Cooking with People is more than just a cynical title designed to infuriate Anti-Cannibalism Missionaries. It is meant to spark some kind -- any kind -- of self-righteous boycott that ultimately leads to the Bestseller List. It's a perspective that celebrates America's most creative and idiosyncratic food. And more importantly, it's people, who like spawning salmon, habitually return to their most hallowed restaurants, festivals and private kitchens to indulge in MakLa (Moose Head Soup), 'Chitlins (boiled pig intestine) and Deep Fried Corn on the Cob (Deep Fried Corn on the Cob) regardless of the many reasons - health and otherwise - to just forget about it.

Cooking with People is also a travel book. Because not everyone would fit in Mark's house at once, he visited his guests in their native habitat - places like New Orleans' French Quarter, lush Maui resorts and the Annual Road Kill Cook-Off Festival in West Virginia.

Millennia from now, Gastro Archeologists will study Cooking with People for its twisted, tweaked yet remarkably accurate portrait of everything good and goofy, about America. Unless you're dining with The Jetsons, it's people that make the food. The people in this book all have interesting recipes and stories of how their favorite food came to be… and why they're still eating and cooking.

Luckily, like a mommy bird, Mark has done all the flying, searching and chewing for you… all you have to do is open up and enjoy the carefully chosen, tasty morsels he regurgitates on each page of this tasty book.

Cooking with People could brand into a series of sequels. For these reasons and more, the time is right for a book that targets all of the four major food groups: People, Recipes, Travel, & Funny.

About the Author:

Mark DeCarlo has enjoyed a long and incredibly varied show business career since graduating from UCLA with a degree in Communications.

Three months after graduation, he won 11 straight episodes of NBC's Sale of the Century, making him the quiz show's All Time Champion, and providing him a cushion of "cash & prizes" to utilize while igniting his early show business career.

For four seasons and counting, Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo has been a popular series on The Travel Channel. Each week he discovers a new mix of outrageous people and their regional and cultural food gems. Before Taste of America, he's hosted a variety of popular TV shows including: The X Show, Sunday Dinner and Fox's comedy dating smash hit, Studs.

As an actor, he's appeared on a number of TV shows including Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, starred in theatrical films like Mobsters & Mormons, and is featured in Christopher Guest's…For Your Consideration. Anyone with children… and/or a twisted sense of humor, already knows Mark as the voice of Hugh Neutron in the Oscar Nominated Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius film, and award-winning Nickelodeon TV series.

He has written essays for books by Larry King and Hugh Downs… probably because his mom forced him to take a summer school typing class before allowing him to play Little League when he was 12.

For more information on Mark, visit his website at: www.MarkDeCarlo.com

Imagine, for a moment, that when you lie down to sleep at night and drift toward the dreaming state, you step into another world - a spirit realm inhabited by beings of energy and light. In that world, you are freed of the physical body. Your energy "body" can use light energy to heal those sleeping below as you fly into a cell or to the other side of the continent without regard to time or space. In that realm and from that realm, you affect the physical world. You help souls in their transition from life to afterlife. You know that your purpose is to guide the souls of the dead to the eternal light, for your guides have told you so.

Since childhood, Monica Holy has been entering the borderlands between material and non-material realities through the portal of lucid dreams. Fringe Dweller: Tales of an Inter-dimensional Paramedic is Monica's coming-out story as a Fringe Dweller - a teacher and healer who frequents both physical and spiritual dimensions.

Prompted by her spirit guides, Monica, an accomplished artist, has produced ten powerful and vivid paintings based on memories of her experiences in other realities. She has also opened her private journals in order to share her intensely personal vision and the details of her astonishing spiritual vocation. Intimate, adventurous, by turns playful and serious, Fringe Dweller reveals Monica's difficult and very human struggle to come to terms with her unusual and compelling psychic life.

Her purpose is to encourage readers to look within themselves for answers, to comfort those who have lost a loved one, and to help those who are having their own psychic experiences to feel less alone in their often strange and secretive worlds.

Fringe Dweller speaks from the heart to the spirit, and to the seeker of spiritual understanding in all of us. This evocative, entertaining, thought-provoking account is filled with personal anecdote, astral adventure and accessible explanation. Monica Holy invites you to join her as she visits ghosts, spirit guides, energy healers, animal helpers and astral classrooms while she navigates the strange territory of her dreamland powers.
Her courage in sharing her story invites us all to embrace our own unique gifts and experiences, to trust our higher selves and share in the glory of our birthright as eternal spirit beings.

One thing is certain: No matter what one's personal belief about the afterlife, mediumship, or the paranormal, Fringe Dweller is sure to cause a stir. This is definitely a controversial book that will elicit a reaction one way or another.

Dying for a Change is a gut-wrenching yet deeply inspirational true story of one man's fight to survive hypothermia and drowning in the freezing cold waters off the coast of Britain. It is a compelling, life-changing book about miracles that will inspire readers from all social and religious backgrounds.

In 1999, at a crucial period when his life was rapidly spiralling out of control and all meaning and purpose had vanished, William Murtha had a close brush with death. Only this wasn't any 'ordinary' near death experience. What William saw, felt and experienced on that incredible evening out at sea would totally change his life in every conceivable way. What he encountered that night would alter every previously held perception he had about the nature of reality, who we are, and what exactly our sole purpose on earth really is.

Freezing to death, and struggling to stay conscious and afloat, William spent the most terrifying few hours of his life with time to painstakingly reflect on how and why everything had steered so drastically off course. And as his body finally began to shut down, and all the excruciating pain subsided, William suddenly became acutely aware of a Presence close by. What followed, and what the book details in vivid description, is the incredible and heart-warming conversation he had with a Higher Presence. Caught someplace between this world and the next, William soon had every question he'd ever asked about life, answered in absolute blinding clarity.

Dying for a Change is a riveting portrayal of what can happen close to the moment of physical death. It is written in a way that captivates and enthrals readers, helping them to fully appreciate and understand what happens at that final moment when the physical body begins to peel away. The book is thought-provoking and insightful, and it challenges not only views on mortality, birth, life and God; it also questions preconceived notions on what it truly means to be a human being. Far from being a morbid account about dying, this book inspires readers to live more fully by questioning those parts of their lives that no longer serve them.

Dying for a Change, a moving, empowering and transformational story, will inspire readers to come face to face with their own deepest fears. It's a powerful and emotional story of hope with a profound message that many people in today's frantic and crisis filled world will identify with in their own lives. William used his horrendous ordeal as a catalyst for positive change. He gave up the manic, fifteen-hour workday, obsessed life that had plagued him. And he walked away from a materialistic and ego driven lifestyle that had come so very close to killing him. Instead, he turned his life around and discovered true meaning.

This book is not only about the changes in one person. The story also mirrors where millions of other peoples' lives are right now. Up until that accident, William's life had been fraught with an inner restlessness and anxiety that never seemed to go away. For years, he had carried around with him a deep feeling that his life was on the wrong course. That is until his received his wake-up call.

What Dying for a Change shows is the profound shift in consciousness that can occur when we come close to losing our lives. And the book clearly identifies that all personal trauma and difficulty can be used positively to become the inspiration for individual, social and global transformation.

Dying for a Change is essentially an everyday, grounded and contemporary story of redemption, healing, forgiveness and new beginnings that will connect with readers of all ages and beliefs.

About the Author:

William Murtha is a writer, philanthropist and global activist for issues related to personal, social and global change, the environment and social responsibility. Dying for a Change, the first of a three-book series, is the true story of his near-death and how it completely altered his life. Several years after that life-changing incident, he left behind everything that he'd ever worked hard to achieve. Selling his business, and turning away from a successful career in sales management, he finally answered the calling to get his incredible story out there in the open.

William was involved solely in construction and development management until 2005. He then sold his share in the business he had founded, and instead concentrated fully on writing and other creative projects. One of those initiatives is The Imagination Project, an innovative non-profit organization that promotes, supports and encourages young emerging leaders and writers in the sectors of change, human rights, corporate social responsibility and personal development. To fund and kick-start this innovative and exciting project, William has pulled together written 'vision statements' of hope from a wide array of globally renowned luminaries and change-makers, with the intention of publishing several books under the title, Visionaries for the 21st Century. All profits from the Visionaries branded series, and all donations from philanthropists, will go towards supporting writers on scholarships within the Imagination Project.

William has been married to his wife, Alison, for nearly twenty years; they have three daughters and live in the country, close to the city of Exeter, England, UK. William is a member of several globally recognized organizations who are committed to positive change and the education of eco-literacy. He also is a coordinator and speaker for the Scientific and Medical Network, a non-profit establishment that explores the frontiers of science, consciousness and spirituality.

Slow Down (You Move Too Fast) takes the reader on a delightful and whimsical journey into the heart of that most important message to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy your one life! A wake up call of sorts for all of us who are speeding through life and, unfortunately, missing a lot of it along the way. Written in a no nonsense, user-friendly style. A tough love yet loving reminder that life was meant to not be rushed through- but to be LIVED!

Small enough to read in one "ah ha!" sitting, simple and to the point. The last thing any of us over-hurried, over-worried folks need is yet another 400 page self help book teaching us how to simplify! Nothing to study. No exercises to do. Just a heartfelt plea from the author that invites you back into your own delicious and most precious life.

The book is for the very people who need it most…all of us struggling with a life, society and planet that is moving faster than ever before. A great gift book for a friend or for yourself!

About the Author:

Patrice Karst is the author of the internationally best-selling spiritual book God Made Easy. She has been featured on television shows across the country including MSNBC, CBS, CSPAN, ABC News, The Early Show, Fox News, as well as on hundreds of radio shows, newspapers and magazines including Time magazine.

A spiritual seeker since childhood, her quest culminated in the writing of God Made Easy (Warner Books, 1997) which is a miraculous story. On the morning of November 11, 1995, Patrice woke from a dream and was "told" to write her book. She did it in an hour and signed a publishing deal 3 weeks later! The book has sold 50,000 copies to date and has just been re-released by Cider Mills Press.

Patrice is also the author of The Single Mother's Survival Guide (Crossing Press, 2000), Goddess Made Easy (Cider Mills Press, Spring 2009) and children's books, The Invisible String (DeVorss & Company 2000), The Smile that Went Around the World (DeVorss & Company, Fall, 2008).

She has written for and been featured in various magazines including, Whole Life Times, Woman's Day, and Science of Mind among many others. Patrice lives at the beach in Los Angeles with her family. When not writing, producing or speaking, she runs spirituality groups at renowned residential rehab/ recovery centers in Malibu.

Patrice Karst is president of Karst Productions. Her manuscript, In the Beginning, inspired the screenplay for the feature film she is producing, "The Seeker." Most important to Patrice are the times when she remembers to slow down and look for shooting stars at night....

Sacred Sipping is about forming a bridge from the head to the heart. It is not a bridge built brick by brick. It is a bridge built sip by sip - a bridge by which to make the journey from the physical to the spiritual: an inner voyage that leaves behind the concerns of the busy lower mind to take the plunge into the still, cool, refreshing waters of the depths within.

Within the pages of this book the reader is taken on many journeys: non-fictional journeys around the globe to places where tea has been well-steeped into the cultures of each country, along with fictional journeys that involve all the senses and ultimately lead to the heart.

Sacred Sipping is a book for the novice tea drinker - the one who makes the conscious decision to try this beverage that has received so much media coverage in the last few years - the person who knows they want to make healthier choices for their body. The author's mission is to merely open the door into the world of tea and hold it open for the reader.

The journey from the head to the heart is the greatest, and for some, the longest journey they will take. What does it take to get us out of the ego mind and into the sacred space of the heart? How about something simple and easy for a change? And let's make it good for the body at the same time.

What could be soothing, satisfying, and savory, offering serenity, and, in addition, be sacred to sip? Well, tea, of course! Yes, that is correct, tea - the number one beverage in the world, next to water.

Every sacred sip of tea can become a spiritual event - it's all in the intent. For thousands of years this beverage has been associated with tranquility and spirituality. For when one settles the mind and opens the heart, an unseen presence makes itself known. It arrives in a whisper, a shiver, a sensation, a thought, calmness, and always as a form of oneness - a connection to an invisible source or force. It has the effect of tapping into a well - one from an internal and eternal source offering a fresh sip of serenity and unity.

Sacred Sipping was also written for the neophyte spiritual seeker - the one who is just starting to wake up and ask the big questions of life, such as: Who am I? What is my purpose? When do I start living my real life? Why do I feel there is something nudging me? Where can I make a difference? How can I just be happier? In the silent and sacred moments spent sipping tea, the whispers of the inner voice provide the answers to these questions. For each and every one the answers are different.

Sacred Sipping is about praying and meditating and surrendering all while sipping tea - taking a physical activity and turning it into a spiritual journey. The reader is taken across 13 different bridges into 13 fictional heart-opening journeys and given 60 healing prayers - prayers to release the things that are no longer Self-serving, prayers to attract the things and people desired and longed for - and prayers of gratitude where unity and abundance is recognized and appreciated. How about meditating with tea? Meditation doesn't have to be mysterious or difficult; Dharlene has developed an easy-to-do, sure-fire method of meditation that even the novice meditator can quickly master. Experienced meditators will appreciate learning this method, as well.

