Just Posted! Listen to Janeane's conversation with Director/Producer Robyn Symon and Gloria Stein about UNCLE GLORIA: ONE HELLUVA RIDE!

presents

UNCLE GLORIA: ONE HELLUVA RIDE!

A Film by Robyn Symon

Featuring Gloria Stein

Opening in Los Angeles This Week

Friday, November 3, 2017

LISTEN to Robyn and Gloria on KUCI 88.9fm!

UNCLE GLORIA: ONE HELLUVA RIDE! recounts the astonishing true story of Butch, the macho owner of a South Florida auto-wrecking company, who in a desperate search of a way to hide from the law, transformed himself into a woman named Gloria. But what started out as a trick to beat the system ended up changing Butch’s life forever. Now in her 80s, Gloria’s stranger-than-fiction life has been filled with risky surgeries, sex work, family dysfunction, activism and a gender-bending love story. Full of humor, warmth and sass, UNCLE GLORIA is a rollicking ride that must be seen to be believed.

UNCLE GLORIA: ONE HELLUVA RIDE! has played numerous festivals, including Outfest LA, Newfest: New York’s LGBT Film Festival, Fresno ReelPride LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Raindance International Film Festival, and TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival.

The film is directed, produced, and edited by two-time Emmy-winning, former PBS documentary producer Robyn Symon. Gerald Sprayregen is executive producer and original music is by Ronen Landa. UNCLE GLORIA: ONE HELLUVA RIDE! is distributed by XLrator Media.

About XLrator Media
One of the fastest-growing independent film distribution companies in North America since its creation in 2010, XLrator Media, LLC (XLratorMedia.com) will release 25 films in 2017. Recent releases include Academy Award®-winner John Ridley’s Jimi: All is by My Side starring Andre Benjamin as rock legend Jimi Hendrix, CBGB starring Alan Rickman, and SXSW hits Housebound and The Diabolical. XLrator Media is the home of four acclaimed releasing labels: MACABRE for horror/genre (American Mary, Banshee Chapter), TURBO for action/thrillers (Infinity Chamber, The Machine, Ironclad: Battle For Blood), LIFEFRAME for documentaries (The Legend of 420, Storm Surfers 3D, Queen Mimi, It’s So Easy and Other Lies) and PACE for multicultural films (Five Star, Allegiance, We The Party).

RT: 76 minutes / Not Rated


Downloadable Trailer Link

YouTube Trailer Link

Link to Poster

Link to Stills


LOS ANGELES THEATER
Arena Cinelounge Hollywood
6464 Sunset Blvd. Lobby Level, Los Angeles, CA 90028


BIG TIME PR & MARKETING
Karen Tran | Emily Sharp
karen@bigtime-pr.com | emily@bigtime-pr.com

10/30 9:15am pst - Cyn Hannah, Success Coach/Results Expert/Life After Grief Coach joins Janeane Monday!

As a Success Coach and a Results Expert, Cyn Hannah thrives on empowering her clients to create lives they love.

LISTEN to today's show!

Having been through her own share of challenges—first in childhood and then as an adult—Cyn believes in the power of reframing obstacles into empowering experiences.

Cyn has always known it was her calling to empower people to live better lives. Her favorite classes in college were her psychology classes, and after college, she continued to study, with a focus on the self-improvement topic. She considered becoming a therapist, but that didn't feel like a good fit. Then she discovered life coaching, and realized that was her calling; the idea that life coaching is about helping people move forward appealed to her.

It is now Cyn's mission to guide people in making their own lives great, whether that means overcoming obstacles, or taking their situation from good to incredible … or many times, both.

Cyn believes that everything she's faced in her own life has provided her with the unique ability to really stand with people, whether they're committed to making a good life GREAT, taking their life to the next level, or navigating through a tough challenge.

Her results-oriented approach drives her to help her clients get out of overwhelm, stop sacrificing their personal lives in the name of "success," and finally enjoy the free time and lifestyle they crave.

Because she realizes our paradigms have a strong gravitational pull, Cyn values education, and invests in her own at a high level each year. Doing so helps her stay at the forefront of leading-edge information and strategies to help her clients live their best lives.

Cyn is trained and certified as a Life Coach, Dream Builder Coach, Life Mastery Consultant, Grief Recovery Specialist, and Grief Intuitive Coach. She has shared the stage with Wellness Expert Mariel Hemingway and world-renowned transformational leader Mary Morrissey. She's been a featured guest speaker on KDPI talk radio and True Life Academy internet radio, and is an award-winning speaker.

Her entrepreneurial spirit has led her to a number of successful ventures, including working as a Hollywood television producer and member of the Directors Guild of America, owning a high-tech recruiting firm focusing on Silicon Valley, and selling real estate in the world-renowned ski resort town, Sun Valley, Idaho.

Her varied experience gives her a wide perspective on the challenges people face personally and professionally.

Cyn’s Core Values

These Core Values speak to how Cyn coaches, how she does business, and how she treats her clients.I Believe in People. I know that each one of us is far more powerful, and contains more potential, than any circumstance, situation, or condition.

I Believe in Love & Care. I bring sincere love and care to every interaction. I delight and surprise my clients by anticipating wants and seeking to exceed expectations.

I Believe in Integrity. I live what I teach. I deliver what I promise.

I Believe in Fun. I create joy, laughter, and fun in all aspects of our work.

I Believe in Growth. I grow by achieving my goals and exceeding my best, and so do my clients.

www.cynhannah.com
Empowering you to live a life you love!

10/30 9:45am pst - Deborah Copaken, NYT bestselling novelist/memoirist, columnist, screenwriter, photographer, journalist, joins host Janeane to talk about her latest work, "The ABCs of Parenthood."

THE ABCs OF PARENTHOOD

by Deborah Copaken

LISTEN to today's show!

A wise, warm, and witty ebook for new (and gently used) parents seeking to raise positive, thoughtful children, this alphabet book brims with the advice only those who’ve been there can give. From “D is for Dog” (get one) to “P is for Praise” (do it often but appropriately) to “R is for Romance” (keep it alive after the kids come), each mini essay is coupled with a smart, letter-appropriate full-color photograph in these delightfully grown-up ABCs.
PRAISE & REVIEWS

You will come back to The ABCs of Parenthood again and again, whenever you need to remember the big picture or the fact that children are as breathtaking as the images on these pages.”
–Diane Debrovner, Parents Magazine

The ABCs of Parenthood is a warm, witty, wise and visually delightful book. Absolutely essential reading for anyone who’s had a parent, been a parent, wants to be a parent or knows a parent. An utter gem!
–Julie Klam, author of You Had Me at Woof

This book will teach you to stop hovering and worrying and start letting go and enjoying the ride. I plan on giving it to every new parent I meet.
–Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure

Boasting a rich palette of colored pages and exquisite photos, not just of babies but of saxophones, ice cream, birds, and more, this would be a lovely baby shower gift. Verdict: Guaranteed to make any expectant mother weep.
—Library Journal

10/30 9:30am pst - Emma Johnson chats with Janeane about her upcoming book, THE KICKASS SINGLE MOM: Be Financially Independent, Discover Your Sexiest Self, and Raise Fabulous, Happy Children (A TarcherPerigee paperback)

LISTEN to today's show!

Single mothers are about to become the majority. 40 percent of babies are now born to unmarried mothers, which themselves comprise 57 percent of millennial women. Yet, single mothers continue to face a myriad of unique challenges. As most can attest, financial pressures, mom guilt, and the struggle to find a work-life balance greatly intensify when they are forced to raise children on their own.

Johnson experienced these hardships firsthand. After her husband moved out, leaving her broke, pregnant, and home alone with a toddler and another baby on the way, she couldn't find the advice she needed to thrive as a single professional woman and parent. But just two years later, Johnson was a successful entrepreneur providing this much-needed advice to other single moms on her immensely popular blog, WealthySingleMommy. In her new book, Johnson offers this invaluable counsel to the 10 million single American moms seeking personal and professional success, and advises them on how to:

· Say ‘no!’ to alimony, and even child support

· Dismiss the mom guilt many have about returning to work (Research shows that “a mother’s education and financial achievements have a greater impact on her children than sheer hours spent together”)

· Navigate dating and introduce children to new love interests

· Avoid the biggest mistakes single moms make when it comes to saving for college and retirement

· Co-parent with a reluctant or absentee ex

Full of practical advice and inspiration from Emma’s life, as well as other successful single moms, this is a must-have resource for any single mom.

10/30 9:00am pst - Harvard Business School historian, professor, Nancy Koehn discussed her timely and insightful new book, FORGED IN CRISIS: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times (starred Booklist & Kirkus).

FORGED IN CRISIS
The Power of Courageous Leadership
In Turbulent Times
by Harvard Business School historian
Nancy Koehn


LISTEN to today's show!

For leaders in the 21st century, there is one pressing question: What set of skills is required to lead in crisis, and can history give us answers? Harvard Business School historian and professor Nancy Koehn has surveyed some of history’s greatest leaders and made an incredible discovery: courageous leaders are not born but made, and the power to lead resides in each of us. Forged in Crisis is the dramatic, insightful epic that can teach anyone how to develop remarkable leadership skills.

We live in a time when faith and confidence in leaders—whether in government, business, or religion—is nil. People sense with growing unease that everything is at stake—long-formed international alliances, the economy, a unified Europe, even the fate of the planet—and yet the highest offices across the globe are occupied by the inexperienced and untested, those who lack the decency, decorum, and courage required of the positions they hold.
We’re led by people we cannot fully trust and the pressing questions are great: what set of skills is required to lead, both in times of stability and of crisis? What traits must we seek in those to whom we hand our fate? How do we become the types of leaders the world needs right now? In her masterly new book FORGED IN CRISIS: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times, celebrated Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn delivers in-depth portraits of five of history’s most brilliant leaders, spotlighting the diverse skills they relied on to lead, especially in moments of crisis.

Based on personal letters, diaries, archival material, and official records, Forged in Crisis presents the remarkable life journeys of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton; President Abraham Lincoln; legendary abolitionist Frederick Douglass; Nazi-resisting clergyman Dietrich Bonhoeffer; and environmental crusader Rachel Carson—united here in their struggle to transform from ordinary people into great leaders. Koehn begins each of the book’s five sections by showing its protagonist on the precipice of a great crisis: Shackleton marooned on an Antarctic ice floe; Lincoln on the verge of seeing the Union collapse; escaped slave Douglass facing possible capture; Bonhoeffer agonizing over how to counter absolute evil with faith; Carson racing against the cancer ravaging her in a bid to save the planet. The narrative then reaches back to each person’s childhood and shows the individual growing—step by step—into the person he or she will ultimately become.

Readers observe the qualities that these icons draw on to not just meet but triumph over great challenges, in the process becoming real leaders. By examining how these qualities emerge, Forged in Crisis offers a remarkable template by which to judge the leaders of our own time. Koehn also delivers an inspiring and important reminder that great leaders are made, not born, and that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things.

In the vein of works by David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin, Forged in Crisis is a compelling historical narrative and a repository of great insight. More than that, it is a book that matters, perhaps now more than ever. Ten years in the writing, Forged in Crisis stands as a towering achievement.



ABOUT SCRIBNER

Scribner is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., part of the CBS Corporation. Simon & Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic and multi-media formats. Its divisions include the Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

Spectacular Advance Praise for Forged in Crisis

“Enthralling…a fascinating look at a varied group of heroes…Koehn’s call for her audience to emulate them strikes a pleasingly hopeful note for an era of partisan discord and lack of faith in leaders.”

--Publishers Weekly


“Impressive and important…Forged in Crisis is a perfect blend of vital history and engaging prose….Koehn's memorable, timely book is powerful. It reminds us that effective leaders are made—forged in crisis, not simply born. Restraint, compassion, and integrity have been, and will remain, among the timeless, requisite qualities of great leaders.”

--Christopher Rose, HugoBooks


“Leadership is difficult to define, but we know it when we see it. At a time when it has become almost invisible at the national level, Nancy Koehn has performed the invaluable service of reminding us what it looks like in five superbly told tales of inspirational human courage. This book is dense with epiphanies that defy our current cowardly condition.”

--Joseph J. Ellis, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers and the National Book Award-winning American Sphinx



“This book moved me deeply and will stay with me. Simply put, it’s the most important, coherent, values-based, servant leadership book I've ever read. The people who come to life in these pages—from polar explorers to environmental activists—share key attributes, many of which they learned as they made themselves into courageous leaders. These are men and women who are willing to endure profound loneliness and put their well-being at risk for a great cause. They are guided by a moral courage that never wavers. And yet as Koehn persuasively shows, such selfless determination and the ability to make an extraordinary difference in the world are not beyond even the most ordinary among us. We are all forged by circumstance, and by conscious effort we can all become powerful weapons of virtue.”

--Howard Schultz, executive chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company



"As important and inspiring as it is urgent."

--Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and three-term mayor of New York



"A double triumph, artfully telling us the stories of five major historical figures while also providing wise insights into how they seized upon crises to grow as leaders. Each of the portraits will help leaders of today in coping with rapid, turbulent change. And here's an extra bonus: they are great reads."

--David Gergen, Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of Eyewitness to Power



"A close analysis of five gritty leaders whose extraordinary passion and perseverance changed history...a gripping read on a timeless and timely topic!"

--Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit



“Emotionally gripping—so much so that it’s easy to forget one is reading nonfiction. The scenes have the pull of a great novel, continually coaxing us to turn pages. Perhaps it is this propulsive power that accounts for how thoroughly we take in the book’s insights. Long after Forged in Crisis has been set down, we reflect on what it teaches us about managing crisis. The demon—whatever it is—is never slain by a single bullet. Rather, what’s required is an iterative process: repeated attempts, different angles of attack. It is the willingness of the great leader to keep on trying past anyone else’s point of exhaustion that often yields success.”

--Joseph Nye, former dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School and author of The Powers to Lead



“Koehn’s well-written and incisive study helps to show us the way to a better nation. Wisely, she chooses to portray people from different races, genders, and eras, [carving] out a new and clearer definition of leadership in the world. In many ways, the book is like John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage. This is a very perceptive look at leadership in the modern era that taps leadership qualities from the past.”

--Bruce Chadwick, author of Law and Disorder, James and Dolly Madison, and The General and Mrs. Washington



“A powerful and timely treatise on leadership, Forged in Crisis presents five compelling portraits of individuals who made a lasting impact on the world in times of extraordinary challenge. Nancy Koehn is a seriously talented historian who has a gift for mining the past to elucidate the present. She writes with verve and vivid detail.”

--Graham Allison, former Assistant Secretary of State, and author of Essence of Decision and Destined for War



“A remarkably insightful book, written in a style that is consistently engaging and absorbing, which reminds us that leaders are made not born, and that the crucibles from which they emerge are, above all, tests of character. Koehn gives us one stunning example after another of individuals who endured deep loneliness while betting the ranch on a hard-to-predict outcome. We hold our breath along with them, and exhale when, after sometimes agonizing losses, they finally succeed—or fail gloriously. Standing back from these stirring accounts, we can’t help marvel at the moral compass that, in each of these people, always pointed to true north. This book is a wonder—exactly the leadership roadmap needed for these challenging times.”

--Les Wexner, Chairman and CEO of L Brands



“Nancy Koehn vividly shows the qualities shared by five of history's greatest leaders—and how we can all tap into those same qualities to overcome challenges and confront crises in our own lives. Forged in Crisis is an inspirational, insightful and indispensable guide to perseverance, wisdom and resilience.”

--Arianna Huffington, Founder of The Huffington Post and Founder and CEO of Thrive Global



“An outstanding rebuttal of the myth that leaders somehow have different DNA than ordinary people. Koehn’s profiles of legendary figures reveal that, in fact, none of these people were leadership naturals—rather, their abilities were forged by the challenges they confronted. During trying times, they kept an unwavering resolve and put others’ needs before their own. Their example ought to inspire every aspiring leader to rise to the occasion.”

--William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies



“Vividly recreates the anguish and urgency felt by five trailblazing leaders in times of great adversity. With spirited prose that highlights crucial moments of testing and triumph, Nancy Koehn breathes life into the past as she shows what it takes to lead. In challenging times, this book is an essential read.”
--Zoë Baird, CEO and President, The Markle Foundation

CAP UCLA Presents Eve Ensler & Anne Lamott In Conversation Sun, Oct 29 at 7PM Royce Hall! WANT TICKETS? Tune in to KUCI 88.9fm Friday 4:25pm and you just might score a pair of tickets! Listen locally KUCI 88.9fm or stream www.kuci.org

Eve Ensler is a Tony Award-winning playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her groundbreaking play The Vagina Monologues which The New York Times' critic Charles Isherwood described as “probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade.”

Anne Lamott, bestselling author of Small Victories, Hallelujah Anyway, Operating Instructions and Traveling Mercies, writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus.

Both women are fearless warriors and literary pioneers who have bared their souls and brought issues out into the open that, if discussed at all, were formerly only discussed in whispers behind closed doors and never in mixed company. Among the topics they have liberated are sex, religion, alcoholism, violence against women, orgasms, motherhood, lesbianism, cancer, genital mutilation, social and political injustice and death. They address these issues with compassion, pathos and humor to help bring the people of the world—both male and female, young and old, rich and poor—a little bit closer together.

Photos by Paula Allen and Sam Lamott

Links & Downloads
eveensler.org

TICKET AND EVENT DETAILS!

http://cap.ucla.edu/calendar/details/eve_ensler__anne_lamott#.WfKBkO1X9Yc.facebook

Listen to Janeane's conversation with Bill Yosses, former White House pastry chef for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama presents a healthy, delicious collection of dessert recipes in "THE SWEET SPOT: Dialing Back Sugar and Amping Up Flavor."

The Sweet Spot
Dialing Back Sugar and Amping Up Flavor
By Bill Yosses and Peter Kaminsky

LISTEN here!

The former White House pastry chef for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama presents a healthy, delicious collection of dessert recipes: Bill Yosses was always a phenomenal pastry chef who felt that sugar should be a grace note to a good dessert, not the foundation for one. 

After being hired as President George W. Bush’s White House pastry chef, he found himself making elaborate desserts foreign dignities with traditional sugar sculptures and fancy confections. But after being tasked by First Lady Michelle Obama to create healthier treats for her family, he discovered that when he dialed back the sugar in his recipes, his desserts were not only healthier on paper, but they actually tasted better too. 

In THE SWEET SPOT: Dialing Back Sugar and Amping Up Flavor, Bill upends the notion of “healthy” desserts and shares an inspiring collection of delectable sweets that reveal the magic that happens when you bake with less sugar.

Today, Janeane spoke with controversial hockey star, Sean Avery, about his book, "Ice Capades - A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey." LISTEN here!

Controversial hockey star offers a revealing look at high living and bad behavior in the NHL—coupled with behind-the-scenes glitter of celebrity and media nightlife

LISTEN to today's show with Sean Avery.

As one of the NHL’s most polarizing players, Sean Avery turned the rules of professional hockey on its head. For thirteen seasons, Avery played for some of the toughest, most storied franchises in the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers, making his mark in each city as a player that was sometimes loved, often despised, but always controversial. In Ice Capades, Avery takes his trademark candidness about the world of pro hockey and does for it what Jim Bouton's game-changing Ball Four did for baseball.

Sean Avery discusses:

· Every aspect of an athlete’s life, from what they do with their money and nights off to how they stay sharp and competitive in the league.

· How while playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season.

· Some of the unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited, including Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, and gay rights advocate.


Love him or hate him, Sean Avery changed the way professional hockey is played today. Ice Capades offers a rare, unvarnished glimpse into the world of 21st century hockey through the eyes of one of its most original and memorable players.



About the Author
Sean Avery is a Canadian former professional hockey player. During his time with the NHL, Avery played left wing for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, and New York Rangers. In addition to hockey, Avery has also worked as a Vogue intern, a model, an advertising executive, and a restaurateur. He is married to model Hilary Rhoda and lives in New York. Twitter: @imseanavery / Instagram: @imseanavery / Snapchat @seanavery

DETECTIVE THRILLER “DISTORTION” IS OFFICIAL SELECTION AT 13TH ANNUAL LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, OCT.19 – 22, 2017. Actress/Writer/Producer StageCraft Productions, LLC, Tonya T. Cannon, joined host Janeane 10/16 9:15am pst on KUCI 88.9fm

LISTEN to today's show featuring Tonya T. Cannon!

LOS ANGELES, October 4, 2017 -- “Distortion,” a taut detective thriller starring Emmy Award-winning actor CORBIN BERNSEN (L.A. Law, Psych), will be featured at the 13th Annual LA Femme International Film Festival (LAIFF) to be held October 19-23 at the Regal Cinemas at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

“Distortion” is about Nicole (Tonya T. Cannon), a young woman who wakes up from a 3-month coma after being attacked with no memory as to what happened. Now, she is haunted by brief distorted, bloody images of her fiancé as the only clues as to what might have happened. She must work with Det. Baker (Ryan Merriman – Pretty Little Liars, Final Destination 3), an embittered police detective dealing with his own personal demons after the death of his wife and son, in order to regain her memories before she becomes the next victim.

Tonya T. Cannon also wrote the script and is executive producer on the film along with her father Jack Cannon. The film will be shown at LAFIFF on Friday, October 20 at 4PM at LA Live Regal Cinemas, 1000 W. Olympic Blvd. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.lafemme.org/tickets/


ABOUT TONYA T. CANNON

Tonya T. Cannon has a wealth of corporate, entertainment, and educational experiences. Dr. Cannon (she holds a PhD in Organization & Management) began her love of acting in her pre-school days in Upstate New York. After high school, she trained for a year at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts majoring in Drama but was soon called to the corporate world where she worked for more than 15 years as a human resource professional. During this time, she completed her undergraduate degree program (Theatre Arts/Psychology) and went on to complete her Masters in Human Resource Management.

Soon, the stage called to her again and she was recognized twice for her acting achievements by the Theatre Association of New York State for her comedic and dramatic performances in Check, Please! and Dandelion Wishes, respectively. She then decided to make the move to the west coast in April of 2014 in order to pursue a film acting career and she definitely hit the ground running. Her drive and determination allowed her to obtain on set experiences, both in front of and behind the camera, in such projects as the hit feature Straight Outta Compton, as well as lesser known projects such as Unusual Suspects and The Badlands of Kain. In 2015, she and her father, Jack Cannon, decided to channel the knowledge gained and create StageCraft Productions, LLC in order to produce, write, and star in her feature debut, Distortion.

The following year, Dr. Cannon wrote 2 short films (crime/drama) which offered additional experiences and insights into filmmaking, and went on to produce an additional two shorts as well as the feature horror, Wiles: The Origin of Greater Magic in conjunction with up and coming Latin star, Vinicius Machado (True Detective, Power). In 2017, Dr. Cannon seeks to expand further into the entertainment arena with the creation of several television/streaming projects as well as additional teleplays and feature films. Her latest project, Sorry, Wrong Text, is a dramatic short film which will further demonstrate her writing, acting, and producing capabilities. Dr. Cannon’s corporate business experience as well as her educational and professional experiences all culminate in her being a well-rounded producing partner that is both creative, yet budget conscious. Based on her experiences, she is able to create interesting and compelling characters in stories with an eye towards what is cinematically engaging yet budget friendly. The slate of projects that are currently in some form of development are sure to keep StageCraft Productions busy and profitable for years to come.

The feature, Distortion, has been submitted to more than a dozen festivals across the world and Wiles is currently in post-production.

Dr. Cannon holds a Bachelors in Theatre Arts – minor: Psychology, a Masters in Human Resource Management, and a PhD in Organization & Management with a specialization in Management Education.


For more information, contact Deborah Gilels at LA Media Consultants at 818-758-6509 or Lisa Lyons at 818-726-8199.

LISTEN to today's show with Tim Federle! Broadway Performer, Tim Federle, joins Janeane 10/16 9:45am pst to talk about his NEW book, "Life is Like a Musical - How to Live, Love, and Lead Like a Star." Time to step into the leading role of your own life!

LISTEN to today's show featuring Tim Federle!

Right around Broadway performer Tim Federle's third career transition, he realized how many of his hard-won showbiz lessons he could apply to not just being a successful performer, but to being a successful all-around person too.

Life is Like a Musical is for people who find themselves desiring something-- stronger relationships, or a better job or a clearer way of seeing their own lives.
So silence your cell phones, and get ready to break a leg (so to speak) and schedule an interview with the lively and very musical, author/writer, Tim Federle, whose advice will let the performance speak for itself.


LIFE IS LIKE A MUSICAL

How to Live, Love, and Lead Like a Star
by Tim Federle

Step into the leading role of your own life!

On Tuesday, October 3rd, the self-help book with a showbiz twist, LIFE IS LIKE A MUSICAL, will be available wherever books are sold.

Life is Like a Musical (Running Press) is the latest non-fiction title from Tim Federle, whose bestselling cocktail recipe books Tequila Mockingbird and Gone With the Gin turned book clubs upside-down. This time, Tim gets personal, with 50 essays drawn from his life as a theater kid-turned-chorus boy-turned Broadway playwright. It’s Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, with jazz hands—and it’s already been hailed as “hilarious, wise, and one-of-a-kind.”


Life is Like a Musical isn't necessarily for people who spontaneously break into dance routines in the middle of the street. It’s for anyone who wants to find their own song, whatever that means to them. From “Cast Yourself in the Role You Want,” to “Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal,” Tim guides readers on how they, too, can benefit from wisdom learned backstage, onstage, and in between gigs.


No theater experience required. Just a desire to take on the role of a lifetime—one’s own.
ABOUT
Tim Federle is a former Broadway dancer turned award-winning writer whose works include the bestselling cocktail recipe books Tequila Mockingbird and Gone with the Gin, the novels Better Nate Than Ever and The Great American Whatever (each named New York Times Notable Books of the Year), and the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Tuck Everlasting. A native of San Francisco who grew up in Pittsburgh, Tim now divides his time between New York and the internet. Connect with him online @TimFederle on Twitter and Instagram

LISTEN to New York Times Best Seller Rescue Road, Peter Zheutlin, share his latest book, "Rescued" 10/23 9:30am pst on KUCI 88.9fm!!

LISTEN to today's show with Peter Zheutlin!

Peter Zheutlin (pronounced ZOYT-Lynn)


"Rescued is a wide-ranging and intensely moving meditation on sharing one's life with adopted dogs.

Peter Zheutlin is one of the few journalists who have taken on the complex world of animal rescue and actually gotten it right."

—Bronwen Dickey, author of Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon


September is Puppy Mill Awareness Month

October is Adopt-A-Dog Month

November is Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month

“The canine overpopulation problem is vast -- there are over a million strays living on the streets of Houston alone,” writes New York Times-bestselling author Peter Zheutlin in chapter 1 from his new book RESCUED: What Second-Chance Dogs Teach us About Living with Purpose, Loving with Abandon, and Finding Joy in the Little Things (on sale October 3, 2017; TarcherPerigee paperback). Zheutlin has considerable on the ground experience with Houston’s stray dog problem and has worked closely with the local shelters and rescue organizations there, including the SPCA of Brazoria County (which was evacuated today due to the failing levee) and Houston’s Shaggy Dog Rescue. Peter will also talk about pet loss, abandonment, and rescue efforts in Texas.


About the book:

In this follow up to Rescue Road (which spent five consecutive months on the New York Times bestseller list), Zheutlin interweaves heartwarming and humorous stories, lessons, and advice from countless families who have welcomed second-chance dogs into their homes and the transformative effect of these adoptions. Inspiring anecdotes from the book include:


· the left-for-dead dogs Noah and Noelle who were abandoned in Houston’s notorious Melrose Park and found second-life chances in Brooklyn, NY and Massachusetts, respectively;

· how a rescue dog in a Florida prison program helped one ex-convict get his life back on track,

· a Connecticut community that found therapeutic comfort in the local dogs following 9/11 and Sandy Hook,

· when dogs help empty nesters, sixty-somethings, and seniors find greater energy, keep mentally fit, and live with renewed vigor,


· and an NFL player who purposefully sought out a “hard-to-adopt” dog from his local shelter who had been overlooked, among many others.

This book perfectly captures the lifelong friendship, humorous non-Hallmark moments, and endearing quirks and characteristics of these once-lost souls that will resonate with any pet owner.

PETER ZHEUTLIN is a freelance journalist and bestselling author based in Dover, MA, whose work appears regularly in national publications, including The Boston Globe and The Christian Science Monitor. Zheutlin has also written for The LA Times, Parade Magazine, AARP Magazine and numerous other national newspapers and magazines. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway, as well as one other book. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, author Judith Gelman, and two rescued Labradors. Learn more at www.PeterZheutlin.com.

LISTEN to Grant Faulkner, Executive Director National Novel Writing Month talk about his latest work, "Pep Talk for Writers!

LISTEN to today's show!

Grant Faulkner is an American writer, the executive director of National Novel Writing Month, and the co-founder of the online literary journal 100 Word Story. Grant Faulkner was born and raised in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He earned a B.A. in English from Grinnell College and an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, the writer Heather Mackey, and their two children.


The following is from: http://www.grantfaulkner.com

Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” How can we be creative every day? That’s the question Pep Talks for Writers sets out to answer. And it’s an important one, right? I know you feel story ideas beckoning you to give them voice. You’ve felt the wondrous, magical rushes of creativity. You know how being creative can change the way you wake up, how you approach your work, how you connect with other people. Approaching the world with a creative mindset is wildly transforming—because suddenly you’re not accepting the world as it’s delivered to you, but living through your vision of life.

That’s the gift I see each November during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I witness thousands of people break down the barricades that prevent them from writing the novel of their dreams and take on the Herculean task of writing a novel of 50,000 words in just 30 days. Writing suddenly leaps up from the cluttered basement of their daily tasks to stand tall on the pedestal of life for an entire month. An audacious goal and deadline serve as creative midwives (and an occasional bullwhip), and writers are propelled by the scintillating rushes of their imagination and the galvanizing force of the huzzahs coming from what can seem like the entire world writing with them.

It seems like such a rollicking novel-writing party is never going to end, but then on December 1, the roars of rapacious novelists start to quiet. Suddenly, people are doing things like shopping for Christmas presents, studying for finals, or cleaning the mayhem their house has become. (Creativity gives the world many things, but it rarely provides a tidy house.)

The thing I hear most often after National Novel Writing Month is “I loved writing during NaNoWriMo, but I have trouble writing the rest of the year.”

It’s challenging to muster such energy each day. The galloping pace of NaNoWriMo is over, and it can be difficult to get up on the proverbial writing horse again. Urgent items on your to-do lists clamor for attention, and tackling those items is important, necessary work—buying groceries, washing dishes, fixing that squeaky door that has bugged you the last three years—so, really, how could you keep doing something so trivial as write? Suddenly, you start to feel creativity falling down on your to-do list. You know the joy it gives you, the life meaning, yet those slithering, pernicious beasts called “the demands of life” loudly yell what you should be doing (and I won’t even mention the siren calls of social media).

No one assigns us to be creative. And, what’s more, society usually doesn’t reward creativity, at least not unless your work makes it to the shelves of a bookstore, the walls of a gallery, or the stage of a theater. You might not think you’re a creative type, but to be human is to be a creative type, so one of the shoulds in your life should be to make sure creativity is not only at the top of your to-do list, but that you put your creativity into action every day. If you put off your dreams today, you create the momentum to put them off all the way to your deathbed.

We yearn to touch life’s mysteries, to step out into the world looking for new solutions to old problems, if not new worlds altogether. We need to tap into our vulnerabilities, seek to understand our fears, look at life through others’ eyes, ask questions, and open up our awareness of the wonders of the universe.

Each story is a gift, a door that opens a new way to see and relate with others in this crazy, crazy world. Stories are the oxygen our souls breathe, a way to bring the unsayable, the unseeable, the unspeakable to life. Our creative lives shouldn’t be a hall pass from the stiff and forbidding demands of our lives. Writing our stories takes us beyond the grueling grind that life can unfortunately become, beyond the constraints of the roles we find ourselves in each day, to make the world a bigger place.

Stories remind us that we’re alive, and what being alive means. “Only art penetrates . . . the seeming realities of this world,” said Saul Bellow in his Nobel Prize speech. Leslie Marmon Silko says that stories are “all we have to fight off illness and death.” Jacqueline Woodson says writers are “the ones who are bearing witness to what’s going on in the world.”

For a writer, life hasn’t really been lived until one’s stories find their way onto the page. We exist in the flickers of a rift with the world, searching for words that will sew the fissure, heal it. A rupture, a wound, finds the salve of a story. If you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself. If you don’t create, you hurt yourself. The signature of your self is formed by the work you put into your story. Making art tells you who you are. Making art in turn makes you.

So it’s your duty as a writer, as a person, to build a world through your words and believe in your story as a beautiful work of incarnation, to see it as a gift to yourself and others, as something that elevates life with new meaning—your meaning. Writing a story is many things: a quest, a prayer, a hunger, a tantrum, a flight of the imagination, a revolt, a daring escape that ironically leads you back to yourself. As long as we’re creating, we’re cultivating meaning. Our stories are the candles that light up the darkness that life can become, so we must live in the warm hues of our imaginative life.

It’s not easy, though. The efforts of creativity carry angst and psychological obstacles that must be overcome. In this book, we’ll explore 52 different approaches to being creative every day. Each pep talk will include ways for you to explore your creative notions and angles, because life and writing are really ongoing creative experiments. Some pep talks may sing out to where you are now, while others might become relevant later in your writing process. The important thing is to keep your creative life at the forefront of your thoughts and actions.

We become the things we do, and I can promise you, if you excavate your life to make room for your imagination, if you open up time to keep writing, you won’t just finish your novel, pen the poem in your head, or submit a short story you’ve worked so hard on, you’ll change, because once you realize yourself as a creator, you create worlds on and off the page.

If you hear the whispers of a novel coming from the other room, or ideas for other stories caterwauling for their day in the sun, dive in. “The days are long, but the years are short,” some wise person once said. Your story can’t wait. It needs you.

Buy Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo.

LISTEN to Janeane's conversation with Gretchen Carlson about her NEW book, "Be Fierce - Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back."

Meet Gretchen Carlson - first on the airwaves on KUCI 88.9fm at 5:30pm October 20, 2017, then in person, Sunday October 22 at 1pm!

LISTEN to Janeane's conversation with Gretchen Carlson!

Event location: Barnes & Noble 7881 Edinger Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA (714) 897-8781

The former Fox News Anchor will open up about her sexual harassment experiences in the workplace and present strategies for dealing with this behavior.

The following is from
https://www.gretchencarlson.com/befierce

About Be Fierce:
When Gretchen Carlson made the decision to "walk off the set" and speak up about sexual harassment in the workplace, she jumped off a cliff by herself, but it led to a new calling: empowering women to reclaim their power against any injustice.
After the former Miss America, mother of two, and star news anchor stood up, and spoke out, women all over the world joined the movement and began to take back their lives, careers, and dignity. Gretchen became the voice for the voiceless. BE FIERCE shares Gretchen’s experience and powerful stories from the thousands of women who have reached out to her who refuse to submit to intimidation of any kind. Gretchen will also share the wisdom and research of lawyers, psychologists, and other experts helping to confront this problem and advance what has become an international conversation about women refusing to shut up and sit down.

About the Author:
Named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2017, GRETCHEN CARLSON is one of the nation's most successful and recognized news anchors and a tireless advocate for female empowerment. She’s also graced the cover of Time and Good Housekeeping magazines and is a marquee columnist for Time's Motto. Since making the decision to speak up against sexual harassment, she sparked an international conversation about the pervasiveness of the issue and in doing so discovered every woman has a story.

In this candid memoir, celebrity news anchorwoman Gretchen Carlson shares her inspiring story and offers important takeaways about what it means to strive for and find success in the real world. With warmth and wit, she takes readers from her Minnesota childhood, when she became a violin prodigy, through attending Stanford and later rising to anchor of The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson on Fox News after working her way up from local television stations.

Carlson addresses the intense competitive effort of winning the Miss America Pageant, the challenges she’s faced as a woman in broadcast television, and how she manages to balance work and family as the wife of high-profile sports agent Casey Close and devoted mother to their two children. An unceasing advocate for respect and equality for women, Carlson writes openly about her own struggles with body image, pageant stereotypes, building her career, and having the courage to speak her mind. Encouraging women to believe in themselves, chase their dreams, and never give up, Carlson emerges in Getting Real as a living example of personal strength and perseverance.

“In 1989, Gretchen Carlson was chosen to be Miss America—I was one of the judges who picked her! Since then, I have watched Gretchen grow as a journalist and as a woman, proving that beautiful women can be smart and that working women can be good moms. In Getting Real, Gretchen writes frankly and with humor about the challenges she's met along the way. We can't all be Miss America, but we can all learn from Gretchen how to confront whatever comes our way and come out winners.”
—Deborah Norville, anchor of “Inside Edition” and author of Thank You Power

"Finding success in life comes after some failures and a lot of hard work. Watching Gretchen succeed inspires me and will inspire all women: she seized the day, made the most of her talents, and never, ever gave up."
—Vanessa Williams, Singer, Actress, and New York Times Bestselling Author

Author, TV journalist and women’s empowerment advocate, Gretchen Carlson Pens "Be Fierce - Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back." She joins host Janeane Bernstein early 10/20 for a pre-recorded segment before her Sunday appearance at Barnes & Noble Huntington Beach, CA.

GRETCHEN CARLSON PENS BE FIERCE, NEW BOOK
ON HARASSMENT AND EMPOWERMENT

LISTEN to Janeane's conversation with Gretchen Carlson!

"Using your voice and speaking your truth is a step toward freedom. Be a 'Fierce' force because that's what it takes to change the world." —Maria Shriver

"Gretchen Carlson's very brave and public stand against sexual harassment gave countless women the courage to fight back and is teaching our daughters (and sons) three very important words: it's not okay." —Katie Couric, award-winning journalist and cancer advocate

"Gretchen Carlson is not only FIERCE but brave as she pours sunlight on this scourge that hides in plain sight. Sexual harassment is an issue that all of us should be concerned about not just women. I encourage every man to read this book." —Larry Wilmore, Emmy Award-winning producer, actor, comedian, writer

"Gretchen Carlson is a fighter through and through and she is using her voice to put herself on the right side of history on this issue." —Billie Jean King, founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative

New York, New York – September 26, 2017 – Center Street Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to announce the publication of BE FIERCE: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back by acclaimed television journalist Gretchen Carlson on the subject of sexual harassment and empowerment. When Carlson, a former Fox News Channel host, decided to speak up about sexual harassment in the workplace, it led to a new calling: empowering women to reclaim their power against injustice and abuse.

Since then, Carlson has received thousands of messages from women who have had similar experiences, discovering that even in 2017, every woman still has a story. As the face of this prominent issue and recently recognized as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2017, Carlson has become the voice of the voiceless and her book will empower women to stand up and speak out against harassment and abuse in any aspect of their lives—from bullying in school hallways to pay inequity in the boardroom. The book will also reveal a playbook to help women and men better understand harassment in the workplace and how to work together to combat it.


BE FIERCE is scheduled for release on October 17th and will be supported by a national media and book signing tour. Carlson also plans to host events at universities across the country to address the growing problem of campus sexual abuse. BE FIERCE is now available for pre-order on Amazon, B&N, Books a Million, and Indiebound.

“Make no mistake–sexual harassment is not just about sex. It's really about power,” Carlson says. “Sexual harassers feel they can get away with it because they believe they’re the ones holding all the cards. It doesn't occur to them that the women they're harassing have power too. We need to encourage women to stop being silent, stand up and speak up and join the movement. Together we can make change.” Join the conversation at #BeFierceBook.

GRETCHEN CARLSON is one of the nation's most successful and recognized news anchors and a tireless advocate for female empowerment. Since making the decision to speak up against sexual harassment, she sparked an international conversation about the pervasiveness of the problem and, in doing so, discovered that every woman has a story. This past year, Carlson graced the covers of both Time and Good Housekeeping magazines and is a marquee columnist for Time’s Motto. Learn more about her foundation, Gretchen Carlson’s “Gift of Courage” and findher book tour appearances at www.gretchencarlson.com.

Advocating bravery and empowerment at every turn, Gretchen has become a force of innumerable power in our current cultural climate, taking on patriarchal notions of gender and sexuality head-on with extreme resilience and zeal. Frequently addressing crowds at some of the country’s top conferences and speaking engagements with her signature wit and candor, she continues to be a tireless advocate for women and is committed to gender equality, exemplifying how you can truly have it all – a successful career, a substantive family life, and an altruistic purpose.


Gretchen’s highly-anticipated second book, Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back, will be published on October 17, 2017 (Center Street/Hachette Book Group). In addition to her personal experiences and interviews with women who have battled discrimination, the book shares the wisdom and research of lawyers, psychologists, and other experts helping to confront this problem and advance what has become an international conversation about women refusing to shut up and sit down.

Be Fierce will inspire anyone who has experienced discrimination, bullying, or harassment, and will also help guide loved ones on how to support the cause (i.e. chapter 7, “Men Who Defend”).

The book tour will kick off with a Washington Post Live interview (Washington, DC/Oct 16, moderated by columnist Kathleen Parker), followed by 92nd Street Y (NYC, moderated by Samantha Bee/Oct 19), Live Talks LA (Santa Monica, CA, moderated by comedian Heather McDonald/Oct 22), and Barnes & Noble (Huntington Beach, CA/Oct 22). It will include stops in the Midwest, Texas, and Florida—the full book tour is listed at GretchenCarlson.com

REVIEWS:

"Gretchen's experiences in the workplace will be all too familiar to women of all professions and walks of life-many of whom she's enlisted to help tell their own stories of resilience, courage, and justice in the face of sexual harassment and assault. Her book should serve as a guide for both women and men, for interns and executives alike, on confronting and preventing sexual harassment, and finding the strength to handle the most impossible of situations with ferocity and grace.” —U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill

"This book is a must read for any woman who has ever felt victimized or harassed and for any man who knows it's his duty to do the right thing. Gretchen is a warrior and an inspiration." —Paul Feig, writer, producer, director of Bridesmaids, Spy, Ghostbusters, and The Heat

"Gretchen Carlson's landmark sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes shattered the culture of silence for women at Fox News and forced Ailes to resign. Now, in this gripping new book, she shares stories from women all across the country and exposes the epidemic of sexual harassment in the workplace -- and how women can fight to end it." —Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair Special Correspondent and author of the New York Times bestseller The Loudest Voice in the Room

When Life Knocks the Wind Out of You

Photo by Hanna Morris on Unsplash

Over a month ago, we had something horrible happen in our community. A 16-year old girl, who was friends with my daughter, passed away unexpectedly. I was shocked and overwhelmed with sadness, as my daughter and her friends faced the most unimaginable, gut wrenching news. I knew I needed to throw down what I was feeling on paper. Life can be so rocky at times. Make sure you give each other lots of love. We could all use it.

////

Sometimes there are no answers. No explanations. These are the words I heard repeatedly today at an event that gathered over 1000+ people – the funeral for the most wonderful, well-respected, incredibly loved 16-year old girl. 16 years old. My daughter was just with her a week ago. Then Wednesday, we heard the news, she was in a coma. Having lost a friend just over a year ago, my daughter began to get very, very sick. She sensed something terrible was going to happen.

At our synagogue, a service was held and close friends from her youth group gathered; they then spent the night crying and hugging one another, as the morning loomed. My daughter fell asleep at midnight and we were both an exhausted mess, wondering what the morning would bring. At 6:00am, I raced downstairs to check the news on Facebook. Horrified and shaking, I could not believe my eyes. She was gone.

I knew my daughter needed to hear this nightmarish news before she read the gazillion texts on her phone. Thankfully, we have a house rule that no phones are on and in bedrooms at night. As a mother, our roles are rough at times, but this- this was the roughest news to share that would knock the wind out of her. When I heard her stirring in her room, I tiptoed in quietly. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled and I was so thankful she was no longer sick. But I knew her smile was about to crumbled when I explained what had happened. I took a deep breathe, held her hand and told her, “She is gone, honey. I am so, so sorry.”

Shock and an avalanche of tears followed. As a parent, you can’t imagine losing your child and my thoughts were with the horror her friend’s parents and younger siblings were feeling. “What!? What happened to her?!” my daughter cried, but no one knew. And all I knew was that my daughter needed me more than ever on this day, and I would listen, hug her a lot tighter and try my best to ease her pain. Pretty impossible, but I would do my best.

Here’s what I know about loss and grief. Life knocks the wind out of you. You can’t breathe. You can’t even remember how to breathe. The pain is unbearable. You never think you will heal that cavernous hole in your heart, and the pain that drags you to the ground is monumental. But somehow, slowly you do. And today, as I listened to hundreds of children cry at the funeral, my heart broke for their loss. My heart shattered for her family and everyone that knew her. The service was incredibly moving and beautiful, filled with more people than I have ever seen at a funeral. There were endless tears, kids hugging their peers, children and adults singing songs, and stories I will never forget.

Our incredible community arranged for counseling for anyone who knew this wonderful young teen. When I asked my daughter if she would like to speak to someone, she told me, “No.” She explained that speaking to a stranger would not help her. “Because I have you and my friends to talk to, I will be okay.” I get it. She just needs to keep communicating and sharing her feelings, she will move through her pain and heal. I explained that the best thing she can do is try and shift her perspective, her thoughts and her actions when she is overcome with grief. Of course, she needs to cry and not hold in her pain, but I also want her to walk, breathe and allow herself to feel joy. There is no timeframe for healing. Grief is a very personal experience, but we just keep moving and remembering how blessed we are to have known whomever we have lost. Their light, their love of life, and the gift of having known them, lives in our hearts and minds forever.

I explained to my daughter that life is filled with tough times and beautiful moments; it is up to us to learn resilience and have life skills to handle the tough times. We must treasure and remember those who are no longer with us.

We will celebrate her life by making something she loved – cupcakes, and asking her youth group to join us. In moments like these, we all need to squeeze each other a little tighter and a lot more often. Only time and love gets us through these unexplainable moments when life knocks the wind out of us.

10/16/17 - Post-show conversation with author and UCI Alumni, Karen Kao. Karen will talk about her debut novel, "The Dancing Girl and the Turtle."

LISTEN to today's inspiring conversation with Karen Kao!

ABOUT KAREN KAO

I am the child of Chinese immigrants who came to the US in the 1950s. My debut novel was born out of stories I heard as a child of the old country. But your listeners might also want to know that I am a UCI alumni, where my path to writing started with classes taught by Charles Wright (US poet laureate 2014) and a handful of poems published by Yusef Komunyakaa (Pulitzer 1994). The road then passed through the valley of law practice and crossed the ocean from Washington DC to Amsterdam, the Netherlands before ending up with fiction writing.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A rape. A war. A society where women are bought and sold but no one can speak of shame. Shanghai 1937. Violence throbs at the heart of The Dancing Girl and the Turtle.

Song Anyi is on the road to Shanghai and freedom when she is raped and left for dead. The silence and shame that mark her courageous survival drive her to escalating self-harm and prostitution. From opium dens to high- class brothels, Anyi dances on the edge of destruction while China prepares for war with Japan. Hers is the voice of every woman who fights for independence against overwhelming odds.

The Dancing Girl and the Turtle is one of four interlocking novels set in Shanghai from 1929 to 1954. Through the eyes of the dancer, Song Anyi, and her brother Kang, the Shanghai Quartet spans a tumultuous time in Chinese history: war with the Japanese, the influx of stateless Jews into Shanghai, civil war and revolution. How does the love of a sister destroy her brother and all those around him?

BOOK TOUR INFO!

Two public book tour events coming up this week
in Southern California!

Chinese Historical Society of Southern California: this is their newsletter.
San Diego Chinese Historical Museum: the Eventbrite page
http://inkstonepress.com. The book is available on Amazon.

Four Day Weekend’s Frank Ford joins Janeane 10/16 at 9:45am pst to talk about his book, Happy Accidents: The Transformative Power of “Yes, And” at Work and in Life

LISTEN to today' show featuring
Frank Ford of Four Day Weekend!!

Success is no accident – in fact, it’s an attitude. And no one knows that better than one of the country’s most enduring and successful improv comedy troupes, Four Day Weekend. For 20 years, Four Day Weekend has been delighting audiences with their uproarious improvised performances from their Ft. Worth theatre, and have magnified their success through producing commercials, products, and live events, and are now bringing the secret of their success to publication.

Happy Accidents: The Transformative Power of “Yes, And” at Work and in Life, to be published by Wiley in September 2017, teaches each reader how to facilitate a positive attitude and make the most of every opportunity by bringing the most valuable and productive skills from improvisation into your daily work and home life. “It’s a semi-autobiographical account of our journey over the last 20 years,” explains co-founder and co-author David Wilk. As their show’s success in the early days continued, the group quickly realized “We were running a business,” says Four Day Weekend’s Frank Ford. “We are not business people, and in those days, we were eighty percent show, twenty percent business. Now, we’re 80% business and 20% show.”

That shift required adopting a way of thinking that is the key to the secrets revealed in Happy Accidents. “The philosophy of ‘yes, and,’ worked so well for us on stage,” Ford continues. “We asked, well, what if that was our business model as well? It not only opened up our ability to communicate within the group, but opened us up to so many different business opportunities.”

One story in the book – about how the group parlayed an under-funded offer from a major company into a positive magazine article that eventually lead to delivering a major keynote presentation to members of the US Congress and meeting the President and performing for the troops – exemplifies how “we use the ‘yes, and’ philosophy to find solutions,” says Wilk. It’s worked for the group – in spades. A weekly comedy show and the ‘yes, and’ perspective have elevated the group to the point where they are now “Entrepreneur In Residence” at the business school at Texas Christian University.

“Business books rarely use the word ‘empathy,’” admits group member and co-author David Ahearn. “But the ‘yes, and’ philosophy helps you as a person. You look at life differently – you don’t see mistakes, you don’t see obstacles – you see workarounds, choices. You learn about active listening, how to be a better communicator.”

“After twenty years,” says Wilk, “our default now is ‘yes, and,’ and we don’t judge ideas. Being ‘yes, and’ people in a ‘no, but’ world – people want to work with you if you are a ‘yes, and’ person!”

Frank Ford

@4DayFrank

Co-Founder & Cast Member Four Day Weekend 

http://fourdayweekend.com

http://www.wiley.com/buy/1119428564