The election is well behind us but feelings are still running strong. Author and unwavering Texan, David Thomas Roberts, is patriotic to the core and believes Americans should take a stand when it seems their liberty is being threatened. With all the talk today about Texas petitioning to secede, his timely book Patriots of Treason (AKA-Publishing), follows his beliefs “that the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers are no longer being upheld by the federal government.”

Roberts’ riveting book tells the story of a United States on the brink of civil war – again. It takes a courageous federal whistleblower, an ordinary Texan, and a governor who won’t sit still for the shredding of the Constitution to stop an evil conspiracy by the federal government. The nation is in crisis; Congress can’t agree on anything, and the country is totally divided.

No one likes hearing the phone ring in the middle of the night; it even seems to have a more ominous tone – or maybe it’s just the jingling of our nerves as we pick it up. When Jackie Carpenter uneasily answered a call at 2:00 a.m. – she could never have imagined what she was about to hear. This ordinary Atlanta housewife’s heart pounded in her chest as she listened to her daughter-in-law hysterically telling her that her son had been arrested and charged with felony murder.

Jackie’s worst nightmare had just become a reality. She knew her son had been plagued by copper thefts at his work site and, on the advice of a policeman, had armed himself and hid on the property to try to catch the thieves. They showed up that night.

Few of us will ever experience the devastating horror of living within a war zone. Yet all of us know what it means to form a life-long, sustaining connection with another human being. Together, they weave a spellbinding story ultimately affirming the possibility of peace and reconciliation. In Love and Terror in the Middle East, 3rd Edition (World Audience Publishers), readers walk the war-torn streets of Israel and the West Bank with peace activist Frank Romano, and struggle with the inevitable casualties within his personal life as it becomes caught up in his work.

Romano’s efforts to promote understanding, communication and cooperation in the region among Jews, Muslims, Christians and non-believers have spanned years of bitter conflict. Passing through a virtually endless maze of checkpoints and walls, he has faced hatred on every side.

“I’ve been harassed and arrested by the Palestinian police, harassed and arrested by Israeli police and Israeli soldiers and attacked by Israeli settlers,” he says. “A peace activist friend was recently murdered in the West Bank.”

Rick Robertson has a word for the wise: be careful how you use social media if legal struggles are looming. Why take his advice? Robertson was recently named as the lawyer other lawyers would hire for themselves if they needed a specialist in family law. The “Go-To Guide” was compiled by Texas Lawyer magazine and Robertson is the number one choice for his area of practice. Rating service Super Lawyers also highlighted Robertson’s skills in the courtroom and in the innovative use of technology and social media to win cases for his clients.

In one memorable case, Robertson was able to win visitation rights for his client when his client’s soon-to-be ex-wife splashed her private life all over her Facebook page. “Technology has changed family law and divorces,” Robertson says. He gives his clients a list of “do’s and don’ts,” warning people caught up in divorce, custody fights or other situations that they need to guard their privacy. “Without your knowledge, someone else may be able to monitor all your computer conduct,” he says. “You do not want to see your private life on an exhibit in the courtroom.”