Turtle Soup Is Enough: Laughing and Biking When Everything Falls Apart by Bestselling Author Margaret O'Connor

 

Turtle Soup is Enough

Did you know that the fluid in your spinal cord is the same color as lemonade? I sat and watched it drip from my little brother's limp body into a medical bag on his bedside, as one of his surgeons told us the news that nearly shredded my faith to chaff.

"This kid will never walk again."

These essays were written during the worst year of my life. I wrote them for one of my college classes, answering various prompts on the theme of place. I didn't know at the time that I was chronicling a fight for my existence.

My family and faith have never been about fitting in. We don’t believe in God because of what they say at church. We see him in the mud that cakes our jeans and the laughter we share around the campfire, drinking beer and listening to the grisly stories our dad brings home from the ER. Our faith in God has never been about propriety; it’s been about relationship.

How can you reconcile that kind of faith when it seems like God stands by as your whole world falls apart?

When my faith went up in flames, I found truth like I never had before. Sometimes God shatters you to shatter the lies you didn't know you believed, and there's nothing left to do but buck up and face what's right.

Faith is tested, hope victorious, and valuable lessons are learned along the way in this raw, wildly funny and inappropriate memoir.

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Meet Margaret O'Connor

Margaret O'Connor

Margaret O'Connor is a bestselling author and public speaker. Her works have been published in both literary and academic journals, and she was a finalist for the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction with the Bellingham Review.

 

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FASCINATING TITLES BY JASON YACHANIN

 

The Mysterious Happenings on 

Hyde Avenue: The Lair of the Incubus 

There’s nowhere to hide.

In this heart-pounding, irreverent sequel to The Mysterious Happenings at 2 Morning view, high schooler Justin, his two best friends, and a cast of unforgettable offbeat characters desperately try to defeat a horrific supernatural being, close the portal to its demonic world, and save Justin’s family from eternal damnation.
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“Jason Yachanin’s The Mysterious Happenings at 2 Morning view, and sequel, The Mysterious Happenings on Hyde Avenue: The Lair of the Incubus, were both so entertaining I didn’t want to put them down once I started reading! If you are a fan of the supernatural, 90s nostalgia, and comedic mysteries, then I highly recommend Yachanin’s work. Did someone say a future TROMA film?”
– Lloyd Kaufman, President of TROMA Entertainment, Creator of The Toxic Avenger

“Yachanin authentically captured the nostalgia of the 90s in his first novel, and this sequel is even more thrilling and charming, taking the reader on a brand new and darker thrill-ride. A must read for any horror fan. We have a talented new author with a very promising career ahead. He deserves your attention.”
– Aaron Reid and Ben Allen, A&B Horror Movies

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The Mysterious Happenings at 

2 Morning view Paperback 

The Mysterious Happenings at 2 Morning view takes place in 1996, the sophomore year of high school for the main character, Justin. He's popular enough for your average punk-rock teen. He recently made the snare line in marching band, and he seems to have caught the attention of one the best-looking girls in school. There's only one problem: High school may be going great, but something's seriously wrong with Justin's family. Mysterious events have been occurring at Justin's house, and all signs point to extraterrestrial contact. Or so he thinks... Determined to get to the bottom of his family's strange behavior, Justin enlists the help of his best friend and soon-to-be girlfriend. (He hopes.) What begins as a simple search for answers will soon turn into something darker and more terrifying than the three of them could ever imagine.

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Jason Yachanin

Jason Yachanin is a professional actor, small business owner, and author. He is best known for his roles in the indie-horror anthology, V/H/S, the cult classic, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, and Blue Bloods. He resides on the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, dog, cockatiel, tortoise, and two parakeets.

NEW RELEASE: First Assignment by Mary Synder

 

mary synder| First Assignment

CIA analyst Alex Everett wasn't expecting to uncover the compelling facts he stumbled upon during a covert assignment. But he quickly learned that his superiors weren't expecting it either-they had assigned Alex to lead the investigation into the triple murder because he had little field experience. And they counted on that inexperience to keep him from uncovering what really happened. With his CIA bosses' access to the most sophisticated technology in the world, Alex attempts to hide his discoveries from them. He struggles to fit the pieces together-a tortured Marine in the Middle East, an egotistical conservative U.S. president, a senator with a dirty little secret, enormous amounts of laundered money, and the CIA stalking one of their most experienced agents. The more Alex uncovers, the more certain he is who is ultimately responsible, but clear incriminating evidence is elusive. The twists and turns in this espionage and politically liberal thriller will keep you guessing until the surprising, final twist.

 

Meet the author

My English teacher in high school was Mrs. Ellingson. She once commented how my class had "some good writers". I was not necessarily one of them at the time, but I enjoyed writing! Actually, I went on to become a nurse and worked in psychiatry and later home health and hospice.

During my nursing career, I always spent time writing. Most of my writing was poetry. My favorite genres were murder mysteries and espionage thrillers. And, after going through a painful divorce, I decided to write a murder mystery myself--the story of an unhappy wife who got away with murdering her slothful husband who had a credit card addiction. He got the couple in deep financial trouble and frightening events followed. Yes, it was about my marriage, although I didn't murder my husband! I never finished that book, but the pages and pages I did write proved to be both therapeutic and educational related to writing.

Years later, I began my recently-published novel, First Assignment. Between my love of espionage thrillers and how deeply troubled I was becoming over the lack of integrity demonstrated by many conservative politicians, I decided to combine the two elements in my book. Then January 6, 2021 happened and my anger piqued as well as my writing pace. I finally finished the book in July, 2022 and self-published it later that month.

I have often thought about Mrs. Ellingson and wonder what she would think if she was still living and read my book. I hope she would give me an "A". Thanks for the outstanding educational experience you gave me, Mrs. Ellingson!

Personally, I remarried 30+ years ago to a wonderful man and we have two amazing adult daughters. I retired from nursing four years ago and now spend much of my time writing--except when I am oil painting, watching baseball, or giving our dogs and cats attention!

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From Bob Scott Publishing: Be rewarded with a Good Life. Read and Grow Rich

Books are Fundamental

 to our Existence and Survival.

  Make reading your habit. 

Your journey starts here.

SERIAL BLOGGER

BOB SCOTT

"Frank had been able to relax a little after replacing the board, securing himself in his safe house. He headed towards the office he used as home, and looked forward to something to eat and a good nights sleep. But halfway there some instinct alerted him that all was not right, and he started to turn and look behind him.

As Frank turned, the killer plunged the Bowie-style knife deep into the bums exposed back, driving the razor sharp blade hard through the tough skin, flesh, muscle and organs until it stopped against the spine. Frank was already automatically arching his back to try and escape the agony, and a scream was rising from his throat before the killers left hand clamped over his mouth to choke it off."

There is a killer stalking Claytown, brutally and savagely attacking his victims. Will the police be able to stop him, and will the mysterious blogger with the psychological insights help or hinder the investigation?

AVAILABLE 

ON AMAZON

The Dragon Who Got the Fairy Godmother to Like Vegetables (Rosie the Pink Dragon Book 1)

Karen Magnan 

When the Fairy Godmother came to 

visit Rosie the Pink Dragon it was

 a nice surprise until the subject of food 

came up. Rosie then had to invite the 

Fairy Godmother to dinner.

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How the Tabby Cat Got Its M

 Nikki Dunphy

This book tells the tale of the 

first ever Christmas, 

and how a little tabby cat helped

 a mother in need and was rewarded 

for that act of kindness.

AMAZON

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Harold Benjamin envisions 

the fate of American Jews after 

white supremacists seize the 

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Rambling 

on 

Borrowed 

Time

New Book: Racism, Where Is Your Sting? A provocative look at the beginning and the end of racism by Eric Tangumonkem, Ph.D

Each time the issue of racism is mentioned, 

tensions immediately run high, reason is thrown out the window, and emotional outbursts run rampant. Even though a lot of effort has been done to fight it, the devastating consequences continue to this day.

The heart of this book is focused on the key elements that make racism possible and how to starve the lifeblood to these key elements and eradicate them from the root. Since racism is based on the faulty notion that one race is superior to another, you need somebody who believes that they are superior and another person who believes that they are inferior. When these two people interact, the outcome will reflect what they believe about themselves and their circumstances.

This may sound too simplistic, but it is one of the major drivers of racism. In addition to superiority and inferiority beliefs, acts of impunity and unforgiveness are the other drivers. You have those that believe they are superior, and in their zeal to impose their superiority, they harm those they are trying to keep in their inferior position. The individuals who are hurt “rightly” want to seek revenge and unfortunately fall into the unforgiveness pit, where they become trapped by hate and vengeance. I hope that the simple message of hope in this book will shed some much-needed light in the darkness of one of the darkest pages of human history. We are going to be affirming that there is one human race. In addition to one human family, none is superior to another, and none is inferior as well. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, and the amount of melanin in our skin does not and should never be used to define us. When we gain this understanding, believe, and start acting on it, it is only then that we can all ask the question, “Oh, racism, where is your sting?

 

MEET THE AUTHOR

Dr. Eric Tangumonkem is a geoscientist, author, speaker, 

coach, professor, and an entrepreneur. 

He was born and raised in Cameroon, Africa. 

As a young adult, he migrated to the United States of America. 

He has a Doctorate degree in Geosciences from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a professor at Missional University, 

Embry Riddle, and West Hills College.

As President of IEM Approach, a premier personal growth 

and leadership development company, Dr. Tangumonkem’s mission 

is to inspire, equip, and motivate people from all works of life to identify their God-given purpose, live it, and maximize their giftedness. To do this, the growth and development of the body, mind, 

and spirit MUST be in synergy. He has published several books 

and resources on personal growth and development. and conducts public workshops, coaching, and custom training programs for companies and organizations worldwide

Eric’s book is available on Amazon

 

                                                    

Book Review: Rambling on Borrowed Time is what you expect from a Brilliant Teacher who has Spent Several Years Inspiring People.

A good book is like a diamond mine that never runs out. It is priceless. Successful authors have mastered the art of carrying their readers along. This art is endearing. It leaves the reader yearning for more.

 

In David Ellison’s book, “Rambling on Borrowed Time”, I found happiness. It was hard to drop. We learn new tricks every single day. The book is what you expect from a brilliant teacher who has spent several years inspiring people.

 

During his thirty-six-year career, David Ellison was a teacher, mentor teacher, school administrator, education columnist and community activist. He worked in schools foreign and domestic, public and private, grades four through college.

 

His treks through five continents included volunteering in far-flung villages, and surviving harrowing adventures. He served as the New Haven Unified and the American Council of School Administrators Region VI Teacher of the Year in 1996. Now retired, Ellison reads, writes, hikes, kayaks, cares for abandoned dogs and teaches children.

 

Ellison’s vivid imagination will not only endear readers to him, it will make him a shining light.

 

“Children all have that same amazing power over me—not only to make me laugh, but to make me believe in myself, in them, and in life.”

           

 

 

You can Download Rambling

 on Borrowed Time

 from AMAZON

here