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Hi ,

I am pleased to announce that Penguin Publishing’s exciting new release, The Looking Glass Wars, will be hitting book retailers nationwide on September 26th. This is indeed the novel which will challenge your traditional notions of Wonderland, and which sparked an entire franchise, including the Hatter M comic book series. Additionally, as part of the extremely unique angle for this terrific book, author Frank Beddor has assembled a soundtrack companion to the novel. I have a limited number of the advanced review copy of the novel and of the soundtrack available for review. I will only be able to provide one copy of each per site, and can only accommodate requests for sites willing to guarantee a review before the first date of sale, September 26th.

About the Book:

A little girl named Alice tumbled down a rabbit hole and proceeded to have a charming adventure in the delightful, made-up world of Wonderland...Now discover the truth behind Alyss of Wonderland . . .

Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, was forced to flee through the Pool of Tears after a bloody palace coup staged by the murderous Redd. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life only to see it published as the nonsensical Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyss had trusted Lewis Carroll to tell the truth so that someone, somewhere would find her and bring her home. But Carroll had gotten it all wrong. He even misspelled her name! If not for royal bodyguard Hatter Madigan's nonstop search to locate the lost princess, Alyss may have become just another society woman sipping tea in a too-tight corset instead of returning to Wonderland to fight Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

Meet the heroic, passionate, monstrous, vengeful denizens of this parallel world as they battle each other with AD-52's and orb generators, navigate the Crystal Continuum, bet on jabberwock fights and travel across the Chessboard Desert.

The Looking Glass Wars unabashedly challenges our Wonderland assumptions of mad tea parties, sleepy dormice, and a curious little blonde girl to reveal an epic battle in the endless war for Imagination.

If you are interested in a review copy of the novel and soundtrack, please respond to this email with your mailing address (NO P.O. BOXES PLEASE), and I will do my best to accommodate you. Please be sure to include the book’s official website, MySpace page, and the various assets in your coverage. Included in the assets zip you will find the novel cover art, synopsis, and important information regarding the soundtrack.

Official Site:
www.thelookingglasswars.com

MySpace Page:
www.myspace.com/alyss_heart

Assets Zip:
www.specialopsmedia.com/assets/LookingGlassWars/LGWAssets.zip

Thanks as always, and please do send me any coverage as it goes live. An email regarding contest/giveaway copies of the novel will follow later this month. Please hold all non-review requests until then.

Best,

Stacey

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Edited by: Chris OConnor  at: 8/30/06 8:14 pm

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...I would feel honored to be reviewed by you. My recent novel "The Dharma Videos of Lust and Bust: A Novel of Religious Mysteries" (ISBN: 1-4196-1144-5) satirically exposes religions, mainly Hinduism. Just this quote from this novel should convince you: "Priests are leeches who suck the superstition-rich blood of the believers." You can read
its other 5-star reviews on Amazon.com, the parent company of the publisher BookSurge. I would be happy to send a review copy. Thank you very much.

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Edited by: Chris OConnor  at: 8/30/06 8:17 pm

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Hi,

On behalf of Alfred A. Knopf, it is my pleasure to announce that Jennifer Egan’s new novel, THE KEEP, will be available at retailers nationwide on August 1, 2006.

From National Book Award finalist Jennifer Egan, author of Look at Me and The Invisible Circus (“Brilliantly unnerving . . . A haunting, sharp, splendidly articulate novel” —The New York Times), a spellbinding work of literary suspense enacted in a chilling psychological landscape—a dazzling tour de force.

Two cousins, irreversibly damaged by a childhood prank whose devastating consequences changed both their lives reunite twenty years later to renovate a medieval castle in Eastern Europe, a castle steeped in blood lore and family pride. Built over a secret system of caves and tunnels, the castle and its violent history invoke and subvert all the elements of a gothic past: twins, a pool, an old baroness, a fearsome tower. In an environment of extreme paranoia, cut off from the outside world, the men reenact the signal event of their youth, with even more catastrophic results. And as the full horror of their predicament unfolds, a prisoner, in jail for an unnamed crime, recounts an unforgettable story—a story about two cousins who unite to renovate a castle—that brings the crimes of the past and present into piercing relation.

It would be wonderful if you would feature this terrific book on your site in any number of ways: a review, a giveaway, or simply showcasing the assets. (For those of you who were fans of Scott Smith’s The Ruins, this new book from Knopf is not to be missed!)

Please let me know if you are interested in a review copy and/or giveaway copies and if so, please email me your MAILING ADDRESS. (For giveaways, please specify how many giveaway copies you require to run a promotion.)

Please encourage your readers to visit the official website: www.stayatthekeep.com. The splash page is there now; the site will be live early next week. In the meantime, please encourage your visitors to check out the author’s site at www.jenniferegan.com.

Assets Zip – For more information about the novel including the synopsis, cover art, and a “sneak peek” excerpt of the novel, click here:

www.specialopsmedia.com/assets/Knopf/TheKeepAssets.zip

Feel free to feature any and all of these assets on your site. As always, please send me all coverage when it goes live. Again, if you are interested in reviewing the book and/or running a giveaway, please respond to me as soon as possible and specify the number and type of copies you’d like.

Many thanks in advance,

Stacey

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Edited by: Chris OConnor  at: 8/30/06 8:20 pm

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"I Recommend this Book to All Young Americans," says Buzz Aldrin about Inspiring History Book by Michael Class

On Anniversary of Apollo 11: 'Real' Photos in Award-Winning Book put Modern Boy on Moon with Astronauts in 1969

Seattle author and photographer Michael Class has used digital composite photography to place his twelve year-old son, Anthony, in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, in the laboratory with Thomas Edison, on the baseball diamond with Lou Gehrig, and on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

"I wanted to capture the interest of today's kids," says Class, "by turning American history into a grand time travel adventure.” The museum-quality book, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, is recommended for grades 6-12. The Web site, www.MagicPictureFrame.com, displays some of the book's amazing photographs.

"The book's vivid narrative and captivating photographs transported me through space and time," says Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. "I felt that I was once again standing on the surface of the Moon in 1969. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame tells it like it really was in America's early space program - the adventure, the risks, and the rewards. I almost believe that Anthony was there! I think that parents and teachers will appreciate the inspiring message this unique history book holds for America's next generation. I recommend this book to all young Americans, may they take us to the stars and beyond."

Years of meticulous research went into the book, and historical accuracy rules every page: Anthony takes readers through the science, technology, human drama, and politics of America's space program. Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are based on things they really said, all properly footnoted: his conversations with the astronauts are based on NASA transcripts.

"I wanted America's heroes to speak directly to America's kids, through Anthony," says Class. "Buzz Aldrin does that in the book, talking to Anthony about setting goals, taking risks, teamwork, and courage. Today, Buzz Aldrin is a strong and inspiring voice encouraging America's return to space, putting human footprints on Mars, and the great things that America's children can achieve. Buzz Aldrin donated copies of my book to children's charities and schools. He's Anthony's hero - and mine."

The book's inspiring message also comes from the moral lessons included in each chapter. The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is really about choosing one’s destiny. The story of Lou Gehrig is one of a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business and the benefits of hard work. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it. When Anthony meets his immigrant great-grandfather at Ellis Island, it's really a story about what it means to be an American.

The story of Apollo 11 comes with a message of hope for America's space program. Anthony says, "In my time there is not one child who has seen a man, or a woman, walk on the surface of the moon. My father reminds me of something that astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to stand on the moon, wrote: 'Somewhere on Earth today is the young girl or boy, the possessor of indomitable will and courage, who will lift that dubious honor from me and take us back where we belong.'"

Class included many subtle touches to convince his readers that Anthony "was really there." Anthony knows things that only an eyewitness to history would know: he sees Buzz Aldrin leave Soviet cosmonaut medals on the moon. Who do the cosmonaut medals belong to? Why did Buzz Aldrin bring them to the moon? "You'll have to read the book to find out," says Anthony, the time-traveler.

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame was named Outstanding Book of the Year and Most Original Concept of 2006 by Independent Publisher, Reviewers Choice by Midwest Book Review, and Editor's Pick by Homefires: The Journal of Homeschooling Online. Nationally syndicated talk-show host Michael Medved calls the book "entertaining and educational."

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame includes built-in tools for teachers: recommendations for hundreds of books, movies, songs, and places to visit, keyed to the subjects of each chapter. The author's Web site includes a fun final exam; the author's blog (www.MagicPictureFrame.blogspot.com) is a place for readers to discuss the book's moral lessons.

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame (hardcover, 225 pages, $35) is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, by calling toll-free 1-800-247-6553, at select bookstores, and on www.amazon.com.

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Note to editors and book reviewers: Author is available for interviews. Photographs and review copies are available.

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“The book of the summer. . . . No quietly building, Ruth Rendell-style suspense here; Smith intends to scare the bejabbers out of you, and succeeds. There are no chapters and no cutaways—The Ruins is your basic long scream of horror. It does for Mexican vacations what Jaws did for New England beaches in 1975. . . It works well enough, I think, to be the book most people will be talking about this summer. Enjoy the beach . . . enjoy the books . . . and watch out for those Mexican ruins.”

