04 January 2017

Preventing and managing hypertension

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is the health condition of having blood pressure readings above 140/90 mmHg, over a number of weeks. High blood pressure is a major health risk because it puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels.
People with high blood pressure are susceptible to stroke, kidney diseases and heart failure. It is popularly called the silent killer for good reason; high blood pressure gives no direct signs or symptoms.

Diet and stress are the main precursors of high blood pressure. People with unhealthy eating habits and stressful lifestyles are advised to check their blood pressure monthly.
Besides serving as a reminder to live healthy, frequent blood pressure checks can help you detect this health condition, so you can take steps to lowering it.

Here are some simple tips for controlling blood pressure:

1) Lose some weight - Blood pressure often increases with body mass index. Being overweight disrupts breathing while sleeping (sleep apnea) in some, this further raises blood pressure.
Weight loss is an effective lifestyle change for controlling blood pressure.

2) Exercising regularly - Frequent physical activity for 30 minutes on most days of the week has be proven to lower blood pressure by 4-9 mm HG. Consistency is important for people diagnosed with high blood pressure, stopping may lead to a relapse. Cycling, jogging, walking, dancing and walking are some of the best types of exercise for lowering blood pressure.

3) Eat a healthy diet - A change in the diet is recommended by physicians advising on lowering high blood pressure. Consume more whole grain meals, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. Salt and high blood pressure are not good friends. Cut salt from your meals gradually and substitute with natural spices to reduce blood pressure. Reduce the size of your meal portions; eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fats.

4) Quit smoking, decrease alcohol intake, and reduce caffeine consumption - Regulate habits like smoking, alcohol consumption, soft drinks and caffeine intake. Smoking is a habit that must go; nicotine increases the blood pressure, heart rate, narrows your artilleries and makes your blood more likely to clot (this sets you up for an heart attack or stroke).

5) Reduce your stress - Chronic stress is a top contributor to high blood pressure. Try to figure out what causes your stress. Try organizing possible causes, such as family, work, illness and finance. Once you determine what causes your stress, start considering how to eliminate them.

6) Potassium rich food - Eating potassium rich fruit and vegetable helps in lowering blood pressure. Tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, beans, peas and dried fruits such as resins are rich sources of potassium.




11 December 2016

Asthma

According to Wikipedia Asthma is a common long term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, coughing, of chest tightness, and shortness of breath. These episodes may occur a few times a day or a few times per week. Depending on the person they may become worse at night or with exercise.

 Herbal Cures
 Snails have many names according to cultures, ethnic groupings, tribes and dialects. The harmless creatures can be found in any countries of the world. There have been many articles written on the benefits of these creatures. It is important to know its other health benefits for human beings.
Snail white fluid is a kind of mucus, an external bodily secretion which is produced by snails, gastropod mollusks. It’s a glutenous secretion, used as a defense mechanism against predators. This natural secretion that has proven benefits for use in the treatment of broken bones, other health care and skin care is rich in allantonin. The secretions also have a copper peptide, which is regarded as the only source of a substance manufactured for creating creams that are useful in reducing scars and wounds.  

The serum secreted by these snails is an excellent source of oligosaccharides that act as a hydrator for the skin. When used directly on the skin, this serum works marvelously for acne, improves natural radiance and defends skin cells from environmental damage. Natural research reveals that Asthma cough can be cured permanently with this natural secretion. To use mix one unit of white fluid from snail with five units of pure undiluted honey and form syrup. Once you have mixed well, put it into a bottle.

Recommended Dosage
Adult: 3 tablespoon morning, afternoon and evening.
Children: 1 tablespoon morning, afternoon and evening.

Bitter Kola

The back of the root of bitter kola also known as Garcinia kola is a tropical flowering plant found in western and central Africa and it produces brown, nut-like seeds. It has been used in African culture for centuries for both traditional and medicinal purposes. It contains dimeric flavonoid, lipase inhibitor which is believed to have many healing benefits. The back of the root of this plant is another herb that works marvelous in the treatment of asthma. To use this herb in the treatment of asthma, soak the back of the root in water adding a pinch of salt and leave for 12 hours.

Recommended Dosage
A glass of (30cl) is to be taken twice daily. Take one glass in the morning after food, another one in the night before going to bed. Children above 5yrs, ¼ glass (7cl) twice daily.

These two herbs above have cured people with asthma and also minimized the frequent attacks if total cure cannot be accomplished with people suffering from acute asthma. Are you or someone you know suffering from asthma? Give these two herbs a try and you would have good stories to tell. 

26 November 2016

Easy Natural Eyebrow Tutorial (Updated) For Very Thin & Light Eyebrows |...

26 Healthy Foods For Eyes - Best Foods For Eyes

Turmeric Health Aids


Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It grows perennially particularly in hot regions such as Southern Asia. This plant  a perennial herbaceous plant, which reaches up to 1 m tall is highly branched, yellow to orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes are super medicine to the human body. The leaves are alternate and arranged in two rows. They are divided into leaf sheath, petiole, and leaf blade.  From the leaf sheaths, a false stem is formed. The petiole is 50 to 115 cm long. The simple leaf blades are usually 76 to 115 cm long and rarely up to 230 cm. They have a width of 38 to 45 cm and are oblong to elliptic narrowing at the tip. The roots and bulbs of this plant are habitually boiled and dried before being ground in turmeric powder. Turmeric has a sharp and bitter taste and is mostly known as a spice that is often added to flavor Indian curries.

A bit on how turmeric can help you in various ways:


Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn dyspepsia, stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite,jaundice, liver issues and gallbladder disorders. Take Turmeric and Epson salt, Alfalfa, Cinnamon, Fish oil, Eucalyptus oil, Cherries, Borage Seed oil, Ginger, Black Cohosh, Sugar, Dandelion leaves, in an herbal treatment plan for arthritis in between meals, rather than with food to enhance their ability to reduce pain and stiffness due to inflammation. When taken with food, turmeric tends to act more on the digestion rather than on joint tissue.


Turmeric plant is also used for headaches. A different type of factors causes headaches including jobs, family issues and environmental issues. Take a dose of up to 500 milligrams of turmeric as many as three times a day as a preventive measure -- not simply when you have pain. Many pharmacy stores in Nigeria and health food company like FOREVER PRODUCTS, GNLD and Bell sell turmeric pills, or you can also buy the spice in bulk and make your own pills by filling gel capsules. You can also use this plant for bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, and menstrual issues. Other uses include depression, Alzheimer's disease, water retention, worms, and kidney problems.


  • Lubricates the joints and moisturizes skin
  • Unique form of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid
  • Contains beneficial ginger and turmeric root for joint support
  • Suggested use: Two softgels daily as a dietary supplement.
  • Contents: 60 Softgels






Turmeric plant ointments, lotions, creams and masks can help reduce localized inflammation caused by acne, psoriasis, eczema and burns. It has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties that help treat wounds and hasten healing, therefore preventing spread of infection. Turmeric and Aloe Vera mix together make a soothing paste for sunburned skin. The various chemicals in turmeric help decreases the swelling or inflammation and redness caused by various skin conditions. Click here for more uses on Turmeric for skin care: TIPSANDBEAUTY

I hope you've enjoyed this few tip I shared with you? However, take note; turmeric can cause side effects, specifically thinning of the blood. So consult a health practitioner before starting any herbal treatment of turmeric that's to be swallowed.




14 June 2014

Absolution Blog Hop - Stop 6

Hey Everyone, Welcome to the Absolution Blog Hop! Absolution Blog Hop Banner
This is to celebrate the upcoming release of book 3 in the Cursed Trilogy, Absolution by Georgina Hannan!


Snippet: Daisy was nervous as she stood at the front door, waiting to be let in. She had already been there a week, and now was time for action. She had the photocopies of the articles and the letter in her bag. The maid who’d been at the café answered the door and welcomed her in. Daisy waited by the same door for Julie to finish her call. “Oh a visit would be lovely, it’s been such a long time. . . . Anyone strange? No, we’ve had no one strange.” Daisy frowned as she listened to Julie’s side of the conversation. Someone strange? The call ended, and the maid walked in, introducing Daisy once again. She greeted Julie politely and sat on the same sofa as before. "Lovely to see you again, child," Julie said as she briefly glanced in her direction. She won’t be saying that for long. “I’ve been looking in the library for information on my family and your family history—” Daisy started. "Oh yes, I was going to show you around the house. Follow me," she said. cutting Daisy off and striding into the hall. Daisy sighed but quickly followed her out of the room. Gives me a chance to nose around, I guess, she thought. “This is and always has been the main entrance hall. All the paintings you see on the walls are originals of my ancestors. The décor for this room has remained much the way you see it now, incredibly grand.” Daisy fully looked around. Julie was right—there were a lot of portrait paintings that Daisy had first taken little notice of. “Do you know the names of everyone in the pictures?” Julie laughed. She had a similar cruel laugh to Mary. Or was that Mary who laughed? “My child, of course I know. This is my life, my past. Unlike yourself, I know where I came from,” she replied before striding away to one of the doors nearest the front door. And yet she couldn’t name any specific person from her past when prompted. “Actually, Julie, I do know. I’ve done a lot of research. That’s how I know your family was briefly involved in my family history.” If she knew to what Daisy was referring, she didn’t let on. She just smiled a fake smile and opened the door to the kitchen. “This is the kitchen. Our maids have been working this kitchen for centuries. Unlike the hallway, this room has been updated and refurbished.” The room was impressive. It was the size of Daisy’s whole house, with a large island in the middle, two large basins by the front windows, and a door leading to a pantry and then to the garden. The other walls were taken up by cupboards, shelves, and two large stoves and ovens. I would not want to keep this clean, Daisy thought as she remembered her own kitchen. A maid entered through the back entrance and faltered slightly when she saw them in the doorway. “Sorry, ma’am, can I get you anything?” she asked, looking directly at Julie. She just shook her head and left the room. Daisy smiled at the woman she recognized from the café. Julie took Daisy to a few other rooms of very little interest. She wanted to see bedrooms, past information, secrets. Daisy had had enough of being nice to this lady. “Thank you for the tour, but other than to see the house, this hasn’t really helped me,” Daisy said. Julie smiled, but there was no warmth there. “Of course not, child. You have no idea what it’s like to live like this.” “Ah, but I do. I’ve been told exactly what it is like: confining, destroying, and heart breaking.” Julie didn’t respond, saying only, “Why don’t I show you the library, and then upstairs?”


 Blurb: Daisy was pushed to the limits and finally agreed to end the curse surrounding her family. However, her agreement forces her to face some of the hardest choices of her life, and she stands to lose more than just her sanity. Can she handle the choices? Can she end the curse without ruining someone's life-or her own?
 Absolution by Georgina Hannan
Absolution by Georgina Hannan

Release Date: MONDAY 16TH JUNE 2014

Cursed Trilogy is available on Paperback & eBook at many stores including;
  • Amazon
  • Smashwords
  • Waterstones
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Nook
Cursed Trilogy Banner
Cursed Trilogy by Georgina Hannan

Please check out Georgina and her work using the links below:

05 May 2014

Author Interview: Jo Barney author of UPRUSH

After a successful launch of Graffiti Grandma last year, Jo Barney is celebrating the publication of her second novel, UPRUSH, this month of May. Enjoy the book dialogue!!














D.O: Welcome back to Authors Curtilage book dialogue, Jo Barney. It's good to blog another interview on your book.


J.B: And it’s good to be back with you, Lola.


D.O: When this book story first came to mind sometime ago, do you have an idea it will grow into a full story you'll be publishing as a book today?


J.B: I have four long time good friends.  Their stories, fictionalized , of course fascinated me, the idea that our lives, so well-dreamed at graduation from college would turn out so differently than any of us imagined. 


D.O: UPRUSH. What event in the story gave birth to this catchy title?


J.B:  The book was first published as an ebook entitled The Solarium.  When you searched for it, you ended up in gardening sites or architectural webpages.  So when I got the courage to format and design this book, I realized that the Pacific Ocean was a major character in the story.  I looked up maritime terms and when I came to UPRUSH, I realized  I had found not only a title but the state each of these women, at the edge of a wave. 


D.O: What got you to write contemporary women's book?


J.B: I've always written about contemporary women. Even my thriller, Graffiti Grandma, was about a woman who found she could change her street and her life, as well as the lives of others.





D.O: What are the cultures from around the world that you explored in UPRUSH?


J.B: Well, there’s the San Francisco culture, the eastern Oregon culture, the mountain culture,  the beach life, and the free-flowing culture of a woman in love with a priest.  All these cultures are West Coast America. 

D.O: In the story UPRUSH, four old friends meet at a beach house for their usual coming together to drink wine, complain about husbands, or the lack of them. Can we meet this friends briefly?


J.B: We meet them intimately through the four novellas Madge, the writer, gives to her friends, and she then reads aloud to them when she explains her need for their help.


D.O: Madge, a writer, asks the other three friends to help her commit suicide. And she has good reason. What good reason could this lady writer have to want to end her dear life? Can you hint us a little or do you want the writers to find out themselves?


J.B: I suspect we all may arrive at a place at some point in our lives when going on seems impossible.  For most of us, going on meant we found a new route, but for Madge, there was no new route.  The readers will figure it out, possibly in tears because they have known someone like Madge. 

D.O: "Madge has a gift for them, no matter what:  her take on their lives over the past forty-something years, her last novel, stories which will change their futures" what are you trying to tell the readers here?


J.B: The theme of this novel  seems to center  not so much on Madge, but that women in their sixties (or older) are still in charge of their lives.  They have decisions to make, new paths to follow, new dreams to dream.  A message to women whose mothers may not have known this.


D.O: What proven writing techniques did you use to create memorable, characters that are psychologically rich, in the story UPRUSH?


J.B: Each of my characters is based on a woman I knew a long time ago and who I still know.  One is quiet, intellectual, one is a risk taker, one has dreams of a different life, and Madge, the writer, is a lot like me, only more sell-known.  I mined what I knew of these women, gave them mostly fictional lives, and when I wondered what each of them would do in an imagined setting, the real woman showed up. My friends, by the way, have all read UPRUSH and gave me the nod to go for it.


D.O: Your potential readers will like to read sample dialogue from UPRUSH, which captures characters' unique voices and emotional depth. I'm sure your old readers will like the same.


J.B: Okay here we go.

The three women left Madge and walked for a mile or so without speaking. The tide was coming in and at first, they concentrated on finding footing on smooth rocks being lapped by wavelets.

Then Lou stopped and looked out into the gray, unfolding ocean and said, “I’m in.”

Jackie couldn’t believe it. “What?”

And Lou repeated herself, not looking at them, calling into the muffled roar.

“Dammit! I’m in. I owe it to her.” Then she covered her eyes with her hands and swayed, her knees sinking.

Joan stepped to her side. “Good.”

The two of them wrapped nylon-clad arms around each other and buried their faces in each other’s collars. Jackie didn’t get it. Why in? What did they owe Madge? They were friends, of course, but friends don’t kill each other, did they? They might stand by a friend in trouble, sympathize, rub a little almond oil on the sore spots, so to speak, but . . . It was the almond oil thought that made her hesitate for a moment.

Then she knew. “I can’t help someone to die,” she said as she pushed through the cobweb of doubt that for a moment had clouded her resolve. “It isn’t right, you know. Not right.”

Her argument had nothing to do with Xavier’s religious view of suicide. It was about the way life just is. Life begins and it ends without our control. That is the way it has always been.

“What if Madge was your sister or mother? Would you be able to do it, whatever the ‘it’ is?” Joan and Lou loosened their holds on each other and turned towards Jackie, their cheeks red with cold and tears.

Lou’s lips barely moved as she whispered, “I have no sister. My mother died as she wished, in the arms of her God. Madge is a friend asking for help. I want to help her.”

“Migod, isn’t there another way to help? Like making her see that being surrounded by people who love her is the best way to go? For everyone? Or couldn’t she do Death with Dignity or something, like I’ve read about? Xavier calls it playing God, but Madge doesn’t have any religious reason for not asking her doctor to help, does she?”

