FEATURE TITLES
 

Clintonomics:
How Bill Clinton Reengineered the Reagan Revolution
by Jack Godwin, Ph.D.
with a foreword by
John Garamendi, Lt. Governor of California
AMACOM
For years, a pervasive belief has reigned in American politics—that two of our most recent presidents had drastically opposing views of our economy and our world. Historians and economists alike have explored, extolled and criticized Ronald Reagan’s presidency, particularly the theory of “Reaganomics,” which affirmed that big government was the cause, not the solution, to our problems. In public, President Bill Clinton positioned his approach as the antidote to Reaganomics. But in reality, his governing philosophy was the logical corollary to the Reagan Revolution.

Clintonomics explores how Clinton’s presidency marked the return of fiscal discipline and the end of big government. Political scientist Jack Godwin reveals how Clinton succeeded where Reagan failed and how Clinton’s ability to demystify, but not simplify, the world around us made him one of the most successful politicians of all time. He shows how Clinton succeeded by repairing the flaws in Reaganomics and then presenting a governing philosophy appropriate for the 21st century and equal to the powerful forces of globalization. Controversial and insightful, this book will redefine how we see the legacies of these two leaders—and the forces that helped define their influence on the world.
 

Dynamic Duos:
The Alpha / Beta Key to Unlocking Success
In Gay Relationships
by Keith W. Swain, Psy.D.
In this book you will discover:
• How gay men’s mating behaviors are directed by evolutionary biology
• How gay men fall into two distinct types based on their biology: Alphas (Super Heroes) and Betas (Sidekicks)
• How gay relationships succeed or fail based on Alpha/Beta balancing dynamics
• A series of tests to reveal your type and your current (or future) partner’s type
• Profiles of the type of man you should be dating
• Effective ways to find and connect with your life-long Sidekick or Super Hero
• Positive solutions to problems that occur in most gay relationships
• Hundreds of ways to put the “POW!” in any gay relationship!

You have been searching for years. Each time you think you’ve found your Superman, something happens along the way to transform him into Lex Luther. As the title Dynamic Duos indicates, there is a new way―a revolutionary way―to create gay relationships of amazing power and durability. Among gay relationship guides, this book has a novel premise: All gay men are not the same biologically. In fact, there are two distinct types of gay men, alphas and betas, Super Heroes and Sidekicks—and a successful gay relationship requires one of each. Tired of searching? Then it’s time to stop fighting the forces of nature. Discover your own unique superpowers, disarm your kryptonite weaknesses, and create a Dynamic Duo all your own. Dynamic Duos is available now online and in bookstores across the world.
 

The Price Is Wrong:
Understanding What Makes a Price Seem Fair
and the True Cost of Unfair Pricing
by Sarah Maxwell, Ph.D.
with a foreword by
Jon Luther, CEO, Dunkin' Brands, Inc.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
In this very timely book, Dr. Sarah Maxwell explains what is meant by a fair price and why it matters, including why and how all of us fight for fair prices in daily small clashes such as the price of airline tickets and occasional huge conflicts such as the current price of gasoline. By fighting for fairness, Maxwell argues, we maintain our consumer rights and our trust in the economic system. The Price Is Wrong presents an enlightening examination of fair prices and fair pricing that truly resonates with those of us who are concerned with everything from gas gouging to unexpected billing charges and beyond.

The Arrow and the Olive Branch:
Practical Idealism In US Foreign Policy
by Jack Godwin, Ph.D.
with a foreword by
Leon E. Panetta
Praeger Security International
The Arrow and the Olive Branch is a cross between The Federalist Papers, the instructions our founding fathers wrote explaining how the Constitution should work, and The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli's 16th-century treatise on statecraft. It begins with the 9/11 attacks, and then goes back to George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address, in which he warned his compatriots of the dangers of foreign entanglements. It then reconstructs the doctrine of practical idealism chronologically, examining every foreign policy precedent set by every president since Washington. Less than three decades after Washington left office, for example, James Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to future European colonization. In the mid-19th century, Ulysses Grant asserted that the Monroe Doctrine gave America the right to intervene in Cuba's fight for independence, but counseled restraint in the use of American power. In the early 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt redefined the scope of the Monroe Doctrine, asserting that America's sphere of influence included the entire world. After World War I, Woodrow Wilson envisioned a new international system based on open diplomacy, free trade, and self-determination.

From gunboat diplomacy to dollar diplomacy, from world war to limited war, cold war to preemptive war, The Arrow and the Olive Branch tells a unique version of American history and illuminates many of the international challenges we face today. Anyone who believes the old adage that politics should end at the water's edge will find this book to be an invaluable resource. Relying exclusively on primary documents rather than secondary sources, the book is carefully researched and strictly nonpartisan. Despite shifting alliances, historical events, and technological advances, the doctrine of practical idealism has not changed much in more than 200 years.

The Medium
by Noelle Sickels
Five Star
When thirteen-year-old Helen Schneider receives a psychic vision of a neighbor caught in a catastrophic fire, she’s too frightened to tell anyone.  Her grandmother, a practicing and occasionally fraudulent medium, discovers her secret and wants to train her in the techniques of mediumship. Afraid of being branded a freak, Helen suppresses her clairvoyance until her senior year of high school, when she is jolted by a premonition of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 

Helen agrees to hold séances for the grieving families of dead servicemen.  Her talents expand to include automatic writing and that rarest of all psychic abilities, spirit materialization.  Drawn deeply into the world beyond the grave, she develops an urgent desire to determine the significance of spirit messages.  At the same time, she must contend with sharp anxieties in the world of the living.  Will her German-American grandmother be interned in a camp for enemy aliens?  Will friends fighting overseas make it home safely?  What should she do about her growing affection for her fiance’s brother?  Why is the U. S. Army so interested in her séances?         

The domain of The Medium is the home front during World War II, and the story is rich with details of ordinary days and ordinary people in that unordinary time.  The companion domain of The Medium is the mysterious realm of ghosts and spirit guides, of the unknown trying to make itself known.  Helen must find her true place in both spheres.
 

Sudden Influence:
How Spontaneous Events Shape Our Lives
by Michael A. Rousell, Ph.D.
Praeger
Songwriter Carly Simon recalls an emotionally intense high school episode when her boyfriend referred to her stammer as "charming." Simon regards that moment as a turning point for her self-esteem, and so her future. Tennis champion Venus Williams recalls one of her sister's pep talks when "her words changed my life." Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal credits an offhand remark by his mother as "the words that changed everything for me." All three cases illustrate a Spontaneous Influence Event, or SIE. In this book, psychologist Michael Rousell, who has studied such events across decades, shows how SIEs -- which occur when we are emotionally charged -- occur to all of us, for better or worse. These events trigger an intense emotional response and activate a mental state of extreme suggestibility. There is thus fertile ground for statements about our worth, abilities, and potential to be implanted solidly in our minds, leading to success or failure, often without our completely comprehending the effect and why it occurred. Rousell explains how the sudden impact of these SIEs disarms our instinctive defense mechanisms and rational thinking processes, leaving us open to instant adoption of new beliefs. He looks at the neurobiology of this spontaneous change, why the events occur, how to defend against the negative among them, and how to manage or promote positive SIEs. He also explains, through common vignettes, how and why the brain encodes SIEs to be triggered again and again in memory at later dates. Finally, Rousell details how we can recognize Elevated Suggestibility States (or "teachable moments") and use that knowledge to create positive SIEs for ourselves and those we love. And he explains how we can undo the damage of negative SIEs that may be haunting us, holding us back, or hurting us.

The Shopkeeper's Wife
by Noelle Sickels
St. Martin's Press
In 1886 Philadelphia, Hanna Willer begins employment as a maid-of-all-work for Isabelle Martin, the pregnant wife of a prosperous shopkeeper. Hanna, fresh from her rural home, is a quietly observant and practical young woman. Isabelle is lonely and restless, dangerously discontented with her life and obsessed with her reckless pursuit of happiness. Yet despite their differences, the two forge an unconventional friendship. But when Mr. Martin dies under suspicious circumstances, and the evidence points to Isabelle, Hanna finds herself thrust into the midst of a murder trial that becomes a touchstone for the shifting values of modern society. As she wrestles with her role, she confronts the attitudes that city life has bred in her -- attitudes about what is possible between men and women; what is fair and not fair in the lives of her immigrant friends; and what one person can do in the face of large, powerful forces like the press, public opinion, and accepted wisdom.
 

Walking West
by Noelle Sickels
St. Martin's Press
In the wet spring of 1852, a small band of Indiana farm families set off for California, lured west by the promise of a better life. The Muller party crosses treacherous rivers, slogs through mud and thunderstorms, and hauls wagons up and down mountains and over baking deserts in a seven-month journey across our raw continent. Among them is Alice Muller, a reluctant traveler forced to leave home by her husband Henry's dreams of prosperity. But the Mullers greatly underestimate the hardships they will face, and it is ultimately Alice who must draw on the deepest reserves of body and soul to lead the little group of bone-weary emigrants through their final miles. In doing so, Alice changes from a dutiful farm wife into a woman capable of deep commitment, strong actions, and profound self-knowledge.
 

Full Moon
by Alan M. Petrillo
JoNa Books
In 1902, Detective Inspector Thomas Law investigates a series of bizarre murders. The victims include a barrister, an Irish prostitute, shopkeeper, and a shares broker. The newspapers are full of stories of a werewolf roaming the city. It is up to Detective Inspector Law to sift through the clues to find the only suspect with both the motive and the opportunity to commit the murders.
 

Tickets to a Closing Play
by Janet I. Buck
Gival Press
Acclaimed poet Janet I. Buck has published extensively in The Pedestal and Red River Review, among other journals and magazines, and is a six-time Pushcart Nominee.

 

 

MEET THE AUGUST AUTHORS
 

George and Sedena Cappannelli
George and Sedena Cappannelli are the authors of Authenticity : Simple Strategies for Greater Meaning and Purpose at Work and at Home and Say Yes to Change: 25 Keys to Winning in Times of Transition. They are also business consultants, political advisors, executive/personal coaches, and artists. With more than 25 years of experience with organizations and individuals around the globe, the Cappannellis help redefine vision, develop new strategies, build strong teams, and increase profitability and performance for industry-leading organizations and for the thousands of people who attend their public seminars. They are currently collaborating on their latest book, Making the Best of the Rest of Your Life.

Sarah Hina
Sarah Hina hails from Athens, Ohio. She penned her first short story as a diversion from medical school. Hooked, she soon discovered that she preferred the wonderful self-absorption of her own imagination to the relentless demands of curing sick people. Leaving the doctoring to more capable hands, Sarah reclaimed her life as a writer of wry observation and lush, textured prose. Plum Blossoms in Paris, a poignant love story that crosses the prickly French-American divide, is her debut novel (forthcoming from Medallion  Press). As a wife and mother Sarah's life revolves around her husband and two children, yet as a writer she is forever grateful for the few hours a day she gets to do this mad, uncertain thing she likes to call living.