—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

On behalf of Alfred A. Knopf, it is my pleasure to announce that Scott Smith’s (critically-acclaimed author and screenwriter of A Simple Plan) new novel, THE RUINS, will be available at retailers nationwide on July 18, 2006.

Eerie, terrifying, unputdownable—Scott Smith’s first novel since his best-selling A Simple Plan (“Simply the best suspense novel of this year—hell, of the 1990s”—Stephen King). The Ruins follows two American couples, just out of college, enjoying a pleasant, lazy beach holiday together in Mexico as, on an impulse, they go off with newfound friends in search of one of their group—the young German, who, in pursuit of a girl, has headed for the remote Mayan ruins, site of a fabled archeological dig. This is what happens from the moment the searchers—moving into the wild interior—begin to suspect that there is an insidious, horrific “other” among them . .

This highly anticipated follow-up thriller to A Simple Plan has already been optioned by Ben Stiller’s production company (Red Hour) to be adapted for the screen. Smith will be penning THE RUINS screenplay.

It would be wonderful if you would feature this terrific book on your site in any number of ways: a review, a giveaway, or simply showcasing the assets. Please let me know if you are interested in a review copy and/or giveaway copies and if so, please email me your MAILING ADDRESS. (For giveaways, please specify how many giveaway copies you require to run a promotion.)

Please encourage your readers to visit the official website: www.entertheruins.com. The splash page is there now; the site will be live on Monday, July 10.

If you’d like to give your readers a “sneak peek” at the first few pages of the novel, please direct them to www.ew.com where they can download these exclusive pages for free.

Assetz Zip – For more information about the novel, including the cover art, click here:

www.specialopsmedia.com/assets/Knopf/RUINSAssets.zip

Feel free to feature any and all of these assets on your site. As always, please send me all coverage when it goes live. Again, if you are interested in reviewing the book and/or running a giveaway, please respond to me as soon as possible and specify the number and type of copies you’d like.

Many thanks in advance,

Stacey

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Chris--

I am a lifetime Mensa member, and a lifetime adventurer. Please visit my website for further information about me. My latest book is The Chicken Little Agenda - Debunking "Expert's" Lies, published by Pelican Publishing in late May. The book appears to be a good fit for your website as part of the Skeptic forum.

Here are links to a Précis (bad link) and a Chapter Summary (another bad link) of the book, and the Amazon.com link. To give you the favor of the book, here is what Prof. Walter Williams said about it:

"Robert Williscroft has masterfully debunked what masquerades as science in a range of hot button topics from the environment and energy to education and government. He's made his arguments accessible to the ordinary person supplying him with intellectual ammunition to confront the experts."

Walter E. Williams
John M. Olin
Distinguished Professor of Economics
George Mason University

Alan Caruba of Bookviews.com said:

"What if I told you there was a book that even a person with no scientific knowledge could read and understand that would dispel all your fears about "global warming", nuclear energy, "ozone holes", and much of what the daily media tells you poses a terrible threat to the Earth and you? What if I told you the book was written by a retired submarine officer with a B.S. in oceanography and meteorology from the University of Washington and a M.S. and Ph.D. in engineering from California Coast University? What if I told you that, after reading The Chicken Little Agenda ($23.00, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, LA) you would be the best informed, smartest person in the room when some idiot began to tell everyone that the Earth was doomed, there's no way to provide electricity without producing greenhouse gases, blah, blah, blah! This is hands-down the best book I have read in a very long time when it comes to explaining and debunking the kind of nonsense in Al Gore's new film or the cover stories of Time and other so-called news magazines. Do yourself a very big favor and read it."

I am interested in getting a review from you, and hosting a discussion on your website about the book. I can make a PDF copy of the book available to you, or send you a hard copy.

R.G. Williscroft, PhD

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Edited by: Chris OConnor  at: 8/30/06 8:44 pm

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Chris,

I saw your ad in the current Mensa Bulletin.

I write the column, "Ask Dr. Mike," in the San Francisco Regional Mensa Intelligencer and I'm author of Three Minute Therapy: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. The book is based on the pioneering work of Dr. Albert Ellis and presents an effective, coherent system for overcoming common emotional and behavioral problems.

I would be happy to partake in one of your live author chats. If you're interested, I'll ask my publisher to send you a review copy.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best, Michael

Michael R. Edelstein, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
San Francisco

Author of THREE MINUTE THERAPY:
CHANGE YOUR THINKING, CHANGE YOUR LIFE*
(with David Ramsay Steele, Ph.D.)
FEATURES HELP FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION,
RELATIONSHIPS, PANIC ATTACKS AND ADDICTION
*A Quality Paperback Book Club/Book-of-the-Month Club Selection

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Mr. P's place. I warned you!!!

The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.

The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"

I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper