Spotlight: Should I Go to College? What about Student Loan Debt? + giveaway

Should I Go to College? What about Student Loan Debt?

A Former Teacher's Guide to Possibly Saving You Thousands of Dollars and Millions of Headaches

by C.S. Johnson

March 14th, 2019 

Genre: Non-Fiction 

SHOULD I GO TO COLLEGE?

WHAT ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT?

A Former Teacher’s Guide to Possibly Saving You Thousands of Dollars and Millions of Headaches

If you’re a high school student, chances are you’ve been thinking about where you will go to college. Or if you will go to college at all. 

I’ve been there. And as a former teacher, I’ve seen thousands of students there, too. So I wrote this book to help you. 

This book offers sound advice about deciding whether or not you want to go to college, and, if you decide to go, how you can save time and money along the way. 

"This is the book about college I wish I had read when I was younger.” – My 30-year-old self

SHOULD I GO TO COLLEGE? WHAT ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT? 

•Describes what college is 

•Promotes thoughtful self-reflection 

•Outlines your options post-high school 

•Offers tragically hilarious truths about teaching

•Reaffirms the code of personal responsibility 

•Likens student loans to dragons that need to be slain

ALL PROCEEDS OF THIS BOOK GO TOWARD 

HELPING STUDENTS PAY OFF THEIR 

STUDENT LOAN DEBT.

***AUTHOR'S NOTE*** If you purchase the paperback, the Kindle version is free with your purchase. This makes it easy to read the book yourself, and you'll have a copy if you decide to give it to someone else -- or if you "lend" it to someone who doesn't return it. 

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Excerpt

I AM JUST GOING TO SAY IT, LIKE ALL THE other people I admire, even though I know some people are not going to like it: Not everyone is cut out for college. Repeat: Not everyone is cut out for college. REPEAT: NOT EVERYONE IS CUT OUT FOR COLLEGE. And that’s okay. It’s really okay. You can be a happy, successful person and not go to college. You can make a lot of money and never need to go to college. You still have worth as a person, you can still get job training, and you can still learn a craft or skill or art or anything. There isn’t some sacred part of life you’re missing out on by not attending college. Even so, there seems to be no end of people who will convince you that college is necessary. Parents, guardians, teachers, other students, salespeople, politicians,—all of these people sit on an imaginary jury of sorts, and they are all giving you the same verdict: “GO TO COLLEGE!” SIDE NOTE: Please don’t consider that subliminal messaging. But — but! — all of these people are not you. You are in the best position to decide if college is something you want to pursue. Your peers include many people who simply go to college because it’s the “thing to do.” Taxes are the “thing to do.” College is optional, and it is your choice. Your parents love you (I assume) and your teachers want to guide you (I assume), so it can be hard to find yourself at odds with others over the issue of your future. Others, like the politicians and the marketing companies, see you as a profit. There are several reasons that there’s so much debt in America; it’s not just because a lot of people wanted to go to school and then the economy dropped. Many of the college recruiters who call you and the pretty brochures they send you are there to make you want to go to college. It works because there are a lot of legitimate reasons to go. But going to college might still not be the best option for you, and you have to be willing to stand up to any number of people who disagree with you, including salespeople. Many people who have student loan debt are people who wanted to change career fields, wanted higher pay, or wanted to look for better jobs and opportunities. These are the people who look at those brochures and take these calls with an end in mind. When you are not sure of what you want to be when you grow up, it can be easy to be swayed by the honeyed words of a salesperson who is paid on commission.

About the Author:
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C. S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me Giveaway!

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July 15th

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

The Magic of Wor(l)ds (Spotlight) http://themagicofworlds.wordpress.com

July 16th

B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com/

Reviews and Promos by Nyx (Spotlight) https://nyxblogs.wordpress.com/

July 17th

Kim Knight (Interview) http://kimknightauthor.wordpress.com

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I Smell Sheep (Spotlight) http://www.ismellsheep.com/

I’m All About the Books (Spotlight) https://imallaboutbooks.com/

Tsarina Press (Spotlight) https://www.tsarinapress.com

July 19th

Jessica Belmont (Spotlight) https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/

Adventure Thru Wonderland (Review) http://adventuresthruwonderland.blogspot.com/

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Book Review: Caged Wolf (The Tarot Witches Book 1 of 4) by SM Reine

Caged Wolf (The Tarot Witches Book 1)

by SM Reine
August 13, 2014
Pages: 200
buy for free
The biker gangs passing through Lobo Norte don’t scare Ofelia anymore. All those men are the same: scarred, homeless, and broken…just like Ofelia. They’ve become a blur of forgettable faces watching her strip. She takes off her clothes, takes their money, and wipes them from her memory instantly.

But Trouble is different. A biker with a wolf tattoo and tortured eyes, he sees beyond Ofelia’s tough disguise to a more fragile woman within. She’s drawn to him like she’s never been drawn to a man before—at least, not since she survived hideous torture at the hands of her ex-boyfriend that left her scarred physically and emotionally. She can’t forget Trouble. And she definitely can’t push him away.

There’s magic between them that neither understands. But maybe if Ofelia and Trouble can find the truth, they can release each other from the chains that bind them to Lobo Norte, to the Fang Brothers biker gang, and to the dark secrets in their pasts…

Ofelia is hiding out in Lobo Norte where she doesn’t feel so scared and broken. It’s a strange town where not everyone can find it and mail is magically delivered. She is happy with her life where she enjoys stripping for money and working behind the bar during the day shift. Biker gangs pass through often to fight in the cage and Ofelia doesn’t think twice about them until Trouble walks into her bar.

When Trouble walks into the bar, Ofelia is instantly attracted to him. She doesn’t know why he affects her like he does but she seems to affect him as well. The Fang brothers have a strong hold over Trouble but that doesn’t keep the two from creating sparks each time they are near each other. This one is hot, to say the least, and a fantastic book you will want to check out!
Getting 5 sheep

Denise B

About the Author:
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Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I'm the New York Times Bestselling Author of urban fantasy known as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). You can usually find me writing on my treadmill desk at 2am whilst listening to dubstep. Yes, dubstep.

If you would like to know the instant I have a new book available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! I'll only email you when I have a new release, which is generally no more than once a month. I can't write any faster than that. :) http://smarturl.it/armyofevil

Book Review: How to Save an Undead Life (The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy Book 1) by Hailey Edwards

How to Save an Undead Life (The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy Book 1)

by Hailey Edwards
Aug. 19, 2017
Pages: 248
Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it's not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.

Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.

Warning: This book contains one ex-con heiress with a pet zombie parakeet who lives next door to her ex-army crush. Brace yourselves, we're talking more exes than a pirate treasure map here.

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Grier Woolworth was a necromancer until she was excommunicated by the Society and thrown into a special kind of prison. After five years she is suddenly cleared and released to return what is left of her life. The Society took all of her inheritance and title so she is back to working as a tour guide on the streets of downtown Savannah. Grier wonders who she is going to owe for this new-found freedom and it doesn’t take long to find that everyone wants a piece of her whether she wants to give it or not.

Edwards has done a fabulous job of creating her next series. Different than her others but just as good if not better. I’m always a little apprehensive when I start a totally different series by one of my favorite authors. What if it isn’t as good as the others? What if I don’t like the storyline? You know how it goes, but she definitely did not disappoint. I look forward to Book 2, How to Claim an Undead Soul which she is hoping to release sometime in November or December.

Getting 5 sheep

Denise B

About the Author:
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Hailey Edwards writes about questionable applications of otherwise perfectly good magic, the transformative power of love, the family you choose for yourself, and blowing stuff up. Not necessarily all at once. That could get messy. She lives in Alabama with her husband, their daughter, and a herd of dachshunds.

guest post: In Defense of The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen - R. T. Lowe

In Defense of The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen 

This book is far too violent and there is simply too much gore for the genre. Is it really necessary?

Yes, every drop of blood is absolutely necessary. I’m not suggesting that the criticism is unwarranted, but there is a method behind the mayhem. The Felix Chronicles presents a world in the midst of an approaching darkness, where strange creatures roam the nearby forest and a serial killer murders teenagers who fail a “simple” test. The encounters with the unfortunate victims are chilling, violent and bloody. I made the decision ‘to spare no gore’ after a great deal of thought, fully aware that I was potentially subjecting myself to criticism. I understood that it would shock some (and most likely remove the book from the reading lists for those under sixteen), but I didn’t want to hint at the violence or rely on my readers’ imaginations. There are characters in my book who are truly bad people (or flesh eating monsters, in some cases) and I took the position that their actions should be described in such a way that the reader will understand that there is no limit to their cruelty. To put it another way, I want my readers to literally wince at the prospect of ‘what will happen to that poor girl when she can’t move the piece of wood with her mind’. Spoiler alert: nothing good.

What would possess a corporate attorney to write an Urban Fantasy?

I recently yielded to my creative side and the result is a 500 page book about college kids running for their lives (among other things). I don’t want to suggest that the law can’t be a rewarding career for imaginative types, but I’ll give you an example of what it’s really like and you can draw your own conclusions: Right after graduating law school I was working in the Mergers and Acquisitions department at the largest law firm in New York City when a senior partner asked me to draft a simple document. He called me up to his 40th floor office and stood there behind this massive desk with lower Manhattan spread out behind him through floor to ceiling windows. It looked like central casting had hired him to play the role of senior partner (perfectly knotted tie, dignified dusting of gray above the ears). He gave me a bored look and said wearily, as if he’d uttered the same tired lecture to generations of young blundering associates: “Why did you change the wording in the form, you ***damn ****up? This isn’t an exercise in art appreciation. Do you think you’re smarter than the people who created it? Change it back and stop wasting my ****ing time.” Then I was summarily dismissed to toil away on other documents, never forgetting the importance of precedent. But to someone with a creative streak, the lesson was a painful reminder that not everyone wants to hear something unique, and most importantly, if you have something unique to say, you better find the right forum for it.

The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen
by R.T. Lowe

Paperback, 500 pages
Published May 20th 2015

Reeling from a terrible accident that claimed the lives of his parents, Felix arrives at Portland College hoping only to survive the experience. In time, however, his reality star roommate shows him there is more to higher education than just classes, shared bathrooms and bad dorm food, and Felix gradually dares to believe he can put his past behind him. But a fateful storm looms on the horizon: In the nearby woods, two hikers become the latest victims in a series of gruesome murders; a disfigured giant embarks on a vicious cross-country rampage, killing teenagers who fail his 'test'; and an ancient society of assassins tasked with eradicating the wielders of a mysterious source of power awakens after a long silence. Only one man--the school's groundskeeper--knows that the seemingly unrelated events are connected, and that an eighteen-year-old boy stands in the center of the storm.

only $.99 right now

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About the Author:
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R.T. Lowe grew up in a small town in central Oregon where he frittered away his days on a cattle farm reading, writing and daydreaming about escaping to the big city. R.T. holds bachelors degrees in History and Psychology from Willamette University and a Law degree from Columbia University. He now lives in Newtown, Connecticut with his wife and three kids.