Books with author Mike Alexander

Case Weatherly gets glimpses of her future within match flames. Until she moves into a haunted Victorian home restless with ghosts. It is here where her matches begin to flicker more of a past she doesn’t remember than with a future that isn’t guaranteed. For death dogs her heals: Death and Damien, a boy too handsome to be of this world. What does he want with Case? Will she live long enough to find out? Or will the answer only bring about her demise?

This book is about an unlikely friendship between two different species animals, and how their friendship blossomed. There are elements of; trust, helpfulness,habitat exploration and life lessons learned in the story line. The animal characters, and the results gained were experienced by the two young animals,which are a bear cub and young duck. The story is a fictitious story that blends animal actions and human aspects of friendship and need, that blends into a story that has a moral lesson that can be learned or appreciated for children, as well as anyone who reads it, regardless of age.

Thought Intruders is a fun, imaginative book about the power we hold over what we choose to think about, and when we want to think about them. It's about the choices we make, the choices we can make, and the invasive intruding thoughts that try to stop us. Thought Intruders is meant to encourage kids to think for themselves, not be discouraged about distractions, make wise choices when temptation presents itself, and to know that it's sometimes ok to say 'no'. A few years back I read a book by Daniel M. Wegner entitled, “White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts: Suppression, Obsession, and the Psychology of Mental Control”. It was one of those books that I read at a time when I felt like I needed to, and one that has had a lasting impact on me. After having read the book, I began to utilize the ideas in work. Instead of a white bear, I used a green rabbit. Kids were handed a green marker, a green piece of construction paper, and an image of a green rabbit was placed in the middle of the table. They were all then instructed to think of anything they wanted, but to avoid the thought of a green rabbit. Each time the image of a green rabbit entered their minds, they were to make a check mark on the paper. Some kids covered the paper in check marks. Others were a bit more successful, having much less checks than some of their peers. It was expressed that the rabbit was a representation of intrusive thoughts that can sometimes occupy our time and zap us of energy. These thoughts can be that of a loss, a poor grade, concern about the future, or something that has occurred in the past. When we tell ourselves that we will not think of ‘X’, the first thought that pops into our minds is that of ‘X’, the very thought we were seeking to avoid. Now sometimes such thoughts should be processed, and we must allow ourselves to respond to them accordingly. But when such thoughts consume us, depleting us of our energy and happiness, and causing us to react to them in such ways that are harmful, then we must get these thoughts in check. It is admittedly an easier thing to say than to do; but the best way is to keep a busy mind and body, doing things that completely take your mind off of unwanted thought ‘X’.

At age forty-seven, Whit Alexander, the American cofounder of the Cranium board game, decided to start a new business selling affordable goods and services to low-income villagers in Ghana, West Africa. His brother, Max, a journalist, came along to tell the story. Neither of them could have anticipated just how much of an adventure they’d find there. In Ghana, Whit’s initial goal is to market a high-quality, rechargeable AA battery for off-grid villagers. If successful, he planned to grow a larger for-profit business based on those batteries: creating a trusted brand that would provide life-enhancing products, services, and jobs, without relying on charity. Ghana, however, presents extraordinary challenges, and the brothers wage daily battles against deadly insects, insane driving conditions, unspeakable food, voodoo priests, corrupt officials, counterfeiters, and ethnic rivalries on their way to success. From signing up customers who earn a few dollars a month at most to training employees with no Western-style work experience, the brothers quickly learn that starting a business in Africa requires single-minded focus, a sense of humor, and a lot of patience. Along the way, Whit and Max relive their own childhood, bickering across the African bush and learning a great deal about Africans as well as themselves. Irreverent, hilarious, and ultimately inspiring, Bright Lights, No City challenges accepted notions of charity; shows the power of broadening your horizons; and suggests that there is hope and opportunity in Africa.

In this thrilling conclusion, Charity and her friends must help Aidan defend the fortress against a militia led by Aidan’s “disenfranchised” human half-siblings who want only one thing: the power of the Klaas. Everything is on the line as Charity must venture into a terrifying world called The Withering to find someone named "Perchta," their last hope for help. But will Charity survive the strange creatures and even more shocking truth that await her?

"Couples therapy sessions slowly morphed into solitary therapy sessions. My therapist kept coming back to the question of my passions, and where I was headed. I knew it was writing. So I wrote. I wrote my pain of loss. I wrote my confusion about the existential questions that plagued me as someone who grew up in the bible belt, but had a hard time swallowing the bigotry I saw. I wrote my struggle through heartbreak and single life. I wrote my triumphs in self-confidence, and ultimately I wrote a new love story, with a new person. Ultimately, it's not about meeting the right person; instead, it is about finding out that you are quite capable of loving yourself, and anyone else loving you is just a wonderful sprinkle on top."

