
Pagan Portals - Magick for Empaths
By: Raven Digitalis - Moon Books - $12.95
Overview: Empaths have a unique vantage point when it comes to magickal and metaphysical work. Although sometimes overwhelming, empathy, the experience of stepping into the emotions of another, is actually of great spiritual benefit.
In Pagan Portals: Magick for Empaths, award-winning author Raven Digitalis explores: the spiritual significance of empathy, as well as its biological and evolutionary forces; overcoming empathic challenges and emotional overload; grounding, protection, and shielding; spellcasting techniques and magickal tools for empaths; balancing emotion and cognition; daily energy maintenance; approaching mystical realms as an empath; flow states and artistic expression; connecting with the water element; and so much more!
Verdict: The award-winning author best known for his empath’s trilogy, consisting of The Empath’s Oracle, Esoteric Empathy, and The Everyday Empath, as well as the shadow trilogy of A Gothic Witch’s Oracle, A Witch’s Shadow Magick Compendium, and Goth Craft, now brings forth his brand new prose on the subject of Magick, the dutifully sculpted Pagan Portals - Magick for Empaths, a comprehensive and clear-eyed look at what it means to be an empath within this world.
Upon opening the guidebook, Raven offers up a chakra meditation with the empathic soul in mind. Most readers will be at least somewhat familiar with the seven primary chakras of the human body, so this should be a very pleasing meditation to receive.
First recognized in ancient Indian Vedic texts, wisdom of the chakras and the body’s energy system has now spread far beyond Hinduism and Vedantic philosophy.
At all times insightfully engaging and wholly impassioned, and yet never one-sided, Pagan Portals - Magick for Empaths (an empath being someone who is highly attuned to the emotions of others and who may feel what others are feeling so deeply that they take on those emotions) reveals the mystery of being an empath whilst at the same time encourages us to open our hearts and find out where the magick of being one can take you.
So come explore the numerous aspects of the empathic experience and how it relates to magickal spirituality here in the most wondrous new book Pagan Portals - Magick for Empaths out now.
About the Author - Raven Digitalis is an award-winning author best known for his Empath’s trilogy and Shadow trilogy. Originally trained in Georgian Witchcraft, Raven has been an earth-based practitioner since 1999, a Priest since 2003, a Freemason since 2012, and an empath all of his life.
He holds a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Montana, jointly operated a nonprofit Pagan temple for sixteen years, and is also a professional Tarot reader, editor, card-carrying magician, and animal rights advocate. He lives in Missoula, MT.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Pagan Portals: Hestia
By: Irisanya Moon - Moon Books - $12.95
Overview: In a culture that often prioritizes and celebrates rugged individualism and separateness, Hestia welcomes us home.
Her magick invites togetherness and shared resources by cultivating spaces of belonging and community.
May Hestia call her back to our homes to celebrate families of all shapes, sizes, and forms, creating sustainable structures for ongoing collaboration and nourishment.
Verdict: For those not completely in the know, Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth (both private and municipal) and the home. As the goddess of the family hearth she also presided over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal.
Hestia was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods. The cooking of the communal feast of sacrificial meat was naturally a part of her domain.
In myth Hestia was the first born child of Kronos (Cronus) and Rhea who was swallowed by her father at birth. Zeus later forced the old Titan to disgorge Hestia and her siblings.
As the first to be swallowed she was also the last to be disgorged, and so was named as both the eldest and youngest of the six Kronides. When the gods Apollon and Poseidon sought for her hand in marriage, Hestia refused and asked Zeus to let her remain an eternal virgin. He agreed and she took her place at his royal hearth.
Indeed, Hestia was depicted in Athenian vase painting as a modestly veiled woman sometimes holding a flowered branch (perhaps a chaste-tree). In classical sculpture she was also veiled, with a kettle as her attribute.
Although not as well known as Her Olympian siblings, Hestia played an essential role in ancient Greek religion. But hearth and home remain the sacred spaces around which communities are built - as such, Hestia’s warmth and shelter are just as important and healing in today’s fractured world as they were millennia ago [Thumper Forge, Llewellyn author of Virgo Witch: Unlock the Magic of Your Sun Sign].
Is you’ve ever studied the Greek godds for any time, you will likely notice the drama of being a godd in this pantheon. There are affairs, fights, and controversies galore. From Zeus and his many lovers to Aphrodite and her disdain for Psyche, the Greek godds are often in conflict and disarray, but Hestia isn’t one for drama; or at least it wasn’t captured in writing any case. She is a steady, solid figure in the Greek pantheon, and someone who continues to influence family life.
Thus here in prolific author Irisanya Moon’s latest Pagan Portals book, Pagan Portals: Hestia: Goddess of Hearth, Home & Community, they offer a veritable myriad of of practical ways to develop a relationship with Hestia; which include, but are not limited to, storytelling, cookery and serving the community.
About the Author - Irisanya Moon (she/they) is an author, Witch, priestess, international teacher, and initiate in the Reclaiming tradition. A devotee of Aphrodite, Hecate, the Norns, and Iris, she has been practicing magick for 20+ years.
They are passionate about the idea that life is and humans are love spells, ever experiencing a dance of desire and connection, moving in and out of the heart, always returning to love. Her teaching/facilitation style is immersive, gracious, safe, and welcoming. She currently lives in Santa Rosa, CA.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Sapient Cosmos
By: James B. Glattfelder - Essentia Books - $48.95
Overview: Ever since the human mind awoke to its own existence, it has wondered about its cosmic significance. By dispelling myths and religious convictions, science entered the arena of explanatory templates.
A tectonic shift in understanding began when the mind started decoding the universe’s mathematical language. To this day, the technological prowess unleashed by scientific knowledge remains awe-inspiring. However, science excluded two crucial domains from its field of inquiry.
Verdict: Firstly, the formation of complex systems--especially metabolic structures--appears to defy the physics of cosmic disorder and decay. Then, the nature of consciousness itself was deemed unworthy of academic discourse until not too long ago.
Furthermore, the adoption of physicalism as a metaphysical foundation for science was an enormously consequential choice, erroneously seen today as integral to science.
This book chronicles an ongoing paradigm shift affecting physics and philosophy. Consciousness is rediscovered at the core of existence, expressing an intrinsic yearning for cosmic complexity, while the fabric of reality is woven from threads of information.
In what is a most penetrating inquiry into the nature of reality, one that cleverly, albeit with poise, educational preciseness and an almost intuitive distinctiveness toward physics, philosophy, complexity theory, psychology, psychedelics, and so much more, author James B. Glattfelder deep dives into our culture’s deepest metaphysical convictions, whilst at the same time providing an impassioned, yet profoundly insightful set of prose to enable us to formulate our own questions on the subject matter to hand.
Ever since the human mind awoke to its own existence, it has wondered about its cosmic significance. By generating knowledge about the external world, the mind decoded the most intimate aspects of reality, nurturing ever more stunning technological prowess.
To this day, the only definition of consciousness that enjoys widespread usage is a question asked in 1974: What is it like to be something? This idea first appeared in a famous publication by the philosopher Thomas Nagel, called What is It Like To Be a Bat? A being is conscious empty if it experiences reality from a private, subjective point of view. There is something that is like to be that eternity.
But, as the author himself states, in stark contrast, the mind’s apparent inability to comprehend its own nature appears bitterly cynical. Is consciousness really an unfathomable enigma? Are we condemned to inhabit a reality that denies us insights into the structure of our inner universe? Without any guiding principle, we seem lost in a futile battle of metaphysical convictions and clashing ontologies.
Exploring the structure of existence, from fundamental theories of physics to the emergence of complexity, including the accompanying philosophical insights, and what is within a massive tome of 776 pages, Glattfelder’s third book marks a journey spanning over 10 years. Exploring the nature of consciousness and reality, examining how the two are connected and what it all means, proves that he is, and without a shadow of a doubt, a master of his chosen narrative.
About the Author - James B. Glattfelder is an author, academic, and quantitative researcher interested in the foundations of reality, the nature of consciousness, and the limits of knowledge. He has been invited as a speaker to various international academic and non-academic events, and multiple media outlets have featured his research. He holds an M.Sc. in theoretical physics and a Ph.D. in complexity science.
For sixteen years, James worked in the traditional finance industry next to the distributed ledger ecosystem and was also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich. James lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Quaker Quicks: Quakers and Chocolate
By: Helen Holt - Christian Alternative Books - $12.95
Overview: Quakers and Chocolate provides a brief history of chocolate, focusing on the convictions and actions of some members of the Quaker families who did so much to make chocolate part of everyday life.
Verdict: Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, Rowntree’s Kit Kat, and Fry’s Turkish Delight are all well-known [notably British] chocolate treats. The three cocoa families who indulged our chocolate cravings for over a century were all Quakers, and this affected both how they amassed their fortunes and how they spent them.
George and Richard Cadbury in Birmingham, Joseph Rowntree in York, and Fry’s of Bristol all strove to improve the lives of those living in Victorian slums. They built factories and towns in the countryside, provided recreation and medical facilities, and gave away significant proportions of their wealth to establish charitable trusts.
Some of their descendants carried on the family businesses, but others made significant contributions elsewhere. Richard’s daughter Beatrice campaigned vigorously against capitalism and for peace, and Joseph’s son John Wilhelm was instrumental in bringing Quakerism in line with the latest discoveries in science.
In the mid-19th century the Quaker chocolate dynasty Fry & Sons developed a way to mix cocoa powder with sugar and cocoa butter to produce a smooth paste which could be poured into a mold. This is considered to be the first chocolate bar designed for eating rather than being converted into a drink.
Looking back and a major part of the reason that Quakers chose the confectionery business was due to matters of conscience. Cocoa and sugar appeared to be ethical alternatives to alcohol, seen as a cause of great moral evil to Quakers of the time. The companies were primed to succeed as Quakers had already built up a reputation for business integrity, thanks to their faith-inspired insistence on fair pricing and paying off debts.
During the Victorian era, the popularity of chocolate catapulted the three Quaker confectioners into public prominence. They experimented with new flavors and styles, and also adopted innovative approaches to business. George and Richard Cadbury chose to build houses, parks and recreation centers in Bourneville, Birmingham so that their workers had comfortable accommodation away from city smog. Quaker employers also pioneered pension schemes and lobbied for improved labor laws.
None of the Quaker chocolatiers exist today, though many of their products do. Fry’s merged with Cadbury’s in 1919; Rowntree’s was finally taken over by Nestlé in 1988 and Cadbury’s by Kraft in 2010. The Quaker influence in these businesses had either declined or disappeared by the time these takeovers and mergers took place, but their collective histories - along with the fact that chocolate was a good alternative to alcohol and therefore was known as an ‘innocent trade’ - means we still, to this day, can enjoy this tasty confectionery treat.
About the Author - Helen Holt has PhDs in physics and Quaker studies and an MSc on the relationship between science and religion. She is active in her local Quaker meeting in the beautiful Scottish Borders.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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ReInventing Cool
By: Maria Ensabella & Antra Getzoff - O-Books - $14.95
Overview: This book is a practical guide to help you use low temperatures safely, effectively, and joyfully, whether you are a team member of a gym, wellness center, or spa, are thinking of starting a business with cryotherapy on the menu, are a client of such business, or are bracing yourself to try cryotherapy for the first time.
Verdict: Discovering COLD not as an unwanted weather condition but a super powerful health booster has shaped our lives personally and professionally, and we believe that building a closer relationship with cryotherapy may be, or become, a game changer for you, too. [Maria Ensabella & Antra Getzoff]
If you are considering owning this new book, or indeed have already purchased it and are page turning it as we speak, then it is obvious you yourself are a believer in holistic drug-free wellness as a way of life rather than a short-term project to reach some health performance, or appearance goal.
Hard to embrace at first, cold may well be the world’s best kept secret, not only against inflammation and pain, but also to conquer stress, lack of energy and motivation, depressive mood, poor sleep, and biological aging, especially when the entire body gets exposed to it at once.
Using cold to boost health isn’t exactly a novel idea. Early cultures used cold as a traditional method of pain relief. In ancient Greece, Persia and Rome, chilly remedies such as snow, ice-and-water mixtures and cold water were used to treat a wide range of diseases. Ice water plunging remains a common tradition in many northern countries.
And until about 1980, some psychiatric patients in the United States were wrapped in cold, wet sheets; the practice seemed to calm down agitated patients and stimulate those who were apathetic. The idea behind these seemingly unpleasant interventions was that it caused physiological reactions that boosted the immune system and jump-started physical activity.
Not a digest of the latest research by any means, as the industry continues to expand, more knowledge and research is in demand, and thus ReInventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain, and Aging by authors Maria Ensabella and Antra Getzoff is a quite mesmerizingly sculpted prose on how to see cold with new eyes.
Putting to work their own experiences and feedback from hundreds of thousands of clients - all of which, along with their fellow cryotherapy aficionados, they have dutifully served - the core purpose of this guide is to help you use low temperatures safely, effectively and joyfully; whether you are a team member of a gym, wellness center, or spa with cryotherapy on the menu, are thinking of starting a business that offers cryotherapy, are a client of such a business, or are bracing yourself to try cryotherapy for the first time.
About the Authors - A proud Australian, Maria Ensabella is one of the UK’s leading wellness practitioners who has pioneered a range of treatments in London since 2016. Her goal is simple, to make cryotherapy and a range of other leading wellness treatments available to people of all ages who wanted to improve their recovery from training and injury as well as supporting their wider wellbeing, too. She lives in London, UK.
Antra Getzoff, founder and owner of GetResultsCo, was part of the team bringing whole body cryotherapy to the United States, thus becoming one of the industry pioneers in the country. Actively involved in every aspect of market development since 2010, she has helped hundreds of wellness entrepreneurs build successful businesses. She is also a Vice-Chair of the Global Wellness Institute Cryotherapy Initiative. She lives in Hessen, Germany.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Amanita Virosa - The Destroying Angel
By: Barry Harden - Roundfire Books - $14.95
Overview: Loosely based on actual sociopolitical events in eighties London, Amanita Virosa is a riveting warning about the perils of government overreach and the indomitable power of the individual to resist oppression.
Will their collective courage be enough to shatter the chains of oppression, or will they become casualties in a war that demands the ultimate sacrifice?
Verdict: It’s the 1980’s, and London is crumbling under the weight of political corruption while the have-not’s are further victimized by unfettered rogue gangs. Children are lured into the dark, lurid chambers of Whitehall, some never to be seen again.
Citizens are coerced through intimidation and threats of harm against their families. Utter chaos reigns. Amanita Virosa, a courageous Roma fighter who fled the horrors of war-torn Bosnia, sought refuge in the heart of North London, only to discover that the specter of corruption and injustice haunts her adopted home.
Forming an alliance with Everard, a young, homeless firebrand, and Doris, a feisty pensioner, the group embarks on a daring mission to sever the insidious grip of Whitehall’s corruption and the extortion and violence perpetrated on the innocent.
Sedition, conspiracy, murder and betrayal all have a voice; some are quickly silenced, while others persistently challenge the very existence of those bold enough to defy the status quo.
For my money, this brand new novel from author Barry Harden entitled Amanita Virosa - The Destroying Angel is a genuine success of sculpted storytelling brilliance throughout. With the central theme being one of an enduring spirit found burning within the oppressed of society and, therein their determination to fight for their God-given rights at any cost, the way they continue to have a tight grip on their dignity no matter the odds stacked against them, means what we get here is a book chock full of mystery and suspense, all fraughtly veined with danger.
A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish, the book is actually based on real political events inherent within the late 80’s / early 90’s London, which for me made what I was reading all the more of an indulgent read (especially given that I am myself British, of course).
For as I recall is, the summer of 1989, the last summer of the decade, was unusually warm and settled in England. Meanwhile, something was happening in eastern Europe, and it soon became clear that entire political eras were coming to an end, with the sudden and dramatic fall of communist totalitarianism.
For one sweet extended period that year it seemed as if everything was changing for the better, that the Cold War was at an end, and that we were living, if not quite at the end of history, then at the beginning of something new and promising.
The feeling of euphoria didn’t last; in retrospect, how could it have lasted? But it was an inspiring end to a thrilling decade of convulsion and upheavals. And thus this highly descriptive book is a well developed, intriguing, and effective read, and one that I would personally recommend to all those who want to settle in with a good, solid read on a rainy Sunday afternoon (or at any time, I guess).
About the Author - Barry Harden is the author of a memoir, five novels, two books of poetry and a collection of short stories in the genres of political thriller, satire, Gothic fantasy poetry, and allegorical short stories. An animal rights, environmental protection, and civil rights proponent, he often injects his affinity for such in his writings.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Day Aunt Gina Came To Town: A Novel
By: John Schoneboom - Roundfire Books - $21.30
Overview: Reality and delusion collide in this hilariously tragic story about one family’s absurd secrets and the dreams they hide. The Day Aunt Gina Came to Town is a literary black comedy that puts a playful spin on the idea that we are what we pretend to be.
Taking its cue from surrealist notions of a reality substantially conjured by the unconscious, this novel examines the private and separate ways we construct and experience our lives among those closest to us.
Verdict: The best way I can explain just how transformative to the mind, body and soul this new book truly is, allow me to give you a glimpse into what to expect as Aunt Gina.
Questions abound. Who is or isn’t Aunt Gina? Can she be found and, if so, where? When? What century? How many Aunt Gina’s are there? How many true, how many false? At its most essential formulation: is she or isn’t she? And for every question, a dozen theories or more.
Aunt Gina is nothing but a figment. Aunt Gina is real. Aunt Gina was real at one point, but is now symptomatic, of delusion. Aunt Gina was conjured for convenience but has become real, whether by coincidence or causality.
Aunt Gina is a thinly-veiled excuse. Aunt Gina’s use or disuse as an excuse neither impugns nor collaborates her tangibility. Aunt Gina exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion, like Santa Claus, and subject to the same caveats.
Aunt Gina has certain connections that preclude a dispostive identification under that name. Simply put, Aunt Gina is as real as a kick in the nuts!
The story - which is more like a set of colorful satirical stories, and which themselves follow a non-linear narrative - cleverly weaves together a canvas of unusual characters, such as a cabaret performer, a man whose mind is locked into the 1900’s, a son who has to become a mole man, and a telepath.
So, now with all that said, hopefully you are all more attune to what this book holds within its contemplative, dutifully crafted and wonderfully engaging pages. Pages chock full of humor, mystery and masterfully veined with an impassioned, heartfelt and unabashed wit.
About the Author - John Schoneboom is the founding editor of Bratum Books’ Uncommonalities series of short stories that share a common first line, to which he also shamelessly contributes his own efforts. He holds MAs in creative writing (Northumbria) and science, technology, and international affairs (George Washington University) and a BA focusing on US foreign policy in Central America (Hampshire College). Originally from New York, Schoneboom now resides in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Shadowed Skies: A Novel
By: Haley Cavanagh - Our Street Books - $18.95
Overview: His mountain solitude shattered. Her lab prison escaped. Together they’ll find refuge or die trying.
Verdict: River - He’s the last of his kind, a winged warrior hidden in the mountains. River Shaw has lost everything: his sanctuary, the only shield from a world that fears and hunts him. When Delene, another of his kind, crash-lands into his life, wounded and on the run, his solitude is shattered.
Delene - She’s a fugitive with a secret, escaping the clutches of dark forces that took everything from her. Delene Fairborne’s flight to freedom leads her to River and the spark of a bond neither can deny. In a landscape scarred by betrayal and danger, River and Delene must navigate their growing feelings and the sinister scientist who will stop at nothing to harness their power.
Shadowed Skies is where love takes wing, hope soars, and destiny entwines. Dive into a world where every heartbeat is a rebellion, every glance a promise, and every flight a taste of freedom.
In a page-turning book where, come the end, you wish there was still another third of the story to be able to snuggle down with, Shadowed Skies: A Novel is an easy read, dutifully and colorfully impassioned, and one that features a relationship that, for once, doesn’t feel forced or manipulated for the readers enjoyment.
Here in this brand new Dystopian tale, humans have evolved into super soldiers called evo-humans, which is a combination of human and bird DNA that results in people who can fly high on their wings, who are faster and stronger than regular humans, and whose blood is resistant to most all diseases, along with the horrid plagues that brought us to where we are now.
Used as blood transfusions to keep themselves healthy, which never goes over too well with the evo-humans, and with the world we once knew long gone, this post apocalyptic world is now the new landscape in which author Haley Cavanagh’s teen/YA tale engagingly unfolds.
About the Author - Haley Cavanagh is an award-winning author based in Utah. She is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley was awarded the League of Utah Writers 2020 Silver Quill Award for Retaliation, the second novel in her Oceanstone Initiative series.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Temple of Love: A Pilgrimage to the Heart
By: Natalie Glebova - O-Books - $21.95
Overview: Temple of Love: A Pilgrimage to the Heart is a non-fiction parable that fuses alternative holistic and healing modalities such as yoga, Theta healing, and plant medicines with classic Eastern philosophies into one book.
Verdict: When the narrator meets Nayanna, the Curandera (female shaman), she learns about a legendary Mayan temple that promises true love for anyone who reaches it.
By passing through the heart of the Americas, deep in the jungles of Mexico, Temple of Love takes the reader on an equally exciting journey to self-discovery.
From the mind of Russia-born Natalie Glebova, author and Canadian beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe 2005 (having previously won the Miss Universe Canada 2005 title) has brought forth a most engrossing, powerfully uplifting, dutifully inspiring, albeit hefty new prose on spirituality and personal transformation.
As we all know, inner peace, singular strength comes from within, but what this beautifully sculpted, heartfelt and caringly impassioned book does is to highlight not only that fact, but tutor you in a way as to allow you yourself to dig a little deeper into your own self-love.
For to unearth what is gloriously already residing within you, and which might not have seen its full potential at this time of your life, especially as we get older, such a thing is like being shown a most uplifting new pathway to a much richer, joyfully abounding way of life.
Having previously release books such as Healthy Happy Beautiful [February 2007] and the immensely popular I Am Winning - A Guide to Personal Empowerment [November 2018], Glebova’s work of creative non-fiction (and which is based on her own experiences) not only contains all this described and more (such as symbolic elements of a parable), but comers complete with a most beautiful personal touch.
“One of the things that intrigued me most as a child was my consciousness, and this fascination had me constantly questioning who “I” am, and why was “I” chosen to experience this reality. I’d experiment with altered mental states by going into a place of “nothingness,” although at the time I didn’t understand what meditation was.”
“As I grew up, that curiosity led me to be a spiritual seeker, a psychonaut, and a yogi. All of the practices described within these pages are real and experienced by me first-hand.”
In closing, to readers who love to discover energy-healing principles and who enjoy reading the classics, such as The Secret and The Power of Now, Temple of Love gives a wide array of different manifestation techniques, meditation practices, and inner healing principles to explore through a fictional lens.
Inspired by true events, Temple of Love gives real, practical tools for overcoming emotional struggles and healing yourself, one chakra at a time.
About the Author - Natalie Glebova is a best-selling author, mindset & energy coach, and a former Miss Universe. Through her own extensive spiritual journey to attain self-love and deeper self-awareness, Natalie started a coaching practice that focuses on energetic aspects of personal development to help her clients become winners in both life and love. She lives in Burlington, MA.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Paid with a Kiss: Love and Sex in Fairy Belief
By: Morgan Daimler - Moon Books - $15.95
Overview: Paid with a Kiss gives a wide-ranging look at fairies, sex, gender, and human belief through history in Western Europe, focusing primarily on Irish, UK, and French evidence.
Verdict: By examining mythology, folklore, literature, and anecdotes, Paid with a Kiss: Love and Sex in Fairy Belief from author Morgan Daimler answers common questions of what we know about sex and sexuality among fairies and how they interact with humans, including human-fairy relationships and offspring.
Aiming to answer an array of questions on humans, fairies, and intimacy that the author has been asked over the years, Paid with a Kiss is a deep dive into nearly two millennia of folk belief.
Sometimes not knowing what you are in for makes reading a book highly enticing and thus this is where I found myself this morning, the early morning dawning, the day breaking across its lit pages, my coffee steaming and my just awoken body now sat in a comfy sunroom chair, book open and reading.
As always with Morgan’s books, this is yet another well researched, dutifully woven together, compelling and intoxicating guide to the lore and magic surrounding fairy love and sex down through history.
An expansion of her previous work on the subject, Paid with a Kiss: Love and Sex in Fairy Belief includes revised and edited material from other articles, and is intended to answer the original question and also related questions that might stem from such a topic.
Covered within the 10 chapters are such things as Gender and Sexuality, Fairies Who Love Humans, Early Modern Fairylore, Marriage to the Other and at its culmination, a section of Frequently Asked Questions - which is, in and unto itself, a veritable treasure trove of in-depth supply and demand prose on the subject matter.
With the way that Morgan lays things out, it is obvious that she hopes the book can serve as a good introduction for all the readers to the many and long held beliefs around human and fairy intimacy. Containing discussions that, in some cases might well come with some subliminal content warnings - such as reveals about sex, non-consent and dubious consent, death, kidnapping and pregnancy - Paid with a Kiss: Love and Sex in Fairy Belief is still a most magnificently update prose on what is, to many, a subject matter rarely ever discussed.
Dedicated to everyone who has asked her about his subject across the years, she hopes that this brand new book provides the answers those inquisitive minds are searching. Personally, I think it does, and furthermore, I think it will lure more curious outsiders looking in, to themselves to delve deeper into this most wondrously adroit storytelling, so to speak.
About the Author - Morgan Daimler is an author, teacher of esoteric subjects, witch, and priestess of the Daoine Maithe. Morgan is a prolific pagan writer, having published more than a dozen books under Moon Books alone, and she is one of the world’s foremost experts on all things Fairy. She lives in Gales Ferry, CT.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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They Built the Earth
By: Christopher Knight & Alan Butler - 6th Books - $16.95
Overview: They Built the Earth: Then seeded life 3.7 billion years ago - It’s time to unlock the message they left is a book that is set to open up a whole new direction for humanity by opening the message left for us from those who seeded life on Earth.
Verdict: Most leading scientists agree that the old idea that life on Earth sprang into existence thanks to some happy accident 3.7 billion years ago is provably wrong. Top astronomers, such as Carl Sagan and the discoverer of DNA, Francis Crick, believe that life must have been deliberately planted here.
Indeed, it was Crick himself that proposed that life could have originated on Earth through a process of directed panspermia, where intelligent extraterrestrial beings seeded Earth with the basic building blocks of life. He also explored the nature of consciousness, believing it was a product of neural activity.
And although Crick later acknowledged the limitations of his initial speculation, stating that there wasn’t enough evidence to support the claim of alien intervention in the origin of life, here within these fourteen chapters that make up They Built the Earth: Then seeded life 3.7 billion years ago - It’s time to unlock the message they left, co-authors Christopher Knight and Alan Butler (who have already written other books together where they have explored the relationship between the earth and its moon) now bring forth 20 years of meticulous, and in some cases updated research to this time go further (oh-so much further).
Looking at this ponderance from all sides, another general contention is that planet Earth did not form through the work of a single builder, but rather through natural processes over billions of years. Scientists believe that Earth formed from a disk of dust and gas around the young Sun, with the material gradually colliding and accumulating to form planetesimals and eventually the Earth. This process, known as core accretion, is the most widely accepted theory for the formation of terrestrial planets like Earth.
But that aside for now, many biologists have suggested that there are large areas of our DNA that may contain a huge message for us to unlock. Hence why both authors have been adroitly studying the issue, and now, have published irrefutable evidence that not only was DNA seeded on our planet but that the Earth, Moon, and the asteroid Ceres were carefully manipulated to ensure that living creatures on Earth would evolve and prosper in what amounts to a gigantic incubator.
In this book, they provide details of the existence of conspicuous instructions on how to unlock the communication contained within our DNA coding. Thus this dutifully-sculpted, magnificently-helmed new book could well revolutionize how we think about the origin of life on Earth and our next steps of development.
The evidence is overwhelming - checkable by anyone with a basic calculator. The data provided cannot be wrong, and the consequences are world changing. Our species has arrived at a turning point, the originator of the message has carefully timed its discovery to this precise moment - when we have developed multiple ways of obliterating ourselves if left to our own devices.
The call is made for a multi-disciplinary team of global experts to be assembled to carry out the mission of fully unlocking and implementing the contents of this message from the beginning of time.
About the Author - Christopher Knight is past chairman of companies from a UK national advertising agency of the year to a hi-tech augmented reality pioneer. He has a number of world-wide patents in the field of mobile communications. He is the author of many international best-selling books from ‘The Hiram Key’ in 1996, which went into The Sunday Times Top Ten list after just three days of sales, sold over two million copies in its first year and has been translated into over 40 languages.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Mind, Matter and Life
By: Massimiliano Sorrentino & Daniela Panighetti - Essentia Books - $19.95
Overview: Mind, Matter and Life shows that the mind-body problem concerns not only the relationship between mind and brain but also our current conception of the very phenomenon of life. In fact, this problem concerns our conception of nature as a whole in materialist terms.
Verdict: By addressing neo-Darwinism’s argument - that since a naturalistic explanation for the emergence and development of living organisms exists or is, in principle, viable, living organisms are not what they appear to be and thus not the products of a mind - Mind, Matter and Life argues that this is not the case.
The mind and brain are deeply intertwined, with the brain being the physical organ that produces mental activity, and the mind being the subjective experience of thoughts, feelings, and consciousness. While the brain is a physical structure composed of neurons and other biological components, the mind is often considered a non-physical entity, although many scientists and philosophers believe they are inextricably linked.
Here within the expertly crafted, dutifully written, and heartfeltly addressed pages of the new book Mind, Matter and Life: The Mind-Matter Problem within the Neo-Darwinian Materialist Conception of Nature from husband and wife co-authors Massimiliano Sorrentino and Daniela Panighetti, we get to go deep into the mind-matter problem (also known as the mind-body problem or the mind-brain problem).
It is typically considered to be an issue that concerns the relation between the mind and brain in humans and, at most, in those other animals for which a certain neural activity is supposed to be related to subjective experience of mental contents, such as perceptions and thought.
But, and which has been expressed for some time now, is the thought that the mind-body problem is not just simply a localized problem that affects the relationship between the mind and brain in living animal organisms, but rather it pervades our understanding of the whole cosmos and its story.
In short, if you will, the mind-body problem is a philosophical challenge exploring the relationship between mental and physical phenomena, specifically the question of whether the mind is a physical entity or a separate, non-physical substance. It raises questions about how mental states and physical processes interact, and how consciousness arises from physical matter.
Thus the purpose of this book is to show that the mind-body problem does not only concern the relationship between mind and brain in humans and of those other animal organisms for which a certain activity of their brain is supposed to be related to subjective experience, but rather it affects the current conception of the whole phenomenon of life and, in fact, the whole conception of nature in materialist terms.
But, and as I think you already know by now, there is so much more to this subject matter than I have laid out for you here today, so please buy this book, set aside quality time to carefully read it, and you will quickly find out for yourselves that what the co-authors seek to provide is advancement of our collective understanding of these endless mysteries that surround the whole mind-matter and life scenario that we are all faced with and their collective relationship(s) within us therein.
About the Authors - Massimiliano Sorrentino holds a Ph.D. in Physics and is interested in the mind-matter problem. He currently work as a software developer and as a maths and science teacher in a state school. This is his first book, which is written in collaboration with his wife Daniela Panighetti, who is a doctor in Philosophy. They live in Esine, Italy.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Monkey in the Bodhi Tree
By: Jason Brett Serle - O-Books - $21.95
Overview: Unleash the radical, transformative power at the heart of the world’s great wisdom traditions. Of the many paths up the mountain, that of Crazy-Wisdom, although one of the lesser travelled, presents a dramatic and formidable climb to those that are so inclined.
Now for the first time, the true spiritual landscape of the wise-fool has been laid bare and its features and principal landmarks revealed.
Verdict: For those not fully aware, Crazy-Wisdom, or as it is sometimes called in both small and big screen presentations Divine-Madness, is a spiritual practice and teaching style in Tibetan Buddhism (and other traditions) that involves challenging conventional norms and expectations through unconventional, sometimes disruptive, behavior.
This can manifest as a paradoxical approach, where actions seem contradictory to the perceived image of holiness, aiming to disrupt spiritual pride and foster a deeper understanding of reality.
The way that I was brought up with its knowledge is that Crazy-wisdom is about having a free mind, one that is not held down by preconceived notions or cultural conventions. Crazy Wisdom is about living in this moment, rather than having all of our perceptions colored by what we think about the past, the future, or the ideas we have about things.
The idea behind Crazy-Wisdom is that sometimes those of us that aren’t Enlightened don’t really understand those that are, very well. Enlightenment is the realization that Samsara and Nirvana — normal reality and transcendent reality — are actually the same, that there is no separation between self and other.
Written in two parts, loosely based on the theory and practice of this so-called Crazy Wisdom, The Monkey in the Bodhi Tree: Crazy-Wisdom & the Way of the Wise-Fool from author Jason Brett Serle is the first comprehensive look at this universal phenomenon, from its origins and development to the lives of its greatest adepts and luminaries.
In addition to the theoretical foundations laid down in Part I, Part II deals with its practice and aims to demonstrate Crazy-Wisdom in action. To this end, 151 teaching tales from around the world have been meticulously gathered and retold to illustrate the methods of the great masters and adepts - stories that not only give practical insight but also, like Zen koans, can be used as contemplative tools to illuminate and provoke epiphany.
From the enigmatic Mahasiddhas of ancient India to the eccentric Taoist poet-monks of China, from the uncompromising insights of the Buddhist Tantrikas to the unconventional wisdom of Sufi heretics and the utter surrender to God displayed by the Fools for Christ, this book will take you to a place where the boundaries of logic and reason dissolve and enlightenment awaits those daring enough to venture forth.
About the Author - Jason Brett Serle is a British writer, documentary filmmaker, musician, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) Master and licensed hypnotherapist with a particular focus on psychology, spirituality, wellness and human potential. He has written articles for Jain Spirit and Watkins magazines, as well as interviewing Eckhart Tolle and Amado Crowley. He currently lives in Marbella, Spain.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Art of Sensing
By: Carole J. Obley - 6th Books - $18.95
Overview: How does the global transformation that humanity is now traversing relate to the journey of the individual soul?
This profound yet accessible guide instructs readers to navigate uncertain times and circumstances by trusting one’s sixth sense.
Learn practices and exercises to help you distinguish your soul’s intuitive calling from your rational mind, ingrained patterns, and societal influences; learn from the author’s numerous case files of spiritual readings with individuals just like you.
Verdict: The wisdom in each chapter of The Art of Sensing: A Guide for Staying True to Your Soul’s Journey through Challenging Times by author Carole J. Obley Will guide you in overcoming fear, gaining clarity of purpose, and evolving spiritually.
Thus the end result is greater joy, comfort, and inner peace - regardless of what is happening around you and in the world.
Coming prepared with having communicated with souls who have crossed into the spirit world through thousands of private and group sessions, the author now brings forth an extremely concise, yet magnificently experience-imbibed new book that clearly shows the reader how to walk the path of spiritual transformation - and in a way that needn’t be feared, nor should ever be maligned by naysayers, for it is dutifully researched and comes with an impassioned, heartfelt soul of prose throughout.
Citing examples from her numerous case files of mediumship readings to showcase just how when we are having bad times ourselves these most horrid of moments can still help us to grow beyond what we think we can achieve, or who we even are at that most lowest, most darkest of moments, what we get evenly spread within her chapters are notes of spiritual insight and the fact that, and above all else, knowledge is most definitely a power (and can be used to face our personal challenges, our darkest of days successfully head on).
This most wondrous of new books on the subject matter to hand not only encourages the reader to embark on their own spiritual inner journey but provides a wealth of guidance to help with such a new exploration of your soul.
Thus this book inspires and guides in such a way that, once read, you will for sure be picking it up again a few months down the line to read over and over again. It’s just that good, you have my own newly soul-sensing word.
About the Author - Carole J. Obley has communicated with souls who have crossed into the spirit world through thousands of private and group sessions. She has earned a reputation as the real deal among psychic mediums. She travels nationally to speak and teach workshops as well as maintaining a practice in mediumship based near Pittsburgh, PA.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Abandoned Theater: Alderland Series, Book 1
By: Dana Robertson - Our Street Books - $12.95
Overview: Deep in the woods of the Winnodov property sits the abandoned theater. Something mysterious happened during the last performance there - the same night Mr. Winnodov disappeared.
Eight years later, it’s happening again.
Verdict: A group of mischievous teenagers sneaks into the theater. And now, one is missing. When 12-year-old Beth Shoner learns who the missing teen is, she sets off with two friends to find him. But what they discover is more astonishing than they could ever have imagined.
Now, Beth must defeat an evil plan unleashed long ago that threatens to destroy countless worlds, including their own.
Now, it’s novels like this that get my blood pumping, my inquisitive thoughts racing and the pages turning as here within The Abandoned Theater: Alderland Series, Book 1 from author Dana Robertson we, and most assuredly, get one of the best YA fantasy reads of the past few years.
Bringing forth, and veritably from the off, a genuine, heartfelt and impassioned layered sense of excitement, curiosity, anticipation, trepidation, fear and oh-so much more, the scene setting alone draws you instantly in, always continuing to color the mind’s eye landscapes, never allowing you to wonder, even for a second, what the placement of wherever they may find themselves would look, or even smell like.
My goodness, that cerebral imagery is highly profound here, not to mention the wondrously sculpted characters, their dialogue, their allured to vocal tones, and so much so that I sat down with this book one early morning this week and come a few hours later I found myself closing it after Chapter 33 had drawn to a close on page 171, having read it all straight through, a smile on my face and a profound sense of absorbed completion waving over me.
The locations drawn, the immersive prose, along with the ongoing character developments is just phenomenal here and thus allows the reader to seamlessly move through Robertson’s eerily enchanting worlds as if they themselves were tagging along for the ride of a lifetime!
About the Author - Dana Robertson lives in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. She completed a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Psychology with Trent University in Peterborough Ontario, followed by a graduate creative writing program with the Humber School for Writers in Toronto, Ontario. She writes mystery, fantasy, science fiction and middle grade. The Abandoned Theater is her debut novel and book one of the Alderland Series.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Journey of a Forsaken Rose: A Novel
By: Kenneth Kelly - Roundfire Books - $20.95
Overview: Dog trainer and former soldier Graf is exiled from society, cast into the Wanwood, a cursed forest in another world teeming with horrific monsters and other dangerous obstacles.
But Graf is not alone!
Verdict: As Graf embarks deeper into the seemingly endless forest, searching for any sign of civilization or refuge, he meets bizarre allies, a lovestruck shapeshifter, and a supernatural helper known simply as the Traveler.
Will Graf and his companions find refuge in Sanctuary, a safe haven for the lost and weary? Or might some things be too good to be true, could a sinister secret jeopardize Graf’s newfound paradise?
Written by a 32-year-old English teacher from Florida, Journey of a Forsaken Rose: A Novel by author Kenneth Kelly is a brand new storytelling prose that doesn’t pull any punches, whilst at the same time it exudes a definitive, and highly impassioned story that will most definitely become fast alluring to the YA community (and further).
OK, sure, the AI book cover is a little distorting as to the whole of the sum of its parts that encapsulates this powerful tale, but within its 25 chapters gets lovingly revealed a most dutifully written, artfully created, scenically colorful, and wholly invested set of characters and evolving landscapes that tells more than one tale, believe me on that.
The story is engaging from the off, as Graf stares down a tavern from across the street, his urge to storm it with his ax barely being contained, and thus kicks off our acknowledgement of Graf, who he is, what his inner monologue is, what his motivations are, and so as he meets bizarre allies, a lovestruck shapeshifter, and a supernatural helper called the Traveler along the way, we are there by his side step for step, stride for stride, battle upon battle.
About the Author - Kenneth Kelly is a 32-year-old English teacher living in Plant City, FL. He has always had a passion for writing and has been writing in one form or another as far back as he can remember. He began teaching about 5 years ago to try and promote writing and inspire creativity to younger generations. Outside of work and writing, he is an avid Dungeons and Dragons player and an accomplished martial artist in multiple disciplines.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Pagan Portals - Sabrina: Discovering the Goddess
By: Brett Hollyhead - Moon Books - $12.95
Overview: Within the flow of the Severn, Britain’s longest river, resides a Goddess who, for millennia, has governed the cyclical nature of life and death in mythic and subtle ways.
Whether known as Sabrina to the English or Hafren to the Welsh, this book is an invitation to dive deep into the currents of time to explore her identity and power.
Verdict: From the age of the Celts to the tragedies woven together by the medieval clerics, right up to the modern day, this book illuminates an ever-evolving, powerful divinity associated with boundaries, transformation, and magical Salmon.
Combining personal insight, lore, academic research, and exercises to connect to her waters, within these pages of Pagan Portals - Sabrina: Discovering the Goddess of the River Severn from author Brett Hollyhead we traverse the historical tales of a Goddess who is the heart and soul of the landscape.
Stories such as this have always been a family fascination, in truth, and this is one that I myself grew up well aware of. But, for those unaware, the goddess of the River Severn is known as Sabrina in English, and Hafren in Welsh. The name Sabrina was given to the river by the Romans, and it is believed the river was named after a nymph who was thrown into the river and drowned.
Dating back to at least the 2nd century AD, when the name Sabrina was first recorded by the Romans, in Welsh, Afon Hafren is the full local name for the River Severn. Indeed, it is also one of Britain’s most beloved rivers whose name was one of the first recorded back then as the aforementioned Sabrina, a Latinized version of an earlier Celtic name thought by some scholars to be Samarosina [meaning land of summertime fallow].
As the author tells us within the pages of this thoroughly engrossing new prose on this Goddess, tracing back to the roots of the tale, the story of the goddess Sabrina and the River Severn is fundamentally a story about a woman that is given to the river and becomes a part of it through time.
Thus he brings forth within this diligently written, and profoundly impassioned new book, the historically known facts along with the more freely renounced lore, all whilst deep diving into who she was, where she came from, and what it all means to us currently living here today - and yet also manages to suggest practical exercises for actually working with the historical deity and the region itself today.
About the Author - Brett Hollyhead, also known as the Witch of Salopia across social media, is a practicing Welsh Marches Folk Witch, workshop leader and a public speaker at regular Pagan related events/ conferences throughout the United Kingdom. He’s a member of the Cylch y Sarffes Goch Coven (Circle of the Red Serpent) alongside Mhara Starling and Moss Matthey. He’s also a member of OBOD and a guardian of the Doreen Valiente Foundation. He lives in Wrexham, UK.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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Vatican Daughter: A Novel
By: Joni Marie Iraci - Roundfire Books - $22.95
Overview: Vatican Daughter, from author Joni Marie Iraci, is a novel steeped in Italian culture, unafraid to confront Vatican corruption, and infused with suspense, thrills, and historical facts.
Verdict: Set in Rome and Venice - with a brief stop in Magallanes, Chile, and New York City - Vatican Daughter propels the reader deep into the heart of Italy.
Ensnared by its vivid descriptive language, you will be transported and immersed in this plausible, suspenseful story as it takes you through various cities, tasting their foods along the way, with different characters.
At the same time, you will meander along the medieval palazzos of Rome and Venice, sip the wine, explore the countryside, ride the train, step behind the walls of Vatican City and its papal gardens, and imagine experiencing the loss of a child at the hands of men who would go to any means to avoid the exposure of Vatican corruption, papal indiscretion, and the Vatican’s long-buried secrets.
In what is a wild ride that includes scenically-sculpted prose that takes in the Vatican City, the city-state surrounded by Rome, and, importantly here, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and the home of the Pope, along with some breathtaking envisionments of Magallanes, Chile, and a noisy New York City, Vatican Daughter: A Novel is a book that I didn’t know I was going to read in just two sittings - and yet I did.
At all times character driven, yet always mindful to create expansive environments for them to find themselves within for the readers mind’s eye, these aforementioned evocative settings tell one story, sure, but the main one, the spurred on, sometimes spiraling, deliciously complex narrative that drives all we read is just, well, a true blessing to behold upon every page turn.
Engaging, intriguing, profoundly impassioned and never once mundane, sure the captivating settings are a highlight of the storytelling, but without the thrilling prose, the exciting moments, the strong characters and their inert will to continue to push forward, this whole book could have just ended up being a travelogue for those seeking to visit the noted regions!
But it is far, far from being such a thing, as I hope I have successfully brought your attention to, for Vatican Daughter is more than just a thrilling tale, as it also features an artful balance of states - physical and mental - along with a healthy spoonful of historical fiction and family drama, all wrapped up neatly within a very well researched thriller ala The Da Vinci Code.
Simply put, Vatican Daughter by author Joni Marie Iraci is a story of a young woman who relentlessly searches for her child while coming head-to-head with the most powerful entity on earth. It focuses on serious female-centric issues and the Vatican’s controversial, scandalous, and hypocritical behaviors along with amiably taking you along for the ride at the same time.
About the Author - Joni Marie Iraci is a retired Registered Nurse who returned to school in her later years to pursue her love of writing, earning a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA in creative writing (fiction) from Columbia University. She is a member of the Author’s Guild and American Pen Women. When not writing or buried in a book, she loves tutoring essay writing to college-bound high-school students. She lives in Naples, Florida, and New York City.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Sales Professional
By: Joe Denham - Business Books - $15.95
Overview: Over a career of more than 40 years, Joe Denham has trained many salespeople through stand-up presentations and lectures. Now he shares those lessons and his knowledge in The Sales Professional with anyone who has a strong work ethic and wants to succeed in sales.
This book not only seeks to help existing salespeople who want to succeed - who doesn’t? - and it’s also for people who want help getting started in a career in sale
Verdict: Many good sales staff in the corporate world become quickly disenchanted because of a lack of early sales success, generally due to a dearth of real guidance and structure in the way they approach their chosen careers.
This book aims to bring some discipline and professionalism into the way they conduct business. Experience is not something you can buy.
However, when someone like Joe Denham passes his experience on to you through a book like this, with explanations and an understanding of the sales process that are logical, simple, and straightforward, you will benefit beyond your expectations.
In short, here in The Sales Professional: How to Build a Career in Sales by author Joe Denham, you will quickly learn from a successful businessman himself and with 42 years of sales experience across multiple industries behind him, just how to go about being the best salesman you could ever hope to be!
We are all buyers. We buy things every day of our lives. We are all experts in buying, we just may not realize it. The reason we buy things is that we have a problem to solve. If you just moved into an apartment and you have nowhere to sleep, then you visit the bed store and buy a new bed. Problem solved.
So, nobody buys anything that does not solve a problem in their life. Every material thing in our daily lives must be bought, so it follows that someone must sell those things.
For within each step in these supply chains a salesperson has negotiated with a buyer. A price agreement has been made and a sales commission earned. Has the salesperson sold the item or did the buyer simply buy the item?
Salespeople must understand their role in the process. They must allow people to buy the best solution which solves their problem. If you start your sales career with this perspective, you will succeed!
And thus here within one of the most diligently sculpted, articulate and wholly grounded new books on the subject, the author showcases his Denham Method to being the best sales professional that you ever hoped you could be, whilst at the same time his guidance is something that you will be expressing gratitude toward for all your days moving forward.
About the Author - Joe Denham has setup and grown four very successful businesses in his lifetime. His first major success was when he sold his computer based training business located in Dubai for $10m in 1997. He then had his own TV Show on Sky Television in the UK for 4 years, while he owned and operated a farm in Brittany, France.
And in 2009 he founded VegTrug - an innovative raised garden bed which people use to grow their own vegetables at home. That business sold in 2012 and Joe continued to run the business as CEO until 2023. He now lives in Norfolk, UK.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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The Ethical Assassin: A Vigilante’s Memoir
By: William Ferraiolo - Roundfire Books - $14.95
Overview: A found journal whose author wishes to remain anonymous. After losing his family in a tragic automobile accident, one man’s reason to go on living is stripped away.
That is until one day, by chance - some might call it serendipity - he overhears a conversation that moves him to consider a new life. A man needs to be killed, and our protagonist decides to kill him.
Verdict: But he doesn’t stop there. Keeping a journal at every step of his way, our anonymous protagonist archives the subsequent events, taking the reader through his accounts of the men he kills and the causal antecedents that facilitate these assassinations.
Attempting to come to grips with the life-shattering car crash while trying to make sense of the moral ramifications of his deadly acts of vigilantism - the ethical assassin kills only men who need killing - he tells us his story while attempting to navigate the dangers of doing so.
In what is his very first, and expertly sculpted debut novel, Doctor William Ferraiolo brings forth the layered tale of a damaged, broken, confused, yet now destructively motivated and driven soul whose newly cultivated path is one of elimination over mindful preservation.
Now, whether it be true or not, the mythology of this person’s journey actually originates within the opening Editor’s Note, where we are told that the text of the book is taken from a leather-bound journal found lying on a table at a diner in Sonora, CA.
There is no indication to the identity of the author and the book is published without any claim regarding its authenticity, thus the events described herein may have occurred, or they may have been invented to some degree or other.
Regardless, and whether or not everything written might be completely fictious, the substance of the prose written by Ferraiolo is as addictively, and therein irresistibly engrossing as any novel has any right to be, whilst at the same time bringing forth a powerfully gripping story about a man who only kills those who deserve to die.
For this is his judgement of these people because of what they have done to harm the innocent. For his assessment of the people he has killed is correct or, at the very least, morally defensible. This is, at any rate, what he tells himself.
About the Author - William Ferraiolo received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma in 1997. Since then, he has taught philosophy at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. A practicing Stoic, Ferraiolo has published numerous articles in a variety of professional and academic journals. His bestselling first book, Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure, was published in 2017. William lives in Lodi, CA.
Official Amazon Book Purchase Link
www.collectiveinkbooks.com
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