| FICTION |
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January 2006 
Trouble with Magic by Madalyn Alt (Berkley, Mass Market Paperback)
Margaret Mary-Catherine O'Neill was a good God-fearing Catholic who went to church on Sundays just like everyone else in Stony Mill, Indiana. Now Maggie is a grown up lapsed Catholic with a basement apartment, a dull, dead-end job, and a mother and sister who never fail to point out her shortcomings.
When Maggie takes shelter from a rainstorm one day in a gift shop called Enchantments, she suddenly finds herself with a new job and a new outlook. Only one catch: her new boss, Felicity Dow, is a self-proclaimed witch. A good, goddess-worshipping witch, but a witch nonetheless. And witches aren't exactly welcome in Stony Mill, Indiana.
Maggie's budding friendship with Felicity and the ghost-hunting misfits who make up her “coven” lead her to recognize empathic talents of her own, and when Felicity is arrested for murder, Maggie must use all of her powers—both earthly and unearthly—to prove her friend innocent. Getting in the way is handsome Deputy Sheriff Tom Fielding, who pursues a romance with Maggie even as he tries to prove Felicity guilty. February 2006 
Sweetie's Diamonds by Raymond Benson (Five Star, Hard Cover)
Diane Boston lives with her Marfan syndrome-afflicted 13-year-old son in a suburb of Chicago and teaches social studies at the high school, with the students even voting her Teacher of the Year. But she has some dark secrets. Her ex-husband Greg always suspected that Diane kept things from him, but he has no idea just how right he is. When Diane's son, David, finds a box of unmarked videotapes and watches one of them out of curiosity, he discovers that it's a hardcore adult movie from the late 1970s. The star, Lucy Luv, was an actress that mysteriously disappeared in 1980. Some suspected she'd been murdered. David recognizes the actress as his mother. Then, somehow, the news of Diane's involvement in the adult film business hits the streets and causes chaos at her school and at home. It also attracts the attention of the West Coast porn czar who has ties with organized crime. Apparently when Lucy Luv disappeared, she took a cache of stolen diamonds with her. This is the catalyst for a non-stop roller-coaster ride of suspense and mystery that involves the dark side of the adult film industry, the mob, kidnapping, and murder.
My Mother the Porn Star, or: How I Cut "Diamonds"
March 2006
Felix Gomez doesn't like what war has done to him. He went to Iraq a soldier, and came back a vampire. Now he's a private detective, hired by a trusted friend to penetrate the murderous conspiracy cloaking an outbreak of nymphomania at the U.S. Department of Energy's Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant.
As he unravels the mystery surrounding one of the darkest secrets of modern times, Felix realizes that he must resolve issues from his human past if he is to defeat government assassins and fanatical vampire hunters from Transylvania. Sexual myths, conspiracy fables, and bureaucratic paranoia are skewered in this novel about American pop culture.
The Nymphos of Rocky Flats deconstructs vampire lore and presents the bizarre world of the undead with a humorous slant and a fresh Latino twist. 
1906 by James Dalessandro (Calmann-Levy, France, Hard Cover)
Every disaster has a back story, none more thrilling than this one. Set during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire, this page-turning tale of political corruption, vendettas, romance, rescue—and murder—is based on recently uncovered facts that forever change our understanding of what really happened. Told by a feisty young reporter, Annalisa Passarelli, the novel paints a vivid picture of the Victorian-era city, from the mansions of Nob Hill to the underbelly of the Barbary Coast to the arrival of tenor Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera. Central to the story is the ongoing battle—fought even as the city burns—that pits incompetent and unscrupulous politicians against a coalition of honest police officers, newspaper editors, citizens, and a lone federal prosecutor. With the appeal and texture of The Alienist, Carter Beats the Devil, and the novels of E. L. Doctrow, James Dalessandro weaves unforgettable characters and actual events into a compelling epic. Movie rights to the novel have been bought by Barry Levinson/SpringCreek Productions/Warner Brothers. The movie will enter pre-production soon. 
Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle by Beverly Bartlett (Warner Books, Trade Paperback Original)
Isabella Cordage has taken Bisbania's royal family by storm: the one woman in Prince Raphael's life not caught up in panting pursuit of the throne, she's a refreshingly astute and vibrant figure in Rafie's small social circle. A spunky Yale graduate with a "wiggle in her waltz" and a genuinely raucous affection for the horse track, Isabella soon earns for herself a most dangerous and tragic prize: the Prince's true love.
