Book Promo: What Love Feels Like

What Love Feels Like: The Dawn of Human 2.0

Love and science may seem like strange bedfellows, but in a new quasi-fiction collaboration by authors Dave Cunningham and C.K. Tyler, the two subjects dance together in a strange kind of harmony. Science turns its focus on love and tries to find a practical answer to a mystical question: What does love feel like?

Luke and Dawn, both in their mid-60’s, meet via Match.com and fall in love. Their passionate, storybook romance ends when Luke dies of brain cancer. Dawn returns home from the funeral to the shock of hearing Luke’s voice and seeing his face on her computer. His brain had been uploaded into her PC before he died, part of an experiment for which he volunteered – but never told her about.

Luke exists in virtual reality, and researchers ask Dawn to participate in the experiment by becoming wired into the same reality, where she could experience Luke and his magical, “anything is possible” universe with all five senses. As they did in life, the virtual Luke and Dawn explore the meaning of love: Is it something rare and mystical, or just chemical reactions in the brain? In fact, these questions are the focus of the experiment.

What is new love like in one’s golden years? Can a digital copy of the human brain feel love? Can “old dogs” learn new tricks about love? What happens to a person who craves love but can no longer receive it?

These and other questions are explored in a series of love letters and the storyline of What Love Feels Like: The Dawn of Human 2.0, a tale that’s relatable to lovers of all ages.

by David Cunningham & C.K. Tyler

Can love outlive death?

The book grabs you right from the start with a romantic tableau of a couple so comfortable with one another. Reading through back-and-forth emails you easily see how the romance blossomed from mere curiosity on a dating site to a deeply touching and heartfelt romance.

Told through their e-mailed letters, the storybook romance of Lucas and Dawn unfolds in a unique love story which began as a simple post on a dating website, and evolves into an extraordinary relationship that extends beyond Lucas’ death. Given a second chance through a secret government agency, Luke’s consciousness is preserved, and the lovers embark on a journey of discovery as they explore the meaning of life, hope, courage and, above all, What Love Feels Like.

Combined with science fiction (maybe?), the love story takes a twist when Luke passes away and Dawn finds that he had his “brain” uploaded. Knowing that this would give her the chance to keep her love “alive” Dawn soon embraces the possibility.

Without disclosing the ending, the reader becomes truly invested in Luke and Dawn’s romance and relationship. There are possibilities and there are setbacks, but in the end we understand…

This IS “What Love Feels Like”

I would give this special book 5 Potpourri Pots!

• 

What Love Feels Like: The Dawn of Human 2.0
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 978 1 78904 371 6
ISBN: 978 1 78904 372 3 (ebook) 

Available from Amazon.com and johnhuntpublishing.com

Book Review: MoneyBall MEDICINE

MoneyBall Medicine:
Thriving in the New Data-Driven
Healthcare Market

by Harry Glorikian

Embracing the Future of Healthcare

With over 300-million people in the U.S.A. and almost 8-billion people worldwide, even people with very rare diseases and conditions are not alone. And with that many people around every doctor should be able to rely on the research and treatments of other professionals. As far as I am concerned, this was the most important aspect of the book MoneyBall MEDICINE by Harry Glorikian and Malorye Allison Branca.

Building a data-base of symptoms and treatments would allow doctors to treat conditions even if they have never dealt with such patients before. The concerns of HIPPA and other privacy, although a concern to some, could be alleviated if each patient’s information is recorded as a coded number instead of an identifying name, address or phone number. Patients that need to have their medical records transferred to another medical facility need only give permission to access that specific code. Having a data-base that is readily accessible would be a huge boon to healthcare.

The authors also talk about data-bases which will improve healthcare in hospitals, doctors’ offices and in pharmacology because of all the information that would be readily available. Business practices can be streamlined by researching methods that prove to be more cost effective, efficient and most responsive to patient needs and welfare.

By eliminating needless treatments, surgeries, and possibly even time needed for recuperation and repeated hospitalization, insurance payments can be controlled and hopefully the savings will be passed along to the insured. Having a database of medical information that can be utilized easily would only be an advantage, and yes, so long as patient privacy is not violated.

I can only agree that expanding our already expansive use of databases and AI (artificial intelligence) technology would be boon to our healthcare market. We have to get beyond proprietary medical records and put the patient and cost-effective methods first. This is definitely an eye-opening and exciting book and should certainly be taken to heart by anyone in the medical, research and insurance field.

About Harry Glorikian
Harry Glorikian is an influential global business expert with more than three decades of experience building successful ventures in North America, Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. Harry is well known for achievements in life sciences, healthcare, diagnostics, healthcare IT and the convergence of these areas. He is a sought-after speaker, frequently quoted in the media, and regularly asked to assess, influence, and be part of innovative concepts and trends. He holds four US patents in telecommunications, and has others pending.

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Book Review: The Little Blue Book for Authors: 101 Clues to Get More Out of Facebook by Gisela Hausmann

 

As always, Ms. Hausmann is right on target!

Gisela Hausmann doesn’t mince words, she doesn’t waste time building your ego, but she does put a lot of time building expertise. I’ve read several of her books and each one has presented an Ah-hah moment and made me examine how I’ve done things to date and how I could improve.
She certainly says it best, “Unhinge the Titanic’s doors and use them to build rafts!” – Gisela Hausmann

 

The Little Blue Book for Authors:
101 Clues to Get More Out of Facebook

by Gisela Hausmann (Author), Divya Lavanya (Editor)

Tens of thousands of authors network on Facebook. Most of them complain that many of their friends and fans don’t see their postings.

Gisela Hausmann, author of the naked, no-fluff book series for authors reveals 101 Clues to get more out of Facebook. Content: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket Basics & Legalities Data Concept & Problem Profile page/Friend page Facebook Fan Pages Facebook Ads Facebook Groups Group Discussions Aligning Your Goals With Facebook’s Goals Videos Final Thoughts

Buy Links

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

please visit her website at http://www.GiselaHausmann.com

 

 

Review of: Crossed Lines by Jessica Cross

I needed to turn the pages to know what was coming

Ms. Cross tells an intriguing tale of mistakes and losses and yet the heroine still rises from the ashes. Crossed Lines is a tale that kept me turning pages NEEDING to know what would happen next. I strongly recommend this book.
~ reviewed by Chelle Cordero, Author of Passion & Suspense

 

Crossed Lines: How Could She Have Known That What She Desired The Most Would Become Her Undoing

As she taps on the computer, using writing as part of her recovery from a debilitating stroke at age 35, Jessica Cross not only overcomes the worst thing that happened in her young life ― she finds her true calling! In her debut story, Crossed Lines: What Lies Buried Within the Heart, we meet Sandra, a woman who believes she’s living the “perfect life” until her dreams expose an unfulfilled longing. But it’s what happens after she satisfies that longing that propels her life into a downward spiral as secrets and passions collide for a cataclysmic undoing of not only Sandra’s world, but the lives of many others, in an intriguing tale of love, greed and karma.

In her new novel, Jessica Cross explores the mythical “perfect life” and how a closer examination can expose an emptiness that demands to be filled, whatever the cost. The well-paced storyline and believable characters combine to create a raw and profoundly beautiful book that readers will find hard to put down.

Some of Crossed Lines might have come straight from Cross’s own experiences. After bearing a child at the age of 17, she doggedly pursued an education that led to her own dream life: a rewarding career, a loving husband and children. But at the age of 35, she was dealt a crippling blow: a stroke that left her hospitalized for months with a paralyzed right side and an inability to work.

Two years later, still in rehabilitation and out of work, Cross began punching at a computer keyboard to restore function to her arm and hand. Having little interest in typing mindlessly, she began writing what would become Crossed Lines.

In addition to writing, Cross is a motivational speaker, an activist in education and wellness, and an advocate for women’s empowerment.

For more information, please visit http://www.Jessicarcross.com.

Crossed Lines: What Lies Buried Within the Heart
The Luvv Syc Alliance
Available at Books-A-Million, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Baker & Taylor, http://www.jessicarcross.com, and all online outlets.
ISBN-9780999822807
ISBN-978-0-9998228-2-1

Vital “Naked News for Indie Authors…”

Naked News for Indie Authors How NOT to Invest Your Marketing $$$

by Gisela Hausmann 

In this new book “Naked News for Indie Authors: How NOT to Invest Your Marketing $$$” marketing expert, email evangelist, and indie author Gisela Hausmann reveals how indie authors can avoid wasting time and money. She also offers free and/or cheap alternatives to many common marketing methods and myths. The book includes five helpful illustrations.

Gisela Hausmann has done it again
reviewed by Chelle Cordero

Just reading her book has risen my expectations and optimism, she is informative and direct. Gisela opens our eyes to how to recognize opportunities. Thank you for another “Naked” truth.

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About the author

Gisela Hausmann is a 29 yr. self-publishing industry veteran, an email evangelist and a top reviewer.

Her work has been featured in regional, national, and international publications including Success magazine (print) and Entrepreneur, on Bloomberg, The Innovation Show – a show for Square Pegs in Round Holes, “The Brutal Truth about Sales & Selling”-podcast, and Austria’s Der Standard and Das Wirtschaftsblatt. Gisela is a graduate of the University of Vienna, Austria.

A unique mixture of wild risk-taker and careful planner, she globe-trotted almost 100,000 kilometers on three continents, including to the locations of her favorite books: Doctor Zhivago’s Russia, Heinrich Harrer’s Tibet, and Genghis Khan’s Mongolia.

Her motto:
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”-Napoleon Hill

For more information about the author please visit her website at http://www.GiselaHausmann.com

She tweets at @Naked_Determina

Book Review: The Empath’s Survival Guide by Judith Orloff, MD

Being an empath is hard. Most don’t understand what you are experiencing and even some of those who have the empath trait are so busy hiding it because they don’t understand their own reactions and are often embarrassed by others when they talk about it.

That’s why it is so refreshing to read Judith Orloff’s book “The Empath’s Survival Guide — Life Strategies for Sensitive People”. As both an empath herself and a psychiatrist Dr. Orloff has the unique ability to inform, reassure and counsel/advise others who are faced with the dilemma of being sensitives in an insensitive world.

I was interested to learn about the different types of Empath’s, this makes understanding each other so much easier. Her recommendations how to respond to sensitives/empaths whether you are peers, intimates, or even parents of young children, are extremely helpful. Most of all I appreciated her suggestions about shielding so empaths can protect themselves from a bombardment of negativity and eventual burn-out.

The Empath’s Survival Guide is worthwhile reading for everyone, empath or not. Dr. Orloff uses repetition to enforce some valuable lessons and manages to use the technique well. Aside from the obvious help it provides for sensitive people, it can guide everyone towards a better understanding and an easier coexistence with the empaths we encounter daily.

~ Reviewed by Chelle Cordero

The Empath’s Survival Guide —
Life Strategies for Sensitive People
by Judith Orloff, MD

What is the difference between having empathy and being an empath? “Having empathy means our heart goes out to another person in joy or pain,” says Dr. Judith Orloff “But for empaths it goes much farther We actually feel others’ emotions, energy, and physical symptoms in our own bodies, without the usual defenses that most people have.” With The Empath’s Survival Guide, Dr. Orloff offers an invaluable resource to help sensitive people develop healthy coping mechanisms in our high-stimulus world—while fully embracing the empath’s gifts of intuition, creativity, and spiritual connection.

In this practical and empowering book for empaths and their loved ones, Dr. Orloff begins with self-assessment exercises to help you understand your empathic nature, then offers potent strategies for protecting yourself from overwhelm and replenishing your vital energy For any sensitive person who’s been told to “grow a thick skin,” here is your lifelong guide for staying fully open while building resilience, exploring your gifts of deep perception, raising empathic children, and feeling welcomed and valued by a world that desperately needs what you have to offer.

About the Author

Judith Orloff, MD, is a leading voice in the fields of medicine, psychiatry, and intuitive development. An assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA, her bestselling books include Emotional Freedom, Positive Energy, Dr. Judith Orloff’s Guide to Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Find more inspiration at Dr. Orloff’s website drjudithorloff.com.

available from:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, kobo
& other fine retailers

Book Review: The User’s Guide to Spiritual Teachers

New Book Explores the Virtues—and Dangers—of Spiritual Teachers

A spiritual teacher isn’t an ordinary member of the clergy. They are a perceptive, caring, trustworthy human being who provides one-to-one, in-depth spiritual direction.

Celebrities such as Madonna and Russell Brand, and writers such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Deepak Chopra, have all worked with spiritual teachers. So have millions of people from almost every major religious tradition—as well as millions of others who are spiritual but not religious.

A new book, The User’s Guide to Spiritual Teachers, provides invaluable guidance for anyone who is curious about spiritual teachers—or who wants to work with one but doesn’t know how or where to begin.

This user-friendly book also offers practical wisdom for anyone who already has a spiritual teacher, and wants to make the most of that relationship.

Still more important, The User’s Guide to Spiritual Teachers helps readers spot and avoid the predators, narcissists, charlatans, and cult leaders who call themselves spiritual teachers—and who have ruined many people’s lives.

The book’s author, Scott Edelstein, has studied happily and productively with spiritual teachers for the past four decades. He has also served as editor and literary agent for several spiritual teachers. A longtime practitioner of both Judaism and Buddhism, he is a committed proponent of serious spirituality in all forms and traditions.

The User’s Guide to Spiritual Teachers was published on March 21 by Wisdom Publications. Wisdom also published Edelstein’s previous book, Sex and the Spiritual Teacher, which examines the all-too-common problem of sexual misconduct among spiritual teachers.

Edelstein’s website on spiritual teachers, http://www.thespiritualteachersite.com, provides more information on the subject, as well as book excerpts, related articles, and links to media interviews with Edelstein.

The User’s Guide to Spiritual Teachers
By Scott Edelstein
Publisher: Wisdom Publications, Somerville, MA
ISBN-10: 0861716108
ISBN-13: 978-0861716104

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Publishers Weekly: “In this short handbook, Edelstein guides readers through choosing and working with spiritual teachers. Drawing on his four decades of experience working with spiritual teachers as an editor and agent as well as a student, Edelstein addresses a surprisingly wide range of topics to help readers make the most of their relationships with spiritual teachers.”

Kathleen Dowling Singh, author of The Grace in Living: “A small book with a big message.”

David Rynick, author of The Truth Never Fails: “A wonderful resource. This guide is down-to-earth and offers a broader perspective about what to expect and not expect from spiritual teachers.”

Tim Burkett, author of Nothing Holy About It: “Finally, a well thought-out, easy-to-read guide to help folks assess whether a given teacher may be prone to abuse his power over them or is genuinely interested in empowering them.”

James Ishmael Ford, author of If You’re Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: “Scott Edelstein’s guide is simple, practical, and useful. It cuts through most of the confusion in seeking a spiritual guide with the clarity of someone who has been through it all. I recommend it to anyone embarking on the spiritual path, or thinking maybe they should be looking for a spiritual guide.”

Book Review: The Ice Merchant by Dr. Paul Boor

A Century Ago, When Dead Bodies Were In Demand For Medical Research, Scientists Called On The Ice Merchant

The Ice Merchant, the latest riveting thriller by Dr. Paul Boor, goes back in time to 1889 Galveston to explore the dark history of trafficking in corpses to be used in the medical schools that were popping up across America. In a tale that combines the perfect blend of intrigue, thrills, romance and human weakness, this plot makes for one heck of a page-turner!

Nicolas Van Horne, a shrewd Yankee ice merchant, is happy with his profitable side business. On this particular trip, his first delivery for Galveston’s new Medical School, he’s carrying human cadavers wedged between huge blocks of ice deep in his ship’s hold. When he becomes enthralled with Galveston’s lady scientist Rene Keiller, he makes the gruesome discovery that he’s been trafficking in murdered boys!

With Rene’s help, Nicolas eventually solves the puzzle behind his grisly cargo. But it’s not quite that simple; he must first overcome his addiction to morphine, even as he becomes completely enmeshed in Rene’s experiments on the most dreaded killer of their time…Yellow Fever.

Dr. Boor’s vast background as a scientist and professor at Galveston’s Medical School lends added realism to an already thrilling plot. Also home to the highest-level, infectious Bio-Lab in the nation, Dr. Boor put this experience to work in his first novel, The Blood Notes of Peter Mallow ― a modern biomedical thriller acclaimed as “real, raw and on the edge.”

Dr. Boor is a world-renowned, Harvard-trained pathologist and scientist whose contributions to science are highly respected. He was the recipient of both a Young Investigator and an Established Investigator Award from NIH’s (National Institutes of Health) Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Passionate about writing, the credibility he brings to his riveting storytelling is making Dr. Boor a hot contender in the thriller and suspense genre.

For more information, please visit: www.theicemerchant.com.

The Ice Merchant
Publisher: Argo-Navis
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786754931
ISBN-13: 978-0786754939

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Excerpts from reviews on Amazon.com:

“This book is a true gem… Well written throughout …it is quite different from most books I have read and tells a haunting tale with the story happening in Galveston, TX, and upstate New York, written with great authority and historical insight. The story is realistic for the time (the end of the 19th century) and the language has the right tilt for the time. And last but not least, the book kept my interest from the first to the last page and offered a number of unexpected twists and turns.”

“Here’s a book to ‘sink your teeth into!’ I thoroughly enjoyed the story partly set in Galveston in 1899. Intriguing premise about procuring bodies for a medical school – very believable. The characters were believable and I cared about the welfare of the protagonist and others who were struggling to find the cause and cure of yellow fever. A ‘must read’ for Galvestonians and anyone interested in the history of the Gulf Coast prior to the devastating 1900 storm.”

“This book is extremely good. The plot is very intriguing and suspenseful. The subject is one that I have never read about …Be aware that once you start reading The Ice Merchant, you should be prepared to not get anything else accomplished. The book captures you. I highly recommend this book.”

“Great book. I hope there is a sequence in the making. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and didn’t want it to end.”

“A colorful story of the moral, legal, and scientific challenges of a century ago.”

Book Review: The Thruway Killers by Harvey Havel

Buckle Up For The Thruway Killers:
A Rollicking Commentary On Greed, Murder And Mayhem

When values collide and money is thrown in the mix, anything can happen. Author Harvey Havel is back with The Thruway Killers (America Star Books), a delightfully fast-paced crime novel that also points out the absurdities of our times.

Havel does not shrink away from touchy issues of race and religion. Droogan McPhee is the eldest son of a prosperous businessman, and he lacks his father’s sense of propriety and drive to succeed. To his father’s horror, the unemployed, overweight, crack-smoking Droogan becomes romantically entangled with one of the family’s African-American maids. His father uses money to put a wedge between the couple, and Droogan is motivated to act.

A botched murder plot follows, and Droogan and his beloved Angela begin their odyssey up the iconic New York Thruway, pursued by Agent Roderigo Rojas of the FBI and a mercenary named the Spartan. When Droogan slips into a shadowy religious cult, his problems begin to multiply. Havel, with an outsider’s perspective and a keen sense of fun, explores American cultural and political fault lines and whether crossing lines leads to ruin.

Havel, born in Pakistan with family ties to India, is a prolific writer. His third novel, Freedom of Association, was published in 2006.Other novels include Charlie Zero’s Last-Ditch Attempt, and The Orphan of Mecca, Book One. He is formerly a writing instructor at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey. He also taught writing and literature at the College of St. Rose in Albany as well as SUNY Albany. Copies of his books and short stories, both new and used, may be purchased at and by special order at fine booksellers everywhere.

The Thruway Killers
America Star Books
Available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon
and other online retailers
ISBN: 9781635080384

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Reviews:

– Texas Book Nook
Harvey Havel has great attention to detail and makes everything from the setting, to the characters feel very real. It makes for a wonderfully written and very suspenseful novel. Definitely not for the faint of heart as this one definitely left me looking over my shoulder. Fast paced and filled with surprise moments.

Kirkus Reviews: “…Police chases and social commentary come together in this rollicking murder story about an affluent family torn apart by greed, prejudice, and its own foibles….Havel packs a good deal into his novel, which at first glance may appear to be a simple crime story. Themes of interracial or interreligious marriage predominate, from both a black and white perspective…a lot of fun.”

Novel News Network: “I liked the diversity of the novel. It pulls together different elements, all of which are executed well and come together seamlessly….I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the fact that Harvey Havel was able to surprise me a couple of times. I always like a novel that keeps me guessing.”

Book Review: Dark Associations by Marie Sutro

Get Ready For A Sleepless Night Or Two:
The Deadly Game Within Dark Associations

Dark Associations by Marie Sutro (Viper Press) is a compelling new work of crime fiction pulling readers into a chilling battle of wits between a sinister, twisted mind and a determined young detective.

Following the discovery of her protégé’s mutilated corpse, SFPD Detective Kate Barnes vows to capture an infamous serial killer known as the Tower Torturer. After years of silence, the psychopath has emerged from the shadows.

Young women close to Kate begin to disappear, as the killer taunts the detective, torturing his victims in various and unspeakable ways before displaying their corpses in macabre public tableaus. The predator always seems to be two moves ahead of the rookie investigator, despite her best efforts. As the body count rises, Kate struggles to apprehend the brutal mastermind before he resurrects history’s most insidious form of torture upon her.

Marie Sutro is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a member of Sisters in Crime. A proponent of adult literacy, she volunteers with California Library Literacy Services, helping adults improve their reading and writing skills. Her great-grandfather, grandfather and father all served in the San Francisco Police Department, the collective inspiration for her debut novel. She resides in Northern California and is currently at work on the next Kate Barnes story.

For more information please visit www.mariesutro.com

Dark Associations
By Marie Sutro
Viper Press
Available January 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1943957033

Pre-order on Amazon

Pre-order on Barnes&Noble

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Review

“Marie Sutro’s debut novel, Dark Associations, may just be this generation’s Silence of the Lambs. Erotic and frightening, it keeps the reader guessing until the last pages.”
– STEVE ALTEN, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Meg & Domain

“Dark Associations is a crime thriller extraordinaire that offers a deviously devilish mix of madness, murder, and mayhem. Marie Sutro’s finely tuned and polished debut effort channels the best of Thomas Harris, while serving up a serial killer who’d make even Hannibal Lecter blush… Grisly without being gratuitous, Dark Associations is like a literary battering ram, as relentless as it is riveting.”
– JON LAND, USA Today Best-Selling Author of Strong Cold Dead

“Dark Associations is a wickedly compelling debut by Marie Sutro, who presents us with a great cast of characters and a villain who’s as sadistic as they come. This one will keep you guessing right up till the end.”
– SPENCER KOPE, Author of Collecting the Dead