Frank Fontaine Stops By with a Review: Killing the Mob

 Killing the Mob by Bill O'Reilly is another installment of his history page-turning work that obviously focuses on the Mafia. O'Reilly begins his book with a historical look at criminals such Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Dillinger. He then writes about how the old Mob got their start in bootlegging during Prohibition. The Mob also dabbled in prostitution, gambling, protection money, and narcotics. There were many details about the Mafia's infamous witness tampering. SPOILER ALERT: The book ends with Donny Brasco (Johnny Depp movie, fugget-a-bow-tit) in the '80s. Some interesting tidbits include the Kennedy murders of both John and Robert. The failed assassination of Fidel Castro is discussed. J. Edgar Hoover supposedly laid off the mob because they had dirt on the famous head of the FBI. Common girlfriends were shared among mobsters.

My Review: This is the fourth O'Reilly book I've read. He has an in-depth look at the history along with fascinating tidbits. He will include facts as well as rumors, always citing which is which. Once I finished with the book, I had a feel for these infamous mobsters. As all of O'Reilly's books, I loved it and would highly recommend it to all history lovers and O'Reilly fans. I hope O'Reilly does a Killing of America, but I hope America doesn't get killed. 5/5 Star

Open House by Joey Sheehan

 

 

An Insider’s Tour of the Secret World of Residential Real Estate For Agents, Sellers, and Buyers

Non-fiction

Date Published:  May 2021

Publisher:  Canterbury Books

 

 

OPEN HOUSE! New Book By Veteran Realtor Joey Sheehan

Takes Readers Behind the Scenes Of An Often Opaque Industry

 

Approximately two-thirds of Americans are involved in real estate transactions. Yet there are few (if any) books that help people understand this complex activity from the perspectives of all three types of parties involved – agent, seller, and buyer. Stepping into the breach, seasoned Realtor Joey Sheehan has written a unique work — OPEN HOUSE! — filled with entertaining anecdotes and practical advice to ensure that her readers’ next real estate transaction proceeds as smoothly as possible.

“Residential real estate is a business like no other,” she writes. “It’s not rational like other businesses because the commodity being bought or sold is a home rather than a car or a refrigerator, and everybody knows that a man’s home is his castle. People get touchy about their castles — you can trust me on this — in a way they don’t about anything else.” Sellers often believe their homes are worth more than the market will bear. Buyers can make unreasonable demands. The agents for both need to ably guide their clients through a potentially volatile process with integrity and professionalism. Sheehan’s insights and counsel help everyone work together to benefit all.

The backbone of OPEN HOUSE! is Sheehan’s Twelve Laws of Real Estate:

 

1: Selling and buying real property is a very touchy business.

2: Academics publish or perish; Realtors sell or perish.

3: The seller may propose, but it is the buyer who disposes.

4: At the beginning, in the middle, and at the end, it’s always about price.

5: To get paid what you’re worth, insist on getting paid what you’re worth.

6: To stay out of legal trouble, learn the facts, and disclose them.

7: The first offer is the best offer.

8: It’s not over until it’s over.

9: Time is of the essence.

10: If a party to a transaction doesn’t understand the sales contract and something bad happens, watch out—especially if you’re the agent working with the party that does understand it.

11: Never commoditize Realtors: there are the great, the good, the middling, the incompetent, and the disastrous.

12: Engage a Realtor with superior skills, because up to and including the settlement at which a property’s legal transfer of ownership occurs, bizarre problems can surface.

 

Carefully considering the ramifications of each of the Twelve Laws, Sheehan helps agents understand how they can provide the best service possible, grow their businesses, and avoid unpleasant repercussions, ranging from frivolous client complaints to serious lawsuits. For sellers, she explains how to maximize the value of their homes and avoid the most common mistakes, such as not decluttering and staging their homes in a way calculated to appeal to prospects. For buyers, she provides extensive advice on how to find and purchase their dream home, even in a competitive bidding war. And most importantly, she helps everyone understand the terms of a real estate contract, a document which is legally binding on all parties to a transaction.

