About One Maestro's Journey: A Celebrated Life of Music & Ingenuity by Heinrich Hammer

Shot by a cannon as a child, Heinrich Hammer’s nearly century-long life was anything but typical right from the outset. Beginning with his often troubled childhood in Germany, he had to fight from a young age with a recalcitrant uncle (his guardian) to pursue his musical goals academically. Once an adult though, his path brightened and, over the years, he encountered a seemingly endless parade of noteworthy composers, musicians, painters, and nobility—he even witnessed the infamous Wright Brothers testing their new flying machine as well as other historic “firsts” along the way.

The reader is introduced to these illustrious individuals via detailed sidebars in chronicling the journey of Maestro Hammer as he traverses two continents, multiple countries, and numerous orchestras, providing a truly unique window into a bygone era. Following a key early study period in Paris, his music-related travels throughout Europe included his founding of the Gothenburg Symphony in Sweden, still going strong today. He also conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, with royalty in attendance at his concerts on various occasions. Migrating across the ocean to America, he performed for President Taft, resurrected and led the Washington Symphony Orchestra in the nation’s capital, and became a U.S. citizen, to his extreme delight.

After relocating to Southern California, he conducted the L.A. Philharmonic, and had a life in Hollywood which intersected with the Golden Age of film—followed by a decided change in his fortunes during WWII.

Although he was passionate about his musical pursuits right up to the end of his days, he also had a host of other interests and was remarkably accomplished at almost everything he set his hand to—from hunting, to farming, to construction. For a house he built single-handedly, he “bought lumber which was used to build the stands for President (Woodrow) Wilson’s inaugural parade.” Ingenious indeed…
In reading this remarkable memoir, penned by him at age 90 (in 1952), you’ll meet the gifted Maestro Heinrich Hammer, an acclaimed musician who could play every instrument in an orchestra, composed 9 symphonies, and spoke 7 languages. The kaleidoscope of his long life was filled with unexpected twists, turns, and arduous struggles throughout…as you’ll soon discover.

This Memoir book is available in these Formats: Print

Buy Book Here.

About Tornados, Rattlesnakes & Oil — A Wildcatter’s Memories of Hunting for Black Gold by Thomas E. Cochrane

Black Gold…OIL…the magic bullet of liquid petroleum not only propels all manner of people-movers globally, it’s also a component of more than 6,000 products everything from motorcycle helmets, to vitamin capsules, to ink. But who DISCOVERS these critical and elusive fossil fuels of oil & gas?

MEET A WILDCATTER whose back-in-the-day journey from the hills of New York, to the ice fields of Alaska, to the plains of the Midwest brings the reader along on this complex quest to SEE underground. Here’s an insider’s look at the petroleum industry of the latter 20th century and what geologist Thomas E. Cochrane experienced along the way. From Oklahoma, to Texas, to rubbing elbows with iconic oilman T. Boone Pickens, his personal tales of the oil fields provide a firsthand glimpse into the art as well as the science of exploring and drilling all in the relentless pursuit of hitting the big one, every wildcatter’s dream.

From company man, to making indie deals and partnering on the fly while chasing the next hot prospect, Cochrane discloses the technical processes involved in detail…but also the thrill of the hunt including what can sometimes go very wrong. From dry holes, to blowouts, to sketchy money men among a cast of other colorful oil patch characters, his story delivers a step-back-in-time look at a bygone era in an ever-evolving global industry… and he has a sage perspective to share on its future as well.

INCLUDES: over two dozen vintage B/W photos, charts & diagrams along with helpful sidebars to introduce the uninitiated to the science of hunting for oil.

Note: Frankly, this is a man’s book with warts ‘n all tales of yesteryear and the author’s earlier [more sexist] attitudes are redeemed by the book’s conclusion when he candidly shares the key a-ha moments he subsequently experienced later in life, both personally and professionally.

This Memoir book is available in these Formats: Print

Buy Book Here.

About A Maverick New Zealand Way: The essential Kiwi travel companion! A New Zealand adventurer’s engrossing memoir of journeys in her own land, with 625 images by Mary Jane Walker

Kindle and other ebook versions on sale at US$2.99 till 11 August, reverting to $5.99 afterward.

FINALIST IN THE TRAVEL CATEGORY, INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, MAY 2018

This is not a travel guide. Why? Because you can’t read a travel guide from cover to cover. But you can read Mary Jane’s memoir of her outdoor and urban adventures in New Zealand, from North to South. In a flowing narrative that comes with more than 600 photos and maps, Mary Jane will make you feel like you have already arrived. And perhaps even that you have known her and her country for years.

(PS: Reviews welcome!)

This Memoir book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy Book Here.

About Journey Through The Stars by James Beaumont

After performing on The Julie Andrews Hour and the television series Switch, James made his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line. He went on to dance extensively throughout the US and around the world in several ballet companies gathering years of backstage anecdotes. Based on his extensive career in the performing arts, Journey Through The Stars is a series of star-studded vignettes expressed through his biting prose and wicked sense of humor. Inside the book you will find fascinating stories about many great entertainers.

This Memoir book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy Book Here.

About Incest, Murder and a Miracle: The True Story Behind the Cheryl Pierson Murder-For-Hire Headlines by Cheryl Cuccio, Rob Cuccio, and Morgan St. James

This inspiring—and sometimes shocking—TRUE story is about love, trust, incest, murder and, yes, an actual miracle. The producer of the 2017 Discovery ID TV episode featuring Cheryl Cuccio says, ” I laud Cheryl Pierson Cuccio and Rob Cuccio for blazoning their traumatic pasts and valiant love story so that others who suffer in silence might be emboldened to seek help. Like so many, I was first drawn to their story for its spectacle, but have come through it deeply humbled and indebted.” In 1986 Cheryl Pierson was a sixteen year old abuse and incest victim. Day after day her father placed the fear in her no one would believe her if she revealed their dirty secret. But Cheryl had made a promise to her mother, as she lay in her coffin, to protect her eight year old sister from the monster Cheryl’s father had become. To honor this promise and end the daily hell she endured, the distraught teenager hired a classmate to murder her father. The name Cheryl Pierson was in the national media for years, filled with assumptions and fabrications surrounding the murder, but her side of the story was never truly covered from her perspective. The one interview she did give to a reporter was while she was still in shock from what had transpired. Now, after thirty years, Cheryl has come out of the shadows to tell her true story–what really happened behind the doors at 293 Magnolia Drive, and what the life she and Rob have shared has been like. She is a strong survivor and has inspired courage in those who walk in her shoes. Cheryl promotes abuse and incest awareness and prevention her this book. Her strength was called into action in 2012 and the result was a miracle!

This Memoir book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy Book Here.