Biographies & Memoirs

Showing 1–10 of 24 results

How Not to Travel
“Where are you going next? I won’t go there!”
Norman L. Lofland and Betty J. Lofland
About the Book
Norman L. Lofland and Betty J. Lofland share the lessons they learned traveling, teaching, and living abroad in their memoir, How Not to Travel.
The couple started their teaching careers at Bethel College, a Mennonite liberal arts college in North Newton, Kansas. In 1963, interesting adventures developed after a travel agent friend inspired them to apply for jobs in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Loflands never imagined that they would end up teaching four decades abroad. Their adventures included meeting the Shah of Iran; having an audience with Colonel Muamar Khaddafi; interacting with Yasser Arafat before the Israelis bombed the Palestinian headquarters; driving a Karmann Ghia from Beirut to London and back, as well as from Beirut to Tehran and back; designing a theatre in Tehran with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West architects; and perhaps most important, exchanging ideas with students in Lebanon, Iran, Tunisia, China, Macau, and North Cyprus.
Join the Loflands as they recall the highs, the lows, and the life lessons they learned amid the reality of war, revolution, and exotic living.
About the Author
Norman L. Lofland attended Anderson College in Indiana and then served in the U.S. Army before earning a bachelor of arts in Speech, Drama, and English Literature from Wichita State University, Kansas, a master of arts in drama from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D in drama from Carnegie Mellon University. His wife, Betty J. Lofland, earned a bachelor of arts in English from McPherson College, Kansas, and a master of arts in history from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. After more than fifty years of teaching – forty-four of them abroad – the Loflands spend their retirement in Pasadena, California, and Macau, China.
Paperback $26.99 Hardback $34.99 E-book $2.99
It’s About Time
Renee Bobson
About the Book
A true story about my life from birth until now, however I am calling it fictional. (To protect the guilty)
It tells the story of Renee, her ancestors and her family. Renee lived through the trauma of family dysfunction, sexual and physical abuse and political turmoil. She remembers the assassination of JFK, MLK, and the uprising of the Black Panthers. Similarly, her great, great grandmother remembers the assassination of Lincoln and the Civil war. Was there dysfunction throughout time with all of her ancestors?
Renee lived through separate water fountains, separate counters and back of busses. Her great great grandmother lived through slavery and unimaginable trauma. There is sorrow, laughter and triumph.
This is only the beginning of a 3-book series. Book 1 starts with Renee as a baby and ends with her entering the military.
Book 2 will end with Renee’s Divorce and 911.
Book 3 will end with retirement and COVID. There will be many instances of comparisons to lives of ancestors. This will be a fascinating series, book one is eye opening. Books 2 and 3 will be no less shocking.
“It’s About Time”. There is nothing new under the sun.”
About the Author
Renee is a black woman, born in the 1950s during segregation in a small suburb. She did well in school, and was always a writer. She went into the military at the age of 18, she then married and had 2 children, however that’s book 2.
She moved and worked for State universities, she survived COVID and more political unrest but that’s book 3.
Paperback $16.19 E-book $2.99
HeartQuake
R.H. Lawrence
About the Book
The ability to trust and bond with another being nestles in the heart of our human experience, and when that ability is ruptured by repeated trauma in childhood, the wound (if untreated) can be long-lasting and life-limiting, particularly with regard to forming stable and loving adult relationships.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), first brought to the awareness of the general public in the 1957 movie The Three Faces of Eve, is increasingly understood as a child’s “hiding-place-of-last-resort” when facing inescapable abuse. Formerly known as “multiple personality”, DID is now regarded as more common than originally thought, affecting an estimated 1.5% of the population, predominantly females.
HeartQuake is a story of love and loss, an intimate account of two young soldiers, lost in action on love’s battlefield when barely adult, who after wildly dissimilar lives find each other again in middle age to discover that lightning can, indeed, strike twice. And still burns!
For healing requires understanding, yet something else beyond… HeartQuake, finally, is an unforgettable story of the spirit’s resilience and unending quest for wholeness.
Paperback $19.95 E-book $2.99
Sleeping with the dogs
Chad Ehlers
About the Book
“”Sleeping With the Dogs”” is the last remaining morsel on my bucket list ….hopefully.
It is a collection of memories and reflections harvested over 50 years of unfastidious traveling, chasing and photographing.
About the Author
Chad Ehlers was born in Manhattan Beach, California, spent 7 years in Hawaii in his 20’s and roamed the planet as a free-lance photographer, teacher and semi-professional vagabond. He has shared his experiences visually and verbally as a motivational speaker in high schools throughout Sweden, a country he used as a jumping off point to Europe, Africa, Asia and the Indian Ocean. He has 11 previous photography books to his credit, over 30 television productions and 25 educational programs, all intended to share the natural and cultural landscapes exposed to him as a road runner. His images have been published in major magazines worldwide. This synopsis of one person’s life is the desert following a seven-course meal.
E-book $2.99 Paperback $15
Walking With Demons
Jane Dolynski
About the Book
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON TO THE WORLD, TO REDEEM MANKIND BACK UNTO HIMSELF. HE SO LOVED, WHICH IS A VERY STRONG POWERFUL LOVE, THAT CAN ONLY COME THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. GOD CHOSE ONE OF HIS OLDER AND EXPERIENCED, CHOSEN ONES, TO GO AFTER A MUCH YOUNGER AND GIFTED MAN, THROUGH THE POWER OF LOVE. IT TOOK THE POWER OF LOVE TO GO THROUGH SO MUCH DRAMA, EVIL, HATRED, SEXUAL HARRASSMENTS, OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS, IN SUCH A MANNER.
YOU SEE, GOD’S WAYS ARE NOT THE SAME WAYS OF THE WORLD. NOR DO THE WORLD UNDERSTAND THE WAYS OF GOD. JESUS CAME, AND DIED ON THE CROSS, BECAUSE OF THE LOVE OF GOD IN HIM FOR THE WORLD. WE WHO ARE CHOSEN OF GOD NEVER KNOW HOW WE MAY BE USED OF GOD, BUT IT IS UP TO US TO OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, AND GOD TAKES CARE OF THE REST. WE ARE HIS FEET, LEGS, BODY AND MOUTH PIECE, FOR GOD TO USE. AND YES, HE SENDS US OUT WITH THE POWER OF HIS LOVE IN US.
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE POWER OF GOD’S LOVE, AND TODAY THE GIFTED YOUNG MAN SERVES GOD. NOW, MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.
THE PROPHETESS
About the Author
I AM A WOMAN WHO WAS CALLED OUT BY MY NAME AND CHOSEN BY GOD, WITH HIS AUDIBLE VOICE THREE TIMES. YES, I KNOW THE VOICE OF GOD. AFTER BEING CHOSEN, I WAS ANNOINTED WITH VARIOUS GIFTS, AND THEN, I WAS PREPARED TO GO THROUGH THE HARSHNESS OF THIS WORLD. YES, GOD STILL USES HIS CHOSEN ONES TO GO THROUGH CERTAIN THINGS IN LIFE AND THROUGH LONG SUFFERING TO THE GLORY OF GOD FOR RIGHTEOUS SAKE. AS WE GO THROUGH THESE TRIALS, GOD ALSO FEELS OUR PAIN, YES, OUR BODIES ARE USED BY GOD, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT TO EXPOSE SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN MANY FORMS, AND PLACES, AND SO, WE MUST GO THROUGH, SO THAT GOD CAN GET THE VICTORY, OVER EVIL.
THE PROPHETESS
Paperback $11.28 E-book $2.99
Memories of Distant Places
A.L. Provost
About the Book
My first memoir, Reflections in an Orphan’s Eye, A Decade at Oxford 1947-1957, was published in 2005. This second memoir picks up my story as I enter Berry College in 1957, and covers my nearly four and a half years between graduation from college in May 1961 and my honorable discharge from the U.S. Army on November 4, 1965. An Epilogue to this book covers my life from my discharge from the army until the present.
I have led an interesting and productive life. If I had my life to live over again, I would not change it even one iota.
About the Author
Dr. Provost, an attorney and optometrist, resides outside Atlanta with his wife Evelyn, an attorney, their four talented children having gone on to careers in Optometry, real estate and teaching.
In May 1961 the author received an undergraduate degree in Physics-Mathematics from Berry College, and in July of that year enlisted in U.S. Army. He served two tours of duty in South Korea, the last with U.S. Army Intelligence as a Korean linguist and prisoner interrogator.
In 1972 Dr. Provost was awarded the degree of Doctor of Optometry from the University of Houston, and in 1980 earned a Juris Doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Law.”
E-book $2.99 Paperback $16.95
The Miracle of Hospice
The Personal Journey of a Hospice Nurse
Cathy Truehart
About the Book
The Miracle of Hospice; The Personal Journey of a Hospice Nurse is designed to offer information and emotional support to a wide audience of people who may be faced with their own death or the death of a loved one, or those who just want to be informed about what hospice is and what it is not. By merging elements of memoir, reflection, information and gentle self-help, The Miracle of Hospice demystifies the work of hospice as it ministers to the dying and their families. By tracing one day in the life of a hospice nurse, the author explains in detail how hospice staffers work and debunks as well, some of the damaging myths about end-of-life care while sharing her own journey as hospice nurse and caregiver to her own parents. The book is laced with personal stories of the hospice patients and families she has had the privilege to serve in her 40 year career as a hospice nurse. The Miracle of Hospice portrays the human, humane and sometimes humorous side of hospice. Its three main sections put a vivid, personal face on the hospice patient and family, the hospice nurse, and the hospice team respectively.
About the Author
Cathy Truehart’s training in nursing began in 1971. In 1974, she earned a Diploma in Nursing from Worcester City Hospital School of Nursing in Massachusetts. In 1981, she earned a BSN in Public Health Nursing with a minor in Gerontology from California State University in Cotati, California, where she also did a year-long preceptorship with Hospice of Sonoma County. Finally, in 1997 Cathy completed her Master’s Degree in counseling psychology at Leslie College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Cathy’s longstanding interest in holistic health has motivated her to complete a certification program in holistic nursing through Seeds & Bridges; obtain a practitioner degree in Neuro-Linguistic Programming; become a Reiki Master; and complete certification in reflexology.
Currently Cathy is enjoying retirement and embracing her spirituality with Just Faith Ministries (justfaith.org) and the ‘Contemplative Living Program’ at Genesis Spiritual Life Center in Westfield, MA. She lives with her husband of 40 years and spends as much time with her daughters and grandsons in Long Island, NY and Austin, Texas as she possibly can.
Watch for the author’s next book: My Greatest Teacher; Embracing Bi-Polar Disorder.
Paperback $11.2 E-book $2.99
THE WHEELCHAIR GOES EAST
Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China: May 2018
Mike Fox
About the Author
Mike Fox is a semi-retired British civil servant with a passion for travelling, reading, anything that moves on railway lines, and badminton (which he continues to play badly). He is married to Sylvia, who has a passion for dogs and music. They have two adult sons, Nathan and David, who fled the nest many years ago, and Katy, a loveable but naughty border collie who thinks she’s in charge (and probably is). Mike’s travel genre also has an emphasis on travelling
for the disabled, largely because his wife, Sylvia, who usually travels with him, has Parkinson’s disease and gets around mostly with the aid of a wheelchair.
Mike loves encountering new situations, people and cultures, and observing the world around him. He has been particularly inspired by travel writers such as Paul Theroux and Bill Bryson, sharing something of the former’s love of trains and the la er’s sense of humour – plus the fact that both of these writers get past mere description of the places they visit and share their profound perceptions of their travel experiences and their encounters along the way, some which he finds humorous, some poignant, all of them fascinating.
E-book $2.99 Paperback $16.99
My Cheri Amour
A True Heartbreaking Love Story!
R. W. Pursur
About the Book
This is a heartbreaking love story, but it’s still a true love story. In January of 2013, I discovered papers, journals, diaries, pictures, cards and letters I had never seen before, in several boxes, at the top of my wife’s closet and it brought forth a spring of emotions.
However, it did remind me of what true love really is. We all wish we could “”quantum leap”” back in time and make changes that might have had a better outcome that didn’t lead to so many regrets, but love has many faces. Not a day goes by that I haven’t shed a tear for Cheri as I have observed her daily decline. Every morning I wake up to face the reality of her unavoidable demise. The love I have for her has been immeasurable and losing her was unbearable. Love is a roller coaster speeding through happy days and tragic ones as well. This story was a spontaneous writing I had no intentions of pursuing, yet I was inspired to share, due to the emotional state I was pulled into after finding “”The Boxes””. And part of what I found was that the only way to understand a love story is to share it.
About the Author
Robert W. “Bob” Pursur was born in Dallas, Texas in 1952. He graduated from Mountain View College in Dallas with an Associate’s Degree in Aviation in 1977. He began flying lessons in 1973, acquiring a Certified Flight Instructor rating for Single/Multi-Engine Instrument Instruction from 1977 to 2001. He also wrote the column “Flight School” for MicroWings Magazine from 1996 to 1999. Bob retired from AT&T after forty years of service (1971 to 2011), as a manager, spending the last eight years of his career as a Certified Technical Instructor and assisting in the writing of Special Services training programs. He still lives in Dallas.
Paperback $14.92 E-book $2.99
Beyond The Comfort Zone:
The War That Never Ends
Frank Wilkins
About the Book
Questions: We all have them, rattling around in the back of our minds. How did the country get like this? We have a cold civil war going on, with vast numbers of Americans convinced that our elections are being hacked, and the daily news is being faked. We see one president after another not only despised, but reviled by half the people. Outside the U.S., we have terrorist enemies who’ve struck at nations around the globe, and who might eventually acquire nuclear weapons.
And there’s more. In nearly every state, battles are being fought over issues which are central to the very fabric of life. Our society’s very foundations— marriage, family, even the biological realities of male and female—have been turned into political footballs. This is a kind of war which has no end.
More questions. How can all this be happening? We thought that two World Wars and a four-decade Cold War had settled everything. What is it, that’s turning this world into a lunatic asylum? Is there any way to make sense out of it all?
This book isn’t about questions. The symbol on the front cover says just
the opposite: It’s about answers. And that includes answers to the biggest question of all. This book is about the war that never ends.
About the Author
Frank Wilkins was born and raised in California. After graduating from
high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a radioman. Following his naval service Wilkins attended college and received his Bachelor of Science degree from the California state university system. He now resides in the Midwest.
Paperback $12.2 E-book $2.99