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Big Blue Society – Fishtails and Mayhem
Big Blue Society is a wild, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving memoir about a brotherhood of misfit fishermen who find freedom, healing, and a whole lot of chaos in the great outdoors. Told in a patchwork of voices, mostly from Norm (aka Bobby), it follows a group of lifelong friends—war vets, philosophers, drunks, dads, and goofballs—as they blaze a trail from the backwoods of New England to the lakes of Maine and beyond. It’s about fishing, sure, but it’s really about the ties that bind men together through trauma, time, and ridiculous misadventures.
Reading this book feels like sitting around a campfire with guys who have known each other forever—guys who aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves or tell it like it is. There’s something raw and beautiful in how Cavanagh balances the deep with the absurd. One minute you’re cracking up as Norm gets busted by a Don Knotts lookalike for trespassing while reeling in a monster pickerel on a busted leg and a handful of Percodans. And the next, you’re sucker-punched by the quiet weight of what these men carry—especially in Norm’s post-Vietnam recovery, where a fishing trip becomes a lifeline rather than a pastime. The humor never feels forced, and the serious stuff never drags you down.
But the writing is where it hits a different gear. There’s no polish here, no pretension. It’s all grit, whiskey breath, and nostalgia. You can hear the voices, smell the campfire, taste the bad coffee and cheaper beer. I couldn’t help but love moments like the Deliverance joke turned inside out—when Norm becomes “Bobby” because he’s the one who can’t run if hillbillies show up, only to bluff them off with an imaginary gun tucked under his cast. And then, somehow, in all this mess, there’s poetry—like the fire they talk about in the foreword, the one that burns through memory and keeps the stories alive after one of their own is laid to rest.
Big Blue Society is for anyone who misses their friends, loves a good story, or needs to be reminded that the world is a little less lonely with a crew, a lake, and maybe a cooler full of cold ones. It’s not just for fishermen. It’s for sons, brothers, veterans, and anyone who’s ever felt their soul stretch a little in the wild.
Pages: 257 | ASIN : B0DZD6MYZC
Mental Health Crisis
The Stress is Gone Method helps readers navigate stress, anxiety, and trauma via emotional awareness and exercises centered around self-reflection. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I feel this material is so important right now because effective mental health care is so hard to find. The mental health crisis is compounded by stigmas, waiting until the last minute to ask for help, long wait times before appointments are available, etc. Personally, I have seen thousands of clients quickly improve their mental health by learning how to address problems from the inside, as opposed to searching for solutions on the outside.
How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
This book is a culmination of the past 25 years of professional experience in the field. The techniques are time tested; first by myself, and second by my clients and students. I now train a broad range of mental health professionals, school guidance counselors, and suicide prevention specialists in my methods. The reach of these techniques continues to grow.
Why was it important for you to include a workbook for your readers?
Often I’m asked, “Why did you write a workbook?” It’s because the human race has a lot of work to do. Another book to read and not interact with, not engage with, that doesn’t help you explore yourself, would be just another book on the shelf. But something that causes a person to look deep inside themselves, and then guides them through practical steps to reduce their stress and anxiety, I felt would be my best service to humanity.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from the advice you offer in The Stress is Gone Method?
I hope readers take away a few things; (1) they can take control back from stress if they focus on what’s happening inside their body, (2) they can release anxiety and emotional pain, and heal traumatic memories, and (3) they can find all the answers they seek inside themselves in deep meditation.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Amazon
• Traumatic Events
• Caring for Elderly Parents
• Work, Finances, or School
• Caring for a Child with Special Needs
• Out-of-Control Family Situations
• Abusive or Narcissistic Relationships
• Personal or Family Health Crises
• Generational or Ancestral Trauma
• Loss of a Loved One
• Legal System or Medical Trauma
• Exhaustion from Placing Everyone Else’s Needs Before Yours
• Being Raised by Abusive, Addicted, or Neglectful Parents
This book allows stress to enlighten us as triggers become teachers and self-love fills the hole that trauma left in our soul.
Shared Struggles
Dawn: EverGreen Forever follows a woman with PTSD who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and faces the demons from her past that rise up to shatter her future. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When writing, I take some inspiration from my personal life. I use a lot of metaphors and symbolism in my stories. Once I pick a topic or theme that I want to focus on, the fictional story evolves pretty quickly into something I know my audience will enjoy.
When creating Daisy did you have a plan for development and character traits or did it grow organically as you were writing the story?
All of my characters evolve in different ways, but I pretty much knew what Daisy’s story would be from the beginning. She was an easy character to write. Sometimes I struggle with a particular character’s story or background, which makes it hard to connect with them when I’m planning the book’s outline. Daisy wasn’t like that. She came to me quickly and it was easy for me to understand her mindset.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Dawn began simply as being Daisy’s story. I had known she existed in the EverGreen Universe for a long time before I wrote the book. After exploring her experiences and backstory, I decided what themes I wanted to focus on in the story: mental health, domestic abuse, trauma, healing, and love. Without giving too much away, Daisy’s story in Dawn has some similarities with Athena’s in Fallen Snow. The connection between the two characters made me decide that I wanted to highlight many of their shared struggles, but also explore things from a different angle.
What will your next novel be about and what will the whole series encompass?
Dusk, the next installment of Daisy’s story, is already published and available for readers to purchase. The third book in the series, Midnight, will be released October 28th, 2024. Midnight follows a new protagonist, Adele, in her journey of self-discovery. I have another book, Raven, that also relates to Daisy and Athena’s stories, and it will likely be released next year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
“Kissing him was like being transported to another time and place where the only thing that existed was our love.”
Daisy Claire was only sixteen when she first became involved with Silas, a man well versed in how to manipulate women. Years after his death, she meets Athena, another of his former ex-girlfriends. The two bond, becoming close friends through their shared experiences. Little does Daisy know that Athena, along with Ash, Daisy’s fiancé, are part of a whole other world she has yet to discover. When a demon from her past threatens to ruin her hopeful future, Daisy must discover her own strength, and learns that she is indeed more powerful than she ever dreamed.
Residual PTSD
The Meaning of Okay follows a woman healing from a sexual assault who meets a man that she connects with and wonders if she can heal enough to be open to a new relationship. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I read lots of romance novels, and it seemed like a certain situation was underrepresented. I’ve read novels where the focus is the assault, but I haven’t found many where the residual PTSD is the focus. I wanted to show that women still struggling, consciously or subconsciously, can still find their happy ending.
Kennedy and Rhys are both looking to start over and heal from their pasts. Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about Dillon – more than I’ve received about Rhys. Also, Rhys is the only character I’ve received negative feedback about. I thought I achieved everything I wanted with the characters, but apparently Rhys is not as developed as I aimed for.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Sexual assault and PTSD were the main themes, but I also wanted to touch on how people treat others with mental health issues, specifically how it can be hard to recognize and hard to understand if you’re unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m not working on a book-length piece at the moment. I’m finishing up a short story dealing with time and decision-making. I don’t have an anticipated release date yet.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Rhys Curran moved to Texas to refocus on his career and start a new life not soured by his past. Soon after he meets Kennedy, his open mind and big heart unravel her ability to distance herself. As their friendship evolves, Kennedy’s secrets begin to surface and she’s forced to face each one. Will she ever be able to overcome her past―and will Rhys stick around if he finds out the truth beyond her story?
Deprogramming Victims of Brainwashing and Cult-Like Mind Control
Deprogramming Victims of Brainwashing and Cult-Like Mind Control is an insightful and meticulously detailed exploration of the intricate world of cult dynamics, psychological manipulation, and the challenging journey toward recovery. The author delves into the abyss of mind control with a precision that is as educational as it is captivating.
The book opens a window into the often misunderstood world of cults and their mind-control techniques. It’s structured in a way that systematically uncovers the layers of psychological manipulation employed by cult leaders, referred to as ‘subjugators.’ The meticulous breakdown of these strategies is an eye-opener. From emotional manipulation and isolation to the charismatic allure of the leaders, the book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding how individuals are drawn into and trapped within such environments.
One of the book’s strengths is its deep dive into the psyche of the victims. The exploration of their experiences, the cognitive dissonance they face, and the misplaced loyalty they often feel is handled with a sensitivity and depth that is both informative and empathetic. This section not only educates but also humanizes the victims, distancing the narrative from any simplistic or judgmental views.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the deprogramming techniques. This part is particularly intriguing as it shifts from the problem to the solution, offering a ray of hope amidst the dark subject matter. The detailed strategies and psychological counseling methods provided are not only a resource for professionals in the field but also offer valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand the process of recovery.
The book concludes with an insightful discussion of the recovery and aftermath for individuals who have escaped cult influence. This is where the book truly shines, providing not just a theoretical understanding but also practical guidelines for rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
While I think the book is a valuable resource, I think that its intense focus on technicalities and in-depth analysis might be overwhelming for casual readers. It’s a dense read, that I think is more suited for those with a serious interest in psychology, deprogramming, or those directly affected by such experiences.
Deprogramming Victims of Brainwashing and Cult-Like Mind Control provides a deep look into the world of cults and psychological manipulation. Its detailed analysis, combined with a compassionate approach to the victims’ experiences, makes it an invaluable resource. It adeptly accomplishes its goal of shedding light on this dark and complex topic, guiding the reader through the labyrinth of mind control and out into the clarity of understanding and recovery. A must-read for those in the field and a highly recommended piece for anyone intrigued by the subject.
Pages: 144 | ISBN : 0930472470
The Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Becoming one with the storm
The Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Becoming One with the Storm by Aurita Maldonado is an incredibly engaging and inspiring personal life story that weaves together the author’s journey of resilience, self-discovery, and pursuing her dreams. As a U.S. Army veteran and a passionate dancer, Maldonado’s narrative is a testament to her unwavering determination. Maldonado’s life has been marked by numerous challenges and heart-wrenching tragedies, including her time in the army and her courageous decision to relocate to Alaska after retiring. Her remarkable story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of perseverance, serving as an inspiring example for anyone looking to live life to the fullest.
I found this book to be an absolute gem. Maldonado’s passion and authenticity shine through every page, making it an irresistible read that keeps you glued to its narrative. It’s the kind of book that leaves you feeling elated after each chapter, where you hang onto every word as if it were a cherished melody. The Zen of Dancing in the Rain is undoubtedly a riveting page-turner, a testament to Aurita Maldonado’s compelling storytelling. As you delve into this inspirational memoir, you’ll find yourself reevaluating your own choices and questioning whether settling for the status quo truly serves your deepest desires. Maldonado’s story is a captivating portrait of a Lady Hurricane, both in her literal and metaphorical dance with life’s tempests.
The Zen of Dancing in the Rain is a captivating and inspirational memoir that transcends genres. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking motivation and a glimpse into the transformative power of resilience and determination. Aurita Maldonado’s story is a testament to the human spirit, and I eagerly anticipate more from this talented author.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B09YM8C4P3
We Are All Worthy Of Love
Redemptive Trauma: Confession of a Defrocked Priest shares your story about living with addiction and mental health issues and how you now advocate for the de-stigmatization of them. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The book is a memoir; a eulogy to both the first half of my life and my life as an ordained Anglican priest. It is a book about male vulnerability and learning the deep value of empathy, while tackling mental health and the associated stigma, which often buries those who suffer. I tell stories about sex, drugs, alcohol and abuse, through the lens of grace, mercy and love. This book is about generational trauma and rediscovering family. Ultimately, Redemptive Trauma is about reconciling hope, and calling home prodigals of all kinds.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest thing to write about was my Mum. In many ways, we grew up together. There is no one who sacrificed more so I could tell my story.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Idea 1: Love is the most bullshit word in the English language. Understanding the lack of English vocabulary for love, and discovering new ways to break open the word at its core, provides new lenses to see the heart of one of the most important words across all languages.
Idea 2: We are all worthy of love. No matter what you have done; no matter what you are going to do… you are worthy of some form of love.
Idea 3: Secrets keep people sick. Secrets are what cause families to stay quiet about abuse, and trauma, and neglect. Secrets are how addicts force their loved ones to enable their behaviour. Secrets are how gossip poisons communities and relationships and toxifies the brain with deceit. Failure we all have. Darkness we all face. Brokenness we cannot escape. But secrets, we can defeat.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
No matter how bad things are: There is hope.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Having spent a decade as an Anglican cleric in Southwestern Ontario, David served in leadership in three urban social-justice focused appointments as a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. David was deprived of ministry and terminated from his appointment as incumbent priest of his parish on December 12th, 2018. He was in his fourth month on medical leave. David was formally accused, investigated and found guilty of sexual misconduct, all while he was drugged out, melting down on social media.
As someone working to heal from traumatic stress injuries from childhood, David’s diagnosis with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2018 led him to become a public advocate for the de-stigmatization of mental health and addiction issues (especially when related to generational trauma). He quickly learned the challenges and opportunities this presents, as he himself is one of the examples. Redemptive Trauma: Confession of a Defrocked Priest is a memoir embracing hard truths of trauma to help others heal their own.
David holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Huron University College at the Western University in London, Ontario. For most of his adult life, David served as a street-involved pastor in Toronto and London. His major focuses of ministry were related to social outreach, restorative justice, and learning to wrestle with life and faith in the rapidly evolving social media age.
The author is almost certain that if you don’t like stories about sex, drugs, rock stars, alcohol, and the uneven rise and fall of the guilty and the innocent, you probably won’t like the Bible either. Or this book. Otherwise, go ahead, dig into both.
We Need Change
Brainwashed: A True Story of Psychological Domestic Abuse And The PTSD Aftermath shares your story, scientific evidence on the impact of abuse, and the importance of breaking the cycles. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Issues such as Childhood Psychological Abuse and how that can affect someone’s later life and acceptance of domestic violence, and then PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) are all currently such important issues yet so very poorly understood. It’s my hope that Brainwashed will help to change that situation.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Initially, I published the book in 2014, but then almost immediately withdrew it from publication because I did not want to be publicly reminded of my early life. But living through the most bizarre string of distressing experiences in 2022, that I talk about in Chapter 27, I knew I had to re-structure and republish the book, which I did in 2023. And so the hardest part was having to re-live all those horrific life experiences once again, that I’d previously written about.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Interestingly, when I first published the book the most important ideas to get out were to do with childhood psychological abuse and psychological domestic violence and the reason why people, especially women, remain in abusive relationships. But after this past horrific year, which is still playing out, suddenly, the most important part was to let the world know MUCH more about PTSD. PTSD, is now one of the leading mental health issues in most countries around the world. BUT very few people realise that it is NOT just a MENTAL health issue, but can also result in physical brain damage, and that a trauma can be locked in your brain for life, waiting to escape at any time, as it did for me in 2022. So now the most important chapters are those on PTSD—Chapters 23 to 27.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about psychological abuse?
Sadly, even today in 2023, those people lucky enough to have avoided a mental health issue, or who don’t have the courage to admit to having a mental health issue, still have a very denigrating attitude to anyone who is a mental health sufferer. You can have a broken leg and everyone will support you and totally accept it as tough luck. But have any sort of “broken” brain and all too often you’ll be treated like a second-class citizen, or worse. This must change.
Author Links: Website
Psychological Domestic Abuse, experienced as a child, a teen, or an adult in an intimate relationship, can have life-long effects, including the making of disastrous decisions, and on to PTSD, unless it’s understood and the victim/survivor is helped to summon the courage to do what it takes to heal.
After thirty odd years of relentless searching, at the age of sixty-three, Kashonia finally discovered that her greatest enemy was her psychologically abusive childhood. Before that, she’d always thought she’d had a relatively good childhood. Why? Because she hadn’t been physically or sexually abused as a child.
But the subtle psychological abuse she received as a child through until she was twenty was what predisposed her to accept, as “normal”, a very psychologically, and sometimes physically, abusive marriage.
Yet, no matter who read about Kashonia’s event-filled life, the only thing they recognized were the handful of physically violent experiences. They completely dismissed the far more insidious on-going psychological abuse.
It was clear that the only way to help people understand society’s monstrous, hidden epidemic of psychological abuse was to overtly explain it as she told her story. And this is what Kashonia has inspirationally done in Brainwashed.
In Brainwashed, Kashonia’s wry sense of humor occasionally appears as she uses forty years of Behavioral Science, Neuroscience, and Neurolinguistics research to overtly explain her extraordinary life of psychological abuse, its devastating PTSD aftermath, and why people stay in abusive relationships.
Courageously, she shares the serendipitous source of her most significant transformation which gave her the strength to escape her abusive marriage. This was also the mostly unlikely source of her spiritual journey, which has kept her going through the really tough times ever since.
Kashonia’s story is true for more people than we realize. Sadly, all too often the victim/survivors of psychological abuse don’t even realize they’ve been abused.
So her story and her greatest enemy could well be your story and your greatest enemy too.
Today, Kashonia is a Moral Philosopher with a PhD in the Ethics of Conscious Change and author of the Multi-Award-Winning Conscious Change Series of books. It was her life, as documented in Brainwashed that led her to research and write the Conscious Change Series.
In 2023, with a growing concern about mental health and PTSD in non-combatants, Brainwashed is extremely timely for a number of reasons.Brainwashed will be of comfort to other victim/survivors of psychological abuse, in helping them understand at a deeper psychological level, why they do/did make the decisions that they did.
It will also give those very lucky people, who’ve not endured what we victim/survivors have experienced, a greater appreciation of the complexities of psychological abuse, where the scars are all on the inside.
Brainwashed also highlights the life-long psychological damage that negative childhood conditioning can have.
It’s a reminder to psychologists, that even if their client insists they’ve had a good childhood, it must still be explored.
And with the growing community concern about mental health and the area of PTSD, Brainwashed will shed a vital light on what that can be like, and how Kashonia was able to heal.
Order your copy of Brainwashed now—available in Kindle/e-book, paperback, and hardback formats and soon as an audiobook.
