An eye-opening book by national award-winning author and Poet Laureate Emerita.
Poetry and reflective nonfiction.
Our nation is rattled by daily controversies in the White House, the dismantling of traditions,
deepening divisions among Americans, and the prospect of nuclear war.
And we never know what to expect next.
ADVANCE PRAISE…
“Placing her poems like bandages over bleeding lies and broken promises, Reyna soothes the pain of a nation in crisis as only a gifted poet can: with clear truth, righteous anger, and deep empathy.”
--Cassie Premo Steele, Ph.D.
National Award-Winning Poet
“Stunning, heartfelt and deeply honest. Reyna presents to us the forecast of an unfolding aftermath and beyond. The full impact of today’s political landscape in a powerful poetic voice.”
--Beverly M. Collins
Poet, Pushcart Prize Nominee
“Writing in envisioned voices, Reyna reflects personas from both sides of the political divide as she sketches out the nation’s quandaries. No voice is too small. Empathy is engendered for immigrants, victims, even the First Lady.”
ØMail check to Golden Foothills Press, 1443 E. Washington Blvd., #232; Pasadena, CA 91104.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORTIVENESS!
Paperback, 165 pages
Cover Price: $14 + tax & shipping
Golden Foothills Press
About the Author
THELMA T. REYNA, Ph.D.
Thelma’s books have won 8 national literary awards. She has written 4 books and, as Poet Laureate in Altadena, CA, has edited 2 anthologies showcasing the poems of about 100 local and regional poets. Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, textbooks, blogs, and regional media for over 25 years. She is an editor with her writing consultancy, The Writing Pros; and Chief Editor at her indie publishing venture in Pasadena, CA. She has a Ph.D. from UCLA. Visit her website at www.GoldenFoothillsPress.com
Title:
THE AMENDMENT KILLER Author: Ronald S. Barak Publisher: Gander House
Publishers Pages: 320 Genre: Thriller/Mystery & Suspense/Political Thriller
BOOK BLURB:
"WE HAVE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO
DO."
That's the text message Supreme Court Justice Arnold Hirschfeld receives as
hearings commence in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the fate of the 28th
Amendment - enacted to criminalize abuse of power on the part of our political
representatives.
In court to defend the amendment, retired U.S. District Court Judge Cyrus
Brooks observes his old friend and law school classmate Hirschfeld acting
strangely and dispatches veteran D.C. homicide detective Frank Lotello to find
out why.
In the meantime, Hirschfeld's precocious and feisty 11-year-old diabetic
granddaughter Cassie, brutally kidnapped to control her grandfather's swing vote
upholding or invalidating the amendment, watches her insulin pump running dry
and wonders which poses her greatest threat, the kidnappers or the clock. As
Brooks is forced to choose between saving our nation or saving the girl.
We
have your granddaughter. Here’s what you need to do.
Thomas T.
Thomas III reviewed the language. Again. He closed the phone without hitting
send. Yet.
He stared
through high-powered binoculars from atop the wooded knoll. As always, the girl
hit one perfect shot after another.
Cassie
Webber. Age 11. He’d been tailing her for three months. It seemed longer.
She was
chaperoned everywhere she went. Two-a-day practices before and after school.
Her dad drove her in the morning. He watched her empty bucket after bucket and
then dropped her off at school. Her mom picked her up after school, ferried her
back to the practice range, and brought her home after daughter and coach
finished. Mom and daughter sometimes ran errands on the way, but always
together. Even on the occasional weekend outing to the mall or the movies, the
girl was constantly in the company of family or friends. Having someone hovering over me all day would have driven me
batshit.
His
childhood had been different. When Thomas was her age, he walked to school on
his own. And he lived a lot farther away than the girl. His daddy had never let
his driver chauffeur him around. Wasn’t about to spoil him. Spare the rod, spoil the child. Didn’t spoil me that way either.
He kept
telling himself patience was the key. But his confidence was waning. And then,
suddenly, he’d caught a break. The girl’s routine had changed.
She
started walking the few blocks between school and practice on her own. Dad
dropped her off at morning practice and Mom met her at afternoon practice
instead of school. Only a ten minute walk each way, but that was all the
opening he needed.
Everything
was finally in place. He would be able to make amends. He would not let them
down.
This time.
She
completed her morning regimen, unaware of Thomas’s eyes trained on her from his
tree-lined vantage point. No doubt about it, he thought to himself. She was
incredibly good. Driven. Determined.
And
pretty.
Very pretty.
He
relieved himself, thinking about her. A long time . . . coming. Haha! As the girl disappeared into the locker
room, he trekked back down the hill, and climbed into the passenger side of the
van. He returned the binoculars to their case. He removed the cell from his
pocket, and checked the pending text one more time.
Moments
later, the girl emerged from the locker room, golf bag exchanged for the
backpack over her shoulders. She ambled down the winding pathway, waved to the
uniformed watchman standing next to the guardhouse, and crossed through the
buzzing security gate. She headed off to school.
Without taking his eyes off her,
Thomas barked at the man sitting next to him. “Go.”
About the Author
Described by his readers as a cross between Agatha
Christie, Lee Child, and John Lescroart, bestselling author Ron Barak keeps his
readers flipping the pages into the wee hours of the night. While he mostly
lets his characters tell his stories, he does manage to get his licks in too.
Barak derives great satisfaction in knowing that his books not only entertain
but also stimulate others to think about how things might be, how people can
actually resolve real-world problems. In particular, Barak tackles the
country’s dysfunctional government representatives—not just back-seat driving
criticism for the sake of being a back-seat driver, but truly framing practical
remedies to the political abuse and corruption adversely affecting too many
people’s lives today. Barak’s extensive legal background and insight allow him
to cleverly cross-pollenate his fiction and today’s sad state of political
reality.
In his latest novel, THE AMENDMENT KILLER, Barak calls upon his real world
legal ingenuity and skill to craft a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
criminalizng political abuse and corruption that Constitutional scholars across
the country are heralding as a highly plausible answer to the political chaos
destroying the very moral fiber of the country today. It’s difficult to read
THE AMENDMENT KILLER and not imagine what could—and should—be expected and
demanded of those political leaders who have forgotten they are there to serve
and not be served.
Barak is also a committed and strident advocate of finding a cure for diabetes.
One of the primary characters in THE AMENDMENT KILLER is the feisty and
precocious 11-year-old diabetic granddaughter of the Supreme Court justice
holding the swing vote in a case in which Congress is challenging the validity
of Barak’s hypothetical 28th Amendment. It is no small coincidence that Barak
is himself a diabetic. Or that he has committed 50% of the net proceeds of THE
AMENDMENT KILLER to diabetes research and education.
Barak is singularly qualified to have authored THE AMENDMENT KILLER, which will
appeal to political and legal thriller aficionados alike. Barak is a law school
honors graduate and a former Olympic athlete. While still in law school, he authored
a bill introduced in Congress that overnight forced the settlement of a decades
long dispute between the NCAA and the AAU to control amateur athletics in the United States.
Present-day politicians would do well to read THE AMENDMENT KILLER and not
underestimate the potential of Barak’s 28th Amendment. You can read his 28th
Amendment at ronaldsbarak.com/28th-amendment-page-2. You can also read
his occasional political blogs at ronaldsbarak.com/blog.
Ron and his wife, Barbie, and the four-legged members of their family reside in
Pacific Palisades, California.
Title: The Special and the Ordinary Author: David Clapham Publisher: iUniverse Genre: Coming of Age Format: Ebook
John Haworth, despite innate shyness, has floated upward in a comfortable English home environment under the influence of much older sisters and their friends. After he begins a new school in the early fifties, the seven-year-old is looking lost when a classmate, Martin Holford, decides to take him under his wing. And so begins a long friendship. Ordinary rules of life apparently do not apply to the confident Martin except, perhaps, when he allows his mischievous humor excessive free rein against the self-important. While on separate coming-of-age journeys, Martin and John get on fine, despite John's occasional resentment about Martin's ability to bounce back after perpetrating 'wrong notes' against the wealthy while John slaves away attempting to make new music sound modern. John, who has no desire to be to be an apathetic musician like his viola teacher, unfortunately lacks the talent, personality, and love of limelight to match his glamorous piano teacher or Katherine, the singer he accompanies on the piano. Now all he has to do is somehow find his place amid an uncertain career as a ghost composer where chances come as infrequent as success. The Special and the Ordinary shares the unique story of two young people as they come of age and step into the future, each with a different idea on what it means to be true to themselves. iUniverse awarded The Special and the Ordinary the 'Editor's Choice' designation. Here are excerpts from the enthusiastic editorial reviews: "Definitely a worthwhile read, I recommend The Special and the Ordinary to lovers of literary fiction." - Pacific Book Review "...heartwarming and uplifting." - Kirkus Reviews "The writing is clear and refreshing, with clean sentences that move the story along at a brisk pace." - Clarion Review
David Clapham grew up in in Sheffield, England and studied botany at Oxford. After working at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station in Aberystwyth, Wales, he moved to Uppsala, Sweden, where he still lives today. David and his Swedish wife Lena have two children. He has also published Odd Socks with iUniverse in 2013.
