Crisis Counseling book by Robert Uttaro

To the Survivors

One Man’s Journey as a Rape Crisis Counselor with True Stories of Sexual Violence

 To the Survivors is a deeply-moving, empowering, and brutally honest book about one man’s journey as a rape crisis counselor combined with true stories of sexual violence shared by real survivors in their own words. Gently and beautifully constructed, To the Survivors is moving, tender, sharp, and piercingly true all at once. The reader will encounter uncensored written stories, poems, and interviews shared by women, men, and one transgendered person who have been raped and sexually assaulted. The impact of this work is far reaching – it is multi-cultural, multi-generational, and fully expansive in its ability to reach people's hearts and minds around this critical human issue. Robert Uttaro believes anyone can benefit from the words in these pages; rape survivor or not.

“A moving series of survivor stories…This book is both informative for the general public and supportive for those who have suffered sexual abuse. It is hard to imagine that members of either group will not gain from reading it."

                - Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review

"To the Survivors weaves together many candid accounts to form a brave and alarming exposé of assault. It is a worthwhile, eye-opening project."

               - Foreword Clarion Reviews

“An engaging examination of a painful subject, with a focus on healing and forgiveness.”

           - Kirkus Reviews

January, 2013

Print  $12.95, e-Book $0.99

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, & Smashwords

www.robertuttaro.com

Lindsey Paley book review, The Crazy Pursuit of Love

Buy on Amazon

E-book $2.99

From the Publisher:

Or ‘Lydia’s Lessons in Love’ - a round-the-world jaunt to find the secrets of love.

Ditched by her husband and her boss, desolate at her impending divorce, Lydia Chambers is challenged by her friend, Professor Rachel Denton, to travel the world in search of answers to the age-old question - ‘What is love, anyway?’- for a research project.

Her friends, Hollie and Jasper, demand that she sends home regular bulletins for them to put into practice in their ailing love lives. And so, Lydia’s crazy global pursuit of ‘Lessons in Love’ is born.

First up is Malta, the golden-hued museum of the Mediterranean, where she meets gorgeous Niko. Does she fall it love? She sends home her first ‘lessons in love’ for her friends’ delectation.

Next is a trip to the tropical paradise of Hawai’i, where surfer and firefighter, Steve, sends her heart soaring amongst the surf-boards of Waikiki Beach. More ‘lessons in love’ follow for Hollie and Jasper to mull over.

Then on to Singapore, Gateway to the Orient, where Lydia samples the delights of south east Asian cuisine with her friend Elliot, head chef at a luxury hotel, and she discovers more bulletins to dispatch home.

Denmark tops the Happiness Index in Europe - so why does it boast the highest divorce rate? Does divorce make people happy? Perhaps Prof. Peter Andersen can help Lydia unravel the mystery.

Finally, the capital city of love and romance, Paris. What will she learn amongst the palaces and bridges of the City of Light?

Find out what Lydia learned from her ‘lessons in love’ in 'The Crazy Pursuit of Love’. 

My review:

Paley's story of marriage gone awry is a master sentiment of the institution in the 21st century. Witty, absolutely charming, breath-taking and delicious, Paley's fiction may read like a tongue in cheek whirlwind tour of what makes marriage work in the modern world, and what makes it unwind, but I think she's scored a major truth.

Empathetic to a fault divorce attorney Lydia is way too good at what she does. The only really surprised by her husband's petition for divorce is...no one. Not even Lydia. Saved by the deep love of a friend from going insane during a forced six-month sabbatical, Lydia jets off, extremely reluctantly, to help Rachel on a research project about what makes marriage work in different environments around the world. Met and nurtured by carefully placed chums in exotic locations, Lydia is forced to examine marriage in all kinds of situations, the good, the bad, and the ugly, to realize and heal from her mistakes, and reevaluate her priorities. Taking a good look at the life she was hiding from, including a fancy apartment she was never home long enough to enjoy, is a good start.

What makes a perfect mate? Why and how to stay together for life? Is it possible, and who can do that? With her reputation shredding at the hands of a back-stabbing partner, and no support from the company she gave herself to for a decade, Lydia challenges herself and her friends to answer those questions. Lydia's always had what she needed within her grasp, as she applies her specific lessons to the success stories to test her theories. Is it too late to use the lessons she's uncovered for herself?

Told in third person mostly from Lydia’s point of view with a few scenes from her husband and occasional friends, Paley’s very British style of story-telling is a virtual tour of romantic places. Filled with food and cultural details, the reader sits next to Lydia as she begins to break down the rigid layer of “busy-useful” she built around herself. An excellent read for those who enjoy travel and intellectual characters in situations of self-examination.

CrossReads Book Blast with Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica Dorman

Sarah Anne's Expedient Marriage By Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica M. Dorman

About the Book:

Knowing he was about to die, Sarah Anne’s beloved father had arranged for her to marry Alexander Swyndhurst II. Alexander, a recent widower, had no intention of taking another wife; but after learning the young woman’s situation—that she had been the object of at least one man’s unwanted attentions, and that she would soon be left alone and unprotected—he had agreed to the marriage. He had one stipulation, however: He and Sarah Anne would live separately—he in Bristol, England, and she in Amesbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Sarah Anne had agreed wholeheartedly with this arrangement. Will Alexander have a change of heart? What of the dangerous man from her past? What will happen while her husband is away—leaving her alone with only the servants? Even though there are connections, each novel in the series may be read as a stand-alone.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK

Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica M. Dorman Inspired by interesting characters and events uncovered while doing genealogical research,mother and daughter writing team, Cathy Lynn Bryant and Jessica Marie Dorman, who live in beautiful New England, have masterfully woven the stories of real people and fictional characters from the 17th and 18th centuries to develop inspirational, romantic, works of historical fiction. The Unshakable Faith series includes the following titles: Book 1 Lost Love and Shipwrecked--Madeline Pike Finds Hope in the New Land; Book 2 Grandmother's Namesake; Book 3 Sarah Anne's Expedient Marriage.

Follow Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica M. Dorman Website | Facebook | Twitter

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter below to enter a $50 Amazon gift card, sponsored by author Cathy Lynn Bryant & Jessica M. Dorman! a Rafflecopter giveaway This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

Matta's Art

Last summer, August 2014, my family was blessed with a special trip to Athens. I had arranged for a local tour guide through Dopios.com, not knowing for sure what we'd get. It turned out to be Matta. What a gift. Since then we've been pleased to send two other friends to her care to tour Athens and Greece.

I now invite you to visit her business, MATTA Eco Global, her hand-made art.

Matta Koulouridi

What is MATTA Eco Global?

MATTA Eco is a global initiative that fuses unique hand-made artwork, ecological consciousness, global networking, and cultural entrepreneurship. Based out of the Netherlands and spanning countries in Europe, South America and the U.S., MATTA Eco runs on the fuel of principles and values of our common future, such as recycling, artistic creativity, global collaboration and the rising of all boats!

The mission of Matta Eco Global team is to spread Matta’s Eco Art and to encourage other Greeks and entrepreneurs around the world in their creative projects regardless of circumstances. The profits of Matta’s Eco Art go directly to the creator, Matta, and in part, to support other Greek entrepreneurial and artistic initiatives. Matta Eco Global represents to the world the future image of entrepreneurship, one which is not solely focused on the bottom-line, rather on economic justice, eco sustainability and global collaboration.

The MATTA Eco Global Team: South America, Africa, U.S.A., Europe

Matta the Person. Behind the “Unique, and conscious ECO Art” is Matta Koulouridi, the Greek artist who is also a retired French teacher, a world traveler, and a lover of Life and all living things. Now in her late 60s, Matta has been fortunate to have traveled to many parts of the world and has friends all over the world. Those who know Matta are not surprised to learn that she is caring for the latest abandoned street kitten, opening her home to an immigrant in Athens, or proudly giving tours of the ancient Greek ruins in her country to the friend of a friend of a friend.

As all Greeks, Matta has been deeply affected by the economic downturn. Although Matta made diligent plans for her retirement through teaching and artwork, she now faces financial difficulties due mainly to irresponsible political policies and economic fluctuations. Although her new economic restraints no longer allowed her to purchase expensive materials to create her art, she began to use what was available: from colored glass washed up on the sea shores of Greece, to beautifully printed plastic bags, to scrap pieces of silk and lace
.
She also opened her simple artist studio and apartment in Athens, Greece as a Bed & Breakfast to tourists. Matta’s can-do attitude and perseverance to continue her work in spite of the circumstances has been recognized by people around the world who had been helped by Matta at various point in their lives. Inspired by her unique artwork and her positive attitude, they decided to help her by creating a global ‘echo’ to spread Matta Eco Art around the world. MATTA Eco Global was thus born.
The Product: MATTA Eco Art

Each piece of MATTA Eco art is hand crafted and made with the utmost loving care. Matta’s work is a collection of limited production, resulting in one-of-a-kind product. Matta loves to work with all sorts of mediums; however, materials most used include silver (925), brass, copper, glass (usually gleaned from the shore of the seas), wood, lace and durable rubber and plastic; also recycled items such as pieces of antique jewelry or ancient stones of all kinds.

To view Matta’s art online: www.mattaeco.com

Browse her store: Http://www.etsy.com/shop/MattaEco

New Book in the Sweet Briar series by Carol Heilman

Summer's steamy haze coats North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, but feisty Agnes Marie Hopper discovers the heat isn't the only thing causing her blood to boil. After a kitchen fire destroys her home, Agnes moves in with her daughter, Betty Jo. Three months later they come to an understanding: neither can tolerate living with the other. So on a sultry August morning, Betty Jo drives Agnes and her few belongings to Sweetbrier Manor, a local retirement home and former house of ill repute. 

With no intention of staying, Agnes devises a scheme to sneak out of the Manor and find another place to live. Before she can make her exit, she runs into her best friend from high school, along with some other quirky characters. With a nose for trouble, Agnes learns some of the residents are being robbed, over-medicated, and denied basic cable and Internet access. Armed with nothing more than seventy-one years of common sense and a knack for pushing people's buttons, Agnes sets out to expose the unscrupulous administrator, protect her new friends, and restore Sweetbriar Manor's reputation as a "rewarding and enriching lifestyle. But the real moment of truth comes when Agnes is forced to choose between her feisty self-reliance and the self-sacrifice that comes from caring for others.

Buy from:
Amazon print
Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Apple iStore

Book Review - Remember Me by Lara Van Hulzen

Remember Me, by Lara Van Hulzen

October 2014

Book one in the Men of Honor series

ISBN: 1502450062

Ebook $3.99

Print: $9.99

Inspirational romantic suspense

Amazon 

BN

From the Publisher: 

Detective Ben Russo is in trouble.
He just can’t remember why.

When a car accident lands Ben in the hospital, he can’t recall anything about his life. What he does know is he’s enchanted by a tiny nurse named Tess, but can’t shake the feeling they’re both in danger. 

After being left at the altar, Tess Jansenn moves to a new town and starts over. When her ex-fiancé, Ben, shows up in the ER where she works with no memory of her, she must decide – tell Ben who he is or let him remember on his own. 

Can Tess forgive and forget what drove them apart, and when Ben remembers, will the consequences of his choices make it too late for love? 

My Review:

How long can love really last? If it’s real, love forgives all things…even when those things don’t make sense and potentially involve another woman.

Van Hulzen’s story of a man who wakes up with no memory and as the patient of the woman he left at the altar six months previously, is a sweetly dramatic tale of everything that can go wrong when priorities get tangled up.

Tess gets the shock of her life when she meets her new patient – Ben, her former fiancé who’s supposed to be off finding himself in Europe after the tragic death of his parents, and the week before he commits himself to Tess.

All the man in the hospital bed knows is that he was in an accident and can’t seem to remember much about his life, not his name or residence. Strange puzzle pieces pop into his mind here and there, and odd abilities, like how to handle a gun, and a high level of peace when he’s with Tess, confuse him.

Tess decides not to tell him she knows him and let him regain his memory on his own. Both are troubled when his wallet is recovered, identifying him as a man neither of them feel comfortable about. But when the puzzle suddenly, terrifyingly, comes together, the picture reveals danger.

With the help of faith, family and friends, Ben and Tess remember that even though love is never a problem, but together they’re stronger when they trust each other.

I found myself eager to keep reading. Van Hulzen’s characters are likeable and the journey toward the conclusion enjoyable with some twists. Set in southern California, I enjoyed a nice trip away from Wisconsin, virtual surfing and sand between my toes. Told from Tess and Ben, and occasional secondary character, points of view, this story is a fun read for those who enjoy romantic suspense.

About the Author:

Lara Van Hulzen received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Point Loma Nazarene University. She lives with her husband and three children in Northern California.

How Checking E-mail Leads to House Fires

Distracted Cooking and Other Catastrophes 

I recently wrote a guest post on a day in the life of a writer. It was filled with really cool and important things I'd done that particularly attractive day for the romantic illusion of a working writer.

But having just experienced another one of those smoke-filled burning heavy-duty aluminum moments reminding me that I had been boiling water, I figured I'd tell blog readers about the other, less romantic side of working at home. What distracts you?

Top Ten Things Not to Do While Cooking

10. Cut hair - Am I the only one who would even think of this? It's really hard to give myself a bad haircut, so when I decided the night before to whack off a few inches, the next morning I got all ready, put the pot on the stove, skipped into the bathroom and starting snipping away. It might not be a bad haircut, but I always forget the floor is uneven, so one side is juuuuust a leeetle shorter...Maybe it's my ears that are crooked. I always forget.

9. Leave the Kitchen - But, but, but...It'll only take a second to go get that thing I was looking for.

8. Feed the birds - I mean, really, I can see the feeders out the window and it will only take a minute to fill them from the huge bag of sunflower seeds. Of course while I'm out there I might as well pull a couple of weeds, or shoo the neighbor's dog, or watch the turkey tracks in the snow...

7. Vacuum. Seriously, the kitchen and living room are not that big. It takes four minutes for water to boil. I don't actually have to get underneath the furniture this time. I'll just reach for that one dust  bunny under my desk. And flip a cushion or two.

6. Think of another blog post - Who'd a thought thinking could be so distracting?

5. Start the Laundry - Like, it's only the two of us left at home, how long could it take to empty pockets and check for stains to pre-treat?

4. Read One More Page - I can even stand there in front of the stove and finish the paragraph. The page. The chapter.

3. Get the Mail - Right now we have a short driveway. It's thirty steps. Past the floating piece of trash, a couple of weeds, the garage door, the empty bird feeders.

2. Make an errands/shopping list - Don't start looking in the refrigerator. Trying to remember how long stuff has been sitting around and whether you'll have enough time to cook and what you might need is thoroughly distracting.

1. Check E-mail - Truly the Number One reason I leave pots boiling over on the stove. I only want to look at the message list, but find myself opening some, and of course needing to respond. Until the smell of burned aluminum reminds me I left something on the stove. At least I caught it before the smoke alarm went off this time. Now, if only I could remember what I was cooking.