Channel 2 — October 3, 2024

These humorous substitute teaching real life experiences show fun snapshots or 'snips' into the world in which all who sub, used to sub, or has had a sub can relate to. These cartoons illustrate 15 years of subbing grades K-12. All school teachers and administrators will be able to identify with this book. Have any of these situations happened to you? You've got to read it to believe it! This is a coloring book; color with colored pencils for hours of fun.

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Irv Arenberg speaking about “Love and Murder: The Last Days of Vincent Van Gogh”

2023 NYC Big Book Award Winner for Arts & Entertainment for Love and Murder. On July 29, 1890, a hot and muggy afternoon, shortly after Vincent van Gogh was laid to rest after his honor killing for “compromising” his doctor's twenty-one-year-old daughter, Marguerite, twenty-six (26) of his unknown paintings and other art material were stolen from the hotel where he had been laid out for his final viewing by his doctor and his son. This was the largest art heist of a single artist ever, and today would be worth many billions! This theft led to the Gachet art forgery ring and many fakes, forgeries, and altered provenance for years. This is the story in the book 3 of the Killing Vincent Trilogy of what happened to all this art and to Marguerite and her sad, long life without her Vincent. This book three is the finale of the Trilogy. Book one was Killing Vincent and proved forensically that it was not possible for Vincent to self-inflict his mortal wound. If Vincent did not shoot himself in the belly, (of all places) then whoever put that penetrating wound in his abdomen murdered him! Book two, Love and Murder, now in your hands answers the questions of how, why, and where Vincent van Gogh was murdered and how a brilliant cover up of the murder was accomplished by the persons of interest using the false narrative of a suicide as a martyr for his art. There is also a sneak preview of chapter one from book three The Day Vincent van Gogh was Murdered; The Honor Killing that Changed Art History Forever and Led to The Greatest Art Heist in Modern Times. Hopefully this will you excite you to put the entire Killing Vincent Trilogy together in your mind’s eye in preparation for the major movie, Finally Love.

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Ricardo Jose Gonzalez-Rothi speaking about “The Mango Chronicle”

"The Mango Chronicle"(Running Wild Press, out May 2024) ISBN: (pbk) 978-1-960018-19-9 Kirkus Review: "A captivating memoir and a startlingly edifying portrait of Cuba." Synopsis: A preadolescent boy is caught in Castro's Revolution and struggles with trading a Cuban Huck Finn childhood for the price of liberty after fleeing with his family to New Jersey via Mejico. The boy reminisces about his roots in the barrio. He chronicles spirited narratives that range from stealing a rowboat and being nearly capsized by a Russian tanker, to befriending an old fisherman who tells him a haunting tale, to being bullied by a neighborhood thug, to cockfights gone bad, and to being nearly mauled by a wild boar. He witnesses the plight of captives taken near his home during the Bay of Pigs invasion, and tries to navigate the complexities of growing up in a machismo, homophobic culture. The U.S. Blockade of Cuba during the Missile Crisis unexpectedly disrupts the family's egress. They endure the next several months in isolation. As a new expatriate, the boy lands in Mejico. He eventually arrives at freedom in blue-collar, New Jersey neighborhood. He endures the many ordeals of being an immigrant in an at-times intolerant culture and struggles to adjust to American life. But he perseveres. He scratches his way from a Green Card to American citizen, then to becoming a highly respected professor of medicine at two major medical schools in the United States. He eventually returns to the island in search of his roots, of the mango tree and of the boyhood for which he so dearly longed. He doesn't succeed altogether. But he doesn't lose hope.

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Lisa Marie Shankles speaking about “Lies, Lust, and Larceny: How to Retire For Free in Scandinavia”

It's Dyngus Day in Buffalo, New York where identical twin sisters Lilah and Laylah Larceny (pronounced LAR -SEN-EE) are celebrating their favorite ethnic festival as they are getting ready to retire from their 30-year careers as makeover queens. The twins are similar, with some differences: One twin believes in ghosts and the other in Aliens from outer space. Unbeknownst to Lilah, her newly adopted pet cat, whom she calls Dyngus is a bit of both. One day as Lilah is watching a YouTube video, she comes up with an unusual idea about how she can retire comfortably abroad for free! But her sister Laylah who has always been competitive with her sister on the down low discovers her plan and takes off for Scandinavia without her! Travel to Norway with the Larceny twins and find out how Lilah's unusual plan unfolds!

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Leslie Johansen Nack speaking about “The Blue Butterfly, A Novel of Marion Davies”

New York 1915, Marion Davies is a shy eighteen-year-old beauty dancing on the Broadway stage when she meets William Randolph Hearst and finds herself captivated by his riches, passion and desire to make her a movie star. Following a whirlwind courtship, she learns through trial and error to live as Hearst’s mistress when a divorce from his wife proves impossible. A baby girl is born in secret in 1919 and they agree to never acknowledge her publicly as their own. In a burgeoning Hollywood scene, she works hard making movies while living a lavish partying life that includes a secret love affair with Charlie Chaplin. In late 1937, at the height of the depression, Hearst wrestles with his debtors and failing health, when Marion loans him $1M when nobody else will. Together, they must confront the movie that threatens to invalidate all of Marion’s successes in the industry: Citizen Kane.

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Jody Sharpe speaking about “20 Moon Rd. An Angel's Tale”

Madam Norma's spirit appears to her friend, Angel Ken. She asks him to write her memoir.

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John William Law speaking about “Who Nuked the Duke”

The book helped inspire a film that had its world premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival in October 2023 and closed the Palm Beach Film Festival that same month. The author appears in the film --- It's an epic tale that spans more than 30 years. As the Cold War took hold at that dawn of the 1950s the U.S. government began a program to perfect the atom bomb. The Nevada Test Site would be the prime location for testing atomic weapons on U.S. soil. A key to the program was to reduce impact to the public by having the radioactive nuclear fallout drift "downwind" into sparsely-inhabited areas of Utah. Who Nuked The Duke? looks at the program through the camera lens and filming of the 1954 RKO epic The Conqueror. The John Wayne feature, from producer Howard Hughes, would be filmed inside the infamous Snow Canyon, "a key resevoir" of nuclear fallout. As the years ticked by cast and crew would succumb, one by one, to a host of cancers. Director Dick Powell, co-star Pedro Armendariz, leading lady Susan Hayward, co-star Agnes Moorehead, and ultimately John Wayne himself. Along with countless other cast and crew, they represent a microcosm of what happened in the Utah community where the movie was filmed. Taking an objective look back at the government program, the scientific facts behind the testing and its impact on the community, as well as the lives of the Hollywood stars, Who Nuked The Duke? offers a rare look inside movie history and the Atomic Energy program. This award-winning book was first published in 2014 and has been updated in 2023. Who Nuked The Duke? was an inspiration for the film documentary Conqueor: Hollywood Fallout.

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Cherika Shields speaking about “Broken But Not Forsaken: God's Masterpiece”

A transformative journey that takes you from the depths of sin, despair, and betrayal to the radiant hope found in God's redemption is what "Broken But Not Forsaken: God's Masterpiece promises. Through her inspiring testimony, Cherika Shields concisely shares how she emerged from the darkness to become a beacon of light. Reaching out to her Master in faith, she reveals how God can turn your brokenness into a masterpiece. This book is a testament to the power of resilience, forgiveness, and the boundless mercy of God. It reminds readers that no matter how broken they may feel, they are cherished works of art destined for greatness by the Master Potter Himself, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Prepare to be empowered and restored, and discover the beauty that arises from surrendering to God's divine will through His redemptive love.

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Charles Harvey speaking about “Xylene X Band: A Fictionalized Chapter in the History of X Band”

Joe Ecks: X Band's Rock and Roll Guitarist. Though a musical genius, he's tortured and miserable under the demands of the industry. Dogged by bad headaches and other ailments, Joe erupts in violent outbursts. Ultimately (on page 1), Joe has a breakdown that results in a complete personality change. Joe now thinks of himself as Mike Smith: Harvard Grad. Mike Smith is the opposite of Joe Ecks in nearly every way; he's no musical genius, and he can't play guitar, but he loves being a rock star. 'Xylene X Band' is the story of how the New Joe learns to live Joe's life, and, to a certain degree, how Joe's life adapts to his new personality. But to truly live Joe's life, New Joe must develop the skills, and they will be severely tested by the upcoming 'Xylene' tour. New Joe is no Old Joe, and X Band desperately needs Old Joe to return.

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Richard Trayler speaking about “Growing in Intimacy with God: Accept, Adore, Abide”

Have you ever wanted to get away, perhaps to a beautiful mountain top, and leave the worries of the world in the clouds below you? Would you like to go to a place where you could relax, rest, and refresh your body, mind, emotions, and spirit in the morning sun, and, more importantly, in the light and love of the Son?

The most important relationship you can have is a personal, intimate relationship with God – The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can know God and have continual fellowship and communion with Him.

As you read this book, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you through three essential steps – Accept, Adore, and Abide - so that you may have the intimate relationship with God that you were created to have and begin enjoying the abundant life, now and forever, that Jesus promised (John 10:10). Additionally, experience an inward transformation into the likeness of Christ and the outward manifestation of His love for others.