PROMO: Your Joyful Years

 

Empowering good health and happiness beyond 50

Self help, Women Health

Date Published: 20 March 2026

“An uplifting and empowering guide to later life that blends lived experience with science and practical wisdom, encouraging us not merely to age, but to thrive. I read this book as a middle-aged man and loved it … it is beautifully reassuring, humane, and optimistic.”

— Professor Chris van Tulleken, Clinician, Academic, TV Presenter, UK

 

Aged 50+ is a pivotal stage in many women’s lives. We are entering post-menopause—free from reproductive hormones, periods, and contraception. Children may be leaving home, careers may be shifting or winding down, and there is the dawning realisation that we may have 20 or 30 healthy years ahead of us. This is not an ending, but a powerful new beginning. This stage of life offers an opportunity to reconnect with yourselves, to rediscover what truly matters, and to prioritise self-love and self-care without guilt. This book brings you the wisdom of 50 inspiring women who share their lived experiences with honesty and generosity. Their stories offer guidance, reassurance, and permission to live authentically on your own terms. Together, they show how this stage of life can be rich with meaning, purpose, freedom, and joy. These are Your Joyful Years.

Professor Joyce Harper is a down-to-earth expert in reproductive and women’s health, with almost 40 years’ experience listening to women and translating science into practical, evidence-based guidance. She has published widely about women’s health and is passionate about helping women thrive. Joyce combines research, real-world experience, and a deep belief in living life to the full, and she practices what she preaches. This book is the second in her trilogy: Your Fertile Years; Your Joyful Years; and Your Final Years.

 

About the Author

Joyce Harper is an internationally renowned and award-winning educator, author, women’s health coach, podcaster, academic, public speaker, and scientist. She is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London in the Institute for Women’s Health, where she leads the Reproductive Science and Society Group. She has published more than 250 scientific papers and regularly gives keynote lectures at international conferences.

Joyce is deeply passionate about empowering women to live their best lives through good health and happiness. Her last book, Your Fertile Years, published by Sheldon Press in 2021, explores women’s health from puberty to menopause. In Your Joyful Years, she shares the wisdom of 50 women over 50 who are thriving, to empower women to lead a life of good health and happiness. She has started writing her next book, Your Final Years, about the end of life.

Her podcast Why didn’t anyone tell me this? is ranked in the top 10% of podcasts globally on Listen Notes and is listened to in more than 90 countries.

Joyce gives many public talks. She regularly appears in the press, on radio and TV. She is a regular guest on various BBC programmes including Women’s Hour and the BBC World Service. She has been a guest on Brian Cox’s Infinite Monkey Cage and his radio show A Question of Science and she explained sex to Philomena Cunk, in Cunk on Life.

As co-founder and co-lead of the UK Menopause Education and Support Programme (InTune) with Dr Shema Tariq and the International Reproductive Health Education Collaboration (IRHEC), Joyce is dedicated to improving reproductive health education for all ages. She collaborates with schools across the UK and globally to deliver impactful programs that promote knowledge and understanding.

An avid cold-water swimmer, Joyce is also a founding member of the research network SwimHer, which investigates the links between women’s health and cold-water swimming. Her groundbreaking work includes publishing the world’s first study about how cold-water swimming affects menstrual and menopause symptoms.

Since 2016 she has run a local women’s group in Saffron Walden, The Purple Tent.

 

Contact Links

Website

LinkedIn

YouTube

Instagram: @ProfJoyceHarper

Blog

Facebook: Global Women Connected

TikTok: @ProfJoyceHarper

IMDB

Podcast

Spotify

Amazon Music

Research Gate

University College London Profile

PROMO: Midnight Ballerina

 

Rituals and Relics, Book One

Romantasy

Date Published: February 14, 2026

She was born a rarity.

Lysandra has spent her life in a silk cage, dancing for a monster who sees her hybrid blood as the key to tearing open the veil between worlds. She is half-Fae, half-mortal, a living anomaly trained to suppress every flicker of power that could expose what she truly is.

Then they send a Destroyer to end her.

Rylan is the Order's most lethal weapon, forged without mercy, raised without attachment, sworn to eliminate hybrid corruption wherever it breathes. His mission is simple: observe, confirm, and execute.

But some targets refuse to be prey.

When the tether breaks and Lysandra's power erupts beyond all control, she and Rylan are thrown into a deadly alliance that will force them both to betray everything they were made to be. He will break sacred oaths. She will shatter the chains of her gilded prison. Together, they will ignite a love so consuming it will literally rewrite the laws of death.

Midnight Ballerina is a dark romantasy of obsession, sacrifice, and a bond forged in blood and shadow, where the monster you were raised to fear becomes the only one who sees you as more than a weapon.

For readers who crave: Fae romantasy, mortal/immortal romance, possessive heroes, powerful heroines, found family, he-falls-first, and love that burns worlds.

 

About the Author

Jhani Mills is an award-winning, multi-genre author and founder of publishing imprint, Cipher Veil Publishing. Her work explores power, grief, devotion,

obsession, and survival across science fiction, thrillers, and speculative fiction. Midnight Ballerina is her debut romantasy, merging dark fantasy and romance into a story about breaking oaths, reclaiming power, and choosing love in defiance of fate.

 

Contact Links

Author Website

BookBuzz

 

Purchase Link

Amazon

Blog Tour: Your Brain Weighs 500 Pounds

 

 

Change Your Mindset to Achieve Desired Outcomes

Self-help, Motivational, Success, Transformational Psychology

Date Published: November 8, 2023

 

 What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn’t your circumstances—but your mindset?

Every day, your brain consumes a steady diet of negative news, social media noise, unhealthy beliefs, and self-limiting ideas. Just like poor nutrition damages the body, poor mental input sabotages discipline, productivity, and long-term success.

In Your Brain Weighs 500 Pounds, U.S. Army combat veteran, Fortune 500 technology executive, and high-performance advisor Derrick Pledger delivers a powerful and practical framework for transforming how you think, act, and achieve.

This thought-provoking and highly accessible book presents 100 short lessons—called “recipes”—designed to help you detox your mindset, strengthen discipline, and build habits that compound into life-changing results.

Whether your goal is career advancement, entrepreneurship, improved relationships, better health, or personal fulfillment, this book shows you how success is built—not overnight—but daily.

Inside This Book, You’ll Learn How To:

● Reframe failure as fuel for growth and long-term achievement

● Build discipline and consistency without burnout

● Eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors and mental clutter

● Develop habits that drive upward mobility and performance

● Create clarity around goals and obsess over what matters

● Treat your brain like your body—by feeding it the right “mental nutrients”

Grounded in real-world experience, extensive research, and years of personal journaling, Your Brain Weighs 500 Pounds distills complex success principles into clear, actionable insights you can apply in minutes a day.

Why Readers Love This Book

Readers from all walks of life have experienced profound transformation, including:

● Losing significant weight and reclaiming control over their health

● Advancing from mid-level roles to executive leadership positions

● Gaining clarity, confidence, and momentum after years of stagnation

“I read this book on a four-hour flight and landed as a completely different person.”

This isn’t motivational fluff. It’s a mental operating system for becoming a daily achiever—someone who understands that success is the by-product of learning, failing forward, and getting better every single day.

If you’re ready to put your brain on a better mental diet and finally achieve the outcomes you want, this book is your recipe for success.

 

About the Author

 

 Derrick Pledger is a U.S. Army combat veteran, Fortune 500 technology executive, digital strategist, and author passionate about helping people unlock their full potential through mindset, discipline, and intentional action.

Currently serving as Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) at Maximus Inc., Derrick leads enterprise-wide technology strategy, artificial intelligence operations, and large-scale digital modernization initiatives. With more than 20 years of industry experience, his expertise spans systems integration, automation, cloud and edge computing, AI, data analytics, IT governance, and end-to-end solution development.

Before joining Maximus, Derrick was Chief Information Officer at Leidos, where he oversaw global IT delivery operations supporting a $17-billion organization with more than 48,000 employees worldwide. Earlier in his career, he ran a multi-million-dollar export business in his twenties and became a Fortune 500 CIO by age forty.

As an author, Derrick’s journey is rooted in resilience and persistence. While serving in the U.S. Army, he transformed a failed screenplay into a novel manuscript—written during downtime in Iraq. After dozens of rejections, that effort led to a co-written book deal with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, resulting in the 2008 release of The Diamond District.

