Today, I have a nonfiction memoir to share in our book spotlight! Learn about Fueled by Pain and author Patrick Simiglai! 

Nonfiction / Self-Esteem / Memoir

Date Published: January 15, 2026

Publisher: MindStir Media

From abuse and neglect to crime, addiction, prison, and crushing debt—Patrick Simiglai’s story is not just about survival. It’s about transformation. 

In Fueled By Pain, ultra-endurance athlete and mental performance coach Patrick Simiglai shares how he rebuilt his life from the ground up using discipline, resilience, and 23 powerful mental techniques designed to help you do the same. 

Inspired by elite forces like the Danish Frogman Corps, Patrick pushed himself through extreme physical challenges—ultramarathons, rope climbs, and marathon swims—discovering that the real battle isn’t in the body… it’s in the mind. 

Patrick’s journey—from chaos to clarity—proves that no matter where you start, you can rebuild your life. Today, he is a successful entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and mentor helping others unlock their potential and take control of their lives. 

His message is simple—but powerful:

You don’t need a new life. You need a new relationship with yourself. 

Pain, resistance, and discomfort are not signs that you’re on the wrong path. Often, they are proof that you’re walking in the direction of growth. You don’t have to feel ready. You just have to show up honestly and keep your word to yourself—especially on the days when no one is watching.

about the author

Patrik Simiglai is a Danish ultra-endurance athlete, mental performance coach, and speaker dedicated to helping individuals transform their lives through discipline, resilience, and powerful inner dialogue. As the author of Fueled By Pain, Patrick shares a raw and deeply personal journey of overcoming adversity and building mental strength from the inside out. 

Competing in some of the world’s most grueling ultra-endurance races—including 200- and 300-mile events across deserts, mountains, and extreme terrain—Patrick has developed a unique approach to mental toughness rooted in real-world experience. His work bridges the gap between extreme physical performance and everyday personal growth, offering practical tools for leaders, athletes, and teams to perform under pressure with integrity and consistency. 

Patrick’s path to success was anything but conventional. Growing up in a childhood marked by abuse and later struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, he understands firsthand the challenges of feeling trapped by your own thoughts. His transformation—from chaos and self-destruction to purpose-driven achievement—forms the foundation of his coaching, speaking, and writing. 

Through his work, Patrick emphasizes that true growth begins with mastering your inner dialogue. His philosophy is simple yet powerful: you don’t need a new life—you need a new relationship with yourself. By embracing discomfort, taking responsibility, and committing to disciplined action, he teaches others how to unlock their full potential and create lasting change. 

Originally written in Danish and later rewritten in English as a personal challenge, Fueled By Pain reflects Patrick’s belief that growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone and committing to the process, even when it’s difficult. Drawing from years of journaling, coaching, and extreme endurance experiences, the book delivers 23 mental techniques designed to help readers build resilience, overcome self-doubt, and achieve long-term success. 

Today, Patrick Simiglai works with individuals and organizations worldwide, inspiring others to confront their limits, strengthen their mindset, and turn pain into purpose. 

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This morning, I have a science fiction fantasy novel to share in our book spotlight! Learn about The Hera-Zeta Chronicles by Zsa Zsa Tudos, read a quick excerpt from the book & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!

The only freedom of man is the freedom of thought. 

That is how human evolution is possible. 

Evolution of a man is the development of power and possibilities 

which never develop by themselves.

The Hera-Zeta Chronicles:

As Above So Below

by Zsa Zsa Tudos

Genre: SciFi Fantasy, Extraterrestrial Time Travel

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about the book

Somewhere between galaxies, soul contracts, and the quiet chaos of human emotion, the book casually decided to rearrange your entire understanding of reality. Rude. Brilliant. Slightly illegal.

The Hera-Zeta Chronicles: As Above So Below doesn’t just tell a story, it initiates the reader. There’s something deeply precise about the way Zeta’s earthly path intertwines with Hera’s galactic mission, like it is not just a fiction, but it is decoding something ancient and quietly slipping it into the reader’s consciousness. The dynamic between dimensions, the Alpha & Omega Council, the 12 Magi… it all feels expansive without losing emotional gravity. And then it is anchored in something so human: behaviour, struggle, longing, connection.

The story embraces millions of Earthly years in cosmic interrelations emphasising the roles of earthlings in the Great Matrix and the cycle of nature. It is not only a book but an initiation of the readers, that can truly highjack their mind and clear misconceptions chiselled in by hundreds of years of conscious brainwashing.

