Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures, Reviews "The Cinquefoil Connection," by Recy Dunn

Author :

Recy Dunns debut novel, "The Cinquefoil Connections," principal protagonist, Jonathan McClendon, is caught in a deep web of deception and manipulation, when he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for his eventual rise to the Presidency of the United States."The Cinquefoil Connection" is an exciting tangled tale that is supported by ruthless five secondary characters that will not stop at anything-even murder in order to have their own hand picked candidate occupy the highest office in the land. These characters make up a secret organization, whose name-cinquefoil is derived from the old French term that signifies a flower structure comprising five (cinq) leaves (foil).The opening chapters of the narrative brim with intrigue as we find our principal protagonist running for city councilman in a small Texas town, Clemens. His chances of initially winning the election seem very slim, until he is approached and eventually seduced into swallowing campaign aid from Samuel Lewis, a member of the Cinquefoil group. Something akin to a small fish grabbing hold of huge bait, which ultimately proves to be the lesson of our novel.Firing his campaign manager Christopher Alvin and replacing him with Lewis is the first of McLendons betrayals, as his political fortunes rise with the help and tutelage of these five remorseless individuals. Along the way there is a series of murders, adultery on the part of McLendons wife, election fraud and a series of other irregular treacheries, most of which are unbeknown to a naive McLendon. After fifteen years of learning his skills as a political animal, our principal protagonist runs for the presidency of the United States. He succeeds in becoming the second youngest President of the United States, however, he is obliged to nominate as members of his cabinet all of the cinqefoils choices, with the exception of the Vice President."The Cinquefoil Connection" is not without flaws, particularly in the editing and proofreading, where I picked up several errors. There was also, from time to time, a lack of effective dynamism that keeps the episodes moving forward, holding us captivated in the suspense of the scene. Furthermore, if the character of the principal protagonist had been pushed further, the dramatic structure of the book would have been more effective.All in all and despite these flaws, this book has a great deal of potential and definitely is an impressive beginning for a debut novelist, who has demonstrated a zealous imagination and narrative acumen.

Category : Ghost Writing

Local Domains - Choose wisely!

Author : Christine Anderssen
A few years ago it did not matter whether you had a .com type domain or an extension specific to your own country.In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was probably considered quite 'cool' to have a .com domain. It gave the impression that you were serious about your business.Then Google decided to go local and now most local country searches would probably go through the version of Google specific to your own country.When Google launched my country's local version of Google (www.google.co.za) I investigated the matter of having a .com domain versus having .co.za domain and how that would affect where you would show up in the SERPS (search engine result pages).I searched through various forums (on Google itself) as well as other big forums like WebHostingTalk. I also did my own tests. The consensus seems to be that you will only show up in the regional search engine of Google (and I specifically refer here to using your country's local Google to LIMIT results to your country's results) if
1) your domain extension (e.g. .co.za or .co.uk etc.) corresponds with the region, or
2) your IP of the hosting server falls in the corresponding geographic region orThe implication of this is that if your domain ends in a .com AND you happen to be hosted physically on an internationally located server, your .com domain will NOT show up in www.google.co.za when the search is limited to South African results.
(How do you know whether your domain is hosted locally or off-shore? There are technical ways to find out but the easiest would be to ask your hosting service provider!)Now you might argue that people might not use the 'Limit to

Tips for creating a Viral Ebook

Author : Naoki Shimizu

• The most important aspect of an Ebook is the content. Unless, the content is well written and interesting, you would find it hard to attract customers. The importance of content in your Ebooks is already known. • The format of the Ebook is very important. You may create an Ebook using Adobe Acrobat (.PDF format) or as a solid .exe file. The main advantage of using PDF is that it works with almost all operating systems whereas executable files generally cater to only Microsoft Windows users. • Make sure your source code is protected. This should be done for security reasons. Your source code may allow unauthorized users to hack into your website which is the last thing you would want from a marketing campaign. • Allow icon customization (allow using custom icons for your EBooks). • Allow resizing of the compiled EBook to the preferred size. Resizing and icon customization basically allow your customer to change your Ebook according to his/her preference. You should allow your customers to reformat and edit content from your Ebook. However, care should be taken that they are not allowed to delete advertisements and links to your website. Making links and advertisement un-editable can be done while creating the Ebook. • Allow co-branding of your Ebook. This is a very successful strategy and gives your customers a huge incentive to download your Ebook and pass it on to their customers. • Create an Ebook search function. This provides easy navigation. Readers should be able to skip to any page in the Ebook directly. They should also be offered keyword search functionality that enables them to search for a particular keyword in the Ebook. • Support Flash Files, Shockwave, JavaScript, DHTML, Audio, Windows Media, Midi Files and other formats. • Insert a tracking feature in your Ebook that not only tracks users downloading your Ebooks but also provides different statistics. by Naoki ShimizuFull-Time Internet Marketer since the beginning of 2006.Click here to grab your FREE money making eBook.

Category : General Viral Marketing

Marketing Managers Need Cover Letters, Too?

Author : Carla Vaughan
Well, yes. If they want to get jobs, that is.A cover letter takes the best of your qualifications professional traits and makes them enticing attractive to prospective employers. It’s a carefully crafted letter that directs the employer to the resume to determine why you are the best candidate for the job.Competition for Marketing Managers is keen. You have to stand out from the crowd in a positive, exciting way to ensure you are the one employers are determined to hire.How do you accomplish this?If you have already written your resume, the words you need are basically prepared for you. It’s much easier to pull from the resume and reflect on your character when you have put the time in to document your professional personal history.The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it in an artfu. Its goal is to get the employer excited about the resume. It is a sales tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way. Inject energy and let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and anecdotes. Don’t just state what you are capable of, show the employer with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.Let your personality show, but remain professional.Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers held about 700,000 jobs in 2002. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)Are there a lot of Marketing Manager positions available? Yes, there are probably a lot of positions you COULD get, but do you want just ANY job? Or, do you want a job where you will have opportunities to advance, make more money and send your career to new heights?You have to be your very best to get the great jobs. What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer the employer â€" and â€" how can you do so in a way that makes the employer pick up the phone and call you for an interview?Start with your own “marketing materials”. Your cover letter and your resume are your sales resources. Make them work for you.The cover letter is the first thing an employer sees. Make sure it is impeccable. Proofread it just as meticulously as you did the resume. If it has even one mistake, it could make the difference between getting a phone call or not.State clearly what position you are seeking and tailor the cover letter, just as you did with the resume, to the specific position and employer.Have you read that before somewhere? Yes, you have. That’s because it is very important. Mass marketing general resumes and cover letters to a host of employers is a thing of the past. Targeting a resume and cover letter is essential in today’s competitive environment if you are to be successful.Look at it this way: Your competition is doing it. If you don’t do it, too, who do you think is going to get the interview and the job offer?“Employment of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012, spurred by intense domestic and global competition in products and services offered to consumers.”
(Bureau of Labor Statistics)Finding the perfect job in a great company will always take some work, but the rewards will be worthwhile if you take the time to work through the job-search process right.A cover letter alone isn’t likely to persuade an employer to grant you an interview, but it is part of the whole package that WILL encourage an employer to want to get to know you better. Make it an exciting and enjoyable read and you will find yourself being offered the next Marketing Manager position you apply for.Best of luck!Carla Vaughan is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored a book titled, “The Do-It-Yourself Resume Kit” soon to be available on her site.
Category : Fundraising

Colorado Divorce Planning

Author : Jean Mahserjian
Colorado divorce planning could prove to be a complicated undertaking. You might be stunned if your partner tells you that he or she will be pursuing a divorce. What is more, you might come home someday to an empty home and a message, with your partner and kids gone. If that happens, you might be incapable of doing any Colorado divorce and separation planning yourself. Of course, your partner could have schemed excellently and you could see that belongings have been converted and secreted or expended over a period of time, or that a move was conscientiously orchestrated using the help of counsel with the purpose to bootstrap a custody issue. Though that kind of orchestrated underhanded preparation rarely takes place, it does take place and should be a warning to any individual who is weighing a Colorado divorce: preparation and strategies are critical and ought to be considered by everybody.To make sure that you are doing the best Colorado divorce and separation preparation and employing the right legal tactics, you may need the assistance of a lawyer. An experienced Colorado family lawyer has gone through it all. He or she has handled enough cases to understand what strategies might be practiced by the adversary, what strategies are effective, and which strategies would work for your family situation. Using tactics and planning does not dictate that you are setting up divorce litigation. It signals that you are aware of the facts necessary to proceed with your suit, your goals and that you have carefully strategized how to get where you want to go. A practiced settlement dialogue will not take place without a lot of thought and preparation. Some clients fail to see the genuine value obtained from their lawyer. Actually, many clients will claim that they did the necessary work in obtain information or in getting information to their lawyer, only to be confronted with a large invoice, and they want to know why. The "why" is because of the Colorado lawyer's level of experience and number of years practicing and the lawyer's ability to work out your tactics to get the result that you desire.The tactics and planning that you should undertake before starting a Colorado divorce do make a difference to the end result of your case. There are some things that everybody will have to undertake, like obtaining your various economic documents. Many planning and strategy issues are very specific to your own case, such as, the history of your married life and your situation at the time. Whatever your personal circumstances, your preparation must be undertaken after thorough consideration of all your facts and a thorough conversation about your goals with your lawyer.Various individuals facing the same circumstances could use different Colorado divorce plans simply because they are focused on different results. If obtaining a negotiated settlement and not going to Court are what you want, your lawyer could have to engage in different maneuvers than if you want the end result to be determined by the court. If your lawyer has obtained all of your facts and is familiar with the results your require, they will be able to prepare a tactical outline that should meet your goals.Since divorce or separation is frequently a battle over money, getting all of the relevant information about your family finances will be a very important task. You must have copies of three or four years income tax returns, your w-2 and your spouse's w-2 from each employer for each of those years. If you do not know where to locate those documents, you can get duplicates from the IRS. If you are obtaining these records secretly and do not want your partner to find out that you are engaging in divorce or separation planning, ask that your tax returns be mailed to your business office address, a friend, or to your lawyer.A chronicle of your years together while married is very important to other matters that your Colorado divorce or separation lawyer might need to take care of for you. Many lawyers request that you supply some sort of outline to assist them in taking care of your case. If your lawyer does not require one, you should prepare one anyway. The effort that you put into that outline may help your lawyer on matter like fault, custody of the children, and support, and it may save your lawyer preparation time for your lawsuit and thus, reduce your legal fees.The more effort you put into obtaining, and preparing important facts and documents for your Colorado divorce or separation lawyer, the less effort you will expend in your lawyer's office reviewing those issues. Perhaps your attorney will spend less time on fact finding and more of your funds will then be spent on planning and preparation.Attorney Jean Mahserjian is the author of numerous websites and books devoted to helping consumers through the process of separation and divorce. To download free excerpts from her family law books, visit: Divorce Law Help
Category : Ezine Marketing