Before Terror Strikes

"Evil...prevails when good people do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke

In today's world more than ever the need to be observant and diligent wherever we go is something we all need to take seriously. In light of the recent mass shootings, being more diligent in what is normal and what isn't could be the best line of defense we can apply to any situation. I think far too many people think what happens around them is strictly none of their business, but when these same people are interviewed after the event, they all say the same thing. "I knew there was just something about that person that didn't feel right."

In the book, Before Terror Strikes: Learn The Tactical Mindsets and Skillsets Necessary To Survive A Terrorist Event Before It Occurs, author William Michael Seddon Sr. takes readers into some simple things we can do to get us out of our day to day routines and become more hyper aware of our surroundings. It's these simple strategies that may in fact save our lives the next time something like this should happen.

In the beginning of the book, the author asks some very powerful questions to see what your initial response would be to any of these situations: What would you do if you found yourself taking sniper fire in a parking lot? Or shopping in a crowded mall when someone begins spraying automatic weapons fire? What if you were picking up your luggage at the airport, and someone started throwing hand grenades? What would you do?

This short but concise book details the inner workings of such terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and how they have changed strategy's in looking for smaller attacks around the world to accomplish their intents and purposes. He showcases what some safe options might be if you find yourself in any of the situations above and some simple things we can do when traveling to make ourselves a less likely threat and target. He instructs readers to be more vigilant on anniversaries of other attacks such as the one that occurred in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.

I received Before Terror Strikes by William Michael Seddon Sr compliments of Outskirts Press and Bostick Communications for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. In light of all the recent attacks in malls, schools and even abroad, I have found myself paying attention to things a lot more than I would have in the past. In the movie theaters, I watch who comes in and out, and if anyone uses the emergency exits. No longer can we afford to simply be complacent any longer hoping someone else will pay attention for us. While this book is geared to inform, it does not cause you to take up arms and prepare for these events to occur but merely to get you to think a little differently than you may have in the past. For those of you that love books that help you prepare for these types of threats or those who love survival training than this is the perfect book for you. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars just simply based on the fact I was looking for more meat in the content of this book and it was short, concise and simple at 166 pages.

About the Author William Michael Seddon Sr.
William Michael Seddon Sr., M.S., Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist, served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps for over 13 years. He was a Marine Training Instructor and is the found of 7th Stratagem, an anti/counterterrorism consulting company.

For more information about Before Terror Strikes, William Michael Seddon Sr, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today please click on the links below:

Before Terror Strikes by William Michael Seddon Sr. 

You can also find more information from the Before Terror Strikes Facebook page.

• Hardcover: 166 pages
• Publisher: Outskirts Press (April 3, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1478717203
• ISBN-13: 978-1478717201
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches 

You can find this book at your favorite book retailer in hardcover and eBook formats. 

In The Bag

Based on a true life circumstance that provided her with the incentive to write this amazing novel, Kate Klise takes readers from two different generations along on a world wind trip to Paris and Madrid in In The Bag.

As two unlikely passengers boarding a flight to Paris, Daisy Sprinkle, sitting in first class and having a complimentary glass of wine, encounters through a bump of fate, Andrew Nelson. He is the one who accidentally bumps her and causes her to spill her wine on her blouse while making his way to his assigned seat. As a stewardess sweeps in to take care of the crisis, he is reprimanded to find his seat now. Feeling less than a man, he hand writes a personal note of apology offering to replace the blouse, or have it cleaned. But much more than that, he would love to take her to dinner once they return from Paris if that's at all possible. He ends the note with his email address. While they are waiting for their baggage in Paris, he slips the note into her carry on and hopes that she will respond.

Meanwhile, Coco, her daughter finds that she has retrieved the wrong duffel bag when they arrive at their apartment in Paris filled with a man's rumpled jeans, shirts and a well worn copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. What she soon realizes that someone else has her duffel bag filled with not only her clothes but also her worst underwear in it. Her mom advised her to pack her worst and they would buy new lingerie when they got to Paris and could throw the old stuff away.

Webb realizes that he has the wrong duffel bag when he opens his to find nicely organized and packed women's clothes and bras and underwear that certainly don't belong to him. When he locates a luggage tag with an email address attached, he finds an internet cafe in Madrid and sets off to locate the person who's bag he has. Lucky for him, she responds quickly enough via email and they soon set off on a series of unexpected, cute and witty email messages while their parents attend to their jobs. What they both soon realize is that they have a lot in common and agree to meet somehow and exchange bags if only they can escape their parents.

I received In The Bag by Kate Klise compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and LOVED it! It's like You Got Mail while traveling! This is such a cute love story that deal with two couples, Andrew and Daisy, and Coco and Webb, who soon realize that their ideas of romance and falling in love are much different that what they could ever hope to imagine. For Coco and Webb, they are part of the younger generation who text and email, while Andrew and Daisy come from a pre-digital generation of letter writers and simpler times. You can't help but smile after reading this novel told from four different points of view through the week they are traveling! A definite must read for the summer and one I highly recommend! This one is a 5 out of 5 stars!!

For more information on In The Bag, Kate Klise, and where to pick up a copy of this wonderful book today, please click on the links below:

In The Bag by Kate Klise

You can also find Kate Klise on Facebook by clicking here.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

Ginny Blackstone, a 17 year-old-girl has always admired her eccentric Aunt Peg, who has traveled all over the world, experiencing life on a whim and just going with the flow of things. When she learns that Aunt Peg has died of a brain tumor without being able to say goodbye, Ginny learns of an unexpected plan that her Aunt Peg hatched in her moments of clarity. She receives a letter from Aunt Peg with $1000 cash and instructions to get a passport, purchase a ticket to London and take only what she can fit in a backpack. She can't take any electronic devices like cell phones, lap top or even any extra cash or ATM card. She is also not allowed to browse the internet before she leaves to gain any travel information about London.

There is one stop she must make before heading to the airport, she has to stop at the 4 Noodles in New York and retrieve a package. She can not open the package until she is on the plane. So Ginny does what most of us might do, she carries out the instructions and heads for New York to retrieve the package. While in route to London, she learns the package contains a letter and 13 little blue envelopes. The letter is once again from Aunt Peg who instructs her that each of these envelopes contain a task for her to complete. Once she completes the task, she can open the next envelope until she reaches the end. What Ginny learns through completing these series of tasks is that she gets to spend time with her Aunt Peg even though she isn't around and in the process learns a lot about herself along the way.

I received 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson as a Free Kindle Ebook and am so glad I did. Even though this book is written for the Young Adult audience, it's truly got a message tucked within the pages of this book that everyone needs to read. So the question is what if you received a message containing $1000 and instructions to obtain a passport and ticket to London, would you go? Trust me, you're going to love this book and now my 18-year-old daughter is planning on reading this one right after me. I would rate this adventure a true 5 out of 5 little blue envelopes!

For more information on this book, the author and even where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the link below:

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson