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Master Builder Leads a Deck Rebellion

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Posted in: Business, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Non-Fiction Posted on

Master Builder Leads a Deck Rebellion

I remember when my father built his first deck. It was a small one at one side of the pool. Years later, he took it to a new level where he built one connected to the house with sliding glass doors, a grilling and dining area leading to the pool. That was decades ago, but my first experience with a deck as not simply a platform, but a living and entertainment space. Fast forward to 2025, Deck Rebellion: Revolutionary Concepts for Outdoor Living takes deck design up several notches (as the great Casey Kasem used to say) into a dimension so fascinating, it is limited only by one’s imagination.

Sean McAleer, founder of Deck Remodelers, winner of a plethora of prestigious awards, offers us not only a look into his own mind and skill, but a trending attitude toward decks as not only a place to enjoy a newspaper and grill burgers, but as the centerpiece of a backyard resort. We all enjoy going to 5-star hotels with beautiful outdoor deck areas, why not have one at home? This book not only let’s the reader explore his or her potential with photos of McAleer’s heralded work, but a series of short story testimonials from those whose backyards he and his company enchanted.

The decks shown in this book not only epitomize the new wave in yard-wide reimagination but also reveal how much McAleer loves a challenge and takes true joy in improving people’s lives through their homes. Why not, as he says, bring what you enjoy about the inside of your home outside? 

While the photos inspire imagination and offer readers a chance to think about the possibilities for their own backyard paradise, McAleer also offers practical advice to those who want to take on one of their own Deck Rebellions. He conveys what a well-conceived and quality-constructed deck can do for a home both to its aesthetic and investment value

Posted in: Family, Health, Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Relationships Posted on

The Widow Chose Red, A Story of Life When a Loved One is Diagnosed with a Terminal Disease

On Lou Gherig Day, we commemorate the great ballplayer who contracted the rare disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS affects nerve cells in the spiinal cord and brain causing loss of muscle control. When Rachel Kerr Schneider’s husband was diagnosed with ALS, they were raising young children, running the home, planning for an uncertain financial future, managing medical treatments, welcoming hospice, and accepting the help of supportive friends and relatives. It is challenging to remain Christ-like while living in a cloud of chaos. Rachel chrnonicled the family’s journery in her book, The Widow Chose Red.
There’s never enough time to breathe, to sleep, to eat, to relax, to pray, or to take a bath. However, there’s plenty of time to suffer.
When her husband died, Rachel chose to wear red to honor her him at his service, choosing to celebrat his life amid her and her children’s grieving. Red conveyed an important symbol for her and to those who have been there to support her, John and the family throughout.
Rachel tells her story on Book Spectrum with host Chris Cordani. 

About Rachel Kerr
SchneiderSince her husband died in 2011, Rachel’s faith continues to be challenged by widowhood, single parenting, a son with an addiction, relocation, relationships—a new husband, after ten years of long-distance dating, bonus mom to four girls who lost their mom to breast cancer, and becoming a Yaya, unexpectedly. Through it all, her reliance on and relationship with Jesus has given her the resilience that only the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit can provide. Her mission is to remind women that they do, in fact, possess a super-power of their own in the form of the Holy Spirit which lives and breathes in each one of us.Rachel is a member of the National Association for Christian Women Entrepreneurs and BRI Talks. She enjoys travel, which is good, since her parents live in Melbourne, Australia. She is a graduate of Cottey College and holds a B.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. A southern gal at heart, she currently calls the Dallas area home.On a professional level, Rachel created Spirited Prosperity to provide support, encouragement, and inspiration for women seeking to grow their faith, with a special emphasis on their relationship with the Holy Spirit. Her work has included personal training with Patty Aubery, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, and Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Ignite with Lisa Nichols, John Tesh’s All Access Coaching, and Platform with Michael Hyatt. As a Senior Regional Vice President for PartyLite, she was a contributing author to the bestseller Build It Big and has trained and spoken with hundreds of women. Visit Rachel’s website at www.SpiritedProsperity.com

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Kristin Casey Dishes About Her Life After the Breakup with Her Rock Star Ex

Kristin Casey wrote about her wild and interesting life with her previous book, Rock Monster: My Life with Joe Walsh, but follows up with Casey Dancer: A Memoir About Dating, Stripping, and a Little Hot Yoga , where she reveals more about herself beyond life in the proverbial fast lane.Many people who watch television and read tabloids thing of celebrity girlfriends as one-dimensional arm candy and dancers as paid live window dressing, but rarely see there are real human beings underneath the surface of that their eyes show them.
Ms. Casey offers a look at the real person beyond a pretty face in Casey Dancer. She shows the reader more of her own life, thoughts and inner conflict with herself within what could be considered a follow-up to her first book as much as a sequel to her life. 
Kristin goes in-depth about her recovery, dating philosophy, professional struggles, personal vulnerabilities and how they all helped her grow, prosper as well as flourish.

: Kristin is a recovered alcoholic and addict who’s rigorously inventoried her every resentment and relinquished ninety percent of them. She’s survived clinical depression, numerous addictions, the panhandle of Texas, and seventeen years of Catholicism. Her first book, Rock Monster: My Life with Joe Walsh, documents a tumultuous six-year relationship with rock legend and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, their drug-fueled train-wreck breakup, and her ensuing suicidal spiral. Her writing has appeared in The Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, Please Kill Me, $pread, The Fix, and more. Her expertise resides in addiction, dependency, intimacy, and sexuality, with particular knowledge of the commercial sex industry. She resides in Austin, Texas, where she worked as a certified sexuality counselor, intimacy coach, and IPSA-trained Surrogate Partner. Recently retired, Kristin is now a full-time author of both memoirs and screenplays. Visit her website at www.KristinCasey.com

Host Chris Cordani

Host Chris Cordani

Chris Cordani, host of Book Spectrum, used to love reading the backs and sides of cereal boxes, which led to him soon hearing about this place called the Library. After asking, “The library? What’s going on down there?” he decided to check it out. Years later, he created this podcast.

Through his career, Chris has created, hosted and produced several genres of talk and entertainment radio programs, creating and growing several throughout his career. Among his work, Chris also hosts the internationally-syndicated Revenge of the 80s Radio show, produces two shows airing in the NY-Metro market and worked in several capacities for stations of various formats throughout New York, including longtime talk station WOR. Through his work, Cordani creates content for radio shows and podcasts, books and interviews top newsmakers, leaders and celebrities from varied fields including entertainment, business, current events, politics, sports and history.



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