Joan shook her head, looked away.   “Doesn’t work that way. You need a deadline, a diagnosis of imminent death to schedule your death like that. Madge could live for years.”

Jackie blinked against the sudden sting in her eyes, and she understood she was not talking only about Madge. She was also talking about a stolen man with no deadline, an empty room, a ragged wound where she had once felt his love as she had changed his diapers, as he said, “Thank you, Mother.” She walked away from the two women, against the wind, her shoes sinking into the wet sand, filling with icy ocean.
D.O: Are the scenes in the UPRUSH story sculpted scenes which audiences will never forget and, how so?


J.B: The opening scene behind the point is one I hope is vivid and is repeated from a different viewpoint later; several scenes of the women in front of the fire, and the scene when Lou goes out to hide the rental car and then goes back to retrieve it are scenes which seem quite alive to me.

D.O: Okay. Are the UPRUSH plots the riveting plots which are tightly tied to the emotional growth of your character and, how so?


J.B: My characters have grown a lot by the time they meet at the beach house, forty--some years after graduating from college.  They don’t quite realize that they haven’t stopped growing.


D.O: UPRUSH is a contemporary women's book, but not lady literature; the characters are more like hens with a philosophical, ethical situation to solve.


J.B: Chicklit, an American term, is where the term henlit may come forn, at least in my own mind. Millions of women in this world aren’t chicks (or ladies); who have moved on to the concerns of a women even beyond a “woman of a certain age,” whatever that used to mean, Henlit.

D.O: It is generally believed that if women wait for too long, they are likely to get stranded. But despite the societal pressures to get married, some women would rather die than settle in with a man? What do you think is the source of the unwed female predicaments and, the cause for their decisions to remain unmarried?


J.B: For most women in their sixties being unwed is not a predicament. It is reality. Really, would you be interested, except for security maybe, in a man who needs a caretaker, housekeeper, diaper manager?  In my story, Jackie says “Yes,” The other women would probably turn away, even if it meant she could be married. Most of the women I know in their sixties and seventies, while lonely at times, have found that their woman friends fill in that void.


D.O: Why do you think some married despite their status, are still lonely in their bodies, souls & hearts?


J.B: Loneliness is a basic human condition. A condition that comes in up no matter what.


D.O: Do you have any advise for women both wedded and on unwed?


J.B: Wedded or unwed, you are still you.  Find out who that you is.

D.O: What do you want readers to see in your book?


J.B: No matter what our age, we still have control of our lives in the matters that count.

D.O: Thank you for joining us today, Jo Barney.


J.B:  This has been interesting for me to re-think my premise.


D.O: I'm glad the interview holds help. Good luck with UPRUSH.


J.B: Thank you.


Released Date: May, 20,2014


ISBN:9781496004369
  

Ebook ISBN: 1496004361


Publisher: Encore Press


Available in Print and Ebook


Buy Now!



AMAZON

30 April 2014

FayeHall: Guest Post

Do you guest post to grow your blog or acquire more readership for your books? If so, Authors Curtilage is the right place to promote yourself & your content. In the guest post today, Lisa Poli talked about her journey to becoming an historical writer. Happy reading!!



When I first started writing historical erotic romances, I had no real plan as to exactly where their settings would be.  I mean, I know I wanted them set in Australia – but where? At the time I was in the midst of doing my family tree, discovering  so many new things about the little townships I now take so much for granted and look at so very differently after seeing what they have become.  Still it did start me wondering what things – lifestyles, behaviours, cultures – must have been like for my ancestors. This in itself spawned the still ever growing intrigue I have for the townships around where I grew up.

Having grown up in a small township in Northern Queensland, Australia, I spent most of my younger years hearing what those overseas thought and seen of my country.  I mean, did they really think we all had pet kangaroos and all walked around wearing hats with corks hanging from them?  Surely not!  But I was horrified to discover that so many people really did see Australians this way.  And it was this that finally made my mind up as to where my stories should be set. So began the unveiling of Faye Hall and the passion filled, mystery driven, suspense filled dramas that I write.  Each book Red Sage has contracted (along with the hundred or so half written still sitting on my computer) are set in a small township in North Queensland, Australia.  These townships now looked at as being so trivial, and near non-existent to the international eye, have had a breath of life put back into them, showing the great histories they once had.  These townships that are mostly now small mining or farming areas, were once great townships, full of as much history and glamor as those back in England or even early American settlements. Bearing in mind that my works are primarily erotic romance, I have still strives my best to stay true to the histories of these little towns.  I’ve also researched widely to be able to include certain things singularly Australian to try and bring my readers something so much more truthful than the stigma Australia is often given.I enjoy what I write, and I have found the research I’ve had to do for historical accuracy so intriguing.  I have learnt so much about my country by writing my books, and I hope that my readers have been able to learn and enjoy this with me.

My new release, She’s A lot Like You, will be available from Red Sage Publishing April 2014.  My debut book, My Gift To You, is currently available from both Red Sage and Amazon.
  


 Blog




 Lisa's Bio:


Faye Hall's passion driven, mystery filled books are set in small townships of North Queensland, Australia during the late 1800's.

Each of her novels bring something symbolically Australian to her readers, from Aboriginal herbal remedies, to certain gemstones naturally only found in this part of the world.

Each of her books tells of a passionate connection between the hero and heroine, surrounded and threatened by deceit, scandal, theft and sometimes even murder.

These romances swerve from the traditional romances as Faye aims to give her readers so much more intrigue, whilst also revealing the hidden histories of rural townships of North Queensland.

Faye finds her inspiration from the histories of not only the township she grew up in, but the many surrounding it. She also bases most of her characters on people she has met in her life.


Faye was able to live her own passion driven romance, marrying the love of her life after a whirlwind romance in 2013. Together they are raising their 9 children in a remote country town in northern Queensland, Australia.

Book Blurb:


Willow Jameson knew nothing of her family’s past or their connection to the Morgan family when she first met Re Morgan.  All she seen was his ruggedly handsome appearance, his gentle words luring her into his strong embrace.  What she found was a passion beyond compare.
She couldn’t have foreseen the lies and family betrayal that would inevitably rob her of the man she loved and forever change her life.
TEN YEARS LATER
Willow returned to the town life she loved so much, no longer ignorant to those who had separated her from the man she’d loved.  She was back now to make those responsible pay for all they’d taken from her.  In her search what she found was the hardened man Re Morgan had become…
…a man whose mere glance reignited a passion she had thought long since forgotten.
Re Morgan had left a horde of jilted lovers in his trail.  When he seen Willow again across the crowded dance-hall, he wanted nothing more than to add her to this list.  Re wanted little more than a short, heated affair.
What he became involved in was far more scandalous than he could have ever imagined.


EXCERPT
 
Willow stood with her back to Re, never able to see his approach.  She didn’t even see the look of horror on his face...nor did he see the gleam of tears on her cheeks.  All he saw was her being held in Chris’s arms, her body only a breath away from his.  It was a closeness he knew was far from accepted in polite society.
It was a closeness he shared with her...had thought to only share with her.
Looking to his friend, Re silently pleaded with him.  He needed to hear him say it was all just a misunderstanding.  He needed him to put at ease the quickly growing doubt in his heart.
But he didn’t hear any of this.  All he saw was the obvious lust gleaming in the young man’s eyes.
Chris cocked his brow, as if it was obvious their reason for being together.  When Re looked at him, begging to know the truth, Chris’s smile turned into an obvious sneer. 
Slowly, he shrugged his shoulders.
“How could I refuse?” he muttered, his words almost a whisper.
Hearing this short statement through her distress, Willow knew someone had found them.  Raising her tear-covered face from Chris’s shoulder she tried to free herself from his unrelenting grasp.  Realising her struggles were useless, she turned in his arms to see who had approached them.  Only too late did she realize just how suggestive her position would look.
Her eyes’ meeting the hurt and pain in Re’s eyes, Willow knew instantly what he was concluding of what he was seeing. 
“Re,” she whispered, almost desperate.
His dark stare turned hateful. 
“Damn you both to hell!” he spat at them, immediately turning back to make a quick return to the estate house.
“Re,’ she again called after him, struggling against Chris’s tight hold.
When Chris didn’t let her go despite her struggles, she turned slightly and pushed him away with all her might.
“You son of a bitch,’ she spat at him, suddenly realizing this man’s intentions.
“I may be, madam,” he replied casually.  “Yet even you can’t deny what you wanted when you lured me out here.”
Her dark eyes narrowed with hate. 
“I hope you rot in hell, you bastard!”
Turning quickly, Willow ran after Re’s retreating figure.  She knew what he must be thinking, but he had to know she played no willing part in it.  He had to know the truth.
“Willow,” Chris called after her, slight anger in his tone.  “Damn it, you know you want this as much as I do.”
But she never turned back to him.  She only kept chasing the retreating figure of the man she loved.

_______________________________
Red Sage Publishing, Inc. © 2013 All Rights Reserved





17 April 2014

Author Interview: Kenneth G. Bennett, author of EXODUS 2022

 Kenneth G. Bennett, author of the young adult novels, THE GAIA WARS and BATTLE FOR CASCADIA, talks about his new sci-fi thriller, EXODUS 2022. 

Kenneth, has made a living in advertising copywriter for 20 years, writing material for radio, TV, videos, the web, print, outdoor, etc., for clients such as Starbucks, Amazon, Volvo and Disney. Enjoy reading the interview with him...



D.O: Howdy Kenneth G. Bennett. Welcome to Authors Curtilage book talk.

KGB: Thank you. It’s great to be here! Thank you for hosting the interview and featuring Exodus 2022 on your site.

D.O: You are welcome. As the writer of "Exodus 2022" how do you feel about the story, the characters and their challenges?

KGB: I’m really excited about the story. I felt from an early stage that the idea behind Exodus 2022 was pretty fresh. I still feel that way and I’m hearing the same thing from ARC readers now. The feedback is very encouraging.

D.O: Okay. We all know that a theme is vital to every kind of story we tell, because it serves to explore an underlying truth or moral. What's the underlying theme of "Exodus 2022" about?

KGB:  The underlying theme is about the arrogance of the human race and the consequences of such hubris. We’re animals. We have the same DNA as every other life form on the planet, and yet we see ourselves as separate and “above” the natural world. We brutalize the planet and imagine that there are no consequences. But there are consequences.

D.O: Hmm. That's a very strong theme. So is "Exodus 2022“ meant to say something rather than merely entertain the readers?

KGB: Exodus 2022 is not a “message” book. It is (I hope!) a fast, fun, thrill ride that happens to deal with environmental issues. The publisher describes the book as an eco/sci-fi thriller.

"Joe Stanton begins suffering severe, unexplained hallucinations while vacationing with his girlfriend in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, the authorities blame drugs.
What they don’t yet know is that others, up and down the coast—from the Bering Sea to the Puget Sound—are suffering identical, always fatal mental breakdowns."

