Following Breadcrumbs

As an LA tween in the mid-1960s, Jamie Johnston—free-spirited, fiercely independent Hollywood brat and daughter of ’40s/’50s actor-singer Johnny Johnston (“Rock Around the Clock”)—had two significant events forever frozen in her mind. The first of these memories she would share with millions—the era-defining appearance of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964. The second memory, however, was much more intimate. It was a bright summer’s day in 1966 when she stood rapt, watching one of the undisputed kings of the Sunset Strip, the Byrds’ Gene Clark, coolly entering the legendary Whisky a Go Go. Little did Jamie know that a mere nine years after having her life changed by the Fab Four, her female duo, the Skiffles, would be signed to a record deal with Beatles producer, George Martin, or that twenty years hence, she would embark upon a passionate affair with the ill-fated ex-Byrd Clark, who died at the age of forty-six in 1991. What begins as an up-close-and-personal commentary of an era that changed the world, with many of its famous players traversing through the pages, evolves into a tragic love story. Praise for Following Breadcrumbs “Following Breadcrumbs is a tell-all rock-and-roll memoir with a conscience” (Tom Sandford, the Clarkophile Blog, Toronto, Canada).

The meditations in Following the Bread Crumbs are concise enough to read in one sitting, but their rich content will lead you to savor them over a longer period of time. The accompanying photos complement the writings, and their universal appeal will also provoke thoughts, memories, and musings about your own life and our life together. A stunning compilation of images and words that convey wisdom, wit, and wonder. A beautiful threshold into reflection and prayer. Jan Phillips, author, God Is at Eye Level Shirley shares beautiful moments of meaning and digs deep into them to uncover and articulate their significance. She uses scripture to take the lessons from personal to universal. Her words, coupled with her wonderful photographs, create a visual and verbal window through which to glimpse the divine. Dewitt Jones, photographer and author Shirley prays not only with words but through her eyes. Her book is a testament to the transformative nature of connecting to ones higher power. Connie Post, journalist and photographer

The winner of numerous awards and recipient of four starred reviews, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs is a stunning and heartbreaking story of growing up, wrapped in a modern-day fairy tale. Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us. In Breadcrumbs, Anne Ursu tells, in her one-of-a-kind voice, a story that brings together fifty years of children's literature in a tale as modern as it is timeless. Hazel's journey to come to terms with her evolving friendship with Jack will deeply resonate with young readers. Supports the Common Core State Standards

At a young age, Sara Jackly was already enduring an unthinkable existence. Neglected by her mother and with no consistent caregiver to take over, Sara was often hungry, infested with lice, and forced to wear soiled, boy’s clothing that was too big. Even worse yet, she was groped, fondled, and raped nearly every day of her childhood by multiple sexual abusers that included her mother’s boyfriend, her grandmother’s ex-husband, and her cousin. In a raw and honest retelling of her personal experiences as a voiceless little girl, Jackly leads others through her horrifying childhood where she was bounced around from home-to-home, shamed by her mother, and repeatedly violated by family members and strangers. As she chronicles her journey into adulhood, she then reveals how she became addicted to drugs, transformed into a prostitute, and ultimately found hope, redemption, and forgiveness through her faith after she cried out to Jesus to remove her flashbacks, restore her innocence, and heal her broken soul and heart. Breadcrumbs to Lead You Home ... Follow the Trail is the autobiography of a sexually, mentally, and physically broken little girl and woman as she endured unthinkable circumstances to find hope in God’s unconditional love.

The interweaving of knowledge and philosophy up to the modern era goes back to Thales of Miletus, regarded as one of the seven sages of Greek civilization (624 BC – 543 BC). “Know Thyself” is an aphorism of knowledge attributed to the times of Thales. This Greek Maxim etched in stone at the gate leading to the temple of Apollo in Delphi has become a philosophical question studied to this day. Another sage in the exposition of total knowledge, a Vedic master of Indian philosophy, was Adi Shankara (509 – 497 BC); his teachings of Advaita, the Nondual reality of life, provided an in-depth study of knowing the true nature of Self and fulfilling on a practical level to his society what the Greeks knew as the highest teaching. This book explores the Nonduality, Oneness philosophy—modern spiritual teachings from ancient times. My discussions about Oneness have the flavor of the Advaita tradition, a revived and current view from Vedic Science, and the contemporary study and thinking about Nonduality. —Shivada Amrita Website: advaitaspeaks.com

