Blog Archives
Billion Dollar Communication Skills
John A. Brink’s Billion Dollar Communication Skills is part memoir, part how-to guide, and part deep dive into the mechanics and power of human communication. The book opens with Brink’s harrowing journey from war-scarred Holland to the lumberyards of British Columbia, setting the stage for his transformation from a non-English-speaking dropout with undiagnosed learning disabilities to a successful entrepreneur and compelling public speaker. Each chapter explores a different facet of communication—its history, its pitfalls, its digital evolution—while Brink laces in personal anecdotes and practical tips to help readers speak better, listen harder, and connect more meaningfully, whether in the boardroom or on a Zoom call.
Reading this book made me feel like I was being mentored by someone who’s been through it all and has no interest in whitewashing the struggle. Brink’s writing is plainspoken but deeply felt. He doesn’t just preach the importance of communication; he bears the scars of someone who failed at it. His account of freezing up in front of government officials was crushing and real. But what struck me wasn’t just the failure—it was the climb afterward. Toastmasters saved him, but he also saved himself, one terrifying speech at a time. That slow build toward confidence was something I think a lot of readers will find both hopeful and moving.
What surprised me most was how much ground the book covers beyond speaking. There are smart, sharp chapters about digital communication, misinformation, and even the etiquette of running meetings. Brink doesn’t just talk about what to say—he’s obsessed with how it lands. The Gladstone vs. Disraeli anecdote about listening blew my mind. And then there’s his voice: part business vet, part earnest grandpa, part no-nonsense Dutch-Canadian straight shooter. At times, the tone swings wide—funny in one section, dead serious in the next—but somehow it all works. The text meanders occasionally, but that meandering often leads to little gems that feel earned.
Billion Dollar Communication Skills isn’t just for people who want to be better speakers. It’s for anyone who wants to be heard—and who wants to hear others more clearly. I’d recommend this book to young professionals trying to find their voice, to entrepreneurs building their brand, and to anyone who’s ever felt like they had something to say but didn’t know how to say it. This book might not make you a billionaire, but it will make you braver.
ASIN : B0F8XSCBLJ
Speaking For Those Who Do Not Feel Safe
No Ordinary Love follows several women whose stories reveal the terror and trauma of domestic abuse. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Because it’s my story—and the story of countless other women around the world. Despite how widespread intimate partner violence is, it continues to be treated as though it’s rare or private. It’s an epidemic. As long as that remains true, more stories need to be told. I was inspired by the women who spoke up before I found the strength to do the same. Now, I’m speaking for those who may not yet feel safe enough to share their truths.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told this moving story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest part wasn’t the writing itself—I had already survived the events. In fact, the process of writing was profoundly therapeutic. What was most difficult was transitioning from that healing space into the often retraumatizing demands of publishing—critiques, edits, legal reviews, marketing, promotion. Writing gave me back my voice, my truth, my agency. But sharing it exposed me to judgment, disbelief, and the need to prove my experiences.
What was especially painful was the fact that I had to fictionalize elements of my own life story—not to protect myself, but to protect the identity of my abuser. After being silenced for over two decades, I finally found the courage to speak out. Yet, I still had to call my memoir “fictionalized” when it’s 98% truth, with only minor changes made to shield the person who harmed me. That’s harder than I can express in 100,000 words.
What is one misconception you believe many people have regarding the aftermath of domestic abuse?
That the abuse ends when you leave. It doesn’t. What I wanted to highlight most in No Ordinary Love is the aftermath—the long shadow trauma casts, the lingering triggers, and the decades it can take to fully disentangle yourself from the psychological grip of abuse. Healing is not linear. It is life-long.
What is one thing you hope your readers take away from No Ordinary Love?
I hope it inspires honest, necessary conversations—about the subtle and insidious nature of coercive control, how it undermines autonomy, the long-term psychological impact of chronic abuse, and the intersection of trauma, mental health, and systemic failure. Most of all, I want to illuminate the barriers survivors face in their search for safety, support, and validation.
Patient 71: An Inspiring True Story of a Mother’s Love That Fueled Her Fight to Stay Alive
Julie Randall’s Patient 71 is a raw, unflinching memoir about her sudden and devastating diagnosis with stage four metastatic melanoma at the age of 50—and her extraordinary fight to live. What begins as a lively snapshot of a joyful, ordinary life quickly turns into a harrowing, heart-stopping journey through hospitals, fear, surgeries, clinical trials, and the depths of human resilience. The title refers to her status in a U.S.-based immunotherapy drug trial that became her lifeline when all other options had faded. Randall takes us from the sparkling shores of Sydney to the clinical halls of American medical centers, showing not just the physical battle but the emotional and spiritual turmoil that comes with facing death.
What struck me first about Julie’s writing was its honesty. There’s no sugarcoating, no stiff upper lip for the reader’s comfort. She tells her story like she’s talking to a close friend—funny, vulnerable, often foul-mouthed, and always painfully relatable. I found myself laughing at her jabs and swearing, only to be crying just pages later as she grappled with leaving her daughters behind. The style is conversational, even cheeky at times, but that’s what makes it hit so hard. Every ache, every glimmer of hope, every heartbreak, you feel it.
What’s more powerful than the writing, though, is the will to live that pulses through every page. Randall’s fierce love for her family—especially her daughters—drives everything. Even when she’s terrified, even when the prognosis is grim, she never stops trying. There’s something deeply inspiring in her refusal to go quietly. I admired how she didn’t turn herself into a saint or pretend to be brave all the time. She was scared. She was angry. She hated the term “palliative care.” And still, she fought like hell. That’s what makes her story so deeply moving.
This book is for anyone who needs hope, even the faintest glimmer of it. It’s for people who have felt helpless or terrified, and for those standing beside them. If you’ve ever asked, “Why me?” and still got out of bed the next day, Patient 71 will resonate. It’s not always easy to read, but it’s impossible to forget. Randall reminds us that life is brutal, beautiful, and worth fighting for.
Pages: 320 | ASIN : B06ZZB34VN
Keep Hope & Embrace Resilience
In I Didn’t See It Coming, you share with readers both the highs and lows of your journey dealing with your husband’s diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia and the hope you found on the other side. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The reason was two-fold: It was written to help others find the answers to dealing with Lewy body dementia in one place, and at the same time, it was cathartic for me to share my life as a caregiver beginning at the age of 10.
I appreciate the candid nature with which you tell your story. What was the most difficult thing for you to write about?
When I was going through the caregiving experience for my beloved husband Nicky Zann, I would keep a monthly log for the doctors so that everyone understood how this disease was progressing and what it was doing to our lives. When the journey ended, I never thought that I would ever go back to those notes. In transcribing them for the book and further adding a commentary on the emotional changes in a relationship each month, I found myself typing with tears streaming down my face as I relived the journey.
What is one misconception you feel many people may have regarding caring for loved ones with dementia?
The biggest misconception in my opinion is that your loved one is “out of it” and doesn’t understand what’s happening. I contend that, while not always able to respond, your loved one does understand and appreciates the loving touch, the kind tone or voice, and the words ‘I love you.’
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your experiences?
You are NOT ALONE on your journey; please keep hope and embrace resilience!
Author Website
No Ordinary Love
No Ordinary Love, by BB Gabriel, is a searing memoir that threads together the lives of several women grappling with the many faces of intimate partner violence. Through a braided narrative—alternating between Gabbi, Alex, Katee, and others—the book unveils the terror, trauma, and tangled aftermath of abuse while illuminating slivers of healing and resilience. This story stomps, screams, and weeps across the pages, detailing coercion, fear, childhood confusion, and adult reckoning. Told in raw vignettes and memory-soaked prose, it is not just one survivor’s story—it’s a collective mirror for far too many.
Reading No Ordinary Love shook me. There were moments I wanted to put it down and moments I couldn’t look away. The writing, often poetic and stark, pulled me close enough to feel the fear and the fresh heartbreak. Gabriel doesn’t romanticize trauma, and that’s what makes her voice trustworthy. She doesn’t craft her pain into tidy scenes or polished resolutions. Her story spills over in waves—sometimes chaotic, sometimes controlled—and always relatable. The structure, with its shifting timelines and perspectives, felt disorienting at times, but maybe that’s the point. Trauma is disorienting. This book doesn’t offer clarity; it offers truth.
I admired the way Gabriel let silence linger in her writing. Some chapters stopped short, leaving me breathless, the same way trauma interrupts a life. And yet, she also knows when to lean in—when to take us all the way through a panic attack, a memory, a phone call no one wants to make. This book isn’t just about surviving abuse. It’s about what comes after—the guilt, the longing, the ghosts that live in your muscles. And somehow, it’s also about love. Love between sisters. Love that fights back. Love that rebuilds.
I’d recommend No Ordinary Love to anyone willing to confront the brutal honesty of what abuse looks like behind closed doors—and what it takes to speak it aloud. It’s a gut punch for survivors, advocates, and even bystanders who have wondered, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” This book is for those who stayed. For those who left. And for those who still carry the weight of it all.
Pages: 381 | ASIN : B0DRZ5Z51X
To Be Seen
Spark Your Story is a deeply personal and powerfully candid memoir-essay hybrid that follows the journey of a young, autistic, biracial teenage girl navigating creativity, identity, and self-worth in a world that doesn’t always make room for people like her. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wrote Spark Your Story because God inspired me. A young teenager like me couldn’t do this alone. I feel like I’m doing the Lord’s work with every book published. Writing is a very fulfilling mission as well. I know that people are blessed with each word. Maybe even more teenagers will be touched by my story. Perhaps this will inspire a new generation of young authors.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
It was less about lessons and teachings and more about giving the world a piece of myself. I wanted to be seen, and I thought if people saw me, they’d be inspired. Think of this book as a gift to you and everyone who desires it.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The most challenging part was the section on bullying. It wasn’t because of the prose or the skill required to write, but because it reached into a vulnerable part of myself. Those pages were stained with tears. I may be a fifteen-year-old author, but I’m not perfect. I’m hurt too. And writing that was like cleansing the wound. It may have stung, but crafting it was a significant part of my healing. It helped me rise above the teasing I experienced.
The most rewarding part would have to be the amount of people touched by my words. My heart goes to those who smile at the colorful pages, scribble notes in the margins, and go on to write books of their own. Readers like those are some of the greatest blessings of being an author.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope readers learn that you’re never too young or too inexperienced to achieve. Hard work and intellectual skills can be developed at any age. You can do it. You can write a book. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you too could become an author or intellectual.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
LITERARY TITAN 