Sunday, March 27, 2016

Interview with author of Herbal Lore, K.J. Simmill

This book covers a wide range of herbs and their uses in both medicinal and magical practices, including sections detailing extraction and application. It also provides comprehensive step-by-step instructions on making a wide range of items encompassing creams, herbal bags, incense, salves, tinctures, and poultices.



Presented in an easy to understand format, with an added definition of terms, making it an asset to anyone wishing to utilise the beneficial properties of herbs.











What was your inspiration for this book?
I had kept a record of herbs and their uses in both medicine and magical practices for a long time, which I used not only on a personal front, but as a guide for my non-fiction fantasy writing. It was only when I gave a copy of my research to a friend, and others asked if they could also have a copy, I realised there was nothing like it on the existing market. Since I was already about to publish my first fantasy novel I decided I should release this also.

What is your favorite scene/part in your book?
The methods and application section. In this part I detail all the various ways to obtain herbal extracts (from decoction to tincture) and how to create the tools for applying it (compresses, poultices, lotions etc). That said, the section on making magical items is a close second.

What books and authors have most influenced you?
Thomas Bartham and David Hoffmann are both amongst the books I keep returning to. In a non-fiction writing sense it was more the fact that I couldn't find a book with the information I sought, thus I compiled it myself.



Special Note: Herbal Lore is sold until March 31st for only 99¢ and 15% of this book's royalties go to The St John and Red Cross Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) who provide practical and emotional support to military personnel, their families and other entitled civilians when they are in hospital, rehabilitation or recovery centres and support patients from all three services, wherever they serve.
                                                                            

                                                                                             About Author


K.J. Simmill is a British author with books released in both the fantasy and non-fiction genres. It is her intention to ensure each book she writes will donate a percentage of her royalties to a good cause. She is a qualified Usui Reiki master, with certifications in various fields of holistic therapy. inclusive of aromatherapy, crystal healing, colour therapy, ethereal Reiki, Indian head massage, shaman power Reiki, sound therapy, and massage therapy. She has also spent many years researching various practices of magic and herbal medicine. She is also currently working towards a herbal practitioner qualification. When she is not writing, she is an avid reader and a passionate gamer. It is K.J's aim for each one of her titles to donate a percentage of the author royalties to a different charity. Herbal Lore is donating 15% to The St John and Red Cross Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) and Darrienia is donating 10% to the University Hospital of North Midlands (UHNM) charity directed towards the Neonatal intensive care unit.


Readers can find more about K.J. Simmill and her work on the following pages:





Thursday, March 24, 2016

The Wayward Astronomer by author Geoffrey Thomas



A story of passion, conflict and love, set in the vivid Dreamkeepers universe. Are you brave enough to discover your world?



The Wayward Astronomer is a science fiction / adventure novel set in the vivid and imaginative Dreamkeepers universe (www.dreamkeeperscomic.com). Normally depicted though critically acclaimed graphic novels and a companion webcomic, The Wayward Astronomer is the first written novel to expand upon the Dreamkeepers saga. It features a brand new cast of characters, a new story, and a new enemy lurking in the shadows of Anduruna.





                Readers can find more about this book HERE and read about Geoffrey Thomas's work on his BLOG

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Book review of Essential Oils for Allergies

I am not new to the world of essential oils and have been exploring this ancient wisdom for many years. I also love natural healings so I was eager to read this book. I have to say that this guide exceeded my expectations by being quite different in many aspects of its incredible concepts… it has great content, easy to comprehend format and most importantly substance.

My favorite section of the book is the one that explains how to tell if an essential oil is pure. Here, the author makes a strong connection between knowing plants and putting them together to good use. Differently from other books that I read about this topic, this guide balances the author’s knowledge with great resources that allows the reader to do research of his/her own.

I am very pleased with the amount of information in this book, and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes/remedies. This book definitely expanded my knowledge in essential oils. I would recommend it to anyone with allergies as well as to those who are trying a healthier lifestyle.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Interview with author of "Resume Psychology" Dirk Spencer






Resume Psychology is a science based approach to resume content to help people hack the black-hole of job boards and corporate career pages.
Resume Psychology provides ethical resume hacks to leverage the performance and behavioral norms of the recruiting process, the people behind the scenes and the technology while avoiding the pitfalls and traps of out-of-date advice.
The author reviews what to do on your resume to avoid being rejected automatically by the technology. Mr. Spencer shares a counter-intuitive writing approach which increases your keyword placement to improve how your resume is ranked against the competition. Dirk describes a resume section-by-section showing what helps, what hurts and what to do better.

         






  •     Why margin size matters to your resume inside a job board

     ·              Best and worst bullet styles to use on the resume and why

     ·            The 4-keyword hacks necessary for higher resume scores

     ·           The Kiss of Death and the words to stop using on your resume

     ·           Why job descriptions may be the worst place to find keywords

     ·          The mistake spell check does not fix and how to avoid it



What inspired you to write this book?
There is a lot of bad resume advice out there. I had seen my share of friends spend upwards of $2K
dollars for a resume which landed them no-calls, no-emails, no-interviews and no-offers. These 
resume writers are not skilled in recruiting. Most are English majors with PhDs who are good people 
lacking the necessary insights to help their clients in the age of modern resumes.

 How long did it take you to write this book?
I spent 3 months dedicated to writing and editing the book.

What books and authors have most influenced you?
Dr. Williams, my college English professor. I dedicated the book to her. She taught me writing was a
science and she was right. She submitted for an Emerging Scholar Award in English for a poem I 
wrote following the “rules” as it were. She said she saved my papers for last – they were her dessert.

Do you have a current work in progress?
I just released my second book The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks. If Resume 
Psychology is the “what”; this book is the “how.” There are 2 more books in draft-mode; Interview 
Psychology – Preparation Attracts Offers and Using LinkedIn for Job Search (tentative titles).


                                                      About Author:


Dirk Spencer is a former government analyst, turned corporate recruiter and is the author of Resume Psychology Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! A fact-based, science-focused approach to modern resumes. Dirk shares his technical and process insights to help people hack their resumes to be more effective when applying to job openings.

Mr. Spencer has presented Resume Psychology to several professional associations from Dallas to Denver, including: Pikes Peak Recruiter Network, Inter-City Personnel Associates, Executive Search Owners Association, American Society for Quality Conferences, National Investor Relations Institute, International Institute of Business Analysis, Intuit Women's Network, Texas Workforce Commission and Dallas Fort Worth Texas Recruiters Network (DFWTRN).

He has also volunteered his time to present Resume Psychology to Career Transition Groups such as: Career Jump Start FUMC Richardson, Carrollton Career Focus Group, Carrollton City Job Hunt 101, Crossroads Bible Church Career Transition, Fort Worth Career Search Network, FWCSN Resume Boot Camp Job Angels Network, MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church, Preston Trail Job Network, McKinney Workforce Networking, Southlake Focus Group.

Dirk has also presented Resume Psychology to diverse ecumenical groups as well: Jewish Family Service (JFS), Career Counseling Group of DFW Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT), Career Counseling Group of DFW Islamic Center of Irving (ICI), McKinney Trinity Presbyterian Church Career Transition Network, St. Philip's Episcopal of Frisco Job Ministry, St. Andrew UMC Sales Group, St. Jude Career Alliance a Chapter of the Catholic Career Development Community.

In his off-time the author does amateur nature photography, makes Christmas decorations year-round and folds origami-crafts.

Readers can find more about Dirk Spencer's work here: AmazonCreatespace

and connect with him at: Linkedin; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Slideshare; Flickr; Website and Blog




Sunday, March 6, 2016

Book Review of The Urban Boys and Interview with the Author K. N. Smith

This book is well-crafted, gripping, full of exciting twists and turns with a great, captivating story-line. Its complex intrigue and detailed descriptions do not slow down the fantastic cadence that kept me looking forward to the next page. It is suspenseful, mysterious, nourish in a plot, character, and language (“…glowing energy that dripped from those huge leaves caused a solo ambition”).
The story is definitely a brick packed dense with all that is valuable; a beautiful friendship, family, humanity, simplicity, and love. In her poetic voice, the author takes to an amazing journey filled with different people, different emotions, and different discoveries.


“The Urban Boys” offers something for everyone! Although fictional, the book clearly tests the boundaries of fact and fiction; one can't help but believe that the scenarios the author create might actually unfold in the real world. The tale like this pulls the reader to respect and honor people around him/her and reminds one that humans are open to more than the material world as well as capable of overcoming evil by love and wisdom. I highly recommend this read.



                                                             
                                                                                                             About Author:



K.N. Smith is an American author and passionate advocate of childhood and family literacy programs throughout the world. She continues to inspire students of all ages to reach their highest potential in their artistic and educational pursuits. Her creative, lyrical flair sweeps across pages that twist, turn, and grind through elements of paranormal and action-adventure in diverse, exciting, edge-of-your seat narratives. She lives with her family in California. 


What was your inspiration for this book?

The inspiration for this novel was actually born of my desire to see more young people reading. When my daughters were in high school, I was a volunteer parent tutor and I could really see the need for tutoring with the students, especially in English and math. I thought if I could entertain, I could educate along the way. With that, my lyrical writing style does stretch the imagination a bit, but it's all for a good cause.

What is your favorite scene in your book?

The scene where the dark stranger finally tells the boys what the heck is going on. It’s the one scene that pulls the entire story together. Beyond that, I loved the final fight scene because there is so much going on. I had to visually map it out remembering who got knocked to the left and who got kicked to the right. It was a blast! 

Readers can find more about K.N. Smith and her work
and connect with her on FacebookTwitter and her Website