D.O: What happened to those other people, Kenneth? Without giving so much away can you tell us how they arrived with the fatal metal break downs, or should we just leave this as a mystery for the readers to find out?

KGB: No, let's give the readers some hint.

D.O: Okay then, go ahead.

KGB: Like Joe Stanton, the other victims encountered something in the environment that caused them to begin hallucinating—to suffer exactly the same hallucination. We learn what the “something” is later in the story.

D.O: Briefly tell us a little about Joe's background.

KGB: Joe is a 28-year-old Episcopal priest. He’s smart, funny, athletic and passionate about wilderness and the outdoors. And he’s totally in love with his girlfriend, Ella Tollefson. As the book begins, he’s planning to propose to her, but then all kinds of nightmarish stuff gets in his way.

D.O: Joe is the lead character here, right?

KGB: Correct.

D.O: What is Joe's assignment in the story "Exodus 2022?"

KGB: At first Joe is just trying to survive and figure out what the hell is going on with his body and brain—why he’s flipping out, experiencing violent “visions”. As the story progresses, and he begins to understand what’s going on—the meaning of the voices in his head—he becomes a more active participant in his own destiny, and in the destiny of the planet.

D.O: What personality trait did you give Joe to survive "Exodus 2022?"

KGB:  Joe is mentally and physically strong and also easygoing. He has a great sense of humor and a rock solid belief in a power greater than himself.

D.O: Hmm. That's good enough trait for a lead. What is the transformational arc of "Exodus 2022?"

KGB: Several of the characters in Exodus 2022 undergo dramatic transformations. The overarching arc concerns human characters discovering that people—homo sapiens—aren’t the only game in town.

D.O: Every kind of storytelling has an influence. What are the three elements you've woven into this book that will move the readers, and influence their growth positively?

KGB: 1) A love of wilderness and all that is wild.  2) The power of love (in this case, the love Joe and Ella feel for each other)   3) The idea that non-human life is sacred and that we need to do a better job taking care of the planet—or risk catastrophe.

D.O: Hmm. Those are sublime! What age and group does this book appeal to?

KGB: Older teens and adults.

D.O: Okay. I must confess, I love the way you've written the story "Exodus 2022." Writing a book or a screenplay without formal training can be an uphill struggle, without support. Do you have any writing tips for the beginners?

KGB: I’ve made my living as an advertising copywriter for 20 years, writing material for radio, TV, videos, the web, print, outdoor, etc., for clients such as Starbucks, Amazon, Volvo and Disney. Creating and perfecting an ad campaign is hard but writing novels is way, way harder. It’s also way more fun. The best advice I can give:



-          Read as many different great authors as you can.

-          Read as much fiction as you can.

-          Read Stephen King’s ON WRITING and Elmore Leonard’s TEN RULES OF WRITING

-          Once you start work on your story, don’t stop. You’ll lose your momentum and passion.

-          Realize that the first draft is just the beginning and that much of the work happens as you edit, revise and rewrite.

-          Find a great editor.



D.O: We are glad to host you here today Kenneth G. Bennett. Thanks so much for choosing Authors Curtilage for your book promotion. I hope you'll come back again.

KGB: Thanks for having me! This has been a blast.

D.O: I'm glad!! [SMILES]
EXODUS 2022 is Available:

Find Kenneth G. Bennett Online:





03 April 2014

Author Interview: Philippe de Segur, author of MARVELOUS AFTER LIFE

It’s time to read about how another author worked hard and got their book published. Our guest today is Philippe de Segur, author of MARVELOUS AFTER LIFE. A major advance in how we see the afterlife through extraordinary paranormal narratives and 83 photographs of hereafter.


Phillipe de Ségur has always seen ghosts, but he had to nearly die before he found his true vocation as an effective and successful medium. Now called the ‘Medium-Photographer’ by television presenters, he saw his first dead person while still a boy. Had it not been for his own near-death experience in his early 40s, this ghost hunter might have continued in the safe but confining life of a French civil servant. Instead, he lost his fear of death and found his 'real' purpose, the missing element of his life.


In Marvelous Afterlife, he explains that he needed that brush with death to place his ‘sixth sense’ at the service of humanity. Calling himself a rational man who believes only in what he can see, he says technical advancements in sound and photography could help expand the little understanding the average person has about the paranormal. In ‘Marvelous Afterlife’, he shares with you his experiences and ‘paranormal adventures’ with his ability to photograph spirit entities in haunted chateau and houses.


D.O: Welcome to Authors Curtilage book talk, Philippe de Segur. I am pleased to have you with us today.


PS: Hello to Authors Curtilage book talk, Thank you, it's a pleasure , I am very pleased to share today on this subject with you.


D.O: Please tell us briefly about your book, "Marvelous After Life" and how it is different from other paranormal genre.


PS:  This is a book talking about my relationship with the deceased since my childhood. My life change due to a heart attack . Some reports highlighted me  "Marvelous After Life " brings photos to complement my stories and my testimony.


D.O: Mmm. Fascinating! What event had the most strong influence on your life that encouraged you to give this story a voice? 



PS: Probably my heart attack , my heart dropped as a result of muscular effort. I found myself over my body , I saw my wife doing a cardiac massage , my daughter phoned for help, my dog ​​pacing in my backyard . I was floating above it all. I felt good , relaxed. When I returned , I knew my life would be different.



