Sally Ember's Blog, page 9

on Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity: This June there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays. Get Full Details HERE

77 Calls for Submissions in June 2022 – Paying markets – by Erica Verrillo…

https://www.facebook.com/christine.lavin.5/videos/387564619936993/?sfnsn=mo

Or

https://youtu.be/DSwxoJHJ4EI

From Christine Lavin:

“Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon have written a heartfelt, stirring song, ‘Ukrainian Now,’ that touches us all. Noel Paul Stookey edited this beautiful video that includes Peter Yarrow, Bill Miller, Tret Fure, Holly Near, Emma’s Revolution, Rebel Voices, Crys Matthews, Carrie Newcomer, Joe Jencks, and me (Joe also plays the electric bouzouki, adding a haunting compliment to the piano of McCutcheon).

“The lyrics scroll across the screen and there’s sheet music is at the end. If you play an instrument, please learn this, videotape yourself, and I’ll post it here as soon as you send it. And please share far and wide.

“As Holly Near says at the video’s conclusion, ‘We are all Ukrainian now.'”

#weareUkraniannow

These musicians, singers, songwriters and activists are my people, some for my entire life. I love, respect, appreciate and need them so very much, especially in such awful times.


Share, sing along, record, post and donate: HIAS helps refugees, reliably; share your fave organization.



Sally Ember

https://mypositiveoutlooks.com/mit-researchers-aim-to-reverse-hearing-loss-inner-ear/#comment-110286

Very excited to learn of this promising research on injectables that regenerate hearing by restoring ear hairs!

Age-related-/genetically-, noise- and drug-induced hearing losses are all caused by dying/destroyed ear hairs. This is a potential fix as good as outpatient eye surgery, such as for cataracts or Lasik for myopia!

Yay!

#hopeforhearingloss

Meditation, Overall Health and the Vagus Nerve

What, where and for what is our vagus nerve? In this post, I offer some personal experiences of noticing how meditation affects my own vagus nerve, and some others’ diagrams and info for having a more healthy vagus nerve and how having a strong, or “toned,” vagus nerve improves many aspects of one’s health.

First, what is the vagus nerve? It is often called “the X cranial nerve or the tenth cranial nerve” because it extends throughout the body into the cranium of our brains. The vagus is the longest nerve in a human’s nervous system, starting in our intestinal area and stretching all the way into our brains.

Where is it? Almost everywhere! It is not straight: the vagus goes curving, looping and touching many organs and parts of our body as it extends.

from https://greatist.com/health/vagus-nerve
Design by Mekhi Baldwin

What does the vagus nerve “do”? We don’t even yet know all of its influences, but here are some functions we do know about, below.

How can we improve our vagus nerve’s usefulness? Many people have been studying this, and here are some tips, below.

“Vagal tone is an internal biological process that represents the activity of the vagus nerve. Increasing your vagal tone activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and having higher vagal tone means that your body can relax faster after stress.

“In 2010, researchers discovered a positive feedback loop between high vagal tone, positive emotions, and good physical health. In other words, the more you increase your vagal tone, the more your physical and mental health will improve, and vice versa.

“When your heart rate variability (HRV) is high, your vagal tone is also high. They are correlated with each other.”
https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/how_to_stimulate_your_vagus_nerve_for_better_mental_health_1.pdf

Vagus nerve diagram. Parasympathetic and central nervous system function. Signals from brain to internal organs in the human body. Spinal cord and nerves connections flat medical vector illustration. From: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/vagus-nerve

How can we improve our vagus nerves “at home?” Here are 9 “Ways of Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Nourish Your Body and Mind”:

I. “Deep, slow, belly breathing is [one] way to stimulate your vagus nerve. It’s been shown to reduce anxiety and increase the parasympathetic system by activating the vagus nerve.

Breathe more slowly (aim for six breaths per minute).Breathe more deeply, from the belly. Think about expanding your abdomen and widening your rib cage as you inhale.Exhale longer than you inhale.

I don’t do this nearly enough. It’s so much better than ordinary breathing, too. Try it!

II. “The vagus nerve is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. Singing, humming, chanting and gargling can activate these muscles and stimulate your vagus nerve. And this has been shown to increase heart-rate variability and vagal tone. The vibrations from ‘OM’ chanting stimulate the vagus nerve, which then sends out neurotransmitters and electrical signals that reduce activity to key areas of the brain like the amygdala, associated with our .fight/flight/freeze. response.

III. “Acute cold exposure has been shown to activate the vagus nerve and activate cholinergic neurons through vagus nerve pathways.

IV. “Gut bacteria improve brain function by affecting the vagus nerve. Omega-3 fatty acids increase vagal tone and vagal activity. Studies shown that they reduce heart rate and increase heart rate variability, which means they likely stimulate the vagus nerve. And, high fish consumption is also associated with ‘enhanced vagal activity and parasympathetic predominance.’

V. “Exercise also been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve, which may explain its beneficial brain and mental health effects.

VI. “Massages can stimulate the vagus nerve, and increase vagal activity and vagal tone.

VII. “Socializing and laughing can stimulate the vagus nerve, and increase vagal activity and vagal tone.”

VIII. Yoga poses with or without meditation practices in addition to those sessions are great for vagal toning.

IX. Intermittent fasting is a health benefit for many, but check with your health care provider if you are diabetic, have hypoglycemia, may be pregnant or have other conditions that make fasting something that must be carefully monitored. “Fasting and caloric restriction increase heart rate variability, which is an indicator that it increases parasympathetic activity and vagal tone.”

https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/7-natural-ways-to-strengthen-and-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve-today

Prefer watching and listening to reading? Try this short video, in which Naomi Goodlet provides an exercise for vagus nerve health on YouTube, “A 12-Minute Breathing Practice to Activate Your Vagus Nerve”:

As a long-time (for almost 50 years) meditator, I can attest that stimulating the vagus nerve does occur during many types of meditation and is extremely pleasurable. Also, many other benefits occur from having good vagal tone, as indicated above and below in this post and via the links in this post.

“The vagus nerve and meditation are intertwined. What happens if you stimulate the vagus nerve?
When stimulated, you feel calmer, more compassionate, and clearer. Stimulating the vagus benefits your autonomic nervous system and mental health.

“Healthy vagal tone means emotional regulation, greater connection, and better physical health as well.

“The vagus nerve stimulates certain muscles in the heart that help to slow heart rate.

“Research shows that meditation increases vagal tone and positive emotions, and promotes feelings of goodwill towards yourself.

“Another study found that meditation reduces sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ activity and increases vagal modulation.”

Vagus nerve pathway in humans

“The first study found that stimulating the vagus nerve dramatically reduces the severity of depression.

“The second study found that mindfulness meditation also optimized functional connectivity of the default mode network which lowered inflammation and improved the brain’s ability to manage stress and anxiety.”

More info about the vagus nerve and its functions, as quoted above, here: https://greatist.com/health/vagus-nerve#testing

I actually feel my vagus nerve responding as soon as I am doing an advanced meditation practice (dzogchen, an Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana meditation technique) that I have been doing many times during and sometimes for hours daily since 1999. I mostly feel this response in the vicinity of my heart and solar plexus, as if a metaphoric flower were opening, like a warmth spreading inside my abdomen and chest. This vagus nerve stimulation is, for me, similar to the physical experiences of feelings of being happily but quietly excited, a first awareness of falling in love, and/or my noticing my being loved by or loving someone dear.

Do you ever sense your vagus nerve while engaging in any activities or practices?
—Where in your body?
—In what ways?
—Exactly when/during what activities?

Comments are best offered here: http://www.sallyember.com/meditation-overall-health-and-the-vagus-nerve I will respond to all legitimate readers.

Good luck and best of vagal tone to you all!

One of the many ironies of the #ageism of the #hiring managers/people deciding who gets what upper-level #nonprofit management positions in recent years is that they seem to think that we “elders” aren’t likely to last for “enough” years; then, they keep losing the younger ones they keep hiring, anyway.

Unfortunately for their organizations, it’s the younger and middle-aged ones who are more likely to jump ship for “better jobs,” or move with a spousal transfer, as evidenced by my having tracked the job market in my areas for the past twenty years (ages 47 – 67).

I have seen jobs I applied for, was interviewed for (by someone younger, almost always) and was rejected for go to someone younger (and far less capable), dozens of times. Then, still cruising the want ads, I see that same job posted again in about 2 – 3 years; sometimes, the new hire only lasted 6 – 12 months.

I’ve lived in St. Louis long enough, now, to see some jobs posted 3 or more times in 8 years. This represents an enormous waste of time, energy and money: all that went into the hiring process, then time for orientation, acclimation, training, needs to be done over, again and again.

Seems that the younger person just begins to be hitting their stride and then, they leave. Or, the hiring turns out not to have been “a good fit” for one or more of them. (Gee…Maybe age isn’t the best factor to assess candidates by?)

If any of these hiring folks had been smart and unbiased enough to have hired ME, I’d have been a jewel for them:
—First, I’d have needed less training and less time to acclimate, bringing decades more experience, confidence and knowledge with me;
—Second, I’d have been able to be more effective a lot sooner;
—Third, and even better—especially financially, for them—I’d have still been working there [barring any fraud or malfeasance on their part (I’ve had to “be laid off” from several jobs for those reasons, back in California)]—7 to 10 or more years later. I probably would have outlasted them all.

Hiring managers, take note. We elders are worth hiring.

Currently, a huge number of experts and experienced workers are being ignored (not even called in for interviews) or not being hired merely for having birth dates that precede 1982, without regard for levels of expertise offered. We elders are told by “job coaches” to “remove dates” from our resumes to avoid this slush pile treatment.

Well, my C.V. is 6 pages long, listing my many types of training, education, degrees, and certificates, plus about a dozen publications and presentations, and dozens of positions, some of which overlap chronologically; kind of a giveaway, yes? Which ones should I leave out, I ask? These job coaches have no answers.

Millions more in our age groups are underutilized: we are forced into part-time “consultant” and “contract” jobs; or, worse, told we should “volunteer,” even though those jobs ALL deserve proper compensation and benefits (and, surprise! were usually done by women, when the positions were fully paid…) .

The above do not tap into our expertise sufficiently. These “positions” and situations are also insulting, wasting our knowledge and not respecting our contributions.

A lot of us choose to “retire” even though we’d rather be working, because these conditions are so demoralizing and such wasteful uses of our time. So much for our “golden years” as fruitful or rewarding.

I’m not even going into the shameful treatment seniors get at for-profit corporations: these kick elders to the curb without a second thought; not even a gold watch, any more. These owners and bosses exhibit NO loyalty or gratitude at ALL, for decades of service. Some of us get “escorted” to our cars by security as their only parting “gift,” as if WE are the threat.

Amusingly, they are so short-sighted that they fire us or lay us off without getting our replacements trained, first. So idiotic.

With so many upper-level jobs staying vacant or continually re-opening, one would imagine the hiring peeps would get a clue. Not so far.

Special PSA (Public Service Announcement) for all who have hiring authority: #hireseniors
We stay and we deliver.

What about 1986? Stories and Photos from Studying Faith Healing and Developing Psi Skills
in New Hampshire and The Philippines

We were living in southwestern and central New Hampshire, almost two dozen people in our 20s, 30s, 40s. Most of us were new to each other as we gathered to attend some classes on “Psychic and Spiritual Development” developed by Lisa Leghorn (then, also a feminist activist and author) and then also taught by (Al)Wyn Fischel (then, also a Waldorf educator) in Hillsborough and Peterborough, then Keene, in the winter/spring of 1985. We were each quite interested in “developing” ourselves, and in that spirit, we attempted to learn and practice: reading auras; dowsing with divining rods and sticks; channeling spirit guides; following guided visualization and meditation instructions, doing body scans; moving energy with our hands and minds (energy medicine/hands-on healing as well as Polarity and Reiki healing methods); identifying and clearing chakras; engaging in telepathic communication; and, trying on other associated skills. Some students and some skills garnered some successes.

These weekly classes continued throughout 1985, including one weekend seminar conducted by a “faith healer” from the Philippines known as “Choy” Lisa and Wyn had invited, having met him the previous year. It was at that seminar that I discovered I had a talent for “seeing” others’ health and physical condition, much to my surprise. After that, my studies intensified and my abilities grew. Not everyone was as inclined or committed. By the end of the fall, some of us wanted to “go deeper” while some had begun to miss classes.

In the winter of 1986, those of us available and wanting to study with Choy planned to continue to study with Lisa and visit Baguio, The Philippines, where Choy lived and worked. However, extreme political unrest (The “People Power” or “Yellow Revolution”) forced us to postpone our trip from early January to mid-March, allowing time for things to settle down after the late February departure of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos and the celebrated and confirmed election of Corazon Aquino as the new President .

In preparation for that residential study time, Lisa planned an “intensive” retreat which Wyn volunteered to host at his property in Temple, NH. Eighteen students—a mix from all three classes—lived together and continued our studies for 10 days in the late winter of 1986.

Some of the photos here are from that retreat. The rest are from our time in Baguio, The Philippines, in March, April and May of 1986.

I can hear the laughter and feel the atmosphere even now, almost 40 years later. I know Ben Ladd unexpectedly passed away several years ago, but I’m not sure about some of the others. as of 2022.
From top left: Kathy, Wyn, Carolyn, Anita, Ben, Debra, Shireen, Marina, Carolyn, Ben, Anita, me, Debra, Shireen,

Each of us had been having inspiring experiences in the classes which did intensify during this retreat: revelations, recovered memories of past traumas and/or revisited other early memories to develop a better set of insights about ourselves and each other as witnesses, participants and/or the center of the “work.” Lisa was using a variety of techniques derived from NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Gestalt, peer counseling, rebirthing and holotropic breathwork, and conventional therapy.

Some who attended the intensive retreat couldn’t be away from home or work for a month or had no interest in going and so didn’t join our travel group. We had shrunk from 18 to 13 members by the time we departed the USA.

Top pic: Don’t know man and baby; Choy, Wyn;
Group pic, back row: Me, Jill, Ben, Tim, Kathy, Lisa, Wyn, Kathryn, Caroline, Marina (in hat);
front row, Anita, Shireen, Debra, Nancy.
Not pictured: Jeremy and Jill
Bottom pic: Lisa and Debra

We embarked on our adventure to The Philippines. The trip, from Boston to LA to Honolulu to Manila, then by bus to Baguio, took more than 24 hours. We were hot, exhausted, hungry, and dazed when we arrived. Being there was the first time being in a foreign country for most of us, so the next few days we were in culture shock/adjustment, big time.

Right before we arrived, the USA had bombed Libya (April 15, 1986). Lisa advised us to pretend to be from Canada to avoid anti-American attacks. I remarked that I had no idea how to “be Canadian,” to which she replied: “Never mind. You are a quintessential American. Don’t even try.”

It was hard work, challenging, scary, fun, community-building and strange. We opened, broke and strengthened each others’ hearts daily.

The toilets had no seats and the bathroom floor drains didn’t work very well. The firtst bathroom we encountered en route from Mainal to Baguio had over a foot of water on the floor between the dor and the toilet with who-knows-what in that water. But, we wer edesperate and used it somehow.

Then, we got to the large, suburban house we’d all share for 4 – 8 weeks. The showers had no water pressure and almost no drainage. They used the same drains as the toilet, facing it in the large tiled bathroom. There were no curtains on the shower area. After some of us took a group sprinkle/sponge bath, we found out Baguio was in a serious drought and water was limited. We had to purchase it and ration it from then on.

Similar to the area that Choy had his store and “Healing Room” in Baguio. Image from https://www.theworldorbust.com/the-most-interesting-city-in-the-philippines-baguio/

The Filipino teacher/healer, Choy, was invited to return to the USA that summer and stayed for about three months. After Choy had taught some more classes in Temple, NH, Lisa talked with me about my seeing clients on my own.

However, he did not turn out to be trustworthy and hurt many people. He was forced to leave because of these bad behaviors. I didn’t find out about these egregious trespasses until months later. I was devastated. However, by then, many people believed I that had known all along and protected Choy, which led to a terrible, irreparable schism between me and some dear friends.

Nevertheless, I started working with individuals utilizing my newly honed skills of chakra clearing/ healing, anatomical/medical clairvoyance, energy work and psychological support, while also drawing on Caroline Myss‘ archetypes constructs (with her permission; from her book, Sacred Contracts) in my healing work that fall. I continued as a Personal Evaluations Counselor (Caroline’s idea) for about two years, mostly in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts.

Tragedies that unexpectedly befell some clients and changes in my own life led to my leaving that work entirely in the fall of 1988. I never to returned to it.

*************************

Lama Shenphen with photo of H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche circa 2016 in New Mexico

Two of the key people (Lisa Leghorn and Wyn Fischel), pivotal in my life from 1985 onward, later became Buddhist practitioners and then were ordained as Buddhist teachers by His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche in 1995 (Lama Drimed) and 1996 (Lama Shenphen). For more on those experiences, see other posts on this blog.

They taught many of these same students in Tibetan Vajrayana Nyingma Buddhism, including me. Lama Drimed is teaching me still, for which I am eternally grateful.

Lama Drimed (Wyn Fischel) circa 2017 in California

For more information on any of these topics or people, follow the links embedded in the post
or Google them.

#SMASHWORDS is having its 13th Annual “Read An #Ebook Week” NOW!
Final Days: March 11 – 12, 2022!
Many #sales and #discounts, some #free, #ebookweek22
Get any ebook format you want on Smashwords!

The Story Behind “Read an Ebook Week” (RAEW): Read an Ebook Week was created by Canadian Smashwords author, Rita Toews. If you’re interested to learn the story behind her creation of Read an Ebook Week, read the 2010 interview with Rita over at The Huffington Post . Please note that the prior web address mentioned in the interview, www. ebookweek.com, is now controlled by a squatter and is not associated with this promotion, so please don’t link to or promote the old address.

The Smashwords’ RAEW page is: http://smashwords.com/ebookweek or
https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1

The official Read an Ebook Week Facebook page, operated by Rita, is at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Read-an-E-Book-Week/193882590629749
Show your support for RAEW by “Liking” it on Facebook and sharing it.

All three published Volumes of the sci-fi/romance/multiverse/utopian/paranormal (psi) ebooks in The Spanners Series for adults/NA/YA are participating in this great sale! And, if you prefer or want also to have paperbacks, scroll to the end for the Amazon links to utilize Kindle Matchbook discounts to purchase those!

Volume I, This Changes Everything, The Spanners Series, by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, 58, begins having secret visits from holographic representations of  beings from the Many Worlds Collective, a consortium of planet and star systems in the multiverse. When Earth is invited to join the consortium, the secret visits are made public. Now Earthers must adjust their beliefs and ideas about life, religion, culture, identity and everything they think and are. Clara is selected to be the liaison between Earth and the Many Worlds Collective and she chooses Esperanza Enlaces to be the Media Contact. They team up to provide information to stave off riots and uncertainty. The Many Worlds Collective holos train Clara and the Psi-Warriors for the Psi Wars with the rebelling Psi-Defiers, communicate effectively with many species on Earth and off-planet, eliminate ordinary, elected governments and political boundaries, convene a new group of Global Leaders, and deal with family’s and friends’ reactions.
In what multiple timelines of the ever-expanding multiverse do Clara and her long-time love, Epifanio Dang, get to be together and which leave Clara alone and lonely as the leader of Earth? This Changes Everything begins the 30-year story of Clara’s term as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, continuing in nine more Volumes of The Spanners Series. Are you ready for the changes?

