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.

Foreword by Country Music Legend Larry Gatlin

Before Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers became one of the biggest hits in country music, they toured with their sister LaDonna as The Gatlin Quartet, and in her optimistic message of hope and healing, LaDonna Gatlin shares the choice she made to embark on a different ‘tour’ — raising her children, putting family first, overcoming adversity, and ultimately helping to inspire countless others discover their own song.

LaDonna believes we all have a song to sing—something that sets us apart as special, worthy, and unique. To be our absolute best, we must find our own voice, she says. That’s the message of The Song in You: Finding Your Voice, Redefining Your Life (HCI Books –$14.94), an encouraging you-can-do-it guide by LaDonna Gatlin. A member of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame, she has inspired hundreds of thousands of people over the past decade through her wisdom, humor, and song . . . and in The Song in You, Gatlin takes readers down an inspirational path to uncovering their own potential, purpose, and passion.

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.

Set in today’s post-apocalyptic music industry, The Sabbatical is part existential diary, part hedonistic travelogue, part music business intrigue, part anti-love story, and has been said to “take the philosophical novel into the age of social media.”

This month, extreme endurance athlete Marshall Ulrich and firefighter Dave Heckman finished an unprecedented expedition, going on foot around the perimeter of Death Valley National Park during the hottest part of summer, completely unaided and unassisted. They began on July 22 and concluded 16 days later on August 7.

While others have trekked in this area, no one has attempted to circumnavigate the park, and certainly not during the height of summer when the threat of dehydration and heat stroke are dire. To grasp the gravity of this, consider that on the same day Ulrich and Heckman finished their trek, another accomplished ultrarunner died in Death Valley after just a few hours under the blazing sun.

To survive the scorching 120°+ temperatures and be self-sufficient even as they moved through remote areas, crossed six mountain ranges with a total of about 40,000 feet of elevation gain, and covered approximately 425 miles, the men had buried water, food, and supplies along their route two months earlier. Nearly all of the 37 caches were intact; in one, the water had leaked out, and a few were invaded by insects, but none of this created a shortage and they had enough water and food to sustain them throughout the journey.

Still, at 5’9″, 61-year-old Ulrich dropped 10 pounds, and Heckman, who is 5’11″ and age 38, dropped 25 pounds. They attribute the rapid weight loss to the exertion and adaptation required to complete 20 to 34 miles a day in an extreme environment.