Afternoon walk at the beginning of the week. The sun was out – finally – it started to warm up – finally! Somehow it felt as if all of nature erupted into a collective sigh of “Ahhhhh,” turning little flower faces skyward, soaking it all up.

Butterflies hung out, luxuriating in the sun.

Huge tadpoles floated in the water like being suspended from invisible threads, shifting a little with soft currents of the lake. (Hate to break it to you, they are Rana Catesbeiana, invasive bull frog babies, as my learned friend Mary told me when I showed her the pictures.)

Herons stalking in slo-mo, trying to keep a lid on the bull frog population…

Hello….

Ospreys eying the ducklings, then being chased by smaller, upset birds.

Red-winged blackbirds everywhere, as were swallows and brown-headed cowbirds.

I tried to focus on my surround and not on what to do with the barrage of emails that enter my inbox on a daily basis for unknown reasons, often prefaced by Dear Mr. Friderike Heuer…Somehow I must have gotten on a distribution list of people who think I do book reviews for a living. The wrong kind of people. Or the wrong kind of books, as the case may be. Certainly the wrong amount of time spent on reading the mails if only out of curiosity. Here is a selection for last week only, to give you a taste.

Book Review Op – Your Marriage God’s Way: A Biblical Guide to a Christ-Centered Relationship – The problems we see in marriages today have existed throughout human history, says Pastor Scott LaPierre, which is why he relies on biblical lessons when dispensing marital counseling. Scott dissects the culture of marriage intended by God in his new book, Your Marriage God’s Way, and he is available to discuss these valuable insights with your audience to help them build relationships that are strong and vibrant. Would you please read the press release below and let me know if you would like to schedule an interview with pastor and author Scott LaPierre? I would also be happy to forward a complimentary copy of his new book in consideration of a review or feature. To hear a recent interview, please visit https://anchor.fm/heidistjohn/episodes/Husbands–Love-Your-Wives-with-Scott-LaPierre-e1i3fcd.

Let’s say mine centers on a Jewish man as well…

Book Review / Interview Op – 60 Clear-Cut Ideas That Make Handling Crises and Career Setbacks Easier -in these troubling times, nothing is easy. But sought-after business coach Chris Westfall says that there is an easier way. In his new book, Easier, Chris uses a profoundly powerful approach to deliver 60 clear-cut ideas for handling crises, career setbacks, loss, grief and more — so we can heal ourselves, our companies and our culture. Please let me know if you would like to schedule an interview with Chris, who makes an extremely engaging guest. I would also be happy to forward a complimentary copy of Easier, in consideration of a review or feature. More information can be found in the press release below. To watch a recent interview, please visit….

Only 60?

I wanted to make sure you’d heard about Jerremy’s new children’s book focused on the stock market? The following is a link to the press release: https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/real-life-trading-making-investment-in-financial-literacy-for-kidsJerremy has been putting an extra focus on financial literacy for children. He was recently featured on CNBC. I’d be happy to send you a copy of his book if you’d like to review it or I can schedule an interview with him if you’d like to learn more about why he wrote it and how he’s giving back to schools and kids. He will also have a guest piece in the Tennessean soon advocating for his home state to pass a similar financial literacy bill as Florida just did. 

I know I reared the kids all wrong…

Steamy Romance About Love, Sex and Chocolate – The word-of-mouth sensation, Chocolate Burnout, is now a seven-part series for Hubbard Small Press Publications with the first in the series, Chocolate Burnout: Chocolate 4 Life (June 7, 2022) launching this summer. Each novel in the series will follow a different character and address a variety of social issues including racism and interracial relationships. Chocolate 4 Life follows Chantel Reed, a successful, single African American woman who has given up on romance to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a master chocolatier. Chantel’s best friend Astrid, a prosperous, single white woman who sacrificed relationships to conquer her dream job as a certified chocolatier, is the owner of Sweet Indulgence, one of the most popular chocolate shops in downtown Seattle. The story follows Chantel as she deals with life’s challenges and bounces between an obsession with chocolate, friendships and her desire to find the perfect romance.“Throughout the seven-part series, there will be different perspectives, and the protagonists will develop and change their views as they grow older,” says La-Paz. “The main character, Chantel Reed, her eccentric group of friends and her peculiar relationships give readers something to look forward to as the series progresses.” With a romance series, a memoir, and a picture book forthcoming, Emunah La-Paz is a talented author on the rise. Please let me know if I can send you a review copy of this delicious and enticing tale.

Maybe I’ll have some chocolate. Maybe I’ll pick um painting again…

Hey Friderike​ — below is an image of American Angie Crabtree surrounded by her hyperrealistic portraits of actual diamonds. Her art speaks for itself so I won’t bother you with fluff and BS. She has a show coming up and a great backstory. She is collected mostly by major diamond companies, celebs etc. How would you feel about a quick interview via zoom phone or email? We would be grateful! Keep sparkling, Tyler. 

Or maybe I’ll escape to outer space since I can keep sparkling there as yet another star…

I am writing to you with an urgent story idea. Former Deputy NASA Administrator Lori Garver has a new book scheduled to be released on June 21st entitled “Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age.” It is the story of how Garver drove the commercial space program with Elon Musk against the wishes of Senators on both sides of the aisle. It is her story of how she was threatened and called the worst of names by politicians including Senators whose goal was to protect NASA programs in their districts versus Congress investing in the commercial program. The Senator from Florida who led the battle to stop the commercial program was Bill Nelson, now the NASA administrator. Garver pulls no punches on Nelson. She opens up about the excessive $20 billion-plus in cost overruns that have dogged the SLS program that Nelson drove. SLS still has not been launched after a decade of technical and financial issues. Garver writes in her book about working with Musk, Bezos, Branson, etc… and has many personal stories to share. The Former Deputy NASA Administrator passionately writes and speaks about how women have been suppressed, degraded, and objectified in the male-dominated NASA culture. In addition to the PDF, I have attached book highlights and Garver’s thoughts regarding how women have been treated at NASA.

Would you be interested in interviewing Garver for your outlet? This promises to be a dynamic interview, bestseller, and drop a number of political bombshells. I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me at this email or xxxxxxxxxxx to schedule an interview.

Or maybe I’ll read something truly relevant to my pursuit of sharing tidbits about nature: here is the best article of last week in that regard. It will enrich your weekend!