For the knowledgeable tea connoisseur, Sacred Sipping is an introduction into the spiritual realms. For the advanced spiritual seeker Sacred Sipping is about enhancing an already established spiritual practice with tea - tea is the perfect mind, body, soul and heart-opening unifier. Please take the journeys within Sacred Sipping - they can only lead you someplace wonderful - they lead you to yourself.

About the Author:

Canadian-born Dharlene Fahl-Brittian is an advanced level three certified tea specialist and self-proclaimed spiritual seeker living in San Diego. Years of asking deep and profound life questions and years of delving into several religious and spiritual concepts led her to the tranquil world of tea. She has walked the tea fields in China, the birthplace of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and picked tea with the female tea pickers and followed the leaves into the drying and processing plants and then sipped it in some of the largest and finest tea shops in China. Understanding tea has proved as huge an undertaking as understanding the Self.

She is a member of the Tea Association of the U.S.A. and the Canadian Tea Association and has been certified by the Specialty Tea Institute of America, where she has been a member since its standards of education program began.

Dharlene is a member of Mark Victor Hansen's Mega Inner Circle and has trained and traveled to Turkey and Greece with Mark and Dr. Jean Houston and has been influenced and inspired by both of these teachers.

Throughout most of the 1990s Dharlene owned an angel gift shop and eventually expanded it to include a spiritual healing center as a gathering place for all the seekers asking questions. Currently, she teaches and does tea demonstrations and introduces people to the world of tea. She combines that introduction with her very spiritual message of getting quiet, surrendering all that is going on, trusting a greater source and trusting your own inner wisdom. She assures everyone that the answers they seek will come from within. She says it's simple - it's self-empowerment with a cup of tea!

Dharlene takes her teas and her tailored messages into the workplace, to spiritual groups, to women's groups, to women's expos, to schools, to hospitals, to Red Hat groups, and to any organization that wants to do something a little out-of-the-ordinary for their employees, and, or, their customers. She offers book signings that are totally different also - everyone gets to sample tea!

www.takeupthecup.com

What should I do? Where should I go? Is this person good for me or not? These are the most common questions that people ask. Because our fate is set by each choice we make, it is essential for every person to have a decision-making guide that will help them make choices that will give them the results they desire in every aspect of life and avoid what they do not want.

Although, bliss is the intrinsic nature of every person, according to "Ancient Wisdom," most people suffer from the various miseries of life because of the addiction to negative emotions and self-punishment that cause people to make unfortunate choices. Everyone can be blissful and prosperous all the time with this enlightening and practical how-to knowledge.

This book is for kindhearted, trusting souls who often make decisions they regret because they want to see the good in everyone, but fail to understand the positive and negative aspects of human nature; thus ignoring the actual character of the persons they are in relationship with or about to invite into their lives. They also have the tendency to make whimsical decisions hoping for the best, instead of using their creative power of discernment based on knowledge of how life works to do what is best for them.

Readers will join Sara S. Wati's soul-searching journey to a cottage of learning on a mountaintop in the Himalayas where she found a wise man who shared with her amazing teachings and stories. That experience opened her eyes to the greatness within her and offered her a simple system to guarantee that her decisions would always produce peace of mind, sublime bliss, prosperity, and nurturing, empowering relationships. He gave her a glimpse of the mystical possibilities beyond the scope of limited thinking and cultural conditioning.

Her teacher named Emery told Sara that "Life is designed to work beautifully for one and all. Ultimately, every person is responsible for what comes to them by the choices they make. The Universe is a gigantic cause and effect machine, so it is imperative for each of us to only cause what we want to experience. Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do because this gives us the full picture of our possibilities. Every choice includes the rejection of other options. This is called discernment."

Emery teaches from seven scrolls on the subject "Particulars of Discernment." During their first session, he explains to Sara about the source of this knowledge by saying, "Long ago, when opulence and gallantry flourished, only royalty of the Far East and the wisest teachers had access to the lessons and stories you are about to hear. Kings, especially, had to have superior decision-making knowledge in order to rule successfully, determine who was a friend and who was a foe, be victorious in battle, and amass huge treasuries. They could not afford to make even one small mistake, as it could cost them their wealth, kingdom, or life. For this reason, they sought counsel from the most learned experts on the subjects of human nature and brilliant decision-making strategies. They understood the importance of making decisions based on the whole person (soul, mind, and body). It is this knowledge that you are about to receive."

Intelligent persons should endeavor to attain wealth, and the greatest wealth is knowledge. With tried and proven knowledge, any person can obtain all other kinds of wealth.