Fifteen years later, driven by a mission to democratize success, Derrick released his second book, Your Brain Weighs 500 Pounds, after investing more than 1,500 hours researching mindset, habits, and high-performance behaviors. His work challenges conventional thinking about failure, goal-setting, and achievement, offering readers a practical blueprint for sustained personal and professional growth.

In addition to writing, Derrick advises individuals, teams, and organizations on high performance and leadership, and he is a partner at 500 Pound Media, a digital content company focused on personal development and achievement.

Born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Derrick believes that success is not reserved for the lucky or the privileged—but for those willing to develop the right mindset and show up consistently, even when failure is part of the process.

Contact Links

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram: @derrickrpledger

Youtube: @500poundmedia 

Goodreads

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

PROMO: Chicken Fun

 

 

Children's Picture Book

Date Published: 06-01-2023

Publisher: Storytellin' Time Press

This fun-filled rhyming picture book for very young learners will provide an introduction to numbers and counting while children are having a good time. There are ten chickens as they play in their backyard, getting up to a variety of shenanigans such as running from bees, playing baseball, dancing and even going on a date.

 

About the Author

Mary Jo Huff is a passionate storyteller, award-winning author, songwriter, and Early Childhood Educator who believes in the magic of words, rhythm, and imagination. Her creations have earned top national honors, including the NAPPA Gold, iParenting, Parents’ Choice, Dove, Teacher’s Choice, Kids’ First, and Mom’s Choice awards.

Children giggle and grow with her stories — from the mischievous adventures of No, No, Ebenezer, a spirited dachshund with a big heart, to the playful journeys in Chicken Fun, Going on a Gator Hunt, and The Predictable Persimmon.

As a seasoned educator and master storyteller, Mary Jo has inspired audiences in 47 states and three countries, sharing her love of language through staff development sessions, author visits, and children’s programs that burst with laughter, learning, and joy.

A dynamic keynote speaker, Mary Jo has graced Early Childhood conferences nationwide, leading hundreds of high-energy workshops and professional development events. With a heart for nurturing both children and teachers, she draws on 38 years as a center director — where she guided a team and cared for 115 bright, curious young minds every day.

Through every story, song, and puppet, Mary Jo invites children and educators alike to discover the wonder of storytelling and the power it must connect hearts, spark creativity, and make learning unforgettable.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter: Mary Jo Huff

Goodreads

Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/ChickenFun

Amazon

Bookshop

Blog Tour: The Radiance of Grace

 

Historical Novel / Literary

Date Published: October 22, 2025

Before the First Amendment, three courageous women helped shape its soul.

The Radiance of Grace is the powerful, true story of Mary Dyer, Katherine Scott, and Anne Hutchinson—three extraordinary women whose faith, friendship, and moral courage challenged the rigid Puritan authority of 17th-century New England.

More than 150 years before the American Constitution, these Boston women stood for freedom of religion, conscience, and speech, refusing to surrender their personal relationship with God to institutional control. Their activism—rooted in scripture, compassion, and community—sparked social and political reform at a time when women were expected to remain silent.

Leading Bible studies attended by more than 150 people each week, they became influential voices within their communities. When Puritan leadership responded with harassment, exile, and public punishment, the abuse meant to silence them instead strengthened their resolve. Their lives intertwined with men who admired them, men who despised them, and families who endured the cost of conviction.

Drawing from **extensive historical research—including journals, court records, letters, and firsthand accounts—**and woven together with informed imagination, Margaret Cotton brings these overlooked women vividly to life. Their story reveals the deepest roots of American liberty and challenges modern readers to consider:

● What does it mean to live faithfully under unjust authority?

● How far are we willing to go for freedom of conscience?

● What is the personal cost of standing for truth?

The Radiance of Grace is an intimate, inspiring historical narrative for readers of:

● Women’s history

● Early American and colonial history

● Faith-based and Christian nonfiction

● Social justice and religious freedom

● Readers drawn to untold stories that shaped the foundation of America

These women were nearly erased from history—but their legacy still calls us to courage, purpose, and grace.

It is time to hear their true story.

From the Book

“Finally, Rev. John Wilson cast me out to Satan and shouted that as a leper, I had been removed from access to my Savior. I stood taller, looked them in their eyes, raised my chin, and defied their shame. Then I felt Marie had come forward,  stood next to me, and  slipped her hand into mine. …  I confidently said, “ Better to be cast out of the church then to deny Christ.”  Hand in hand, Marie and I walked swiftly, confidently down the crowded aisle. 

Chapter 46

 

About the Author

Margaret Cotton is an author and lifelong storyteller who writes books she longs to read—stories of compelling characters facing complex moral choices. The Radiance of Grace is her first historical narrative. It is an invitation for readers to engage with history, conscience, and transformation. Margaret describes her writing process as both surrender and gratitude—a deep immersion where research, imagination, doubt, and discovery converge until clarity emerges.

Her writing journey is rooted in both scholarship and wonder. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant for Independent Study, Margaret spent years researching female faith activism in 17th-century New England—a topic that would eventually become The Radiance of Grace. Although she attempted the story earlier, she paused for two decades, trusting that the time was not yet right.

Her confidence grew during the writing of her first book, Raised!, a true miracle memoir that revealed an uncanny alignment between informed imagination and the creative flow of unexpected truth. With advice from a seasoned New York editor and an evolving sense of purpose, Margaret subsequently returned to this historical work—where, she says, “The story finally developed as it was meant to be told and at the right time.”

Margaret Cotton was a featured presenter at reading and writing workshops, professional conferences, and continuing education events in multiple states and Central America. Her copyrighted educational materials emphasize the value of a cognitive conversation between the writing and comprehension processes for middle grade students. She is equally comfortable speaking to book clubs and historical societies.

As a Certified Professional Photographer (PPA), Margaret photographed more than 250 weddings, including international venues—an experience that deepened her understanding of human connection, resilience, and the deep longing for story within all cultures. She lives with her husband of over fifty years, is the mother of two, grandmother of seven, and believes that curiosity, faith, and purpose only deepen with time.

 

Contact Links

Website

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

PROMO: The Helmsman of Anthesis

 

Historical Fiction

Date Published: March 12th

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

William Sukara, a gregarious dreamer, emerges from the 1950s an estranged son. In divorce debt and with limited visitation rights as a father, he searches for order in failure. Pursuing self-discipline as an answer, he enlists in the Navy, volunteers for underwater demolition team training, and survives the elite course.

With five other team members, he raises his hand for a clandestine mission, knowing only that it's a “hundred day operation in a warm climate." They are led by a mysterious civilian who alludes that their authorization comes from the Oval Office, and they are to operate with extreme malice. They revolt, escaping under bizarre circumstances.

The Helmsman of Anthesis is a raw, close to the nerve, psychological thriller about a mission gone wantonly mad.

About the Author

At age twenty, Lee Hodiak joined the Navy and spent most of his enlistment attached to Underwater Demolition Team 12. After serving, he joined the San Diego Police Department but realized he needed to follow his passion for wilderness travel and adventure instead. He went on to backpack the Baja California Peninsula, built a thirty-six-foot sloop, and lived in Australia for twenty years.

Now a resident of Central California, Lee enjoys birdwatching and living by the ocean. Sixty years in the making, The Helmsman of Anthesis is his debut novel.

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

PROMO: If There is a God

 

Inspirational, Spiritual Growth

Date Published: February 12, 2026

 

 

 This book is a follow up to “Trans in the time of trump” as the cruelty and fascism of our new country only increased. The problems with my doodles are that prior to transition they kept me alive. However now that they have become my voice of activism their fuel is cruelty, and there is absolutely no shortage of material with this administration.

Where once Doodle was just a joy for me now we’d all be better off if I had nothing to draw.

 

About the Author

 

 I am a trans special education teacher and 10 years ago I started cartooning books for kids and parents that were in trouble. I did 8 books for kids that were picked on or disliked, and then my country went away.

In the face of treatment of trans people, brown people, and the growing abuse of all minorities I had to change Doodle from a comforting friend to a mirror I could hold up to rednecks.

She is my activism. A far cry from my mother’s activism in the 60s, but it is what I can add to the fight.

 

Purchase Link

Amazon