Laughter is the Best Medicine: Book Review of Jack Hinson’s “Laughter Was God’s Idea: Stories About Healing Humor”

I didn’t expect the absolute wonderful way this book was written! The objective of this book was to convince the reader to let loose a bit and laugh some more. It gave the pros and cons of dealing with tense and difficult situations with humour, using both bible quotes and scientific evidence to back up the amazing side effects of laughing. Not only that, there was a delightful and pleasant structure to the cutely parceled and packaged short stories…The jokes and laughter brought a smile to my face, and the stories were sweet…     – Mawa Mahima

It is believed that humor is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. It was His intention from the beginning to provide us with a mechanism to address the tension of existence. He knew His children, living under pressure in a world of demands and deadlines, would need a way to release, so He created something called laughter. Laughter reduces muscle tension, exercises our lungs, and strengthens our immune system. Laughter is still the best medicine.
Readers of Jack Hinson’s work Laughter Was God’s Idea will gain insight and courage to accept the gift of laughter as a means to enjoy life and make the world a better place. Through excessive doses of laughter every day, and by sharing this extraordinary gift with others, it is Hinson’s intention to bring to light the healing power of humor.

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Jack Hinson is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. He holds degrees from Mars Hill College, Wake Forest University and Southeastern Seminary. He became Board Certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains upon completion of studies at Dorothea Dix Hospital, NC Baptist School of Pastoral Care and the Patrick B. Harris Hospital. He served as pastor for seventeen years before becoming the first full time chaplain at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, North Carolina, where he shared his humor and reassuring comfort with patients and families on a daily basis. He is an early pioneer recognizing the positive influence of humor in healthcare and medicine. Academic medical centers and scientific studies have confirmed Jack’s long held belief that there is therapeutic benefit to humor and laughter.

Available where eBooks are sold.

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The Poetry of the Appalachias: Linda Dickert’s ‘The Mountains Belong to Me’

Cries of coyotes, the croak of frogs and chirping of crickets exemplify the concertos of the Smoky Mountains. I appreciate the age-worn rocks’ accommodating a waterfall’s endless challenge. I hear gospel songs, and I can see myself clogging to great blue grass harmonies.

Publisher: Ammons Communications
Publication Date: 6/3/2013
ISBN-13 (eBook): 9780989216968
Price: $4.00

All proceeds from this book will go to Spark Companions, a non-profit organization
that helps individuals unable to pay for vet bills.

 Linda Dickert’s collection of poetry and prose celebrates life in the Great Smoky Mountains. Her short essays, conversations, and inspirations draw from the happenings in the mountains of North Carolina, sharing with readers the spirit of the Appalachians and instilling an appreciation for the natural world and our responsibility to protect and cherish it. Dickert also gives readers an opportunity to reflect on their own environment and connection with nature.

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Linda Dickert was born in Asheville, North Carolina in a time when people loved the Smoky Mountains more for their healing powers than for their monetary gain through logging and deforestation. It was in the mountains that she fell in love with the magnificence of the Appalachians and its ability to cleanse the spirit. Her book “The Mountains Belong to Me” is a culmination of a lifetime of experiences and adventures in the Great Smoky Mountains. She now lives in Cullowhee, North Carolina with her husband, one dog, and three cats.

Praise for The Mountains Belong to Me

Such a great book…you feel the writer’s passion for her work…I’d like to applaud Linda Dickert because she makes the verses in the book come alive and sing out to the world. She creates pictures of delight, beauty, serenity and hope, as evidenced by the illustrations embedded in the collection…Truly amazing!     – Arianne Claire

Dickert manages to capture the wildlife and sense of freedom in the rugged outdoors…The Mountains contains poems of imagery and feeling…A very nice collection of poetry and memories.     – Joseph Spuckler

 

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AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING EBOOK RETAILERS:

   
   
  

   

 

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Appalachian Author Janie Mae McKinley’s “The Legacy of Bear Mountain”

    

     In ‘The Legacy of Bear Mountain: Stories of Old Mountain Values That Enrich Our Lives Today,’ Janie Mae recalls mountain life with her grandparents during the time her mother and father were involved in the war efforts of World War II. During those formative years, she absorbed her grandparents’ old-fashioned values and lifestyle. Although their secluded 1895 farmhouse lacked modern conveniences until 1975, they enjoyed a rich life of hard work, honesty, humor, gratitude, and faith. With amazing detail, Janie Mae, whose ancestors came to Bear Mountain in the 1700s, vividly recalls both humorous and scary stories, along with grandfather’s hard work on the railroad and her grandmother’s devout faith in God.

      In honor of the reader’s own memories, a page at the end of each chapter is designed for individuals, families, small groups, or church classes to record and share their own family’s legacy.

     A first-generation college graduate, Janie Mae Jones McKinley holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC, and a M.A.Ed. in Community Agency Counseling from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC. Having returned to her childhood roots, she lives on Bear Mountain with her husband, Larry. Because of having no heirs, she donated many of her grandparents’ antiques to the Mountain Heritage Center Museum on the Western Carolina University campus. These treasured artifacts will be used to teach future generations about mountain farm life before modern conveniences. 

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REVIEWS of THE LEGACY OF BEAR MOUNTAIN:

McKinley does a wonderful job of drawing her reader in and immersing them in mountain life…An excellent book, and an absolute read for fans of creative non-fiction. McKinley should be very proud of her work and her heritage, I hope to see more work from her in the future. 
             – J. P. Dash

This is an incredibly detailed book; the author does an amazing job of showing us what her experiences on Bear Mountain were like…a very sentimental book, and the reader’s are allowed to go on that journey of remembering with the author. I believe that anyone who grew up in an area like that, or with family like that, would appreciate this book…I was touched by some of the stories in this book, and am glad to have had the chance to read it.
            – Cianna Reider

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AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING eBOOK RETAILERS:

– Amazon
– iTunes
– Barnes & Noble
– Sony
– OmniLit
– Kobo
– e-Sentral
– Foyles
– Hive
– Kalahari
– Blackwell’s Bookshop
– Asiabooks
– BIGhay
– The Indie eBook Shop
– Tesco eBooks

 

FOR PRINT EDITIONS:

– CSA Books

NEW RELEASE: True Crime / Mystery – ‘The Owl Knows’ by Roy Owenby

The Owl Knows
An Appalachian Trail Mystery
Roy Owenby
Published by Ammons Communications

     Two female teachers are camping in the wilderness at the junction of Wayah Mountain and the Appalachian Trail. One is murdered and the other disappears without a trace. Through a series of discoveries, the mystery begins to unravel with the help of the husband of the murdered woman. For two years, lawmen chase the case, and the serial killer whom they must extract from his cliff hideaway in the Nantahala National Forest.
Based on actual events, ‘The Owl Knows’ is a story of mystery, friendship, and love amidst the background of the Appalachian Mountains.

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON, NOOK, KOBO, iTUNES,
SONY, GOOGLE BOOKS, and OMNILIT.