Self Memoir

A deeply personal, yet candid saga of a gay Secret Service Agent in the Obama era; an agent who was struggling with his own identity, marriage, discrimination, and balancing the demands that accompany being assigned to protect the most powerful people in the world.

Jack Kerouac’s archive is vast. Throughout his life he was constantly writing, and he meticulously saved and catalogued his material. The result is that beyond the work published in his lifetime there has been a rich stream of posthumous writing that is far from tapped. This collection of previously unpublished writing culled from the Kerouac archive, and as a companion to Paul Maher Jr.'s Becoming Kerouac, spans Kerouac’s adult life, from a journal written at age seventeen to autobiographical reflections a few years before his death.

I'm Prancing as Fast as I Can is a coming of Gay story that takes us from a scared, self-hating kid who spends most of his time under his desk staring at the hunky man on the Doan's Pills box, to becoming a writer on Will & Grace, helping to make it a little easier for other scared, self-hating kids who might also be hiding and staring at their secret desire.

If you’re only learning from your own experience, you’re wasting years of time doing all the wrong things. When we learn from the experiences of others, we can save those years and make the right decisions when they count. Who has the experience you should learn from? Anyone and everyone, including the author of this book. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, Experience Matters is full of (brutal) honesty and humor.

This inspiring memoir dives into ordinary Andrea Olatunji's story. Her story telling will ignite listeners to find something extraordinary in their own story, and encourage them to leap into an amazing future. She shows how in-depth observations of one's history, family traditions, and personal patterns can be used as a catalyst to adopt new habits, and to make better life choices, transitions, and decisions in the future.

Through The Wonderchild Within Us Kamraj Sundram brings a very humane approach to face situations in our lives. In this book, the author communicates to the listener through various events in families situated across the globe. These families, despite the distance, are still connected through deep friendships with each other.

In a world so often filled with distressing news and bewildering violence, being “human” often gets a bad rap. Rejoice in everyday reasons to smile, think positively, and enjoy the gift of life. In Glad to Be Human: Adventures in Optimism, award-winning writer Irene O’Garden reminds us of the radiance of human existence. From kitchens to gardens to busy city streets, all around, in your everyday life, you can find plenty of reasons to feel gratitude and hope, peace and joy.

This Indo-Fijian author's memoir is a story of risk, courage, and determination. Ultimately it's a story of the human spirit's triumph over fear.

How to wipe out self-doubt and step out with confidence. Jessica Bettencourt knows what it’s like to face rejection, feel like she doesn’t belong, and second-guess big decisions. But she also knows that we have to face fear and risk failure to live out our calling. In I Almost Cancelled, Jessica shares how one scary decision after another led to a life she couldn't even imagine.

Angelo is a metalhead - he lives and breathes heavy metal music. This is the amazing story of how metal guided Angelo to success as an attorney, in business, and in life. You’ll learn how metal supported every twist and turn of his unusual career path. Whether you’re a music lover, professional, or just looking for inspiration, the motivational stories and lessons from Angelo’s metal journey will open your mind to career possibilities and maybe even bring out the metalhead in you!

An entertaining, thought-provoking blend of memoir, old-time storytelling, homespun philosophy, and the occasional errant thought, all delivered with Southern style and a distinctive country flavor. These treasures are the result of matriculation in The Advanced School of Hard Knocks (from which I graduated summa cum laude), and I felt it was only right to share them. Perhaps, one or two will bring a smile to your face and a lift to your spirit.

A Hero's Heart is a true story of victory, captivatingly told for the first time, from the survivor herself. It is a story of brutality, cruelty, and loss. It is a story of demons, heartache, and agony. It is a story of love, joy, and abundance. And lastly, it is a memoir told with fervor and elation. The writer shares her emotions in intimate detail as she conveys her journey from abuse, to illness, to deaths, and ultimately to ascendancy.

Remembering the truth of what it's like to be a kid is vital because most of us are stuck in some phase of arrested development, thanks to something traumatic that happened to us during our youth. Do you know what that trauma was and how it has affected who you are today? Understanding where you got stuck can free you to be the parent and adult you were meant to be.

This is an inspirational memoir and self-development book of a man who not only recovered from his Vietnam War wounds that blinded him but also from the force of darkness of self-pity, frustration, and despair.

Lucinda White is a happy-go-lucky nature child raised by a young single mother in the 1960s. In a dramatic turn of events, her wild nature is broken. She is shaped into a yuppie and becomes the wife of a prominent Silicon Valley CEO and a glamorous socialite. Successful by all accounts of external measure, she feels trapped by the shallow values of a dominant culture and ever more alienated from her true nature. Something primal awakens in Lucinda when she unearths and touches an ancient buffalo bone.

Julie starts out trying to heal her broken heart and life with a reiki session. Feeling sick after the reiki session, she seeks out a different healer for more healing. Julie begins to have mystical and supernatural experiences and finds herself amidst a spiritual awakening. At 48 years old, Julie is finally awakening to her true reality. Julie becomes aware that she had repressed memories of being abused and neglected as a child. She believed that if she retrieved the memories it would help her heal.

When Shay Eskew’s roadblock - a splash of gasoline and a lit match that set his body ablaze - came as a child, he had the choice to either succumb to his injuries or to rise above them. In What the Fire Ignited: How Life’s Worst Helped Me Achieve My Best, Shay shares the trials and tribulations he was forced to face while recovering from his burns and reclaiming his life as an athlete. By sharing his story, Shay hopes to help those struggling with life to realize the greatest tragedies are often our greatest blessings if we have the faith to stay the course.

An inauspicious encounter in a doctor's surgery during a routine follow-up for IVF initiated a descent into a labyrinth of questioning and uncertainty. Those first words ushered out of the doctor's mouth started a year where the author's mind was consumed by medical research, medical terms, hospital visits, medication and explanations. The diagnosis was breast cancer.

In My Top 40 at 40: Making the First Half Count, Kari Loya presents an original, meaningful way to celebrate his 40th birthday - by sharing his own collection of forty favorite stories spanning six continents and two decades. Loya reflects on experiences we can all relate to, such as preparing for the first job interview or coping with a long commute. The stories are full of surprise and are told with a keen eye, gentle humor, infectious curiosity, and an inspiring positive attitude towards embracing challenges and learning.

Mira Tasich, a loyal, hardworking, and devoted employee of several large corporations, finds herself unemployed, a victim of the recession. As a young teenager, she moved to America, learned a new language, and gained prestige and career success only to get laid off in a corporate downsizing. Frustrated, angry, and confused, she struggles to justify the familial and personal sacrifices made over the years for her employers, including a 2,141-mile move away from family and friends to the Southwest.