About the Author:

Best-Selling Author * Emmy-Winning Television Producer * Motivational and Inspirational Speaker * Counselor to the "Stars" * Business Executive

Terry Cole-Whittaker is considered by many to be one of the premier motivational and inspirational speakers and teachers in the world. Global authority, Dr. Cole-Whittaker is shaping the International concept of what is possible to achieve in one's personal life and career through love and enlightenment.

Dr. Cole-Whittaker backs up her unique business and success strategies with a track record that's been called amazing. She ran her own multi-million a year corporation of forty employees, 600 volunteers and seven teaching centers throughout California. Her Emmy-winning weekly television ministry program was syndicated in over 400 markets in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Guam and reached millions.

Starting as a single mother of two daughters she become one of the most influential spiritual trailblazer of her time by learning and applying the sacred knowledge she shares with her readers and audiences. Those who have been touched and inspired by Dr. Terry's lectures, seminars, television and radio programs, recorded programs, and books reads like a Who's Who of Global Leaders in business, psychology, motivation, politics, inspiration, education, arts, literature, and theater including Anthony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay, and Neale Donald Walsch.

10 Women of Power, a best-selling book by Laurel King lists Dr. Cole-Whittaker as one of the 10 most powerful and inspirational women in the world. She received three honorary Doctorate degrees for her trail-blazing, humanitarian work. She was third runner-up in the Mrs. America Pageant and Mrs. California in 1968.

Her five published books highlight the body of her work. What You Think of Me is None of My Business, a classic pioneering book on personal power and motivation; Number One on the
New York Times Best seller list How To Have More in a Have Not World; The Inner Path From Where You are To Where You Want To Be; Love and Power in a World Without Limits, a Woman's Guide to the Goddess Within; and Dare to Be Great.

She has appeared on over 800 television and radio programs including Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and has been featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal, and in Time, Newsweek, Family Circle, and many other magazines and newspapers.

Terry travels extensively giving seminars, retreats, and key note addresses to both spiritual and entrepreneurial groups. www.TerryColeWhittaker.com

"When I'm thin I'll be happy." This is the common refrain of those struggling to obtain an American obsession: "being thin". Inherently, "being thin" supposedly guarantees inner peace and happiness. Two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Are two- thirds of the American adult population unhappy?

The number of overweight and obese persons in this country continues to increase at a staggering rate. In their search to be thin and happy, obese people opt more and more frequently for bariatric surgery to assist them in losing unwanted, happiness-preventing pounds. The number of surgical procedures for weight loss is skyrocketing. In the past decade, nearly a million people have had bariatric surgery. These people believe that as their extra weight melts away following surgery, they will finally be happy with themselves and with life because they will "be thin." Many post-surgical, thin-for-the-first-time-in-their-lives people are shocked and devastated upon realizing that inner peace and life happiness are not automatic byproducts of significant weight loss. Sadly, a large percentage of people who lose tremendous amounts of weight regain much of it in the months and years following bariatric surgery. This is a devastating reality - one that can be prevented.

Eat it Up will be the first weight loss book focused on the prevention of regaining weight following bariatric surgery. Eat it Up also will be the first book to incorporate the whole person, mind/body approach to life after bariatric surgery. Obesity is a disease of isolation that negatively affects every aspect of a person's life: spiritual, cognitive, emotional, physical, social and professional. Consequently, recovering from obesity, accepting oneself and the realities of life requires healing for the whole person. Preventing weight regain requires dealing with life's ups and downs directly without using food or finding a substitute substance or behavior to numb oneself from feelings. Written with humor, compassion and a "firm and fair" approach, Eat it Up will be a must-have for all persons whose lives are affected by obesity.

Readers of Eat It Up learn the underlying causes of obesity and how being overweight leads to imbalance in every area of life. They learn healthy ways to deal directly with threats to their recovery from obesity. Readers are given tools to help them triumph as they recreate a healthier self in mind and body. These tools assist readers in handling difficult social situations where food is the guest of honor, when they are alone and hear their favorite goodies calling to them from the refrigerator, when needing to defeat "head hunger," and in dealing with would-be saboteurs of their weight loss success. Readers learn skills, attitudes and behaviors necessary for sustained weight loss as part of a complete, healthy, balanced life.

People deserve the riches of inner peace and happiness in life. "Being thin," by itself, does not guarantee these treasures. Living a healthy, balanced life does lead to the attainment of such abundance. Eat It Up is the complete mind/body guide to a full life after bariatric surgery. Eat It Up is a must-read for patients, their families and friends, and health care workers who deal with the overweight and obese in this country. Healthier and happier individuals make for a healthier and happier America.

About the Author:

Connie Stapleton, Ph.D., takes a compassionate, humorous, and reality-based approach to dealing with patients and their issues. Dr. Stapleton's mission is to inspire people to live full, balanced lives. She is an expert in recovery from addictions of all sorts. Her passion is the mental, physical and spiritual health of parents and families. Dr. Stapleton is a licensed psychologist and owner of Mind/Body Health Services in Augusta, GA. She serves on the Mental Health Advisory Board for ObesityHelp.com and maintains certification as an Addiction Counselor. She has worked for 18 years in the field of addiction and speaks publicly on the topic. She works with professional students at the Medical College of Georgia and is assisting in the implementation of alcohol and drug assistance for impaired professionals. Dr. Stapleton has been a featured expert for articles in New Physician and Pregnancy magazines. Her 17-year professional history includes teaching at the university level and conducting lectures and workshops. Future titles include additional mind/body books related to weight loss, alcohol and drug addiction, parenting and the family. In her public speaking career she inspires others to implement the tools that lead to a full happy life. She is married to her husband and business partner of 25 years. They have three grown children who are their greatest joy.

Imagine celebrating puberty--the moodiness, the body changes, the wild fluctuations of being both a little girl and a fully-grown woman instead of apologizing for it! Twelve fabulous pre-pubescent girls (and their parents) consented to participate in a five year documentation of their physical and emotional changes through photography and interviews. They come from vastly different backgrounds reflecting a broad cross-section of society. The result is honest, funny and non-judgmental and the portraits combined with the girls' own words provide an intimate view into the changing minds of 10 to 15 year olds. Year four is complete, and expected completion date is Fall, 2008.

It's ALL about ME! fills a major gap in the Parenting Section by giving parents and their daughters a broad sampling of the inevitable physical and emotional changes associated with puberty in a compelling, upbeat fashion. Each girl has been photographed by the author once a year, always in the same setting, a neutral location. She dresses as she wishes which ranges from designer wear to just plain sweats. The visual presentation coupled with a colloquial writing style serves as a welcomed antidote to the more clinical, and pre-dominantly negative, adolescence books.

Who is the 4.0 student and which girl is currently struggling? Who lives in the mansion and who is in foster-care? It doesn't really matter but you or your daughter might identify with a sentiment expressed by one of the girls or relate to a body-shape and its changes. The 12 subjects are deliberately very normal. No one is an exceptional athlete or gifted scholar, but neither are they destined to fail (notwithstanding some tricky circumstances). Their words are candid and funny. They teach us a lot. The images show how swiftly the inevitable physical changes can happen (or not); there are chubby phases and trimmer phases; happy moments and some very sad moments but the best part is that it's normal! The girls remain anonymous, eliminating the temptation to pigeonhole by race or socio-economic elements and psychologists and school counselors have already expressed interest in using it to engage teens and initiate dialogue during family counseling sessions. Parents and care-givers are also interviewed-year one revealing their hopes and fears for the soon to appear adolescent years and then again at year five, to reflect back and share what they would and wouldn't do again.

The project It's ALL about ME! came into existence as a reaction to the author's 9 year-old daughter's approaching adolescence. Jacqui reached for books on the subject but was dismayed at the lack of positive imagery or advice relating to puberty so she starting working out her own feeling as a mother through her photography. She documented her daughter's last threads of girlhood and witnessed her burgeoning physical and mental maturity.

Images alone seemed incomplete, as Jacqui wanted to know what her daughter was thinking. So she drew up a list of 35 questions ranging from the banal "What is your favorite food?" to the more intimate "Have you ever kissed a boy?" And then Jacqui involved a few of her daughter's friends . . . . Before the author knew it, a project had blossomed. In short, this book is a celebration of the beautiful and extraordinary transition from little girl to woman, without judgment. In 2006, the author was awarded a grant due to her work on the It's ALL about ME! project and became officially a 'Seattle CityArtist' and first exhibited the project at the International Children's Festival in May 2007.

It's not just ANOTHER parenting book ……………...

About the Author:

Australian born Jacqui James is a professional photographer currently living and working in Seattle, Washington. Ms. James spent 20 years of her adult life in a variety of non-English speaking countries relying on her eyes, her intuition and ability to listen.