Vol I is PERMA-FREE!
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Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, The Spanners Series, by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
COUPON CODE for 25% off is SA35V

Intrigued by multiple timelines, aliens, psi skills, romance and planetary change? Clara and the alien “Band” are back in Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, The Spanners Series. Now as Chief Communicator, Clara leads the way for interspecies communication on- and off-planet. Fighting these changes are the Psi-Defiers, led by one of the oldest friends of the Chief of the Psi-Warriors, its reluctant leader, Rabbi Moran Ackerman. Stories from younger Spanners about the first five years of The Transition fill Volume II. How would you do with the changes?

Usually $3.99; “Read an Ebook Week” Promotional price: $2.99
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Enter the code prior to completing checkout.
COUPON CODE for Vol II, 25% off is SA35V

Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, The Spanners Series, by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
COUPON CODE for 50% off is SA35V

Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back in This Is /Is Not The Way I Want Things to Change of The Spanners Series. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth’s membership into the Many Worlds Collective. To join, Earth’s nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.
Clara, continuing as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi-Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders’ duties and consciences force them each to make difficult choices across multiple timelines while continuing to train and fight.
Will the Psi-Warriors’ and other leaders’ increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara’s and Epifanio’s love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?
What do you do with wanted/unwanted changes?

Usually $3.99; “Read an Ebook Week” Promotional price, Vol III: $2.00
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Enter the code prior to completing checkout.
COUPON CODE for 50% off is SA35V

Cover art and logo for The Spanners Series all by Aidana Willowraven: http://www.willowraven-illustration.blogspot.com/

BOOK TRAILERS for all three volumes, here:

Volume I, This Changes Everything
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Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever
https://youtu.be/WenvYeasiik?list=PLPbfKicwk4dE_bsvzZO7X8-IIqqLY15uS
or
https://goo.gl/ERqLHY

Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change
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or
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Find ALL books participating in the Smashwords’ Read An Ebook Week sale and stock up on your favorite genres, authors and titles OR scout out some new talent! https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1

PAPERBACK LOVERS:
Kindle MatchBook includes all three Volumes of The Spanners Series!
Buy any ebook format and get a discount
on the paperback of the same Volume (or vice-versa).

Amazon’s paperbacks’ links:
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Vol II: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC
Vol III: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM

Amazon’s ebooks’ pages:
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Vol II: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC
Vol III: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM

All published by Timult Books

#SMASHWORDS is having its 13th Annual “Read An #Ebook Week” NOW!
March 6 – 12, 2022!
Many #sales and #discounts, some #free, #ebookweek22
Get any ebook format you want on Smashwords!

The Story Behind “Read an Ebook Week” (RAEW): Read an Ebook Week was created by Canadian Smashwords author, Rita Toews. If you’re interested to learn the story behind her creation of Read an Ebook Week, read the 2010 interview with Rita over at The Huffington Post . Please note that the prior web address mentioned in the interview, www. ebookweek.com, is now controlled by a squatter and is not associated with this promotion, so please don’t link to or promote the old address.

The Smashwords’ RAEW page is: http://smashwords.com/ebookweek or
https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1

The official Read an Ebook Week Facebook page, operated by Rita, is at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Read-an-E-Book-Week/193882590629749
Show your support for RAEW by “Liking” it on Facebook and sharing it.

All three published Volumes of the sci-fi/romance/multiverse/utopian/paranormal (psi) ebooks in The Spanners Series for adults/NA/YA are participating in this great sale! And, if you prefer or want also to have paperbacks, scroll to the end for the Amazon links to utilize Kindle Matchbook discounts to purchase those!

Volume I, This Changes Everything, The Spanners Series, by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, 58, begins having secret visits from holographic representations of  beings from the Many Worlds Collective, a consortium of planet and star systems in the multiverse. When Earth is invited to join the consortium, the secret visits are made public. Now Earthers must adjust their beliefs and ideas about life, religion, culture, identity and everything they think and are. Clara is selected to be the liaison between Earth and the Many Worlds Collective and she chooses Esperanza Enlaces to be the Media Contact. They team up to provide information to stave off riots and uncertainty. The Many Worlds Collective holos train Clara and the Psi-Warriors for the Psi Wars with the rebelling Psi-Defiers, communicate effectively with many species on Earth and off-planet, eliminate ordinary, elected governments and political boundaries, convene a new group of Global Leaders, and deal with family’s and friends’ reactions.
In what multiple timelines of the ever-expanding multiverse do Clara and her long-time love, Epifanio Dang, get to be together and which leave Clara alone and lonely as the leader of Earth? This Changes Everything begins the 30-year story of Clara’s term as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, continuing in nine more Volumes of The Spanners Series. Are you ready for the changes?

Vol I is PERMA-FREE!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376197

Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, The Spanners Series, by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
COUPON CODE for 25% off is SA35V

Intrigued by multiple timelines, aliens, psi skills, romance and planetary change? Clara and the alien “Band” are back in Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, The Spanners Series. Now as Chief Communicator, Clara leads the way for interspecies communication on- and off-planet. Fighting these changes are the Psi-Defiers, led by one of the oldest friends of the Chief of the Psi-Warriors, its reluctant leader, Rabbi Moran Ackerman. Stories from younger Spanners about the first five years of The Transition fill Volume II. How would you do with the changes?

Usually $3.99; “Read an Ebook Week” Promotional price: $2.99
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424969
Enter the code prior to completing checkout.
COUPON CODE for Vol II, 25% off is SA35V

Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, The Spanners Series, by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
COUPON CODE for 50% off is SA35V

Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back in This Is /Is Not The Way I Want Things to Change of The Spanners Series. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth’s membership into the Many Worlds Collective. To join, Earth’s nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.
Clara, continuing as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi-Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders’ duties and consciences force them each to make difficult choices across multiple timelines while continuing to train and fight.
Will the Psi-Warriors’ and other leaders’ increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara’s and Epifanio’s love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?
What do you do with wanted/unwanted changes?

Usually $3.99; “Read an Ebook Week” Promotional price, Vol III: $2.00
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/588331
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COUPON CODE for 50% off is SA35V

Cover art and logo for The Spanners Series all by Aidana Willowraven: http://www.willowraven-illustration.blogspot.com/

 

BOOK TRAILERS for all three volumes, here:

Volume I, This Changes Everything
https://youtu.be/QJDEt1O8yQ8?list=PLPbfKicwk4dE_bsvzZO7X8-IIqqLY15uS
or
https://goo.gl/8OLVSr
AND
https://youtu.be/X_8ZFVY9BMg?list=PLPbfKicwk4dE_bsvzZO7X8-IIqqLY15uS
or
https://goo.gl/MvYFH3
AND
https://youtu.be/WL9lPK8IhRk?list=PLPbfKicwk4dE_bsvzZO7X8-IIqqLY15uS
or
https://goo.gl/APrn9P

Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever
https://youtu.be/WenvYeasiik?list=PLPbfKicwk4dE_bsvzZO7X8-IIqqLY15uS
or
https://goo.gl/ERqLHY

Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change
https://youtu.be/uINdFH0XS18?list=PLPbfKicwk4dE_bsvzZO7X8-IIqqLY15uS
or
https://goo.gl/q9NGsg
AND

Find ALL books participating in the Smashwords’ Read An Ebook Week sale and stock up on your favorite genres, authors and titles OR scout out some new talent! https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1

PAPERBACK LOVERS:
Kindle MatchBook includes all three Volumes of The Spanners Series!
Buy any ebook format and get a discount
on the paperback of the same Volume (or vice-versa).

Amazon’s paperbacks’ links:
Vol I: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
Vol II: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC
Vol III: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM

Amazon’s ebooks’ pages:
Vol I: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
Vol II: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC
Vol III: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM

All published by Timult Books

 

Mazel Tov to some great younger #authors!

Wishing them all the best!

https://womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/announcing-the-gh-x-womens-prize-futures-ten

In case your viewing habits differ from ours, my mom and I offer this full list:

“As another calendar year draws to a close, it’s time again for #Deadline’s annual list of winter premiere dates for new and returning TV series. The list covers more than 250 broadcast, cable and streaming programs debuting from January 1 through March 31 and includes series and season/half-season debuts, shows’ return from hiatus and some…”

Winter Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming