SPOTLIGHT - NONFICTION - THE B.G.C. FORMULA & THE NO CHILL COMEDY BIBLE by Ebony the Ebonizer & Jeff “Mr. No Chill” Baylock

Unlock your inner potential and achieve your goals with The B.G.C. Formula 

&

Pick up some just straight comedy game with The No Chill Comedy Bible 

The BGC Formula: Belief. Grind. Consistency.
by Ebony the Ebonizer
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help, Personal Growth

Believe Hard. Grind Smart. Stay Consistent. No Excuses.

 

The BGC Formula reveals the powerful blueprint for achieving personal and professional success through three key principles: Belief, Growth, and Consistency. In this book, you'll learn how to:

 

*Cultivate unwavering belief in yourself and your vision.

*Embrace continuous growth to evolve both personally and professionally.

*Build consistency to take focused action and create lasting success.

 

Packed with actionable insights and practical exercises, The BGC Formula provides the tools you need to unlock your potential and achieve your goals. This is your guide to a purposeful and successful life.

Amazon * Apple * Kobo * Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

The No Chill Comedy Bible
by Jeff “Mr. No Chill” Baylock
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help, Comedy Business

Where Funny Has No Chill and the Truth Hits Hard.

The No Chill Comedy Bible" is the ultimate, no-nonsense guide for aspiring and seasoned comedians looking to master their craft, build a powerful brand, and dominate the stage.

Packed with raw insights, real experiences, and unfiltered truths, Jeff "Mr. No Chill" Baylock breaks down the art of comedy—covering everything from writing and delivery to branding, marketing, and the business side of stand-up.

Whether you're just starting out or trying to level up, this book will challenge you to think bigger, grind harder, and turn your pain into punchlines that leave a lasting impact.

No chill, no shortcuts—just straight comedy game.

Amazon * Apple * Kobo * Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

**Don’t miss their upcoming double book signing!!**

Ebony "The Ebonizer" & Jeff "Mr. No Chill" Baylock

The Powerhouse Duo Redefining Realness Through Laughter, Lyrics, and Legacy

Ebony "The Ebonizer" and Jeff "Mr. No Chill" Baylock are the dynamic husband-and-wife duo taking the stage-and the world-by storm. Together, they blend soulful storytelling, unapologetic humor, and transformative energy to inspire, entertain, and empower audiences everywhere.

The Ebonizer, a certified speaker, author, and award-winning entertainer, brings a powerhouse voice and a bold mindset movement with her signature B.G.C. Formula: Belief. Grind. Consistency. From gospel stages with legends like Yolanda Adams and Celine Dion to coaching entrepreneurs and creatives to elevate their lives and businesses, Ebony's mission is clear: transform mindsets, spark purpose, and help people build legacies with confidence and heart.

Mr. No Chill is a fearless comedian, writer, and creative force behind The No Chill Comedy Bible-a raw, hilarious, and unfiltered guide to breaking barriers in comedy and life. Known for his gut-punch punchlines and authentic delivery, Jeff brings the real with a side of laughter, making space for joy, truth, and unapologetic self-expression.

Together, they co-founded the Ebonized Chill Tour, a groundbreaking music and mental health experience blending R&B, comedy, and conversations that matter-touching lives in cities across the country and soon, across the globe.

Whether they're on stage, on screen, or behind the mic, Ebony and Jeff are proof that love, laughter, and legacy-building don't have to be chill-they just have to be real.

Website * Facebook * Instagram *  TikTok *  Amazon * Goodreads

Website *  Facebook * Instagram * TikTok * Youtube * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $20 giveaway!
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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - MEMOIR - MAMACADABRA by Carrie Monroe O'Keefe

Mamacadabra

by Carrie Monroe O’Keefe

Date of Publication: November 22nd 2023

Publisher: Mamacadabra Press

Cover Artist: Leah Kent

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Parenting / Blended Family / Stepparent

ISBN: 978-1733629935

ASIN:  1733629939

Number of pages: 200

Tagline: Poof! You’re a mom now!

BLURB

Starting her third year of marriage, Carrie Monroe O'Keefe had already been on the roller coaster of extreme highs and lows of a newly blended family.  Thinking she could do a better job of navigating marriage, step-motherhood, working full time, and all of the things, she embarked on a year of "what if."

Settling into her role as wife and mom, she tried to find ways to do things better, see things differently, and reframe her thinking to create a better home for her family and to feel more at home herself. With humor, unwavering honesty, vulnerability, and sarcasm, Carrie finds her way through the year and to her true self.

Amazon     BN     Bookshop

Excerpt From Chapter: This House is Not a Home (Currently)
It’s a bright Saturday morning and I’m looking around my kitchen wondering when, exactly, I let it get THIS bad. The dishwasher has been run, but nobody has bothered to unload it, resulting in piles of dirty dishes in and around the sink. There are empty cereal boxes lined up, I assume, so I can cut out the Box Tops for Education labels…because I’m the only one who can what…use scissors? Break down the boxes for recycling? Throw away the empty bag inside the boxes that once held cereal?

Speaking of recycling, there’s a bag of recycling on a stool waiting to be taken out on our “next trip” out of the house. It’s been there for three days and we have, in fact, left the house several times in those three days.

The clincher, though, is the kitchen table. Our puppy has a best friend that lives next door. He comes over to our back deck door and barks for Sullivan to come out to play. They wrestle, run around, investigate, bark at each other, bark at passersby, lay down to rest, and then start over. When they’re out and I’m working or writing, I bring my laptop up to the kitchen table so I can check on the dogs from time to time.

At this very moment, I’m sitting at my kitchen table and surrounding my laptop are:
     
        One little girl’s black shoe.
        One little girl’s gold shoe.
        One little girl’s pink slipper.
        The Nancy Drew book we’re currently reading.
        Large bag of colored pencils.
        Pair of my husband’s dirty socks.
        Empty napkin holder on its side.
        The art project brought home by my littlest little girl.
        Pad of paper with my work notes scribbled on it.
        Three place mats (one was a casualty of yesterday’s juice fiasco).
        One black marker.
        Work documents of my husband’s.
        A partially completed drawing.
     
My kitchen table isn’t even big! How, or perhaps a better question is WHY, is there so much sh*t sitting on it?!! And does anybody else find it a teensy bit disconcerting that there are two shoes, a slipper, and dirty socks on the table at which we EAT OUR MEALS? Anyone???

If I told you about the kitchen counter, you’d have a nervous breakdown, which I’m on the verge of, but I’m trying to hold it together. Here’s the deal. We do not have the little girls this weekend, so we should be able to get everything organized, cleaned, and put away, but there’s more…

My husband is in school. He was in school last night and again this morning. Also, have I mentioned he has a small business on the side that he’s owned since he was 18 years old? After he bolts from school today, we’ll be frantically preparing for his trade show tomorrow. Any ‘free’ time otherwise used for sanity-saving-house-organization will instead be spent on trade-show-preparation-in-hopes-of-finding-new-clients. Ugh.
     
Our dog is even looking at me with disgust. Yeah…YOU’RE one to talk, Sullivan…I believe that pile of firewood on our back deck is YOUR doing. It looks like the frigging Blair Witch Project out there.

I take issue with a disastrous house for many reasons.

      A – When it’s disastrous as it is now, I feel totally out of sorts and stressed.
      B - It wouldn’t be like this if some people didn’t refuse to put dishes in the dishwasher, unload the dishwasher, hang-up their coats, put away their shoes, and so on, and so on, and so on.
      C - We don’t have the square footage to allow for unusable space…and as far as I’m concerned, this kitchen is NOT USABLE.
      D - It’s FREEZING outside which keeps us INSIDE this war zone of a house.
      E - I believe our home is supposed to feel safe, and cozy, and comfortable, and lovely, you know, as opposed to chaotic, dirty, cluttered, and filled to the brim with crap people haven’t put away.
     
Therefore, on a day I technically could have slept in, I’ve been up since 6:30 trying to get this house back in order. I’d rather be sleepy from a late night and an early morning than be CRAZY because the house is so awful. For me, sleepy is less dangerous than crazy.
     
Which brings me to the real question: is this my gig from now on? Husband in school, swamped at work, busy with small business, little girls here half the time, so while they’re willing and eager to do chores, it only happens every other weekend, leaving me to take this on and be sure this house is in fact a home and I AM in fact sane? No, seriously…REALLY?

Chalk this up to a question for which I did NOT want the answer.

Author Info

Carrie Monroe O’Keefe started blogging about her life by sharing stories of marriage, stepmotherhood, and how to navigate it all on mamacadabra.com in 2012. People said they loved reading the posts, so she kept writing. In addition to blogging, she released her middle-grade fiction book, The Whole Truth, in 2019. 

Carrie lives outside of Minneapolis with her husband, two daughters, and dog Finlay. 

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Carrie Monroe O'Keefe . . . 

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?

I started writing a blog and wrote like I was talking to my friends.  In the beginning, they’re the only people who were reading it anyway, so it made sense.  As I continued to write my blog, and for this book, I continued to write as if I was having a conversation with friends.  People often tell me that they can hear my voice as they read my work – which I just love to hear.  I hope that people who do not know me feel like they’re chatting with a friend over a glass of wine, or coffee.

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?

Writing about my life and my experiences feels natural to me but making myself sit down to actually do it is often the challenge.  I have two kids, a husband, a full-time job, a dog I have to walk, exercise I need to do, and we’re in the midst of building a house.  Prioritizing writing, and making time for it, is always tough.  I have to remind myself how much better I feel when I’m making time to write.  Which, in turn, makes me better at all of the other roles I play or things I have to do.

What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?

I write every morning for a half hour.  It’s part “prayer,” part mind-dump, and I’ve found if I don’t do that I can’t sit down to write blog posts or work on a manuscript.  I have to get that out of the way first before I can be productive in my writing.  It’s like a clearing of my brain and heart before getting down to business.

Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?

Not a character but a topic – I LOVE Christmas.  I have many Christmas stories that have been percolating in my brain for years and I just haven’t fully formed any of them enough to get started just yet.  But I think there are many Christmas stories in my future.  Every holiday season I search for Christmas books I’ve not yet read and I pretty much only read Christmas books from mid-fall through January.  Some of the stories I have in my head are middle grade, some are children’s books, and some are for adults.  I can’t wait to get into this but I’m not quite there yet.  

One of the reasons I’m so excited about Mamacadabra is that it has been in my head for such a long time, in different iterations, and I needed to get it out in order to move to other projects about which I’m so excited!

Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

Yes!  I am working on my next non-fiction book which is an exploration of the idea of home.  How we define home and feel at home – within ourselves, (our brains and our bodies), and then externally in our actual physical surroundings and the people we choose (and sometimes don’t choose) to be surrounded by.

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?

I am trying to channel Stephen King and get my next book out about a year after this one was published.  Hoping for November of 2024.  I also hope to be much more active with my blog.  Lots of writing in my future this year!

Thank you Carrie Monroe O'Keefe for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.

Website: https://mamacadabra.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cmonroeokeefe
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@monroeokeefe 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamacadabra
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmonroeokeefe/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monroeokeefe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriemonroeokeefe/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18816687.Carrie_Monroe_O_Keefe

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - NONFICTION - “Huzza!” Toasting a New Nation, 1760-1815 by Timothy Symington

“Huzza!”  Toasting a New Nation, 1760-1815

by Timothy Symington

Date of Publication:  September 29th 2023

Publisher:  McFarland Books

Genre:  Nonfiction/History

ISBN: 978-1-4766-9315-6 Print

ISBN: 978-1-4766-5056-2 ebook

ASIN: BOCK62JP5L

Number of pages: 273

Word Count: 125,000

Tagline: Drinking toasts to the American Revolution and beyond!

BLURB

During the early years of the United States, toasts captured popular sentiments regarding people and events.  Sometimes they were used to spread national ideology and partisan political views.  They could even be “weaponized” against political opponents, such as during the bitter election between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1800.  “Huzza!”  Toasting a New Nation, 1760-1815 is a retelling of the familiar historical narrative, but toasts are used to tell the story of the events and people between the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Amazon     Mcfarland Books

Excerpt:

     Israel Putnam of Connecticut, who led the rebels at Bunker Hill in June, was one of the first to be singled out for honors when the war began. The Connecticut Gazette printed toasts from a July 25 dinner in London attended by the Freeholders of Middlesex. General Putnam was toasted “and all those American Heroes, who, like men, nobly prefer death to slavery and chains.” Sons of Liberty leader Dr. Joseph Warren, who was killed on the battlefield, received the following toast from the Field Officers of the Sixth Brigade in Cambridge: “Immortal Honor to that Patriot and Hero Doctor Joseph Warren, and the Brave American troops, who fought the Battle of Charlestown on the 17th of June 1775.” This list of toasts, appearing in the August 21, 1775, issue of the Boston Gazette, or Country Journal started with a toast to the Continental Congress instead of to the British monarch. The officers raised their glasses instead to all the colonies, the Stamp Act riots, Lexington and Concord, and an end to the “present unhappy Disputes.” Dr. Warren would be a consistently toasted figure into the early 1800s.

     George Washington replaced George III as the main recipient of toasts, becoming the most toasted individual in the new nation. The King was now the enemy. Even English supporters of colonial rights, such as John Wilkes and Edmund Burke, were replaced by American military heroes. English support for the rights of the colonists, however, had not disappeared. The Virginia Gazette printed toasts the London Association made in October 1775. Association members wished for “axes and halters, at public expence, to all those who attempt to trample on the liberties of their fellow subjects, either in Great Britain or America,” and that “kings remember that they were made for their subjects, and not their subjects for them.”

     The former British corset-maker Thomas Paine brilliantly explained why the colonists should no longer rely on the King to protect their liberties. His pamphlet, Common Sense, demanded that Americans free themselves of Britain’s control. Paine wrote that “One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in Kings, is that nature disapproves it, otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule, by giving mankind an Ass for a Lion.” His words reached everyone in the colonies, and so he and his work were toasted: “May the INDEPENDENT principles of COMMON SENSE be confirmed throughout the United Colonies.”
     Most colonies had already taken Paine’s advice to heart and declared themselves to be independent states. Members of the Virginia convention calling for a resolution for national independence gave toasts in May: “The American independent states” and “The Grand Congress of the United States, and their respected legislatures.” Washington attended a feast at the Queen’s Head Tavern in New York City, where toasts were given to the Continental Congress and the American army, and to the memory of General Richard Montgomery, killed in the disastrous invasion of Quebec in December 1775. The final toast was “to ‘Civil and religious liberty to all mankind’—mankind, that is, except Tories.” Tories, the conservative supporters of the Crown, received extra abuse in the Patriots’ toasts: “Sore Eyes to all Tories, and a Chestnut Burr for an Eye Stone.”

Author Info

Timothy Symington received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Saint Anselm College and his Master of Arts degree in American History from Adams State University.  A former educator, he now contributes to the Journal of the American Revolution.  “Huzza!”  Toasting a New Nation, 1760-1815 is his first book.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Timothy Symington . . . 

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?

I have been writing in some capacity for many years, as an educator, an editor and a book reviewer.  I generally try to write as if I am speaking, and I speak as if I am writing.  Basically, my writing “persona” is no different from my real self.  It was a little difficult to write a historical narrative without adding my own personal opinions and sentiments at first, but once I got the hang of it, it became easier with each chapter.  Now I look through the finished product and I am still flabbergasted that I accomplished it.

What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?

