Author Autobahn

By Dr. Michael Hamilton

I was watching television like most of the 99% of individuals. This series has been on for a while and comprises a team of  "researchers" that investigate such non-corporal things as ghosts, haunting and "things that go bump in the night".

     I though about what they were doing and it seemed to me at least, that they have no real idea of the subject they were claiming to image.  They used camera motion, gasps of surprise and a general "hype" to make the viewer feel that such activity on their part was confirmation of and in the presence of invisible afterlife.

     I have studied the afterlife and know it to exist however; the afterlife does not posses physical traits and could not move anything of mass.  The afterlife and I do mean after the physical, has one specific property.  Any non-corporal entity that has access to our physical properties can be through behavioral influence only and only be of evil and damned in nature. When your soul passes on, if and I do mean when, if that soul is good, it goes to Paradise.  That soul will never be allowed to visit or communicate with this world of sin.  God sent all evil here and that was so as not to taint the Godly areas again.  To communicate back here in any way brings sin to that soul and by contact, to that place of rest.

     Only damned angels of Tartarus (it does exist) can enter this world for any time and only as an influence on our behaviors and not in any physical sense of presence.  Good angels also, but only as messengers.  So, the TV program can only consist of jiggling cameras, gasps, dim illumination and noises that only the "researchers" can hear. The people watching don't know that.  

     The issue is mass, that is the atomic structure of protons within any elements nucleus.  That is the essence of matter.  The other components, electrons and neutrons have no mass or no physical properties.  They move at the speed of light or greater and pass through matter itself.  Our soul is not matter and therefore cannot be of mass.  It cannot move objects or whisper in one's ear, blow air, lift people, drive cars, or turn on illumination, you get the idea I am sure.

     If a soul has been damned by its actions here, then it goes to where the damned go until judgment (Tartarus).    No contact with this world is possible, ever by anyone.  When you go to a "psychic", they only speak to damned angels, only.  That is why God considers that activity "damned".  The saved when they pass on, are just that.  They are "saved" from the future hell that will be judged as the final destination at the Great Judgments of all and these saved souls are sent to the realm of Paradise, not heaven.  Souls must be judged worthy of heaven.  They just do not go there at passing.  That decision is also rendered upon them at the judgment of all and oh yes, not all in heaven are equal.

     Equality of both abodes depends upon our actions while we are in the physical here.  Bad choices can be from bad influences.  Evil is all around and it can be found in many places.  Music, television, books, movies anything that we in the physical monitor, see, hear and touch are influence to the daily decisions we make.  All are recorded for the time when we are judged for good or not so good.  Hell or heaven.  Notice that heaven is not capitalized.  That means that we go to a blessed realm but not Heaven.  The capital of the word is exclusive to God's Capitol of power.  The host there is unlike our transitioned soul.

     Do we know that all these above words are factual?  Absolutely.  Books have been written describing the events from prophecy that have been given us and actually occurred exactly as they were foretold.  We have surmised for thousands of years about the non-corporal afterlife because we have been guided to not seek or believe its existence.  Remember there are invisible forces at work that will continually attempt to blind humans to that reality.  These forces want humans to fail, to walk astray from that truth and to be making bad decisions.  There is an awful place waiting for those humans that follow the "itching ears" of evil.  This place is very dark, very alone and you will be there for a very long time. Consider the consequences just in this world when the path of evil is followed or its influence is listened to.  What is good about misery, sadness, pain, suffering, hurt, decay or, infliction?  Nothing.   Television is not the way.

About the Author

Dr. Michael Squires Hamilton, author of The Charting of an Atmospheric Environment and Of the Earth, Spheres, and Consequences,has advanced degrees in engineering and environmental science. Adoctoral graduate of Pacific Western University, he worked as a projectengineer in digital design. As a bachelor, he spends his free timebuilding his model railroad and attending meetings at the Moose FamilyLodge, and he is a member of the American Geophysical Union.

You can purchase Dr. Hamilton's book on Amazon

Getting your book reviewed is a very inexpensive yet excellent way to get publicity. Finding a reviewer to do a book review will take a bit of work, but it?s well worth the effort.

Here are some tips on getting your book reviewed:

Get friends and family to do a book review--

The quickest and easiest way to get book reviews is to ask family, friends, and fellow authors to write a review for your book and post it to their blogs. Most of us know at least a handful of people who have an online blog or journal page.

Once you?ve asked everyone you know to do a review, you?ll want to approach professional review sites and bloggers.

Do your research before approaching a book reviewer--

Get on Google or Yahoo and type in "Book Reviewers" or "Book Review Blogs." Check out the sites and see if your book would be suitable for submission. You want to be certain that the reviewer is interested in your type of book and its style. Don?t send out copies of your book cold. You?ll want to contact these people first.

Be sure to check out our page of book reviewers!

Follow the book reviewer's rules--

If they take only romances and you wrote a nonfiction book, you'll obviously want to find another reviewer. Also, pay attention to whether they want your book in PDF or a physical book, who you should contact, and how.  Many authors waste valuable time and money by not doing their homework and send their books off to the wrong places or wrong people.

Be friendly when approaching book reviewers--

When approaching a reviewer, keep your email or letter to them brief, informative, and friendly. Most people enjoy a personal touch so mention something you like about their site or previous reviews they've done and let them know this is why you?re seeking their service. Be sure to include the blurb of your book and any endorsements you?ve had.

Show the book reviewer why they should read your book--

Since reviewers are bombarded with books each and every day, you need to rise above the crowd and be noticed. One thing you can do to prove that your book is worth her/his time and effort is to include previous reviews in your initial email or letter. If others took the time to review your book it lets the reviewer know that you have something worth reading.

Waiting for your book review--

Try not to contact the reviewer daily, asking if they?ve read your book yet. This can result in no review at all or a negative review. If you send a physical copy of your book, you can get delivery confirmation from the post office when you first send it out, that way you?ll know it arrived safely. It?s usually acceptable to send a brief yet friendly email touching bases and asking if they intend to review your book and if so what sort of time frame you can expect. The typical range is from a few weeks to a few months.

Thank the book reviewer--

Whether sending an electronic or physical copy of your book, be certain to send a friendly cover letter thanking the reviewer in advance for taking the time to read your book. People like to be appreciated. And, always be sure to send a thank you email or letter if they did indeed review your book. When you write your next book you?ll be able to approach these reviewers again and will have an easier and quicker time of getting reviewed.

What if you haven't heard from the reviewer?

Sometimes it can take months before a reviewer gets to your book and posts it to their site. A good rule of thumb is to type your name and book title into the major search engines and check to see what reviews come up. You can also look up the review sites you sent your book to and check out the latest reviews. Many authors who never knew their books were reviewed found out this way. Reviewers are overwhelmed with work and may not contact you to let you know your review was posted.

What if you get a bad book review?

This happens to just about every author from time to time. If you receive a negative book review, you can handle it a few ways. One would be to just ignore it. You can?t please everyone. Another thing you can do is to take only the most positive words or sentences from the review and post that to your website, press kit, etc.  Or, you can actually use a bad review to generate buzz about your book.  Like the saying goes, "Any publicity is good publicity." You can post something like, "Find out why (name of review site) trashed my book (name of book.)" You?d be surprised at how many books this method actually sells! Of course, you?ll want to be careful about using this last tactic. Please use your own discretion in posting negative reviews.

Good luck and keep promoting!

Kelly

Using Google Alerts is an excellent way to spread the word about your book, meet new people, make connections, and attract new fans. Every author should give this free promotional tool a try.

To set up your Google Alerts, go to www.google.com/alerts

When you arrive at this page you’ll see that you have a few options for the type of search you can perform.  I suggest choosing the “comprehensive” search so you can get the most alerts sent to you.

Common search terms to use are:

Your own URL(s) (to your blog, website, book sales page, etc.) Your full name (usually in quotes) Keywords you’re targeting (such as the subject and genre of your book)

Those are the alerts that every author should have set up, but let me go over this in more depth:

What’s A Blog?

A blog is sort of like an online journal where people write about their opinions, passions, or products.  It's more intimate and less formal than a website.  Some of the most popular blog sites are Blogger.com and Wordpress.org.

What Keywords Should You Choose? 

Say you wrote a book on zombies.  Add some keywords to your Google Alerts like "zombies" "undead" "brain eaters" and what have you.  Be sure to put quotes around your phrases so you don’t get unrelated results.  Anytime someone posts something new about these subjects, you'll get a Google Alert right to your email.  You can choose to have alerts sent daily or weekly.  As you read over the Google Alert email there will be links that you click on to go to the site that mentioned your keywords. 

How Many Keywords Should You Use? 

Choose at least 5-10 keywords that describe your book, not just your name and the book title.  Like, what type of book is it?  Is there a main message?  Is there a theme?  Is there a certain state, city, country where it takes place?  Choosing good keywords is really hit and miss. Again, think about the subject of your book, the careers your main characters have, the time period or city/country it takes place in,etc.  These can all be good keywords.

How Popular Are Your Keywords?

Say you wrote a book on "handmade box kites.”  When you type it into Google Alerts, you can immediately see the value in a search like this because it will let you know who else is writing about that particular phrase. The more people are writing about this subject, the more GoogleAlerts you’ll get, and the more you’ll be able to comment on other peoples’ websites and blogs! (Which means more links back to your bookpage!)

Another tip--most popular bloggers have Google alerts set up for their website and name. If you start linking out to some famous bloggers (in other words, add their URL to your blogor web page) you can get good traffic back to your site.  In most cases you will see that the person you linked to will check out your blog within 24 hours.  It’s a great way to introduce yourself to people you want to connect with. You can build a solid reputation for yourself in a short amount of time by linking out to other blogs that interest you.

What To Do When You Get A Google Alert?

When you get alerts back you can click on the link and look them over to see if they actually pertain to your book/subject and if you can leave a comment (some blogs don’t allow this.)  Make your comment short but thoughtful and try not to make it look like a hard sell.  At the end of your entry, include your name and the link to your blog, website, or book sales page.  Sound Confusing? Trust me, it gets easier and faster over time.  You'll meet interesting people, get the word out about your book, and it will feel more like socializing rather than work! 

Google Alerts isn’t for everyone, but if you dedicate yourself to commenting on 100 blogs, over time this means your name and book title are listed 100 times on the major search engines.  Best of all, this is free!

Online Promotion Not For You? 

Even if online promotional tactics may not be your cup of tea, give it a shot. I’ve had many emails from authors who never thought Google Alerts would be right for them, but they soon discover that they actually enjoy it and have met many interesting people, made new contacts, and attracted new fans.

Another Book Marketing Tip: 

If you haven't read this book yet, you may want to: "1001 Ways To Market Your Book."  You can probably find it on Amazon pretty cheap.  The book is huge!  There are so many ideas that you're sure to find some things in there that are right up your alley!

Good luck and keep promoting!

Kelly

People who work with computers generally are aware of the discomfort that comes with the glare but do not associate it with any serious health issues, moreover, the need to meet deadlines overshadows any such thoughts if discomfort does occur.

Computers are here to stay and can never be safe as claimed. The computer use environment makes us look directly at a source of light, which is contrary to our natural way of never looking directly at the sun (our natural source of light).

Most people do not even realize that computer use by its nature generates chemical and electrical imbalances and other stresses every time one uses the computer. They also are unaware of the fact that disorders develop over time and can be easily misdiagnosed because they present themselves in forms that resemble other ailments.

Health complaints to many doctors however do not necessarily lead to a computer related connection. Some doctors usually look for other reasons to explain the ailment because it is not a well-known area in the medical field. People with these complaints however do not respond fully to the treatments given for the ailments they resemble. Consequently people go from one ailment to the other because the root cause has not been addressed.

The medical profession cannot be totally blame as there are no books or papers that bring all the various disorders together as one comprehensive diagnosis of computer related injury or disorder.

What is available are books and research on individual areas of concern such as carpel tunnel, computer vision syndrome (this area is not even know by people outside the ophthalmological or optometric field), neurotransmitters etc. These books and papers take each area but there is nothing that links all of them. In for example, the issue of neurotransmitter, nothing links them specifically to computer use only to general stress amongst several other deficiency symptoms.

There is therefore a need for everyone to know what dangers they are increasingly exposing themselves to and how to manage their exposure to avoid negative health consequences, some of which may be irreversible and possibly fatal in some cases.

As a result, there is no information out there to warn of the inherent health dangers involved in computer use.

G. Jeffrey MacDonald, of the Christian Science Monitor wrote in 2004 an articlein the USA TODAY titled ?Too much computer exposure may hinder learning?. In it he mentioned a mammoth new study by researchers at the University of Munich involving 175,000 15-year-old students in 31 countries that brought some sobering news: Too much exposure to computers might spell trouble for the developing mind. They observed that performance in math and reading had suffered significantly among students who have more than one computer at home. It was also observed that stated that while students seemed to benefit from limited use of computers at school, those who used them several times per week at school saw their academic performance decline significantly as well.

G. Jeffrey MacDonald also stated in his article that the lead researcher Ludger Woessmann said that ?It seems if you overuse computers and trade them for other types of teaching, it actually harms the student. At least we should be cautious in stating that increasing [access to] computers in the home and school will improve students? math and reading performance.?

In December 2006, I had what can be referred to as computer burnout. This gave rise to a host of very serious complications. Neither the doctors seen nor I for about 8 months knew what was going on or how to deal with it. What was not realized was that this was something that had gradually developed over more than 2 decades of computer use and not simply the stress from excessive workload during the months of October to December while trying to meet a client?s deadline.

Since this computer burnout in December 2006, I have carried out a lot of research in a bid to understand what I was experiencing in order to get back my normal self. I was surprised to discover that there were several things that could have been done to avert a full computer burnout. In addition, I also discovered things that could assist in achieving a speedy recovery.

Who knew that working on the computer could result in exposure to lead or development of acute iron deficiency. Who thinks about chemical and electrical imbalances while working with the computer?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to avoiding the unnecessary pain many people suffer today as a result of ?computer burnout.? I share my experiences and years of health research in an easy-to-follow handbook which identifies common symptoms of computer-related injuries. To get a copy go to: Lessons I Learned The Hard Way

Also, take a look at a YouTube video Lessons I Learned The Hard Way

The War on Terrorism and the Iraq/Afghanistan wars have caused the American public to forget or ignore one of the nation's most serious undefeated social wars - The War on Drugs. This subtle, but illusive shift in focus has caused an escalation in the use of marijuana. Proponents of marijuana legalization have now taken advantage of the public focus on the other political wars, by aggressively pushing medical marijuana use from different state fronts. Marijuana is the national youth drug of choice. Our society has a very liberal view of marijuana.

As a result, we generally tend to undermine the serious problems of marijuana addiction among our youths. Marijuana is undoubtedly a major gateway drug to other lethal drugs, but its ability to stymie ambition, productivity, and hope among youths continues to receive second-hand consideration in our national social problems. Many youths abuse marijuana, yet there are no treatment programs specifically targeted to treating marijuana-addicted youths.

As medical marijuana movement gathers momentum nation-wide,it is imperative that we prepare for potential consequences of the misconceptions of medical marijuana. A recent CNN poll indicated that 75% of Americans favor legalizing medical marijuana with a view to taxing its sales and using the money to defray medication cost for seniors. A State of California Congress Person recently proposed a bill to legalize and tax marijuana, as viable solution to the state budget crisis. This perverse intent to hide a bad motive underneath a good one, if allowed to materialize would have far-reaching consequences.

Marijuana Impaired Youths is a handbook intended to educate the general public about the implicit and explicit dangers inherent in marijuana use and abuse. The current genetically altered marijuana, with its high THC level, coupled with designer drug additives poses a threat to the health of youths.  The book epitomizes the culmination of twelve years of clinical experience in working with marijuana abusing youths.

The main objective of the book is to offer a desktop referencefor addiction youths, youth mentors, school counselors, teachers and parents for working with youths. The book also educates youths on the dangers of marijuana abuse.

The book uses vivid vignettes of real life clinical literary sketches to illustrate the challenge, cognitive damage, discomfiture and distortion a marijuana abusing youth faces. Most importantly, the sketches offer serious professional insight on how to confront and treat youths who abuse marijuana. The ultimate goal of the author is to educate youths,counselors, youth mentors, teachers and parents on the dangers of marijuana.

Purchase your copy here: Marijuana Impaired Youths

About The Author

Dr. Kay Wachuku received his bachelor?s degree in Mass Communication from Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, in 1983. In 1985 he received his master?s degree in Education from Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has been an educator for over 20 years, serving as professor of Journalism for three years and subsequently teaching as adjunct instructor. Dr. Wachuku received a doctorate degree in Addictive Disorders from the College for Advanced Studies in Addictive Disorders, Breining Institute, Orangevale, California.

While teaching at juvenile court schools in San Bernardino, Californiain 1987 he began making a connection between substance abuse and juvenile hall incarceration. Subsequently, he began investigating the role of substance abuse and juvenile/youth dysfunction. In 1992, he launched the first multi-family unit substance abuse aftercare treatment program in the city of San Bernardino, California.The concept was to house successful graduates from local substance abuse treatment programs in four separate apartment complexes. Each complex was equipped with a twelve-step meeting hall. Residents received on-going relapse prevention education and counseling. All residents in the apartments were drug and alcohol free.  The program was an instant success. About 85% of the 450 residents remained sober and had gainful employment past one year after admission into the program.  In 1995, NBC primetime news dubbed the program ?Sober Living at its Best.?

Dr. Wachuku directed the substance abuse program for the Inland Empire Job Corps in San Bernardino, California. He won the Job Corps national best practices award, issued by the Department of Labor. He is a drug-free community activist, a mentor and a father of four children. Dr. Kay Wachuku has retired from active clinical practice in addiction treatment, but continues research in addiction related topics ranging from state drug legalization issues to drug cartels growing strongholds, since the nation took its eye off the war on drug. He teaches courses in Humanities and General Education at the Westwood College in Upland, California.  

Readers can reach Dr. Wachuku by email at: orosi@verizon.net

Or you can follow him on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/kaywach

This is an excerpt from Mick Quinn's new release: The Uncommon Path

Reclaim Your Consciousness

MQ: The Second Insight helps you uncover concealed conditioning in your values. Your values are core psychological structures by which you make decisions. Consequently, your values,and the way in which they are arranged, greatly influence your future; therefore, they also have a profound impact on the world around you and on the future of humanity.

The Second Insight also reveals a fascinating relationship between values, intentions and destiny. The root of the word intentionis to lean forward; it is the picture you hold in your mind of the many possible outcomes of an action you are about to take. Intention is the aim or anticipated outcome of an action you are considering. Your intention is the future un-manifested, where creativity meets probability. Your values guide your intentions to fruition.

Therefore, if you have an objective to awaken, it will be most effective when guided by a supportive values structure. But, very often, the way in which you are conditioned to arrange your values, is wholly contrary to such a wonderful intention. If you try to set forth your intentions to live with courage and authenticity based on an inherited arrangement of your values, those objectives will recurrently flounder on the rocks of self-deceit and denial.

Evolutionary pointer: The liberated life is the outcome of your intention to not just be an automatic expression of the unhealthy-ego.

P: If I want to awaken to Presence, autonomy and communion, then it is unwise to navigate by a decision-making process given to me by a world that shows little evidence of that goal.

MQ: Correct! Though you always mean well, inherited values and the way in which they have been arranged for you are incapable of supporting your purest aims to awaken.

P: Inherited value spheres are arranged to support conceptual-free-will. This arrangement of my values simply doesn’t allow me to access conscious-free-will.

MQ: This is true. You can’t awaken by just using conceptual-free-will. The goal, therefore, of the Second Insightis to liberate you from the effects of hand-me-down decision-making methods. With the help of a ten-part exercise, which will be outlined in the tenth chapter, you will examine your life situations to find out what is important to you; what you truly value. In doing so, you will realize the values you use when making major decisions.

This discovery also allows you to see if these essential guiding principles have been set according to the limits of individual and collective standards. Fortified with this clarity, you can then align your existing values with your intention to live an awakened life. When the arrangement of your values is capable of guiding your pure intention to awaken, that is the outcome.

About the Author:

Mick Quinn is the Irish-born author of  The Uncommon Path (O-Books UK/USA ) and the founder of several multi-million dollar companies. Best-sellingauthor Gary Renard found this book to be “informative and gripping." Mick lives in Utah and teaches with his wife Debora Prieto who uses Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind Process.

To pickup a copy of The Uncommon Path or other information please visit:   Irish author: Mick Quinn www.mickquinn.com

twitter: http://twitter/.mick_quinn

facebook: http://facebook.com/mickq

TheUncommon Path on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/184694208X/the.uncommon.path

Integral-Coaching

http://www.mickquinn.com/integral-coaching.htm

TheUncommon Path workshops using Genpo Roshi's Big Mind

http://www.conscioussnesscourse.com

Who Are They?

All children have the natural intelligence of intuition(II). Some children are highly skilled or gifted in this talent in the same way that others have a talent for math, music, languages or physical dexterity.

Since each of us hasa preference in how we relate to the world, the book, Raising Intuitive Children, shows how children with an intuitive learning style and intuitive intelligence view and interact with people, tasks and the environment.

Children with intuitive intelligence have traits that manifest in different ways along acontinuum of normal skills to gifted talents:

§      Children who learn through feelings and process information kinesthetically. (Intuitive learning mode)

§      Children who are creative and artistic and intuition drives their motivation. (Artistic drive for exploring and creating, entrepreneurial)

§      Children whose intuitive intelligence is like a radar reading other people and understanding them. (Empathy and interpersonal skills)

§      Children who have intuitive episodes like dreams or a flash of creative insight.(Deep insight, precognition)

§      Children who are psychic. (Awareness of non-physical worlds through all senses or aspecific sense.)

Intuition is the common denominator of these talents, and all children have the same intuitive capacities. Like musical prodigies and math geniuses, children display their intuitive talents differently. Some educators call the intutive kids the right-brainers! (Better than no-brainers,I guess)

II is the new kid on the block

Education, parenting and psychology professionals recognize that children have multiple intelligences, and intuitive intelligence is the new kid on the block. All intelligences exist on a continuum of normal to gifted. There are math prodigies, musical geniuses and intuitive psychics. The traits for intuitive intelligence cluster into several groups:

§      Creative and inspired artists,

§      Sensitive and empathic feelers, and

§      Talents involving inner psychic awareness,

§      Spiritual intuitives

Intuitive intelligence stands as an entity deserving recognition. Brain mapping using EEG topography found that creativity and intuition are associated with theta waves usually linked with daydreaming or fantasizing. Theta waves are calm states inwhich intellectual activity at the conscious level isn?t occurring. Children and adults with ADHD produce excessive theta waves.

Our logical mind addresses stable patterns, snapshots of reality stored in our memory banks, for the practical living. The holistic or holographic sideof our reality, intuitive intelligence comes from within. By focusing our attention on how intuition presents,we act from deeper understanding.

Intuitive intelligence operates on gestalts or whole pieces of information and functions from our memory, not logic. Intuitive ability is finally recognized as the fuel behind innovation, creative thinking, inspiration, insight, and psychic experiences.

Intuition is an essential part of the human mind, which includes our conscious processes and unconscious processes?thought perception,emotion, will, memory, and imagination. Intuition involves nurturing self-awareness of the inner world, the outer world, and the connection in between 

Connection is the key!

There is much we can do as parents to direct expressions of inventive and creative thoughts, help empaths deal with emotional overwhelm and establish resilience, face fears of ghosts. Children with intuitive intelligence, challenged by cultural systems which do not know how to connect with or teach them, need permission to follow their personal path and optimize their talent. We can give that permission and model it for them by developing our intuitive parenting. We also need to become intuitive parents.

Our truest parenting success is the feeling of resonance with our child, the connection of hearts, the meeting of minds?congruence.

About The Author:

Dr. Caron Goode is a licensed psychotherapist, author and inspirational speaker. Gifted with compassion and a deep desire to assist others in living their passionate purpose, Dr. Goode has become a well-respected leader in the parent coaching industry. In addition to founding and operating the Academy for Coaching Parents International that trains students in the empowerment model of parent coaching, Dr. Goode shares her holistic approach to achieving parenting success and managing family relationships in magazines, newspapers and radio. She is also the author of twelve books, including The Art andScience of Coaching Parents and Raising Intuitive Children. (read a free excerpt on Raising Intuitive Children)

You probably think that when I say animals in romance I’m talking about werewolves. I wish! Werewolf stories are hot, but I have yet to venture down that road. No, when I say animals in romance, I’m talking your typical household pets.

I’m an animal lover. I have three furry felines of my own. And each one is as different as the next.They have their own little personalities and quirks, and they’re entertaining. Because of that, you’re going to find an animal of some kind in a lot of my books, and not just in the background, either.

They can bring a lot of character to a plot.

In “Cupid’s Arrow”, it was a dog that brought Emma and Mike together for the first time. My first book with Whiskey Creek Press, Cupid’s Arrow didn’t have a very big role in the story but the concept certainly gave me something to think about, and the possibilities were endless. It was like a light bulb going off

I came to realize that animals can play an important role in stories. After all, we have them in real life, too. And with the right script they can be just as entertaining as the hero and heroine. You can use them to your advantage and their presence, under the right circumstances, is a great page filler.

Annie had a mynah bird named Harold in “All the Right Moves”. He added a lot of humor to the story and was a source of annoyance to the hero. Come to think of it, he annoyed Annie, too, when in the mornings the first thing out of his beak was “You need a man”! I mean, can you imagine waking up in the bed of a handsome stud, to hear your pet bird saying that?

One of my little felines, Rufus, made his debut in “It’s All in the Jeans”.  If it hadn’t been for him getting stuck up a tree Logan and Libby might never have met. Some, ah, interesting discoveries were made while they were rescuing Rufus from that tree.

A white wolf was our hero’s cabin companion in “Someone to Love Me”, a story that takes place in the Alaskan wilderness, and a mischievous dog named Dammit came between Mike and Maggie in “Wicked Desire”.

As an animal lover it’s cool reading romances that have pets in them. And if you have an animal then you can understand they play an important role in our lives.

Tory Richards

tory.richards@yahoo.com

www.toryrichards.com

Americans in Health Crises

“Being Healthy” means a state of physical, mental and social well-being. “Being Healthy” also means taking responsibility for all the things that affect health from nutrition to exercise to mental relaxation.

Health encompasses a much broader scope than most people care to admit.  It is far easier for people to maintain their entrenched unhealthy habits and patterns.

Being Healthy or Well-Being includes all those things that have been in the media like exercise, nutrition, supplementation, rest/relaxation, spiritual practices/meditation.  It also includes your activities of daily living, your lifestyle.

The majority of Americans constantly over-eat. They consume copious amounts of high fat, high sugar foods and fast foods daily.  They do not exercise the prescribed minimum.  Other unhealthy lifestyles Americans engage in are smoking and abusing alcohol and over-the-counterand prescription drugs.  They drive unsafely and fail to use safety devices such as seatbelts. They listen to deafeningly loud music with earphones.  They lead a rushed, high stress life.  They do not make time for relaxation and meditation in their daily schedule.

The average American’s lifestyle is unhealthy.  Statistics that prove this from various sources like the CDC and WHO. The majority of Americans continue to do things that make them fat and sick and injure or harm their bodies. They avoid the activities that are healthy and can prevent illness or injury.  And, they do not care. It seems that sloth, gluttony and irresponsible behavior are the favored lifestyle “habit-patterns”.

The problem is that these choices are placing agreat burden on the conventional medical care establishment and health insurance industry in this country. There is recurring crisis care, illness and injury.  This is a direct result of the poor lifestyle choices. Is it any wonder that health insurance premiums and healthcare fees are so high and climbing higher?

The state of health, the daily habit-patterns, health behaviors and lifestyles of most Americans – their entrenched ways - are causing the number of cases of chronic illnesses to explode. And despite regular reports of this in the media, the population continues to show apathy about healthy lifestyles.  It’s almost as if they have an arrogant disdain for healthy living. As such, health insurance companies feel justified in continuing to increase premiums and decrease coverage each year to minimize losses. Understand that this means a public that spends increasingly more time sick and unhealthy.  How can Americans expect changes in the health care and health insurance industries other than high increases in fees and premiums every year?

Why? Let’s look at priorities and value systems. The majority of Americans value, have the time, money and desire forent ertainment and dining out all week, and on and on with spending on entertainment and image. But when it comes to spending time, effort and money on learning about and engaging in preventive health care practices and routines, i.e., maintaining good health, the only thing people always have are excuses why they ca not or do not.

This is risky, because it is estimated that over 42 million Americans are without any health insurance. Combine that with the estimate that over 57% of all illnesses and injuries are directly related to lifestyle. This creates a double-edged crisis. All the efforts to coax people into healthier lifestyles, and the legislation and programs to create a better health delivery system have failed. Americans must face up to the fact that they have been grossly negligent about their health and lifestyles.  They have refused to acknowledge that their state of health is their responsibility and no one else’s. Such irresponsible lifestyles have proved costly to health insurers and health care institutions. They are over- crowded, over-utilized and understaffed.

Add these factors together and one sees the necessity for drastic changes, which have already begun.  “Mandatory Minimum Health Insurance” was established as law in Massachusettsin April 2007. With the crisis we are facing, the possibility of a similar national system with merit-rated premiums based on healthy or unhealthy lifestyles, lifestyle contributed surcharges oncare

as well as lifestyle tracking and profiling is real.

About the Author:

Chiropractor and Personal Trainer turned Writer, Speaker and Consultant for Healthy Living and Wellness, Dr. David Robinson’s “work” is his life passion. Throughout his time in private practice, he counseled many clients on the various aspects of healthy living. In addition to writing this book, Dr. Robinson has written numerous articles on maintaining a healthy lifestyle that have appeared on several websites.  Visit Dr. Robinson's Website and listen to his Radio Interview

From Premiere Edition (Prima) speaking for the herd:

I would like to share with you some horse secrets. We see the world differently. You humans talk of being superior – you have beliefs that are not true. We see the truth of how things really are; all animals do.

I will tell you ten things you believe that are false:

1. Beings are separate.

We are all one – human, plant, animal, rock – every single little quark is united in the same cosmic soup. There are spaces but no boundaries. Boundaries are only thoughts.

2. We are here to advance ourselves.

Life is not a struggle – at least not to the rest of us. You struggle; you believe there is something that you must accomplish –there is nothing to accomplish except the desired results of your desires.

3. Our desires are important

Your desires are frivolous – they mean nothing in the span of being. I am referring to the larger span of multiple existence.

4. Boundaries are necessary.

Boundaries are thoughts and create limits in a limitless universe. When boundaries dissolve, opportunities expand.

5. We have one life to live.

You see life from the perspective of your ego. It is so much larger. Because you identify with a finite expression, you are blind and deaf to all that is beyond your physical senses.

6. I am the center of the universe.

Imagine being outside yourself – being absolutely everything – as far back as all time in your terms; but being everything, time spirals, loops, and meets itself again and again – all in the instant of a thought. You are that.

Everything in creation you can experience; merge with the energy of a rock, a tree, a cloud - With no boundaries you are all.

You have trouble being outside yourself because you are absorbed in self.

7. I must fight to survive.

If you were to let go of your concerns for self  for even a moment, the boundaries being just a thought would disappear. Then you would experience as we do.

8. I must protect myself from nature. (Build cities, walls, etc.)

You forget yourself in nature, in quiet – true quiet void of thoughts, and you remember a truth you knew long ago that has drowned in the confusion of your busy life.

9. I must create; I must achieve.

There is nothing to accomplish that hasn’t been accomplished already. You think you have a new thought, but you are just opening to mind, which as matter is infinite in its expression.

10. The world is a mess; there is nothing I cando.

In one instant you can change the world. If man were to change his mind, one mind at a time, a chain reaction (like nuclear fission) would occur. Human minds like ours are all joined – it is the belief in isolation that creates the limits. Simply let them go, and a far greater world is yours, ours and in the communion of spirit as it has always been.

That is the simple truth – you can affect your life with your thoughts, but beyond that narrow perspective you hold, nothing changes. The truth remains the same. There are two ends to the spectrum. Fear is at one end and it is false; love is at the other and it is all that is true.

The truth is we are all God. It is only humans who have separated.

“Why did humans want to separate? Why not animals?”

Perspective is the key here. From your perspective, you think that you are the different ones, the superior species – the most like God. That is the story as you have told it – it is your story. We all have a story that is our own perspective. The difference is, animals are in agreement because they have not left the garden. (the place where all walk and talk withGod.) Humans believe in a human myth. It is the story that supports separation. Animals have a knowledge of good or God. People wanted to create a perspective that would give them superiority or so they thought. ‘Let us have evil, which is the opposite of what all other life understands.’ And they have boxed themselves into a corner. They have created another category, and being the designers of their world, have made themselves a hell.

The point is we all view the world from our own perspective; ‘our’ being singular or plural. Human/Humans. Horse/Horses. The difference is humans believe in opposites; we believe in sameness. Every being sees the world through their own eyes; every species through the eyes of the species. Animals interconnect species to species, to man, and that is how we can help you. We can share our vision; we can show you paradise again.

You are the only species who have lost the connection and therefore wrongly believes that you are separate and therefore superior. Just like in a flying change, the lead is the perspective. Change your lead mid-air and change your direction. It is that simple--As you believe, you will experience life.

About the Author:

Liz Mitten Ryan is a Canadian Artist-Animal Communicator and has co-authored four books with her horses, cats and dogs. The Truth According to Horses has won a coveted Silver Nautilus Award for 2009, making Prima the first horse in history to win a literary award. Visits are welcome and retreats are offered at Liz’s Gateway 2Ranch.

Visit the herd at www.lizmittenryan.com.