A detective story is a novel in which a detective sets out to resolve a crime. The crime in question could be a murder mystery or another kind of mystery. But there’s always a mystery to solve. In some cases, the detective might know the killer, but still has to conduct a painstaking investigation to prove that he did it and that will create the plot for the story.

In some cases, the detective won’t have a clue who the killer is and would have to investigate until he finds the killer. In both cases, there’s always a mystery to solve and an investigation would have to be undertaken.

Every detective has a different approach to an investigation. Some detectives are relentless and prefer the direct approach. They would intrepidly tackle any obstacle to solve a crime. Some detectives are more subtle and prefer the non-confrontational approach.

Despite the approach, the main intention of every detective is to successfully resolve a mystery.

The thriller normally ends with the perpetrator being exposed and the detective breathing a sigh of relief due to the ecstatic realisation that his painstaking endeavours weren’t in vain.

A good whodunnit will have the readers wondering whodunnit for the entire length of the novel.

While detective fiction is one of the most popular genres, and definitely the most exhilarating, it’s also one of the most complex categories of fiction to write.

Unfortunately, not everyone can write a detective story and the imprudent saying that everyone can write a book becomes even more imprudent when it comes to detective fiction.

From the onset, the author has to know exactly what he intends to achieve prior to writing the book or the book will fail. Step by step, the author has to prudently weave the plot towards the central theme.

The author needs to know what kind of questions to ask? How to ask them? And exactly when to ask them? The characters have to be in the right places at the right time and the action has to be timely.

British author, Arthur Morrison created Private Detective Martin Hewitt in Martin Hewitt Investigator in 1894 and introduced the world to one of the first detective protagonists.

The 20s and the 30s was known as The Golden Age of Detective fiction. The genre was extremely popular and many famous authors such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers rose to prominence.

Agatha Christie was famously-known for her best-selling detective novels based on detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

The Golden Age also produced another breed of best-selling authors such as Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, who introduced passionate crime fiction readers to the hardboiled style of crime fiction.

Hardboiled crime fiction is associated with detective fiction but encompasses a substantial degree of violent crime. It was also associated with the pulp magazines and the Black Mask. The term, hardboiled emphasized the belief that an egg has to be hardboiled for it to be tough.

Today, detective fiction is still as popular as ever with millions of detective novels sold across the globe on an annual basis.

About the author: British thriller writer David Snowdon was born in London, where he still resides. He began writing in 1983 and has written 12 thrillers and many short stories. He’s the author of the international detective thriller Too Young To Die, the international espionage thriller The Mind of a Genius, the international investment banking thriller A Crime To Be Rich and the U.S. detective thriller Sucker To Be Alive, due to be released in April 2011. The Mind of a Genius won an award for the best Mystery and Adventure novel in 2008. Snowdon is a university graduate and worked in the investment banking sector for many years. His hobbies include traveling and socializing. Learn more at www.davidsnowdonbooks.com

A Crime To Be Rich

by David Snowdon

London, England April 2008

Chapter One

It was another one of those routine days. Not extremely busy, but ticking over nicely. The phone started to ring and I grabbed the receiver.

“Shane Turnbull,” I said, in my public school accent.

There was a pause. Then someone started to talk.

“Hello, Turnbull. I’ve got some very important news for you.”

I listened to the person at the other end. The person spoke with a good accent. It wasn’t a public school accent like mine, but it was posh and it was nice. And it suddenly occurred to me that it was a voice that I didn’t recognise.

“Who am I speaking to?” I said after a short pause, a frown appearing on my face.

“Never mind. That isn’t important.”

“It is to me,” I said, cutting him short. “I’d like to know who I’m speaking to.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “I wouldn’t bother with names if I were you. Get over to the Seaview Hotel in Hanover Street at 12.45pm and stay in the car. I’ll meet you there and we’ll have a chat.”

“Who is this?” I snapped, a hint of fury in my voice as I continued to frown.

“12:45, and don’t be late.” He ended the call.

As he ended the call, I kept the receiver poised against my ear as my mind went into action. Who the hell was that? How did he get my number? And what the hell did he mean by saying that he had some very important news? Was he a nutter?

I dialled 1471, but he had withheld his number.

As I put the phone down, I continued to brood, but I still couldn’t answer any of those questions.

At 42, I was tall with light brown hair, sea-blue eyes and had a cleft on my chin. Quite a few people had said that I resembled the actor, Roger Moore when he used to play The Saint.

Today I was wearing a grey, three-piece, pin-stripe suit with a black shirt and a silk grey tie.

Eton educated, I worked as a senior fund manager for Seabank & Cartwright, a major investment bank in Mayfair. And with twenty years investment banking experience under my belt, I was pretty high up within the firm.

I continued to think about the mystery caller. And after racking my brains for a few minutes, I still wasn’t getting anywhere. Most people would have ignored the caller’s instructions, but I was determined to get to the bottom of this.

I glanced at my watch. The time was 11.45am and I realised that I still had another forty-five minutes before I needed to leave the office.

I spent some time monitoring the markets on my Bloomberg terminal, but I realised that I wasn’t concentrating and I kept thinking of the mystery caller.

At 12:30pm, I left my desk and started to walk towards the door. Leaving my office, I walked onto the large trade floor outside my office, teeming with topnotch traders, most of them hard at work and headed towards the exit.

I got to Hanover Street at 12:43 on the dot. It took me about ten minutes to get there from Curzon Street in Mayfair. I parked my silver Jaguar S-Type across the road from the Seaview Hotel, left the engine running and remained in the car. I was parked on the left-hand side of the one-way street and from where I was parked I had a clear view of the hotel.

Hanover Street is one of the streets that runs off Regent Street in the West End of London encompassed with shops, restaurants, a few airlines and a few companies. People were walking along the street in both directions.

I didn’t know them from Adam. And it suddenly occurred to me that any of these men could be the mystery caller.

I was two minutes early, but that was a good thing. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get a parking space right outside the hotel. But now I had to wait for the mystery caller and I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. From the sound of him, I had a feeling that he wouldn’t be late. He sounded as if he meant business and people like that are never late. But what exactly did he have in mind? The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became.

I remained in the car with the engine running, the heater on and waited.

Ten minutes later, I was still waiting. But there was no sign of the mystery caller.

I got out of the car, threw some money into a parking ticket machine, paid and displayed and got back into the car.

As I got back into the car, I found myself wondering why the mystery caller had chosen this location. But that was the least of my worries.

Ten minutes later, I was still waiting. But there was still no sign of the guy. And it suddenly dawned on me that he wasn’t going to show. This was supposed to be my lunch break and the last thing I wanted was a no-show.

It suddenly occurred to me that I had been set up, and I wrestled with the temptation to drive away, but something within me impelled me to stay. People were going in and coming out of the hotel, but I wasn’t interested in them.

I heard a soft tap on the passenger seat window and I glanced towards the window.

A white-haired gentleman in his late 50s, wearing a grey cashmere coat with its collar turned up was stooping and staring at me through the window.

I studied him for a moment.

He was very distinguished-looking.

I rolled down the electric window to the passenger seat.

“Sorry to bother you,” he said, in a very posh accent as I rolled down the window. “I’m looking for Hanover Square.”

I regarded him.

I was very disappointed that he wasn’t the mystery guy.

“Keep walking till you get to the end of the road and you’ll come to it,” I said, pointing straight ahead.

“Thanks, squire,” he said, staring at me through the window.

He was very genteel.

“No problem at all,” I said.

“Beautiful car.”

“Thank you,” I said.

He moved away and I rolled up the window.

A traffic warden came towards my direction. He was checking the cars for pay and display tickets as he walked along the road.

I remained in the car and continued to wait.

Ten minutes later, I was still waiting. I had now been waiting for the bastard for the past thirty minutes and I was ready to climb the walls. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to show and my patience was running thin. Was this a sick joke, I wondered as I was about to drive away?

Then I received a shock.

I saw Sarah, my wife of seven years, suddenly emerge from the hotel. She wasn’t alone; she emerged from the hotel hand in hand with another man. I studied the guy she was with.

He was about 45, tall, dark and handsome and he was wearing a grey suit with a black cashmere coat.

As I continued to study him, I realised that there was something very familiar about him and I tried to remember where I had seen him before.

I sat there racking my brains for a moment, then it came to me. Emerging from the hotel with my wife, hand in hand, and a smile on his handsome face was Sam Luton, my wife’s boss. Here was a guy that I had entertained in my house, together with his wife about three weeks ago. Now he was leaving a hotel, hand in hand with my wife.

Why were they leaving the hotel, hand in hand? I wondered as I continued to watch them. Was there something going on? I never thought that Sarah was cheating on me. She just didn’t seem to be the type.

But as I sat there watching them, I suddenly realised that I could have been wrong. I could have been a sucker for years.

I stared at my wife. She was looking very radiant as she emerged from the hotel. She had a dazzling smile on her face. It was the kind of smile that she used to have when I had first met her all those years ago, but I hadn’t seen that smile for a very long time. I’m a very jealous man, and as I continued to watch them, I felt a terrible wave of envy and anger suddenly sweep through me and in the heat of the moment, I felt like sliding out of the car and confronting them.

But I controlled myself. I reached for the digital camera in the glove compartment, rolled down the electric window, and as they moved onto the street, I snapped. Then my wife suddenly stared at me. As she stared at me, I took another photo. And for a moment, I thought she had seen me, but there was no recognition in her eyes. And I realised that although she had glanced in my direction, she hadn’t noticed me.

They moved onto the street, turned right and headed towards Hanover Square. They walked hand in hand for a moment, then I saw Luton suddenly release her hand, and his hand slid around her waist as they strolled along the road.

I focused the lens on them and I snapped.

Completely shocked, I sat there fuming for a moment. Then I studied the digital photos.

They were very good. I put the camera back into the glove compartment and drove along the one-way street towards Hanover Square.

About the author: British thriller writer David Snowdon was born in London, where he still resides. He began writing in 1983 and has written 12 thrillers and many short stories. He’s the author of the international detective thriller Too Young To Die, the international espionage thriller The Mind of a Genius, the international investment banking thriller A Crime To Be Rich and the U.S. detective thriller Sucker To Be Alive, due to be released in April 2011. The Mind of a Genius won an award for the best Mystery and Adventure novel in 2008. Snowdon is a university graduate and worked in the investment banking sector for many years. His hobbies include traveling and socializing. Learn more at www.davidsnowdonbooks.com

The Whole-Brain Path to Peace by James Olson

Chapter Nine

Peace

The choice is no longer between violence and non-violence; it is between violence and non-existence.

—Martin Luther King Jr.

Is the United States a peace-loving nation? Based on an annual comprehensive survey of the world’s nations, apparently not. A worldwide team of experts organized by analysts from the highly respected Economist Intelligence Unit (an economic forecasting agency) have created the Global Peace Index, the first such survey ever created to measure the world’s nations by their peacefulness. Nations are ranked by 24 indicators, which include internal factors such as transparency and human rights, as well as external factors such as war and relations with other nations. The 2008 survey showed that the United States ranked 96th out of 121 countries, with Norway in first place and Iraq last.¹ By the 2009 survey, the United States had moved up to 83rd place but remained far down in the bottom half of the list as New Zealand took over the top spot and Iraq remained mired in last place.² Public opinion seems to confirm this perception. In a 2006 survey carried out by newspapers in Britain, Canada, Israel, and Mexico using professional polling sources, 69 percent of the British believed that U.S. policy had made the world less safe, and 62 percent of Canadians, 36 percent of Israelis, and 57 percent of Mexicans agreed.³

Peace, as the Global Peace Index acknowledges, can be internal to a country as well as external. Democracy, governmental transparency, and a system that applies justice equally and fairly are all indicators of peace. But in addition to these quantifiable outward signs, peace is an energy. Without peaceful energy, there is no peace. And peaceful energy begins within each individual. In this chapter, we will look at peace from all of these aspects, with an emphasis on inner peace (the peace that we can create inside ourselves). So, unless otherwise indicated, by peace I mean inner peace. Inner peace is a reflection of individual peace. Outer peace, which reflects collective peace, is achieved or created when enough individuals have inner peace. We bring peace to the world by changing ourselves and, once we have peace, by helping others to change themselves. We can teach others peace, but only they can change themselves.