I am an avid notetaker, so when I am getting ready to write, I arrange all my notes first in front of me (being old-fashioned, I spread out the post-its and other pieces of paper out).  Then I try to figure out if there is some sensical pattern to follow.  Once that is done, I rearrange the notes in whatever order I discovered and then write out an outline.  The rough draft comes next, and after taking a break I will reread the draft and either throw it away or start heavily dissecting it.  The finished version is never truly “finished,” I have discovered.  I still read through parts of my book, now published, and make mental notes about what needs to be improved on.

Can you share your next creative project(s)?  If yes, can you give a few details?

I am trying some difficulty trying to settle on one topic right now.  Luckily for me, I have several ideas to choose from.  I am not sweating it out trying to think of a topic for the next book.

The first and most promising topic is to write a book that is a “Part 2” of my first book, “Huzza!”  Toasting a New Nation, 1760-1815.  My book covers the early years of the United States at its founding, ending with the War of 1812.  I would like to continue studying published and private toasts that would cover the years between the Era of Good Feelings to the end of the Civil War.  There was so much happening during that time:  industrialization, women’s suffrage movement, abolitionists, the war with Mexico, and the division of the nation into the Union and the Confederacy.  I can only imagine that the toasts will demonstrate the various sentiments of all Americans, and they will probably be even more divisive than the ones I found during the presidential election of 1800.

I am also toying with the idea of writing a book about the relationship between John Adams and George Washington.  This relationship is referred to in many books, but there is no stand-alone work on it.  What were their feelings about each other?  How did they get along and work together?  They were instrumental in each other’s lives for many years.

One final idea is to write a book about the movie Spirit of ’76.  The movie was made in 1917 and was censored because it showed the British in an unfavorable light, and they were our allies during the Great War of 1917-1918.  But the nation fought Great Britain in the Revolution, right?  So why hide history?  Should the idea of national security overshadow the portrayal of history?  The Supreme Court thought so, and the film no longer exists in any form other than a few photographs.  I think that the topic is timely, with so many Republican-controlled legislatures trying to white-wash history.   

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?

I am hoping that the new year will bring more opportunities to research and write.  I finished my book a year ago, and I sorely miss the search for information and creating a narrative.  I will be writing more book reviews for the Journal of the American Revolution, and maybe turning my book into an article for the Journal to publish.

Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?

I would like to be secluded on a beach in a very warm place.  I obviously would need access for food and water, but the only thing I would want to do would be to read every day.  That’s all:  read, eat, walk, nap, read.  That would be my idea of an eternal afterlife.

Thank you Timothy Symington for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ToastFab4

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tim.symington/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Toastmaster-yu9eq

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - MIDNIGHT PAGES: Mystical Inspiration and Writing Prompts for Writers, Insomniacs, and Night Owls by Diane Riis

Midnight Pages

Mystical Inspiration and Writing Prompts for Writers, Insomniacs, and Night Owls 

by Diane Riis 

Date of Publication: February 2nd 2022

Publisher: Earth and Soul Publishing

Cover Artist: Book Designer: Andrea Schmidt, a-schmidt.com

Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help, Writing, Journal, Workbook 

ISBN: 9798985131000

Number of pages: 370

Word Count: 25,000

Tagline: The night has something to tell you.

BLURB

Midnight Pages is a workbook of magical prompts and creative writing exercises. It is also the antidote for anyone who has ever tried (and failed) to get up early to write morning pages. 

Embrace your nature! Whether you do your best work at night or you’re going through a bout of insomnia, you will deepen your writing practice and learn to listen to the voices of the night. 

Amazon

WRITING PROMPT From Midnight Pages:

Close your eyes. What do you hear, smell, taste? What do you sense at an energetic or intuitive level? Spend some real time. Find at least twenty-five things. When it gets hard to add to the list is when it gets interesting…”

Excerpt:
VIGILANTIA
Vigilantia: lying awake, sleepless, vigilance. The silence and stillness of midnight might feel suffocating, dense, and thick—heavy with foreboding. It might have you lying in bed, heart pounding, afraid of the dark.

Under the cloak of night, your hearing is heightened. Sounds startle you awake as you drowse. Your mind can ramp up: haunting memories, recriminations, regrets, and stuck thoughts keep you from your rest. Some “insights come up as well and sensations: the surge of adrenaline, pricklings on your neck. You might feel the weight of the dark bearing down on you or you notice movement in the shadows. Maybe you have the sense you’re being watched. Something lurks in the dark that’s imperceptible during the day. You might feel like you are not alone, and that subtle presence over your shoulder seems familiar. You wonder if it’s been there before, maybe even always. During the day, with music blaring and people talking, you just don’t perceive it. Ask what message all this has in store for you. Don’t reject what you hear. Don’t dismiss. Allow.

Night belongs to the spirits. –Proverb

Author Info

Diane Riis is author of five books and owner of Earth and Soul Coaching and Publishing which works with Indie authors, writers and magical practitioners who want more joy in their lives. She is a metaphysical minister and witch offering spiritual direction (which is a process of reflecting on your journey and learning to observe how you participate in your personal spiritual framework.) She offers writing coaching and classes as well as High Vibe, Soul Deep writing workshops and retreats for women who understand the power of the collective. Rev. Dr. Diane owns and operates a remnant flower farm on Long Island, NY all the while raising dogs, cats, chickens and a boy.

The Book Junkie Reads . . .Reckless Dreams  Interview with  . . . Diane Riis . . . 

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
My writing is eclectic, humorous, woo, spiritual, odd-ball and playful. And can be a tad academic. But fun, light academic! At least in this particular book!

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Writing flows when I can get out of my own way. If I get hung up thinking about how it’s going to sound or what so-and-so is going to think of it, I can get pretty jammed up. So I unload all the things that might be standing in the way with a blast of writing: my hang-ups for the day, who is occupying space in my brain, things I should be doing instead, my objectives, whatever, then the decks seem cleared to write.

What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?
Mindset is everything! But I am not a routine person or a “disciplined” writer. When it’s time I write. The way I stay in the mindset is by following joy. There are days to do the writing, days to do the marketing, days to go out into the garden. If I trust it, they balance out and everything gets done.

Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?
I am writing a version of myself in virtually every story, even if sometimes it is a shadow-side character or some thin, small thread that is running very deep. In my recent cozy mysteries, I am very much bound to Jilly, the lead character, who is a witch who doesn’t quite trust herself of the heritage/training she is a part of. She is slowly developing her intuition and coming to trust her magic as she goes through the series. I hope others will learn to trust theirs’ too as they read and see her develop. She’s me a number of years ago in that regard.

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year? Yes, I intend to finish three more of the cozy mystery series (The Belly Witch Cozy Mysteries) as well as a book about Wicca for post-patriarchal church women. It’s non-fiction but it’s also based on my former self as a mainline, traditional (though liberal) minister of 25 years.
Oh, yes, and a book for women writers…Self Love for Writers or something like that, because all the imposter syndrome, writer’s block, overwhelm that stops or slows women writers comes down to self- love, self -confidence and self -compassion (in my experience as an author’s coach.)

Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?
I’d take a long Sabbatical and stop trying to make a living coaching, editing or marketing. I would write and explore gardens all over the world. Learn permaculture-basics in the Amazon. Go have retreats in caves and write about it. Take a cottage by the sea for three months and just write. Bliss. Thanks for asking!

Thank you for spending time with us.

Website: https://www.themidnightpages.com  

Blog: https://www.bellywitch.com
Website: https://www.earthandsoulpublishing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianeriis.71619533
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianabellywitch
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BellyWitch/_created/ 

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SPOTLIGHT - NONFICTION ADVENTURE - DRAWN AND DRIVEN My Haiti Adventure by Rod Ellis

Drawn and Driven

My Haiti Adventure 

by Rod Ellis 

Genre: Non Fiction Adventure 

He was 61 years old. He had a secure position as a tenured associate professor at a major university. He had a bustling mental health practice. His home was loaded with equity. He drove and rode his dream vehicles, a Jeep Wrangler and a Victory Cross Country motorcycle. His son was set for college. Life was good. He could work for a few more years, then retire comfortably in his secluded country home. 

One day everything changed. Sitting in a crowded bus jammed between stalled vehicles in a classic Port-au-Prince traffic jam, Rod Ellis decided to chuck it all. Surrounded by the blare of horns and the cries of street vendors, he resolved to close his practice, resign his university position, and move to Haiti. 

What possessed him to do such a thing? How could he leave behind everything familiar for a world he knew only a little? Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. There would be no air conditioning or running water. He would drive a 20-year-old vehicle. He would reside in an unfinished house, at the mercy of tropical winds and weather. Light-skinned, he would live in a world of almost exclusively dark-skinned people. Whatever was he thinking? Drawn and Driven: My Haiti Adventure tells the tale. In it, Ellis describes his physical, emotional, and spiritual journey into a country he had visited only a handful of times. He talks about preparing for the move, the people he interacted with after arrival, and the challenges he has faced trying to help the wonderful people of this struggling country. From cultural conflicts to renegade priests to building his own off-the-grid house to the development of a vocational school, Ellis weaves the tale of his great, ongoing adventure: Drawn and Driven. 

Add to Goodreads

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Rod Ellis retired from The University of Tennessee College of Social Work at the end of December 2016. He had served there for 17 years, as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Acting Associate Dean, and Coordinator of International Programs. During his time at UT, Rod published 6 books as writer, co-writer, or editor, as well as several articles in professional and academic journals. These were published under his full name and credentials, Rodney A. Ellis, PhD, MSW, MA. 

For about two years prior to his retirement Rod had been making regular visits to Haiti with the American Haitian Foundation. Upon retirement, he moved to Petite Riviere de Nippes, Haiti where he has helped start churches, repair roads, start small businesses, and provide funding for students. He is currently director of a school that teaches conversational English and several vocational programs. He has also maintained a blog on his Facebook page since before his arrival in Haiti. 

Rod is a member of Crossroads Community Church in Baxter, TN, where the folks prayed over him before his departure and continue to pray for him as he works in Haiti. Even today, Crossroads Community Church is still “holding the ropes.” 

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SPOTLIGHT - NONFICTION SELF HELP - EXPOSE YOURSELF by Erin Louis

EXPOSE YOURSELF

by Erin Louis

Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help, Humor 

After her first two books about the stripper world and her memoirs, Erin Louis offers us her new self-help book promoting critical thinking and self-confidence through humor, challenging insights, and her own true stories. A cross between "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "The God Delusion", Ms Louis titillates as she enlightens readers. You will learn how to find the freedom to be yourself, find confidence to take risks, and change your life. This book will show you how. As she says, you don't even have to get naked to do it, she's done that for you. 

**There will be a Kindle countdown deal starting on May 20th and ending May 27th, the starting price will be $.99 and will end at the original price of $4.99. !!** 

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Growing up in Southern California, surrounded by beautiful people, I struggled to find my identity. Every one else seemed to know who I was supposed to be, and how I was supposed to act, but their Idea of who I was didn’t quite fit with how I felt inside. I knew I was just different somehow. Expressing my true self came with criticism which caused me to question myself, and so began my search to find myself and the life I wanted to lead. Years of taking risks, enduring judgments, and self-doubt taught me that to be truly happy meant rejecting mainstream society’s idea of who I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to believe. 

Somehow through all this, I have found the courage to show who I really am to the world. I hope to help lead others down the path to their own self-acceptance. My mission now is to help people live their best lives without the need to please other people who may be miserable in their own. Whether it be discarding dilapidated belief systems, unrealistic ideals, or simply the fear of judgment, finding the courage to be yourself can be daunting. By sharing my stories, I hope to show that you are ultimately in control of your own life, and that you alone have the power to control your own happiness. I hope to provide that little nudge you may need to tell the world to kiss your butt, because you are awesome just the way you are. 

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