A story of survival, courage and hope.

It was a jolt from out of nowhere, a disaster tearing me from the life I knew. It was a cerebral hemorrhage, a hemorrhagic stroke. The hospital medical staff threw up their hands in surrender. Make him comfortable, the body’s paralyzed, the brain’s gone and there’s nothing we can do.

They advised my wife to make arrangements.
Richard (Dick) Burns, 38, TV and advertising executive who dressed grown men up as fruit for an underwear commercial and had an airline paint smiles on its planes, died suddenly the day after Christmas. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and three children, Lisa, Shelley and Richard.

Hold on a minute, I must have asked myself, is this all I have accomplished during my time on this planet? I must have something better to offer than some silly TV ads.

And I guess the Almighty agreed. I didn’t die after all.

When my story began, it was common belief that brain cells cannot regenerate and that other parts of the brain take over functions. But I began to think it would be impossible for remnants of an almost totally devastated brain to assume all the complicated functions of human existence. If time and proper treatment can repair other parts of the body, why not the brain? There are many, many cells in the brain. How many were destroyed? Were some merely damaged and reparable? Did others absorb new functions? A combination?

I am functioning now, much as before. Pressure and fatigue wear more easily. I’m older. The mind has been tempered with the experiences of hurt, adversity and disaster and shaped by the realities of this world. And molded and bent by the need for a better existence for myself and those loved ones who sacrificed and suffered so much. Small wonder I view this whole process as a “stroke of good luck.”

I came to the conclusion earlier than most scientific and medical professionals: brain cells can and do regenerate over time. How else to explain the slow, steady progress of regrowing abilities, regrowing functions, regrowing the mental to match the physical? That I can write these words, maybe philosophize a bit for the benefit of others, participate in an almost “normal” lifestyle—I am the living proof.

The true story of an amazing recovery from a stroke survior. Richard Burns is living proof that miracles do happen.

www.liveordieburns.com

LIVE OR DIE, A Stroke of good Luck at Amazon.com

This warm childhood memory describes a touching family story. Quickly is discovered in the upstairs attic in an old dusty box. This seemingly magical spatula brings the warmth of Mommy’s kitchen to life. What is the real secret of Mommy’s Sunday morning pancakes? How did Quickly get its name? A story for children of all ages, Quickly will bring a smile to your lips and a tug at your heart.

This universal story celebrates those heartfelt family moments that become treasured with time.

Quickly: The Magic Spatula at Amazon.com

To answer those classic questions, Herzog crafts an itinerary taking him through classically-named places – from Athena (Oregon) to Apollo (Pennsylvania). Starting in the shadow of Washington’s Mount Olympus, Herzog makes his way eastward, delving into his own psyche and the lives of everyday heroes along the way. He meets a teacher in a rural one-room schoolhouse in Troy (Oregon), a lifelong hobo in Iliad (Montana), a bomb-diffusing soldier from Sparta (Wisconsin) and an 87-year-old paragon of reliability in Pandora (Ohio).

TURN LEFT AT THE TROJAN HORSE is a personal, philosophical, historical and conversational trek across America and through the universal truths embedded in ancient myths. However, in the end it is simply the story of one man trying to find his way. Says Herzog, who has also published hundreds of national magazine articles and a series of children’s books, “My goal was to make it intimate yet epic, accessible yet enlightening. To me, that’s the definition of a memorable road trip.”

Historian Neal Hotelling has recently published his third book on the history of Pebble Beach Resorts – this one focusing on the rich history of championship golf stretching back more than 100 years on the peninsula – “Pebble Beach: The Official Golf History” (Triumph Books, 2009).

Hotelling will discuss the new book, share stories about the history and discuss a bit of the “detective process” involved in searching out the true facts of history – especially the history of a place as internally famous as Pebble Beach.

Neal Hotelling has made his home on the Monterey peninsula for 25 years, has authored numerous articles on local history and been actively involved in historic preservation and education. His first book, “Pebble Beach Golf Links: The Official History” (Sleeping Bear Press, 1999) was awarded Golf Book of the Year. He is also the Director of Licensing and Special Projects for Pebble Beach Company and serves as their historian and executive editor of Pebble Beach – The Magazine.

Many American pundits believed that Fidel Castro and his Revolution would be short?-?lived, and then the grouchy bearded guy proceeded to outlast ten U.S. Presidents. For a half century Cuba has been a key issue in U.S. foreign policy: sometimes an irritation, always an antagonist, and once bringing the world to within a blink of a nuclear World War III. How can a small island country with few resources stand toe to toe with the global superpower for 50 years? It can’t,
but it has.

To understand why the proverbial elephant and mouse have shaken their fists at each other to a standoff, it’s necessary to understand Cuba and her people. It is much more than tropical breezes, smooth rum, aromatic cigars and melodic salsa tunes. This is a legacy of colonial abuses, racial and religious conflict, raw Cold War politics, Mafia meddling, pride far deeper than mere machismo, U.S. presidential politics, and a family feud that spans the Florida Straits and involves millions of people.

One could no more comprehend Cuba by reading bombastic speeches by political leaders than one could visualize a mosaic from a box of stone chips. In Cuba Rising, author Jonathan Showe has experienced Cuba’s kaleidoscope of impressions at ground level.

Cuba Rising will enable you to understand Cuba’s history of betrayal that has driven her to self-reliance; her cultural traditions of synthesis that are fundamental from family through foreign policy, and how Cuba’s national experience spanning centuries is propelling the country into a lively new posture in the
21st century.

As U.S. foreign policy begins to embrace change, as Fidel Castro and his legacy pass from the spotlight, as China and Venezuela become players in Cuba, we can expect sweeping change in U.S. – Cuban relations and in Cuba’s role on the world stage. All of that and more will change the relationship from mainly noisy to vitally important. Preview it in these pages and understand it when you see it in the headlines.

Purchase DVD of Show $15

Patricia Hamilton, Park Place Publications, will conduct an hour-long book publishing presentation, including: Consulting: book development, marketing strategies; Preparing manuscripts: editing, book text and cover design, ISBN, barcode, copyright, Library of Congress; Printing: soft cover, hard cover, digital, print-on-demand, ideal number of books to print; Marketing and Distribution: local, regional and national strategies. Clients will talk about their own experiences with self-publishing through Park Place Publications.Patricia Hamilton, member of Independent Book Publishers of America, Small Publishers of America, National Writers Assn. and Central Coast Writers, runs a consulting and book publishing business in Pacific Grove, PARK PLACE PUBLICATIONS, that since 1982 has helped authors all over the world publish and market their books in a variety of electronic and print media. Her own healthy travel guides have won national book and marketing awards.

Contact: Patricia Hamilton
Telephone: 831-649-6640
E-mail: publishingbiz@sbcglobal.net

For the love of books, Wave Street Authors presents authors in an interview type setting before a live studio audience. Authors discuss their latest work, discuss their writing process and present themselves as the real people they are. Illustrations and photos from the book are interspersed as directed by the authors. Filmed in HD before a live studio audience.

Cort’s book addresses the urgent need to revitalize forsaken downtown areas and build green communities. In the face of critical economic and environmental challenges, Cort’s book offers practical solutions that combine sustainability, prosperity and citizen participation.In the early seventies, Dan Cort sold his guitar and old Ford Fairlane for the $2,000 deposit needed to renovate a run-down Victorian. Thus began his career as a self-proclaimed, self-taught “contra-developer.” Against all odds and long before it was popular, Cort committed himself to preserving historic architecture and natural resources while others built new and wasteful sprawl developments.

Dan Cort is available for interviews and presentations. He can be contacted at: 831-655-2678.

I’m a California kid. Great-grandson of (on one side) pioneers, forty-niners, homesteaders, farmers, and fortune seekers. And (on the other) devout New Englanders who left their mark on Pacific Grove. I was born in Bakersfield just as the Great Depression got started, but never felt depressed. My dad was a forest ranger, and I grew up between San Luis Obispo and Kernville in the tail end of the Sierra, and up the Valley from Bakersfield to Delano.

From the time I was three months old, we spent a lot of time on the Monterey Peninsula and moved to Pacific Grove permanently in 1940 when I was ten. Graduating from Pacific Grove High School in 1947, I was off to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as an NROTC student, flunked out, went back, got married, graduated in 1953, spent three years on active duty with the Navy, went to work with Dean Witter as a stockbroker and branch manager in Oakland and San Francisco, and retired thirty-eight years later. We moved to Carmel permanently in 2005, about a year after my wife Susie’s death. I have three great kids-Scott, Laura, and Carrie-and six above-average grandkids, and a sweetheart also named Susie. More about all of this some other time.

Brimming with never before told stories, Snyder recalls memorable events and hilarious escapades that filled those early years. Among them, the unforgettable 1959 pennant playoff and World Series championship…the magic of the Sandy Koufax/Don Drysdale era…the electrifying stolen base record set by Maury Wills…and the golden oratory of Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully. And in a host of hilarious confessions she reveals the pranks and antics those famous ballplayers played on her in spring training before anyone had ever heard of political correctness.

With the forward by Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, this unique, color-illustrated hardcover book contains more than 100 rare photos. For baseball fans and all who enjoy a good read, Lady in the Locker Room is the perfect choice. More than a keepsake book, it’s an experience.

For more info or an interview

contact Flo at http://ladyinthelockerroom.com