Lifecycle of Intelligence

AI Governance, AI Charter, Artificial Power, AI Oligarchs, Democracy and the Future of Nations

Economic Policy, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence

Date Published: July 16, 2026

The Future Of AI Will Not Be Decided By Technology Alone—It Will Be Decided By Leadership

 

Artificial Intelligence is moving faster than any previous technological revolution. It promises extraordinary prosperity but also unprecedented risks. Will AI create a future of shared human flourishing or concentrate wealth, power and influence in the hands of a technological elite?

 

The Lifecycle of Intelligence is a groundbreaking guide for leaders, policymakers, business executives, educators and citizens who want to understand and shape the future of the Machine Age.

 

Written by economist and international analyst Steve Jones, this compelling book goes beyond the hype surrounding AI to explore the deeper economic, political and social forces redefining nations, democracy, labour markets and global power.

 

Rather than focusing solely on technology, this book asks the defining question of the 21st century:

 

How do we ensure Artificial Intelligence serves humanity, not the other way around?

 

Inside You'll Discover:

 

• The Big Picture - Understand the economic, geopolitical and historical forces driving the AI revolution.
• The Five-Stage AI Maturity Model - A practical framework that helps governments, organisations and nations understand where they are today and how to progress safe, responsible and human-centred AI governance.
• The AI Charter - Inspired by the Atlantic Charter, this bold vision establishes guiding principles for freedom, democracy, accountability, fairness and shared prosperity in the Machine Age.
• The Real Risks of AI - Explore the challenges of AI oligarchies, automation, job displacement, surveillance capitalism, misinformation, democratic erosion, systemic safety risks, environmental impacts and geopolitical competition.
• A Practical Roadmap for Action - Discover concrete governance models, implementation frameworks and policy recommendations that help leaders move from awareness to action.

 

Exclusive Bonus Included - When you purchase this book, you'll also receive the companion AI Governance Manifesto, Playbook and Policy Framework, a practical blueprint for implementing responsible AI governance.

 

This powerful companion includes:

 

• The AI Governance Manifesto
• The Lifecycle of Nations Maturity Model
• The Lifecycle of Intelligence Maturity Model
• The AI Charter for the Machine Age
• AI Governance Playbooks for governments, businesses and institutions
• Regulatory architecture and implementation roadmaps
• Board-level AI governance frameworks
• Labour transition and economic renewal strategies
• Metrics, checkpoints and governance tools
• International cooperation and treaty pathways

 

Together, these frameworks provides comprehensive blueprints for governing AI responsibly while encouraging innovation, protecting democracy and promoting long-term prosperity.

 

This Book Is For:

 

• Policymakers and Government
• Business executives adn Boards
• AI professionals, Technology Leaders
• Economists and Strategists
• Investors and Entrepreneurs
• Educators and students
• Anyone concerned about the future of democracy, work and human freedom in the age of AI

 

The Lifecycle of Intelligence explains how humanity must govern it.

It offers practical solutions—not fear.

It presents leadership—not ideology.

 

The Machine Age has begun.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform society.

 

The question is whether we will have the wisdom and the leadership to govern it.

Join the Movement for Just AI and Human Prosperity

 

Get your copy today to discover the roadmap for governing the Machine Age and help shape a future where AI works for humanity, not against it.

 

About the Author

Steve Jones is an economist, entrepreneur and international commentator on geopolitics, trade and global governance. He is the author of All to One: The Winning Model for Marketing in the Post-Internet Economy (McGraw Hill), and has advised governments, think tanks and global institutions. Steve has had a successful corporate career with British Airways, EDS, Avis and Accenture.

Steve’s Churchill World Order Series combines history, politics and global economics shaping today’s fragile world order. How Churchill’s fascination with America led to the strategic doctrine of the Atlantic Charter and to Bretton Woods, NATO, the IMF, the WTO and the UN. Trump’s Tariff Tsunami, covers the turbulent threat to rules-based world order today and is now followed by Lifecycle of Nations on how to fix and protect the future of world trade.

 

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Everything That’s Left Behind

 

 

Fiction/Science Fiction

Date Published: June 28, 2026

Publisher: Sapphire Stories

 

When Nichola Rodale stumbles upon information suggesting her father—a renowned scientist and brilliant puzzle maker—may not have died during The Great Drought, she embarks on a perilous journey across the desolate American Southwest to discover the truth.

 

About the Author

 

 Kelly Lydick’s writing has appeared in Natural Awakenings, Co Yoga + Life, True Blue Spirit, American Art Collector, Western Art Collector, and many others. She has been featured on NPR’s The Writers’ Block and the Word podcast, and on iHeart radio. She is the author of the experimental Mastering the Dream, a contributing author to the anthology Dreams That Change Our Lives, and the author of Dream Incubation for Greater Self-Awareness: A Handbook. Everything That’s Left Behind is her first novel.

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Dark Waters

 

 

Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Date Published: 06-06-2023

Publisher: KCIN Entertainment Group, LLC

Books 1 & 2 (Book 3 releases September 8, 2026.)

The Dark Waters series follows the rise and fall of one of Philadelphia's most powerful families.

Judge Keenan Waters and his family have spent decades building a legacy of power, influence, and respect. But behind the perfect public image lie buried secrets, betrayal, and deadly consequences that threaten to destroy everything they've built.

As loyalties are tested and relationships crumble, the Waters family is pushed closer to the edge of ruin. With shocking twists and intense family drama, the Dark Waters series keeps the readers turning pages until the very end.

Perfect for fans of Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, the first two books are available now, with the shocking conclusion, Dark Waters 3, arriving September 8, 2026.

 

 About the Author

Nick Haskins is the author of the Dark Waters series, as well as novels She's Obsessed, Betrayed, My Husband's Wife, and On the Edge of Heat.

Known for his suspenseful storytelling and unforgettable characters, Haskins has spent more than a decade building a catalog of contemporary drama and suspense that has attracted readers across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he still resides, Haskins began his publishing career in 2011 and has remained committed to independently producing professional, reader-focused books. In addition to writing novels, he is creating film and visual media projects based on his work.

Haskins continues to connect with readers while developing new stories to expand his publishing catalog.

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Crows Calling

  

An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Literary/Eco-Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Earth’s animals are fed up with humanity’s mindless damage to our common home. Will a young girl and her family heed their call?

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Before we go any further, I really should introduce myself. I am Koro—a lustrous female American Crow. Surely, when strolling in woods or along an urban lane, you have admired my family’s elegant, iridescent plumage and thrilled to our melodious song. You know of our prodigious memory, of our cleverness spearing hapless grubs from sodden logs with a favored twig.

The glint you see in my ebony eye is a tear shining for my grandmother—the earthly incarnation of generosity, whose bounteous lands and waters make room for every new arrival. Of late, however, one family—relative newcomers—has been pushing her limits, leaving their garbage everywhere and abusing the other guests. They run their noisy engines at all hours. Noxious smoke belches from their cooking fires. Every day, more and more of them come, crowding into other families’ spaces, destroying the homes of many of my friends.

Recognizing our Crow persistence, Grandmother Earth called us to help her get those inconsiderate tenants to clean up their act. Peering into the chasm of the coming Meltdown, I am proud to be on precious Grandmother’s team. My cawcus is responsible for majestic Northern California. The land we cover is a patchwork sprawl of asphalt and forest, garlic and strawberries, oranges and avocados, cattle and sheep raised sustainably and otherwise, bears guttering in their occult tongue, sweet jasmine brandishing her shameless perfume, and sixteen million busy humans.

Through wildfires, drought, floods, extreme heat, even earthquakes, Grandmother is pleading directly with humans. Some hear her message. Take Makah Andrews, professor of International Environmental Policy at Monterey University. Makah’s one of the good ones, trying to use the system to turn itself around. That’s the aim of “Team Grandmother”—a successful turnaround.

What’s that I hear? Ah, please allow me to introduce my most trusted teammate, Ursula, a beautiful California Black Bear who lives around here. Ursula, tell the folks what we’ve been hearing from other nonhuman parts of the natural world, from other planimals, as we call ourselves. Our fellow creatures are getting nervous. Some are angry. That’s why we’re organizing a Congress. …

About the Author

Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of his poems, Living from Here, was published by Anvil Press (US). He recently moved to Ashland Oregon to feel closer to his relatives in the natural world. Crows Calling is his first novel. He is working on a second novel set in Southern Oregon.

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings.

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

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Natural Healing Handbook

  

Health, Alternative & Natural Medicine, Herbal Remedies

Date Published: May 14, 2026

• The Simple Remedies for Sleep
• Gut Health
• Detox
• Skin
• Immunity
• Stress 
• Medicinal Properties in Everyday Herbs
• Easy Step-by-Step Methods

 

Health, Alternative & Natural Medicine, Herbal Remedies

Date Published: May 14, 2026

Heal Naturally with Simple, Everyday Remedies

Are you looking for practical ways to support your health using herbs and natural ingredients you already have at home?

The Natural Healing Handbook is a beginner-friendly guide that helps you discover safe, practical, and time-tested natural remedies for everyday wellness. Designed in a beautiful full-color edition, this book makes learning about herbal remedies simple, enjoyable, and easy to follow.

Whether you want to build a natural home remedy collection, support your immune system, improve sleep, reduce stress, or simply explore holistic wellness, this handbook gives you practical solutions you can start using today.

 

Inside You'll Discover:

✔ 100+ natural remedies using herbs and everyday kitchen ingredients

✔ Beautiful full-color edition with illustrations and easy-to-follow layouts

✔ Step-by-step instructions suitable for beginners

✔ Herbal teas, infusions, compresses, oils, and other traditional preparations

✔ Natural approaches to support sleep, digestion, immunity, stress relief, joint comfort, and everyday wellness

✔ Easy-to-understand explanations with no previous experience required

 

Unlike complicated herbal reference books, this guide focuses on practical remedies that fit naturally into everyday life. Each section is written in clear language to help you confidently begin your natural wellness journey.

Whether you're just getting started with herbal remedies or looking for an easy-to-use reference for your home, The Natural Healing Handbook provides practical knowledge you can return to again and again.

Start your journey toward natural wellness today.

 

About the Author

 

 Cliff Adkins is passionate about natural health, herbal remedies, and practical wellness. His mission is to make natural healing simple, accessible, and easy to apply in everyday life. Through clear, step-by-step guidance and beginner-friendly explanations, he helps readers confidently explore natural approaches to everyday wellness.

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Zombie Zoo

  

Adventures in Tub (Felix & Ninja) Book 1

Upper Middle Grade

Date Published: 09-15-2026

Publisher: Oculus Print

Two orphan loners. One supernatural plague. When wood-eating zombies threaten their island, mismatched investigators Felix and Ninja must combine science and instinct to save Spinachi-before they're next.

ZOMBIE ZOO is Book 1 in a five-book middle grade adventure series for readers ages 8-13, blending paranormal mystery, zombies, unlikely friendship, and STEAM-powered problem-solving.

When 13-year-old aspiring naturalist Felix Fizzystyxx discovers that orphans at Wayward Amok Orphanage are transforming into wood-eating zombies, his quiet tree-fort observations are no longer enough. Someone has deliberately unleashed a strange plague on Tub's island town of Spinachi-and they're still out there.

To find a cure, Felix must team up with Ninja, a shadow-dwelling orphan who trusts her instincts and never backs down. Intense and razor-sharp, she notices what others overlook and lives up to her name as the island's most mysterious sleuth. With their eccentric mentor Doc Brunne compromised and the town's water supply contaminated by a glowing bioluminescent substance, the two mismatched investigators must combine scientific observation with sharp intuition to stop the outbreak before their island home is devoured.

Set on the fictional island of Tub, this fast-paced, humorous adventure naturally weaves in STEAM concepts-biology, chemistry, bioluminescence, water systems, pattern recognition, and the scientific method-within an age-appropriate supernatural mystery. Themes include unlikely friendship, identity, trust across differences, courage, and finding your voice when adults won't listen.

Featuring diverse protagonists, quirky humor, spooky-but-fun scares, and strong female and male leads. ZOMBIE ZOO is ideal for reluctant readers and fans of Max Brallier's The Last Kids on Earth, B.B. Alston's Amari and the Night Brothers, and Goosebumps. Comprehensive educator resources-including discussion guides, vocabulary lists, STEAM extension activities, and printable maps-support classroom use, library programming, book clubs, and make this title ideal for cross-curricular lessons bridging ELA, STEAM, and SEL.

 

About the Author

Melanie Abed is a behavioral expert turned story weaver. She believes dragons are real but hiding, and finds thunderstorms equally delightful and terrifying. A tea-loving bookworm, she champions young minds and writes to help kids discover their superpowers are real.

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