Imagine living a completely satisfying and fulfilling life - where your work is a wonderfully rich expression of your purpose and passion; where you have ample time to spend with your family and friends in fun, engaging and worthwhile endeavors, and where you're deeply involved in your community. In this fulfilled life you fully experience the interconnected relationship of yourself with the rest of the Universe, and you take full responsibility for your role in it. Such a life is not only possible, it is your birthright -- IF you choose it...and it's what the Spiral of Fulfillment is all about. It's about how you can create such a life -- a life of service, simplicity and spiritual serenity. The elements of the Spiral of Fulfillment are in complete alignment with the universal flow of life. In other words, if you want to regain your equilibrium, if you want your life to work, aligning your life with the Spiral of Fulfillment will allow you to once again enter the natural flow of the universe -- simply put, how life works. The great thing about the Spiral of Fulfillment is that it doesn't matter where you start...as long as you begin. Spiral of Fulfillment was written to help you get started and stay inspired to continuing spiraling along to your own fulfilled and fulfilling life.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: W. Bradford Swift is one of the foremost experts on the subject of personal life purpose, having co-founded the Life On Purpose Institute in 1996 with his wife, Ann. An avid student of the human development movement and New Thought, he specializes in life purpose coaching with individuals and groups. Through the Coaches Mentoring Program, he trains aspiring coaches to carry on the vision and mission of Life on Purpose Institute - Creating a World On Purpose by deeply and profoundly touching and contributing to people's lives by assisting them to clarify their life purpose and live true to it. He is the author of numerous books of visionary fiction and nonfiction including: * Coaching to Win: Building Your Business by Building Your Team* Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life -- an award winning finalist in the Self Help: Motivational division of the Best Books 2007 Awards sponsored by USA News* From Spark to Flame: Fanning Your Passion & Ideas into Moneymaking Magazine Articles that Make a Difference.* Spiral of Fulfillment: Living an Inspired Life of Service, Simplicity & Spiritual Serenity

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A superb love story from Anna Quindlen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rise and Shine, Blessings, and A Short Guide to a Happy Life Still Life with Bread Crumbs begins with an imagined gunshot and ends with a new tin roof. Between the two is a wry and knowing portrait of Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. Her career is now descendent, her bank balance shaky, and she has fled the city for the middle of nowhere. There she discovers, in a tree stand with a roofer named Jim Bates, that what she sees through a camera lens is not all there is to life. Brilliantly written, powerfully observed, Still Life with Bread Crumbs is a deeply moving and often very funny story of unexpected love, and a stunningly crafted journey into the life of a woman, her heart, her mind, her days, as she discovers that life is a story with many levels, a story that is longer and more exciting than she ever imagined. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. “There comes a moment in every novelist’s career when she . . . ventures into new territory, breaking free into a marriage of tone and style, of plot and characterization, that’s utterly her own. Anna Quindlen’s marvelous romantic comedy of manners is just such a book. . . . Taken as a whole, Quindlen’s writings represent a generous and moving interrogation of women’s experience across the lines of class and race. [Still Life with Bread Crumbs] proves all the more moving because of its light, sophisticated humor. Quindlen’s least overtly political novel, it packs perhaps the most serious punch. . . . Quindlen has delivered a novel that will have staying power all its own.”—The New York Times Book Review “[A] wise tale about second chances, starting over, and going after what is most important in life.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “Quindlen’s astute observations . . . are the sorts of details every writer and reader lives for.”—Chicago Tribune “[Anna] Quindlen’s seventh novel offers the literary equivalent of comfort food. . . . She still has her finger firmly planted on the pulse of her generation.”—NPR “Enchanting . . . [The protagonist’s] photographs are celebrated for turning the ‘minutiae of women’s lives into unforgettable images,’ and Quindlen does the same here with her enveloping, sure-handed storytelling.”—People “Charming . . . a hot cup of tea of a story, smooth and comforting about the vulnerabilities of growing older . . . a pleasure.”—USA Today “With spare, elegant prose, [Quindlen] crafts a poignant glimpse into the inner life of an aging woman who discovers that reality contains much more color than her own celebrated black-and-white images.”—Library Journal “Quindlen has always excelled at capturing telling details in a story, and she does so again in this quiet, powerful novel, showing the charged emotions that teem beneath the surface of daily life.”—Publishers Weekly “Quindlen presents instantly recognizable characters who may be appealingly warm and nonthreatening, but that only serves to drive home her potent message that it’s never too late to embrace life’s second chances.”—Booklist “Profound . . . engaging.”—Kirkus Reviews