Virtual Book Tour: Chendell - A Natural Warrior by Leslie L. Landis.

Mississippi Bookworm Diva was invited to participate in the virtual book tour for a new YA Fantasy Series Book. I am very excited to share the book, Chendell,  with you.  Learn more about the text below.

"A lively nature-oriented superhero adventure…the heart of the tale comes together in the final pages." - Kirkus Reviews 

About the Book:

Purchase Chendell.

A super boy from a village in China and a super girl from rural Vermont meet in college and fall in love. Both grapple with their unique powers and purpose. Will they master their abilities in time to save each other and the ecosystem from certain destruction? And what twists does life have in store? Originally released in early 2019, Landis is re-releasing an updated version of her environmental YA fantasy as well as adding an audiobook format in April 2020, to celebrate Earth Day.

While on a research trip to the Peruvian rainforest, Robin Dell and Jamie Chen’s lives (and consciousness) are changed forever when they drink a shaman’s brew and are transformed into CHENDELL. Two halves of one person. A dual consciousness – female and male – in one body. This new being is streamlined. Eurasian. With one green eye and one dark brown eye. Shoulder length hair that is half auburn and half black. As CHENDELL, their fight is to save our environment from the people responsible for ecocide and biocide – the willful destruction of the environment and the annihilation of living organisms.

Individually, Robin can control insects and Jamie can communicate and control trees and plants. When joined as CHENDELL their powers are enhanced. Their senses are extremely acute. Their strength is exceptionally strong. Their mind is lightning quick. And their powers are extensively increased – not only with trees, plants, and insects – but also with other living creatures.

All of nature is their ally.

Finally, Nature has a hero.

Book Praise

Purchase Chendell.

"CHENDELL starts as a boy-meets-girl story, connecting a girl from the U.S., to a boy in China, told in an unusual compelling format. It is about love and family, but also about insects and trees. When boy and girl become a super couple, the reader accompanies them on a wild, dangerous journey, and then, when your heart is in your throat, something happens that is shocking, unique, and utterly heartwarming. Leslie Landis has written a tale I'll never forget. Bravo!" 

- Best selling author Thom Racina

"Everything you ever wanted in a fantastical story but were afraid to ask! A superhero story packed with a delightful page-turning packet of ingredients—adventure, love plus humor and wit. Be prepared to be invested in the Landis characters and swept up into their world and their dreams. CHENDELL and its heroes Jamie Chen and Robin Dell are just begging to be given the big-screen treatment." 

- Ivor Davis, Author of "Ladies and Gentlemen… The Penguins!" and "The Beatles and Me on Tour."

Audiobook:

In April 2020, the audiobook for Chendell was released.  Alicia Silverstone and Adrian Grenier are the narrators for the audiobook. Subscribers to my newsletter will receive a peek sneak of the Audiobook. Make sure that you have signed up for my newsletter. If you need to signup for my newsletter, here is the link: Mississippi Bookworm Diva Newsletter.

About the Author:

Leslie Landis

Leslie Landis has been a teacher, a financial planner, a bank trust officer, worked for a U.S. Senator, an associate director in television, and a licensed therapist. Her first book is a humorous take on our food and diet-obsessed culture titled The Art of Overeating: A Bellyful of Laughs About Our Food-phobic Culture. CHENDELL: A Natural Warrior is her first novel. Leslie lives with her husband in Los Angeles.

Leslie’s degree in psychology informs her insight into how people look at the world and themselves. She created relatable characters who reflect the roles we play and the uncertainties of life. With a different take on gender equality and the battle to preserve our environment, her superhero CHENDELL speaks not only to young people but to all generations. In this captivating, exciting, and realistic fantasy, Landis’ unique writing style presents a message of love, hope, and commitment to fighting the real world evil forces destroying our planet.

Questions and Answer Session with Leslie Landis, Author of Chendell

Purchase Chendell.

Why did you write a YA novel?