With her engaging writing style and flair for storytelling, Sheehan has created the ultimate guide to residential real estate sales. As Robert M. DeMarinis, a former vice president at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, observes, “OPEN HOUSE! delivers because it combines a smart businesswoman’s memoir with an impish ride through her professional world—not from the outside looking in but from the inside looking out!”  Anyone who is thinking about selling or buying a home or who works in the residential real estate industry will profit from reading this witty and informative book.

 

 

About the Author

Joey Sheehan, author of OPEN HOUSE!, is an award-winning real estate agent with over thirty years of experience. She is affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Realtors. After graduating with a BA from the University of California at Berkeley, she obtained an MA from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a PhD from Harvard University in Chinese intellectual history. Her first book, which was about the prominent Chinese scholar Wang Guowei (1877-1927), was published by Harvard University Press. She has written widely about both China and residential real estate in a variety of journals, newsletters, magazines, and newspapers. Learn more at www.joeysheehan.com.

 

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A Light to Kill By by Mikel J. Wilson

 

Book 3 of the Mourning Dove Mysteries Series

Mystery, LGBTQ

Date Published: August 3, 2021

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Emory Rome is back in A Light to Kill By, the third book in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series – a follow-up to the international bestsellers Murder on the Lake of Fire and Death Opens a Window.

Moments after construction tycoon Blair Geister’s death, a mysterious wandering light kills someone else on her Southern estate. Is the avenging spirit of the millionairess on a killing spree, or are other forces threatening those in her inner circle? As the will is read, suspicion and jealousy arise, and fingers point to the heirs of her fortune. Private investigator Emory Rome and his Mourning Dove partners accept an invitation to stay at Geisterhaus and unravel its secrets before more lives are lost.

At twenty-three and with a notorious case under his belt, Emory Rome has already garnered fame as a talented special agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. His career is leapfrogging over his colleagues, but the jumping stops when he's assigned a case he fought to avoid - an eerie murder in the Smoky Mountain hometown he had abandoned. The mysterious death of a teen ice-skater once destined for the pros is soon followed by an apparent case of spontaneous human combustion. In a small town bursting with friends and foes, Rome's own secrets lie just beneath the surface. The rush to find the murderer before he strikes again pits him against artful private investigator Jeff Woodard. The PI is handsome, smart and seductive, and he just might be the killer Rome is seeking.

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Emory Rome is back in DEATH OPENS A WINDOW, Book 2 of the Mourning Dove Mysteries and the follow-up to the international bestseller MURDER ON THE LAKE OF FIRE.

As he struggles with the consequences of his last case, Emory must unravel the inexplicable death of a federal employee in a Knoxville high-rise. But while the reticent investigator is mired in a deep pool of suspects – from an old mountain witch to the powerful Tennessee Valley Authority – he misses a greater danger creeping from the shadows. The man in the ski mask returns to reveal himself, and the shocking crime of someone close is unearthed.

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About The Author

Award-winning mystery author Mikel J. Wilson draws on his Southern roots for the international bestselling Mourning Dove Mysteries, a series of novels featuring bizarre murders in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee. Wilson adheres to a “no guns or knives” policy for the instigating murders in the series.

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DromFrangil by Cynthia McDonald

 

YA Fantasy

Date Published: 08-10-2021

Publisher: Cinnabar Moth

Though he doesn’t know it, Marcus Talent is special. Unfortunately for Marcus, he discovers this unexpectedly when he wakes up in an unfamiliar forest, has his prosthetic arm eaten by a horrifying monster, and then wakes up in his own bed, terrified and bleeding.

Marcus’s dad, Deacon, has answers. He heals Marcus’s new injuries, promising to answer all of Marcus’s questions about what happened the next day after school. But when Marcus gets home, he finds his dad missing and a ransom note appears out of a screaming hole in the sky. The only demand: travel again to get him back.

Helped by his human friends, Marcus sets out to find his dad in a world filled with creatures he couldn’t have imagined. Some of them are friendly. Some of them want to murder him. Or each other. They’re not picky. And everyone seems to know of his famous father, who has been hiding a lot more than an entire other world.

About the Author

Cynthia McDonald is the author of Life is a Terminal Illness and Drōmfrangil (Autumn 2021 from Cinnabar Moth Publishing) as well as a childhood memoir, two American history books, and the “I See Your Hearts” blog.