D.O: Mm. Unusual. What obstacles did you face in trying to tell this story?


PS: The main obstacle, being in nature very Cartesian , I was afraid of being taken for an illuminated . I had the chance to have always been supported by the media who always congratulate me and highlighted me.

D.O: What was the time frame for writing this book?


PS: It's strange but It's take me only six days to write this book, Like I was guided to write . Since then I have written others but the delays are much longer and have to this day a little less success than the latter.


D.O: I understand you. I'm always guided to write even to act  sometimes. So I can imagine you whose gift is very awe-aspiring.

"Even as a child I saw things that few others could even imagine.
At any time of the day I came across people who were invisible to others, I saw them, but didn’t communicate with them at that time."

D.O: You see the dead. Don't you see this kind of gift as a load, typically a heavy one?


PS: Somehow I did. But, I don't think it is a choice. I have considered this gift as a burden for a long time when I was young, because I was afraid of what I was seeing.


D.O: So you are telling us on Authors Curtilage that this book is a true story and not a work of fiction?


PS: This book is totally true, as all the ones I write. I retransmits today the full stories I have lived always remaining as close as possible to reality. What I felt and lived totally and truly . There is no fiction in what I write , but I was contacted by some series designers for paranormal subject.


I understood it had been a ghost
"I had already experienced some emotional moments due to contact with them. When I was sixteen, my mother’s sister, Françoise, succumbed to a rare type of cancer and passed her last days in the terminal ward of a Marseilles hospital.
The two sisters were inseparable and my mother, who sensed her pain, spent every day with her. One evening, lying on my bed reading a comic with the door open to the landing, my eye was drawn to it as if something was about to happen. Even at that age, I was attentive to the slightest vibe.
At the exact moment when I least expected it, I saw my Aunt appear, she seemed to be heading for my parent’s bedroom.


It took a moment to sink in before I realized it was her ghost. I was petrified but stayed calm. I felt my heart beating and an instant later I saw her come out of the bedroom followed by my mother who, no doubt drawn by the expression on my face, stopped and said to me in a calm voice “did you see her?”
I replied “like I see you”, and she said to me “she came to tell us goodbye”.
An instant later the telephone rang, Françoise had died.
My mother had always been a medium although she never really practiced it; those were the only words we exchanged on the subject in thirty-nine years."


D.O: Mm. So your mum is a medium? Does that mean the spirit communication gift runs in the family?


PS: Yes, you may say that. My maternal grandfather and my mother were also medium, but they never exercise such as and I have live "normal " lives.
 I am the only one of three brothers to have inherited this "gift" . Yes, it is , I guess a birth gift.

D.O: What do we call you Phillipe, a psychic or psychic medium?


PS:  For me, there is only one definition which corresponds to a medium, he is a person who communicates with the deceased .


D.O:  In that case, I'm going to send you to my Grandma. [Smiles]


PS: No problem Darmie. [smiles]


D.O: Psychics and psychic mediums are souls that have come into this world to learn and grow just like everyone of us. It's the same for our books and screenplay characters. How did you grow emotionally in the story Marvelous After Life?


PS: I think you can live  several lives in the same . I had a turning point in mine. Today , it is true , I see things differently. When we pass closely near death, we go to the essentials. All this has actually made me grow, evolve and understand that an invisible world but real world is present all around us and has much to tell us....

D.O: By the end of the story Marvelous After Life, was Phillipe's emotional responses and personal values altered?


PS: I am more than just the usual protagonist. I tell this story in a way that the readers receive an intimate description of my life under my gift.

The book is concerned with the emotional truth about my gift, as experienced by me in various stages of my life.



D.O: How did you find your agent?


PS: I met him haphazardly thanks to a friend who had entrusted his books. My editor is now a friend who struggles to promote my books abroad especially in the United States because like me, he thinks he can meet the same success as in France .


D.O: Looking back, what are the elements you weaved together that helped you write a compelling story as Marvelous After Life?


PS: No literary is invented in this book, I simply relate my experience and in this case, it is easier to put words on paper then to write a novel. I share with MEM editions, the same focus. We want to actively participate in "seeding awareness" with respect and freedom for everyone. 


D.O: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us today?


PS: I would like to press the special feature of this book that highlights photos expertise by many scientists and research groups on the paranormal. This shows us that whatever the life we ​​lead, no matter where we are, who we are, we are never alone and  we can communicate with the world of the afterlife. 


D.O: It's be an honor hosting you today. Thanks for choosing Authors Curtilage for your book promotion.


PS: The honor is mine. Thank you for your interest in this book and the confidence you have shown in me. I wish to the Authors Curtilage readers  to find in this book answers to their questions. 


27 March 2014

Author Interview: Alan Porter, author of GM



Its time to meet another author and learn from their successful publishing journey. Today we meet Alan Porter, author of GM.


Geneticist Rachel Whitelock escaped the war in Zaire with a secret that could change the lives of millions. Now, eighteen years later, she is going back to oversee covert trials of the genetically modified crop that resulted.
But someones waiting for her, and hes been waiting a long time for her to return what she stole from Africa.
Hunted across the jungles of Bengara, Whitelock must pull off a daring plan that could make or break her career... and change the course of a nation. 

D.O: Thank you for joining us today on Authors' Curtilage book talk Alan Porter, and welcome.

AP: Thank you, Darmie, its great to be here.

D.O: What obstacles did you face in trying to tell the GM story?

AP: For me, any work of fiction works best where there is enough telling detailto make it convincing. For GM I needed to do huge amounts of research - everything from the possibilities of genetic engineering to how to fly a Schweizer 330 helicopter; from west African street cuisine to the weather in Goma at the end of August 1996. Most of that research only gets a fleeing mention - it acts as the spice of the novel rather than its main ingredient - but it is vital to get it right. So, getting those details sorted out was quite an obstacle to getting the book into a form that it could go to my editor.
Of course, research can have its up-side. Flying a helicopter fifty feet above the rainforest is a whole lot of fun!

D.O: Mm. I'm impressed by the efforts you put into this. Quickly let us meet Dr. Whitelock in GM?

AP: Rachel Whitelock is an entomologist and geneticist. That is, she works with insects and tries to modify their behavior through genetic engineering. In GM she has developed a strain of rice that causes pest locusts to destroy each other rather than surrounding rice crops.
Rachel is one tough cookie! She lived and worked in Africa in the 1990s and got caught up in the horror that was the Rwandan civil war. There she met someone who put her on the path that ultimately leads to the events of GM.
There are surprisingly few genuinely strong female leads in books and films right now. I did not create the character of Dr Whitelock as a deliberate attempt to redress this balance, but she does her bit anyway. She does not rely on the help of a man, she is probably the most unromantic woman you could meet and she can hold her own with some of the most dangerous characters in west Africa!

D.O: What is her mission in the GM story?

AP: She wants - needs - to use her talents to empower indigenous African farmers and make the kind of difference to the lives of people in the third world that financial-based aid rarely does. But creating the GM crop is only the beginning. She has much bigger plans, and she has to dodge a lot of bullets to bring that plan to fruition! Whether she goes about it in the right way is for the reader to decide.


D.O: How rounded is this story & how many years did it take you to tackle it?

AP: The story is rounded in the sense that we see Rachel following a path that she has been driven to follow for nearly eighteen years. She has one goal in mind, and nothing is going to stand in the way of achieving it. I think the reader is taken along that path very effectively - especially as her back-story is revealed gradually and we see that she almost has no choice but to act as she does.
The end, however, is not rounded at all! Originally I took Rachel to the point she had been aiming at all those years, then showed some of the aftermath of the decisions she had made. But that insulted the intelligence of my readers. So I cut the end. Now we follow her as far as her goal - that is up the point Rachel herself has calculated - but no further. She did not give a great deal of thought to the aftermath, and I wanted to leave the reader to make up their own mind whether what she does is right or not.
The book took a year to write from its initial conception to agreeing the final draft with my editor.

D.O: A year? That wasn't long compare to some story which will just refuse to get up for many years. Anyway, what changes has this story formed in your life as its writer?

PA: I used to write psychological horror novels. GM does have some horrific moments, but it is a much more conventionalthriller. This is a genre I will continue with now.

"They are meant to turn cannibal to defend their food supply, but they are not feeding anymore. Their sole driving force is to destroy. This is way beyond anything we predicted."


D.O: Who said this in GM? What is she referring to?

AP: This is Rachel Whitelock observing the first large-scale test of the GM rice crop in a hangar in Surrey. In small-scale tests the locusts that ate the baited rice turned cannibalistic, but only when Whitelock sees the experiment scaled up to tens of thousands of insects does the true effect become apparent. She knows for sure now that the crop she helped to develop will be able to make a significant difference in Africa.
This scene also hints at things to come once Whitelock arrives in Africa to run field tests, but to say any more would give too much away!

D.O: [Smiles] Okay then, hold it right there. Briefly tell us what the underlying theme of this story is about?

AP: Let me start by saying this book is not really about genetically modified crops at all! They feature, and they kick the action off, but the underlying theme is more about the clash of Western power with third world need. For decades the developed world has poured financial aid into Africa. And yet war and famine are still rife, partly because millions of dollars of that aid is siphoned off by corrupt governments to buy weapons and displace inconvenientpopulations. Rachel Whitelock is convinced there is another way. It is left up to the reader to decide whether she is right!

D.O: Is this story based on someone experiences or a pure work of fiction?

AP: It is pure fiction, although I have spent time with aid workers in Africa and some of the events in the book are derived from stories they have told me. The genetically modified rice is pure fictionprobably!  Already cotton plants have been modified with Bacillus toxins to make them lethal to bollworms; cabbages have been genetically laced with scorpion venom to kill caterpillars; and tests have been run to develop hep-b and cholera vaccines administered through modified bananas. So a rice strain that can alter the behavior of locusts? Not yet, but it is only a step or two away...

D.O: What genre is this story?

AP: Broadly it is a thriller. That is a very wide genre, but it fits alongside writers like Michael Crichton and Frederick Forsyth.

D.O: Okay. What draws you to this genre?

AP: Its what I like to read; I like to see and explore strong characters in tough situations. I am also committed to giving readers something a bit different. The first decade of the new millennium has seen commercial books and films become very bland and uniform. I enjoy tackling controversial subjects.

D.O: Okay. What do you hope people will take away from GM?

AP: First, they should enjoy it! If it makes the readers think in a different way about the third world, and the developed worlds attitude to it, thats good. If it shows that theres a whole lot more to a female lead character than her need for a man, perfect. But above all, enjoy it: it is a fast-paced adventure novel, not a political polemic!

D.O: All right then, Alan Porter, thanks for choosing Authors' Curtilage for your book promotion. I hope you'll stop by again for future promotion.

AP: I would be delighted to. Thank you.





GM is available worldwide in paperback and ebook: