Author Archives: Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez

About Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez

My Niece and Nephew joke that I could open a used book store with all the books that I own. I love to read, that is my addiction. I can't go a week without going to a book store. I love crocheting. I love to write stories and poetry. I also love my family, even though they make me crazy at times. I am a huge Donald Duck Fan.

The Bifurcation of Dungsten Crease Blitz

 

The Bifurcation of Dungsten Crease cover

 

Science Fiction

 

Date Published: March 15, 2021

Publisher: Del Sol Press

In the course of a morning, Dungsten Crease resurrects his neighbor’s dog, is arrested by TSA for carrying a weapon which never existed, and drowns a woman at an airline ticket counter—or could he be hallucinating? In his panic he locks himself in the men’s room of a coffee shop only to find a strange man in cycling togs sharing the space. The lanky intruder claims to be Dungsten’s neurally implanted concierge unit who has two disturbing messages. Dungsten is a Shaper—an obsolete, genetically programmed tool created by a bankrupt galactic corporation to terraform planetary experiences for vacationing clients; and the woman he inadvertently killed at the airport with his Shaper abilities will be the love of his life. Attracting government agents who want to weaponize him and Galactic Business Council assassins who want to terminate him, fear drives the Shaper within to inadvertently bifurcate, a second Dungsten also now running from his pursuers. But bifurcation comes at a price: loss of appetite, swelling of the hands and feet, an erection lasting longer than four hours, loss of bladder control, rectal bleeding, psychosis, convulsions, and sudden death. To pull himself back together and if he’s lucky, survive, he must master his Shaper abilities before he becomes a victim, or worse, accidentally destroys Earth and everyone he loves along with it.

Excerpt

Hiding in the darkness, door locked, he wanted to feel safe, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t alone. As if to ward off the demons, he spoke aloud.

“I am not being followed. They don’t even know where I am.”

“Did they get a good look at you?”

A voice, someone else’s voice, had echoed off the bathroom walls.

Dungsten scrambled away in terror, his movement switching the lights back on and revealing the source of the voice. “Aaah! Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?”

His bathroom companion, for lack of a better term, was tall and lean with an Adam’s apple giving his neck the appearance of being double-jointed. He wore a black Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers” T-shirt, black baggy biking shorts, emerald green leggings covering long, spindly, knobbed-kneed legs, and gold bike shoes. Atop his head sat a red cycling helmet aerodynamically constructed to give the impression of forward motion. The entire ensemble gave him the appearance of a deformed giant leprechaun.

He smiled a big toothy grin. “Calm down.”

Dungsten moved to a corner by the sink, looking to no avail for a weapon.

“Calm down? You pop in here like Captain Picard and I’m supposed to calm down? How did you get in here?”

“You let me in, Dungsten.”

Let him in. No, I didn’t let him in. I’ve been curled up in this bathroom scared shitless. I haven’t moved an inch. “Let you in?”

“Yes.”

“How? And you better do some explaining because, well, my day so far has been off the chart weird. I’ve killed…I think. Yeah, I’ve killed, and I imagine it will be pretty easy to kill again. So, don’t mess with me.”

“Dungsten.” The giant leprechaun balanced against a wall with one hand, grabbing his foot from behind to stretch his quads. “I guess I could say you let me in here with your mind.”

About the Author

Richard Hacker

Richard Hacker, lives and writes in Seattle, Washington after living many years in Austin, Texas. In addition to the science fiction/fantasy novels, which include The Alchimeía Series, his crime novels ride the thin line between fact and fiction in Texas. Along the way, his writing has been recognized by the Writer’s League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. As a judge in literary contests shuch as PNWA and ChicLit, and as a freelance development editor, he enjoys the opportunity to work with other writers. In addition, he is the Sci-Fi/Fantasy editor for the Del Sol Review. When not writing he’s singing jazz and creating visual art.

Del Sol Press books by Richard Hacker are available at Amazon

The AlchimeĂ­a Series

DIEBACK: Book One

VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD: Book Two

Other books by Richard Hacker:

Nick Sibelius Crime Series

KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE

BUZZARD BAIT

ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

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The Fifth Cycle Blitz

 

The Fifth Cycle cover

 

Otherworldly Adventures #1

 

Middle-Grade Fantasy

Date Published: February 2, 2021

Publisher: Magic Cat Books

FREE for a Limited Time! 

An ancient Irish goddess appears to thirteen-year-old Colin Caulfield and delivers a fateful warning. Later that night, his sister is almost kidnapped by goblins. His world is rocked even further when his mother and a family friend reveal that he is the reincarnation of Ireland’s greatest hero, CuChulainn, and destined to help the Irish gods return to their seat of power.

First, he needs to be properly trained, and there is no one better for that job than Scathach, the woman who trained the original CuChulainn. He arrives on her island, Alba, in the Otherworld, and joins her host of trainees. There, he meets Breccan and Alaynna, who become two of his best friends. He also meets Niall, who is somewhat hostile to him at first, but then agrees to help train him.

Colin faces a number of threats and challenges while on Alba, some of which are tied to a dark force that wants to stop him from fulfilling his destiny. Unfortunately, Colin’s greatest enemy just might be himself as a deep-seated personal issue triggers a warp-spasm, a type of berserker rage that the original CuChulainn suffered from as well. With the help of his friends, Colin must learn to control the warp-spasms if he is to become the hero both Earth and the Otherworld need him to be.

He had better hurry though, because the dark force that wants to stop Colin, that found him on Earth and tried to use his sister to get to him, discover he is on Alba, and who knows how far they are willing to go to stop Colin this time.

The Fifth Cycle tablet


About the Author

Dan O’Mahony

It is widely believed that the man known as Dan O’Mahony was raised in a library by a pack of wild fantasy novels that accepted him as one of their own.

Dan currently resides near Chandler, Arizona but spends most of his time exploring new worlds and associating with unique characters. When not engaging in fulfilling flights of fancy, he teaches elementary and junior high students, hoping to inspire within them a love of reading and writing (The trick is to get them while they are young.).

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From the Inside Blitz

 

From the Inside cover

 

Poetry

 

Date Published: March 15, 2021

This book of poems is about thoughts, feelings, and emotions we all experience, struggle with, and that have been brought to the forefront by this current pandemic. Losing loved ones, our freedom, and everything taken for granted in our daily lives; while facing sadness, anger, grief, and loneliness, has taught us the importance of our love for nature, gratitude, happiness, cherished memories, and relationships. No feeling or emotion is too small or negligible. Acknowledging and expressing them is my voice from the inside.

About The Author

Thanvi Voruganti


Thanvi Voruganti is an exuberant ten-year-old living with her parents, Deepika and Mahender in Chandler, AZ. She loves writing short stories and thoughtful poetry and is an avid reader who loves fantasy, fiction, and playing board games. Thanvi however, is no athlete and prefers sitting curled up with an interesting book in her hands. Thanvi is very affable, quiet, and a profound thinker.

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Killer Cocktail Blitz

 

Killer Cocktail cover

 

Mystery, Crime

 

Date Published: January 2021

Publisher: Open Books Press

Chicago TV reporter Emily Winter is drawn into a complicated and challenging investigation when a women’s health clinic is destroyed and a cherished member of the clinic’s staff is killed. While her skill, talent and contacts lead her to many likely suspects — anti-abortion activists, a wealthy donor to that cause, a disgruntled former clinic employee, a real estate broker — she also encounters stone walls and silence. As her investigation moves slowly forward, Emily relies on her husband Ben and Ben’s street-savvy Uncle Max, her news staff colleagues and a group of women, all of whom have shattered glass ceilings. When two sniper attacks threaten her life, Emily grows even more determined to solve the crime until — over-coming multiple obstacles including a sexist police information officer — she solves the murder and brings the killers to justice.

Also by David M. Hamlin

Winter in Chicago cover

 

Winter in Chicago

 

Drugs, death and rock and roll on Chicago’s AM radio dial…

Before dawn in January, 1975, Emily detours from her normal route to work in the newsroom of Chicago’s top pop rock station to investigate a crime scene. The police believe the body on the street is a suicide. Emily is stunned to discover that the dead woman is a dear friend since high school. Unable to fathom why Beni Steinart would take her own life, Emily begins an investigation that leads to a trunk-load of cocaine, Federal narcotics charges, abuse of power and a perplexing mystery – suicide or murder?

Emily’s reporting triggers an explosive battle between two men who tower over their city. Cary Chase is Chicago’s most prominent bachelor, a wealthy entrepreneur whose mansion is the epicenter of Chicago’s elite society. United States Attorney Tommy “Tommy Terrific” Jameson is ambitiously determined to rid his city of corruption on his way up to the Governor’s office and perhaps even higher.

Drawing on an eclectic roster of news sources and WEL colleagues and her own considerable talent and determination, Emily uncovers the full story of her friend’s death in a remarkable confrontation which produces front page headlines and restores one life as it ruins another.

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Winter Gets Hot cover

 

Winter Gets Hot

 

Winter in Chicago journalist Emily Winter is the first reporter on the scene of a gruesome murder in the offices of CARD, a civic organization that investigates corruption in City Hall. Although she has proven herself to be a skilled reporter with at least one headline making story to her credit, her new TV boss assigns her to a more “ladylike” beat—lifestyle and feature stories.

Determined to overcome the sexism that inhibits her career, Emily works her way into hard news coverage, including the story of the murder at CARD, but she faces major obstacles on all fronts as she pursues the killer.

As the case twists and turns, Emily navigates the city she loves, relishing Chicago’s architecture, neighborhood restaurants, culture and her beloved, if hapless, Chicago Cubs.

Will she uncover the murderer and bring justice for those who depend on hard-working journalists to write the stories that define their lives? Find out in Winter Gets Hot!

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Killer Cocktail phone, paperback


About The Author

David M. Hamlin

David M. Hamlin is the author of three Emily Winter mysteries as well as short fiction which has appeared in Mystery Weekly Magazine and Potato Soup Journal. He is also the author of two non-fiction books (The Nazi/Skokie Conflict, 1980; Los Angeles’s Original Farmers Market, 2009), countless editorial page commentaries, free-lance articles and a political satire column. Mr. Hamlin is a former ACLU executive and partner in a successful Los Angeles PR agency which specialized in social justice campaigns. He lives, writes and plays tennis in Palm Springs California; Mr. Hamlin’s wife, Sydney Weisman, is an accomplished journalist, publicist and cabaret performer.

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The Leadership Development Tool Kit Tour

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The Leadership Development Tool Kit cover

 

Redesigning Your Leadership Development

 

Template to Drive Individual and Organizational Change

Business; Management; Human Resources

 

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Are you a CEO in a small business or start-up company interested in aligning business and talent strategy to inspire your employees?

Are you an HR “Department of One” professional looking to create a legacy project and be recognized as a more strategic partner?

This book is for you!

• Practical steps to implement immediately

• A set of tools for effective people leadership

• Real-life examples of how a leadership development program gives rise to self-motivated, high- performance individuals (and teams) that produce long-term results and a competitive advantage for your business.

With The Leadership Development Tool Kit, you’ll learn how to create a fool-proof talent-building process to impact productivity and help your people thrive in the 21st century.

Shape Organizational Culture * Measure Outcomes * Monitor Employee Satisfaction * Optimize Critical Processes

The Leadership Development Tool Kit tablet

EXCERPT

Preface

 

I

f you manage people in today’s business environment, you will need to learn how to get your people to accomplish your organizational goals effectively as independent leaders. This is true if your business is experiencing great success in a good economy or troubling times in a bad economy. The reality is 21st century leadership is upon us, which requires supervisors, chief executive officers, and other decision makers to be great leaders. Why is management so different today than it was a generation ago? Steve Denning, author of The Leader’s Guide to Radical Management: Re-inventing the Workplace for the 21st Century, said it best.

“Management in the 20th century was about achieving a finite goal: delivering goods and services, to make money. Management in the 21st century is about the infinite goal of delighting customers… 

The infinite goal of delighting customers is inherently inspiring: helping other people is the essence of moral thinking. It is inherently uplifting for those doing the work, and invigorating to those for whom the work is done. Hence the goal is inherently sustainable.”

Essentially, workers cannot just go to work to crank out a widget and have that suffice. Instead, in today’s world, innovation and problem solving are key competencies every worker should have, not just those at the very top levels of the organization. But attracting and retaining innovative problem solvers requires development, which is the responsibility of the employer. Employees are trading their time and intellectual property for gainful employment as well as other benefits. Thus, employers need to get the best out of their employees so the company can in turn provide the best to its customers. How does an organization empower its employees to perform to their potential? The short answer is through a leadership development program. When this type of program ties personal employee goals to company goals, it has proven to impact productivity and bottom-line profits. 

In this book, you’ll explore the reasons behind creating a leadership development program, the numerous benefits of such a program, and an actual implementation strategy. 

The reason we decided to write this book was to provide a plan and path to great leadership that any individual or organization could implement. Our personal management philosophy has evolved over the course of our careers, and we believe everyone has the ability to achieve their highest potential. Leaders are the key to identifying and demonstrating what that potential looks like in others. We have been fortunate to receive numerous assessments at different times in our careers, and one thing we learned in those assessments was our natural penchant for leadership. We love learning about people and how to affect changes in behavior to ultimately achieve missions greater than ourselves. Assessments are great tools for discovering things about ourselves that we would typically overlook. They are also a great practice in self-awareness. Over the years, as we have moved through promotions into higher leadership positions, we have become increasingly aware of the need for investment in personal leadership and organizational development at all levels in an organization. If an organization is to accomplish great goals, leaders need to care for the people working toward those goals. 

Overall, leadership development programs are also a great way to organize an organization’s talent management life cycle. This is the continuous process of attracting, developing, and retaining top talent in a holistic way ensuring mutual maximum benefits. Organizations that make significant investments in perfecting this process will undoubtedly have the competitive edge.

We acknowledge that in an ever-changing and more connected world, diversity and inclusion are crucial. This book however focuses on how to design a leadership development template sans calling out specific inclusion practices. We feel it is important to address this head-on.

To help illustrate principles, you’ll discover case stories throughout the book and in the Appendix. 

The hope is that this book will help illuminate and demystify the strategies for and approaches to developing empowered and innovative employees eager to accomplish great things for you and your organization’s mission. 

Cheers to your organizational growth!

About the Authors

Michael Sampson


Michael Sampson
is an author, lecturer, certified coach and former United States foreign service officer who has studied and led international development programs and cross cultural relations since 1979. Michael has over 30 years of leadership and management experience in government and corporate environments. Since retiring from national service, Michael has been CEO of LMI Kenya, a master licensee of Leadership Management International (LMI) Inc., which ranked #1 in Leadership Development Programs in North America by Entrepreneur magazine. Michael continues to promote self-reliance and facilitate leadership development programs which drive results, quality and customer satisfaction around the world. Michael started LMI Kenya because of his desire to be more active in promoting leaders and next generation leadership in Africa. Michael is active in civic organizations including American Chamber of Commerce Kenya. He lives in Kenya with his wife, Alma, and enjoys spending time with his three adult daughters (including Faswilla, with whom he co-authored this book) and two grandchildren. Michael holds a BA in International Studies from the School for International Training and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Michael Sampson

Faswilla Sampson


Faswilla Sampson
is an author, certified coach and co-master licensee of Leadership Management International (LMI) Inc., a performance improvement company specializing in personal leadership and organizational development. As an experienced CEO confidant, Faswilla’s mission is to develop leaders and organizations to their full potential. With more than a decade working in the non-profit healthcare sector in Washington D.C., Faswilla’s strategic planning, program management, leadership and executive coaching experience, make her an organizational change agent. She believes that for any organization to be truly impactful in the 21st century requires developing leaders within all levels of the organization now. She enjoys speaking and presenting on a variety of business topics from leadership to workforce planning to talent management. Faswilla holds a BA from University of Mary Washington and a master’s degree in International Administration from Central Michigan University.

Faswilla Sampson

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