My book, Chendell: A Natural Warrior, has an environmental theme. People of all ages care about the environment but young people are especially tuned into the environmental degradation caused by global warming. They know it is their future that is most at risk.

How did you come up with the idea of CHENDELL?

Through media exposure, I certainly noticed how popular the superhero genre is.

When I thought about why I was not interested in this category, I realized that the typical superhero characters were not “real” to me and they usually battled against “unreal” struggles such as someone trying to blow up the world. So I thought why not a superhero who was fighting a real-world problem - ecocide and biocide - the willful destruction of the environment and the annihilation of living organisms.

Why is one of your protagonists Chinese?

There are three reasons I made one of my protagonists Chinese:

1. I’ve been to China and I found the Chinese people to be gracious, warm, and kind.

2. I know what it feels like to experience anger and hostility just because I was American. I’ve traveled to other countries during a time when we had an unpopular U.S. president. I feel the people of a country should be treated as individuals, not as representatives of a government.

3. I’m personally very interested in other cultures and ethnicities. Having a Chinese character was just more interesting to me.

Why don’t you kill bugs?

I do kill bugs - if I have to. For example, if a mosquito is going to bite me or a bee is going to sting me. But fortunately for me, those have been rare occurrences. Other than those situations, I don’t kill bugs because they are alive. Because they are just living their little bug lives. Because they serve a function in the scheme of life. I just don’t go out of my way to kill anything.

Have you written any other books?

The Art of Overeating: A Bellyful of Laughs About Our Food-phobic Culture – A humorous view on our food-obsessed culture.

Why do environmental problems worry you the most?

The future of every living creature depends on the health of our planet.

Why do you think your book is unique?

In my book, the superhero is fighting a real-world problem. And my protagonists are a woman and a man who are truly equal. They can’t be more equal than when they are Chendell.

Why should people read your book?

My book is timely, exciting, and fun.

What can people do to help our environment?

Buy less, use less, waste less, and recycle. Also, people can vote for representatives who take the environment and global warming seriously.

Where did you grow up/live now?

I was born and raised in Waukegan, Illinois. I have lived in Chicago and New York. Now I live in Los Angeles.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer

Leslie Landis

What is your education/career background?

I went to the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA for 2 years. Then I transferred and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. I have an M.A. degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA

I’ve done a lot of different things. The highlights are working for U.S. Senator, working in television production as an Associate Director (I’m still a member of the Directors Guild), working as a bank trust officer, and finally, as a Marriage and Family therapist.

Do you have kids and/or pets?

No kids. But thanks to my husband, I have grandkids. No pets at this time. Had a Jack Russell terrier who died at 16 years old. Planning on getting a Schnoodle soon.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Or what first inspired you to write?

I often tried to write a story or novel but I never followed through. Then not too long ago, I realized that the business letter and documents I was writing were good. That gave me the confidence to try writing fiction again.

Where/when do you best like to write?

I write best at my office desk in a loft in my home. There is nothing to distract me there. I accomplish the most when I write in the evening.

Do you have any interesting writing habits or superstitions?

I am a terrible typist. I just hope my fingers will go where I want them to go and not where they want to go.

When you are struggling to write/have writer’s block, what are some ways that help you find your creative muse again?

I just leave my computer and think about my story a lot. A whole lot. And sooner or later, ideas come to me and I am ready to resume writing.

What do you think makes a good story?

Character development and a sense of humor.

What inspired your story?

The popularity of what I consider boring and redundant (almost all men) superheroes and their fights. I felt there should be a superhero who fights for the environment – for our planet.

How does a new story idea come to you?

I read a lot of current publications – newspapers and magazines – so trends eventually coalesce in my brain and ideas pop out from there.

Is there a message/theme you want readers to grasp?

If we get in touch with the natural world, we will all hear its message, “Save me before it is too late and I am gone!”

What was the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That once I get going, writing is fun.

On A Friday night, what are you most likely to be doing?

Watching “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

What do you do when you are not writing?

The usual. Eating, sleeping, exercising, errands, grocery shopping, going out to dinner, etc.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Hilary Mantel. Alexander McCall Smith

Do you have a bucket list? What are some of the things on it?

Travel more. Make more friends. Be kind to everyone.

What person(s) has/have helped you most in your career?

Leslie Landis

My husband, Martin. He has always believed in me and encouraged me in whatever endeavor I want to pursue.

What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

Don’t give up.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Moby Dick

What is the one book no writer should be without?

The one they love and inspires them.

How do you’re your spouse and other friends/family feel about your writing career?

Everyone is very supportive and encouraging.

If your book was turned into a movie, who would want to play the main characters?

An interesting question. I’m not sure but I would want a younger, taller version of Scarlett Johansson and a younger, Chinese version of Edward Norton. They both seem smart to me.

I do see this as a movie like Avatar which was both live-action and animation.

Connect with Leslie Landis on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chendellrevolution/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chendellrevolution/

Where can you purchase Chendell?

Here is the link for Amazon.

Here is the link for Barnes and Noble.

Book Review: Leading from the Roots by Kathleen Allen

Book Title: Leading by the Roots
Book Author: Kathleen Allen
Format: PaperbackRating: 5 out of 5 stars (⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐) 

In Leading by the Roots, Dr. Kathleen Allen addresses the complexity of leadership and its practices through a unique correlation to nature. During the current season of uncertainty for organizations, which stems from the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that Allen’s text is a must-read. 

Right now, the leadership teams within an organization is key to the survival of the organization and collaboration among colleagues. This text not only supports this belief, but it provides concrete evidence that this is true, as well as illuminates ways that an organization can transform by implementation of specific practices.

Now more than ever, the role(s) of leaders in an organization is immensely important to its productivity and morale among colleagues. According to Allen, cooperation is important to leadership with an organization. Thus, Allen promotes the identification of interdependency among leadership teams and colleagues. An example of an exercise to identify the interdependency is included in Chapter 5. Through this identification of how each member of the team is interdependent, a shared purposed can be established.

Order the Book.

I was intrigued by how the text identifies an aspect of nature and its correlation to successful leadership. The evidence-based descriptions of the correlation are very clear. Allen encourages the examination of nature principles to successfully transform organizations to be more efficient and productive. 

In each chapter of the book, Allen presents important concepts, lessons, and suggestions to address different aspects of organizational culture that can negatively impact its success. For example, Chapter 5, Nature Rewards Cooperation, suggests the articulation of a shared organizational purpose, the building of integrative power, and the enhancing of intrinsic responsibility through the creation of systems and policies. Additionally, this chapter encourages the development of trust and trustworthiness for cooperation within the organization. 

Since COVID-19 has surprisingly transformed organizational culture in every aspect, reading this text can help leadership teams tread through the unfamiliar and uncertain waters to continue leading their teams. I believe everyone in any organization should read this text. Readers will not be disappointed. This book contains a wealth of knowledge that can be implemented. I know that I plan to use this text to teach my graduate students in the Rural Public Policy and Planning program.

About the Book

Leadership Lessons Inspired by Nature

NEW YORK—SEPTEMBER 4, 2018—Morgan James’s new release, Leading from the Roots: Nature-Inspired Leadership Lessons for Today’s World by Dr. Kathleen E. Allen, is a primer for applying the laws of nature to business practices, taking organizations and leaders to higher performance levels and more meaningful missions.

The concepts presented by Dr. Allen in Leading from the Roots map nature’s underlying design and principles across organizational contexts. The author carefully explains how to use nature as a model, mentor and muse to rethink how leadership is practiced today. Leading from the Roots will help any organization find a new way of leading and designing workplace structure by applying the generous framework found in mature ecologies to human organizations.

“As I furthered my study of nature and biomimicry I came to the understanding that organizations are not inert objects as the more traditional mindset would have us believe. They are living systems with the capacity to evolve and learn just as nature has always done,” says Dr. Allen. “I wrote this book in the hope that others too could realize how organizations can become more generous by operating with a living system mindset. After all, the best business leaders understand that the ultimate goal is not just to contribute to the bottom line but to give back to our communities and the world in a meaningful, sustainable way.”

Dr. Allen introduces the “living system mindset” as an alternative to a traditional, top-down leadership paradigm. She helps shift assumptions, practices, structures and processes of organizations to become more resilient and nourishing for everyone, and demonstrates how to apply the laws of nature to business, helping leaders “design” their way out of workplace dysfunction and unnecessary drama.

To begin, Dr. Allen takes readers through the definition of living systems and generous organizations, making a compelling case for the need to shift traditional leadership practices toward those that are healthier for the organization, for the human beings working there, for our communities and for our world. Each chapter within Leading from the Roots delivers an absorbing dive into the laws of nature that help it thrive, from discussions on diversity and self-organization, to the ways in which nature adapts and fits form into function in a successful, thriving ecosystem.

Leading from the Roots demonstrates to the reader how to apply the primary lessons of nature to build stronger leadership skills for the 21st century. Dr. Allen’s gift for storytelling creates a captivating look at how organisms reduce waste and increase efficiencies, and the ways in which creative, forward-thinking leaders and managers can use these concepts.  The author clearly provides compelling proof that adopting a new, nature-inspired leadership mindset can create organizations that are more innovative, have greater productivity, and more importantly, help leaders pursue a healthy, sustainable, mission-driven purpose for the entire organization.

About the Author: President of Kathleen Allen and Associates, Dr. Kathleen Allen specializes in leadership coaching and organizational change in human service non-profit organizations, foundations, businesses, health care and collaborative networks. She is a prolific writer and speaker on topics related to leadership, human development, and organizational development. Dr. Allen holds a Doctorate in Leadership from the University of San Diego. For more information visit KathleenAllen.net

More About This Title:
Leading from the Roots: Nature-Inspired Leadership Lessons for Today’s World by Dr. Kathleen E. Allen, will be released by Morgan James Publishing on September 4, 2018. Leading from the Roots—ISBN 978-1683508496—has 204 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $19.95.

About Morgan James Publishing:
Morgan James publishes trade quality titles designed to educate, encourage, inspire, or entertain readers with current, consistent, relevant topics that are available everywhere books are sold.
(www.morganjamespublishing.com/)

4 Books that Make You Think

I am addicted to books that challenge me and often present complex thoughts and ideas. With COVID-19 forcing all of us to challenge how we view what our normal lives are, I thought that I would share a list of books that resonated with me long after I finished reading the very last word.

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I gave this text  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5 stars on Goodreads). My book review on Americanah explains why I was so pleased with this text. I devoured it as I read each page. This text is very thought-provoking and will keep you engaged until the last page. 

2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I rated this text ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5 stars on Goodreads). This book is one that I can read several times and still discover something new. The Alchemist is laced with so many life lessons that I can use to transform my personal and professional lives. I think that teenagers should be required to read this text because it can help them focus more on how they want to shape the trajectory of their lives.

3. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I was first introduced to this book by my oldest son, who was assigned to read it by his high school English teacher. I believe every African American male should read this text. My copy is signed by the Honorable John Lewis. I met him at the Atlanta airport, and I grabbed the first thing I could to get his signature. The only thing I had was this text, which is very precious to me. When I finished this book, I rated it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5 stars on Goodreads).

4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I rated this text ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 stars on Goodreads). I think this book is a perfect read while we are dealing with COVID-19. The premise of this book revolves around the idea that watching television is more important and essential than reading literature. REading was taboo and almost extinct in the world that Ray Bradbury creates. This book reminded of the Denzel Washington movie, The Book of Eli. If books were banned, I don't know how I would survive.

Have you read any of these books? What am I missing from this list? Leave me a comment.

*This post contains some affiliate links so you can easily find the books that I recommend.

my currently-reading shelf:

2018 Mississippi Book Festival: Miss Titta Nurse Chloe by Regena Hoye

Regena Hoye

Last year, I attended the Mississippi Book Festival for the first time. I met the author, Regena Hoye, who wrote the book, Miss Titta Nurse Chloe.  Ms. Hoye was extremely nice and shared her book with me. I didn't get to stay long because of the heat, and having to pick up my children from the library. However, Ms. Hoye was the highlight.

Here is the excerpt from her book:

Miss Titta is a southern mystery. Miss Titta, a widow, is a graceful woman, of medium height and caramel skin, with brown eyes that wisely appraised. In the 1950’s, she applied her hands on the southern community of Lena that had faith in, and depended on her healing powers. Miss Titta is the midwife, the healer, and the comforter and a mentor to thirteen-year-old Chloe Harris. The southern country town’s daily life was familiar, but among the familiar came the unexpected.When Chloe’s father is involved in a terrible accident while on the job at the turpentine plant and all the plant workers find themselves being dangerously compromised, Miss Titta intervenes to seek justice.Then another cruel tragedy happens to Chloe’s family that caused Miss Titta to risk her life to investigate the cause and to bring justice so that the perpetrator of the horrific crime is punished.
Will you join Miss Titta as she risk her life for justice and to expose the truth?

I would highly recommend that you check out her book. Her book is truly a "southern gem." Learn more about Regena Hoye on her website.

Book Review: Under Water by Jessie Wilson

Book Title: Under Water
Book Author: Jessie Wilson
Format: Paper Back
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐)

When was the last time you read a book that forced you to greedily devour it? For me, the answer is this week. Today, I finished Under Water by Jessie Wilson, and this book was amazing.

Under Water is a thrilling novel that engulfed me until the very end. Throughout this text, the main character struggles with navigating teenage life, including academics and social engagement. She has an awful time with math. Her engagement with her peers is awkward. She has no friends. An incident in her childhood taught her the valuable cost of making friends.

My heart ached for the main character for so many reasons. The narrator had no real place of solace, not with her father, mother,  brother nor with her peers. Her peace and contentment were derived from reading a book. When she read, she could escape her troubles. She was a true bibliophile. She craved a mother or mother figure. She desperately desired to leave the grasp of her father's abuse and power.

Dealing with a narcissistic father, who abused her psychologically, physically, mentally, and even financially, the narrator's transition to a new school at the demands of her older brother Cal gave me new hope for her future. Wilson's illustration of how a person victim feels powerless and hopeless, even when they are not in direct contact with their abuser, is amazingly portrayed in this narrative.

The irony of the narrator living on a boat and being the doctor of a fisherman turned smuggler and being aquaphobic is just one example of how well-written Under Water is.

Wilson uses an educator as the "savior" for the narrator. I liked how Wilson conclusively demonstrates the significance that a teacher or coach can unknowingly have in a student's life. Even though I was upset that the narrator was forced to conquer her fear of water and to become a swimmer, I ultimately appreciated how these actions contributed to changing the trajectory of her entire life.

Also, I enjoyed how Wilson highlighted the cringe-worthy victim-blaming culture of other women through the character, Kelly, the narrator's roommate. Kelly turned into a protagonist like a narrator's father, quickly.

Ultimately, I loved the ending of Under Water. The complexity of this book definitely intrigued me. I highly recommend this YA book. You will not be disappointed.

Trigger Warning: This book includes references to domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, and child abuse. 

If you or someone you know are dealing with domestic violence or sexual abuse, here are two hotlines that can assist you. The National Domestic Violence Hotline number is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). The National Sexual Assault Hotline number is 1-800-656 HOPE (4673).

About Under Water

For the daughter of a fisherman-turned-smuggler, keeping secrets equals survival. When she is sent away from their boat-home for one year to a nearby boarding school, it’s with her father's threat hanging over her head: You talk about things that shouldn’t be talked about, I’ll kill you. But a boarding school with a student body of eight is a perilous place to be when you have a headful of secrets, particularly with a headmaster who seems to be able to read minds. When the headmaster discovers the aquaphobia born out of her fearful childhood, he compels her to join the school swim team, headed by a tough coach who has his own dark history with the water. As she sheds her fear and discovers a hidden talent for distance swimming, she crafts a plan to escape the boat she’s doomed to return to at the end of the school year. But when her plans begin to unravel, she finds something sinister that has stood between her and escape all along: the secrets she’s kept from herself.

Book Review: Perfect City by Joe Berridge

Book Title: Perfect City
Book Author: Joe Berridge
Format: PDF File
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐)

In The Perfect City, Joe Berridge provides a vivid description of his journey as an "urban fixer." Throughout the introductory chapter, Berridge presents the case of the city and the city planner in terms of a machine and a mechanic. This unique metaphor sets the tone for the rest of the text. In my opinion, Berridge wants the reader to recognize how the city planners work as a mechanic to fine-tune the intricacies and workings of a city. 

I was intrigued by Perfect City because my doctoral program, Public Policy, and Administration, works closely with the Urban and Regional Planning Program at Jackson State University. Many of my friends and colleagues are trained urban planners, so I was curious as to how Perfect City would inform me about the discipline. Surprisingly, this text does not read like an academic textbook, but it flows like an autobiography that has embedded within the lines, which can be used in the urban planning classroom. Several chapters are dedicated to individual cities, which Berridge uses to highlight pertinent information that can be used in transforming cities into models of urban perfection.

Berridge did an excellent job of detailing how cities can grow and improve while providing examples of how cities are hindering their transformation. I believe that everyone would enjoy Perfect City, especially residents in urban areas. Individuals who work in urban areas or who are urban planners would enjoy this text, which can be used as a guidebook to improve urban communities.

Let me know if you order the text. I would love to learn your thoughts on Perfect City.

About the Book

There is no such thing as a perfect city, but all great cities have moments of perfection — perfect streets or buildings, perfect places to raise a family or to relax with a coffee — and all strive for perfection when they undertake grand civic projects revitalizing their downtowns or waterfronts, or building innovation hubs, airports, and arenas, or reforming their governance systems, or integrating streams of new immigrants. Cities, more than ever, are the engines of our economies and the ecosystems in which our lives play out, which makes questions about the perfectibility of urban life all the more urgent. Joe Berridge, one of the world’s leading urban planners, takes us on an insider’s tour of some of the world’s largest and most diverse cities, from New York to London, Shanghai to Singapore, Toronto to Sydney, Manchester to Belfast, to scrutinize what is working and what is not, what is promising and what needs to be fixed in the contemporary megalopolis. We meet the people, politicians, and thinkers at the cutting edge of global city making, and share their struggles and successes as they balance the competing priorities of growing their economies, upgrading the urban machinery that keeps a city humming, and protecting, serving, and delighting their citizens. We visit a succession of great urban innovations, stop to eat in many of Joe’s favorite places, and leave with a startling view of the magical urban future that awaits us all.

About the Author

Joe Berridge, a partner at Urban Strategies, is an urban planner and city builder who has had an integral role in the development of complex urban planning and regeneration projects in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Europe and Asia. He has been strategic advisor for the development of the city centres of Manchester, Belfast and Cardiff and for the waterfronts of Toronto, Singapore, Sydney, Cork, London and Governors Island in New York City. He has prepared campus master plans for the Universities of Manchester, Waterloo, Queen’s and Western and is now advising on the new hub for Toronto Pearson International Airport. Joe teaches at the University of Toronto and is a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Quote of the Day - Nikki Giovanni

Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.  

-Nikki Giovanni

Order books by Nikki Giovanni