Each chapter in the book is a road sign which calls the reader to be aware of elements we face in life, and ways to deal with them. The book also provides the reader with useful tools to overcome daily problems, and live a better, more spiritual life. From dealing with the problem of lying, in the chapter Dead End Roads, to providing useful tools in the chapter Roadside Assistance, the reader explores life’s journey from a new prospective, knowing he or she is not the only one struggling, and trying to find a higher purpose in life.

The unique format of this book cannot be found in other spiritual books. Also, given the fact that teenagers and young adults are constantly in a stage of doubts and confusion, I was surprised to see how little spiritual guidance is available to them. The book’s format makes it easy to follow, and gives the reader useful tools for spiritual growth. This book was written from personal experiences, and it is my hope that it will serve as a lighthouse for many souls. – FROM B&N

• Pub. Date: June 2011
• Publisher: Bat-El Publishing
• Format: Hardcover , 72pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• ISBN-13: 9780983202509
• ISBN: 0983202508

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Tal Yanai was not happy with his reality. What he was creating in his life was not in alignment with what he wanted in his heart or what he knew and deeply felt was possible.

Bringing two wonderful children into the world gave him a new sense of urgency to share and teach everything he’s learned about God and spirituality. Today, Tal teaches Hebrew and Judaic Studies in Temple Beth Hillel in the San Fernando Valley as he continues his quest to explore the meaning of soul and achieve his full potential as a spiritual teacher.

Author Website: www.talyanai.com

Author Blog: http://www.talroadsigns.com/

THE GIVEAWAY…The Book Faery Reviews children are giving away a copy of Life Is Not A Candy Store over at their book blog BookSnatchers. All you have to do is read their review and leave them a comment over THERE!

FOLLOW THE WORLD OF INK TOUR WITH TAL YANAI

August 1^st: The World of Ink Network – Author Spotlight

August 2^nd: Families Matter Blog Book – Interview

August 3^rd: American Chronicle – Author Spotlight

August 4^th: MomnBaby Network – Book Spotlight

August 5^th: The Writing Mama – Interview

August 6^th: Mom Perfers on BlogCritics – Author Spotlight

August 7^th: The Writing Mama – Book Review

August 8^th: The Maggie Project – Guest Post: Helpful Tips on Writing & Back story

August 9^th: Roth’s Inspiring Books & Products – Interview

August 10^th: The Crypto-Capers Review – Book Review

August 11^th: Writers On The Move – Guest Post: Relating to YA Readers

August 12^th: Stories for Children Magazine FG Interview

August 13^th: Writing to the Hearts of Children- Book Review & Giveaway

August 14^th: Utah Children’s Writer Blog – Guest Post: Tips to Writing Engaging Nonfiction

August 15^th: BTR’s World of Ink Network: Stories for Children show.

Live Radio Interview at 2pm EST at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork or call in to listen or ask questions (714) 242-5259.

You can also listen on demand after the show airs!

August 16^th: Rambling of a Coffee Addicted Writer – Book Review

August 17^th: BlogCritics – Book Review

August 18^th: Roth’s Inspiring Books & Products – Book Review

August 19^th: Literal Exposure – Book Review & Giveaway

August 20^th: Health, Beauty, Children and Family – Book Review & Giveaway

August 21^st: Bless Their Hearts Mom – Book Review

August 22^nd: Strands of Thought – Interview

August 23^rd: Rambling of a Coffee Addicted Writer- Guest Post: How to Talk to Teens http://ramblingsofacoffeeaddictedwrter.blogspot.com/

August 23^rd: Interview on From My Mama’s Kitchen Radio Show at 11am EST

From My Mama’s Kitchen® - “Personal Success Begins at Home” Host: Johnny Tan

www.blogtalkradio.com/fmmk-talk-radio

August 24^th: The Writing Mama Show on BTR’s World of Ink Network

On demand interview: Families Matter Blog – Book Review

August 25^th: Home School Blogger – Book Review

August 26^th: Mymcbooks Blog – Spotlight & Giveaway

August 27^th: Children’s and Teen Book Connection – Interview

August 29^th: BiblioReads.com – Book Review & Giveaway

The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James (Contemporary Women’s Fiction) - Alice knows something about the freedom of reinvention-it makes those tough years in the past a little easier to bear. So when she meets Clayton, she understands why he wants to shrug off his old life. Their unlikely friendship seems stable-until Alice discovers Clayton has betrayed her in the worst possible way. With a gift for believable characters, Erica James deftly tackles infidelity, bereavement, and family breakdown, and her blend of sparkling wit and real emotional power has her poised to take over the States.

The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark by Sera Beak (Self-Resource) - The Red Book is nothing less than a spiritual fire starter—a combustible cocktail of Hindu Tantra and Zen Buddhism, Rumi and Carl Jung, Kali and Mary Magdalene, goddesses and psychics, shaken with cosmic nudges, meaningful subway rides, haircuts, relationships, sex, dreams, and intuition. It’s a book that encourages women to live more consciously so they can start making clearer choices across the board, from careers to relationships, politics to pop culture and everything in between. For smart, gutsy, spiritually curious women whose colorful and complicated lives aren’t reflected in most spirituality books, The Red Book is an open invitation for women to find their true selves and start sharing that delicious truth with the world.

“Every so often there comes our way a glorious chunk of life so utterly unique that even the jaded blink twice. The Red Book is just such a chunk, gloriously dropped out of the mind of Sera Beak as a special message for today’s contemporary woman in the language of just such a woman, placing before us the wisdom of the ages.  From gentle meditation to bouncing sexuality and much in between, the path to personal rejuvenation through the enlivening of the heart, mind and spirit is laid out in such refreshing, sparkling, effervescent words that what results is a psychic shower for the soul.  Get naked, get in, get wet. You’ll never feel as cleaned.” – Neale Donald Walsch, best-selling author, Conversations With God

Get ready for my forthcoming book Redvolution: Unleashing the Red Hot and Holy Feminine, which will be published by HarperOne in 2011.

Redvolution: Unleashing the Red Hot and Holy Feminine is a crazy cosmic celebration of feminine spiritual superpowers. It’s chock-full of authentic guidance and grounded inspiration to help all types of women discover an unstoppable source of energy within themselves, no matter what life throws their way. Relatable (and often downright hilarious) personal examples, heretical academic anchors, time-tested tools, metaphysical make-up tips, and simple, yet effective exercises give this passionate and redvolutionary book more than enough mojo to transform women’s often hectic lives into daring spectacles of true beauty, power and might.

WARNING: Reading this book might make your “good girl” complexes spontaneously combust, evoke ecstatic gasps of “Hell Yeah!” from your deepest being, and set your heart, soul, and life on fire. To be clear: Being a Redvolutionary will not make you cool… but it will make you hot.

The Portable Pediatrician by Sears Parenting Library (Parenting/Medical Resource) – Imagine you are up at three o’clock in the morning with a sick child. Wouldn’t it be nice to have expert advice readily at hand to help get you through the night? Encyclopedic in scope, THE PORTABLE PEDIATRICIAN features timely and practical information on every childhood illness and emergency, including when to call the doctor, what reassuring signs can help you know your child is okay, how to treat your child at home, and much more-all in a convenient A-to-Z format. Among the scores of topics covered:

teething; sprains and broken bones; nosebleeds; measles; ear infections; choking; rashes; colic; headaches; eating disorders; fever; hip pain; warts; allergies; obesity; seizures; Asperger’s Syndrome; bronchitis; masturbation; sunburns; pneumonia; speech delay; lice; vomiting; asthma; heart defects; blisters; sleep problems; and more.

The Searses guide parents and caregivers from a child’s infancy through the teen years, teaching them what to expect at regular checkups as well as how to boost a child’s well-being, devise a family health plan, work effectively with their pediatrician, and more. Distinguished by the Searses’ trademark comprehensiveness, reliability, and accessible, comforting one, this book is a must-have for all families who want to keep their children healthy and happy.

Indigo Awakening is available in paperback AND Kindle format.

AUTHOR GUEST POST…Indigo Physician Field Notes: Janine Talty, D.O., M.P.H.
Journal entry; May 16^th, 2005; Havana and the Cuban country side

The day started for me at 6:30 AM with a 45-minute swim in a far to short pool on the 9^th floor of our hotel. I had to rush through my shower and breakfast in which to be present for a lecture given by a retired general surgeon Dr. Jose` de J. Portilla Garcia, who now works for the Ministry of Health within the Cuban government. He was sensitive to deliver the well-crafted power point presentation lecture in English, which made it convenient for me and the other four individuals in our group of 29 who did not speak Spanish. He described the overall organization of the Cuban health system showing an organizational flow chart focusing on the bottom rung, the Family Practice primary care community clinics. One physician and one nurse, both of who live on the premises, staff these clinics. Above the primary care clinics in the organizational chart are what are called Polyclinics. These were described as multispecialty clinics that have the capability to provide a higher level of care that cannot be handled at the neighborhood primary care settings. These clinics employ up to 100 physicians of multiple specialties provide urgent care as well as inpatient services. To hear him speak they could rival the Mayo or Cleveland Clinics in the US.

He went on to show how the Cuban (still considered third-world) system was superior to most “developing” countries and almost equal to the US when comparing infant mortality rates even though billions of dollars less are spent each year. The Infant mortality rate is the “barometer” in Public Health to show the over-all effectiveness of the health care system and is used to compare cities, states and countries. The grafts that were shown and sometimes brushed over and speed through left many of us with public health backgrounds with many questions. Not wanting to be confrontational we just listed quietly.

The next two hours was spent exchanging money, United States dollars for Convertible Cuban Pesos. We finally loaded the bus and headed west to see the real Cuba, our destination was the town of Vinales to have lunch in a very unique and special location on the way and to visit a Polyclinic. As we traveled our tour guides pointed out the local history, landmarks and cultural points of interest always from a very moderate and seemingly unbiased point of view. However, the story that we continued to be presented was the same…all their needs are being met, there is nothing that is needed that cannot be obtained and all of their systems and equipment are working and functional. According to our guide life was good! Outside the windows of our luxurious climate controlled Mercedes bus we had a glimpse of life outside the crumbling city of Havana. The countryside was marked by various different species of palms, sugar cane fields, tobacco, corn, and row crops. Each farm had either and emaciated oxen, a cow, or a horse usually tied by the neck to a tree or rock forging for unseen green blades. All shared a distinctive forlorn depressed look in their eyes, completely void of spirit and will. In part most likely due to an overload of intestinal parasites no doubt.

We arrived at our lunch designation around 4:00 PM to the most unusual spot. It looked like a scene from Jurassic Park. The windy road curved its way through a desperate valley closed in by vertical cliffs that seemed to hang over the road at times making visible stalactite caves in the cliffs. We dined in thatched huts and were entertained by a local band playing traditional Cuban music. We were served cabbage salad, with sliced cucumbers, onions and tomatoes, pork, chicken, Cuban rice with sausage and a potato-like root that had its origin in Africa brought to Cuba with the slave trade. It was starchier, but sweeter than a traditional South American potato. Once finished we tipped our hosts and loaded the bus for our late arrival to the community Polyclinic. The clinic closed at 5:00 PM, it was approximately 5:30 PM when we arrived.

In the bus we all had many opportunities to have long chats with our fellow Medical Humanitarians. Earlier in the day I had the chance to get to know one of Salud’s board members who joined their financially sinking ship in 1996 and who has been instrumental in its unbelievable recovery and now regionally recognized success. I had considered Edison Jensen aloof and quiet. He is a man of small stature who seemed uninterested in small talk. Actually, I had previously had known very little about him except for his very interesting background of being an adopted Latin child into a Anglo Wasp family raised far from any element of his native culture including never being exposed or having learned the Spanish language. I learned so much more about him on this trip. He holds a seat on three very powerful local Board of Directors, the other two to protect the one. Besides being on the Salud Para La Gente Board of Directors, he is on the Dominican Hospital Board and on their credentialing committee as well as the Pajaro Health Trust, which decides the fait of Watsonville Community Hospital. This allows him to protect Salud’s interest for access to Federal, State and local moneys, influence and market share. He is “bull doggishly” protective of community health for farm workers, Arcadio Viveros (the CEO of Salud) and all that Salud stands for. As I sat next to him, I began to get the sense of how truly large his heart was, contained within his petite chest. It was then that I realized how badly I had misjudged this man. He felt like kin to me, like-minded and intuitively driven – a man whose perception was sharp and intentions pure.

We finally arrived in the rural community, the bus stopping perpendicular to the building of interest. We filed out of the bus and were once again met with the heavy sultry humid tropical air and the “in-your-face” reminder of the profound poverty that is Cuba. The street was bordered by falling down tenement apartments made more colorful not just by the washed away plaster partially painted exteriors, but also because of the multicolored clothes hanging on the lines that adorned every porch and out of most open windows. It looked like a National United Nations banner convention. On the sidewalk were two loose piglets grazing happily on the drying lawn grass that separated the street from the sidewalk. Pork is the preferred meat of the locals, and it is common to see pigs staked out on people’s front lawns and in their yards, evidently in preparation for additions to next year’s meat rations.

We made our way down the tree lined side street toward the entrance to the clinic that had obviously already closed as there were few people coming or going. As we ascended the five stairs into the main entrance we were met with an uncomfortable greeting of a child’s defining crying. As we walked in, the voice was emanating from a small boy about two years old being wheeled out of a room to our left by his assumed father pushing him in a blue stroller.

Our group consisted of several community health center administrators, their wives, husbands or adult children, two attorneys, and four physicians. As we stood in the buildings foyer hearing more about how perfect the Cuban health system was the discussion was finally opened up for questions. All made continually difficult to hear over the incessant high-pitched unceasing crying in the background. I stood there listening to the discourse feeling more like a guest than a true participant; again I kept my questions to myself. Suddenly I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I spun to make eye contact with Edison Jensen who was holding a two-view radiograph of an elbow. He asked,  “could you take a look at this for me?” We quietly slipped out, back to the clinics open entrance doors. I had not really noticed, but the crying was no longer audible. However, I then became aware of a woman quietly sitting near the open door trying to hide her tears with her hands hiding her face. I walked outside where I could better evaluate the film and started my assessment. It was of a child’s humerus; growth plates still open, ulna and radius. I spent a good amount of time looking for a subtle fracture or the classic “sail,” sign that shows bleeding within the joint. Both were absent, but then I noticed something strange about the relationship between the ulna and the trochlia of the humerus. The olecranon was sitting inferior and anterior to its expected position. As this realization came to me I felt my heart begin to pound in my chest. My heart knew the diagnosis before my mind did. This elbow was dislocated, and I was going to be the likely candidate in the group to reduce it. The other three physicians in our group included two internists and one pediatrician. I then took notice of the people standing around me. Present were Luis, the other bilingual attorney, Edison and the crying woman. At that point it felt like I began acting automatically. I began to take what little history I could with Luis translating. Turning to the crying woman I asked, “How did he fall?” Looking directly at her she motioned and spoke at the same time, she bent one arm and with an upward motion of the other struck her palm directly on the olecranon process. A motion that would have driven the ulna anteriorly in the trochlear groove. This mechanism confirmed what I saw on the x-ray. I then asked, “who is this, and where is this child now?” Still not knowing it was the wailing child that to many of us was a disruption. The father had been told once the radiographs were obtained that they would have to travel 25 kilometers to another town to be treated. There was no one at this polyclinic that could help. Not owning a car, the father had already wheeled him down the street toward our parked bus in order to try to find some mode of transportation. I motioned to bring him back. I wanted to see this arm. In short order the crying became louder and from around the hedge that lined the sidewalk, appeared this father with his young son rocking in his seat, crying holding the stroller safety rail with his right hand and cradling his left lifeless arm in his lap. As I made eye contact I could feel his excruciating pain as big tears rolled down his well-soaked cheeks. As we connected I felt myself move into a mode of communication that I have used so naturally with animals. I consciously opened up my forth Chakra (the heart) to him and invited him to do the same – he obliged. I communicated to him that I was there to help and for him to relax, it would all be over soon. I knew he understood, because when I approached him his crying sputtered, it was as if he offered me his injured arm without hesitation. With my left hand I firmly grasped and stabilized his humerus. With my right hand I griped his 90-degree bent radius and ulna and distracted his forearm directly inferiorly disengaging the joint. The boy did not offer any resistance. Not one muscle twitch to pull away not even in the face of momentarily increased pain. As I distracted inferiorly my attention and gaze was focused on the elbow and so was his. I then began to move the olecranon posteriorly while I slowly moved it into extension, holding the humerus forward. As I worked it into full extension, distraction and posterior translation I felt and heard a reassuring “pop” regaining the remaining fully extended range. I could not hold back and excited “Ya!” and a big smile. He then looked up at me with eyes moving from fear and pain to relief and gratitude. I then ranged the elbow repeatedly through its full range of motion, making sure that internal and external range of motion was also preserved. All was restored when I released my firm grip. At that point I noticed he had stopped crying, something he had not done for the past four hours since the fall.

At that point it felt as though I was emerging from a trance. I had been completely unaware of anything or anyone around me. I began to notice the presence of many people standing near by. The parents both had big smiles as our group was now gathering. I am not really sure what happened in the moments following my completion of this duty. From the moment the radiograph was handed to me, to the time the reduction was completed must not have exceeded 5 – 7 minutes. For me however, time was completely irrelevant. It felt like some external force that provided me with the keen eye and perception to assess the problem, confirm the history and treat the child had somehow guided me. It was yet another example of tapping into knowledge that I have never learned directly, at least consciously. This was an example of perfection coming together. A gathering of a million synchronicities that added up to being able to change the lives of this one Cuban family.

As our group gathered the story began to be told, the family had begun to leave the clinic making their way back toward the bus. Our mostly Spanish-speaking group wanted to see this child and called them back. Again the father wheeled him back up the street and around the hedge, but this time he was not crying and neither was his mother. This time he was using his left hand to stabilize himself on the stroller rail and his right held a cracker that someone had already shared with him from our bus. I began hearing comments around me that included part of the story ending with my name and “hero.” That felt immediately inaccurate. I knew in my heart that I had been commissioned for this duty and only played a small part of the technician.  Someone else was the true hero. It was the individual who did not automatically tune out the crying but heard it was a wail of pain and not fussiness. It was the one who realized there was a problem that could not be solved here, and the solution for this family was almost as impossible, given the barriers to transportation. It was the person who assessed which individual in this group of American trained physicians would be the most likely to help. It was the person who had a keen ability to see on the soul level and intuit much more information than that which was being presented on the surface. At that point however, he had no idea he was tapping the shoulder of a like-minded, like-visual, like-guided kin. Edison and I had that conversation on the two-hour bus ride back to Havana.

Janine Talty, D.O., M.P.H.
Indigo Awakening; A Doctor’s Memoir for Forging an Authentic Life in a Turbulent World

Much like any spiritual calling, the impulse to write demands courage, devotion, and a deep sense of purpose. In this inspiring guide, writer, and writing coach Jill Jepson explores the connections between the creative life and the spiritual life through diverse sacred practices. Drawing on the traditions of Buddhist monks, Navajo storytellers, Amazonian shamans, and more, she offers more than eighty-five writing meditations, prompts, rituals, and exercises to help you overcome blocks, access your inner resources, and discover your authentic voice. Her enlightening instruction and nurturing guidance will incite you to write with joy, honesty, and true vision. – FROM THE BOOK BACK

AUTHOR GUEST POST…A man—say he’s a carpenter, although he could be a lawyer or teacher or basketball coach— has finished a hard day at work, eaten dinner, paid some bills, and taken out the garbage. Now, instead of hitting the sack, he stays up for two hours, hunched over his desk, writing. A woman—we’ll make her a single mom who owns a catering business—drags herself out of bed when it’s still dark to work on her poetry before the kids get up. A college grad turns down a job with an accounting firm, moves into a ratty apartment, and lives on canned beans so she can spend her time writing a novel. What is wrong with these people? Are they crazy? Addicted? Masochistic? No. They are writers.

If you write, you understand. You know that writing is more than a hobby or profession. It is a spiritual calling, an irresistible impulse, a command from the Universe. When you hear that call, even faintly, you must answer.

Writing as a Sacred Path: A Practical Guide to Writing With Passion and Purpose is for all people who know that impulse, whether they are professionals or beginners. It explores writing as a spiritual practice and an act of deep significance. It looks at writers as more than artists, but as shamans, warriors, mystics, and monks.

How is a writer like a monk? We don’t usually live in desert hermitages. Few of us are celibate, and fewer still humble. But we do share with monks our dedication, our need for solitude, and our willingness to work for little pay. And for many of us, writing is a kind of meditation, or a form of prayer.

Mystics experience unique states of awareness where the boundaries of the self seem to disappear. Any writer who has felt a flow of energy that seems to be coming from outside himself, who has looked up from his writing to discover in amazement that hours have passed, or who has the sense that his work is writing itself and he is just a vehicle, knows what writers and mystics share.

In many cultures, shamans are believed to travel out of the ordinary world to the spirit realm, where they encounter demons and ghosts, and face horrific challenges. The writer’s shamanic journey takes her to the world of her darkest memories, fears, and fantasies, to the hidden and frightening side of life. But, like the shaman, the writer returns to the day-to-day world strong and whole—and with the power to heal our world.

And if you can’t imagine the writer as a warrior, think of this. To be writers, we have to have the discipline of the soldier. We must be able to fight for truth. We need the focus of the warrior on the battlefield. And to write with honesty and honor and depth, we need a warrior’s courage.

Shaman, warrior, mystic, and monk. If you are writer, you are all of those things in one. Developing those aspects of your writing life can open your creativity and take your writing far beyond what you’ve ever imagined. With over eighty exercises—what I call “sacred tools”—Writing as a Sacred Path can show you how.

Jill Jepson is a traveler, professor, and transformational life coach, and the author of three books and over 60 articles. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the Universityof Chicago as well as degrees in writing, psychology, social science, and Asian studies. Using her extensive travels to places as diverse as Guatemala, Syria, Siberia, and Afghanistan, her writing explores spiritual traditions, history, culture, personal growth, and the writing process. Through her business, Writing the Whirlwind, she offers coaching and online workshops for writers, activists, and others. You can visit her website at www.writingthewhirlwind.net.