing and art weren’t practical. So I went to law school and became a lawyer and public defender. I was always writing, though. I wrote while I waited for a case to be called in court. I wrote when my children were young, when it was difficult to find time to write. We lived in Denver then, and I went to a writing conference for the first time. The instructor said my poems were like stories. She suggested I take a fiction writing class at the University of Denver. “You’ll grow faster as a writer that way,” she told me.
new stories, included older ones, and then of love in my writing and also explore desire, revised all the stories. longing, marriage, betrayal, divorce, aging, illness, and loss; I try to understand their Who are the people that influenced you effect on our emotions and choices. most, and who would you like to thank: The persons in my life who most influenced Artifacts and Other Stories is my fourth book me: My parents, their love of art, music, of fiction. I’m honored that I was awarded and education. David Milofsky taught me a fellowship in fiction from the New York about the writer’s life and has given me Foundation for the Arts, a scholarship in invaluable insights about my work. My aunts, fiction to the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Belle Lippman and Ruth Davis, discussed and residencies to the Ragdale Foundation literature and life with me. Alice Munro and and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. her masterful short stories inspire me. Her And I am grateful to be the founding fiction stories are honest, filled with emotion, and editor of the Bellevue Literary Review. My are like miniature novels. next book is a novel about a public defender, an insanity case, and how law and psychiatry I want to thank friends and colleagues who play out in the courtroom. have encouraged my writing, especially David Milofsky, Dallas Hudgens, Lauren Cerand, Donna Baier Stein, Danielle Ofri, Steven Bauer, Jules Hucke, and Margot Livesey. Many thanks to Walter Cummins for publishing Artifacts and Other Stories. I’m grateful to my wonderful children, Daniel, Genia, and Simone, for their patience as I sat in the study at home, day after day, year after year, trying to become a writer. Thank you to the Independent Press Award for recognizing my work and choosing Artifacts and Other Stories as a Distinguished Favorite.
A professor allowed me to sit in writing classes as a special student, one class a semester. The more I wrote and learned about fiction, the more I wanted to pursue it. Writing fiction became part of my daily existence. I hoped to enroll in the MFA program, but landed up joining a writers group and began to submit my work. An editor of a literary journal eventually accepted a short story of mine, and I was thrilled. I felt that I’d fulfilled a childhood wish and pleasure. Artifacts and Other Stories is my pandemic project. During the pandemic, I compiled the book. I wrote ON WRITING: I explore the joys and limitations
PE R S O N AL G R O WT H / PSY C H OLO GY/ B US I N E S S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C LU S I O N
WOMEN’S FICTION
LOVE, Ruthie
The Gift of Sensitivity: The Extraordinary Power of emotional engagement in life and work
Bonnie MacDougall Ruthie’s oldest friend challenges her to recall which events in her childhood and early adulthood shaped the woman she has become in her thirties. LOVE, Ruthie is a funny peripatetic journey into the core of a woman who shirked early influences and bad romances to become the woman she was meant to be.
Elena V. Amber Sensitivity is the degree to which we sense and perceive the world. For too long we have seen it as a weakness, especially in business. Elena Amber demonstrates that it is the source of our most authentic strength, and our superpower for the future.
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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, Books-A-Million https://elenavamber.com/ www.IndependentPressAward.com
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and online booksellers
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CALLING ALL PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS FROM ANYWHERE
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WHO CAN ENTER? Print and audiobooks can be submitted by: • • • • • •
independent publishers hybrid publishers self-published authors university presses association presses small, medium and big house presses
*including any of the big five publishing houses and their imprints
Outside of the big five publishing houses, any publisher or author may submit to both competitions, IndependentPressAward.com (every spring); and NYCBigBookAward.com (every fall). See webpages for complete details. WHEN CAN I ENTER the NYC Big Book Award? We are on a rolling submission, approximately every two and a half months, with two hard deadlines: (1) September 1, 2024 to December 30, 2024 (2) March 1, 2024 to August 30, 2024 Final entries must be postmarked no later than August 30, 2024. This final deadline will not be extended. What if I miss the deadline? Enter our spring program Independent Press Award as we take books until December 2024 for IndependentPressAward.com. ENTRY FEE $99 per title/per category, plus $79 for any additional category
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That’s right, no limitation on where the author is located or the topic of the book.
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Submit your book on any subject for the 2024 NYC Big Book Award! F A
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STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS 1. Decide which books or audiobooks (copyright date within the past three years is recommended to enter into this year’s competition. 2. Calculate the total entry fee. Choose which categories, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/categories to enter each book into. You may enter a book into as many categories as you’d like. The fee for the first category is $99. Any additional book categories for that same book is $79 per category. SINGLE BOOK, MULTIPLE CATEGORIES: One who enters “Book One” in Children’s Educational and Book Cover Design Children’s category, the entry fee is $99 + $79 = $178. MULTIPLE BOOKS: One who enters “Book One” in Children’s Educational and Book Cover Design Children’s category, the entry fee is $99 + $79 = $178, and “Book Two” in Mystery and New Fiction (first-time published), the entry fee is $99 + $79 = $178, so $178 + $178 = $356 in total book entry fees. 3. Download a form from this page, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/submitviamail OR submit the entry form online on this page, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/submit-online Complete form 4. Duplicate each Entry Label if you are entering multiple categories. For print books, a copy of the completed Entry Label must be placed inside the front cover of every book submitted. Up to four physical copies tor entry into four or more categories. Audiobooks. a single copy of the completed Entry Label must be submitted along with either an Audible gift code or Authors’ Direct code. IF SUBMITTING ONLINE and sending a book directly from Amazon.com or other retailer/printer, NO PAPERWORK IS REQUIRED. 5. Pay via PayPal button on the website or mail a check, along with your books and printed entry form, and ship to: NYC BIG BOOK AWARD 63 Clinton Road Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 USA
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L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40 Scheduled for May Release
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ear 40 for L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future marks four decades of realizing Mr. Hubbard’s vision that “A culture is as rich and as capable of surviving as it has imaginative artists.... It is with this in mind that I initiated a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged” (L. Ron Hubbard, Contest Founder)
kind in the world, their scope truly is international.” Winners will be flown to Hollywood for a week-long workshop culminating in a festive awards gala where winners will receive their trophies, and one grand prize winner for both the Writer Contest and Illustrator Contest will be announced. Special recognitions, awards, and proclamations have already started to arrive, congratulating Mr. Hubbard on 40 years; and proclamations from mayors across the United States proclaiming “L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Week.”
The Writing Contest is the longest running science fiction and fantasy competition of its kind in the world. “This year, we have winners from eight countries—Canada, China, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom, and United States of America,” stated the Contest Director, Joni Labaqui. “So not only are the Writers and Illustrators Contests the largest competitions of their
Winners to be published in “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40” are:
Writers of the Future Contest Winners First Quarter
Second Quarter
1. Stephannie Tallent from California “Life and Death and Love in the Bayou”
1. Rosalyn Robilliard from United Kingdom “The Wall Isn’t a Circle”
Third Quarter
Illustrators of the Future Contest Winners
Fourth Quarter
First Quarter
1. Lance 1.Jack Nash from Robinson from Virginia Canada “Son, Spirit, “Five Days Until Snake” Sunset” 2. Tom 2. Sky McKinnon 2. Kal M from Vandermolen 2. Galen Westlake from Washington Malaysia from Washington from Canada “The Edge of “Butter Side “Nonzero” “The Imagalisk” Where Down” My Light Is Cast” 3. Amir Agoora 3. John Eric 3. Lisa from Connecticut Schleicher 3. James Davies Silverthorne “Da-ko-ta” from Montana from Maryland from Nevada “Squiddy” “Ashes to Ashes, “Summer of Thirty Blood to Years” Carbonfiber”
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Arthur Haywood Ashley Cassaday Peggy Hooper from from Texas from Oregon Pennsylvania Tyler Vail Jennifer Mellen Selena Meraki from Texas from Utah from the Netherlands May Zheng Pedro N. from New Jersey from Portugal Carina Zhang from China
Steven Bentley from Oregon Connor Chamberlain from New Zealand Guelly Rivera from California
L. Ron Hubbard initiated the Writers of the Future Writing Contest in 1983 to provide “a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.” Based on its success, its sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, was created five years later to provide that same opportunity for aspiring artists. The intensive mentoring process has proven very successful. The 559 winners and published finalists of the Writing Contest have published over 2,000 novels and nearly 6,300 short stories, and their works have sold over 60 million copies. In addition, 16 winners have a combined 41 New York Times bestselling books. The 406 past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 6,800 illustrations and 390 comic books, graced 700 books and albums with their art, and visually contributed to 68 TV shows and 40 major movies. For more information about Writers and Illustrators of the Future, visit www.writersofthefuture.com.
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Dr. Danielle Camer, author of Sophie Won’t Sleep
Reads SUMMER
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Charming, humorous picture book stories to be Publishing (due to be released 2025/2026), was enjoyed by all ages. based on an idea Clint had for a story. He shared a brief with me days before he died and told me I have worked in the medical field for over a he hoped I would be able to write the words and decade as a medical researcher in neuroscience publish his story someday. With Sophie’s help, I then as one of Australia’s leading medical writers wrote the manuscript for the picture book, which in pharmaceutical and healthcare advertising. was accepted by the publisher in January 2024. However, I have always had a creative flair and a history of writing travel blogs and painting in my Since my husband died, I am inspired by him spare time. During a short maternity leave period to live the life that he can no longer have to the in 2017 with my daughter, Sophie, I was inspired fullest and will continue to publish more stories to to write my first picture book, Sophie Won’t Sleep, bring happiness into the world and help create a which was inspired by Sophie’s resistance to wonderful life for Sophie. sleeping and dedicated to our special family of three. It started off as notes on bits of paper, then Firstly, thank you to my husband, Clint. He was such my husband, Clint, and I would perform the story to a wonderful husband and Dad to our daughter, Sophie using sloth toys. I went back to work and life Sophie, and I miss him every day. His continued got busy with the juggle. From when Sophie was support of my career in writing and publishing two, she kept asking me when I could turn this story was evident even during his time in palliative care. into an actual book. I decided to enroll into courses He insisted I still travel to New York City with my at the Australian Writers’ Centre in 2019 (including parents and Sophie to attend the Awards Ceremony Writing Picture Books and Writing Picture Books and take my Dad as my plus one in his place. Masterclass) to learn more about the process and finesse my story for publication. After years Thank you also to my wonderful parents who have of research, editing, planning, and late nights, I always been supportive of me in my career. I’d decided to start the process to self-publish Sophie like to make a special mention to my Dad, Branko, Won’t Sleep in 2021. I hired an art director, graphic who honoured Clint’s dying wish to take his place designer, editor, illustrator, printer and distributor as my plus one at the Awards Ceremony. I’m so and used my skills in advertising to promote lucky to have Mum and Dad as my parents and as the book. Sophie Won’t Sleep was released on grandparents to Sophie. December 1, 2021. My husband and Sophie’s loving Dad, Clint, tragically died aged 37 from cancer I’d like to also thank my wonderful daughter, exactly 2 years later. His legacy and our special Sophie, who initially inspired me to publish my first family of three we had together will live on forever picture book, Sophie Won’t Sleep. She has a love through this book. for reading and tells everyone about my books and to buy them. Sophie is inspired to be a scientist one My books are all inspired by my family and day to cure cancer in honor of her Dad, and I hope I experiences. Sophie Won’t Sleep was inspired by can help her achieve her dream in the future. my daughter’s resistance to sleep and the love in our family of three. My second book, which comes I also want to thank Ted Olczak, and everyone out in the US through Starfish Bay Publishing on else involved in judging and promoting the 7th October 2024, was inspired by the cheeky Independent Press Award and NYC Big Book squirrels who visit my Aunty Sandy’s garden in Award, for their support of authors around the England. My third book, That Doesn’t Go!, which world and recognising their talents. Thank you so has been accepted for publication by Starfish Bay much for the awards and for your ongoing support. 16
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Laurisa Brandt, author of
Birthright of Scars: Rising
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began writing as a means to escape into a world more exciting than my own and live vicariously through my characters. I wrote to better explore themes I encountered in books and films and I completed several novels before the age of nineteen. As an adult, I write to better understand myself and the world around me. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and emotions and the sci-fi fantasy genre allows me a safe place to release these parts of myself.
overlooked aspects of human existence and example love blooming in unusual circumstances. HEROES & THANKS: I admire Brian Jacques as an author for his Redwall series characters and style and have held a love for anthropomorphic fantasy ever since.
I’d like to thank my husband, Nathan for his patience and gentle support, my sister Esther for her encouragement when this story My paternal grandfather was always full of praise and was in its alpha draft, my sister Olivia and my friend Rosanna for encouragement over my artistic endeavors. He was very proud to showing up to my first couple book events, my friend Kayla for say, with a twinkle in his eye and a jolly belly laugh, that any and all taking me out to a Korean restaurant to celebrate my book launch, talent I possessed had come from him. and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the grace and love I was only able to infuse into the story because of Him. My grandfather exemplified an entrepreneurial spirit and ability to embrace change and learn new technology. His adaptability no I’m extremely honored and grateful to have received an doubt handed my father the perseverance I saw in him. My father Independent Press Award and for all the people this story has exemplified dedication and determination in projects of all sizes. connected me to. Overall, I strive to write stories that heal, inspire, explore
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Judie Dziezak, author of Petals from Mars:
A Memoir of Resilience and Triumph over Adversity
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y yearning to make a difference in this world called me to become an author. We all have stories. Each experience is meant to help us evolve into a better expression of ourselves, provided we mine the moment for its teaching. Sharing an experience or lesson learned could be a gift to others.
