Book News Enlightened Business

British businesses could increase profits “substantially” by addressing their so-called “spiritual footprint”, one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs claimed yesterday.

Stephen Kirk, a financial commentator and author, believes the ”vast majority” of companies are ”blinkered” and ”completely unaware” of the effects they have on others.

He says many lack a ‘conscience’, and those that do should be making more of a contribution to the ”world at large”.

By doing so, he argues, company chiefs would still be ”making a living – without selling their soul”.

The self-made millionaire said there was still time to prevent a ‘’spiritual emergency” if ‘fat cats’ and other highly-paid executives adopted a more holistic attitude to business.

Speaking yesterday, the author of ‘Enlightened Business’, said: ”The current economic meltdown in the financial markets may be blamed on banks and governments, but at its heart it represents a spiritual emergency.

“The economic crisis is just one example of how lives are being ruined through companies and executives having lost sight of the real role of business in the world.

“Business should be about connection, creativity and fulfilment. These are hard to find in many companies because modern capitalism has made an art form out of greed.”

Mr Kirk made a ”highly-lucrative” career in TV and newspapers after developing the first premium-rate phone lines.

At its height in the 1980s, he admits that his company Broadsystem was a ”licence to print money”.

But despite his own commercial success, he warns “from personal experience” that money alone does not buy happiness.

He said: “There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth creation but this must be balanced by altruism and compassion.”

“Companies today are very powerful, and executives can use their vision to shape the world using the wisdom they have acquired through trading.”

Mr Kirk insists that companies should adopt a more traditional, spiritual approach to business – one that he developed after a successful battle with cancer.

The 57-year-old now believes that entrepreneurs and senior executives are on the “road to personal and professional ruin” unless they use business as a means of creative expression and generosity.

“Over the ten years since my illness I have re-evaluated my life and how I conducted myself. I had a calling to go into business, I found it fun as well as making a comfortable living,” he said.

“But then I went against my intuition and worked for money rather than personal satisfaction. It almost killed me.”

“Now I am content to do business I believe in and am happy to walk away from anything else, regardless of the pay cheque.”

Mr Kirk, a certified meditation teacher and executive coach, continues to be involved with companies at board level… but only those that are “harmonious” with his spirit.

He argues that working against “destiny” for short-term gain is not only counter-productive to business but also the world in general.

He said: “Trade is all about connection, but capitalism in its current form is divisive. It divides the businessman from self-fulfilment, the customer from the client, the company from community and globally, the rich from the poor.

“The results are millions in debt, soaring crime rates and terrorism. Meanwhile, technological advancements have exploited natural resources to the point of environmental disaster.

“Treating people as you would like to be treated rather than disposable assets can reverse this damage and lead to greater satisfaction for individuals within companies , customers, and society in general.”

In Enlightened Business, published by Derwen, Mr Kirk predicts that a “chaotic” international market will force struggling multinationals to join the “spiritual supply chain”, or risk collapse.

He added: “A spiritual approach is not just good practice but “essential business”.

“The growing success of small customer-orientated businesses at the expense of faceless corporations shows the way forward, but Enlightened Business must also be adopted by multinationals.”

“It’s all about making a genuine contribution to the world and sharing your fulfilment with customers, suppliers, shareholders and employees alike.

“It’s about being aware that every company has a Spiritual Footprint that influences everything in its wake.”

“Market crashes will be even more spectacular and natural catastrophes even greater until we realise we need to attune to the universal flow.”

Enlightened Business, published by Derwen Publishing, is available now from Amazon UK, priced £13.75. http://stephenkirk.org/

Book News - I Miss Mummy

Alice just wants to go home!

Sunday Times best-selling author Cathy Glass returns with tear-jerking tug-of-love fostering memoir

Foster carer Cathy is thrown straight into a nightmare when her latest placement, four-year-old Alice, is snatched by her drug-dependent, mentally-ill mother.

After three anxious days, little Alice is found by the police, safe but traumatised. Like a doll, so young and vulnerable, she immediately finds her place in Cathy’s family. She talks openly about her mummy, who she clearly loves dearly, and how happy she was living with her maternal grandparents before being put into care. Alice has clearly been very well-looked after and Cathy can’t understand why she couldn’t stay where she was.

It emerges the grandparents, in their sixties, are considered too old and so social services plan to relocate Alice with her father and his new wife. The grandparents are distraught – Alice has never known her father, and her grandparents claim he is a violent drug dealer.

Desperate to help Alice find the happy home she deserves, Cathy is drawn deeper into a harrowing tug-of-love where her parenting skills are tested in many new ways. Finally, questions are asked about Alice’s father suitability, and his true colours begin to emerge.

Cathy Glass is a bestselling British author, freelance writer and foster carer. She has been a foster carer for over 20 years, during which time she has looked after more than 50 children. Her first fostering memoir, Damaged, became a Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller upon its release in 2007. To date, her books have sold 0.7 million copies. She writes under a pseudonym. For more information, go to: www.cathyglass.co.uk

Book News - A Silent Heritage

Ghana’s first female scientist looks set to top the book charts with her critically-acclaimed autobiography chronicling her incredible and inspirational life.

Dr. Letitia Obeng – a recipient of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the nation’s highest award – has written ‘A Silent Heritage’, covering everything from the pleasures of a rural upbringing to a challenging international position as a renowned specialist in environmental management.

Described as “no ordinary autobiography”, ‘A Silent Heritage’ reveals how Dr. Obeng rose from humble beginnings to become an important figure in the Ghanaian scientific community.

Elected a Fellow of Ghana’s Learned Academy in 1964, Dr. Obeng rose became the first female President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007.

Dr. Obeng, now 85, says she decided to write her autobiography in response to requests to tell about life in Ghana in her young days.

She said: ”My biography is a deeply personal account of the thoughts, experiences, trials, aches, pains, triumphs and loves that I have experienced in my life.

”Though writing my story demanded a lot of time and energy, it was highly rewarding to recollect the people and past events that have given my life the shape it has had.

“Looking back, I feel blessed to have had the opportunities I’ve had. Ghana made me the person I am and in writing my biography, I also wanted to celebrate my country.

Dr. Obeng was born in 1925 in the rural Ghanaian town of Anum. She received her basic education at Achimota.
Given her passion for nature – and with no university in Ghana (then known as the Gold Coast ) – she travelled to Britain, on a Government scholarship, for further studies, at the University of Birmingham.

Dr. Obeng studied zoology and botany from 1948 to 1952, graduating with an Honours BSc. Degree.

She returned home and, within weeks, was given the challenge of organizing a Zoology department at the University College of Science and Technology in Kumasi to teach and prepare students for further studies in science, pharmacy and medicine.
A few years later at the age of 35, Dr. Obeng tragically found herself a widow with three young children to raise.

Though the sudden and unexpected death of my husband George was crushing, my children gave me the inspiration to carry on and build a career to support us.

She was recruited the first scientist at the prestigious National Research Council of Ghana, now the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), before returning to England to complete a PhD at the University of Liverpool.

Returning home in 1964, Dr. Obeng became the first Ghanaian woman to build and direct a Research Institute – the Institute of Aquatic Biology, responsible for research on the country’s inland water system, within the CSIR system.

40 years ago, even before the UN Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, as a specialist in freshwater sciences and related environmental issues, Dr Obeng highlighted the possible environmental problems that could accompany Ghana’s forming Volta Lake.

Subsequently, as a specialist in freshwater sciences, Dr. Obeng and the Institute of Aquatic Biology undertook extensive studies on the ecological changes and environmental impact of the Volta Lake, at the time, the largest man-made lake in the world.

Her expertise and involvement in the Volta Lake Research Project prompted an invitation by the United Nations to the 1972 UN Human Environment Conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 1974, she joined the newly established United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at its Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. She was made Head of the Soil and Water Task Force and the Senior Programme Officer in charge of Water issues in the Environment Programme.

“I’ve always had a passion for water,” said Dr. Obeng. “Without water there couldn’t be life, yet this precious resource is often allowed to be degraded and exploited in an unsustainable way. It was important to contribute to assuring effective management of water.”

In 1985, she was appointed the Director of the UNEP’s Regional Office for Africa and UNEP’s Representative to the Africa Region.

Working closely with the Environment Officers of all the sovereign countries of the Africa Region, the Regional Office initiated and co-ordinated the African Sub-Regional Environment Programme to consider the environmental issues of the region.

On retirement from UNEP and settled back home, Dr. Obeng served on the Boards of a number of international organizations where she contributed to issues relating to water, environment and health.

In 1997, she was, honoured with the CSIR Award for a Distinguished Career and Service to Science and Technology, and the following year received Ghana’s First national award for Science and Technology (Biological Sciences).

‘A Silent Heritage’ chronicles this rich and varied life, and throughout its 569 pages, the author’s passion for Ghana shines through.

Dr. Obeng said: ”I have always been proud to be African and a Ghanaian. At Birmingham University, for the strictly official Graduation Ceremony, I obtained permission and wore my Ghana traditional costume.”

“My autobiography has many references to Ghana’s infectious hospitality, generosity and humour and identifies geographical, historical, traditional, cultural and a variety of other splendours which are unique and characterise my homeland.”

“A Silent Heritage: An Autobiography” by Letitia E. Obeng (Goldsear) is available on Amazon UK priced £29.99.

Book News - 10 Cents For The World

One of Britain’s leading UFO experts has developed a revolutionary photographic technique thatproves the existence of aliens “once and for all”.

Author and investigator Leonard Dobson, 67, invented the ‘Digital Pictogram’ to convince the world’s non-believers.

His technique uses the latest technology to enhance digital photographs, and to reveal the alien presence in each one.

The technology has had some extraordinary results. It clearly shows ETs in all manner of ‘normal’ pictures – from car parks, clouds and curtains, to the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Leonard, the author of ’10 Cents for the World’ – an expose of extra-terrestrial life – blames the ‘Satanic Alien Alliance’ for everything from swine flu to earthquakes.

And he claims a “full-blown” invasion is only months away.

He said: “I’ve been aware for some time that aliens are among us, influencing events with disastrous consequences.

“Unfortunately, they are cunning and are able to disguise their presence; It’s all part of their evil master plan to invade the Earth and destroy all life.

“Even so, I have worked hard to provide proof that they exist. The world needs to open its eyes – before it’s too late.”

Dad-of-two Leonard has documented thousands of “strange” sightings since he began investigating UFOs and ETs three years ago.

He first became aware of their presence while on a family holiday in 2007. Since then, he has been working hard on putting together a trilogy of books exposing his findings.

“Members of the Satanic Alien Alliance can be any size – even that of a speck of dust,” he warns.

“They think they can’t be seen, but I’ve discovered they are vulnerable to digital cameras. Using my photographic expertise, I’ve found their presence everywhere.”

The first two books – both entitled 10 Cents for the World – have just been released by publisher AuthorHouse.

They map the “extraterrestrial life forms and the paranormal” with the aim of showing Earth is in “grave danger”.

The author fears humanity will end in 2012, unless everyone – including world leaders – act together to combat the alien “foe”.

“I’ve left no molecule, stone or planet unturned in putting ‘10 Cents’ together. I only hope people take my book seriously and listen to what I’m saying.”

10 Cents for the World is available from www.authorhouse.co.uk priced £16.50.

Book News - Angus Kennedy

More than 1,500 complimentary copies of ‘Please God, I Want to Win the Lottery’ were handed to commuters as they passed through Waterloo Station at rush hour.

Author Angus Kennedy wrote the novel for “rat racers”, and said the handout was the “only way” of reaching his target audience.

“Many consumers do not have the time to go to a bookshop and find the writers they are looking for, especially commuters,” he said.

“It’s a great shame. My book has been written for ‘rat racers’ with not enough time to buy or read – ironically the very people that need to read the most.

“I thought I would fix that sorry situation with this simple-yet-revolutionary idea. If readers couldn’t come to me, I would go to them.”

Experts say it is the first time that a book has been distributed in such a way, and believe it could open the floodgates to similar giveaways in the future.

London-based literary agent Susan Mears said: “I can’t think of another occasion when an author has reached out to potential readers in such a direct fashion.

“Though offering free e-books over the internet is nothing new, this is something of a precedent and I look forward to seeing if other authors or publishers follow suit.”

Please God I Want To Win The Lottery follows the fortunes of “everyman” Clayton Caine as he embarks on a grand plan to escape the rat race once and for all.

Facing the fact he relies on his sales job to pay the bills, Clayton turns to divine intervention and prays for a win on the Lottery.

The “semi-autobiographical”  240-page took dad-of-four Angus, 46, nine years to write.

But after becoming “disillusioned” with the mainstream publishing industry, he opted to publish the book himself through his own venture, Kennedy’s Publications.

Angus, from Tonbridge, Kent, said: “It seems to get published that you need to be either a well-known author, a criminal, or worse still, a celebrity.”

“It ends up with a literary market flooded with people with nothing to say and so readers are being let down. The trust between publisher and reader has gone.

“My novel isn’t for the commissioning editor, buyer or retailer. I wanted to start over; break the rules and build trust directly with the readers by using a different way of publishing and marketing.”

The handout was carried out by a marketing firm between 6.30 and 9am.

Angus is planning to distribute his second book, ‘Who Needs to go to College Anyway’, in a similar way next year.

Please God, I Want to Win the Lottery is available priced £6.99 from www.claytoncaine.co.uk

Book News - Unit T

Keith Hoare is giving 10 per cent of all profits made from “Unit T Special Forces “ and “The People Trafficker” – stories based around the abduction of people – to STOP UK.

According to the charity, people trafficking is a “modern-day form of slavery” and the UK has been a destination country for victims for many years.

Writer Keith, from Accrington, found out about the “disgusting” trade after watching a TV documentary. He has been actively raising awareness of trafficking ever since.

He said: “As the title suggests, “The People Trafficker” is set in the terrifying world of human trafficking – a crime that seems to fall under the radar of public consciousness.

“My spin-off novel “Unit T” takes the reader into another side of trafficking – the kidnap and enslaving of children.

“I have had to do a lot of research in the course of writing my novels and what happens makes me so angry. Stop UK is one of the few organisations actively supporting people caught up in this disgusting trade and I was keen to help it in any way I could.”

In his day job, Keith is a property manager for a local company, but for the last decade he has also carved a successful second career as an action adventure novelist.

To date he has written nine books for late teenage and adult audiences, all released through Ragged Cover Publishing.

“The People Trafficker” is the sequel to “The People Traders”, released in 2008. It picks up the story of Karen Marshall, who was abducted  in the first novel only to fight her way to freedom.

Realising how much money is to be made from selling people on the black market, the traffickers abduct five young girls.

Police from the Special Branch are called in and they enlist the help of Karen to track them down –  putting her back in the sights of those she escaped, and who desperately want her back.

“Unit T”, meanwhile, features Karen with many of the same characters and centres on the abduction of two children from a Spanish resort.

“Karen is a strong female figure,” said Keith, 55. “She is a martial artist and can look out for herself  but is still risking her safety to bring back the abductees to safety.

“She was a pleasure to bring to life and has certainly struck a chord with readers, who regularly contact me to say how much they have appreciated the stories and the underlying messages behind them.”

Keith says his biggest market is in America, something he puts down to the “Hollywood tradition of fast-paced action films”.

Even so, he points out that he isn’t influenced by action movies or thriller writers – preferring to keep his writing “free of influence”.

He said: “I don’t read other author’s books precisely because I  want to write in a style that is solely my own.

“If you are a fantasy writer, say, and read a “Harry Potter” book then there’s no escaping the fact that to some degree your writing will be touched by the work of JK Rowling.

“I don’t want that to happen and so stay free of influence.”

Though the “Trafficker”  novels are firmly for the mature reader, Keith is currently half way through the “Dreamstalker” series – aimed at the teenage market.

The books are about a young girl who enters another, magical world – Plagarma – where she gains undreamed powers, becoming a Dreamstalker.

With power comes responsibility and in the “turbo-charged” second novel, “The Silver Moon”  – which comes out in July – the Dreamstalker must intervene to stop a war that could spill across countless worlds, including Earth.

Keith said: “I wanted to create a world that children could believe in – somewhere the modern girl could still have their mobile, computer and fashion as well as magical powers like being able to fly.

“Like all my novels it’s an action-packed rollercoaster ride to adventure. I don’t subscribe to pages and pages of description – that’s boring.”

Stop UK supports victims of human trafficking, including operating a dedicated helpline, and also campaigns to secure convictions against the traffickers and those associated with them.

A spokesperson for STOP UK thanked Keith for his support and said:

“STOP UK is grateful to Keith Hoare for kindly donating 10 per cent proceeds from the sale of his latest books to the charity.

“We wish these book every success. STOP UK is pleased that the issues which surround human trafficking are being highlighted through these novels.“

* “The People Trafficker”, “Unit T Special Forces” and “The Silver Moon” are available now, priced £6.99, X and £8.99 respectively. Visit www.raggedcover.com.
* Stop UK can be found at www.stop-uk.org. If you would like to speak with someone in confidence, call 0844 800 3314.

Book News - The Green Bronze Mirror

Though the historical adventure was impressive enough to be snapped up for publication, the precocious teenager ended up spending the rest of her teenage years trying to live the achievement down.
But now, 44 years later and aged 58, Lynne has finally “come out on top” with the re-release of her work smashing sales records for independent publisher C N Posner Books.
The mum-of-two, from Sheffield, said: “As a child I was in awe of even being published and was so happy to think that my work was good enough for print.
“However, I spent the rest of my teen years trying to live it down. Boys didn’t go for clever girls and if anyone mentioned it at a party, I knew my chances were snookered.
“It’s therefore deeply rewarding to know that all these years later “The Green Bronze Mirror” is suddenly so popular. I feel like I have finally come out on top.”
Since its re-release in 2009, the book has sold over 1,000 copies, becoming the bestselling title in C N Posner Books’ four-year history.
The situation is a far cry from the novel’s first release back in 1966 through now-defunct publishing house Blackie & Son.
Despite favourable reviews, “The Green Bronze Mirror” quickly disappeared from bookstore shelves and had remained out-of-print and “virtually unobtainable”.
Oxford-based publisher Christopher Posner says he is “delighted” to be able to “resurrect a childhood dream” for Lynne.
He said: “I seem to be one of the few who had an original copy of Lynne’s book and came across it again last year while going through my collection.
“It was one of my favourite stories as a child and I am delighted to be able to resurrect a childhood dream while also giving a new generation of youngsters the chance to get lost in the magic of the tale.”
“The Green Bronze Mirror” tells the story of schoolgirl Karen, who is hurled back into Roman times after discovering a magical mirror while playing on the beach.
Finding herself a slave, she has to go through many adventures in her struggle to return to her own time.
Lynne – a practising speech therapist – says she now recognises the book was partly autobiographical.
She said: “I wrote it when I was a dreamy, bookish adolescent who could listen to the teacher with half an ear and at the same time write the book at the back of the class.
“I believed my main character, Karen, was fictional, but with hindsight I realise she was me. I loved classical civilisations and travelling back in time was always a favourite fantasy of mine.”
The re-printed version features new illustrations by artist Philip Smiley and Lynne, who to date has not written any more novels, says she is surprised at how well it stands the test of time.
She said: “The book had been gathering dust in my memory for decades, so I was frankly astonished to be contacted by Christopher last year, wanting to re-issue it.
“However, when I look at it again, I’m surprised how good it is, and friends of mine are now begging for copies and reading it themselves.
“I might even write a sequel at some point in the future,”she adds. “But certainly not until after I retire.”
“The Green Bronze Mirror” is available now from www.cnposnerbooks.co.uk.

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Simply follow the link directory link in the footer of this site and add your details.
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This is a quick and effortless format that helps you connect with the wider community.

Across the Endless River, by Thad Carhart

AshBooks Review for Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart:

A heavy read. Based on real historical facts and tells the tale of a mixed-race boy in the 18oos and his travels and the cultures and languages he experiences.

User Submitted Reviews:

“Thad likes history. You can tell by this book.  It doesn’t feel like reading a history book—it feels like reading poetry.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my_4r4Iz2Ww[/youtube]

We are excited to announce that Bernice McFadden is going to be writing a guest article for us pretty soon! Bernice will touch on her books, Sugar, talk about the issues that inspired her to write the book and tell us a little bit more about her campaign to propel Sugar back into the literary limelight.

Bernice McFadden is the american bestselling author of 6 critically acclaimed novels: This Bitter Earth, Nowhere Is a Place, The Warmest December, Loving Donovan, Glorious (Johnny Temple), Camilla’s Roses.

Also, to keep the hype going, we reveal that she is currently doing a December Book Giveaway of a signed hardcover copy of Loving Donovan. Here’s what she has to say about the free giveaway:

“I’m in the holiday spirit and so for the entire month of December I will be giving away books!

The first book I will be giving away is a signed, hardcover of my novel Loving Donovan. This book is autographed by both the author (me!) and the illustrator R. Gregory Christie.

Book Description:

“McFadden separately introduces Campbell and Donovan and their early lives of family tragedy and disappointment lived within the same gritty urban neighborhood. She ultimately brings these two wounded people together in a bittersweet story that shows the limitations of love and fate. Campbell is raised by a mother who has trapped her husband in a bitter and loveless marriage. Campbell gets her first lessons about longing and passion from the gay tenants who live in the apartment below, the sounds of their lovemaking and fighting drifting up through the vents. Teenaged motherhood from a hasty sexual encounter seems to seal Campbell’s fate. Donovan is also the product of a troubled marriage–abandoned by his mother and raised by a father who is overly controlled by his overbearing mother. Donovan is introduced to sex by a charming hustler who lives in his grandmother’s basement and seduces children. By the time Donovan and Campbell meet, they’ve both recovered enough to know what they want in an adult relationship, but have they healed enough to make it last?” – Vanessa Bush

Loving Donovan received the Fiction Honor Award from BCALA.

To Enter:

• – Visit my blog: Naki If you’d like to enter you must be a Blogger Follower with Google Friend Connect (Make sure your Blogger ID/Name goes to your Blogger profile page and that your setting is on Public instead of Anonymous.) In the comments section, state “I AM A FOLLOWER.” And please leave your email address.

***EACH EXTRA ENTRY MUST HAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT***

+1 – Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave the URL in the comment section.

+1 – Post about this giveaway on Twitter and leave the URL in the comment section.

• – You must be 18 years or older (Under 18, get your parents to enter.)

• – US & Canada residents only.

• – Winners will NOT be notified by email. The winner will be posted here on Monday December 7th, 2009.

• – Make sure your entry ID is distinguishable by others who post. Remember, you might not be the only John or Jane commenting below.

Comments that aren’t an entry will be deleted.

Good Luck!