Cynthia was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1972. She spent her early adulthood raising two sons with her husband and then, after returning to college, enjoyed a fulfilling career as a Respiratory Therapist and a Respiratory Supervisor. This included several years of volunteer work on the Wisconsin state respiratory board, which concluded with a term as the President of the board.

She started writing in her forties, after the diagnosis of a low-grade cancerous brain tumor forced her to stop working outside of her home. Cynthia has also lived with disability throughout her adult life, as advancing degenerative disk disease and multiple surgeries have caused her to live with chronic pain and made it difficult for her to remain involved in activities outside of her home.

She and her husband recently moved to Oregon to be closer to her oldest son and his family, including her beloved grandson, whose toddler years are adding a lot of delight to her life! Her two German Shorthairs are also a big part of her family, as dogs always have been.

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Memoir, Grief

Published: December 2020

 

A true story about a young couple's battle with cancer.

 

The Light Through the Pouring Rain is a remarkable love story that will pull on your heartstrings and leave you inspired.

 

An emotional page turner that gives a first hand look into the lives of a young couple madly in love and eager to start their lives together, only to have it all halted by a cancer diagnosis. With no clear road map on how to navigate their new normal, James and Anabel proceed into uncharted territory, hand-in-hand, with the love of their families and their faith in God to guide them.

About the Author

Hello, I'm James Ruvalcaba. I began writing because I wanted to honor my fiancee Anabel's legacy and to be a testimony of God's goodness. On a personal level , I am a family man and hold them near and dear to me. I am a down to earth person that loves interactions and conversations.I believe the more we communicate the more we see the beauty of God's previous workings. Prior to being a writer , I worked with the special needs population for 10 years. I wanted to give back to the community and assist in achieving a higher quality of life as a tribute to my Sister who suffered from disabilities herself.

 

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Book Review: His Father's Blood (#2 of Legends of Family Dyer) by David W. Thompson

His Father's Blood is the second book in the series, Legends of Family Dyer.  Although I read the first book (5 star review), Thompson does an outstanding job in bringing the reader up to speed whether or not the reader began on book one.  John Dyer bunkers down in a small cabin outside of town in Maryland.  He is part Native American and dabbles with shape shifting, but is fully aware of some dangerous spirits who might show up uninvited.  He befriends a disturbed women who has a bad reputation.  She gets a hold of his spell book and begins to shape-shift without him.  She gets involved with an evil spirit and goes on a revenge murder spree.  Meanwhile, John falls in love with the preacher's daughter.  The preacher doesn't approve of John and causes obstacles in their relationship.  There are more subplots, twists, and turns, but I don't want to give away any spoilers.

My Review: As usual, David Thompson pens an entertaining, face-paced, page-turning novel that had me hooked from page one.  I particularly loved Sally Ann, the town ho!  She reminded me of the Joker in a way because she snapped after receiving so much cruelty in her life.  I really loved Laris, the spirit, as well.  The other characters were three dimensional and original.  Thompson is especially talented at dialogue.  The way the characters talk seems spot on for rural 18th Century.

On a side note, Thompson is not just writing fiction.  The real Moll Dyer was accused of witchcraft and driven out of her home.  She died on a rock, frozen to death.  Her spirit reportedly still haunts the area.

I would recommend Thompson's His Father's Blood to anyone who likes paranormal stories.  Again, another impressive read!  Look forward to the third book. 5/5 Stars

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Blood-Legends-Family-Dyer-ebook/dp/B07CS7SSQW/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=David+Thompson%2C+Moll+dyer&qid=1629562426&sr=8-3

Exhale by David Weill, M.D.

 

Hope, Healing, and a Life in Transplant

Medical Non Fiction

Date Published: 05-11-2021

Publisher: Post Hill Press

 

Exhale is the riveting memoir of a top transplant doctor who rode the emotional rollercoaster of saving and losing lives—until it was time to step back and reassess his own life.

 

David Weill is the former Director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Program at Stanford. He is currently the Principal of Weill Consulting Group, which focuses on improving the delivery of transplant care.

Dr. Weill’s writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Salon, Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, STAT, and the Washington Post. He also has been interviewed on CNN and by the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Wall Street Journal.

He lives with his wife and two daughters in New Orleans.

 

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Safe in Arms Tour

 

Personal Growth, Christian Living, Poetry

Date Published: June 22, 2021

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

"It's broken," our Healer says. "This world is broken.

It is not how I wanted it to be.

But I am bigger than all the brokenness.

I am bigger than all the evil.

And I am bigger even than death.

 

Come, take my hand and I will show you.

I will show you a beauty

you have never seen,

a peace you have never felt,

and a safe

You can't even imagine."

 

 

About the Author

Mercy Tobin is someone her Healer is touching deeply in her journey of healing. Still in the middle of her journey, writing poems has become her journal. She is surrounded and encouraged on her journey by her children and their families, and special friends who are walking alongside her.

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Seph by E. Sandborn

 

Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Date Published: 06-08-2021

Publisher: Sandpaper Press

 

Three thousand years ago the three races of Vinge, Human, Dak’or, and Fingalin, fled into space at the destruction of their planet. Now The Alliance between the three governments is at its breaking point. Between racial tensions caused by the elitist and wealthy Fingal trying to claim a divine right to rule, a deadly new quarantine-resistant plague that is sweeping through the primarily Drak’or outer colonies, and lack of funding and success in terraforming efforts, the treaty seems to be at an end. As people begin to turn to religion to save them, The Descendents, a powerful religious sect worshiping the Goddess Vyanna, readily fill the void.

Now the crew of a small mercenary vessel, captained by a man calling himself the devil, are on a relief mission to replace equipment for Deep Space Initiative Station 3122’s failed life support. Lieutenant Commander James Aiunys, the newest member, and tactical officer of the legendary crew is shocked when they are unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace, and informed that the quarantine zone has been expanded to include the station. The mysterious Drak’or captain is undeterred. In a feat that seems more like magic than science, he turns the battle on its head, defeating one of the most powerful warships in the galaxy, leaving it paralyzed in space.

Upon their arrival however, the station is not what they had expected. The crew becomes concerned when they discover the station empty, an eerie resemblance to another station they had visited at the bequest of strange women with silver hair who smelled of apple blossoms.

When the power core fails during their investigation, The Captain is once again forced to do the impossible, leaving James with more questions than answers. With the government collapsing into chaos, the crew of The Shade find themselves on the run, caught in the middle of a sinister plot that will change the galaxy forever.

But there are darker shadows than the machinations of mortals lurking in the far corners of civilization. Brought face to face with their own humanity in a conflict older than the concepts of good and evil. They are forced to question everything they understood about themselves, religion, and even the very fabric of reality.

 

 

About the Author

Ezra Sandborn got his start writing fiction as a dungeon master in online role-playing games . He draws on inspiration from his childhood, sitting under the trampoline and inventing new worlds and characters. Ezra became an author by accident, during a particularly difficult period of his life he was suddenly struck by inspiration for a short story. After sharing the story with friends and family everyone wanted to read more, and so he continued writing. In less than a month as the result of that novel accident Seph – The Reflection of Divinity was created. Ezra’s writing is defined by his complex characters, deep immersive worlds, and unique stories that challenge the conventional narrative, while exploring the deeper truth of human nature.

  

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Angel Cults: An In-Depth Look at an Ancient Religion

     Yezidism or Yazidism officially began somewhere in the 12th Century within the Kurdish Mountains which border northern Iran, southern Turkey and parts of Syria. 

     Most historians report an ancient version of the religion began much earlier, possibly 7000 years ago. The name Yazidi might come from Yazd, Iran or Yazad/yazata which means "God" in Kurdish.  Some believe the name comes from a caliph named Yazid ibn Mu'awiya who killed the Prophet Muhammad's grandson and then retreated within the Kurdish Mountains.  

     Sheikh Hasan expanded the religion throughout the 13th Century, attracting many Kurds and other Muslims.  The religion began to defy Islam by drinking alcohol and not facing Mecca in prayer.  The Yezidis now live in tribal communities and face persecution within the Middle East.

     The Yezidis claim to incorporate parts of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism into their religion, but they are much more closely linked to Zoroastrianism.  Zoroaster, the religion's founder, preached two mentalities under one god, Ahura Mazda.  The Magi or three wisemen from the Bible were believed to be Zoroastrians. This religion comes from the Ismaeli branch of Islam. In the Bible, Ishmael was the older brother of Isaac who was banished with his Egyptian mother after Sara gave birth to Abraham's second son Isaac.

     Yazidis' roots are Zoroastrian, but they have added their own spin on the religion. Shaykh Abi Musafir, born 1070-1162, was the founder of the modern-day version of Yazidism.  Yazidis have two holy books, the Black Book and Revelation. Some believe Revelation is a forgery, authored by Westerners with the intention of sugar coating the odd religion. The Black Book might also be a forgery, but there is a debate. Because of the religion's secrecy, scholars believe this group never had an official sacred text. Yezidis are known for passing on their traditions orally through their holy men or priests.  

     Yazidis believe that "God" (Xwede) created the world from a white pearl. "God"/Xwede put this pearl on the back of Anfar, a bird, who carried it for 40,000 years until Earth evolved. God is made up of a "holy trinity" with Malak Tawas (a peacock angel), Sheikh Adi, and Sultan Ezi. Malak Tawas also called the peacock angel is the most important in this trinity and appears every 1000 years. Malak Tawas is "God", like an alter-ego, and leads the seven angels that come from the pearl. Westerners, Muslims, and ISIS believe Malak Tawas is really Satan. Shaytan is Satan in the Koran.  

     Shaytan, another name for Malek Tawas, refused to bow down to Adam and Eve after God commanded him. Yazidis believe God and Satan made amends and reconciled.  The peacock is Malak Tawas's symbol. Satan was not created by God, but born of a white pearl.  Many Muslims and Christians label the religion as devil-worshippers.   

     Middle Eastern Yazidis speak Kurmanji. They believe in reincarnation, pray five times a day in front of fire, fast, celebrate their own New Year's Eve, throw a Festival of the Peacock, refuse to eat lettuce, and make a pilgrimage to Sheikh Musafir's tomb, the religion's founder. They believe Jesus was an angel in human form and Mohammad was a prophet.  They won't spit or wear the color blue.  Some believe the color blue represents Noah. This is especially interesting because the Flood might have been about getting rid of all of the fallen angels.  

     Yazidis are baptized and circumcised (not a requirement).  They are monogamous, but priests/chiefs can be polygamous.  They believe they descended from Adam alone, and not Eve.  Yezidis are forbidden to marry outside of their culture and religion.  They also practice Honor Killings which victimize women who violate their laws, culture, and traditions.  A few years back, a case in Germany was reported about a Yazidi girl who fell in love with a German boy. Her family killed her.  

     I found this religion fascinating and used parts of it for my book, Peacocks, Pedestals, and Prayers now available on Amazon.  The horror/paranormal novel uses a great deal of research from ancient writings.

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Clean Sweep Tour

 

 

Contemporary

Fiction

Release Date: July 20, 2021

Publisher: Little Brown Dog Press, Pinehurst, NC USA

Carli Morris is looking forward to a quiet retirement. Earning billions from the sale of her Madison Avenue ad agency, she dreams of spending her golden years painting and giving back to society. But the heartbreaking discovery of a homeless woman poisoned to death reopens the wounds of Carli’s own tragic loss.

Realizing her busy career turned her away from the vulnerable, she throws herself on a mission to get the defenseless off the streets. But as she sacrifices her own needs to support others, her new colleague’s mental illness and Carli’s unresolved grief collide in a staggering sequence of events that will alter her life forever.

Can Carli dig deep and make a powerful, personal impact?

Clean Sweep is a dynamic literary novel. If you like moving revelations, gut-wrenching decisions, and life-affirming transformations, then you’ll love E. B. Lee’s enlightening tale.

Immerse yourself in this heartfelt journey today!

About the Author

E.B. Lee was raised in Weston, Connecticut, where she enjoyed the best of a then-rural town and easy train access to the high-energy world of New York City. She brings together elements of both worlds in her debut work of literary fiction, Clean Sweep, a heartfelt story of human connection, tough choices, and compassion. Ms. Lee and her husband have two grown daughters, one middle-aged dog, and have loved a variety of family pets along the way. Ms. Lee writes in North Carolina and Connecticut.

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