Mother to Son, by Kimberley R. Crouch

Words of Wisdom, Inspiration, and Hope for Today's Young African-American Men

“Mothers raise their daughters and love their sons,” is an old adage that has been around in the African-American community for years. With the release of movies like Boyz In The Hood and Menace to Society, this adage has grown in popularity in the African-American community and has often been used to explain the ills facing many young African-American men. For any African-American mother who has heard this adage and believed it true, comes a compelling book of wisdom, inspiration and hope that’s bound to prove differently. Mother to Son is a powerfully written book that shows that mothers do more than love their sons. The author, through a beautifully scripted, heartfelt collection of letters, offers candid advice for her sons on the issues they may face from racism to self-recognition. Although written from a mother to her sons, this book provides timeless wisdom for all. A MUST read for any mother facing the challenge of preparing her sons for, and protecting them from, the society in which they must live.


About the Author

A native of St. Louis, Kimberley R. Crouch graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a law degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana.

Writing has always been her passion. As a child, Kim spent hours writing books and poetry as well as television and film scripts. As an intern reporter for The St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kim researched and wrote about many issues facing urban youth including an in depth look at life in the Blumeyer Housing Projects. In April 2006, Kim created First Generation Publishing. She also writes a parenting blog.

In addition to publishing, Kim is very involved in education reform and initiatives. She is creator of the Back to School Expo and Parent Up. She frequently speaks about the role of parents in preventing and addressing bullying. She is a strong proponent of children and parental rights and empowers parents to advocate on behalf of their children both in school and in life.

Kim is married and the mother of three boys: a 3-year old, a 10-year old, who is the author of "Why I Love Mommies," and a 13-year old, who owns the Sport It: Attitude Is Everything T-shirt line.

She also serves as an advisory member to Empowered Young Men and as a board member of Urban Opportunities, a nonprofit focused on at-risk youth.

Follow the Author on Twitter
https://www.twitter.com/kimcrouch

BUY THE BOOK
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OUSGLU/

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Poor-Sucker Syndrome: The Story about Leeches and the Men that Feed Them

***This book will be FREE FOR KINDLE DOWNLOAD on April 5th***

A self-help, self-defense book to save men. And a get-rich-quick guide for women.

In the last decade, Poor-Sucker Syndrome has surpassed unemployment as the single leading cause of damage to Mankind’s happiness: that is, a man becomes obsessed with a woman and is taken advantage of financially in a misguided pursuit of affection and affirmation—more precisely: leeched. It is a silent killer from which no man is completely immune.

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In one of the most unique and personal self-help books to ever come along, a well-researched and personal account, Mitch Vandell gives name to and breaks down this widely familiar yet rarely recognized mental disorder into short, bite-sized chapters. These include the psychological enablers of leeching, an overview of basic leeching strategies, and the environmental and socio-economic risk factors involved in contracting the syndrome. In a unique and personal self-help book, this well-researched account describes the syndrome as a silent killer from which no man is completely immune. Featuring an overview of basic leeching strategies, the book will help men avoid the slippery slope of going from an envied playboy to a pitied poor sucker. Or, to women, a get-rich-quick guide to hone their skills of reaping the maximum rewards in their interactions with men.

Breaking down the widely familiar yet rarely recognized mental disorder into short bite-sized chapters, “Poor-Sucker Syndrome: features a series of humorous case studies with theories that incorporate psychology, social anthropology and economic theory.

For More Info
Website: http://poorsucker.net/home.php

BUY THE BOOK
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007S271IW

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Author Interview With Thomas DiPaolo: "The Secret to Understanding Men"

Author Interview with Thomas DiPaolo

"The Secret to Understanding Men"

Featured Author: Thomas DiPaolo
"The Secret to Understanding Men"

Why do you feel you had to write “The Secret to Understanding Men”?
Truthfully, out of necessity. I felt like this was a book that had to be written and had never been done before. There are so many stereotypes about how men think, what they desire and what men truly want yet sadly these could not be more false. The irony is that in most cases these stereotypes are created by men as a defense mechanism to hide true feeling and inability to communicate. The topics in this book are subjects that men would never discuss and will always avoid. The book itself is brutally honest and open, and there is definitely a shock value associated with this level of honesty. Very few men would write a book like this, much less put their name on it and publish it. In my case, I just decided it was time for this to finally happen. Women deserve to know how men really think as opposed to the dishonesty and avoidance that usually comes with discussing these topics.

From where do you get these ideas?
I’ve published several books for men and which delve into the progression of the “Alpha Male” mentality, but this was very different and unlike any project I have worked on before. This specific idea came from feedback from readers and of course from friends. I’ve been asked multiple time why I write books for men and have not written one for women. My answer had always been that I’m simply not qualified to write any book for women. Upon further thought, I decided that that was not really true. Most relationship books are written ironically, by women and read by women. In considering this, it did not make a lot of sense to me. If you want to really understand how an Alpha Male thinks who is better qualified to help you understand that. An Alpha Male or a woman with a psychology degree self proclaiming to be an expert on Alpha Males. To me it seemed an obvious. If I wanted to better understand women I certainly would not ask a man, regardless of his claims to expertise. Actually, I’m hopeful a woman will write a similar book one day. I would love to read it.

Do you ever experience writer's block?
No, not really. I think this is something that occurs more often in fiction writers. For me this particular project flowed more easily than just about any other project I’ve worked on. I think when writing in the self development genre if you are passionate about the subject it comes naturally. Writer's block is rarely a problem for me.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Just start. So many people consider the idea of writing and publishing a book, but let fear hold them back. Many even begin, but decide their work is not good enough. Actually, most authors think this way at some point. By the time a project is complete, most authors have read, re-read, analyzed, changed, proofread and beat their book to death. By the time they are done, they typically are their biggest critics and hate it. My advice is to publish it anyway. Let your feedback guide you and let the public decide. If you are passionate about the subject you will find some level of success.

How do you market your work?
I do some basic marketing for all of my books, but nothing extensive. Of course I have social media pages and blogs associated with each project and from time to time I try to mix in something new but honestly, if not for word of mouth advertising I would have very little success at all. Most of my new readers hear about the books from other readers. To me this is better than any paid advertising, although I do pay for advertising from time to time to reach new reader bases.

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About Thomas DiPaolo

Thomas DiPaolo was born in Florida in 1976. His first published book was in 2011, "How to Win Any Fight Without Training."  He has since published several other personal development books, including "The Secret to Understanding Men," "Things a Man Should Know," "Daddy" and "Sculpting Natural Leadership."

"Perception" is the first Novel by Thomas DiPaolo and part of the “Historians” series.

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FOR MORE INFO:
Blog: http://thesecrettounderstandingmen.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-to-Understanding-Men/398541000217364


BUY THE BOOK
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Understanding-Men-Secrets/dp/1482665808

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-secret-to-understanding-men-thomas-dipaolo/1113785998?ean=9781482665802

Ibookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/secret-to-understanding-men/id573725613?mt=11

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The Omission - Official Book Video Trailer

The Omission, by Kathy Golden

Synopsis:
The Omission story is approximately 12,000 words long. By some definitions it is considered a novelette, which usually has a word count between 7500-25000 words.

A teenage son finds out that his father is a homosexual. This news is so devastating and disturbing to Jared Sanford Brown, the main character, that he moves away from his family with the sole intent never to be associated with them again.

Readers first encounter Jared, at twenty, as he tries to tell his wife, Jean, the manner in which he learned that his father was gay. From there, the story unfolds, using both present action and flashback to reveal Jared’s ongoing determination to go on with the new life he has chosen for himself.

Four years after leaving home, the fact that he and his wife are about to have a child forces him to confront the broken family tie he has willfully refused to rebind. His most troubling questions are: Can he accept a man who is gay as his father? Does he even have to?

In 2012, adoption by same-sex parents is becoming more and more prevalent. Most of these parents are adopting infants who will grow up, fully aware that their parents are gay. Yet, despite this knowledge, it is possible that some of these children, like Jared, may still rebel against having gay parents. After all, children–today, yesterday and tomorrow–are ever rebelling against parents for one reason or another. And there is no reason to believe that finding out one’s parents are gay and exactly what that means won’t be added to the list of “things to rebel against.”

The Omission is purely fictional and based on fictional characters created by the author. It is a story that takes a look at dealing with gay parentage from the perspective of a teenager growing into a young adult and making his own choice, concerning who he will call “his family.”

The Omission Short Story, by Kathy Golden

FOR MORE INFO:
Website: www.theomissionstory.com

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/QkqDdY
Barnes and Noble:   http://bit.ly/SSPYO6

Dear Dad: Reflections on Fatherhood, by John W. Fountain

Synopsis
Father—a child’s first hero, a key universal figure for us all. A father’s impact is both profound and lasting. Good or bad, our experience with our fathers helps shape our lives. Good fathers lie at the foundation of the success of future generations. For those who have known the love of a father, nothing is comparable.

Neither does anything compare to the pain of those who have suffered fatherlessness. There is hope to be found, within these pages, both in the lasting impact of the men who chose to be a vital presence in the lives of their children, and in the remarkable resilience of those once fatherless children who found life, success, and reconciliation, despite their father’s absence.

Inspired by John W. Fountain’s essay for National Public Radio’s This I Believe series, Dear Dad is a compilation of true narratives written by some of the nation’s finest journalists and writers, assembled for this project by Fountain, himself an award-winning journalist who has been a national correspondent for the New York Times. Men and women from various walks of life and generations, they are black, white, and Hispanic. A good number of them have written for a number of the world’s best-known news organizations—the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Time magazine, and others.

All of them write herein about the impact of fathers or fatherlessness upon their own lives at a time when a national initiative and even President Barack Obama have sounded the clarion call for responsible fatherhood amid a continuing crisis of paternal absenteeism. But there are no victims in this collective psalm, only victors.

Dear Dad is for everyone who has a father, for everyone who has lost one, loved one, or longed for one, for everyone who happens to be one, and for everyone who longs to be a better one.

About the Author
A native son of Chicago, John W. Fountain is founder and publisher of WestSide Press Books L.L.C. An award-winning journalist and professor, he is author of "True Vine: A Young Black Man's Journey of Faith, Hope and Clarity" (Public Affairs Books). In a journalism career that has spanned two decades, Fountain has been a reporter at some of the nation's top newspaper, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. He is a professor of journalism at Roosevelt University in Chicago and a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

FOR MORE INFO
Website: http://www.wspbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/WestSide-Press/148230648563752
The Relationship Buzz Radio: The Importance of Fathers


BUY THE BOOK
Amazon: http://amzn.to/11rbRds