Tag Archives: memoir

Morbid Thoughts and The Domino Effect Virtual Book Tour

Morbid Thoughts and The Domino Effect banner
 

Morbid Thoughts and The Domino Effect cover

Memoir

Date Published: July 2022

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press

 

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

 

My mother called me a thrill seeker as a kid. That continued to be a fair
assessment throughout my life, but with unforeseen consequences. For 57
years I managed to cheat death as I endured accidents such as a head-on car
collision that catapulted me through two windshields or hitting a telephone
pole at 110 MPH on a motorcycle, to name just a couple. But none of these
true-life experiences compared to what came after my cancer diagnosis. In
this book I use words to paint you alongside as I detail all my incredible
life challenges and experiences. Ride along the emotional roller coaster
that includes 17 surgeries and the domino effect of events that resulted.
After the cancer diagnosis, an internal fight also ensued. It was the mental
battle against the shadowy figures on my shoulders who constantly whispered
morbid thoughts.

 

Morbid Thoughts and The Domino Effect tablet

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 5

 Insult To Injury PT II

 

The road had been recently paved with asphalt, so the shoulder was

pretty high with a steep, 4-foot red dirt bank leading to tall, unkempt grass.

My speed pushed me beyond the four-foot bank and the grass line. It was

eerie. The section of the road where I crashed had been viciously cleared of

all life for 30 yards from the road to a tree line where towering oaks and

maples competed with sparse pines. Perhaps someone foretold of a crash

on this part of the road? There was also a huge, gaping sinkhole halfway

between the shoulder of the road and the wood line. As I wickedly

fishtailed, I vividly remember feeling grateful my ride didn’t end in that

gaping sinkhole.

I thought, “Death may be better than any other outcome if the

crash happens here.”

 

About the Author

Perry Muse

Perry Muse is a U.S. Army veteran, businessperson for over 30 years,
entrepreneur, artist, husband, Father, and author. He has been listed in the
Who’s Who of Music and the Who’s Who of Business Leaders. Perry
is also a lifelong survivor of death-defying accidents. In 2017 he was
diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. This life changing event required him to
reach deep inside and find courage, faith, and to become an expert intellect
about his conditions and treatments. Perry’s writing is entertaining,
funny, extremely educational, and most importantly, all unbelievably true.
Today he lives in Johnson City, Tennessee with his wife and 3 dogs.

 

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

 

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT Book Tours & PR

Comments Off on Morbid Thoughts and The Domino Effect Virtual Book Tour

Filed under BOOKS

Standing On Positive Ground Virtual Book Tour

Standing On Positive Ground banner

Standing On Positive Ground cover

Scars of Faith and Courage, A Life Forever Changed

 

Memoir

Date Published:
February 23, 2023

Publisher:
Mindstir Media

 

Standing on Positive Ground is the heartfelt, inspiring true story of Tony
V Rodriguez, whose astonishing tragedies and triumphs span a lifetime. It is
an unrivaled testament to survival, faith, and the indomitable human
spirit.

Before Tony was three years old, he experienced two car accidents, one that
nearly cost him his life and permanently changed him physically and
mentally. His family, unable to afford the critical extensive care, prayed
for a miracle. Answered prayers came through his community, God, and
organizations such as the Shriner’s Burns Hospital. Since then, he has
survived two near-death experiences, ten auto accidents, three motorcycle
accidents, Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cancer, a stroke, multiple innovative
plastic surgeries, disfigurement discrimination, and two divorces.

Through all these extraordinary challenges, Tony also experienced how truly
kind people could be, along with the support of the heavenly realm. He knew
that he was never alone on his arduous journey.

Standing on Positive Ground is filled with tragic as well as joyous
outcomes. Join Tony as he shares his personal journey, including how he
rises above tremendous circumstances and ultimately lives a life of
accomplishment and positivity.

It is Tony’s greatest hope that his life story uplifts and brings
inspiration to the reader.

 

 

Praise for Standing on Positive Ground

 

“Powerful and brave, heart-wrenching and heartwarming, Standing on
Positive Ground shows that pain can be indiscriminate, but so too can
perseverance. In this remarkable story, Tony V Rodriguez shares the trials
that knocked him down and the strength used to pick himself back
up-repeatedly. Inside these pages is an anthem to all those who have faced
life’s toughest challenges and a testament to those with the heart to fight
back.”

– J.J. Hebert, USA Today bestselling author

 Standing On Positive Ground tablet

EXCERPT

In the fifteen years that we have known Tony, we have witnessed him face endless challenges—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—with the grace of the Divine. Through it all, he has inspired us with his honesty, positivity, humility, and integrity.  For anyone who wants to understand how to rise above and be resilient through life’s obstacles, difficulties, and trials, Tony’s story gives us a roadmap to experience them through our heart with faith, courage, and kindness.  Even we, as individuals who aspire to help others, are continually reminded of the great Light that Tony shines and how “our” lives are blessed by his beautiful soul.  

 

ALEX HERMOSILLO and AMY LALICATA

Healers and authors of A True Story of Hope, Healing and Miracles

 

About the Author

Tony V Rodriguez

Tony V Rodriguez has experienced many tragedies and blessings in his life.
Born in 1966, in beautiful Bartow, Florida, he is the son of interracial
parents who supported their family as migrant workers. Before Tony turned
three years old, he would survive two separate car accidents, one that
nearly claimed his life. Because of serious and life-threatening injuries,
Tony spent most of his childhood in hospitals, undergoing many complex
surgeries meant to shape and repair his severely disfigured face. Due to
many factors, he lived with shame, negativity, and depression. The heaviness
of the negativity weighed upon him, and he eventually decided those feelings
would not serve him. With his determination, heavenly blessings, strength,
and positive attitude, he was able to rise above these extraordinary
circumstances to become an 
inspiration to others whom he has met along the way.

At the time of printing this book, in his mid 50’s, Tony has so far
survived three near-death experiences, Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cancer,
stroke, disfigurement and discrimination, twelve auto accidents, three
motorcycle accidents, and sixty-six surgeries. Tony’s faith combined
with the acts of kindness by many caring individuals has remarkably allowed
him to live a mainstream life.

After obtaining an Associate Degree in Computer Engineering Technology,
Tony began his professional career as an Electronic Technician for a
government-contracted company. Seven years later, in 1995, he accepted an
offer from Intel Corporation, located in Arizona, where he enjoyed an
Electronic Technician career until he would be forced to medically retire
after twenty-one years of service.

Tony enjoys playing video games on his computer or PlayStation 5, visiting
classic car shows, listening to music, reading his bible, enjoying time with
the heavenly realm, spending time with his wife, and keeping in touch with
friends and family. He owns a 1967 Chevy Camaro, the car of his
dreams.

 

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

 

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

 

RABT Book Tours & PR

Comments Off on Standing On Positive Ground Virtual Book Tour

Filed under BOOKS

Better Lucky Than Good Blitz

Better Lucky Than Good banner

 

Better Lucky Than Good cover

Memoir

Date Published: 09-13-2022

 

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

 

Can you build a successful life by taking the less traveled path? Yes, you
can, and Dale Arenson’s incredible journey attests to it.

After seven years of living on the edge as a member of Hangmen, of the most
popular outlaw motorcycle clubs in the US, the young school dropout needs a
radical change. His soul wants something else; as long as he can preserve
his freedom to do what he loves, he is ready to give up the gun violence,
wild rides, and loud parties.

Dale Arenson walks away from the only life he knows to embark on a path
that many people would deem too hard to even think about it. He bounces back
from his poor start in life, bad choices, and costly mistakes and builds an
exceptional career in aviation as a commercial pilot.

“Better Lucky Than Good” is the gripping account of this journey.
A natural storyteller, the author vividly depicts his unorthodox path from
outlaw biker to construction worker and salesman and, finally, to his dream
life and his incredible adventures that nearly got him killed. Wildly
entertaining, the book will keep you at the edge of your seat while
inspiring and motivating you to follow your dreams and forge your own path
in life.

About the Author

Dale Arenson

Dale Arenson is a bestselling author of gripping memoirs inspired by his
risky and unconventional life. A high-school dropout in sunny Southern
California, he found the supportive family he always craved in the biker
community. After many run-ins with the law and brushes with death as a
member of the famous Hangmen Motorcycle Club, Arenson gave up his dangerous
lifestyle and reinvented himself as a commercial pilot. An admirer of Plato,
Hemingway, and Marcus Aurelius, Arenson is now taking his turn at writing
books that entertain, inspire, and stand the test of time.

 

Contact Links

Website

Youtube

 

Purchase Link

Amazon

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT Book Tours & PR

Comments Off on Better Lucky Than Good Blitz

Filed under BOOKS

Unburdening Virtual Book Tour

Unburdening banner

Unburdening cover

Memoir

Date Published: October 4, 2022

 

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

 

Teresa Benitez—an engineer, doctor, and professor—had three
abortions between 2004 and 2022. Although she was against abortion until
2004, her first pregnancy awakened her deepest fears: was she good enough to
raise a family? Or would her unresolved childhood trauma, and resulting
mental illness, render her incapable of love?

In Unburdening, each pregnancy termination is meticulously described. The
aftermath of each abortion is explored, including the mystifying blend of
relief and distress that often remains after the procedure is over.

A moving memoir infused with poetic prose, Unburdening is a story of
motherhood, abortion, and mental health. It delves into generational trauma,
survival, love, self-forgiveness, and healing.

 

Unburdening tablet

EXCERPT

As a child, yearning for maternal love

“But I did not give up. I wanted my mother to love me. I craved her attention, her embrace. I desperately searched for a slow song to dance to, my face on her shoulder, our hearts in sync, our breathing melodic and slow and warm. But she did not have any songs for me. There is so much wrong with me, if she cannot love me. She is so beautiful. Her skin is radiant, her teeth so white and perfect; look at how she smiles at others. They deserve her. One day, she will smile that way at me, too. But not if I keep doing so much wrong. I wish she would tell me what I need to fix, so I could do it for her. And then, we will sing and dance together. She will find me, and I will never be lost again.”

 

 

About the Author

Teresa Benitez

Born in Puerto Rico in 1984, Teresa Benitez has a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in
Mechanical Engineering. She was an engineering professor for nine years.
Teresa currently lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her ten-year-old
daughter and three cats.

Contact Link

Website

 

Purchase Link

Amazon

RABT Book Tours & PR

Comments Off on Unburdening Virtual Book Tour

Filed under BOOKS

Antonio, We Know You Virtual Book Tour

Antonio, We Know You banner

Antonio, We Know You cover

Memoir

Date Published: May 3, 2022

Publisher: Wyatt-MacKensi

 

ANTONIO, WEKNOWYOU follows the life of a migrant farmworker kidnapped at age four,
trafficked through age ten at a famous California Ranch, until being saved
from an attempted suicide and taken under Cesar Chavez’s wing. Antonio
eventually graduated from law school, become a labor lawyer, and found the
strength and resilience to be reunited with his long-lost family after 24
years. Antonio aims to offer hope in desperate circumstances in sharing the
legacy of his family and reflecting the dignity and sacrifices of their
difficult Chicano life.

 

Antonio, We Know You tablet

EXCERPT

PROLOGUE from the Author 

I WAS BORN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA in late August of 1955, as Antonio Salazar y Bailon, to Petra and Jesus Salazar. I am the eleventh of fourteen children. My earliest memories are being in the fields with the rest of my family. We were on the national crop-picking circuit until my father’s accident, which resulted in the amputation of his arm and qualified us for the first public housing in Arizona. 

Few would guess if you saw me in my capacity as an attorney working in federal court representing large international unions for decades and Native Americans from California to the Sioux Nation for twenty-five years, and a husband with a loving, forty year marriage, what I overcame to be this person. 

Through it all, I have taken heart in the statement I once heard when a group of workers were standing around Cesar Chavez talking about my character. At the time I was a 17 old college student, who had met Cesar Chavez at age 15 when I was in high school working as a farmworker. As they discussed whether they could trust me and depend on me to do the right thing, I overheard my mentor Cesar Chavez reassure them. He turned to me and said, “Antonio, we know you, we know you well.” He affirmed that he knew I would always serve my people. That statement has served to lift me up in the darkest days and pushed me onward when I no longer felt an ounce of strength or hope to carry on—that statement is my guiding light and this memoir an extension through which the world could know my story. It illuminated the journey of faith that I was going to make it. It reminds me that I have had saviors along the way who knew me. They saw into my soul and intervened at crucial moments. This memoir is an attempt to tell my story so that you can know me and find hope in these words. See the sorrows I have endured, the abuse that almost broke me but never did, and the beauty I have found.

 

Author Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Purchase Link

Amazon

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT Book Tours & PR

Comments Off on Antonio, We Know You Virtual Book Tour

Filed under BOOKS