Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Interview with Richard Monts, author of Constitutional Renaissance







Title: Constitutional Renaissance
Author: Richard Monts
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Political Science/Government
Format: Ebook
Have you had enough? When will the United States government stop growing? All constitutionally enumerated activities should have been in place long ago. There should be no more expansion in scope, yet there is. What we have now is an overbearing out-of-control central government—expanding far beyond constitutional limits—imposing on member states’ sovereignty. The result is a reduction in competition among states, a stifling business environment, and citizens and businesses suffering under complex taxation and regulations. On top of that, a litigious environment depresses economic activity further. There is an alternative! This book presents one that is very business friendly, establishes competition among the states, and provides a positive environment for the individual to strive for their potential while honoring the genius of the Constitution.

Question1- Could you please tell us a little about your book?

For many years I have wondered how the US government can continue to grow and it was obvious many people where not realizing their potential. Why? Finally, during the Affordable Care Act discussions I had heard enough. I decided to find out for myself the intent of the Constitution. It was concluded the US government is out-of-control and far beyond its constitutional limits and is a major impediment to the people it is supposed to serve. It became obvious government is the problem. Yet, no one was talking about an alternative, or fixing problems. It was just to keep expanding the same old system that is dragging us down, holding us back. As a personal exercise I designed an alternative that fits the intent of the Constitution and enables the people to achieve their potential. I liked it, it was surprisingly good, I had to share it with others. I wrote Constitutional Renaissance to get people to think out of the confining little box we are now in. We have so much potential, if only we would use the discipline required of a free people to keep government in its assigned box.

Question2 – Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

What started as a personal exercise has grown into something much bigger. During my reading and thinking about the intent of the Constitution I became aware of the great unrealized potential of the United States. It is the people of this country that are the inspiration of this book. It is their unrealized potential. If we apply the Constitution as intended this country, through the aggregation of individual citizens striving for their potential, would be a truly spectacular place.
Question3- What cause are you most passionate about and why

It is the potential of this country that is my passion. It is this potential that is driving me to do something that goes against my personality and character. I am not a promoter or prone to self-aggrandizement. Communicating the great possibility of actually fixing our out-of-control US government is frustrating. I am not one to push my ideas on others. If my position has merit, it will be accepted without my pushing it on others.

Question4- Do you have any rituals you follow when you finish a piece of work?
I have no outward rituals, I do reflect on the effort and mentally critic what I have written. I always think it is not good enough.
Question5- Who has influenced you throughout your writing career?
The reader! Respect for the reader.
Question6- What are some of your long term goals?

My long-term plan depends on the success of this book. If no one see the merit of the alternative I have presented, then it would be useless to keep pushing. On the other hand, if there is interest in the content of the book I will work to spread the idea. I see so much potential, if only we would get our government in alignment with the intent of the Constitution. It only takes the people of this country to elect 360 people to national office to make the necessary adjustment. I have founded the Constitutional Renaissance Institute, LLC to do just that. We will see what the future holds. By the way, I do not take a political position in presenting my alternative. What I have done is suggest a much more efficient structure of government that is in alignment with the intent of the Constitution. It is to let people control their lives at the local level of government. They can align themselves with any arrangement from liberal to libertarian or any mix. It should be up to the people to determine how government affects their lives. The further the government from the people the less involved it should be in their day to day lives. It should be more involved in state to state or nation to nation.

Mr. Monts has been concerned about continued expansion of the United States government since the Kennedy administration. He deferred to others, constitutional and legal experts galore, for the correct interpretation of the Constitution. He assumed they were right. During the Affordable Care Act discussions, he had heard enough. He determined to answer two questions to his own satisfaction. First, what is the role of the United States government? Second, what is the best environment for the individual to realize their own potential? After reading the Constitution and other contemporary writings, using his own common sense, putting intellectual integrity and honesty before ideology, ignoring case law, using correct meanings of critical words, he had his answers. The results are in this book.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Book Feature: 2D Surgical Hospital by Lorna Griess





Title: 2D Surgical Hospital
Author: Lorna Griess
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Military Biography
Format: Ebook
This book is about living and working in a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) in South Vietnam. It talks about the hospital itself, the setting, how we lived, how we coped with less-than-good circumstances, the type of patients we received, the equipment we worked with, and the emotional highs and lows that were part of every day. The stories are true. Some of the dates and numbers of things may be off a little; that was a long time ago. Names have not been used to protect the wonderful, dedicated people with whom I worked and lived with.
Lorna Griess made the Army Nurse Corps her career after her tour in Vietnam. She served in hospitals worldwide for almost thirty years. She retired as a full colonel and chief nurse at Letterman Army Medical Center on the Presidio in San Francisco (now closed). Fully retired from nursing, she joined the Military Officers Association of America, California Council of Chapters, and became their legislative liaison. She serves as a veterans’ advocate in the California State Legislature. She is a member of several other veterans’ organizations including Vietnam Veterans, AMVETS, and VFW. She writes articles, reporting on current legislation for local newsletters. For relaxation, she has become an artist. Her oil paintings have been on display at several galleries around Sacramento, including the Crocker Art Gallery.

Monday, November 20
Review From Here
Literal Exposure

Tuesday, November 21
Mythical Books
Born to Read Books

Wednesday, November 22
A Book Lover
I'm Shelf-ish

Thursday, November 23
The Dark Phantom
The Zen Reader

Friday, November 24
My Bookish Pleasures
Inkslinger's Opus

Monday, November 27
All Inclusive Retort
T's Stuff

Tuesday, November 28
Bent Over Bookwords
Lover of Literature

Wednesday, November 29
The Book Czar
The Book Refuge

Thursday, November 30
The Hype and the Hoopla
The Revolving Bookshelf

Friday, December 1
Voodoo Princess
My Life. One Story at a Time.

Book Feature: Yesterday Is Never Gone by Ilona Salley






Title: Yesterday is Never Gone
Author: Ilona Sally
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Thriller/Crime
Format: Ebook
Niki is no stranger to horrific personal challenges. As a child, she bravely endured abandonment by her father. While in her teens, she witnessed her mother’s murder and the abduction and presumed death of her only sibling. Although her secrets have always been carefully cloaked from others, they have shaped her personality more than she would like to admit. But with a past as terrible as hers, how can Niki ever hope for a bright future? Years later, Niki is a dedicated profiler in a criminal investigation agency with no idea her life is about to change exponentially. One day, through a quirky twist of fate, she receives startling news that her sister, Inge, is alive. As a driving force compels Niki to search for her, she embarks on a quest that takes her through cities and wilderness on two continents. She encounters difficult decisions, threatening mobsters, near-death experiences, and romance, yet nothing deters her from reaching her goal—not even a gruesome discovery about her father. But Niki is about to discover that things are never what they seem to be. In this thrilling tale, deception and inner turmoil hamper a young woman’s journey toward a new reality as she attempts to reconcile her past and find the truth.
Ilona Salley emigrated from Germany to Toronto, Canada, with her family when she was three. Throughout her life, her interests have included squash, skiing, wood carving, literature, art, and languages. Her fascination with architecture and archaeology has led her to travel in search of ancient places and artifacts. After a long career as an educator, she expanded her horizons by teaching in England and China. Now, she spends part of each year in Fort Myers, Florida.

Monday, November 20
Review From Here
Literal Exposure

Tuesday, November 21
The Writers Life
A Title Wave

Wednesday, November 22
A Book Lover
Born to Read Books

Thursday, November 23
T's Stuff
Mythical Books

Friday, November 24
My Bookish Pleasures
Inkslinger's Opus

Monday, November 27
All Inclusive Retort
Indie Wish List

Tuesday, November 28
Bent Over Bookwords
Lover of Literature

Wednesday, November 29
The Book Czar
The Book Refuge

Thursday, November 30
The Hype and the Hoopla
The Revolving Bookshelf

Friday, December 1
Voodoo Princess
Write and Take Flight

Monday, November 27, 2017

Book Feature: Home Coming by Charles Lansford and Irene Nickerson






Title: Home Coming
Author: Charles Lansford and Irene Nickerson
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Coming of Age
Format: Ebook
Homecoming is that surreal feeling that a soldier has when he has returned home. For our heroes, each is facing new challenges, hopes, and fears. Ti is worried about what the shape-shifter major told him. He wonders what other secrets might be hiding in the shadows and what dangers they might hold for his family. Beary and Crew have returned home to build a new warship to face the growing threat to the Bearilian Federation. It is one that is pointed directly at his family like a dagger to his throat. Angelina and Octavious have discovered that old enemies have joined in the vendetta against their family. Old secrets may surface. Old threats may appear. All the pieces are now in place. It has been a month since everyone has returned.





Friday, November 24, 2017

Book Feature: The Silver Horn Echoes by Michael Eging and Steve Arnold




Title: The Silver Horn Echoes: A Song of Roland
Author: Michael Eging and Steve Arnold
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Ebook
The Dark Ages—a time of great turmoil and the collision of empires! 

As the Frank kingdom prepares for war, Roland, young heir to the Breton March, has been relegated to guard duty until a foreign emissary entrusts him with vital word of a new threat to the kingdom. Now Roland must embark on a risky journey to save all he loves from swift destruction. 

And yet while facing down merciless enemies, he must also reveal the hand of a murderer who even now stalks the halls of power and threatens to pull apart a kingdom reborn under the greatest of medieval kings, the remarkable Charlemagne. 

For Roland to become the champion his kingdom needs, he must survive war, intrigue and betrayal. The Silver Horn Echoes pays homage to "La Chanson de Roland" by revisiting an age of intrigue and honor, and a fateful decision in the shadows of a lonely mountain pass—Roncevaux!


Michael Eging is co-author of Annwyn’s Blood, as well as a screenwriter and partner at Filibuster Filmworks. He and his wife have five children and live in Virginia. Steve Arnold lives in Ohio with his wife and kids. Besides co-authoring Annwyn’s Blood, he has corroborated on everything from short stories to screenplays for Filibuster Filmworks.



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Thursday, November 23, 2017

Book Feature: Lydie of Peruwelz by Richard Burack, SR., MD






Title: Lydie of Peruwelz
Author: Richard Burack, Sr., MD
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Ebook
In 1839, Lydie Fougnies, 20 years old, is attractive, refined, and educated. Her father is a well-to-do businessman. She meets Felippe Van Hendryk, single child of wealthy aristocrats. They fall in love and a two-year chaste affair leads to talk of marriage. However, his class-conscious, bigoted mother severs their relationship because Lydie is not from high society. Unhappy Felippe is sent to university in Switzerland where he marries, and divorces, the wanton daughter of a wealthy Swiss banker. Lydie is angry and resentful. She is a victim of emotion and, bent on revenge, she cannot think rationally. Believing she can wreak revenge on Mme Van Hendryk by proving her worth only if she belongs to the aristocracy, she directs her attention to Count Hippolyte de Bocarmé, a farmer who lives in a dreary, desolate 16th century chateau. Unschooled and crude, his size and strength seduce her. Certain that the rustic, prodigal son of a fine family can easily be led to the altar, she mentors him in reading, writing, and manners. Never does she suspect that he’s a conscienceless psychopathic felon. He conceals his craving to know her sexually, and plans to steal her family’s fortune.
Richard Burack has a BA from the University of Wisconsin and an MD from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He served as a Medical Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard in the Pacific Theater during the Korean War. In 1960 he was appointed to the pharmacology faculty at Harvard Medical School, and later practiced internal medicine before embarking on a career as a medical director for two U.S. non-pharmaceutical corporations. In retirement, he was a part-time physician at a charity hospital in St. Lucia and has devoted himself to writing. In 1967, Dr. Burack published The Handbook of Prescription Drugs, alerting doctors and the public to the availability of less costly generic medications. Fifty years later, the public buys the majority of its prescription drugs as “generics.” He and his wife, Mary, reside in New Hampshire. They have five children and ten grandchildren.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Book Feature: Constitutional Renaissance by Richard Monts






Title: Constitutional Renaissance
Author: Richard Monts
Publisher: XLibrisUS
Genre: Political Science/Government
Format: Ebook
Have you had enough? When will the United States government stop growing? All constitutionally enumerated activities should have been in place long ago. There should be no more expansion in scope, yet there is. What we have now is an overbearing out-of-control central government—expanding far beyond constitutional limits—imposing on member states’ sovereignty. The result is a reduction in competition among states, a stifling business environment, and citizens and businesses suffering under complex taxation and regulations. On top of that, a litigious environment depresses economic activity further. There is an alternative! This book presents one that is very business friendly, establishes competition among the states, and provides a positive environment for the individual to strive for their potential while honoring the genius of the Constitution.
Mr. Monts has been concerned about continued expansion of the United States government since the Kennedy administration. He deferred to others, constitutional and legal experts galore, for the correct interpretation of the Constitution. He assumed they were right. During the Affordable Care Act discussions, he had heard enough. He determined to answer two questions to his own satisfaction. First, what is the role of the United States government? Second, what is the best environment for the individual to realize their own potential? After reading the Constitution and other contemporary writings, using his own common sense, putting intellectual integrity and honesty before ideology, ignoring case law, using correct meanings of critical words, he had his answers. The results are in this book.