She has had the privilege of photographing a myriad of culturally dynamic figures including opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, Italy's beloved comedian Piero Chiambretti, world renowned car designer Giorgietto Giugiaro for Maserati, Lamborgini & Alfa Romeo, exiled Burmese Princess Yadana Nat Mè, Portuguese Prime Minister Cavaco Silva, the family of Benazir Bhutto, and Baron von Thyssen-Bornemisza in his sumptuous castle.

Upon re-entering an English speaking culture, Ms. James found her voice and began combining her photography with writing. She is a regular contributor of articles to her local paper, often taking on meaty social topics.

The physical and emotional pain the author experienced from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome led to an accidental discovery of an inner process that provided profound insight into how to get relief from internal stress in an unusual, yet simple way. Instead of making uncomfortable feelings wrong, Fraser learned to understand that they are powerful messengers. When she listened to them, instead of pushing them away, they led to a release of blocked energy as well as an amazing insight into how to expand awareness in an ongoing simple way. The author has been teaching individuals, couples and groups for the past 21 years how to use this healing process. What's So Good About "Bad" Feelings? will guide the reader through the four steps of a process called The Goldmine Cycle -- a way to tap into the unconscious messages hidden in depression, anxiety, anger, envy, sadness, fears and other so called "bad" stressful emotions. In addition to the author's personal story, the book will include stories of individuals with various physical and emotional problems learning to access the powerful intelligence that lives in the body and reveals itself through feelings. All of the journeys will be followed by a brief explanation of The Landmine Cycle -- undermining thoughts and their consequences -- and the corresponding unconscious hidden beliefs and fears. Each process will conclude with the personal treasures each individual discovered in their inner journey and how these treasures enhance their lives and encourage them towards more authentic behavior. Questions following the stories will encourage the reader to follow through on their own four steps. An in-depth list of the steps (Intend, Attend, Descend, Amend) of the process are included.

Special Features:
What's So Good About "Bad" Feelings? Will include a worksheet as well as a CD developed by the author to teach readers to mindfully listen to feelings, uncover their hidden messages and make positive changes in their lives. Each chapter will include inspirational quotes and a breakdown of the four essential steps to help the reader create their own map. This will enable readers to get focused and move forward in their desire to live a more authentic, rewarding life.

The four steps of this life enhancing process will help the reader discover and release negative feelings. Whether dealing with fatigue, stress, depression, physical illness, or just a sense of unease, this book will help to create a relationship with yourself that can lead to serenity, joy, greater creativity, intuition, and inner balance. It is a truly remarkable life expanding tool.

About the Author:

Judith Morton Fraser, a Marriage, Family Therapist has worked with clients whose problems included, but were not limited to, alcoholism, codependency, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, relationship miscommunication, sexual addiction, anger, bereavement, fibromyalgia, persistent headaches, cancer and panic disorder. She has created and presented one-day workshops and weekend retreats at various schools and spiritual centers for the past sixteen years focusing on the material in this book as well as other creative, experiential processes. She has a bachelor's degree in theater from the University of California in Los Angeles and a masters degree in Ed. Psych from CSUN. She has expertise in Psychosynthesis and Neurolinguistic Training. Fraser is licensed by the Board of Education in California to create workshops and provide continuing education units for Social Workers, Marriage Family Therapists and interns. Her published short stories and articles include THE STRESS OF CHRONIC FATIGUE, Chicken Soup anthology; ALONE IN THE WOODS BEARLY, Los Angeles Times & L.A. Times Syndicate; GRAMMAS DON'T DIE, Everywoman's Village; TO KNOW YOU, Hallmark; THANKFUL, L.A. Times; A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE, MY BRIDGE, IT'S OUR MOON and YOU CAN'T GO BACK appear within CHOCOLATE FOR A WOMAN'S series with Simon & Schuster.

This book is about you, and about me, and about our children. It is about most families today. More than half of the couples who marry will divorce at least once, most of these within the first fifteen years of marriage. For couples who are parents, these are the parenting years. If we included couples who separate or who are involved in disputes over custody of their children, the figure would be close to three out of four families. As a result, over twenty million children live in single-parent households; this is the estimated population of the entire state of Texas.

Many of the parents included in these figures will seek resolution within the legal system. This book tells the story of these parents and their children. It tells the story of what happens when intimacy, fluidity and the dynamic nature of relationship itself is cut and pasted into the rigid structure of an adversarial legal system. A system that, from its inception, was designed to determine guilt and innocence, not how and why families come apart. It is about what happens when the complexities of the emotions of love, jealousy, hurt and anger are used as evidence. It is about how children are the debris. It is about how we address the men and women who sit on the bench as "Your Honor," as if they are endowed with the Wisdom of Solomon himself. It is about how they struggle and agonize over doing the right thing when their law school training provides them with meager training in family dynamics or child development. It is about "cutting the baby in half," and what happens to the baby.

Courtroom dramas have become part of our common experience; they are constantly in the news, magazines, and the subject of talk shows, television series, and the hybrid of "reality TV." Judges, lawyers, psychologists, social workers and law enforcement participate in the enactment of these dramas. As observers, we are fascinated by the ritual and intrigue of the courtroom; yet so many of us are not merely observers. Many of us know from direct experience how if feels to tell our stories and the stories of our children to someone who is invested with enormous power over our lives, but knows only what we can tell them about our families in thirty minutes. Many parents live with court orders that tell them when they can spend time with our children, how much they must pay to support them, and when they may take them on summer vacations. Yet, we are unfamiliar and unsophisticated about the rules and laws that govern this institution to which we surrender.

VOICES How to Protect Your Children in Family Court provides the lens that enables the reader to clearly see and hear what goes on inside the walls of family court. There is no blame or judgment. The author's only bias is for the children, because they are the only victims. Through the compelling stories and courtroom scenarios, we learn something we did not know before. Our perspective shifts. The law is not an oracle; it cannot give us wisdom, insight, compassion or values. We must each cultivate those in ourselves. It can only do what it was designed to do: tell us how to act. How do we take responsibility, individually and collectively, for our children and ourselves? What is required to renew and recreate a system that can support families effectively and more compassionately during one the most difficult times in their lives.

Voices begin with a story taken from actual cases within the family courts. Using these stories and others woven throughout the book, the author provides us with a first-hand look at how the system of family law actually works. Each chapter describes how the decisions are made about the cases presented, and how those decisions impact the day to day lives of the parents and children involved. Not only are the stories dynamic and evocative in themselves, but they gain power and poignancy as we see the cast of characters bound by the limitations of the law, and its ability to provide resolution and protection for those who seek it.

About the Author:

Susan Nordmeyer's path to the family court system began after she received her graduate degree from the University of Texas. Having grown up on the border of south Texas, Susan returned there to begin her career. Already committed to giving a voice to those who the system did not recognize, she took a position as the crisis-intervention counselor at a south Texas high school.

These were early 1980's when federal money had just become available for underprivileged minority students. Susan took one of the first professional positions created in south Texas for at-risk teens. She was given an office in a portable building behind the gymnasium and furnished it herself. None of the students knew what she was doing there, and for the first couple of months, the days were long. She began making short introductory talks during classes and the word spread. Soon students were waiting in the hallway to talk to her. She implemented the first Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous programs within the south Texas educational system. With the support of a progressive, committed principal, she produced a public television series for the community about students at risk. The students, talking from behind a screen, told their stories. As a result, parent/community action groups were formed, and dialogue about solutions began.

When she came to southern California in 1989, Susan was hired as a child custody mediator for a family court in southern California. The courts were desperately understaffed, and the mediators were seeing as many as six families daily. During her years as a child custody mediator, Susan mediated hundreds of cases involving child custody disputes, child abuse and domestic violence. Often she was called by the judge to give expert witness testimony on behalf of the best interest of the children involved in her cases. It was not uncommon for her to be on the witness stand for hours, being examined and cross-examined by attorneys.

Taking the extensive knowledge and experience she gained working directly with parents and children with her, Susan was given the opportunity to continue her work with children and families at a statewide, policy making level for the Judicial Council of California in San Francisco. During those years Susan coordinated statewide training and education for all court-connected child custody professionals for throughout the state of California. She represented the best interest of children and families to the state legislature on a regular basis. She co-authored the laws which currently dictate how child custody mediation, investigations and domestic violence cases are conducted within the California courts.

Again, wanting to share her knowledge and expertise, as well as understand the complex relationship between law and life, Susan left the urban courts of California and moved to the pueblos of New Mexico. For three years she worked for a tribal organization called PeaceKeepers as an advocate for Native American women who were victims of domestic violence. Because of her background in family law and policy, she assisted certain tribal governments in crafting their initial written laws regarding domestic violence and child custody.

Susan is a well-known and respected leader and pioneer in the fields of child custody, divorce and domestic violence. She has extensive pubic speaking experience and a reputation for her ability to powerfully articulate the family court experience, especially as it impacts the lives of children. For over twenty years she has been committed to the principle that the judicial system provides an opportunity for the voices of children, mothers and fathers to be heard, and that it listen responsibly. She had been repeatedly recognized for her service to families and the profession.