(click the pictures to see this book on Amazon.com)

Cassandra Washington has penned an all time relationship fixer book that will help build women’s confidence in not only themselves, but confidence in staking claim to what they want! This book will help all the men who “claim” they cannot figure women out long enough to know what they want. Topics in the book range from “Act-Right (the whole say what you mean, mean what you say, and do what you said you were going to do” all the way to Great Sex! It’s a must read and the new Women’s Bible!

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write From A to Z: A Guide to Give to Men Who Honestly Don’t Know or Who Insist on Playing Dumb?

Cassandra Washington: I noticed that a lot of my friends were near depression over failed relationships and wondering why the men in their lives couldn’t understand them. They were wondering why men couldn’t act right. These were educated, financially stable women! Good women! So I said, okay, enough is enough. Ladies, it’s not always you. Let’s get to the root of what’s going on. And from there, the book was created.

JP: Why did you choose to gear From A to Z towards men, instead of women?

CW: It’s funny you ask that . (*smile*) From A to Z is actually not geared towards men specifically. It’s to help the men understand what we as women want and to explain why we do or say the things we say. It’s really for the women to gain an understanding of themselves and the situations they are in and how to overcome them. It’s like Secret, baby. Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman! Lol.

JP: What sets From A to Z apart from other self-help relationship guides?

CW: From A to Z is a must read. I’m not saying that just because I wrote it. It’s a must read because it deals with actual real life situations. I’ve interviewed men and women, getting the scoop on what really drives a wedge in relationships and what each of the opposite sex wants from each other. It’s not a bunch of fluff; it’s a bunch of fact!

This book also has “Reflection Time” after each subject to create a dialogue between men and women. Anyone reading the book can write down their thoughts in the book and look back and say, “Okay, this is what I’ve done. That’s what it’s gotten me. Now this is what I’m going to do to change that!” It’s meant to empower.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to From A to Z getting out to the public?

CW: The keys to success are drive, perseverance, persistence and faith. It’s like a recipe: without one, the outcome isn’t going to be just right. It’s very tough to promote, especially on a budget and during a recession. As long as you have love for what you do and as long as your work touches and inspires at least one person, you’ve done your job.

JP: What’s next for Cassandra Washington?

CW: I’m currently working on a documentary regarding relationships It’s like a spin off of the book but in a different way. In this film, I aim to not only entertain but to educate and inspire as well. I want to inspire women to not be ashamed of who they are or where they’ve been. I want to inspire women to press forward as a better and more complete person.

I say this to the women I’m trying to help: “Stop trying to be someone else. Baby, no one can do you like you can!”

www.cassandrawashington.net
www.myspace.com/cassi24

P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at http://joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html

P.S.S. If you want to be feature in a 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… series, email me at joeyDOTpinkneyATgmailDOTcom or myspace.com/joeyreviews

Urban Book Source sent me Never As Good As the First Time, and I thought it was going to be just another romance story. I was wrong as couple be since this book was anything but typical.

After UBS published my review of the book, Mari Walker actually sent them some kind words in my regards. Fast forwards a couple of weeks, I interviewed this very talented author.

Ms Walker is a very giving person, and you will be able to tell that in the interview. This informative interview couple help many authors who desire the inside track on getting published by one of the major publishing companies.

Read Mari Walker’s interview. Come back and tell me what you think.

(hover your cursor over the book cover to see the Amazon.com prices)

When I started reading this book, I was immediately intrigued with how fluid the sentences were composed and how vividly the images came off the page. I had to stop reading and google the author’s name, Francis Ray, to see why this book was so good. No wonder. With twenty novels in print, a dozen awards and various series, Francis Ray is more than a writer – she is a franchise.

Not Even If You Begged is for the “grown and sexy”in the literal sense of that phrase. I’m not talking about the cute, early twenties reader that’s lost in the club scene that says, “Ooooh, that’s my song!” to just about anything on the DJ puts on. No, this book is geared more for the mature reader whose perspective shapes their life and not the other way around.

This book focuses on the love lives of two members of “The Invincibles” women’s club – Traci Reed and Maureen Gilmore. Holding true to the title, both women have the hardest time letting love run its course, but for two very different reasons. The bad thing is that the men actually beg to love and be loved, and that’s what makes this book so good!

Maureen Gilmore is a widowed Southern Belle that owns a thriving antique shop. Although her beauty is ageless, she has a hard time being comfortable with nearing sixty. This is especially true when it comes to Simon Dunlap, a police officer who was come to fall in love with Maureen. She is equally in love. Instead of following her heart, she makes a myriad of excuses such as, her inability to have children or Simon’s ability to pursue a more fruitful relationship.

Traci is a full-figured, hard-nosed lawyer that runs her own PR firm. She married her ex-husband for all the wrong reasons. Everyone one of those reasons came back to do more than bite her in the end – and scarred her for life. Forever burdened with emotional baggage, she had the hardest time allowing Maureen’s son, OB-GYN Ryan Gilmore, into her heart for two reasons. One: she thinks she’s too plump for a man of his physique and status to desire. Two: she doesn’t believe she could ever fall in love again after giving her heart to a man who cheated on her.

The problem that both women face is the fact that love is love – uncontrollable, mysterious and consuming. Francis Ray skillfully depicts all of the nuances of the beginning of a lifelong relationship. There’s the misunderstanding, the anxiousness, the confusion, the lust…everything the reader needs to dig deep and become invested in the characters.

These two love sagas are embedded in a novel that includes a psychiatrist that stalks Ryan, a talented teen that is a budding artist but is unloved by his mother and Traci’s grandfather who is struggling to keep his land from being squandered by Traci’s mother.

Not Even If You Begged is the type of book that you read and lose track of time because of how in depth the story is.

FeMALE TRAITS by Lurea C. McFadden

“Oh! What a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!”
Sir Walter Scott
from Marmion, Verse 6, Stanza 17

This famous quote is played out in Lurea McFadden’s debut novel, FeMALE TRAITS. Grace Trufant is married to the man most women dream of. Edwin is tall, dark and handsome. He worships the ground Grace walks on and is willing to provide for her every whim and need. Unfortunately for Edwin, he is gullible and Grace has an itch that he can’t scratch…alone.

The cheating-spouse-getting-caught-in-an-extra-marital-affair saga has been told many times before, but FeMALE TRAITS puts an interesting spin on that theme.

Grace is a formidable combination: a seasoned player, a sex addict, a forward-thinking liar…and a female. Grace’s lust for sexual encounters with other men outweighs her conscience, so she stays on the prowl and fabricates lies to stay one step ahead of both her husband and her lover. The once smooth road of infidelity gets bumpy, and Grace finds herself struggling to keep her secret lifestyle from getting the best of her.

Brian Lawson starts pressuring Grace to commit to him and end her six-year marriage to Edwin. Brian is young, handsome and attractive. He even considers himself to be a player and has his pick of women. But he meets his match in Grace and does the one thing all players think will never happen – fall in love. Will he move up in status or move on?

Edwin’s best friend is Sonia James, a Latina sister that truly has Edwin’s best interests at heart. She’s been down since they were in elementary school. To Grace’s dismay, Edwin and Sonia as close as a man and a woman can get without being intimate or married.

Women’s intuition keeps Grace in Sonia’s thoughts. Although she secretly fell in love with Edwin, she remains true to their friendship. Plus, she’s dealing with her inability to commit to Phil, a man who truly loves her but can’t keep her interest.

When mutual friends of Brian and Sonia unknowingly brings everyone together at a birthday/holiday party, everything comes to a head.

Lies are exposed…

Truths come to light…

And relationships are put to the test…

The rest of the story (and there is much, much more)! is yours to read. Enjoy.

In her eyes, a lot of today’s urban lit is little more than porn with a loose plot thrown in for good measure… As a book reviewer that reads a lot of urban lit, I can see where she’s coming from. If you can’t see past the sex, drugs and violence to stories of how temptation, corruption and being a victim of circumstance can affect a person…the sex scenes stand out as explicit.

But it is what it is. Porn to some, reality to others.

I’m going to start reading Lori’s blog because she is the first author that I’ve come across that is from North Carolina. Plus After The Dance is set in Memphis, where I was born and raised. Plus Shelia Goss commented on her post. (She’s one of my literary sheroes.)

If you’re packing twenty or more pounds of excess weight, here is a short list of potentially deadly conditions you’re at greater risk suffering from:

• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• coronary heart disease
• endometrial cancer
• obstructive sleep apnea
• breast cancer

If you’re one to avoid exercising at any cost, guess what? LAck of exercise only multiplies the risk of suffering from the things in the above list of afflictions. Plainly stated: being overweight is bad, but being overweight and not working out in the least is much, much worse.

Living a inactive lifestyle while being fat only positions you to be in higher jeopardy of cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. And, if you already have a medical condition such as high cholesterol, being overweight positions you at higher risk for complications.

Even modest quantities of weight loss can ameliorate your overall wellness. Loss of a meager 10% of body weight can keep down blood pressure, high cholesterol, triglyceride, and high blood sugar levels. E.g., if you weighed 300 pounds, getting down to 270 would make you significantly fitter.

The good thing is that the process of losing weight doesn’t have to be brutal. Nowadays, there are a lot of procedures at your finger tips that can contribute and effectively facilitate your weight loss. One of the noted procedures in losing weight is slimming down through hypnosis.

However, numerous misconceptions have come up with respect to the practical application of hypnosis in slimming down. And because it doesn’t call for drugs or any kind of medicines or surgical operations, a lot of people are inclined to think that losing weight through hypnosis appears to be among the safest weight loss program.

To know more about hypnosis and its effects on slimming down, here are three very important truths that will give you insight on what it can do to your body weight.

1. Hypnosis can be imminently risky if not done the right way and not applied by people who are highly disciplined with the genuine concept of hypnosis.

More people tend to believe that hypnosis won’t present impending risk to their wellness. It’s crucial for you to realize that the individual who will arrange the process is a highly-skilled professional that knows what factors to look at prior to executing the procedures.

2. Hypnosis cannot exclusively get rid of extra fatty tissue from the body and, consequently, cause somebody to lose weight.

Most wellness experts argue that hypnosis should only make up a piece of a complete process. It should never be exploited as an exclusive weight loss procedure.

Furthermore, one session of hypnosis will just have very marginal results on a person’s weight. When slimming down, hypnosis paired with psychotherapy will be more efficient than hypnosis exclusively. This is because hypnosis is just a state of deeply relaxing the mind, in which one can still be in control of his or her own body.

3. Hypnosis is one way of getting into the subliminal state of a person. When you’re in a “hypnotic trance”, your body is more sensitive to suggestibility because of its heightened state of concentration.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that through hypnosis, you are able to “reprogram” your mind just using hypnosis.

Actually, hypnosis can only run the range from being an untroubled relaxation condition to a proper initiation when managed by a professional hypnotists. Therefore, it shouldn’t be looked at as being supernormal and witching in its effects. Put differently, it just helps you enter the “weight-losing zone”. Boiled down, you had better be mindful that hypnosis isn’t an effective process in slenderizing when applied alone. It’s more of a facilitator of several treatment techniques.

Consequently, it should be blended with your other weight loss management programs to be more efficient in making you drop off excess weight. In that way, you are able to drop off more weight with a more mellow and rested frame of mind.

If you are looking for a great weight loss program, check out Fat Loss 4 Idiots. You can lose up to 9 pounds every 11 days following this weight loss program that is based on the foods you like. It has my highest recommendation.

Your genes may determine the lower limits of however much you weight, but you influence the maximums by your food selections.

It is an unavoidable reality of living that you’ll put on more weight as you get older. In addition, if there’s one factor that’s out of your control, it’s the aging process. But you do have command over eating more and working out to a lesser extent as you get older. First of all, you have to have firm strategies for food control in your life, strategies that willactually work.

Among the most popular strategies is to incorporate some type of weight loss medication to your weight loss strategy. This doesn’t solely entail things that are being advertised as dieting pills but also items that fall into the category of herbal medicines or herbal supplements. Among the aggressive herbal medicines specially developed to serve your weight loss plans are the renowned Herbalife Weight Loss Products.

Herbalife Weight Loss Products are a leading breakthrough as far as herbal supplements are concerned. Herbalife Weight Loss Products incorporate the essential herbs needed to help you lose weight the right way.

Some of the better known Herbalife Weight Loss Products are Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla, Herbalife Formula 1 Dutch Chocolate, Herbalife Formula 1 Cookies N’ Cream.

One of the things that people like the most about Herbalife Weight Loss Products is that they actually taste extraordinary. Plus, they’re easy-to-use and by all means effective in slimming down. Best of all, the costs are comparatively inexpensive when compared to other weight loss products.

Do you want to know more about the benefits that Herbalife Weight Loss Products can do for you?

Here is a list of the advantages.

1. Burn Fat While Building Muscle

One of the best things about Herbalife Weight Loss Products is that you don’t just drop off pounds but also inches from your trouble areas. This means that Herbalife Weight Loss Products don’t only eliminate your excess fat, but they also help you strengthen and mold your physique while moderating eating habits.

2. Nutritious

Herbalife Weight Loss Products don’t just make you lose weight. They also provide you with the nutrients that are wanted by the body’s cells on a daily basis.

3. Taste Great

Herbalife Weight Loss Products are known to have excellent taste. That’s why numerous people who have tasted it are content with its delicious flavors.

4. Keep Enjoying the Foods You Like

Best of all, Herbalife Weight Loss Products allow you eat more of the foods you like without being forced to worry about piling up a lot of weight in the end.

5. Excess Calories Are Blocked

Herbalife Weight Loss Products are also known to help you lessen the extra calorie ingestion. Hence, your weight loss efforts will be more effective. What’s more,Herbalife Weight Loss Products give you the pleasing feeling that curbs your hunger while you lose weight.

The bottom line is that your mission for preventing weight gain, should you decide to accept it, is to eat fewer calories when you are not involved in activities that burn off those calories. Then, try to integrate these Herbalife Weight Loss Products in your diet.

A great dieting plan to use in conjunction with Herbalife Weight Loss Products is a program called Fat Loss 4 Idiots. It’s web-based with no calorie restrictions, no carb counting, nothing but a diet plan built around the foods you like to eat anyway.

Guess what? You might not have to pour as much of your valuable time and hard earned money into the gymnasium or the health spa or any fitness center in order to acquire that arousing body you want. There are several books available in the bookstore which provide weight loss programs which are handy and free. Of course the books may cost you a bit on the front end, but you are able to easily go to Amazon and get them used for close to nothing.

There are several weight loss programs and dieting plans out there that are gaining immense popularity with tons of promotion, recommendations and reviews. You could lose weight worrying about which one to go with. To make your pursuit of the ideal weight loss program a great deal simpler, take a little time and read these summaries about the best-selling diet programs out currently.

Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkins. This famed weight loss program promotes high protein diet and a cut back on the carbs. You are able to feast on veggies and meat but you are advised to slow your intake of bread and pasta. You’re also not limited on your fat intake, so it’s all right to pour on your favorite salad dressing and freely feast on the butter. However, after the dieting, you could find yourself deficient in fiber and calcium while simultaneously high in fat. The intake of grains and fruits are also limited with this celebrated diet.

Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet by Drs. Rachel and Richard Heller. This represents another notable dieting plan that also recommends reduced carbohyrate eating. You can consume your meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. However, this diet discourages taking in too much carbs. “Reward” meal can be excessively high on fats and saturated fats.

Choose to Lose by Dr. Goor. This weight loss program limits fat consumption. You are given a “fat” budget and you are given the freedom to spend it however you like. You are not forced to keep an eye on your carbohydrate ingestion. Consuming meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafoods is okay. You are also encouraged to eat up vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss plan is reasonably good for you, with beneficial quantities of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch triglyceride levels though; whenever you find that they are too high for your liking, reduce the carbohydrates and tuck away more of the unsaturated fats.

The DASH Diet by Dr. Marla Heller. This diet urges limited amounts of fat and protein consumption and high on carbs. It was primarily fashioned to assist people in lowering their blood pressure, so this may be a good option for you if you suffer from hypertension. The diet plan adopts the pyramid food guide and promotes high intake of wholemeal grains in addition to fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. There have been some dieters believe that this diet advocates an immoderate amount of eating to procure significant weight loss. But that’s easy to fix – eat less, exercize more…

Eat More, Weigh Less by Dr. Ornish. This is principally vegetarian in nature and purely low-fat. This diet gives the go signal on what it deems to be “glow” foods but discourages non-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet also restricts intake of foods like seafoods and lean poultry in substitution for leafy green veggies and beans.

Eat Right for Your Type by Dr. D’Adamo. This is an extremely intriguing program because it is based on your blood type. It advocates plenty of meats for people with the blood type O. Diet plans for a few of the different blood types may be nutritionally unbalanced and too low in calories for those that lead a highly active lifestyle. And for the record, there is not any scientific proof that blood type affects dietary needs.

The Pritkin Promise by Dr. Nathan Pritkin. This dieting program is centered on bringing down the calorie density in eating by loading up on watery foods that will make you feel full. Consuming vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy is given the go-ahead. It confines your protein sources to lean meat, seafood and poultry. Even though it is healthy by allowing low quantities of saturated fats and rich amounts of vegetables and fruits, it is also low on calcium and limits lean protein sources. This is remedied by consuming more leafy green veggies and beans, which are high in calcium and proteins.

Volumetrics by Dr. Barbara Rolls. This is another dieting plan that advances low-density calorie eating and advocates the same food products as the Pritkin Principle but limits fatty or dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This plan is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruits and veggies as well as being low in calorie density and saturated fats.

The Zone by Dr. Sears. This dieting plan is somewhat low on the carbs while moderately high on the proteins. It encourages you to eat low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus vegetables, fruits and grains. It is also healthy but deficient in grains and calcium.

Weight Watchers. High on carbohydrates and conservative on fats and proteins, this is an extremely healthy diet plan and very adaptable too. It permits you to design your own meals instead of giving you a set of rules to follow.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots. This is a web based diet plan that allows you build your meals around the foods you already are used to eating. Plus, there are no portion restrictions and no calorie limits. This is a proven system that will allow you to reach you weight goals in a healthy manner.

1. You are not an idiot. You know that only you can make you lose weight whatever method you choose.
2. You need to eat right.
3. You need to exercise.
4. You need to drink your water.

Now back to our review, already in progress.

Vegetarians can do this, too!

One thing that I really like about Fat Loss 4 Idiots it gives you two options – Vegetarian or Regular. That’s cool because if you are a vegetarian and you’re trying to loose weight, you can participate in this program to meet your goals with the veggie-foods you are accustomed to eating.

The diet plans are your diet plans.

Once you choose from the two initial options, you get to choose your 14 most favorite foods. That brings up another great aspect to Fat Loss 4 Idiots, the diet plans are constructed from the stuff you like to eat. So now you don’t have to feel like your missing something while losing your weight.

Diet plans made from your food choices also makes it so much easier to keep off the weight because you don’t later binge on the stuff you love as a result of not having it. Plus, there are no portion restrictions and no calorie limits. You buy the foods you can afford and like to eat instead of purchasing expensive grocery lists as if you’re a child that needs everything but the spoon put to your mouth.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots is easy and simple.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots is very simple! There’s not a lot of stuff you have to learn background information on and explained in layman’s terms. What you will get access to is simple rules and basic meal plans for 11 day sessions. And that’s really all you need to make your weight goal a reality.

Will you lose 9 pounds every 11 days like the website claims?

Yes and no…

In the beginning, you might get up to 9 pounds of weight loss every 11 days because you might be carrying a lot of extra water weight that will fall off quickly due to you eating less starchy foods. But the reality is that you are not likely to stay on that trend nor is that healthy for most people.

This is not a crash diet, this is a proven system that will allow you to reach you weight goals in a healthy manner. If you exercise , drink plenty of water and stay away from processed foods, you may find yourself looking at how stunning you are becoming instead of what number pops up on your scale.

The time is NOW!

So now that you know that Fat Loss 4 Idiots is easy, economical and effective, what are you waiting for? Check out Fat Loss 4 Idiots for yourself and get on the path to healthy weight loss.

Before you can begin to examine popular food and snack ideas, it may be a good idea to examine the focus of your Thanksgiving party. This may make it easier for you to decide on a particular food or snack.  In most cases, you will want to try and tailor your food to the type of party that you are having. For instance, if you planning a kids’ only Thanksgiving party, it may be a good idea to have a collection of finger foods or other age appropriate snacks on hand.  In addition to ensuring that your guests will enjoy your food, choosing the right type of food and snacks may make it easier for you to plan for and prepare for your Thanksgiving party.

As previously mentioned, if you are having a kid only Thanksgiving party, it may be a good idea to have kid friendly snacks on hand.  These snacks may include chips, pretzels, cheese and crackers, pudding, or a veggie tray, and so on.  If you are planning on having an all ages Thanksgiving party, a party where both adults and children will be present, it may be ideal to have a collection of common foods on hand; foods that will likely appeal to all ages. These snacks, as mentioned above, many include cookies, cheese and crackers, and vegetable snacks.

If you have decided on a formal Thanksgiving party, you will likely want to your party snacks to mirror the theme of you party.  This means that you may want to purchase or make more elegant party snacks.  These types of party snacks typically include vegetable trays and seafood.  In addition to snacks, there is also a good chance that your formal Thanksgiving party will include a formal Thanksgiving dinner.  If this is the case, you will need to purchase more than just snacks.  You will need to purchase the main course, such as a turkey, as well as side dishes, which may include potatoes, cranberries, and a salad.

It is also important to examine the drinks that you will have at your Thanksgiving party. You will need to decide right away whether or not you want to serve alcohol at your Thanksgiving party.  If you are hosting a causal Thanksgiving party or a formal Thanksgiving party, where adults will be present, alcoholic beverage may be ideal.  Despite the fact that many party guests expect to see alcohol at a party, you do not have to serve alcohol if you do not want to; the decision is yours to make.

Although it is important to examine the types of foods, snacks, and drinks you would like to have at your Thanksgiving party, it may also be a good idea to examine when and where you will buy your items.  In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, you will find that many retail stores, namely grocery stores, place popular Thanksgiving food and snacks on sale.  Waiting until this time to purchase you party food, snacks, and drinks may make it so you have can everything that you want, but at an affordable price.

If you need ideas for appetizers, dishes, punches, etc., check out this package: $5 for an instant download package that includes 25 Cookbooks with over 5,700 recipes worth almost $400 if purchased individually. Click here for more information on getting All 25 Cookbooks (instant download) for just $5!