The Sabbatical (Createspace), by Frederick Pinto, presents important questions to a generation that wants to have it all despite living in a rocky, continuously changing climate. Pinto weaves his own experiences in the music industry and thoughts on where Western society is headed into a story of personal awakening after a young man loses everything he valued.

Charles Barca spent six years getting it all. Set in the landscape of the drug-strewn, head-banging clubs and the slick offices of the New Creative Elite, Charles was the wildly successful owner of an online music company, had a relationship with a hot artist girlfriend, and had achieved local celebrity status—all of which came crashing down in one day. Before long, he is without friends, love, or meaning in life after he is removed as the resident genius of the company he himself founded, and seeks sanity and purpose in the cynical worlds of modern art and business.

The Sabbatical covers the following months of Charles’ life as he deals with self-loathing, drugs, traveling and mingling with acquaintances, both old and new. He must come face-to-face with major personal decisions as well as with ones for his company, as papers need to be signed and major labels jostle for his attention. However, he will only find clarity miles away in Brazil, as the noise around him subsides and he engages in a more authentic form of deeper self-evaluation.

Set in today’s post-apocalyptic music industry, The Sabbatical is part existential diary, part hedonistic travelogue, part music business intrigue, part anti-love story, and has been said to “take the philosophical novel into the age of social media.”

This month, extreme endurance athlete Marshall Ulrich and firefighter Dave Heckman finished an unprecedented expedition, going on foot around the perimeter of Death Valley National Park during the hottest part of summer, completely unaided and unassisted. They began on July 22 and concluded 16 days later on August 7.

While others have trekked in this area, no one has attempted to circumnavigate the park, and certainly not during the height of summer when the threat of dehydration and heat stroke are dire. To grasp the gravity of this, consider that on the same day Ulrich and Heckman finished their trek, another accomplished ultrarunner died in Death Valley after just a few hours under the blazing sun.

To survive the scorching 120°+ temperatures and be self-sufficient even as they moved through remote areas, crossed six mountain ranges with a total of about 40,000 feet of elevation gain, and covered approximately 425 miles, the men had buried water, food, and supplies along their route two months earlier. Nearly all of the 37 caches were intact; in one, the water had leaked out, and a few were invaded by insects, but none of this created a shortage and they had enough water and food to sustain them throughout the journey.

Still, at 5’9″, 61-year-old Ulrich dropped 10 pounds, and Heckman, who is 5’11″ and age 38, dropped 25 pounds. They attribute the rapid weight loss to the exertion and adaptation required to complete 20 to 34 miles a day in an extreme environment.

Eric Papp believes leadership is a choice – a free decision everyone can make to see themselves as leaders, role models and people of positive influence. He also believes in the power of a ‘message’ – something people can readily relate to. Eric believes that the presidential election in 2008 was won with a ‘message’ – ‘Hope and Change.’ His suggestion for the Republicans for this year’s election is ‘Rebound & Rebuild.’

Featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and many other publications, Eric was voted in the top one-percent of management trainers in 2010. He is a recognized expert who has a desire for improving personal and organizational leadership. He strongly believes the RNC need to come up with an inspiring message that people remember and associate with them and his suggestion of ‘Rebound & Rebuild’ says it all!

The idea for award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s latest novel was somewhat of an accident. During a conversation with a friend, Libby mentioned she was drawn to stories of women whose choices have been taken away from them, and had wondered: Do they simply surrender and become victims, or do some survive and even triumph? It was then that she recalled a personal story told to her years before– about young lovers who become trapped by history, family, and the inherent conflict of a political and cultural revolution. Thus the idea was born for her latest book, A Bitter Veil (Allium Press of Chicago).

Grounded in extensive research, the story’s backdrop is the Iranian Revolution – one of the most documented periods of world history. After poring through dozens of documents, articles and films, and interviewing at least five Iranian-Americans who lived in Iran during the revolution, their experiences made it possible for Libby to tell ‘Anna’s story.’ The result is a compelling and convincing tale, seasoned with powerful characters, that grabs the reader from the first page and thrusts them into one woman’s worst nightmare – making for a read not easy to put down.

It all began with a line of Persian poetry…Anna and Nouri, both studying in Chicago, fall in love despite their very different backgrounds. Never really close to her parents, Anna is happy to return with Nouri to his native Iran, to be embraced by his wealthy family. Beginning their married life together in 1978, their world is abruptly turned upside down by the overthrow of the Shah, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

Even if you step on a few toes in the process, sometimes you just have to take a stand. Our country first learned this through the American Revolution, and a stubborn insistence on liberty is the hallmark of patriots to the present day. Telling that story in all its many forms is bound to be exciting and inspirational.

A gifted writer, David Thomas Roberts bursts into the political thriller genre with style and passion in Patriots of Treason ( AKA-Publishing). Highly original, the fictitious scenario it presents seems painfully possible, sparking lively conversations about freedom of speech and partisan politics. In fact, the current controversy over international poll-watchers is an important plot point, as Texas has threatened to arrest UN poll watchers.

The discussion “provides the type of scenario and motivation that spurred me to write the novel,” says Roberts. “The Federal government, this Administration, and now the international community continue to try to assert un-Constitutional edicts upon a sovereign state. The people of Texas don’t need observers at our elections, period. Congratulations to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott for taking this stand, and my hope is he follows through if necessary.”

“An incredible memoir . . . an important part of the still unhealed wounds of war. Christal has given as much of her heart to this story as her father gave to his country.”
—Nikki Giovanni, world-renowned poet, writer, activist, and educator

“A harrowing portrait of the past’s ability to haunt the present…Presley has found stability in her father’s story, and her willingness to share it—as well as her own revelations—will be appreciated by readers who deal with any form of wartime PTSD.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“Whether you are a professional who treats veterans and their loved ones, or a person at risk for military PTSD, or anyone who cares, you will be profoundly moved by this eloquent memoir.”
—Frank Ochberg, MD, award-winning mental health expert who helped define the term “post-traumatic stress disorder”

“Thirty Days with My Father” is an important addition to the literature of trauma psychology, shining a beacon of hope for transformation and healing.”
—From the Foreword by Edward Tick, PhD, author, War and the Soul and founding co-director, Soldier’s Heart