#RWISA CATALOG! E – H / #RRBC

*FIORAVANTI, JOHN

“A PERSONAL JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF TEACHING”

(Non-Fiction)

This is a story about decency, family politics, family, fear, and triumph.

Teaching is the canvas but the portrait is so much richer and more colourful. This book will capture and absorb you. Fear of failure is a powerful motivator and as John Fioravanti battles and defeats his demons you will find yourself cheering for him as if he were contesting a sporting event.

Teaching is not a discipline confined to schools, and the lessons in this book about planning, listening, empathizing and sympathizing have applicability to all professions and walks of life − from a police lieutenant training officers to a sales manager teaching sales representatives and everything else in between.

John Fioravanti shaped, elevated, and improved the lives thousands of young people. After you’ve read this short story, you’ll be fulfilled and uplifted.

“PASSION & STRUGGLE”

(Paranormal, SciFi & Fantasy)

Marco Rossini is a historian with no political aspirations, and no desire for power. However, he possesses unique knowledge that is about to change his life: he knows the human history of the planet Earth.

The Year is 2796 CE, and on the planet Genesis, human civilization looks very similar to the world it left behind. One difference dominates: a Church, created by the United Nations to compel peace, has ruled for seven centuries. Now, in the wake of a brutal war that aligned humanity with the new rulers of Earth, the old ways have been shattered, and Genesis needs a new, egalitarian government. Marco is the right man to help lead the change, but as the professor soon discovers, the battle between Church and state is far from over, and both sides are willing to spill blood.

Struggling to remake his world, to find love, and to survive in troubled political waters, can Marco Rossini change history?

“TREACHERY & TRIUMPH”

(Paranormal, Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

Marco Rossini is the Vice President of Genesis, and the civilian commander of the elite Alpha Corps special forces. His skills and courage are about to be tested in ways he could not have foreseen.

It is 2797 CE, and after centuries fractured along religious and social lines, planet Genesis is inching painfully toward unity. The civilian and Churcher executives of a new, hybrid government are convinced that without reform their society will not survive… but they are beset by challenges from fanatics who are determined to destroy all initiatives that might lead to positive change.

Marco’s close brush with death and his miraculous recovery with the help of the Earthers has steeled his resolve to fight for an egalitarian society… but can this academic-turned-political leader vanquish his enemies, save his love, and still preserve his own humanity?

“REFLECTIONS”

(Inspiration)

Does this question engage you or take you out of your comfort zone? Does it put you on the spot? REFLECTIONS is award-winning author and former educator John Fioravanti’s answer.

Offering his interpretations of fifty quotes by contemporary and ancient thinkers alike, John dives deep below the surface of words and explores the deeper meanings that shape his view of the world.

Deeply personal and presented in a self-effacing manner, these self-aware reflections will encourage you to dig deep within yourself and to discover more about the underlying truths that guide you.

Without trumpets or fanfare of any kind, John Fioravanti aspires to inspire you!

***

*FISCHER, WANDA ADAMS

“THE GENIUS AND THE KGB”

(Short Story)

In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union dubbed Aleksi Zhakarov a genius. They removed him from his parents and sent him for special education. He earned a doctorate by the time when most people graduate from college. However, he was never allowed out of protective custody to live a normal life. He always wondered what the rest of the world looked like. Thanks to a major conference in Munich, he meets other scientists, one of whom helps him escape from his KGB guards. He arrives at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, meets several other Soviet defectors, but remains convinced that the KGB is still after him. This story delves into his paranoia, what happens to him, and how it affects his MIT co-workers.

“HANDPRINTS”

(Short Story)

After their husbands commit them to a state mental institution in Massachusetts, two women become friends. Were they–and the other women who filled the place–even mentally ill? Anne was eccentric, to be sure, and her Boston fireman husband decided it was more than he could bear. Edna loved to read and write poetry; her husband said she wasn’t “a good wife,” so he called the constable and had her taken away to the state mental hospital. She craved companionship and found Anne during her first night at the place. Edna called Anne “Anne of Green Gables”; she told everyone who’d listen that she was Edna St. Vincent Millay. This novella looks at the way they cope with spending the rest of their lives in a state mental institution with humor and Anne’s visitors from the outside world–and how they make a Christmas surprise visit to the site of the old mental hospital as spirits after their deaths.

“EMPTY SEATS”

(Novels)

***

*GARCIA, PAT

NEW RELEASE

“LATE BLOOMER”

(Short Story)

At forty-seven, Nadine Dorothy Lauren, lovingly called Na-Doo by her best girlfriends, is giving up on her lifelong dream of falling in love and having a house filled with kids. As a child psychologist, she loves the children in her care, but they don’t erase the gnawing ache within her. With her bodily clock ticking away, Na-Doo forces herself to accept what will not be and plans to take a drastic step that will change her life forever until Daniel Incogniti and his seven boys step into her life.

This delightful short story is a comical yet earnest tale of a woman who thought her life dream would never come true. 

“JANIE B”

This is a contemporary multicultural romance about a woman who  encounters a sexually starved necrophiliac as she walks up a mountainside. As she yearns for death, a stranger bursts into the cabin and saves her and becomes the love of her life. 

“CONTEMPLATIONS OF A WOMAN TURNING 65”

(Short Story)

Moving toward her Sixty-fifth birthday, Tessie Blount contemplates the next stage of her life. The death of her last girlfriend has her floundering as she deliberates between wanting to go on living or taking flight as all her friends have done and go up yonder.

Not married and with no purpose, she questions the validity of living further until love is offered to her most unexpectedly. But will she accept it?

“LET HIS BANNER OVER ME BE LOVE”

(Short Story)

It didn’t take Chance Mancini long to accept that she had allowed let herself to fall in love with Gavino Mancini, a man much younger than she. To make matters worse, after their marriage, he’d led her into a lifestyle that she did not know of, but she had come to love. He was her, Sir.

All was well and good until she found out she couldn’t give him a family, and insecurity about their relationship hunted her like a hound dog sniffing on a hunt.

Chance ran away, only to be terrorized every night in her sleep by her dreams.

Three years later, Gavino Mancini enters her life again to repossess what belongs to him––her heart and her body.

“TURN THE LIGHT ON”

(Short Story)

Would you ever accept a dinner invitation to meet a stranger who never spoke one word to you during your time together? Would you accept that you could not even sit at the same table with them? How about, you don’t even know their name and you continue this “game” for months?

Meet Della Cartwright. A superstar at what she does professionally, but when the tall, mysterious, Italian stranger, Alessio Terracina, enters her world, she begins to question her judgment and everything about her.

In this short story which takes place over the course of one day, this otherwise savvy businesswoman is led into making decisions that could jeopardize her professional life and maybe even cost her her freedom. But the greatest danger… just might be to her fragile heart.

***

 

*HODGSON, HARRIET

NEW RELEASE

“WINNING: A STORY OF GRIEF AND RENEWAL”

Harriet Hodgson is well-acquainted with grief. She is a bereaved mother, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, wife, and friend.

After so many losses, she decided “Death would be the loser; life would be the winner. I will make it so.”

Winning is all about healing – a story of love with surprise laughter, useful tips, personal growth, and a path for creating a new life. Winning can help you embrace the life that is waiting for you.

“DAISY A DAY: HOPE FOR A GRIEVING HEART”

(Self-Help)

Just like you, Harriet Hodgson has lost loved ones. Just like you, she sought help. When Harriet couldn’t find the help she wanted, she wrote Daisy a Day, 365 short readings about coping with grief. Her tender, thoughtful words can help you find your healing path and keep walking toward the future.

Daisy a Day is the hug you need.

“FIRST STEPS, FIRST SNOW”

(Children’s)

Whether it’s changing seasons, changing scenes, or observing wildlife, nature adds wonder to our lives. First Steps, First Snow (based on a true story) describes a magical walk in the woods on a winter night.

The poem guides readers on the walk and encourages the observation of nature. Watercolor illustrations show nocturnal animals that live in forests.

At the end, the two children and the animals are all snug and sound asleep — a perfect bedtime story for readers of all ages.

“READY, SET, LEAD!”

(Children’s)

Reading this charming poem to or with a child can foster confidence and encourage leadership.

Author Hodgson believes that great leadership can be learned from a young age. This beautifully illustrated and thoughtful book is meant to be shared and enjoyed while giving children tools to find their own unique gifts and the values that make great leaders.

“THE FAMILY CAREGIVER’S GUIDE”

(Self-Help)

Caring for a loved one at home. What’s really involved? And what does it mean for your family and future? Tens of millions of Americans have had these questions and more as they prepare for this unsettling yet necessary task. The Family Caregiver’s Guide fills in the gaps, connecting the dots between research and real life. Drawing on the author’s extensive caregiving experience, this book provides strategies to care for your loved one, inside and out, as well as for yourself—including how to use your natural skills in your new role, and which skills you may need to add. You’ll discover how to set up your home for caregiving, including a safety checklist, equipment suggestions, and words you should know. And for those days that are more than a handful, you’ll find positive affirmations, a section on facing and accepting illness, and smart steps at the end of each chapter, in case you need guidance in a hurry. Caregiving has both rewards and challenges. But through it all, you’ll discover what’s most important—that caregiving is love in action.

“AFFIRMATIONS FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS”

(Self-Help)

Caregiving can be difficult, even on its best days, and staying upbeat is one of the most loving things that a caregiver can do for the care receiver—the person they provide care for and love so much.

Reading affirmations is a quick and easy form of self-care that can help caregivers stay balanced and optimistic, which lends itself to a calm, healing environment.

This book of affirmations has been created specifically for caregivers and is grouped into chapters with titles that caregivers understand: caregiving tasks, safeguarding health, appreciating the day. . . which makes it easy to flip right to the section that offers the support that is needed at that moment. At the end of the book, author Harriet Hodgson provides guidance on how to write affirmations for those who want to go just a step farther.

“THE FAMILY CAREGIVER’S COOKBOOK”

(Cookbooks)

You’re in the caregiving trenches and barely make it through the day, let alone have the energy to prepare fancy meals. But meals don’t have to be fancy or hard to make in order to be delicious, nutritious, and healthy. Harriet Hodgson, a dedicated home cook, former food writer, and family caregiver, wanted to fix delicious meals for her disabled husband. A creative cook, Harriet adapted favorite family recipes and created new ones for this book, reducing salt, fat, and sugar. Personal stories add to the recipes and each one ends with “Caregiver Tips.” You’ll get tips on how to stock your pantry, speed shop for groceries, understand the effects of sodium, and practice food safety. The book is set in larger print that makes it easy to read. Treat your loved one—and yourself—to these easy-fix, delicious, and satisfying recipes. Make every meal a celebration of life!

2019 KCT INT’L LITERARY AWARD GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

“SO, YOU’RE RAISING YOUR GRANDKIDS!”

(Self-Help)

If you are a grandparent raising your grandchildren, help has arrived.

According to the US Census Bureau, more than 10% of all grandparents in the nation are raising their grandkids, and the number is going up. You may be one of the millions of these grandparents and it’s a role you never expected. Willing as you are to assume this role, you have some questions. How will I find the energy for this? Is my grandchild normal? What if I “blow it?” Each day, you look for ways to make life easier.

This book will:

•Help ease your worries and guilt;
•Offer tips for creating a grand-family;
•Give methods for improving grandparent-grandchild communication;
•Suggest ideas for how you can connect with your grandchild’s school;
•Provide child development information;
•Recommend approaches to help your grandchild set goals;
•Stress the importance of having fun together;
•Offer ideas of how to foster your grandchild’s hopes and dreams.

So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids blends Harriet Hodgson’s wise and moving grandparenting story with recent research and findings. It shares her 21 years of caregiving experience, including seven years of raising her twin grandkids. Each chapter ends with What Works, proven tips for grandparents raising grandkids.

At the end, you’ll cheer for all the loving grandparents—including you—who are putting grandchildren first.

“THE GRANDMA FORCE”

(Self-Help)

Becoming the grandmother of twins changed Harriet Hodgson and altered her life course. According to Hodgson, we live in a fast-paced, complex time, a time when too many grandchildren are victims of bullying, Internet scams, and sexual abuse. Hodgson believes that grandmothers are needed today more than any other time in history.

“Grandmas can’t be passive,” she declares. “Every grandma has the power to protect and guide her grandchildren and needs to tap this power.”

This narrative weaves Hodgson’s personal story with research findings. It’s packed with ideas for helping grandchildren. Hodgson’s age, child development degree, life experience, teaching experience, witness to history, and extensive research converge to make this an inspiring read. Working individually and together, grandmas are changing the world.

“The Grandma Force is about the power of love and the power of one.” Hodgson says. “One-by-one, grandmas are standing up for grandchildren and creating a hopeful future for them.”