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After retiring as a patent attorney, I took stock of my life and realized I had had a lot of experiences. Some are bizarre. I started working in the 1980s when women were a rarity in the R&D and scientific publishing arenas. I was often among the first few women, if not the first female, and my superiors were sixtyish, white, balding men who were accustomed to having women bring them coffee. Men in science, however, seemed more evolved than those in publishing. Fast-forward to the 2000s, the men in management: some men welcomed me for my ideas, some perceived me as their competition, while others struggled to see me as their equal. All my experiences — coupled with growing up with a seriously mentally ill mother —provided me with viable lessons. From these, I decided to write a self-help book for women in the business world. In writing the first chapter, I realized that in an odd sense, my mother’s abusive behavior had prepared me for my ventures in the business world: those experiences imbued me with qualities and wisdom for prevailing over issues encountered during my professional years. Once I decided to change the focus of the book to my life experiences, the words flowed as if they were channeled. The book wrote itself. I am now working on the self-help book that initially launched me on this path. Who are the people in your life that most influenced you? 1. A bit bohemian, my Aunt Virge was a talented actress with a quick wit. She was a woman ahead of her time. Behind her signature red lipstick beat a courageous heart. She spoke her mind, sometimes unintentionally unnerving women in the family who felt intimidated by her. With Virge, I felt “seen.” She gave me the family I didn’t have and introduced me to the theatre and the arts.
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2. My dad observed more than he let on. You would never know he was illiterate, having quit school at a young age: what he didn’t know, he could always figure out. Simple pleasures delighted him — watching birds, taking a walk, and visiting with friends. To his detriment, he never turned his back on others. By witnessing his decline over time, I learned the importance of asserting boundaries and being cognizant of how others affect us. 3. An accomplished baker known for her legendary poppyseed bread, my mother was a character. She marched to her own drum, was irreverent to anyone she didn’t like, and could outcuss any sailor. She wrestled with mental illness. From her, I learned that mental illness needs to be addressed; it cannot be ignored. I credit her for creating an environment where survival depended on developing resilience and heightened intuition and connecting with my inner strength. For that, my mom is among my greatest teachers. 4. Have you met anyone who can incisively cut to the heart of an issue and see its silver lining? That was my friend and colleague, Evelyn. She was direct and helped many people because she was like a mirror letting others see themselves for who they truly were. An avid quilter, she had a wicked sense of humor and a penchant for crossword puzzles. She made her own bread, yogurt, and cranberry liquor. Her incredible insight and listening skills helped me realize the value of my life experiences. 5. My Uncle Al, an innate nonconformist, embraced the zest of life. He followed his heart and traveled extensively. I credit him with exposing me to foods and ways of different cultures. He wanted me to see the vastness of life’s possibilities.
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What authors influenced most?
incredible detail and steeped with clarity of thought.
Terry Hayes is the master of detailed, succinct writing and has a magnetic talent for drawing readers into his work. I loved his I Am Pilgrim and am thrilled to see that a decade later, he has now come out with another book, The Year of the Locust. A copy sits on my desk, and I can’t wait to read it.
Stephen King inspires me for his uncanny ability to resurrect our most primal fears and simultaneously provide us with deep insight. I am mesmerized by his writing style. His sentences are short and pared down to the bare essentials, teaching us that simplicity can roar with power.
Annie Jacobsen, author of Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government’s Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis and The Pentagon’s Brain. Her works have always struck me as profoundly informative. They are packed with
Who would you like to thank? A huge thank you to all those here on this earth plane or not whom I have interacted with, favorably or otherwise, and from whom I have learned something worthy to write about. You are my teachers. Thank you to my dear husband for his patience, sense of humor, and support. Thank you to Capucia Publishing for their mastery in the design and publication of my words in the book. And I thank the Independent Press Award. It is truly an honor for my book to be recognized, and I so appreciate that.
SUMMERReads
Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Aurita Maldonado, The Becoming One with the Storm author of
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´ve been thinking of writing a book since middle school, and I began a number of times, but in November of 2021 two different friends of mine sent me messages that seemed like last cries for help, possible suicidal situations. The overwhelming theme was, “What are you doing to still be alive after all you’ve been through, because I don’t want to play anymore.” I told them both not to kill themselves...I sent them both messages. I had written them a book as a response. The Zen of Dancing in the Rain is a guide through my own instinctual healing process to cultivate my peace through the torrential downpours that feel crushing, but at the same time, saturate the earth as a sweet catalyst for growth. Becoming One with the Storm is the smooth, ancient rhythm of peace cultivated amidst the cacophony of grief.
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