"My people perish because of their ignorance." -Hosea 4:6 Trojan West examines the ramifications of Western historical events or milestones in which much of the current modern world is politically based. Some of these events include the fall of Alexandria, Egypt to the Muslims, the collapse of the Byzantine Empire with the Fall of Constantinople, the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, and the World Wars. Further examination in the Marxist philosophy and its fundamental influence on young minds across Western universities, the current War on Terror, and the world Muslim Refugee Crises which is all working in creating the Leftist dream of a new world order in which there will be no religion, gender, currency or national identity. Whom will history judge as responsible for the death of the West? Is there still a chance that the West will survive? Is there a solution? Mark Alexander is a young scholar who is a graduate of the American Military University with a Masters Degree in Intelligence Studies with a specialization in Islamic Terror Ideology. His efforts has awarded him research grants in the Middle East.

Heart meets struggle in this new adventure novel! Our story picks up with Ardo, a thirteen-year-old orphan boy, struggling to survive in the city. He works day by day at the city piers hauling buckets of fish guts for the local stall owners. He has finally been able to save up enough for a coveted item he has been eyeing for months... a brand new blanket!Little does he know, however, that this blanket will be the catalyst for a journey that will change his life forever!Join Ardo as he buys his coveted blanket... and see what fortune it ultimately brings him.

Gabrielle Dellinger is a teenage empath. She feels what those around her are feeling. She’s known for years that the neighbor boy has had a crush on her. She suffers the hunger pains from a dieting friend. Gabrielle has never doubted her odd ability, and neither has she been able to explain how she’s able to channel the emotions of others. When the new boy in town thirsts for her blood, Gabrielle is all too aware of this bizarre desire. As much as she wants to stay away from him, his hypnotic stare dares her to do things Gabrielle would never do otherwise. Like hurt Michael Fitzgerald, that neighbor of hers who’s loved her from afar. Her mother has gone missing, disappeared during one of the worst winter storms on record and is presumed dead. Dangerously romantic and suspenseful, Black Frost explores life against love.

The hilarious story of two brothers, a truckload of batteries, and a brilliant plan to bring light--and new business opportunities--to Ghana At age 47, Whit Alexander, the American co-founder of the Cranium board game, decided to start a new business selling affordable goods and services to low-income villagers in Ghana, West Africa. His brother Max, a journalist, came along to tell the story. Neither of them could have anticipated just how much of an adventure they’d find there. In Ghana, Whit's initial goal is to market a high quality rechargeable AA battery that off-grid villagers could use to power their flashlights and radios, as well as to charge their cell phones. If successful, he planned to grow a larger for-profit business based on those batteries--creating a trusted African brand that would provide life-enhancing products, services, and jobs, without relying on charity. Ghana, however, presents extraordinary challenges, and the brothers wage daily battles against deadly insects, insane driving conditions, unspeakable food, voodoo priests, corrupt officials, counterfeiters, and ethnic rivalries on their way to success. From signing up customers who earn a few dollars a month at most to training employees with no Western-style work experience, the brothers quickly learn that starting a business in Africa requires single-minded focus, a sense of humor, and a lot of patience. Along the way, Whit and Max relive their own childhood, bickering across the African bush and learning a great deal about Africans as well as themselves. Irreverent, hilarious, and ultimately inspiring, Bright Lights, No City challenges accepted notions of charity, shows the power of broadening your horizons, and suggests that there is hope and opportunity in Africa. Praise for Bright Lights, No City: "An affectionate, good-humored and finally inspiring account of one American's determination to make good things happen."--Kate Braestrup, New York Times bestselling author of Here If You Need Me "My boss, Bill Gates, coined the phrase 'creative capitalism' to encourage the use of market forces to address the needs of the poor. But my friend, Whit Alexander, moved creative capitalism from ideas to bold practice. Bright Lights, No City will scratch your travel bug, tickle your business brain, and touch your heart."--Patty Stonesifer, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, which helps to prove that what much of the developing world needs is a hand up, not a hand out." --John Wood, founder of Room to Read and author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World "I loved, loved, loved Bright Lights, No City. A tour de force! Bravo. It's perceptive, informative, thoughtful, engaging, funny."--Carey Winfrey, editor emeritus, Smithsonian magazine and former Africa correspondent, New York Times "Max Alexander has woven a compassionate and oft-times hilarious tale of the Brothers Alexander's attempt to save the world, one rechargeable battery at a time. If you have any interest in a great story or helping the other 4 billion, read this book, now."--W. Hodding Carter, author of Westward Whoa and A Viking Voyage "A lyrically written universal testimony to the humanity that binds all people together on this fragile planet, Bright Lights, No City is a deeply moving and funny, can't-put-it-down book." --Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy for God "This book is filled with the passion and relentless pursuit that it takes to make dreams come to life, and reminds you that it takes compassion, luck, and humor to make history. A must read for every entrepreneur." --Richard Tait, Co-Founder, Cranium; CEO, Galazo