Blog Archives
Kings of the County League: One Summer, One Team, One Dynasty
In a story that will touch the heart of the readers, Kings of the County League: One Summer, One Team, One Dynasty is a feel-good story that makes one glad to be American. This impassioned story is all about the “Great American Past time,” but not in the way that most would expect.
Author Craig Ohlau has done a marvelous job of immersing the reader into the world of semi-pro baseball; which is his world. In sharing his experience as one of the members of The Kings of the County League, Mr. Ohlau has not only opened up an entirely different perspective of one of our beloved games, but in the process will more than likely convert even some of the most loyal fans of MLB to the semi-pro aspect. He does on excellent job of painting a vivid picture of the differences between the two levels of the game and illuminating the supposed “lower” levels of the game, that most people think players go to die or that they can’t quite cut it in the big league. I beg to differ, and you will too after you read this rousing book.
As this is a real-life story, I can say that the story reads like a good fiction novel. The author does a fantastic job of fleshing out the characters in the story, which were his real-life teammates. The story is a first-hand account of one summer that is told from a first-person perspective, but I suspect that Craig Ohlau is simply speaking from his heart when writing this book, as readers will be able to tell that it came from a place of love.
I highly recommend Kings of the County League to readers who want a feel-good story that shows what amounts to the triumph of “the little guy”. This spirited story may in fact change one’s view that the “little guy” is actually the coolest.
Pages: 259 | ASIN: B08KWQXB74
Ever Vigilant
Ever Vigilant is the memoir of Michael J. Hebert and covers his year serving in Vietnam between 1969 and 1970 on the River Boat Patrols with the U.S. Army. The book is a fascinating insight into an under-reported aspect of the Vietnam War.
Ever Vigilant begins stateside before Hebert is drafted and covers his time in Vietnam and his return home after the horrors of war. From the first page, Hebert hooked me on his writing style. While many books focused on this subject matter tend to be exceedingly dry and severe, the beginning of Ever Vigilant is light-hearted. Hebert is a master at placing himself back in his shoes at a much younger age. His narrative sounds like a young 20-year-old is writing it, full of wit, self-deprecating humor, and a certain level of naivety that the reader knows will be shattered when Hebert reaches Vietnam. Hebert focuses on his time with the PBR (Patrol Boat River), which was used to intercept and hassle enemy travel on Vietnam’s myriad rivers, a dangerous job, to be sure.
Ever Vigilant is full of interesting stories of young men coming of age in the middle of a war zone. War is dreadful, but Hebert shows how even at the darkest of times, we can find glimmers of light. His stories of brotherly camaraderie between young men thrown together are genuinely heartwarming. The topic of the war itself is handled deftly. This is neither an anti-war book nor a diatribe on patriotic duty and the benefits of an aggressive foreign policy. Ever Vigilant is respectful and simply shows the war’s effect on real people, both positive and negative.
Hebert’s writing is energetic, and his descriptions are masterful. He has a real knack for sending you to the places he describes. For example, a large part of the book covers his team’s battle against nature during a typhoon after their boat is destroyed. Having experienced a typhoon myself, Hebert’s writing took me right back. The same goes for his descriptions of Vietnam. He perfectly captures the country’s beauty and the nature of the people who live there. While this is a book written from the American perspective during the war, Hebert shows an appreciation for how difficult the war was for the natives as well.
Ever Vigilant is a gripping memoir sharing a young man’s experiences in Vietnam. Whether you are interested in the Vietnam War or military history in general, there is much to love here. This personal account is a fun, humorous, touching, and sometimes harrowing tale of a young man’s experiences in war.
Pages: 339 | ASIN : B09PKNZ254
The Decision to Kill
When a crime is committed, numerous questions are asked. But if that crime rips apart the very core of a family, the only question to ask is why? When everything about who you are and who you love is torn apart, what have you got left to stand for? And would you overcome all the pain and sorrow to see justice prevail? Would you fight for your family? Is blood thicker than water? And in the end, could you say that you still love after so long of feeling nothing but hate?
The Decision to Kill: A True Crime Story of a Teenage Killer and the Mother Who Loved Him is brought to us by Leslie Ghiglieri. It is a memoir and true crime book that documents the investigation and murder trial of Dwayne Weir, a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering his father. The author shares all the gruesome details surrounding the case but does so in as respectful a manner as she can. The story is told from the perspective of his mother, Cherie. She talks us through the whole story, their lives, the events leading up to the murder, and what happens after.
The author has included real courtroom accounts and expert testimony on not just the actual murder but the mental state of Dwayne. What I really enjoyed about it was the use of actual letters written by Dwayne. This really gave an insight into his mental state and showed how far he retreated into the dark corners of his mind. But this tale is as much about his mother if anything. Her quest for the truth and her battle to understand is almost too hard to bare. Her struggle to move forward and reconcile her feelings for her son after what he did is heartwrenching. This is a story no mother ever wants to be a part of.
The Decision to Kill is an emotionally charged biography and true crime story. This gripping story will engage readers as they follow the tragedy and follow along as the family searches for the answer to why. A must-read for any fans of true crime.
Pages: 340 | ASIN : B09ZNKF28B
Fascinated By The Unseen World
Knowing this novel is based on real people and events makes it even more fascinating. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write Sisters of Castle Leod?
I have always been fascinated by the Unseen World. In fact, in junior high school I wrote my term paper on extrasensory perception. But at this juncture of my life, my thoughts were turning to the problem of faith and where my own spirituality had led me. So I decided to explore the history of spiritualism, and in the process I came across the name of Sibell Mackenzie, Countess of Cromartie, early 20th century spiritualist, and believer in ghosts and reincarnation. That she lived in the iconic Castle Leod definitely tweaked my imagination. After I read about her sister, Lady Constance–swimming champion, big game hunter, and barefoot dancer who was eventually thrown out of King Edward’s court–I was hooked. I wanted to share these bold and quirky women, still largely undiscovered, with the world!
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
I was kind of surprised by how much information was out there waiting to be uncovered. Most was in the form of archived newspaper articles. Since both sisters were members of the British nobility, they were frequently written up in the society columns. Later, Sibell became well known as an author of mystical romances, and Constance was always doing something to shock her peers in the aristocracy. So I had plenty of reading to do! There were, of course, a lot of “blanks” to be filled in, but that is the fun of writing historical fiction rather than biography. Each character is like a puzzle to which some of the pieces are missing. How the writer chooses to fill those empty spaces makes all the difference.
Hollywood is knocking, and they want to make your book into a movie. Who do you cast as the leads?
Funny you should ask, because I just learned that SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Screencraft Cinematic Book Competition. So, I guess it’s never too early to start thinking about casting! At the same time, I admittedly am not very well acquainted with all the new “hot” actors, so I may well overlook an obvious choice. My selection for Sibell, the reserved and serious-minded spiritualist, would be Emma Corrin (from the 2022 film Lady Chatterley’s Lover). I think that Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina) would do a great job as the boldly unconventional Lady Constance.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
That’s a question I wish I could answer! I have several ideas in the hopper, but nothing I’m yet ready to announce to the world. I wish I could be one of those authors who flips out books like pancakes. Maybe if I wrote in a genre other than historical fiction, I could do that. Historical fiction requires so much research that the writing process is likely to stretch out longer than that of your average romance novel or thriller. But, after publishing three historical novels, I’m pretty good at sensing when a story is worth writing. The characters must be as compelling for me as I think they’ll be for my readers. That’s one reason I enjoyed writing SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD: I found both sisters to be uniquely fascinating characters.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
“Heartbreaking and redemptive…a thoroughly engrossing story that will have readers quickly turning the pages.” –Megan Chance, bestselling author of A Splendid Ruin
Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular Outlander books and television series, but few know that Gabaldon’s fictional Castle Leoch was inspired by a real Scottish castle, Castle Leod. The two sisters who lived there at the turn of the twentieth century were among the most fascinating and talked-about women of their era.
Lady Sibell Mackenzie is a spiritualist, a believer in reincarnation, and a popular author of mystical romances. Petite and proper, she values tradition and duty. Her younger sister Lady Constance, swimming champion and big game hunter, is a statuesque beauty who scandalizes British society with her public displays of Greek-style barefoot dancing. The differences between the sisters escalate into conflict after Sibell inherits their late father’s vast estates and the title 3rd Countess of Cromartie. But it is the birth of Sibell’s daughter that sets in motion a series of bizarre and tragic events, pitting sister against sister and propelling Sibell on a desperate mission to challenge the power of fate.
Sisters of Castle Leod, by award-winning author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, is the emotionally charged story of two sisters torn apart by jealousy and superstition, and the impossible leap of faith that could finally bring them together.
Red Cagle: West Point’s Three-Time All-American
Christian Keener Cagle was a born athlete. Nicknamed “Red,” Cagle was destined for greatness. From a rural upbringing in Louisiana to college at West Point, Cagle excelled at any sport he tried. His competitive nature followed him throughout his short but fascinating life.
Red Cagle: West Point’s Three-Time All-American, by Cathy C. Post, is a riveting biographical account of an extraordinary athlete. Cagle never set out to be a nationally known athlete. He grew up as a true cowboy on his family’s ranch in Louisiana. He loved the sport of football like he did all other sports. He was a natural, despite his relatively small stature for a football player. He was lightning-fast, and colleges picked up on his prowess. Southwestern Louisiana Institute and the prestigious West Point vied for his attention and won. The National Football League came knocking, and Cagle answered. He gained an extraordinary level of fame while representing his chosen schools and then the NFL, but it did come at a price. Should he stay true to his sweetheart, Marion? Should he break a code of honor? What about all his fans flocking to arenas to witness his amazing athleticism? How can one person keep everyone happy?
Author Cathy C. Post is a master at drawing in the reader with her smart inclusion of details and the way in which she is able to give readers a look at the inner workings of West Point. This compelling biography will appeal to readers that have a love of football because of her play-by-play recounting of Cagle’s football games in which he participated. The games offer so much: danger, camaraderie, and fierce competition, and readers are able to understand and appreciate this due to the authors fantastic writing. Post puts the reader right in the middle of it all. The author also provides an interesting look at the history of football such as when President Theodore Roosevelt “slammed down the hammer”. He vowed to abolish the game unless “major changes were put in place.” This insistence from President Roosevelt led to the creation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It’s things like this that make this book enlightening as well as entertaining.
Fans of sports biographies will delight in the details of a young hero out of the South in the 1920s playing “America’s game.” Readers of all kinds will enjoy Red Cagle: West Point’s Three-Time All-American because of Cathy C. Post’s engaging storytelling.
Pages: 208 | ISBN: 1455625159
The 10 Elements of Transformational Healing
The 10 Elements of Transformational Healing: How to Rebuild Your Life After Trauma by Eugene Pizzolato is a book about generational trauma and human development, or rather a lack of providing for a child’s development in the early stages of life and how this affects the individual’s entire perspective on life, as well as taking a step towards healing yourself and breaking generational “curses.”
This thought-provoking book is almost completely biographical with Pizzolato starting his story way before he was born. His story starts almost a century ago in Italy in 1929 where his grandmother got pregnant out of wedlock for the second time and thus his father was born. His father had a difficult childhood and early life with an inattentive mother which later on led him to be a similar father. Eugene himself had a tough upbringing from the very second he was born, with his mother wishing that he had been a girl. Growing up in an abusive household with an alcoholic father and a mother who tried to commit suicide a couple of times, the death of a baby sister, and his pet lamb being killed in order to be eaten as dinner, are just a few stories he tells in the book. His stories continue into his adult life and him feeling all sorts of confused, unimportant, unlovable, and more, as well as the long road of his healing process and breaking generational trauma.
What I really appreciate about this emotionally stirring book, as a reader and as a psychology student, is that Pizzolato isn’t just sharing his experience and what he has learned from it, he is also mentioning and quoting important names in developmental psychology, most importantly Erik Erikson and his 8 stages in human development. In addition to that, the book is well written and filled with so much heart, pain, and growth that it will definitely leave you thinking about the author’s experience and even more so your own.
The 10 Elements of Transformational Healing is a wonderful read, I especially recommend it to psychology and psychiatry students. I find it to be really helpful in better understanding the developmental needs and what a lack thereof can do to a young child and the effects it carries throughout life.
Pages: 190 | ASIN: B0BDFP5YQ9
They Call Me Produce Pete
Pete Napolitano is not your average everyday produce man. He is “Produce Pete” from WNBC-TV Weekend Today in New York. With his hit segment in the show, Pete quickly saw his life change from a simple business owner to a local celebrity. Readers can now follow Pete on his journey as he takes you through his life in this fascinating autobiography. From humble beginnings to hard work and lucky shots, Pete Napolitano shares his story about how he became the beloved “Produce Pete” that New Yorkers and New Jersey residents know him as today.
They Call Me Produce Pete is a quick and feel-good read that will leave you feeling positive about life. From explaining his early childhood with his hardworking and somewhat distant father to moving into young adulthood and meeting his lovely wife, Pete Napolitano paints a detailed and stirring picture of what it was like to become a local star. The comparison of his childhood to where he is now is truly inspiring to read. Led by the hard work of his father and the love of his mother, Pete became a loving and hardworking “all about the people” kind of guy.
Through it all, readers will be able to feel the love and passion that Pete has for the produce industry and his segment on WNBC-TV. This heartwarming and fun-filled book is perfect for a feel-good kind of afternoon. I read this every morning because I realized it put me in a better mood throughout the day. Pete’s fun-loving personality and passion will win over readers in this wistful but delightful memoir.
Pages: 185 | ISBN : 9798986988306
A One Of A Kind Story
Meth Murder & Amazon is a thrilling and humorous story following a family who is trying to sell their house while all manner of things go awry. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Meth Murder & Amazon is based on a real story that happened to my family selling our first house in Colorado. All the events that transpire in the book factually happened. The news article is still out there in Colorado and there is real evidence included in the book.
I wanted to transform this unbelievable betrayal by my real estate agents into a humorous and suspense filled roller coaster. When life gives you lemons, figure out how to transform them into sweet lemonade. So I set out to turn this tragedy into a one of a kind story that brings laughter and sheds light on the evils of real estate here in America.
Your characters are interesting and fun to follow. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I wanted the characters to be memorable and stand on their own meri, while also ensuring that everyone’s identity was concealed for the most part. I did that by coming up with absurdly humorous character names based on positive and/or negative attributes. If someone wronged me in real life, they were getting a hilarious and unpleasant name that I would poke fun at over and over again. An example is Dawbee Snobby. She is the worst assassin (realtor) in the book so she gets nicknames like Dawbee of Snobby, sly Dawbers of Snobbers, Dawbicus of Snobicus and more. The realtors might have won the battle, but I was going to win the war.
If a character helped our family during this troubling time I wanted to recognize that by giving them a memorable, fun name and share their journey in a pleasant way. I used their positive attributes to bring their characters to life. For example, my Aunt collects spoons from all over the world, so I played on that to create ‘Ant Collector’. It might read like she is a collector of ants, but I wanted to also keep her identity hidden. Another example is ‘The Glove’ who was a real estate agent referred to me by my Aunt. His company is White Glove realty so I used those and similar types of attributes to bring the characters alive.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun creating?
The interview with the Denver News Journalist (aka Baron Von Stoopy) was really fun to recreate. The saying goes, all news is good news, but I cry foul to that. You never realize how many takes are required to get the correct angles and atmosphere that the news broadcast wants to present. Just opening the door to my home was an agonizing several takes long. Everything about the situation was painful and in hindsight I should’ve probably let bygones be bygones.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on an innovative concept titled Hysterical Hangouts with The Hindlegs. It features a racous cast of loveablely deranged characters that give you unfiltered, backstage access to their hilarious and drama filled life. It will have all the theatrics of a reality show with hidden cameras and unforgettable scenes, while told through the lens of the main character. The book plays on the worst stereotypes of a family dynamic and shows what happens when families stop being polite and start being real. Hysterical Hangouts with The Hindlegs should debut Summer 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
It was only supposed to take 30 days. How did it all go so terribly wrong? A family in ruins attempts to pick up the pieces following 2 assassination attempts. With the weight of each passing day seemingly insurmountable, a father of 4 becomes the reincarnation of Heisenberg from Breaking Bad.
From award winning author and visionary creator G. S. Gerry comes the critically acclaimed debut Meth Murder & Amazon.
Lemony Snicket meets Breaking Bad in a humorous, suspense filled crime thriller based on true events. You are transported on a plot twisting rollercoaster of humor, absurdity, deception & betrayal. Learn just how far one family will go to escape the evils of real estate. Author G. S. Gerry presents a witty, gripping read that will keep you guessing and pulls you to the edge of your seat until the very end.
LITERARY TITAN 