The 87 chapters introduce events of the multidimensional life of the heroes, like the 1st generation Hera, a member of the Alpha&Omega Council, Hades's wife, and her earthly counterpart Zeta, whose mission is to push the knowledge and help the Haya Sophia, the Magnum Opus, the Sefer Jezeera. Their steamy love affair with Hades serves as a good example of passion and deep emotional attachment.

There are no sharp divisions in the book. The story unfolds naturally, through which a clear vision of the origin and the true nature of mankind is drawn, providing allowance for the supernatural capabilities they all possess and the responsibilities they all bear.

Touching upon the creation and the arrival of people on the planet, the book introduces the effects of prominent astronomical events, migration, purpose, the knowledge and the lack of it, through the picture that unfolds after removing the man-made gap fillers, the stories and false events invented by the groups in power.

With the help of astral travelling, souls go through star gateways, visit far-away planets, learn and experience to support the one objective of life: to raise their own vibration. With the interrelations of energies, it creates a healthier environment below and adds to the frequency required by the above to fit into the cycle.

However, as it was clearly stated by Antoine Saint-Exupery in his most prominent book, The Little Prince, WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS HIDDEN. This concealed treasure is always Knowledge. Nevertheless, there is a catch. One needs to have enough to understand the lack of it.

Life is a jigsaw puzzle. However, the board is empty and there is no image to help you with the design. The only certainty is the interrelations between the pieces.

 

My strong desire is to help people understand their lives, events and become knowledgeable enough to take responsibility for their words, thoughts and deeds. It is a necessary step towards the Nirvana, called Happiness.

All the wonders!

 

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read an excerpt

     With the chip in her hand, Zeta walked to the round table on the terrace. It was already cleaned and the black ritual cover was laid out. There were few candles to choose from and some frankincense was lit on the burner. There was a small, washed and ironed white cotton cloth for the chip that Zoltan brought back from his trip.

     Zeta decided upon 3 candles. One small white for the altar, one thick red for energy and fire and the help of Hades and one thick blue for Uranus. She lit them and invited the brothers to contribute to the ceremony.

     The small, turquoise, pebble-like recording device was lying there, waiting for the expert touch.

     “Wow, I have no idea how to handle this one,” pondered Zeta. “Let’s be logical. Looking at the aura it is organic. If organic, it behaves like one, therefore cracking it open is not an option. The full moon would help,” entered Zeta’s mind. “But it is still a week away. There is no time to wait. I will try the frequencies.”

     As she said that few musical instruments were fetched and placed on the table.

     “Logic dictates that I should use the opposite frequency to irritate the mass to open up. It is a high frequency energy. I will use deep sounds. The starting point should be the A sound. For lower vibration, I need to go down by either 5 or 7 pitches to follow the structure of the universe. I go down an octave. This name is confusing. There are 7 sounds between the two pitches, why is it called octave then?

     They represent the 7 colours of the rainbow as the 7 natural colours, the 28 days moon cycle, 7 days of the week and so on. On musical terms they count the frame. Starts with A and finishes with A. So, the finishing A is the beginning of another octave. It shows infinity just like the number 8. It could be. But it is still confusing,” ran a train of thought Zeta. “This African drum would do the trick,” she said and hit the leather.

     The pebble moved and its colour started changing however, stopped a minute later.

     “All right. I might need to hit it 7 times in a certain rhythm, like the heartbeat of the universe.”

     After the last beat the recording device started to show significant changes in its energy field. A rainbow emerged slowly growing until it covered the table. “I have to get ready to take notes,” ran Zeta for a notepad and pen.

     When the energy covered the whole terrace, it began to concentrate at a point few steps away from her, until it formed an almost human-like being, who started to talk in a warm and deep voice.

     “Greetings Hera. I am the messenger. My function is to deliver the message from the Pleiadeans. Listen very carefully. You cannot rewind me, I am not capable of answering questions that form in your mind while listening, and I cannot argue.

     I exist until I speak. After, I become the organic part of the device yet again. The message is quite lengthy therefore you should make yourself comfortable,” it announced and paused for a minute.

     Although Keta is an old planet, human life here is relatively young. In all of our 5 planets we count humanoid times in the millions, while you are in the early thousands. That is why souls coming down here still store memories of our existence, our schools, some of them might have even lived among us.

     The structures of the planet and our physical appearance are almost identical. However, there is a big difference in our ways of living, and consequently our way of thinking. From now on, when I say: us, I mean the 3 planets living in unity. These are: Mekhranat, Muskhat and Mughat. The other 2, Quilwan and Nowtey walk different paths.

     Following that thought, our planets are not visible from Keta. The stars’ cluster you call Pleiades received its name from people who cherished the Knowledge and noted everything within the interrelations of energies. These people you refer to as the Greeks. Unfortunately, they succumbed to the blind force of ignorance, similarly to the great majority of the planet, at one stage. I will talk about it later.

     Coming back to the stars, as far as you are concerned, they are named after the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. The 9 of them together show a close unity. However, like other stars, these are not equipped to support humanoid life on their surface. Here, you live in a solar system with a sun at the core, from where you gain your energy, knowledge and fire. In our case it all comes from the sisters, notably from Maia and Marope.

     The Haudi solar system, where Keta lives, is an old and wise organic energy mass. The planets ooze wisdom, especially that of Keta. Knowledge was the main objective when the decision for establishing a human life form here, was made. Knowledge shouldn’t be wasted. Without Knowledge the Great Matrix falls apart. The more the Knowledge the higher the resonance and stronger the Matrix. This should be an important clue for Keteans. To understand the Matrix of the Universe and their place within it.

 

meet the author

Life is an extraordinary journey. It is full of challenges and unsolved tasks that are put in front of us on the constantly moving and changing road towards Nirvana, the place that today we refer to as Happiness. 

 

In my journey, I visited 103 countries, lived in 7, on 4 continents. I learned about the interrelated micro- and macrocosm. I became a REIKI Master-Healer, an Initiated Witch, an Orixa Shamanic Master, and a Phoenix Initiated Educator to teach the ancient wisdom of Khem, the Royal Art of Al Khemi.

 

Today, I have an established philosophy - I call AKIA - that explores the interrelations between earthlings and nature, and Earth and the universe. I have 12 books published and many faithful students. I am an Intimacy & Family coach and help people to find their purpose. The joy of seeing them succeed gives me the strength to find new adventures and learn from new experiences.

 

I believe that learning is the only way to understand life and the self within. This unique knowledge makes us or breaks us in the end.

 

I am British and living in London.

 

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Some experiences are difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't lived through them. In Notes from Planet Widow, Gwen Suesse reflects on the emotional landscape that follows profound loss, exploring the uncertainty, loneliness, and gradual shifts that can emerge when life changes in ways that cannot be undone. This morning, we are joining the book spotlight tour for Notes from Planet Widow by Gwen Suesse! Check out the book, read an excerpt & learn about the author! 

  

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about the book

What happens when the life you knew disappears overnight?

Gwen Suesse invites readers into the disorienting reality of grief after the sudden loss of her husband. As familiar routines, assumptions, and plans for the future begin to unravel, she finds herself navigating a world that no longer feels recognizable.

Drawing from her own experience, Suesse examines the many dimensions of loss, including loneliness, fear, anger, exhaustion, and the challenge of redefining identity after a life-altering change. She reflects on the quiet moments that often go unseen by others, the questions that linger without answers, and the emotional contradictions that accompany grief.

Rather than offering a roadmap or simple solutions, the book provides an honest account of what it means to keep living when certainty has disappeared. Through thoughtful reflection and lived experience, Notes from Planet Widow explores how small moments of understanding can gradually help create space for resilience, connection, and the possibility of beginning again.

 

 read an excerpt

PLANET WIDOW. A desolate, hostile land. Bleak. Unfamiliar. Foreign. So far away until suddenly it was not; until, like Dorothy, picked up and deposited in Oz by a tornado, I found myself plunked down in a strange barren landscape, overwhelmed by unrecognizable terrain. I was awash in grief, heartache, and disorientation. How could I navigate this unknown land? How could I find my way forward when there was only half of me left to do that?

All I could see was grayness, everywhere grayness, obscured with apparitions of death, visions of loss, and specters of being alone pockmarking the landscape.

For Dorothy, there was a yellow brick road. I saw no roads of any kind or color. No way forward and no safe haven. I was consumed by desolation, loneliness, and cold fear.

That stark, terrifying, hard landing happened years ago. In time the edges softened, the landscape came into focus, and colors reemerged. It is a strange truth that human beings are endlessly adaptable, even when we don’t want to be. We become inured to our situations in spite of ourselves. Surviving grief is as old as humankind. Life does go on. Somehow, we manage to “continue to continue,” as the Simon & Garfunkel song goes.

Initial paralysis slowly morphed into a truce of sorts with this new terrain. Seeing no alternative, I reluctantly embarked on a messy, disorganized, nonlinear process steeped in a brew of grief, heartache, self-doubt, and gut-wrenching loneliness. This process entailed false starts, full stops, unexpected roadblocks, unforeseeable hurdles, periodic rebellions, hand-wringing insecurities, agonizing uncertainties, and all other manner of obstacles and challenges. One day followed another. Somehow life went on.

What makes such transformation possible? Surely Grace—Grace, capital-G—that unmerited, mystical assistance that defies explanation, surely that was at work, carrying me when I could no longer carry myself, shifting my spirit when life had ebbed to its darkest moments, revealing glimmers of hope, difference, love, and possibility.

Examples spring to mind: A friend showing up with a plastic produce bucket full of ice and a bottle of wine. Omnipresent friends—each helping in their own signature way—through phone calls or emails or sharing books or splitting wood for my wood stove. Nature stunning me with her resilience and outrageous beauty as dappled sun sparkled through the trees and onto the stream next to my favorite hiking path, reminding me of Light, Hope, and Buoyancy, hinting that despite everything, joy can still be found. Grace in plain sight alongside the grief, coaxing me inch by excruciating inch to stop staring at closed doors and turn to windows open with possibilities.

 

learn about the author

Gwen Suesse is a writer, certified life coach, and grief support practitioner whose work focuses on helping people navigate life after profound loss and transition. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wagner College and a master’s degree in teaching from Harvard University, and is certified as a Martha Beck Life Coach, a Creative Grief Support Practitioner, and an administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®.

Her professional background spans education, choral conducting, human resources, coaching, and leadership roles in nonprofit and community organizations. She has led workshops and delivered keynote presentations at women’s conferences and charitable events, bringing a thoughtful, experience-based perspective to topics of identity, resilience, and personal growth.

Gwen is the award-winning author of Womansong: Balance and Harmony in a Feminine Key, which explores women’s search for balance and self-realization, and Notes from Planet Widow: Finding My Way After Loss, a deeply personal reflection on rebuilding life after unexpected loss.

She lives in Tryon, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

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This morning, I have a fake-dating themed romance novel in our book blitz spotlight! Learn about Undercover Lover and author Jacqueline Francis. 

Date Published: June 11, 2026

Marco Dal Santo is everything I don’t trust: cocky, charming, reckless, and way too comfortable in a world built on smoke and mirrors. I’m supposed to use him to get close to people who hide crimes behind champagne and expensive suits. He’s supposed to be a means to an end. Convenient. Temporary. And fake. 

But there’s one small problem. It doesn’t really feel fake because every time he touches me, every time he pushes past my defenses and makes me feel something real, I forget that we’re supposed to be pretending. Somewhere between the staged kisses and very real arguments, the lines get blurred, and I can’t tell what’s part of the job…and what isn’t. 

We’re caught up in a world where one wrong move can get us killed, yet I’m starting to realize the most dangerous part of this case isn’t the criminals we’re chasing. 

It’s him.

Because if anyone finds out I’m developing genuine feeling for my fake boyfriend, I’ll lose my badge, my mentor’s trust, and possibly my heart in the process. 

So yeah…I’m in way over my head.

And the worst part?

I’m not sure I want to be rescued.

Trigger warning: Gun violence, trauma victim and grief.

 about the author

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This morning, I have a nonfiction book in our book spotlight. Learn about The Mind-Spirit Bible Practice by Nicole Doña and buy your copy of the book today! 

A Trauma-Informed DBT Inspired Guide to Renew the Mind & Spirit

Date Published: April 21, 2026

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

The Mind-Spirit Bible Practice was written for you.

In these pages, author and mental health advocate Nicole Doña bridges the gap between faith and psychology—showing how Scripture and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can work together to bring emotional and spiritual wholeness. Drawing from her own story of healing and resilience, she offers practical tools and biblical insight to help you regulate emotions through grace, find God’s presence in your pain, and live from “the mind of the Spirit” (Romans 8:6). 

Whether you’re a believer, clinician, or ministry leader, this book is a resource for experiencing lasting healing—where emotional health and spiritual transformation finally become one.

about the author

Nicole Doña is a Christian author, nonprofit founder, and mental-health advocate passionate about integrating faith and psychology for emotional healing. She is the author of The Mind-Spirit Bible Practice—a groundbreaking guide that bridges Scripture and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to bring emotional and spiritual wholeness to believers, clinicians, and ministries alike. A brain tumor survivor, wife, and foster mom, Nicole writes from lived experience, weaving neuroscience, trauma recovery, and biblical wisdom into a practical framework for transformation. 

She has led policy reforms in San Francisco for system-involved youth, advanced statewide mental-health reforms across California, and collaborated with global brain-health leaders through the University of California, San Francisco. In 2015, she received a Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco City & County Board of Supervisors for her contributions to mental-health policy and advocacy. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Josh.

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This morning, I have a nonfiction, human rights novel in our featured book spotlight! Learn about Human Trafficking Exposed and author Maxwell Matewere. 

Date Published: January 8, 2026

Human Trafficking Exposed rips the mask off human trafficking and throws it at your feet without sugarcoating the truth. The book drags you straight into the underground world where children disappear, women are broken, and men are reduced to disposable labour—all while society pretends not to see.

Drawing from more than 25 years on the frontlines, award‑winning human trafficking buster Maxwell Matewere delivers an unfiltered, boots‑on‑the‑ground investigation into one of the world’s fastest‑growing criminal enterprises worse than slavery.

This is not second‑hand reporting. It is not theory. It is truth wrestled directly from survivors, traffickers, migration routes, brothels, recruitment networks, fake job agencies, and the silent corridors where victims are bought and sold like livestock. 

Inside this book, you will encounter:

• Real cases of children trafficked across borders under the guise of “education.”
• Young girls promised opportunity but delivered into prostitution and violent sexual captivity.
• Men trapped in forced labour, stripped of pay, papers, and hope.
• Criminal networks operating like corporations—efficient, ruthless, and invisible.
• Powerful insights into how traffickers weaponize poverty, trust, promises, and psychological manipulation.
• The myths Americans believe about trafficking—and the uncomfortable truths no one talks about.
• How victims become “assets,” broken down and exploited until nothing remains.

This book exposes the global machinery of exploitation—recruiters, transporters, corrupt officials, fake pastors, greedy relatives, organised syndicates, migration scammers, and sexual predators—all working together to turn human suffering into profit.

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This morning, I have a coming of age novel to share in our book spotlight! Learn about No Matter What and author Stephen Suffron! 

Young Adult / Coming of Age / Christian

Date Published: April 14, 2026

Publisher: Clay Bridges Press

When Jay finally seizes a moment of boldness with Nicole, he steps into new territory—only to discover her life is far more complicated than he ever imagined. Maybe he should just focus on basketball. Except Coach Mays seems blind to Jay’s potential, harping only on his flaws.

Caught between pressure, failure, and secrets no one talks about at Sunday school, Jay is forced to wrestle with deeper questions—about who he is, what he believes, and what it really means to be seen, to love, and to become someone worth noticing . . . no matter what.

what makes the book unique

This book provides a practical way for teens to engage with difficult questions and feel seen in the struggles they’re facing, while also being educational and presenting hard truths everyone will have to wrestle with. It helps the reader ask tough questions about who they are, who they want to be, where they want to go in life, and who they want to bring along on the journey.

The engaging characters and witty conversation pull in the reader and command attention and focus. This is not a story that will be read and quickly forgotten. Unlike generic "coming of age" books, No Matter What tackles the struggles of adolescence with taste and decency, allowing the reader to think and feel throughout the story without becoming unnecessarily uncomfortable or awkward.

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Today, we are joining the book blitz tour to announce short story collection, The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man by author Joe Cappello. Learn about the book and author!

Date Published: 05-15-2026

Publisher: RMK Publications

about the author

Fortunately, he overcame his initial stage fright and began accepting roles in community theatre, the parts of Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple” and Ivan Lomov in “The Proposal” among his favorites. He studied acting in New York City and performed in a couple of Off-Off Broadway productions including Sam Shepherd’s “Buried Child,” where he played the crotchety, whiney patriarch, Dodge (a part for which his wife felt he was uniquely suited). 

He wrote and produced plays for children, awarding roles to his sons and other kids in his neighborhood (earning the gratitude of their parents who considered rehearsals free babysitting). He started writing adult plays and received a number of accolades including an honorable mention in the 2020 Bridge Award contest sponsored by Arts in the Armed Forces (AIAF) for his full-length play, “The Stars of Orion” and selection as the winner of the 2022 Susan Hansell Drama Award for his one act play, “Monarch.” 

But the logistics of staging plays proved too time consuming. In his early 30's he started writing short stories and flash fiction pieces and submitting them for publication. Many of the stories presented in this collection have been published in online magazines and anthologies, and some have achieved recognition, most notably, “The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man,” First Place, National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest (2022); “They Only Showed Elvis from the Waist Up,” First Place, Southwest Writers Writing Contest (2023); and “Running Errands,” Finalist, Hemingway Shorts Competition, sponsored by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (2023). 

Joe invites you to read more of his work and follow his anything-but-straight-line career at his website.

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