Blog Archives
Past Experiences a Life Learning Lesson
My Hidden Fear retells your story as a refugee and immigrant to the U.S. and all the obstacles you faced. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Writing this memoir was important to me because I want readers to know no matter how hard life is sometimes, we can certainly change its course. We can make our past experiences a life learning lesson.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest thing for me throughout this whole experience is when I had to relive the events in my life where my physical violence hurt the ones I love. I never realized the extent of my anger and violence. I wish I would’ve acted in a different way, approach it differently.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you left Vietnam?
I wish someone had warned me the different experiences, feelings and outlook of entering a different country. Experience a new life as an adolescent without the support of family and friends is very lonely and scary.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
From my story, I hope the readers would see the peace and freedom that I’ve finally acquired was always within me. Like anything in life, you have to make it yours—- no one can give it to you.
The Epiphany Moment
The Awakening is the first volume in a narrative history about the descendants of two families that share a common ancestor. What inspired you to write and publish this book?
The epiphany moment for me to write an account about the family was upon the passing of my cousin, Otis Corbitt, on September 6, 2009. Otis was known to everyone in the family, as well as to other African American families in the Wagener-Salley area of South Carolina, for being astute in family history. Before his passing, he instructed me to begin writing a family history book. He said he did not have much time to live and the future of our efforts rested on my shoulders. I agreed. Secondly, I wanted to contextualize the stories of relatives that have been fragmented and forgotten in the past. Many of the relatives featured in the book were well respected in their professions publicly.
I appreciated the amount of history included in this book. What type of research did you undertake to ensure you got as complete a picture as possible?
I conducted several oral interviews with relatives and associates of our family. I also researched primary sources such as newspaper articles and genealogical records. Secondary sources (i.e., history books) were consulted as well.
What was one surprising thing you learned about the family during your research?
I learned that my mother family, The Seawrights, were the first families of both Orangeburg & Aiken County, South Carolina. They lived in the Tabernacle Township in the Orangeburg District during the time Orangeburg County was founded in 1870. Then on March 10th, 1871, the Tabernacle Township in Orangeburg County became a part of the newly formed Aiken County, which was founded by a racially diverse group of men. Out of the group, three African American men who were Civil War veterans and legislators signed the legal document that officially established Aiken County.
What can readers expect in volume two of this family saga?
Volume 2, will be a pictorial history which will have pictures, source images, and captions. It will be an extension of the work in Volume 1, but will include new stories.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
The book includes the famed stories of Floster L. Ellison, Jr., during the Civil Rights Movement, who became the co-founder of the Palmetto State Barbers Association and the first African American Barber Inspector In the State of South Carolina; and Tommy Ellison, whose experiences as a youth singing on the children choir, inspired him to pursue a legendary career in gospel music, affectionately known by many of his fans as “Mr. Superstar of Gospel”.
The book includes an appendix section which consists of individual pictures, documented history of places and events, and primary sources relative to the family saga.
Paradise Taken
![Paradise Taken: The Diary of Eden Flores Part I by [Omar Gonzalez]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31hl8W5I5GL.jpg)
In Paradise Taken author Omar Gonzalez tells the story of an American girl born to a naturalized Hispanic father. The author describes him as a physically abusive companion to his wife and his children. When their mother leaves them with their father, he escalates his alcoholism and physical violence. His daughter, whom he prefers, dresses like a boy and becomes the subject to his sexual violence. She does not disclose this to anyone, and it eats at her. When they finally leave their dad to go to their uncle’s, they are reunited with their mother, and some semblance of closure is achieved.
Paradise Taken is an emotionally-charged memoir that progressively escalates the plot by explaining the main protagonist’s life from different points of view. The narrator portrays her abusive father as a rounded character, protective and caring for his family but also a drunk, violent, and a sexual offender. In this way I think the book does a great job of showing the duality of a person.
I like how the author extracts from Eden’s journals in the chapter “Like a Boy,” giving a glimpse into what it was like, living in a constantly oppressive environment—added to the fact that they are also immigrants. A bias that exposes their dad to a racist interaction with a police officer.
The way the author uses the third person perspective to highlight this family’s development gives readers first-hand experiences of the oppressive environment they were in. The letters by the protagonist make the pain of her abuse along with that of her mother’s are very relatable.
Paradise Taken is a remarkable translation of Eden’s story from her diary. This is a stirring and thought-provoking biography that is relatable across genders and social structures. This is an illuminating and impassioned story that is guaranteed to stick with you long after you have put the book down.
Pages: | ASIN: B09CW9P87B
Literary Titan Book Awards December 2021
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
Silver Award Winners
The World Between Us by Diane Farrugia
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
100 Days in Vietnam
![100 Days in Vietnam: A Memoir of Love, War, and Survival by [Lt. Col. Joseph F. Tallon, Matthew A. Tallon, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/413EtUnT9PL.jpg)
It’s 1972, and Joe Tallon has just been drafted to fight the war in Vietnam. He’s young, ambitious, newly married, and has no idea what awaits him on the other side of the globe. Near the end of the ground war, he gets shot down by an enemy missile but luckily survives. His technical observer Daniel Richards does not. He heals and gets to go back home, but the sacrifice that Richards gave never leaves his mind. 40 years later, he sets out on a journey to bring Richards the recognition he deserves as well as a Purple Heart for his family.
For a book about war, reading 100 Days in Vietnam feels like a quiet and serene meditation. Even in scenes that depict violence and chaos, Tallon’s writing remains stoic. Not that he ever needed any evidence to prove this, but this writing style assures the reader that this is not some exploitative pulp filled to the brim with torn-up limbs and grenade explosions. This is the real deal. Just like the subject matter, the history of the book’s writing adds a whole world of depth as well. It becomes all the more meaningful when you find out that his co-writer, Matthew Tallon, is a fellow veteran and the son he almost did not get to see grow up.
I enjoyed this authentic and compelling memoir and felt that the writing eschews action oriented writing in favor of straightforward storytelling that makes the book easy to follow but sometimes monotonous. The grounded retelling of events is broken up with news clippings that help establish the reader in the time period of the book.
100 Days in Vietnam is a stirring memoir that will stick with you for days. I would recommend this book to readers looking for an authentic and emotionally-resonant military biography that dictates facts and leaves nothing out. This is an intriguing historical novel with an end result that is nothing short of rewarding.
Pages: 330 | ASIN: B091ZM4YVG
The Importance Of “Over Delivering“
Wisdom Of The Men shares your life story and wisdom gained over the years to help readers improve their lives. Why was this an important book for you to write?
When I was in high school I had the great privilege to be mentored by Frank McCourt, winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for his memoir about his impoverished childhood in Ireland, “Angela‘s Ashes.“ He inspired me and many other people to want to be writers.
I’ve been writing books for years but I never felt like I wrote anything of the quality of Angela‘s Ashes, and I wanted to do that because my ambition is to win the Pulitzer Prize and follow in his footsteps.
As you will see when you read the book, wisdom of the men came organically out of my experiences in the men’s self-help movement, and the vision for the book evolved into what it is because of my experiences in life and work. I needed to write this book because I needed to create my life‘s work masterpiece, so I put everything I had into this to make it the best book I could possibly write.
What is a common obstacle you find many people face when becoming an entrepreneur?
The biggest common obstacle for people who want to be entrepreneurs or are in their journey is that they don’t want to try and fail because they don’t want to look stupid. It’s unfortunate because this obstacle holding so many people back is for the most part entirely imaginary as no one is thinking about you or anything you were doing. If you’re holding yourself back because you don’t want people to think you’re stupid or foolish or a loser, you really need to understand that no one is thinking about you at all. They’re just thinking about them self.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that had the biggest impact on your life?
One of my great mentors, Dan Kennedy, started saying something I picked up on, “rich people work hard.“
For many years I wasn’t sure if I should allow myself to portray myself in my marketing as a hard-working person because so much of my work is about Celebrity, and I was concerned that Celebrity required a lifestyle of ease. But having asked many rich people including Martha Stewart, Ice-T, Dr Oz, and others who you will read about in the book, “do rich people work hard?“ I am very confident that self-made rich people do work hard, and this advice really allowed me to focus on working hard and use my hard work as a marketing tool and asset that has made me lots of money.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
There’s so many things that I want people to take away from the book, to narrow it down to only one thing would be doing the book a great disservice. In that spirit, to answer this question, I want people to understand the importance of “over delivering“ and I hope that this answer in its own way over delivers on your question.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
What if you could transform yourself, your life, and your world to be all that you secretly believe you can be?
What if you could get guidance from world’s greatest leaders, champions, cultural icons, and international superstars?
Imagine your life after you pull yourself out of despair, frustration, and failure – and create wealth, health, and abundance.“Wisdom Of The Men” has been officially nominated for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography & Memoir
Clint Arthur is the bestselling author of 21 books and a serial successful multi-millionaire entrepreneur. Clint influences well over 100,000 independent business owners annually, through his social media platforms, coaching programs, and Million-dollar Business Accelerator mastermind.
Using easy entertaining language, the author’s masterful storytelling illuminates the real life of America’s top Celebrity Entrepreneur while fascinating, inspiring, and revealing secrets which have made him healthy, wealthy, and wise beyond his years.
It’s all true, much of it is unbelievable, and every bit is designed to deliver you maximum timeless control over your destiny in today’s unpredictable world and hundreds of years in the future.
Steal This Entrepreneur’s Secrets – Forbes
One of America’s Top Public Speakers – NPR
The Real Thing – Dan Kennedy
Media Trainer To The Stars – HLN
Fascinating – Chuck Scarborough
In this book, you will find:Timeless wise lessons from the best in their craft
What Andy Warhol considered the best art (a very surprising answer here!)
How to recognize if you have lived a successful life
Clues left by success in plain sight
How to be more and do more and have more (in this exact order!)
Successful manly figures worthy of modelling your life after them
How to simultaneously make a difference and a fortune
All of the above in the form of memorable entertaining true stories.
BONUS: Exclusive training videos with Dr. Oz, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Suzanne Somers, Caitlyn Jenner, Evander Holyfield, Dr Drew, Patch Adams, Sir George Ross, The Most Interesting Man In The World, Ice-T, Martha Stewart and MORE…
If you want to create a life of wealth, health, and abundance, pick up your copy now to get over any humps you may be facing and empower you to survive, thrive, claw your way to success.
For The Sake Of Your Dreams
All 48: Drive Your Dreams shares your life journey traveling and facing the various challenges that life presented. Why was this an important book for you two to write?
This book is a important as it is near and dear to our hearts. It’s our vulnerabilities, our struggles and our grind through life from our lowest point.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the best memory you had and what was the hardest memory to share?
Our hardest memory was the timeline through teen pregnancy, this is a very vulnerable and difficult time that most are not willing to talk about.
Our favorite memory would have to be the final stop discussed. We had made it, from less than nobody’s to completion of our final road trip at the geographical center of the United States while the spot itself was a whimper the accompaniment was a war cry…
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Mentally pushing forward. For the sake of your dreams, your loved ones and most importantly yourself.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
So we have been published in multiple local libraries, we have donated our books to schools and hosted on podcast all in the hopes of helping anyone and everyone to make that move towards their biggest goals in life. We want everyone to Drive Their Dreams!
Author Links: Amazon | Website
In this uplifting account of life well lived, readers will follow the journey of a couple who grew from terrified teen parents to established travelers. Along the way they discover the hottest and most hidden stops and even more importantly, themselves.
Bent Pages
![Bent Pages by [Anne Hope]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/4139t2Jy+gL.jpg)
In the inspiring memoir Bent Pages, author Anne Hope walks us through her earliest memories that shaped her into the person that she is today. Hope just happens to be brave enough to write it all down candidly and share her storied journey with the world. Throughout the book, she examines personal and stirring memories and shares with us why she chose to cherish them, much like the dog-eared pages of her childhood books. In this uplifting and impassioned memoir readers will discover the importance of life, even the importance of events that seem insignificant.
I found Hope’s story to be encouraging and thought-provoking. Her experiences are relatable but unique and are all told in a way that is engaging, and the ability to make everyday life feel refreshing and captivating really speaks to the authors storytelling ability.
The psychological aspect of how certain events shape you for the rest of your life added a new and intriguing perspective that I had never considered before. I highly recommend reading this book if you are looking to gain a positive view of some of life’s most troubling aspects.
The story is very factual and leaves no detail out, from significant events to trivial things, readers will be immersed in a well defined story as little is left to the imagination. If you are a reader who enjoys taking a deep dive into the details of a memoir then this book is certainly for you.
Bent Pages by Anne Hope is a deeply thoughtful and emotionally resonant memoir with a lot of insightful commentary on life and faith that will keep readers inspired and thinking long after they put the book down.
Pages: 203 | ASIN: B092MP1N3R
LITERARY TITAN 