The Start-Up Puzzle

 

Nonfiction / Business 

There’s a lot of over-promises and incorrect advice being given online on starting a successful enterprise. This wrong advice could cost someone their life savings and importantly ruin their life ambition and dream. Therefore, in partnership with the Erasmus University Rotterdam, we decided to pull together a practical how-to guide explaining the process successful start-ups go through: The Start-up Puzzle. It explains the different steps by using real-life examples and has an academic section explaining the theory behind these steps, all augmented by interviews with experts in the field of start- and scale-ups. What makes this guide unique? Real-life examples and expert interviews augmented with a birds-eye overview of the academic theory create a practical guide that is both understandable, practical, and implementable.

 

About The Author

RvP is known as the go-to person to simplify & break down complex business challenges into understandable questions you can deal with. He has a remarkable 30+ year track record as both a senior leader in a Fortune 50 company in operational regional and local jobs, global marketing and strategy roles, innovation and external ventures jobs - world of abundance of resources, shortage of  entrepreneurship. On the other hand, he was closely involved as an entrepreneur and advisor to many start & scale-ups in FMCG, Luxury, and MedTech, a world that is often dominated by scarcity, and thus the only way to survive is by taking risk, and coming up with creative out of the box solutions that have never been done before. Currently, he is active as a senior consultant, advisor to start & scale-ups, an avid (public) speaker, a University lecturer, and a high-altitude tour skier, Robert strives to make a difference in the lives of those who aspire to be involved in creating new ventures, in starting enterprises as well as big Corporates that want to be inspired by the creativity that a culture of scarcity breeds.

 

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Pilgrimage Through the Storm by Bindiya B. Chanrai

 

 

Poetry / Prayer

Date Published: Nov 20, 2024

Publisher:  Serapis Bey Publishing

“One does not become enlightened by imagining oneself 

as a figure of light but by making the darkness conscious.” 

Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)

 

A deeper level of consciousness can only be birthed from a space of darkness, the void of all possibility, as all of life has arisen from nothingness. Such is the paradox of awakening. When you find yourself held in suspension, and when you are catapulted out of everything you know to be true, it is easy to forget the truth of who you really are.

However, no matter the outer experiences, your innermost essence is unchangeable.

A sense of isolation and separation are undoubtedly facets of the dark night, but in reality you are never alone. Many people have walked this path before you, there are those who are currently engulfed in its midst and those who will follow.

The pieces in this book landed as my own journey through the wilderness. Each fragment is a lived experience, and each lived experience is a mentor.

I offer you these words as your companion while you transition through your own inner shadows…may they provide comfort as you move through the deepest levels of release and find your way home, to a self-compassion you never knew existed.

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Charlie N. Holmberg’s Book of Magic By Charlie N. Holmberg Genre: Speculative Nonfiction, Writing Self-Help

  

Unravel the secrets to crafting a masterful magic system from 

best-selling fantasy author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Charlie N. Holmberg’s Book of Magic

By Charlie N. Holmberg

Genre: Speculative Nonfiction, Writing Self-Help

Unravel the secrets to crafting a masterful magic system from best-selling fantasy author Charlie N. Holmberg.

 

Whether using magic as flavor or as an essential piece of plot, this book will guide fantasy authors, from new to experienced, through the delicate layers of creating, utilizing, and mastering magic systems.

In this book, we will...

*Discuss the schools, laws, and spectrum of magic

*Learn to build individual pieces of a magic system

*Dig into magic’s influence on worldbuilding

*Examine different types and styles of magic

*Develop and polish original magic systems

With workshops, work pages, and reference materials included, this succinct one-and-done guide to crafting the magical elements of the fantasy genre is a must-have for speculative fiction authors.

“If you haven’t had the fortune of attending one of Charlie’s writing classes (which I have), this is the next best thing. Book of Magic contains so much wit, wisdom, and practical suggestions for helping any beginning author, or veteran, make their magic systems rise up and be noticed. She uses expert examples from other authors you know as well as teaching a masterclass on developing magic systems from scratch based on methods she’s invented. You just may need this book to help find out what kind of magic-based diseases might be festering in your neighbor’s cabbages.” —Jeff Wheeler, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain series

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Charlie N. Holmberg is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, including the Paper Magician series, the Spellbreaker series, and the Whimbrel House series, and writes contemporary romance under C. N. Holmberg. She is published in over twenty languages and is a Goodreads Choice Award, ALA, and RITA finalist. Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. A BYU alumna, she discovered in her thirties that she’s actually a cat person. She lives with her family in Utah. Visit her at www.charlienholmberg.com.

 

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Signed Book – 3 winners, US only,

 $10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner, WW

 

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Educational Disobedience

 

 

Nonfiction / Education

Date Published: 10-06-2024

 

Educational Disobedience is a compelling and transformative guide for parents, educators, and advocates committed to reimagining traditional educational systems. Drawing from her extensive experience as an educator, homeschool advocate, and law enforcement professional, Dr. Mabry challenges the conventional paradigms of schooling that often fail underserved and marginalized students. With practical advice and deeply personal insights, she explores how parents can use homeschooling to reclaim their children’s education.

Dr. Mabry argues that educational disobedience is not about defiance but about empowerment—empowering parents to resist systems that perpetuate inequity and disempower children, particularly those from at-risk communities. She provides a roadmap for creating individualized, flexible learning paths that focus on student well-being, literacy, and personal growth. The book also highlights how cooperative educational models, like her own Tiers Free Homeschool Cooperative, can serve as community-driven alternatives to traditional schooling.

Educational Disobedience is not only a call to action but a beacon of hope for parents seeking to revolutionize their children’s learning experience. It’s a must-read for those ready to challenge the status quo and advocate for educational justice. 

Excerpt

The Original Educational Disruptor

My grandfather grew up during an era when teaching Blacks to read and write was downright dangerous. He was given an opportunity to learn because he passed as white. Passing is a concept with deep historical roots, particularly in the United States, where individuals of mixed race, especially African Americans, would present themselves as white to avoid racial segregation and discrimination. I have some experience with this too because as a feminine-presenting African American lesbian, I often rely on the ability to blend in when I’m in public or unsure about the safety of my surroundings. I imagine my grandfather felt much the same way. 

When my grandfather married my grandmother, his ability to pass became limited in many situations. So, he gravitated more to the Black community where my grandmother was accepted. In the 1940s, they lived in an area with other Black sharecroppers, but my grandfather was the only sharecropper who could read and write. 

My grandmother knew how dangerous this was for him and their family so she frequently discouraged him from making this fact public knowledge. I grew up hearing my mom say, “Never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.” As a kid, I learned this meant to keep secrets. As an adult, I realize this was the passage of generational trauma. 

The turning point for my grandfather came during one harvest season when he watched so many sharecroppers being cheated out of profits that were rightfully theirs. My grandmother begged him not to challenge the status quo but my grandfather knew an injustice when he saw it, and this time he leveraged his passing privilege to change it. One by one, my grandfather began teaching the Black sharecrop- pers how to read, write, and count their money. He explained what working on halves truly meant and showed them how to sell some of their harvest on their own instead of turning everything over to the land owner.

About the Author

Dr. Annise Mabry is an educator, advocate, and founder of The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation. She specializes in alternative education and community engagement, with a focus on creating inclusive and empowering learning opportunities.

 

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Grit & Grace by Deborah Rudell

 

 

 

The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul

Memoir

Date Published: February 27th, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Deborah Rudell’s world unravels when the leaders of her spiritual commune are exposed, arrested, and imprisoned for bioterrorism and attempted murder. Crushed and adrift, she moves her family off the commune to create a sense of normalcy. But when her husband seeks an opportunity to dismantle and rebuild a derelict fifty-foot schooner, Deborah uproots their children once again and joins him in Kauai. For the next five years, she dedicates her life to restoring a boat.

Pouring herself into the work at hand can only distract her so much as disillusionment about the cult’s lies and manipulation slowly rises to the surface. While she grapples with emotional turmoil and contemplates a new life path, Deborah sets out to accomplish something she never thought possible: sailing across the Pacific to the Olympic Peninsula. Will the dangers that come with navigating the ocean be too much to bear, or will she find resolution and fortitude in the turbulent adventure?

Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul is one woman’s account of conquering overwhelming challenges with tenacity and ingenuity and ultimately discovering her inner strength.

About the Author

A college professor in San Diego, California, Deborah Rudell participates in her city’s vibrant writing community. She is a graduate of Hay House Writer’s Workshop and the Certificate in Memoir Writing program at San Diego Writers, Ink. Her work has been published in the International Memoir Writers Association’s anthology, Shaking the Tree: I Didn't See That One Coming.

Deborah lives with her black cat in a tiny house built in 1906 by a retired sea captain, who carved a sailing ship into the front door. This is her first book.

 

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Operation Nightfall

 

 The Web of Spies 

Espionage / Thriller

Date Published: 9/17/24

Publisher: FJK-KW Press

 

Former SOE operative Luba Haas and MI6 agent Natalie Jenkins secretly enter Poland in 1948 to meet with a sleeper agent and anti-communist insurgents, not realizing their mission has been compromised by a mole deep inside British intelligence. Hunted by both Soviet and Polish security services, they attempt a harrowing escape, not knowing whom they can trust as they try to outrun their pursuers.

Inspired by the true events of Poland's anti-communist insurgency, the Cambridge Five spy scandal, and a covert British operation to roll back communism to the borders of the USSR, Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies sheds light on a lesser known story of the Cold War and immerses readers into the shadowy world of spy-versus-spy operations.

About the Author

Karl Wegener is a former Russian linguist, intelligence analyst, and combat interrogator who served in the U.S. Army and within the Intelligence Community during the Cold War.

 

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Threads

 

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Caprichos Books

 

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