Featured Author May 17, 2012

According to the book description, "Black Heroes in Every American War There has scarcely been a battle in which America has not been served by the valor and sacrifice of what poets have called, "the darker brother". American has a history of forgotten black heroes, and a public that seems barely aware of their courage and honor. The first Buffalo Soldiers were the 9th and 10th Calvaries, formed by the U.S. Army in 1866 and composed mostly of freed slaves and Civil War veterans. The patrolled the Mexican border, and took part in the Spanish-American war and in the U.S. expedition to the Philippines. While it is regrettable that Black Americans should have participated in military actions adversely affecting native peoples, we must remember that not all the measures taken by the government were unprovoked, nor were all of them carried out with the ruthlessness we sometimes hear of. Buffalo soldiers and Black cowboys were merely one factor in the opening of the West. It was a job somebody had to do, and certain toughness went with the territory; the oppressive aspects, while not excusable, were indeed part of that history. During the Indian Wars, from 1866-1890, the use of Black soldiers was widespread in the West, and numerous engagements demonstrated the valor and toughness of the African fighters. Colonel Benjamin Grierson insisted to his superiors that the term "colored", which originally prefixed the title of the regiment, was demeaning and unnecessary. Ultimately, he prevailed, and it was dropped. Two all-Black Calvary regiments, the 9th and the 10th, saw considerable service; tow all Black infantry regiments, the 24th and 25th, were also much used. Stuck with a thankless job, it fell to these Black freedmen to garrison forts, quell disturbances, and generally keep the peace. Not infrequently called to put their lives on the line in the name of the United States government, these heroic Black regiments won a total of twenty Medals of Honor."

Featured Author May 16, 2012

According to the book description, "I wrote this book, because it saved my life. I have suffered for many years with PTSD and depression. This book tells about racism, mental illness and trauma. It also includes spiritual guidance. It shows how I endured many life struggles. As you read each page it will change your life and give you strength. As I wrote each page the weight of heaviness was lifted from my heart and mind. I want to reach out and help anybody who needs encouragement. My story is about inspiration and great endurance. It deals with my life as a husband and father for thirty years. It tells of shattered dreams and how hope can survive the weakest moments of our lives. My family has been a circle of support that has held me up, when I thought I could not go through one more day. Loneliness does not need to keep us in a cage of helplessness, but it can guide us to build survival skills. This book talks about good and bad memories. I enjoyed writing about the good memories and how God blessed me many times and I enjoyed writing about the bad memories, because it released a heaviness upon my heart. I feel this book could have a positive effect upon your life. Are you ready to take the time to change your life One Day at a Time?"

Featured Author May 14, 2012

According to the book description, "It would in some measure relieve my embarrassment if I could even, in a slight degree, feel myself worthy of any honor for writing this book; yet I have been called from the deep black belt of the South, from among my humble people, and yet it may not be inappropriate for me to suggest that it seems to me that one of the most vital questions that touch our American life is how to bring the strong, the wealthy, and the learned into helpful touch with the very poorest, the most ignorant, and the humblest, and at the same time make one appreciate the vitalizing, strengthening influence of others. How can we make this mansion on yon Beacon Street feel and see the need of the spirits in the lowliest of American people? This problem Harvard University is solving, not by bringing itself down, but by bringing the masses up."

Featured Author May 12, 2012

According to the book description, "It's More than Shootouts and Car Chases takes you inside the life of a Montgomery Police Officer in the capital city of Alabama. Corporal Smith began his career as a nineteen year old police cadet working in an administrative capacity, until attending the police academy in 1983. As a trainee, Smith started the police academy with twenty fellow recruits and sixteen grueling weeks later, graduating with only six. You experience from the beginning what it takes to become a Montgomery police officer. This detailed, factual account provides the reader with an inside look from being shot at as a rookie officer while investigating a car burglary, to being involved in two police shootings and working the deaths of two fellow officers as an evidence technician. Throughout his twenty year career, Corporal Steve Smith shares his experiences that will have you laughing one moment and then a call of "shots fired" will show you the true dangers of being a police officer. As Corporal Steve Smith shares his true life experiences he also shares his faith in the Lord as he serves and protects the citizens of Montgomery."

Featured Author May 11, 2012

According to the book description, "Most people are living paycheck to paycheck and the average credit card holder is $15,799 in debt. If you are like most people you could be one paycheck away from financial disaster. In DOLLARS & UNCOMMON SENSE, Certified Financial Planner and former US Army Sergeant Steve Repak outlines a strategy to change your misguided common sense ideas about money and learn to think like a true builder of wealth. Steve left the service with over $32,000 in credit card debt. Drawing on his 12 years of military experience in the Army he put his own finances through boot camp, getting himself out of debt and turning his finances around. Now Steve wants to help others do the same. DOLLARS & UNCOMMON SENSE will show you how to develop the same self-discipline that you need to finally change the way you think about money and start growing your own wealth."

Featured Author May 10, 2012

About the authors, "Bill and Donna Clark have been happily married for over 40 years. Over the years, the couple has gone through a multitude of experiences, including Bills time in the United States Army Special Forces and their trips together overseas to Suriname as missionaries. Bill, a childhood polio survivor and Eagle Scout, has a bachelors in business administration, and worked as a military manager and consultant for large pharmaceutical company. Donna, a former department store manager, served on the board of the Pensacola Opera, and actively fundraises for Independence for the Blind, ARC Gateway and Pensacola State College."

Featured Author May 8, 2012

According to the book description, "Captain William Bill Clark, Army Special Forces (retired) and his bride of 42 years, Donna, reminisce of a time spent a world apart as they re-open the letters they sent to each other. It was Bills third tour of duty in Vietnam that called him away just after their first wedding anniversary and it became Donnas first-hand experience as an Army wife during the Vietnam War. He was leaving her four months pregnant to have their first child without him. She would face fears almost as traumatic as her husbands safety in combat. During the Vietnam War Special Forces teams were supported by helicopters and their crews. They were unquestionably the most heroic yet least rewarded units throughout the war. They would show up when most needed, do the job and leave as quickly as they came. Ammunition and food were important in re-supplying border camps and patrols but nothing was more important than the mail; the only communication available between husband and wife and other loved ones. In Bills case he carried a plastic bag with an operations map, stationary, envelope, outgoing mail and letters he collected from Donna. Youve got mail meant something special then as sending and receiving mail was the highlight of a soldiers day and helped to sustain morale at a high level. In Vietnam they were called Pony Express Helicopters, the horses of the old west with pilots, door gunners and crew chiefs as their riders, but deep down inside Bill called them by another name, locked in his mind only to be shared with Donna until now. Donna and Bill promised each other they would write every day if for nothing more than to say I love you and to stay current. All their letters were eventually mailed and received. Even though Bills mail content was restricted by the Military Donna could write about anything and she managed to say everything. Together they carried on in humor and support of each other by way of Helicopter Love Mail. Love for one another through the trials of separation and the fear of the unknown. Husbands attempts to hide combat participation, trying to show a positive attitude to hide many problems, and trying to solve problems half a world away with letter turnaround time of ten to thirty days. Wife's difficulties with pregnancy and raising newborn alone. Money and budget problems some brought on because of Army finance problems. Problems with health mentally and physically. Non-Fiction, Memoirs, Love letters written during the Vietnam War. Married Couples, Military Families separated by deployment or war, older readers who were affected by the Vietnam War. Both mail and female since book is written by husband and wife. From the husbands writing the tone is humorous, informative with solutions, and mysterious on his actions and duties. From the wife the tone is more anxious, dramatic, informative, and emotional. We wrote the letters 40 years ago and are still happily married. We wanted to show the difference in war then and war today as far as separation from spouses when we only had faith, hope, and love with mail as the only communication. We had no computers, no cell phones, no land line phones, and 99% of the time no real way to contact each other because of Bill's isolation. Over six hundred letters written half a world apart and delivered or picked up by helicopter in combat shows the time lag in communication with daily writing from both Donna and Bill. Problems are laid out for all to see. As a couple truly in love but newly married only to be separated by war and the dimension of time suffering from the great fear of the unknown."

Featured Author May 7, 2012

According to the book description, "Northern Kuwait, 1991. The first Persian Gulf War. Peter Donovan, a US Army lieutenant leads a group of soldiers into an ambush in the Iraqi desert. The fight begins and the enemies get massacred. Hearing a terrible child cry, trying to help, he encounters a terrifying force in a grave beneath the sands of the desert where he has unknowingly pocketed an amulet that contains enormous power. Evil takes him to death's door, yet he is able to escape. Years later, Peter, now a civilian and a small town sheriff, unwittingly opens a door for that ancient evil with a what many consider to be a child's game, the Ouija Board. Donovan enlists the help of Father Josh Carter, a Catholic priest beset by his own doubts, in his effort to fight this paranormal threat. Will evil destroy them? Will they be able to save those they love or will evil triumph and send them all to hell?"

Featured Author May 6, 2012

According to the book description, "I was physically and mentally braced for whatever death brings. Then I began to think rationally, and gained control of the thought process. If he intended to kill me, would he do it in a public place?" The reader is taken inside a federal agent's undercover world, and witnesses a life-and-death race against time to prevent a contract killing. His mission is to hunt down a paid assassin - only to find that he himself is hired as the killer. He encounters the New Orleans mafia, cop killers, bank robbers, gamblers, race fixers, and eventually, Interpol. He struggles to maintain his own moral compass; and at one point prays silently as a killer presses a sawed-off shotgun to his head. The story exposes the underworld of the Cajun French. The characters and events are based on an extraordinary, hard-hitting, true crime story. "Palumbos harrowing undercover work raised goose bumps on my arms. He proves the old adage that Sicilians make the best criminals and the best cops as he takes us step-by-step through murder-for-hire in the corruption capital of the world Louisiana." -- O'Neil De Noux, Shamus and Derringer award winning author of ten crime novels, including JOHN RAVEN BEAU, CRESCENT CITY KILLS, and the epic of love and war, BATTLE KISS. His short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine."

Featured Author May 5, 2012

According to the book description, "Dangers, Toils and Snares: Confessions of a Firefighter, is an inside look at the world of firefighters. Not the blood and guts of day to day life of a firefighter, but a look inside the world of the firehouse. You will get to see what it used to be like 30 years ago, and what it is like now. If it wasn't real you wouldn't believe these things could happen at work. Author Tim Casey is a retired firefighter/paramedic with more than thirty years of professional firefighting and in this book he recounts the events that he either witnessed first hand, participated in directly, or had special knowledge about. If you haven't laughed out loud at a book in awhile, stop waiting and get this book.

Featured Author May 4, 2012

According to the book description, "When a drug cartel attacks a cop, the rules apply. When they attack a cop's family, there are no rules. Sergeant Robin Marlette's special narcotics squad has killed a dangerous drug courier and the brother of a prominent Mexican drug overlord. When Marlette's daughter is kidnapped as an act of revenge, it's a race against time to save her. Marlette and his team are very good at what they do-but are they good enough to defeat a drug cartel on its own turf? Written by a 40-year law enforcement veteran, GOTU puts you side by side with the law enforcement brotherhood as they battle the world's most vicious criminals. GOTU will have you rooting for the good guys and turning the pages well into the night. Praise for GOTU: "GOTU is an action-packed roller coaster of a story about a team of tough cops waging war on the biggest drug cartel in Mexico. The book has the hard-hitting realism only a SWAT cop like Mike McNeff can write about because he spent years busting drug smugglers crossing the Ariaona/Mexican border." -Bob Mayer, New York Times Best Selling Author and former Special Forces A-Team Commander "From the very first sentence, GOTU yanks the reader straight into the middle of non-stop action. McNeff's passion, credibility and real world experience is on every page; you won't be able to put this thriller down!" -Dave "Buck Savage" Smith, Author and Nationally Renowned Police Survival Expert "GOTU - An exciting experience which captures the reader and throws them into the heart of the action from the first page onwards...." -Paul Anthony, Author and retired British detective "Mike McNeff was always known as a cop's cop. He has brought his years of experience in law enforcement, along with his immense knowledge of the Southwest border to create a thriller that is as close to the real life drama of the war being waged against the drug cartels in Mexico as any publication out there. GOTU is action packed and a book you will find hard to put down." -Roger Vanderpool, retired Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety and retired Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona."

Featured Author May 3, 2012

According to the book description, "A few short blocks from the safety of the museums and monuments on the National Mall, a ruthless killer prowls the streets of Washington DC. Federal prosecutor Jeff Trask joins a team of FBI agents and police detectives as they try and solve the series of brutal murders. As the body count rises, the investigation leads to a chilling confrontation with the leader of an international drug smuggling ring, and no one is safe, not even the police. Written by former Washington prosecutor Marc Rainer, Capital Kill is a swirling thrill ride through the labyrinth of a major federal investigation and trial, with a gripping conclusion that no one will see coming."

Featured Author May 2, 2012

According to the book description, "Paul Francesco is an independent, successful single man in his late thirties who has everything in the world going for him: financial stability with the real possibility of obtaining significant wealth, a dedicated and loyal group of family and friends, and a challenging, exciting, and rewarding career. Except Paul has one problem: he lives with a deep, dark secret that torments him: he is a ghost living in purgatory despite his relative success. Unknown to Paul, there is an evil plan to extort his hard-earned assets from him and in the process deny him the one thing that is more important to him than anything else in the world: to be an active part of his son Alex's life. Unfortunately, his innocent and trusting seven-year old son is at the center of this vicious and diabolical plot directed at him. When things go from bad to worse to unbelievably insane - when judges choose not to uphold the laws of their nations, when law enforcement turns a blind eye, and when one government after another's hands are tied due to bureaucratic issues of jurisdiction or non-participation of the international treaty on child abduction, the only thing that could prevent Alex from becoming another sad and sorry statistic on a report that nobody wants to read or think about is his father's vow to never abandon him no matter what. As a result, Paul is forced to become a hunter, chasing the predators who have taken his son to the other side of the world. With the situation becoming more and more desperate, he is forced to find other resources to help him. As the hunt moves across international borders, taking Francesco to the other side of the world, he gathers together an extraordinary group of individuals, each with their own powerful stories, to help him. The story moves from The United States and Canada, to the island nations of Oceania, and culminates in the horrifying black-markets of Asia. Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese is written as a first-hand account of the growing epidemic that is international parental child abduction, and the extreme difficulties all parents whose child has been abducted must face in order to protect the welfare of their victimized child or children. This story makes clear what needs to be done both here in The United States and throughout the world in order to protect children from being abducted and taken across international borders.