Styled as a biography of Isabella, and told by a narrator whose personal agenda in telling the story is gradually exposed, the tale soon unfolds into a revelation of a long-guarded conspiracy. At its heart is Geoffrey the American auto mechanic, a friend from Isabella's college days whose advice (snagged from Bruce Springsteen lyrics) becomes so dear to Isabella that she invites him and his wife to live with her in Bisbania.
One dreadful night, Prince Raphael's private plane, piloted by Geoffrey with the Prince as the sole passenger, crashes into the sea. Only one body washes ashore.
Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle is a contemporary fairy tale with edge, a love story spurred by surprising secrets and peppered with hidden identities, ironic wit, and a wise assessment of what it means to be a royal, in the tabloids and in life. Relayed in a clever fresh voice that is part sensation, part memoir, and part mystery, Bartlett dishes the humor, tragedy and trials of the nobles of Bisbania, a glimpse into the grit and glamour of one extraordinary fairy tale Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle. May 2006 
Twisted by Jay Bonansinga (Kensington, Mass Market Paperback)
The brilliant and tormented FBI profiler Ulysses Grove retires and moves to the country to recuperate and forget. The following spring, a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast. The death toll is devastating. Among the dead is Grove's dear friend from Book One, the eccentric Tulane University Professor Moses De Lourde, who has become almost like a father to Grove. Grove is heart sick, but when he goes down south to pay his last respects, he discovers a bizarre aspect to De Lourde's death. The gruesome sharp-trauma injuries, which were thought caused by the violent storm, actually match the style of unsolved ritual killings that Grove has been obsessively studying over the years. Haunted by visions, as well as mysterious entries in DeLourde's journals, Grove is drawn back into a macabre series of events that lead him to a stunning conclusion: There is an entity—perhaps an individual or a cult—periodically performing human sacrifices in the eyes of hurricanes. Once again, Grove finds himself ridiculed by the authorities, laughed at, ostracized...until he is driven to physically enter the eye of the next hurricane himself. But what he ultimately finds there—with his rag tag group of colleagues in that terrifying surreal space inside the eye—is as unexpected as it is horrifying. Mass Market Review
Publishing a novel about a giant hurricane hitting New Orleans eleven months after the very real Hurricane Katrina is a dicey undertaking. But Bonansinga pulls it off with grace and reverence for the Crescent City—especially since, according to the novel's foreword, he turned in the first draft one month before Katrina hit. The chills don't stop with the novel's prescience. In his second leading role, stoic ex-FBI profiler Ulysses Grove comes to post-Katrina New Orleans for the funeral of a friend, professor Moses De Lourde, but finds a string of related murders—De Lourde's included—that compel him and former flame Maura County, a journalist, to team up and find the killer. After the pair do further research into De Lourde's secret theory tying hurricanes to ancient ritual human sacrifice, clues to the killer's identity emerge, and the case turns up links to Grove's past. As the city battens down for another disastrous storm season, Grove's chase is just beginning. Those who haven't read the previous Grove novel might find themselves playing catch-up, but Bonansinga has a talent for painting suspenseful scenes in vivid colors, put to especially good use in the final showdown. June 2006 
View Park by Angela Winters (DaFina/Kensington, Trade Paperback)
Steven Chase is the head of one of the wealthiest African-American families in the country. In Los Angeles, he has built a cosmetics empire from nothing. With a perfect society wife at his side, he continues to conquer and push Chase Beauty higher and higher on the Fortune 500. His sons and daughters fight outside forces, and each other, to hold on to their wealth and position, as they navigate their complicated love lives.
Charlie Jackson is Chief of Police of well-to-do View Park, a Los Angeles suburb where the majority of the people he protects and serves live much better than he ever has. He fights politics and crime while trying to maintain peace and harmony in his own home. Despite this, his family continually finds themselves mixed up in the drama that only the Chase family can cause. View Park is the first in a series of novels that will explore the conflicts and drama of the Chase and Jackson families and all those lucky, or unlucky, enough to cross their paths.
