Tag Archives: Kingsmuir Press

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A Blockbuster Book Release

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Sending out congratulations to our fabulous author, Jean Marie Stanberry.  Her newest book “Blood, Sweat and Fears” was officially released on May 1 with very little fanfare, but sales were still brisk placing it at #5 in Kindle sales for the day of release.  It topped the sales not only in the US, but also Brazil and Great Britain.

“Blood, Sweat and Fears” was originally slated to release in December, but it’s debut was held up by our legal department.  After the decision was made to put the brakes on “Blood” we made the decision to release “The Illusion of Order” instead, which was meant to be the second book of the “Heart of a Phoenix” series.  “Blood, Sweat and Fears” was reworked and written from the dual perspectives of both clashing main characters and it was approved for release.  If you have not yet read “The Illusion of Order” you might want to read “Blood, Sweat and Fears” first, but it is not necessary as all Jean’s books stand alone brilliantly.

“Blood, Sweat and Fears” is a dramatic tale of one young woman’s betrayal and exploitation by her own parents as she is thrown into life in the fast lane, too young and clueless to be completely on her own, far away in a foreign country where she knows no one and barely speaks the language.

Unfortunately, her parents aren’t the only one’s determined to exploit her for their own purposes.   A co worker hailing from communist USSR has arrived in Paris with his own elaborate plan in place.  A plan that if executed correctly,  will allow him to defect to the United States.  Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan…

I am completely certain you will enjoy Jean’s riveting new book.  This novel is not ideal for young teens as it does contain some sex and graphic violence.  I believe all others will find this book is hard to put down.

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Is it Safe to Take a Cruise?

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If you’re planning your first cruise there are a few things you need to know.  For all those people who are worried about their boat tipping over, catching on fire, or hitting an iceberg, my advice is similar to those who are afraid of flying. There are thousands of people cruising the high seas at any one time and even with the recent tragedies in the news, it is probably safer to get on a cruise ship than in a car.

As for illnesses, those are everywhere.  The fact that all these people are confined to a ship makes sharing easier, think schools and daycares.  My kids went through every illness imaginable when they were in daycare, now they are immune to just about anything.  When you are at home and you wake up sick, you can’t really pinpoint where you picked up the bug. Did I get it at work, the grocery store, the questionable looking guy on the subway?  A cruise is like a mini community, you get to meet all kinds of really cool people, the key is, to not share their germs.

Rule #1: Be a compulsive hand washer.  Most of these yucky bugs end up on surfaces like railings, door handles, etc.  Not to make you phobic of these surfaces, but if you then touch your eye or your lips, you risk introducing these bacteria into your body.

Rule#2: We wary of who’s touching your food.  I try to avoid the buffets as much as possible, there are plenty of other choices and as for who’s touching your food, the answer is everybody.  Also if your one of those people that “always” gets sick, try to stick to cooked food.  Salads are great, but some people are more susceptible to bugs than others, if you are one of those people, sick to foods that have been cooked to a temperature that ensures than any microbes are killed.   Sorry, that means no sushi or rare steaks either!

Rule #3:  Stay away from obviously sick people.  I know this sounds like an obvious one, but you’d be amazed at the number of people who are unwilling to switch seats in the theater or on deck when someone nearby seems to be on death’s door.  

Rule #4:  Bring your own pharmacy with you.  Pain relievers, Dramamine, allergy pills, whatever.  If you need to purchase these things on board you will pay a premium, so bring them whether or not you feel you will need them.  

The number one thing to remember on a cruise is that the cruise line has plenty of staff on hand to keep you safe but realize this is not one on one supervision.   What this means is, supervise your children at all times unless they are with a cruise related program that supervises your children.  If you become so drunk that you can barely walk, make sure to stay away from railings, etc.  

A cruise vacation can be a great way to get away for a reasonable price so don’t let all the media hype cloud your decision.  Do your research before you choose.  Some cruise lines have better track records than others as far as illnesses and accidents.  You should make your comfort and safety the priority over price.  Remember the old adage, you get what you pay for.

By guest blogger-Jean Marie Stanberry  jeanstanberry.com  @jeanstanberry

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Lazy Sunday

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It seems as if we are always going, going going.  I always have some project to finish, some errands to run, it seems never ending.  As my coffee was brewing this morning I made a list of things I wanted to do today after church, then I sat down at my computer, opened up a file I needed to make edits on and began working on it.  Even after I had my coffee, I felt I had trouble concentrating.  I wondered what was wrong with me and then I realized…it has been months since I actually took a day off and did absolutely nothing.

I got up from my computer, grabbed my I-pod and lay down on the couch to listen to a bit of music, it’s been months since I spent any time listening to music.  I have reserved the rest of the day to be lazy and read a book I’ve been wanting to read (this book is not a project).  It feels great to put away the to do list and actually have no agenda for one day.  

I think today’s world is so busy we rarely recognize that sometimes our bodies just need a little bit of down time.  I find I’m guilty of working all the time since I do editing, I find I can’t even enjoy myself when I go out with my friends because in the back of my mind I’m already thinking about all the things I need to do when I get home.

I am suggesting that we all make this a lazy Sunday and do basically nothing, allow our brains to reset themselves and our bodies to relax.  I promise I will be completely lazy…as soon as I post this blog.

-Vaughn Thompson

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Why Kumbaya Doesn’t Matter

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Okay, I’m finally going to say something about all the media hype about people getting more violent.  It is truly nothing but a bunch of media hype.  No matter what they say, people are not getting more violent.  In this world of instant gratification we just know about everything. You can get the news on TV, your phone or your computer instantly and believe it or not, news agencies love death and destruction because it means more views and more money for them.

How do I know the world is not getting more violent?  There are bad people everywhere and it’s been like that forever.  It is worse now that the world’s population is growing, but I doubt things have changed much on a per capita basis.  Read the bible, watch old cowboy movies, read any history book.  Even the so called “good guys” won by resorting to violence.  Over the years people have been subjected to bullies who use force, the bullies are perhaps forcing them to give up their religion, give up their land, whatever.  Regardless, the winner is always the one who is most willing to be the bully it seems.

No, the indians didn’t willingly move to reservations so that we could “settle the west”, they were robbed.  When Hawaii became the 50th state, it wasn’t a big party like the history books tell us, Hawaii was essentially commandeered away from it’s native rule.

What’s my point?  Yesterday twenty or more people were involved in this scuffle with a guy with a knife.  A knife, not a gun!  My point is, after the first couple people were slashed, why didn’t people go into crazy mode and take this loser down?  We’ve been babied along by the pacifists for too long.  Nobody is going to protect you and your family except for you, so if you are in trouble, do whatever it takes to defend yourself.  Tell your kids the same thing.  When my kids were small I made sure they knew, if someone you don’t know is trying to get you into their car, do whatever you have to do to get away from them.  Kick, bite…whatever!

When somebody finally decides they are going to do whatever horrible deed it is that is filling their head, they have already decided they have nothing to lose, so they are going to give 100%.  If you want to live, you have to give 100% as well.  If someone has a weapon and they are using it on the people around you, you do what you have to, to take that person down.

The media can go on and on about screening people for mental illness and violence but many times these attackers have no prior history.  The best thing you can do is protect yourself.  Violence can happen anywhere so be aware of your surroundings.  Our upbringing to look the other way might be our downfall.  Be aware of the people around you and situations going on around you.  If a couple nearby is having a heated discussion you don’t have to get involved, just remember that passion is a big motivator, you want to be on top of things if the situation deteriorates.

I’m not saying die trying to be a hero, but don’t be a victim.  If you got one guy with a knife in a bank and forty people just standing around not doing anything…well I’m sorry, but that’s lame.

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Coming soon!

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When people lose faith they become hopeless, after hopelessness comes desperation. At this point it seems there is nothing left to lose.  In here, lies the danger.

Jean Marie Stanberry’s new novel “Blood, Sweat and Fears is an action packed thriller that will leave you breathless.  The year is 1980 and tensions are running high in the communist USSR.  Alexander Peterov has a plan to escape his dreary life there and defect to the USA.  He has engineered a plan to seduce a young co worker and marry her in an attempt to get US citizenship.  His elaborate plan backfires when it becomes evident that this young women isn’t as easily manipulated as Alexander has imagined she might be.  As weeks pass and he seems no closer to his goal than ever, Alexander is beginning to get very nervous.   He is not wiling to give up his quest for the perfect life in America.  Before long, his casual attraction has developed into a full fledged obsession and he is becoming more desperate by the moment. 

Jenna Bruce, the object of his affection, seems to be completely unmoved by his attempts to seduce her.  In fact, she files a complaint of sexual harassment against him and despite their close working arrangement, she has been doing everything she can to avoid him.  When another man makes the moves on Jenna at their “Farewell to Paris” celebration, Alexander becomes consumed with jealousy.  As his mental status begins to crumble he finally succumbs to his baser urges and the night ends in a shocking crescendo of violence.

When Alexander finally regains his senses and realizes what he has done he is remorseful.   Unfortunately, he is still not ready to throw in the towel and give up his plans to defect from the USSR.  The deception grows deeper as he weaves an even bigger web of lies to to justify his actions and avoid imprisonment.

Coming to bookstores and all major e-readers on May 1, 2014.  Visit:   jeanstanberry.com or follow her @jeanstanberry

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Obsession, deception and passion

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The world can be a cruel place when you are alone and on your own.  Jenna Bruce has always felt like a stranger in her own family, an unwanted child forced to bounce back and forth between her own home and both her grandparents homes.  When she gets the opportunity to perform in a world renowned ice show for the summer, Jenna is very excited.  Shortly after her arrival in Paris she begins to have second thoughts, have her own parents set her up for failure, or is this just part of a larger, devious plan to be rid of her forever?

Alexander Peterov has a plan.  If his plan goes off without a hitch, he can leave his dreary  life in the U.S.S.R far behind and defect to the U.S.  The pawn in Alexander’s plan is fifteen year old Jenna Bruce.  She is in Paris with a fake passport, pretending to be much older than she really is.  Alexander plans to seduce Jenna and marry her to attain U.S. citizenship, he thinks he has found someone young, naive and easy to manipulate.  He’s about to find out he’s very wrong.

When things don’t move along the way Alexander would like he begins to fall victim to desperation, threatening his very sanity.   Soon his goal has turned into a full blown obsession and it’s only a matter of time before Alexander melts down and goes completely over the edge.

When victim becomes the criminal it seems the whole world is taking sides and the deception just keeps getting deeper and more demented.  When strong willed people face off, neither is going down without a fight, but who will win this battle?

Kingsmuir Press is pleased to announce the release of “Blood, Sweat and Fears” the second book in the Heart of a Phoenix series, by Jean Marie Stanberry, coming to bookstores and E-readers May 1.

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Follow Meryl and Charlie on DWTS

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How did our author/reporter Jean Marie Stanberry get the awesome assignment of interviewing Meryl Davis and Charlie White on the set of “Dancing With the Stars”?  Well it’s all about who you know and what you know.  Luckily, Jean had both.  First, she got a little bit of inside scoop from a friend who is a producer on DWTS.  She knew two days before the official announcement that Charlie and Meryl would be facing off against each other so she begin doing her homework.  The key to getting the assignment is coming up with a unique angle for your article and pitching it to the right people.  Jean has already done work for those people, so when she hit up the editors of “Skating” and “Fire on Ice” magazine with the idea that she wanted to do an article and photo shoot, how could they tell her no?  Who else could possibly bring the experience to their magazine like Jean could?

Like Meryl and Charlie, Jean has some dance experience, but for the last 20 years she has been almost exclusively doing ice choreography.  In fact, Jean is a nine time IAIC award winner.  If anyone could empathize with Meryl and Charlie’s difficulty making the transition to dancing in a ballroom over an ice rink, it would be her.

Jean was excited to spend some time with Meryl and Charlie, she has met them several times, but has never had the opportunity to work with them.  She was also excited to meet and work with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Sharna Burgess.  You can read Jean’s articles and get the whole scoop in the April issues of “Skating” and “Fire on Ice”.

 

 

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Olympic Gold Medalists on DWTS

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Excitement is building for the “Dancing With the Stars” premiere on Monday.  Olympic gold Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White will be competing against each other in the most compelling showdown in the show’s history.  Meryl will be teamed up with returning cast member Maksim Chmerkovskiy while Charlie has been paired with Sharna Burgess.  Our author and reporter Jean Marie Stanberry will be getting the inside scoop for us, so stay tuned for exclusive insight and photos.

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Meet the Authors

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This is our second post about our wonderfully talented authors.  Our newest Author Lyoness Bradley, grew up a mere 5 miles from our first featured author Jean Marie Stanberry, but remarkably, the two didn’t know each other.

Lyoness contacted Jean after reading her Bio on Amazon’s website, after she read Jean’s book “Laying Low In Hollywood”.  “It was weird, says Lyoness, our lives were so similar, we may have even crossed paths in the past, but fate never truly brought us together.”

Lyoness Bradley grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri.  She admits she had a very privileged upbringing, in fact, her father was the principal of at her private high school, which Lyoness says, pretty much ruined her high school years.

Lyoness wanted to write a book to help young girls to spread their wings.  Lyoness said her own parents were very controlling, she didn’t get much of a chance to think with her own mind until she went away to college.

“An Imperfect World” is the story of her journey from a blatantly manipulated teenager, to a woman who finally feels free to follow her heart.  In high school in 1979, Lyoness fell in love with another student, who was black.  Her parents forbid her to see him at all and even threatened his life.  Lyoness, fearing for his life, broke off the relationship and eventually married a family friend.  Though she grew to love her husband, she never forgot about her first love.  “An Imperfect World” is a fictitious account of her love affair.

Today Lyoness is an accomplished lawyer and enjoys writing and traveling.  She penned her most recent novel while on a transatlantic cruise to Portugal.  Lyoness will soon release her newest novel “One Small Bite” it is in the final editing stages and is due for release in late April or May.