In The Way: Using the Wisdom of Kabbalah for Spiritual Transformation and Fulfillment, Michael Berg, codirector of the Kabbalah Centre, stresses that it is conflict at the personal level that really counts in our lives—such as how we interact with family and friends. “When sages speak of [attaining] peace through study, they refer to peace within ourselves. When each of us is at peace with the person we see when we look in the mirror, strife between nations will cease.”⁴

Paramahansa Yogananda, the famous Indian yogi and guru who introduced many in the Western world to yoga and meditation through his best-selling book Autobiography of a Yogi, understood and taught that “peace in the world starts with peace in individual hearts.”⁵ In Inner Peace: How to Be Calmly Active and Actively Calm, Yogananda states that “peace emanates from the soul, and is the sacred inner environment in which true happiness unfolds.”⁶

In our quest for peace, we face a number of problems, one of the most serious coming from the institution that is arguably the most responsible for bringing it about—religion. As Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire points out, “There can be no world peace until the great religions make peace with one another.”⁷ However, keep in mind that when Maguire refers to religion as a barrier to peace, she is referring to external peace—that is, to collective peace, a peaceful environment. As individuals, we can always have internal peace, irrespective of our external environment or what the religions of the world do.

Religion, the foremost barrier to peace? Ironic, isn’t it? For many religious people, that must be difficult to accept. But consider the following: Of the major religions most involved in world warfare, three “share” common holy ground. They also share the fact of having organizational structures dominated by males who have largely excluded holistic women from scriptural interpretation and leadership roles, except at relatively low levels. And as we have seen, males, being left-brain dominant, tend to be separation oriented rather than unification oriented, selfish rather than sharing, competitive rather than cooperative, and prone to the use of force to get what they want. Since religion is largely directed by left-brain-dominant males—especially at the higher and more competitive levels—this means that religion is directed by individuals who, as a whole, are poorly equipped to share, poorly equipped to cooperate, and poorly equipped to maintain peace. To that, add the salient fact that this shared holy ground lies in an area that has a long history of extreme violence—something we might expect, since it lies in close proximity to what is thought to be the cradle of civilization.

As early populations grew, those inclined to fight in order to remain where they were born would have stayed in the area, reproduced, and passed on their violent values. Peaceful individuals born into this environment, reluctant to fight, would naturally have been inclined to leave, preferring the security of colder climes to war, and in the process creating an ever-intensifying concentration of individuals with violent tendencies. The more peaceful you were, the farther you would have had to travel in order to escape the violence. Thus, centuries later, we see peace awards being handed out in cold, peaceful Sweden and in neighboring Norway, which ranked as the world’s most peaceful country in the 2008 survey mentioned above. Four Scandinavian countries—Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden—all made it into the top 10 in both the 2008 and 2009 surveys. Coming in dead last in both peace surveys we find a country (Iraq) from the heart of a region of endless fighting—which is also the region where the three great monotheistic religions were birthed; while its neighbor Israel (although a democracy) was two positions from the bottom in 2008, and three in 2009. When you pass your revenge on from generation to generation, it never ends. The deception of hate will not allow it (hate blinds, and blinded, we are more easily deceived). You live with hate or you leave.

Because so much of the violence on the world stage radiates outward from the cradle of western civilization, let’s survey that locale for a moment from the perception of an Israeli theoretical physicist (and chair of the Davidson Institute of Science Education), Haim Harari, whose family has lived in the region for almost 200 years. Providing what he calls the views of the “proverbial taxi driver,” Harari reminds us that the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict is far from the only source of strife in this part of the world. In fact, his blunt assessment is that “this entire . . . region [stretching from Morocco to Pakistan] is totally dysfunctional.” He cites the war in Sudan, where Arabs slaughter black Christians; the on-and-off violence in Algeria; Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and its war with Iran; the elder Assad of Syria, who killed tens of thousands of his own citizens in one week; the Taliban in Afghanistan. Harari mentions the Saudi role in 9/11 and other acts of force, often directed toward women who come into conflict with rules severely restricting their rights, noting that the social status of women in the Arab world is “far below what it was in the Western world 150 years ago.” And the dysfunctionality of this region goes well beyond the issue of women’s rights or sectarian struggles, Harari points out. “According to a report prepared by a committee of Arab intellectuals and published under the auspices of the U.N., the number of books translated by the entire Arab world is much smaller than what little Greece alone translates.” The region’s poverty and general state of cultural decline, he suggests, create a “breeding ground for cruel dictators, terror networks, [and] fanaticism.” Harari acknowledges that most Muslims are not part of the violence that we find in this region, but neither do they actively oppose it. Afraid to express their views, they become double victims—victims of their own environment and victims of an outside world that has developed Islamophobia.⁸

How does one calm the agitated head and bring peace to the heart? Yogananda suggests an approach long advocated by wise men and women—meditation. “When . . . human knowing and feeling [is] calmed by meditation,” he explains, “the ordinary agitated ego gives way to the blessed calmness of soul perception.”⁹ Once one has filled one’s reservoir with peace, he says, this calmness then “pours out freely to one’s family, friends, community, nation, and the world. If everyone lived the ideals exemplified in the life of Jesus, having made those qualities a part of their own selves through meditation, a millennium of peace and brotherhood would come on earth.”¹⁰

In Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao, Wayne W. Dyer, internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development, reminds us of the wisdom traditionally attributed to the Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao-tzu (sixth century BCE), who wrote or inspired the Tao Te Ching. This seminal work of Taoism taught a path to peace that comes from living without force. “Force creates a counterforce, and this exchange goes on and on until all-out war is in progress,” in the words of Dyer. He quotes from and then expands on the Tao Te Ching, which states, “You must never think of conquering others by force. Whatever strains with force will soon decay. It is not attuned to the Way.” The Tao Te Ching, Dyer says, encourages us to look for alternatives to force when we need to settle a dispute. Moreover, it suggests that if we can find no other option, we need to abandon any reference to ourselves as winners or conquerors. “The Great Way of Tao,” Dyer explains, “is that of cooperation, not competition.”¹¹ And, of course, as we know, the way of cooperation is the way of the right brain; the way of competition is the way of the left brain.

A discussion of peace is useful, but keep in mind that words are instruments through which we seek to express feeling. Want peace? Seek the feeling of peace. When seeking peace, monitor your feelings for guidance. Those of us who are left-brain dominant tend to focus on thoughts and are relatively separated from our feelings (compared with right-brain dominants)—at least until our feelings overwhelm us or otherwise demand our attention. Thoughts, and the energies they create, can help orient us toward peace, but remember that peace is a felt experience. By changing our external environment (escaping its irritants), we can often lessen feelings of conflict, but to have real peace, we have to change internally—which means that our personal attitudes, actions, and feelings must change.

To move in the direction of peace, imagine the feeling of love, the feeling of peace, and the feeling of freedom as being connected parts of a whole rather than separated out. Be love, peace, and freedom, and know that your peace is only as strong as the weakest of these three. Now, having established your internal environment, turn outward and imagine a peaceful environment. And be there now without regret of the past or stress over the future. For a moment, let every thought and every action go, and just be and feel peace. When you strip away all your attachments, what you are left with is your essential self, which is now and always at peace. Even if, a moment later, life rushes back in, be grateful for the present moment and recognize that, with practice, a moment can grow into seconds, seconds into minutes, and minutes into hours and days. When you want to reward yourself for some reason, instead of turning outward to your favorite addiction for a feeling of satisfaction, consider turning inward and rewarding yourself with a peaceful moment.

About the Author: James Olson is a management-trained, philosopher whose studies have included business, engineering, art, Eastern and Western religion, yoga, psychology, language, NLP, and brain perspective. Starting with conservative farm and Christian values, Olson has developed a holistic perspective by integrating the wisdom of ancient Egypt, Eastern religion, and modern revelation, the disciplines of science and business, and liberal European views. To learn more, please visit: www.TheWholeBrainPath.com

Q. Why did you decide to write this book?

A. I recognized that I had been blessed by being able to spend so much time to explore the worlds of mind and spirit, and believing that I had learned some valuable information in my quest to understand the nature of life on earth, I wanted to share with those who might like to know about what I had found, but did not have the time to comb though a variety of traditional and non-traditional sources of information. I thought I could distill down my learning experience and create a valuable resource for those with limited time to explore. To make this into a book I then had to focus on one major aspect of what I had found, and settled on perspective, because the perception that guides us and shapes our beliefs, our programming, is based on our perspective.  Thus, in terms of personal change, one of the first things we need to consider is our perspective—both our own perspective (Is it narrow or broad, fixed or flexible?), and also the perspective of those who are trying to teach us what they have learned (what are their limitations?). [I’ve used the same answer in a slightly different form for question 3 of the Virtual Author Tour Questionaire]

Q. Do you have any secret writing tips you’d like to share?

A. Don’t get attached to anything. Be willing to throw paragraphs and pages away if they are not working, no matter how much time you have invested in them.

Q. Tell us a quirky or funny story about you!

A. As a perfectionist, and having minimal writing skills, it is extremely difficult for me to be satisfied with what I have written. It takes me many drafts before I can be content with my work. This naturally makes progress unfold very slowly. I am also an optimist, and as one I usually overestimate how quickly I can get something done. For many of the ninteen years during which I worked on this book and its three predecessors, whenever friends would ask when I expected to have my book finished I would answer, “by Christmas,” always thinking it was possible. After several years of that, people quit inquiring, knowing that it was useless to ask. At the end, only one or two people would ever ask about the book.

Q. Have you ever battled writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

A. No, I have never had what I thought was writer’s block, though I have struggled with inertia, with getting started.  But once I get started I have no difficulty keeping the flow going.

Q. What’s your favorite quote?

A. “Silence is not golden, it is yellow.” Too often, I think, people are afraid to speak up. Many of our problems are caused when the truth and its facts are suppressed and we have to make decisions based on distortions of the facts and truth.

Q. Who inspires you the most?

A. People who are willing to stand up for the truth, such as whistle-blowers. I’m also inspired by the power of great music and art.

About the Author: James Olson is a management-trained, philosopher whose studies have included business, engineering, art, Eastern and Western religion, yoga, psychology, language, NLP, and brain perspective. Starting with conservative farm and Christian values, Olson has developed a holistic perspective by integrating the wisdom of ancient Egypt, Eastern religion, and modern revelation, the disciplines of science and business, and liberal European views. To learn more, please visit: www.TheWholeBrainPath.com

About the Book: The Whole-Brain Path to Peace takes you a crucial step beyond the science of brain lateralization, inviting you into a new way of perceiving your world through whole-brain living. But success on this path, argues author James Olson, requires the insights of modern revelation and the illumination of philosophy. Olson’s expansive view highlights the distortions that can occur when one side of the brain is not fully informed by the other. He then goes on to explain how to achieve greater balance, both as individuals and as a culture—thus showing us the path to peace.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your book.

A. The right-brain’s perspective is radically different from the left-brain’s. It’s much more complex. It doesn’t really have a perspective. It sees in all directions. And it assembles wholes, whereas the left disassembles. They are opposites in many ways. For most left-brain dominants, without help the right brain is extremely difficult to understand. I wanted to help.

In order to explain the right-brain’s inclusive holistic vision one must explain the left-brain’s separatist dualistic vision. That’s because the holistic, being inclusive in every sense, includes the left-brain perspective in its vision. Thus, the book explores both perspectives.

Reality is made up of three energies, physical, mental, and spiritual, working in harmony. I try to include all three in my discussions. For an explanation of physical energies I defer to scientists. For an explanation of mental energies I look to philosophers for an answer. When dealing with spiritual energies, I seek the guidance of ancient and modern revelation.

Q. What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it?

A. I’m excited to share what I know about the relationship of the brain and polarization. By helping people understand themselves, I am confident I can help advance the peace process. I chose this subject because I thought that people did not understand the holistic, right-brain perspective or understand how it impacts our perceptions and actions, and it needed to be better understood.

Q. How long did the book take you from start to finish?

A. This book took six years to complete, plus 7 months of editing that was spread out over a year—seven years. But I wrote three books in preparation for this. The first three took twelve years.

Q. What aspect of writing the book did you find particularly challenging?

A. I wanted to include in my discussions all three energy systems, physical, mental, and spiritual. It was a challenge to try to weave all three in and describe their relationship through the variable medium of language. And patience. I kept thinking that I needed to bring the project to completion, but new ideas kept arriving, demanding inclusion. And I kept finding clearer and better ways of explaining what I wanted to say.

Q. What surprised you the most about the book writing process?

A. How difficult it was to craft clear (relatively clear) explanations.

Q. Did you have any favorite experiences when writing your book?

A. Moments when I received flashes of insight that I thought were extraordinary. It made me feel like I was on the right track.

Q. What do you hope your readers will gain from reading your book?

A. A better sense of who they are, especially in terms of their perspective and its effect on their perception.

Q. What projects are you currently working on?

A. I’m writing a blog and promoting The Whole-Brain Path to Peace.

Q. Is writing your sole career? If not, what else do you do?

A. I see my life as my career, but in terms of my time, writing has been a full-time job. I usually wrote six hours a day, six days a week, and seven days a week during the last year and a half.

Q. Did you do any research for your books, or did you write from experience?

A. Prior to starting I had spent years exploring various subjects, so I had a good broad base of research to begin with. In addition the book required quite a lot of brain-focused research, but there was also an element of experience in the mix.

Q. How did you come up with your title?

A. I called it The Whole for many years, reflecting its focus on wholeness and the holistic perspective. My publisher suggested “-Brain Path to Peace”

Q. What inspired you to create a work of non-fiction?

A. I wanted to promote the holistic perspective. I saw that our culture was too often directed by males guided by a dualistic-oriented brain, and that they did not understand, and could therefore not appreciate the value of, the right-brain feminine perspective. I saw that many of our cultures were suffering as a result of the lack of balance, a lack of respect for an essential source of information, and I felt a need to share what I had learned in my explorations. I have been very fortunate in many ways, and wanted to give back, and the best way I knew of doing that was to share my discoveries and conclusions through writing.

Q. What did you do to prepare for writing your book?

A. I read many books on writing, attended two or three writing seminars, was tutored in grammar for a while, and also attended a weekly writer’s group for several months.

Q. How did you develop your idea for this book?

A. Through a long process of evolution. As I kept refining my goals and ideas, the book evolved, sometimes without my knowing where I was headed. The final focus came as the result of a weekend workshop where I had my brain mapped. I was fascinated by what I found out and wanted to know more. As I sought to explain what I found, I discovered that the foundation of our perception is perspective, and that our cultural perspective was unbalanced: the left is more often given greater respect and power as a natural result of male dominance. With our cultural perspective skewed to one side, so is our cultural perception.

Q. What books have influenced you the most?

A. In no particular order, Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Fritjof Capra’s books, Wilber’s A Brief History of Everything, Ornstein’s The Right Mind, the four Gospels, A Course in Miracles, Walsch’s Conversations With God, The Urantia Book, Herrmann’s The Whole Brain Business Book, and Melchizedek’s The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life.

Q. Who was your publisher and why did you choose them?

A. Origin Press is my publisher. Origin is open to both modern revelation and radical thinking and my book was an excellent fit because it contains major elements of both.

Q. What can we look forward to in your next book?

A. I’m busy enough for the moment trying to promote my book. I try to live in the moment and I have no immediate plans for a follow up book.

Q. Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like to include?

A. We are often told that the greatest knowledge is knowledge of self. Although I wrote The Whole-Brain Path to Peace to help explain the holistic culture to men, since we also explore the left brain, this book will also help men better understand themselves. It will be valuable to women in that it can help them better understand their own dominant brain, and also perhaps better understand why males tend to think and act as they do.

About the Author: James Olson is a management-trained, philosopher whose studies have included business, engineering, art, Eastern and Western religion, yoga, psychology, language, NLP, and brain perspective. Starting with conservative farm and Christian values, Olson has developed a holistic perspective by integrating the wisdom of ancient Egypt, Eastern religion, and modern revelation, the disciplines of science and business, and liberal European views. To learn more, please visit: www.TheWholeBrainPath.com

• Why did you decide to write this book?

I wanted to write the book that I always hoped I’d find on the bookstore shelves when I was struggling. Most of the books available are written by doctors or counselors. While many of these were helpful in my recovery, I wanted to touch women and families on a more personal level. I wanted to share my families recovery in order to offer hope and insight from somebody who truly understands how it feels to live through the turbulence of an addictive relationship.

• Do you have any secret writing tips you’d like to share?

I find it extremely important to keep pen and paper available wherever I go. You never know when an idea for your writing will pop into your head, and, unfortunately, if you don’t get it down on paper right away it tends to leave your head as quickly as it came.

• Tell us a quirky or funny story about you!

I have an identical twin sister, and when we were in high school we used to switch classes and pretend we were the other person. It was a lot of fun to confuse our friends and teachers!

• Have you ever battled writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

Yes I have dealt with writer’s block. When it happens I focus on other aspects of my writing like editing or research. For me, once I take the pressure off for a while, ideas will usually start coming back.

• What’s your favorite quote?

Nobody gets to live life backwards. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.

-Ann Landers

• Who inspires you the most?

I’ve been very inspired by my husband, Dean. Despite many years of struggling with addiction, he has moved forward and learned from his mistakes.

• What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it?

I love being able to share my own story of hope. I chose to share about my own struggles and recovery in order to help other families who are dealing with the devastating effects of addiction.

• How long did the book take you from start to finish?

Two years

• What aspect of writing the book did you find particularly challenging?

Editing. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I think every page of my book was probably changed at least ten times. I had to learn to move on, or I would probably still be editing!

• What surprised you the most about the book writing process?

How generous other writers are! As a retail manager, if I called my competition and asked them to share their secrets, they would laugh and hang up on me. Writers don’t seem to have that same attitude. They tend to help each other out, share their secrets, support each other, and promote each other’s work. It is so refreshing and wonderful.

• Did you have any favorite experiences when writing your book?

Receiving my first testimonials was very exciting! It was scary to touch out to authors and experts that I didn’t know. When they responded favorably to my book, I was on cloud nine.

• What do you hope your readers will gain from reading your book?

I hope that my story will help others who are struggling in a relationship with an addict to accept help and take steps toward healthy changes.

• What projects are you currently working on?

Right now, my main focus is on marketing my book, and getting the word out there.

• Is writing your sole career? If not, what else do you do?

I am a retail manager and coach, I also facilitate workshops based on the principles shared in my book.

• Did you do any research for your books, or did you write from experience?

It was a combination. Most of my writing was based on my experience, but I did do research to ensure that I was offering the most up-to-date information on addiction.

• How did you come up with your title?

I thought about what my story represented. I felt that Soaring Above Co-Addiction was just the obvious and perfect choice.

• What books have influenced you the most?

I love self-help books, and there as so many that I could mention. I would have to say that Wayne Dyer’s books have been a huge influence on me.

• Who was your publisher and why did you choose them?

Twin Feather Publishing. Since it’s my own publishing company, it was the obvious choice.

Hey! My name is Kris Sedersten and I am an author of paranormal fiction. I am a budding paranormal investigator with a passion for the unexplained. I enjoy the challenge; the search for evidence that could help to prove whether or not the paranormal actually exists. I love a good ghost story so it follows that I would write about what I love.

Recent polls show that one third of Americans now confess to believing in ghosts. The topic has become more mainstreamed and thrives through representation in the media. The numerous television programs and reality shows about the paranormal have increased interest and popularity in the genre. It is a fun time to enjoy the culture and join in the search for truth.

Exploring unexplained phenomenon has always been intriguing to me. Raised in the Christian church, I absolutely believe in an afterlife. I believe in God and spirituality but that does not necessarily mean I believe in ghosts unconditionally. I believe that anything is possible. The effort to capture some type of scientific evidence to back up personal experiences or other unexplainable occurrences is like working toward solving the great mysteries of life—and death. An awesome pursuit!

The tools of the ghost hunting trade include a number of scientific gadgets designed to capture undeniable evidence of a haunting. Through the use of thermal imaging devices, ghost box technology, electromagnetic field meters, simple thermometers, and audio equipment, investigators catch haunting images on camera. In combination with otherworldly voices captured on tape we try to provide the ultimate evidence that some spiritual remnant goes on after our physical bodies have ceased to sustain life.

Most cases of purported haunting can be readily debunked by real world problem solving. An interesting study by Dr. Michael Persinger, Professor of Psychology at Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada showed that by bombarding his test subject’s temporal lobes with high EMF, the participants reported subjective signs of the haunting experience. Dr. Persinger was able to elicit feelings of paranoia, fear, anxiety, seeing visions of dark shadowy figures out of the corner of the eye, and hearing voices or unexplained noises in his subjects. This study suggests that electrical problems, such as manmade elevated electromagnetic fields, (EMF) can be the cause of the perception of paranormal experiences rather than being the result of spiritual energy run amok.

Simple plumbing and uninvited creatures of the natural variety, such as mice or squirrels in the attic have also been known as a quick fix for a haunted house!

Still, there are unexplained experiences that are seemingly unrelated to any of the above. The evidence gathered by the multitude of paranormal investigators out there, collectively can be very compelling. Certain locations are known to be very active paranormal hotspots and unexplainable occurrences have been documented and replicated. Untimely death and dramatic circumstance tends to increase the likelihood of paranormal activity. It may be that such strong emotional energy transcends death and imprints itself on a location to play out repeatedly through time. What a concept!

It’s not likely that any of us will ever know with certainty what happens to us when we die until our time comes to experience it. There will be no proof positive but I believe the paranormal is worth exploring and hope other investigators keep on searching for answers, too!

I plan to keep an open mind and continue to explore the paranormal and I will write about it along the way. My imagination is fueled by the growing field of paranormal research and the possibilities are endless!

Charting the Changes in the Doctor / Patient Relationship

Hippocrates wrote: “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.”

Part science and part art, the practice of medicine has changed drastically in the six thousand years since Hippocrates first uttered his famous oath.   This evolution in recent decades, as seen both in its practice by physicians and the expectations thrust upon it by patients, has influenced a shift away from the hands-on study of the body as a primary means of diagnosis to a more clinical approach, due to both the advances of modern medical technology and the wealth of health care related data accessible to all via the Internet.

A Little History

Thousands of years ago, medicine offered little more than diagnosis and prognosis.  The doctor’s role was not to heal, but to predict.  Over time, advances in both the understanding of human anatomy and the power of medical technology combined to revolutionize the medical expert’s ability to identify and treat a variety of illnesses.   As physicians learned more about the interplay between each of the body’s organs, scientific discoveries began to shed new light on the mysteries hidden beneath the skin.  The physician’s exam, once lauded as the cornerstone of diagnostic science, gave rise to the X-Ray, which led to the CT scan, to be followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  In truth, such technological breakthroughs are the reason so many diseases once considered death sentences are now routine and treatable.

There is no question that these modern scientific marvels have greatly increased the twenty-first century physician’s ability to diagnose and treat his or her patients.  But there is a cost. Initially intended as practical tools to gather additional data upon which to base a diagnosis, these new tests and procedures have become the central focus for many medical practitioners who largely ignore the bounty of information to be found in the appearance and functioning of a patient’s eyes, skin, teeth, hair, and reflexes. The art of the physical examination, once so essential to both the diagnostic process and the emotional well being of the patient, is becoming obsolete.

What Television and the Movies Can Teach Us About Medicine

These improvements in modern technology are in large part responsible for the transition that has taken place in the modern doctor’s bedside manner and overall attitude toward the patient.  Nowhere is this trend more apparent than in the changing role of television doctors throughout recent decades. In the seventies, for example, Robert Young portrayed the kindly and world-wise general practitioner Marcus Welby, M.D., a man who struggled to treat his patients with compassion in a profession trending steadily toward specialized, impersonal care.

Such struggles were in vain, it seems, as Welby’s contemporary counterpart, Gregory House, M.D., uses his diagnostic brilliance as a means to keep himself always at arm’s length from his patients.  No longer is a doctor thought of as a kindly old man who makes house calls and listens to his patients’ troubles and aches, he is now instead a young physician who hardly handles his patients while computing a checklist of ailments from which to order the proper panel of tests.

While the discussion of Drs. Welby and House above may portray two extremes in the doctor-patient relationship, the range of combinations in between has also appeared in television and film alike.  In The Exorcist, Chris McNeil is a very concerned mother who desperately wants to identify the medical condition responsible for altering the behavior of her daughter Regan. The treating physician, relying upon early 1970s medical technology, offers his explanation:

“It’s a symptom of a type of disturbance in the chemical-electrical activity of the brain.  In the case of your daughter in the temporal lobe, up here in the lateral part of the brain. It’s rare, but it does cause bizarre hallucinations.”

Late in the film, Regan’s physician returns to the McNeil Household during one of Regan’s more memorable performances.  Though scientifically baffled, the physician is determined to hold firm to his instincts:

“Pathological states can induce abnormal strength, accelerated motor performance. For example, a ninety-pound woman sees her child pinned under the wheel of a truck, runs out and lifts the wheels half a foot up off the ground. You know the story, same thing here.”

With no knowledge of the reasons for her daughter’s illness, Regan’s mother, like most people, was unable to engage in any meaningful debate about the accuracy of her daughter’s diagnosis.  Armed with years of medical education and training, the ordinary doctor circa 1973 could strong arm just about anyone with his opinion.  All this has changed, however, with the advent of websites such as WebMD, MedicineNet, and WrongDiagnosis.com.

The rise of the Internet has made advances in medical science more accessible to patients, granting them new depth and scope, medically speaking.  With such a wealth of knowledge literally at their fingertips, patients now want information immediately when it relates to the science of medicine, often researching both disease and cure on their own.  For better or worse, doctors have to some degree lost the unquestioned sanctity that has historically accompanied their “mysterious” profession.

Rebuilding the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Though the benefits of modern technology are not to be overlooked, the changes they have instilled make it increasingly important for both medical practitioners and their patients to maintain an objective approach to one another.  A well-rounded doctor would do well to incorporate newfound scientific resources with renewed emphasis on the physical exam and patient history, in an effort to once again personalize the medical experience.  A wise patient must keep in mind that the Internet, while a practical educational tool, is no substitute for a medical degree and in-field experience.

Perhaps most important to improving the doctor-patient relationship is the need for communication.  To get the most out of your doctor’s visit, it is essential that you express yourself while at the same time understanding the often complex issues and instructions your physician presents to you.  Following is a set of guidelines to assist patients in their effort to communicate quickly and effectively, so that doctors have the information necessary to do their job and patients feel their needs have been addressed:

−  Be thorough.   Your role is to provide the details on how you are feeling.  The doctor will decide what is relevant.

−  Be honest.  Your doctor has seen it all, and he or she is not there to judge you, but to heal you.  Telling the truth about lifestyle choices, symptoms, and concerns marks the fastest route on the road to recovery.

−  Ask questions.  If something your doctor says about your condition or treatment is unclear, ask him or her to repeat it or put it in simpler terms.

−  Bring lists. The better prepared you are for your visit, the more relaxed you will be when questioned, and the more you will benefit from your doctor’s instruction.

With all the benefits provided by modern medical technology, it is clear that the clinical emphasis on diagnostic medicine is here to stay.  As the relationship between physicians and their patients continues to shift, it is important for both sides to remember that the practice of health care is a partnership as well as a profession.   By effectively opening up a dialogue in which information and concerns can be shared, the doctor is better able to assess the situation, while the patient is made to take a more active role in the course of treatment, leading to a more relaxed, balanced and satisfying experience for all involved.

Jesse wasn’t in his bed when she walked into the room.

Closing the door and locking it behind her, she glanced around the large suite and noticed that he was out on the balcony that faced the beachfront.

Striding toward him, she stopped to put down the bag of take-out she had brought on a low coffee table in a sitting area near the windows and French doors leading to the balcony.  She had dropped by her parents’ place again, received another helping of her mother’s soup and other goodies intended to help Jesse feel better.

While she wasn’t sure that there was any medical basis for thinking the food might assist, she knew that mentally it did her a world of good.  It reminded her of her roots and the love her family had for her.  Something Jesse seemed to have lacked, which saddened her.

Jesse, she thought, staring at his back as he stood facing the ocean.  A strong wind was blowing westward, ruffling the shorter strands of his hair.

She hadn’t had a chance to tell him that she liked the change – the shorter hair and clean shaven face.

She wondered if had done it for her which caused a skitter in her midsection along with warmth farther below that he had cared enough to do it.

She had come to discover that about him.  Despite all the tabloid gossip and bad boy antics, he cared about others.  His sister.  Mother.  Possibly even the father that denied his existence.

Maybe even her.

She laid her hand over her fluttering midsection and walked to the French door.  He seemed distant, a solitary figure looking almost lost against the vastness of the ocean before him.

Not wanting to intrude without welcome, she rapped on the glass door and waited for his reception.

He turned, his face grim and set in sharply chiseled lines. They relaxed somewhat as he saw her, grabbed the handle of the door and slid it open.

She stepped out onto the balcony and he closed the door behind them.

The wind increased the chill of a day that was quickly fading to night.  Intense reds and purples painted the sky and the ocean had darkened to slate grey with the arrival of night.

“Cold,” she said and wrapped her arms around herself.  Even though she still had on her winter jacket, the wind seeped beneath the wool, which made her wonder how he stood there in nothing but fleece sweats braving the wind.  Once again staring out at the ocean.  The white of the bandage at his temple a glaring contrast to his skin in the dim dusk.

“Aren’t you cold?” she asked and patted her arms to try and generate some heat.

He hunched his shoulders, shot her a half glance.  “I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”

“I said I would.  I needed to see how you’re doing.”

He gave another shrug, seemingly indifferent except she sensed undercurrents beneath.  Dangerous ones.

“I’m here.  I’m alive.  Consider your obligation fulfilled.”

A self-defense mechanism? she wondered.  Push her away –push what he was feeling away – in order to keep from being hurt?

Only as she had discovered after pouring her heart out to Carmen, it was no easy thing to keep him at bay.  Somehow he had touched her.  Infiltrated those areas she had thought safe.

Trying to shore up her defenses, she beckoned toward the bag of food on the table within.  “I brought food.  I thought you might be hungry.”

Some emotion finally cracked the stern lines of his face.  A hint of a smile and glitter in eyes that had gone to slate grey. He took a long stride toward her, until barely inches separated them.  Laying a hand at her waist, he bracketed her side with it, sending her insides quivering.

Jesse glanced down at her, sensing the tremor in her body.

She was as aware of him as he was of her.  At his touch, her gaze had gone wide, revealing eyes that were nearly black with desire.  When she moistened her lips, the last of his restraint disappeared.

He bent his head, whispered against her lips.  “I’m hungry, but not for food.”

Then he closed the distance and kissed her.  Dug his hand into her hair while he kept her from running with his other hand on her waist.  There was a stutter, maybe a half-hearted protest against his mouth before she was answering his kiss, moving her lips against his.  Slipping her arms around his back to press him tight.

Over and over their lips met until Liliana opened her mouth and invited him in.

He went willingly, lost in his emotions, needing so much more.

He slipped his one hand to the buttons on her coat, undid them and eased beneath the wool and her suit jacket to place his hand on her side.  Her body was warm, the cotton of her shirt slick beneath his palm as he trailed upward until he was cupping her breast.

She moaned into his mouth.  Needy.  Hungry.

Unerringly, he shifted his thumb across the tip of her breast.  Her nipple was hard and as he took it between his thumb and forefinger, she gasped and pulled away from him.

“Jesse,” she said and disappointment arose within him.

But then she said, “The bed’s inside.”

Sweet lord, he thought, swept her up into his arms, somehow slid open the French door and closed it against the chill before stalking with her to his bed.

He released her, allowing her to slide across his body as she returned to her feet again.

So many thoughts went through his head as she pressed against him, reached up and ran her hand through the short strands of his hair.  So many thoughts that suddenly came spewing from his mouth.

“Bruno – “

“Is downstairs eating.”

“He may come up after – “

“I locked the door on the way in.” She raked her fingers through the shorter strands of his hair and gave a sexy half-smile, but it turned into a frown as her fingers encountered the gauze at his temple.

“They might have killed you,” she said, concern and anger warring in her gaze.

“They didn’t and I’m here, wanting you.”

“Why me, Jesse?  You must have had your share – “

He placed his finger on her lips.  “That’s in the past.  I’m not that man anymore.  Maybe I never was.”

Her gaze narrowed as she considered his statement, but relaxed as she said, “Fame didn’t change the real you.”

“I lost the real me for awhile, but I’ve found myself.  And I’ve found you,” he said, bent his head and kissed her again only the kiss was gentler this time, not as urgent, although his need was just as great.

She opened her mouth, sampled the edges of his lips as she moved her hands to his shoulders.  Shifted them across their broad width and down his arms to his hands.  Taking hold of them, she brought them to her waist and murmured against his lips, “Touch me, Jesse.”

Whoa, a lot of heavy concepts to tackle in a paranormal suspense and yet, each contributed to the growth and development of the characters.

When it came to the topic of domestic violence, the heroine, Dr. Liliana Carrera, had not only been abused by her ex-fiancé, but also by a ruthless mercenary who had kidnapped her at the end of SINS OF THE FLESH.  Because of these actions, Liliana is leery of men, especially big powerful men.

Football player Jesse Bradford is a big powerful man.  Worse yet, Jesse has lost himself to fame.  His actions off the field – brawling, womanizing and boozing – have earned him a reputation that would create no confidence in him for a woman like Liliana.

Because Jesse has let celebrity overwhelm the family values with which he was raised, he has lost that family and has only one thing left in his life:  Football.  Returning to game is the only thing that Jesse wants and he will do anything to accomplish that, including undergoing a radical gene therapy to eliminate the bone disease which forced him from the game.

As a writer, my job is to strip away that one last thing in order to force Jesse to acknowledge what he has become and allow him to redeem himself in order to become a real hero.  It was also my job to bring him together with Liliana and teach her that there are real men, powerful men, who do not believe in hurting women.  I also wanted to show Liliana’s strength in the face of yet more violence and hopefully inspire women who have been in this situation to say – I am strong.  I can deal with this and free myself from this situation.

For both Jesse and Liliana to learn these things, they must deal with the genetic modifications which are endangering Jesse’s life.  Jesse is the ultimate genetically modified organism (GMO).  GMOs have been in the news a lot lately as we consider whether such GMOs in our food chains will affect our lives and whether they are safe.

Combining all of the above created a different kind of paranormal suspense and I hope readers will enjoy all these topics as well as a sexy and fast-paced story.