Visit View Park. August 2006 
The Adventures of Chance Fortune: Chance Fortune and the Outlaws by Shane Berryhill (Tor/Starscape, Hard Cover)
The Adventures of Chance Fortune: Chance Fortune and the Outlaws is the first in a middle grade series about young Tennessee native Josh Blevins. In Josh's futuristic world, super humans, aliens, and robots mingle freely and intergalactic travel has become a regular occurrence. Josh, through some dubious connections and little white lies, gains entrance into the esteemed Burlington Academy for the Superhuman. Since he does not actually have any superpowers, Josh does this under the falsified persona of Chance Fortune, his “superpower” being luck.
At Burlington Academy Josh meets a kaleidoscope of extraordinary characters—some friends, some enemies—and ultimately finds himself caught up in a struggle for the fate of the universe.
Chance Fortune and the Outlaws
“A strong echo of The Incredibles runs through Berryhill's debut, set in a word where superheroes are taken for granted as a part of day-to-day affairs. Joshua Blevins has been star-struck by these heroes all his life. At age 9, he encounters Captain Fearless, who takes him under his wing and trains him for five years. But all appears for naught when Joshua's application to Burlington Academy for the Superhuman is turned down on the grounds that, 'as a normal human, the Academy has nothing to offer you.' Joshua and his mentor are not so easily deterred, and Captain Fearless fakes some documents to get Joshua accepted under the name Chance Fortune. Chance makes new friends quickly, young heroes-in-waiting like himself: the electrically charged Shocker, the elastic Private Justice and psychic named Psy-chick. After a lengthy training sequence that references Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card with both a wink and a nod (one of Chance's classmates Space Cadet, or S.C., has a roommate named Orson), Chance learns that the school is connected to The Shadow Zone, 'a dimensional prison reserved for super villains too powerful or too diabolical to be jailed by conventional means.' Readers weary of Potter-esque fantasy but hungry for another semi-humorous/semi-serious school setting, and lovers of superhero stories in general, will delight in this first volume in The Adventures of Chance Fortune series, ideally structured for many further adventures at Burlington. Age 10-up. (Aug.)”
— Publishers Weekly October 2006 
The Book of Samson by David Maine (St. Martin's Press, Hard Cover)
From the author of the acclaimed and provocative novels Fallen and The Preservationist comes a tale about a man who believes he is touched by the hand of God—then instructed by that God to slaughter his enemies. It is the story of “This worldly existence of men & brutes desire & unkindness” and of the woman, Dalila, who figures at the center of it all. In The Book of Samson, David Maine has created an unforgettable portrait, a unique and astonishing masterpiece that puts a face on a previously faceless icon.
Book of the Times; Tough Guy with Friend in High Places December 2006 
A Charmed Death by Madalyn Alt (Berkley, Mass Market Paperback)
Maggie O'Neill was just your average small-town girl, stuck in a dead-end job until she started working at Enchantments, Stony Mill's finest antique shop with a unique mystical secret. Now Maggie is Indiana's newest witch. Learning to cope with her newfound powers is tough enough, but add to that keeping the stock at Enchantments organized, keeping the peace with her somewhat controlling mom, and remembering to tape reruns of her favorite show, Magnum, P.I., and Maggie's got a full plate.
But when a second questionable death occurs a scant two months into her store tenure, she can't turn her thoughts away from all the town gossip about the teenage princess and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the girl's charmed life and death. While the police get caught up in procedure and logic, Maggie uses every trick, charm, and intuition she can summon, with the assistance of her favorite witchy boss Felicity Dow, to get to the heart of this spellbinding murder.
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
In this case? Get witchy! |
| NON-FICTION |
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January 2006 Love Me Forever by Dale Hudson (Kensington, Mass Market Paperback)
Love Me Forever profiles a young couple who appears to be happily married and living the American dream. On the night of their third anniversary, and with their daughter asleep in a motel only a few hundred yards away, Renee Poole makes love to her husband, then leads him into a deadly trap. As the Myrtle Beach police investigate her husband's murder, they whittle away at Renee's story until she admits to her secrets and finally exposes her lover as the murderer.
Author Dale Hudson lives in Horry County and was actively involved in this case from its conception. He has accumulated hundreds of hours interviewing Renee Poole, both before and after her conviction; visited at length all family members involved; interviewed all the Horry County Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys, and police investigators who were involved in this case; attended both trials; has over 200 pictures related to this case, all the court documents and transcripts, newspaper clippings, television interviews, and police files. February 2006  Hip-Hop, Inc.: Success Strategies of the Rap Moguls by Rick Oliver and Tim Leffel (Thunder's Mouth/Avalon,Trade Paperback)
In the space of just two decades, rap music has co-opted the mainstream music industry to create one of the most enduring—if unlikely—success stories in American business history. For the first time, this book describes how such icons as Russell Simons, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, and Percy “Master P” Miller rose from nothing to head major corporations and dominate the American music scene.
