Given all the turmoil in our country today about the economy, our debt, foreign policy, you name it – there is only one possible solution, says satirist Alan Beck. Laugh.

In his new book A Southern Solution (Createspace), he follows a retired psychiatrist as he attempts to escape to Mexico and away from the chaos and corruption that is America. Despite being fiction, the satire features the only too-real current dysfunctional state of the nation.

“If you can’t laugh at it, it’s only going to hurt,” says Beck. “Conveying the message of our downward spiral is important as we seem to stall at any important decisions in our society.”

A Southern Solution is a dark satire about the disappearing American Dream. The main character’s plans for a lazy, margarita-fueled retirement are thrown into chaos when a zany cast of characters steps into the picture. Both the FBI and the Chinese government seem to have bigger plans for him, and Kopfklopper soon finds himself in a dizzying whirlwind of political intrigue. As he works his way through the mess, he finds the key to balancing America’s national budget without negatively impacting anyone, and now the clock is ticking as he decides whether to become the next big politician or to stick with his new life of leisure on the beach.

The Sabbatical (Createspace), by Frederick Pinto, presents important questions to a generation that wants to have it all despite living in a rocky, continuously changing climate. Pinto weaves his own experiences in the music industry and thoughts on where Western society is headed into a story of personal awakening after a young man loses everything he valued.

Charles Barca spent six years getting it all. Set in the landscape of the drug-strewn, head-banging clubs and the slick offices of the New Creative Elite, Charles was the wildly successful owner of an online music company, had a relationship with a hot artist girlfriend, and had achieved local celebrity status—all of which came crashing down in one day. Before long, he is without friends, love, or meaning in life after he is removed as the resident genius of the company he himself founded, and seeks sanity and purpose in the cynical worlds of modern art and business.

The Sabbatical covers the following months of Charles’ life as he deals with self-loathing, drugs, traveling and mingling with acquaintances, both old and new. He must come face-to-face with major personal decisions as well as with ones for his company, as papers need to be signed and major labels jostle for his attention. However, he will only find clarity miles away in Brazil, as the noise around him subsides and he engages in a more authentic form of deeper self-evaluation.

The author might not be Jewish, but City of Slaughter (Daniel and Daniel Publishers, Inc.) by Cynthia Drew is beautifully written from a Jewish perspective, with meticulous research that provides a powerful picture of the plight of women at the beginning of the 20th Century, and the obstacles they were forced to overcome. Already on Amazon’s list of Best Selling Jewish American Literature and Fiction, City of Slaughter is an exceptional work of historical fiction that is both exciting and inspiring and takes readers back in time to see the world through the eyes of another culture.

When fourteen-year-old Carsie Akselrod’s parents are murdered by Cossacks during a raid on the shtetl, Carsie flees with her younger sister, Lilia, touching off a turbulent journey that ends eight months later on New York’s Lower East Side. Plunged into the immigrant chaos of the most crowded square mile on earth, the two girls take sweatshop jobs – Carsie as a milliner’s apprentice and Lilia at the ill-fated Triangle Waist Company. It never occurs to Carsie that in her haste to live the life she strives for in America she hasn’t stopped to lament her parents’ deaths.

Jeffrey Stephens’ deftly rendered new novel plunges the reader into a deadly maelstrom of secrets, lies and shadows. Targets of Revenge (Gallery Books) tells the story of top CIA agent Jordan Sandor, whose quick intelligence and lethal skills charged the pages of Stephens’ first two novels, Targets of Deception and Targets of Opportunity. Stephens paints this secretive and dangerous world in vivid and realistic language.

A natural born, exceptional storyteller, he has been endorsed by the #1 New York Times best-seller, Vince Flynn.

Are you often worried, or scared about your future and the future of our world? Do you wish you had the tools to turn off your worry machine and get the peace of mind you want and deserve? Is it difficult to get enthusiastic about anything? The fact is, most of us could use some help in finding joy in everyday life.

In his new book, The Gifted One, The Journey Begins, (Balboa Press), Dr. Andy McCabe breaks the rules in the self-transformation genre by telling a story, instead of providing a menu of do’s and don’ts. He presents us with an entertaining and humorous book, with characters both men and women can easily identify with.

“I’ve read many self-help books,” says McCabe. “They offer ‘ten ways to do this’ and ‘five ways to do that.’ I wanted to have fun, and people learn better when there’s an actual story to follow while learning.” Well-written and thought-provoking, it challenges readers to find their own happiness within.

In 2002, after twelve years of filming for a video company that produced memorial tributes, Gary Hanson decided to start CreationScapes and he has been enriching lives ever since with his incredible nature video programs that include music and scripture. The superior quality, therapeutic, and inspirational qualities of his work were soon noticed by Daystar Television Network, the largest Christian network viewed worldwide. The videos were aired nightly on Daystar for nearly nine years and are currently aired globally on the Hope Channel and SkyAngel with their newly formed Video on Demand content.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the quality of photography and music on CreationScapes is some of the best in the world. The programs are all filmed in High Definition and contain scenes from China, Britain, Italy, Hawaii, Mexico, and all over North America. They are accompanied by the natural sounds of nature and range from every theme imaginable – seascapes, mountains, flowers, baby animals, waterfalls and streams to sunsets, patriotism, farm and country, and so much more, covering all four seasons. CreationScapes even offer videos specific to holidays or special days/events as well as themes for every family memory and every age.