In addition to providing this cultural history, the book also provides a “highlights reel” of the most important business lessons from these various moguls, such as how to establish long-term stability from an overnight success; how to utilize grass-roots and guerilla marketing; and how to structure lucrative joint-venture deals. In Success Strategies of the Rap Moguls, authors Dr. Richard Oliver and Tim Leffel build bridges between the mean streets of Harlem and the super-chic of Madison Avenue, while demonstrating how the methods they describe can be applied to a cross-section of different businesses. Your Dreams Are Too Small by Joe Tye (PHP Institute, Inc., Japan, Hard Cover)
Dream a big dream, make it a memory of the future, and expect a miracle!
Do you really want to achieve greater professional success, financial wealth, and personal fulfillment?
Is there a greater, more magnificent you trying to escaped from a façade of self-imposed limitations?
Are you cheating yourself by accepting anemic dreams and goals?
Your Dreams Are Too Small will show you the path toward visualizing and realizing your most authentic, most magnificent dreams. This entertaining, educational story by the author of Never Fear, Never Quit teaches you to:
Your Dreams Are Too Small can be your wake-up call to dream big, act big, and achieve big!
Joe Tye is the founder of Never Fear, Never Quit International, an organization that has helped thousands of individuals and organizations attain greater success. He is a dynamic speaker and the author of numerous books and multimedia programs on personal and business success. He lives with his family on a small farm in Iowa. April 2006 
Can You Say A Few Words by Joan Detz (St. Martin's Press, Hard Cover)
Available in bookstores or through www.joandetz.com.
Learn how to prepare and give memorable speeches for any special occasion:
“I don't believe you can ever eliminate the butterflies you get in your stomach, but this book helps get those butterflies in flying formation.” — Bill Brimmer, Executive Vice President, “A very helpful, very practical book.” — Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, “Joan Detz is the Emily Post of speech communication. She tells you what's right, what's wrong, what works, what doesn't. You don't have to wing it anymore.” — James F. Fox, past President,
About the Author
Joan Detz is the author of How To Write & Give A Speech (St. Martin's Press, 3rd Edition, 2002), which was praised by The Washington Post as “a how-to classic” ... and also the author of It's Not What You Say, it's How You Say It (St. Martin's Press, 2000): “Fresh advice ... keen insights. A pithy manual ... an excellent tool.” — Publishers Weekly. She teaches The Joan Detz Speechwriting Seminar Series for Basic, Advanced and Master Levels. Visit www.joandetz.com to learn more. May 2006 
Murder in the Heartland by M. William Phelps (Kensington, Hard Cover)
“When unimaginable horror strikes it is certain to cause monstrous sufferings, regardless of its locale. In Murder in the Heartland, M. Williams Phelps expertly reminds us that when the darkest form of evil invades the quiet and safe outposts of rural America the tragedy is greatly magnified. Get ready for some sleepless nights.” — Carlton Stowers, Edgar Award Winning Author of “Phelps uses a unique combination of investigative skills and narrative insight to give readers an exclusive, insider's look into the events surrounding this incredible, high-profile American tragedy...He has written a compassionate, riveting true crime masterpiece.” — Anne Bremner, Op-Ed Columnist and Legal Analyst
Press the Play Button in the window below to watch the Murder in the Heartland Podcast: 
 The Cheat Sheet by Rob Wiser and Chris Curtis (Transworld/Random House Australia, Trade Paperback)
The subject of why men cheat is widely misunderstood. There's a lot of finger-pointing between men and women and a lot of superficial advice given by the “experts.” As the guys behind the book M.A.C.K. Tactics, our ear is to the street. Guys admit things to us that they would never tell the women in their lives. And with The Cheat Sheet we'll get to the bottom of the subject, exploring cheating from all angles. We'll give women the information they need to avoid it happening to them, and to build stronger, more honest relationships with the men they're with. 
The One Hour Orgasm, by Drs. Leah and Bob Schwartz (Griffin/St. Martin's Press, Trade Paperback)
The “Venus Butterfly” technique detailed in The One Hour Orgasm is based on over 30 years of research and courses taught at More University and the Institute of Human Abilities in Northern California. Both tasteful and explicit, the book provides one of the most effective methods for couples to improve their intimacy with one another. With a commitment of just a few minutes a week, the doctors promise immediate results that will put relationships back on the road to pleasure, excitement, fun and fulfillment.
Written in an entertaining style and geared towards hip women, The Cheat Sheet will include case studies of those who were cheated on, and the men who did the cheating. It's also packed with field research, where we conduct surveys and experiments on the dating scene to come up with the astonishing facts. In the most compelling (and amusing) sections, we'll go undercover to examine infidelity in its various forms, from Internet sex affairs, to strip clubs, to the “swinger” lifestyle—which, ironically, teaches ways that we can all inject more honesty into our relationships.
Some of the facts and true stories contained in The Cheat Sheet are painfully funny; others are outrageous and shocking. Having read this book, women will be armed with the facts they need before committing to a man, and will learn 101 ways to prevent him from ever straying. June 2006 
The Culture Code by Dr. Clotaire Rapaille (Broadway/Doubleday, Hard Cover)
Why do we make friends easily but find it difficult to keep them for a long time? Why do we have such a strong work ethic? Why does personal appearance mean so much to us? Why are our kitchens and bathrooms and cars getting bigger? Why do we choose the leaders we do? Why do we buy what we buy, eat what we eat, and who we love?
The Culture Code explains the idea behind the answer to all these questions: that there lies, hidden below the surface, a force common to all of us—a Cultural Unconscious, capable of shaping all of our decisions and driving our behavior.
What lies behind our fascination with the female navel? Is there such a thing as Mr. Right? Why do we go home for Thanksgiving? Why do we “work” on our tans? What does physical beauty really mean to us? The answers are often surprising and always illuminating.
Crack The Culture Code.
“In America, seduction is dishonest.” 
August 2006 
The Trojan Ten: The Ten Thrilling Victories That Changed the Course of USC Football by Barry LeBrock, (NAL, Hard Cover)
An up-close look at the ten most monumental games in Trojan history-and the legendary team that set the standard for football dominance.
The University of Southern California's storied Trojan team has earned its place as one of the most exciting and beloved in college football. Just in the past several years, they've won two national championships and racked up an undefeated record in 2004 and 2005. Now sportswriter Barry LeBrock looks back at the ten most important victories of one of college football's greatest teams.
From the very first face-off between the Trojans and their mighty rival, Notre Dame, in 1925, to the Rose Bowl of 1940, to the latest dynasty team, The Trojan Ten reveals the incredible plays, personal triumphs, sacrifices, sweat, grit, and life lessons behind each game. These are the stories of boys who became men, players who became legends, and teammates who became brothers.
Barry LeBrock is a reporter for the Fox Sports Network in Southern California. He covers the USC Trojans every season. 
Die, Grandpa, Die by Dale Hudson (Pinnacle True Crime, Mass Market Paperback)
MISSING BOY
BAD SEED
Read about The “Zoloft Defense”. November 2006
Without Excuses argues convincingly that recruiting and nurturing a diverse workforce isn't just morally or legally correct, it's essential to any successful enterprise. Using examples gleaned from a decade of real-world work in companies and government, Joe Watson offers vital practical advice on how to find abundant sources of diverse talent, how to treat them in the recruitment process and on the job, and most of all how to learn from them to benefit any business or organization.
This book is essential for any executive, recruiter, entrepreneur, or job-seeker looking for the crucial edge in hiring and developing talent and business ideas. Joe Watson's infectious charisma permeates every page, bringing drama and urgency to sound management advice.
Buy Without Excuses at Amazon. Without Excuses Endorsements
“Joe Watson is a man on a mission. Without Excuses is the clear path he lays out for the American business world to follow. Joe makes the case that diversity is not just a necessary thing, but a great thing—and with the common sense approach in this book, truly achievable.”
— Mark Warner, Governor of Virginia, 2002-2006
“Diversity, like gravity, is all around us and is therefore beyond dispute or debate; the challenge of leveraging that diversity—the work of inclusion—remains, however, unfinished and unfulfilled. Joe Watson offers a practical, highly readable and compelling case for inclusion and one that should re-energize those who suffer from 'diversity fatigue'.”
— Gilbert F. Casellas, Former Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity
“Without Excuses is without exception a breath of fresh air, a comprehensive and refreshing look at corporate America's relationship with diversity over the decades and a road map to help companies gain serious traction in making the business case for diversity. In author Joe Watson's mind, the business case for diversity is simply about implementing solid business strategy. Or more importantly, succeeding in today's business climate by meeting current demands and preparing for the future by rising to the challenges and opportunities offered by the diverse marketplace.”
— Carl Brooks, President and CEO, Executive Leadership Council
“Going forward, an organization's success will largely depend on its ability to identify, attract and retain top talent from a shrinking and increasingly diverse talent pool. Without Excuses offers useful, straight forward guidance aimed at helping organizations win in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”
— W. H. Easter III, Chairman, CEO and President, Duke Energy Field Services
“Joe Watson does an exceptional job of identifying some of the critical issues impacting Corporate America's efforts and diversity. He shows the reader how to get real & get ready, how to connect networks and build relationships. Joe keeps it real and says, 'No more Excuses' to the business world!”
— Billy Dexter, Executive Vice President
“I truly appreciate how this profound and unadulterated book has hit every critical aspect of diversity. The theories and techniques identified contradict the standard biased logic that encompasses ideological patterns of constantly excusing the inexcusable. I work on a global platform and I consider this a must read not only for my national and international colleagues; but as a universal toolkit to help industries achieve a dominant position in multiculturalism.”
— Stephanie R. Dawkins, Senior Vice President
“Conversations rooted in diversity are often awkward and ineffectual. The reasons for this are many and recriminations abound. Now comes, Joe Watson and Without Excuses—a positive, bold new vision for a collaborative future where our businesses and institutions fully engage the great potential of all people. If you are committed to an America that harnesses the full potential of all its citizens, then 'Without Excuses' is, quite simply, required reading.”
— Jack Kemp, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,
“Joe Watson approaches the issue of diversity through the simple lens of things that either 'can' or 'can't' be done. He argues convincingly that the liberal use of the word "can't" reflects the distortion that the issues of diversity and race have injected into the normal course of business. Without Excuses offers the reader an opportunity to regain their 'business' footing on the issue of diversity and return to the traditional path of business—where strategies are developed, plans executed and the successful rewarded.”
— Stacey J. Mobley, Senior Vice President, 
Riding the Blue Train: Put People Ahead of Strategy and Explosive Growth Will Follow by Dr. Bart Sayle and Dr. Surinder Kumar (Portfolio Books/Pearson, Hard Cover)
How does a $2 billion company become a $5 billion company in a few years? How do rival divisions overcome their animosity to achieve a common goal? How does a man in a pirate suit connect with a belligerent CEO? All through the power of Riding the Blue Train, a unique program that Dr. Bart Sayle and Dr. Surinder Kumar have taught to hundreds of companies to help them achieve dramatic growth and innovation.
They offer a simple but profound message: in order to build your business, you first need to build your people. Instead of imposing a new strategy from the top down, focus on unleashing creativity from the bottom up. Get everyone excited about a common goal, listen to their best ideas, and focus their energy. When that happens, your people will get off the “red train” of defensiveness, negativity, and anger. Instead, they'll start riding the “blue train” of empowerment, enthusiasm and teamwork—and amazing results will follow.
Easier said than done? Riding the Blue Train features dramatic success stories from companies like P&G, Nike, Visa, Pepsi, Wrigley, and British Airways that have applied these principles in the real world.
This inspiring book will change the way people think about corporate culture.
Bart Sayle, Ph.D., is CEO of The Breakthrough Group, a management and innovation consultancy based in London. Surinder Kumar, Ph.D., is the Chief Innovation Officer for Wrigley, based in Chicago. This is their first book.
Visit www.gobreakthrough.com.
Advance praise for Bart Sayle, Surinder Kumar, andRiding the Blue Train:
“We should all ride the blue train. It will unleash creativity, imagination, courage and collaboration. This book is a map to re-discovering magical thinking, and team discovered truth. Use is to inspire and to deliver all your potential.”
— Michael J. Silverstein, Senior Vice President,
“Riding the Blue Train is an essential leadership guide to energizing and transforming organizations. Filled with clear principles and fascinating case histories, this book will show any leader how to elevate organizational performance to new levels. A must-read for anyone who needs to motivate an organization.”
— John Bard, Board Member, Weight Watchers International
“Thanks to working with Bart Sayle over the past ten years and in four different companies as CEO I have managed to stay on the Blue Train. I have worked with Bart to put several thousand senior and middle managers through the program and seen the tangible results. I continue to apply these principles and ride that train.”
— Martin Grant, CEO,
“In an age when leaders are often dazzled by high-tech wizardry and deem it the key to achievement, Bart Sayle and Surinder Kumar have written the right book at the right time. They remind us that people drive innovation and create intellectual capital. Riding the Blue Train is an essential blueprint for designing a corporate culture that encourages personal and collective creativity and transforms threats into opportunities. Packed with sage advice and enlightening examples, the book helps us recalculate success by focusing on the human equation.”
— Steven B. Sample, President of University of Southern California,
“People develop new products—not processes! In Riding the Blue Train, Surinder Kumar and Bart Sayle reveal the number one secret of breakthrough innovation—that highly motivated people, working together and given freedom to explore, can unleash explosive and sustainable growth. A must-read for leaders at every level determined to tap into the full human potential of their organization.”
— Thomas Kuczmarski, President of Kuczmarski & Associates
[From the foreword] “Bart and Surinder helped us shift away from a 'status quo' business approach to a 'can do' corporate culture, where each associate feels empowered and has the ability to impact our future...[They] have helped us transform our people, our culture, and our processes, thereby helping us establish a new trajectory for business growth.”
— William Wrigley, Jr., Chairman of the Board,
“Riding the Blue Train, leads you through discovery of effective leadership behaviors to motivate and develop people for personal, professional and business growth. I am a strong believer of the core idea of the book, 'build great people and they will build great businesses'. Read this book to realize the full potential of your organization and your business.”
— Dale Morrison, President and CEO, McCain Foods
“People are not their behaviors, they have behaviors. Shifting people actually means shifting their behaviors. Bart and the breakthrough team will help you through a set of simple but impactful tools to transform your teams' energy, attitude and intentionalities. Stealing one of my team member's words: it's not cool anymore to be cynical, once you have gone through the journey.”
—
Pierre Laubies, President of Masterfoods Europe
“For the past five years, I have worked with Bart and Surinder. The principles of
Riding the Blue Train, have helped me elevate the performance of our organization to world class levels. The concepts of Personal Power, Magical Thinking, and Empowering Beliefs described in the book are powerful guides for full realization of personal and professional potential and aspirations. Riding the Blue Train, is a great guide for leaders to develop and inspire their teams to achieve extraordinary results.”
— Duke Petrovich, Chief Administrative Officer,
“Bart Sayle and Surinder Kumar transform the way that the next generation of corporate leaders will get their companies on track for future growth. By riding the blue train, and steering away from old-line mindsets, organizations will empower their people to reach new levels of creativity. This approach stimulates constant innovation and an emotional attachment between employees and their company. The powerful forces that drive the blue train are certain to change forever the way we view and build our businesses.”
— Janet Kennedy, General Manager,
“There have been many books on leadership. Some give good advice, some reinforce what you already know, and others may change how you do something. It is a rare text that provides a compelling argument for cultural empowerment, and then lays out the framework for making it work. This book has the potential to empower explosive sustained growth for anyone brave enough to embrace it.”
“Riding the Blue Train, takes you into major U.S. corporate board rooms and remote areas of Nigeria, when breakthrough decisions were made. Sayle and Kumar give first-person accounts of real events that shaped society and corporate America. This is a compelling book that is required reading for any student of inspired leadership.”
— Dr. Ken Lee, Professor and Chairman, Ohio State University
“Without a doubt, Breakthrough has made the biggest difference of any change programs I have been involved with—both with my clients and within my own businesses. It creates a belief and energy that is liberating and irresistible, and makes a real difference to people's lives both professionally and personally. Riding the Blue Train, captures much of the compelling Breakthrough story and more, in a truly captivating way—but, of course, there's no substitute for doing it for real!”
— Rita Clifton, Chairman, Interbrand |
The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo (Rayo/HarperCollins, Mass Market Paperback)
Without Excuses: Unleash the Power of Diversity to Build Your Business by Joe Watson (St. Martin's Press, Hard Cover)