Florence, the city said to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, is a culturally rich, architecturally magnificent, and scenically stunning backdrop for Abe Kogan's skillfully rendered black-and-white photography. His images capture Florence's enduring beauty in vivid portraits of modernism juxtaposed with ancient relics. Kogan's strikingly evocative images showcase bustling Florentine street life as well as atmospheric images of the city's parks, streets, and buildings. These dramatic photographs explore and celebrate the ageless appeal of Florence and the rich diversity of its inhabitants.

“Wow… just finished reading Split Seconds and it was so fast paced! The action in the story was breathtaking - I was taken on such a roller coaster…” Sue Ingram Twins… separated as toddlers, reunited as adults… Now they’re switching places, in a dangerous game to take on organized crime. Her sister is alive! Excited to discover her twin didn't die as a toddler, Tijan can’t wait to meet her other half. But why hasn’t her only sibling reached out in almost thirty years? Although the reunion is joyous, not everyone is excited to discover there are two of them. Using it to her advantage, Tijan is determined to take down the one man responsible for it all… their father. Her overbearing, billionaire, hotel magnate father. One who has gotten into bed with the wrong people. Those who have no conscience about destroying or killing anyone who gets in the way of their illegal business. Making a promise to his dying mom, August agrees to find out why his war vet father walked out on them twenty years before and to discover if he is still alive. What he thought would be a simple search, soon leads him to connect with Knight's Associates Private Investigators and into a much deadlier search than he could have imagined. One that could get him killed. The secrets and lies that have kept the twins apart, soon unravel but with deadly consequences. Split Seconds is the final novel in The Caspian Wine suspense/thriller/mystery Series. All books in this series can be read as standalone. This suspense/thriller will keep you guessing until the end. Enjoy! The Caspian Wine Series Captured Lies Deceitful Truths Split Seconds “A brilliant read from Maggie Thom. It's the first of her books I've read I loved it have already bought 2 others…” Gillian Petrie “Just when you think Maggie Thom is at the top of her game, she writes another suspense that takes her to yet another pinnacle…” P.M. Terrell (International Multi-Award-Winning Author)

Gemma has a charmed life. Her father is a QC, her mother a barrister, and the family lives in a lovely home in St. Ives, on Sydneys North Shore. They are very well off financially. She is in her first year of studying medicine at the University of New South Wales and is gaining distinctions in all her subjects. Her boyfriend, Hunter, is in his third year of legal studies. A terrible car crash shatters Gemmas world. She loses everyone dear to her and is utterly devastated. A wedding invitation sees Gemma in Cowra, in central western New South Wales. She has the chance of a new life in the countryand perhaps loveif she can manage to stand up to her domineering parents.

In July 2015, Abe Kogan navigated the streets of Havana, camera in hand, capturing the evocative beauty of an isolated island frozen in time. Kogan's black-and-white photographs, devoid of picturesque tropical landscapes and charming beach scenes, are provocative, intimate portraits of the daily lives of the Habaneros. These inner-city vignettes reveal Havana's urban pulse and focus on the dynamic community that inhabits a world on the brink of change. This book captures life on the pavement, which is where Havana's citizens spend their time--gossiping over balconies and languishing in the doorways of the once-glorious buildings that have fallen into ruin, their expressions marked by both vitality and hardship.

An “entertaining” look at the psychology and neuroscience behind the act of influencing others (Kirkus Reviews). People try to persuade us every day. From the news to the Internet to coworkers and family, everyone and everything wants to influence our thoughts in some way. And in turn, we hope to persuade others. Understanding the dynamics of persuasion can help us to achieve our own goals—and resist being manipulated by those who don’t necessarily have our best interests at heart. Psychologist Kevin Dutton has identified a powerful strain of immediate, instinctual persuasion, a method of influence that allows people to disarm skepticism, win arguments, and close deals. With a combination of astute methods and in-depth research in the fields of psychology and neuroscience, Dutton’s fascinating and provocative book: Introduces the natural super-persuaders in our midst: Buddhist monks, magicians, advertisers, con men, hostage negotiators, and even psychopaths. Reveals which hidden pathways in the brain lead us to believe something even when we know it’s not true. Explains how group dynamics can make us more tolerant or deepen our extremism. Illuminates the five elements of SPICE (simplicity, perceived self-interest, incongruity, confidence, and empathy) for instantly effective persuasion. “[Split-Second Persuasion] offers some powerful insights into the art and science of getting people to do what you want.” —New Scientist

Split Seconds Havana is a 2017 Gold Award winner of the Independent Publisher Book Awards for Photography. These captured shots within Split Seconds Havana occur smack in the midst of the pre-normalization of Cuban/US relations followed by the signing of the accord between the 2 nations, President Obama s visit, and Fidel Castro s death. This collection of black and white photos situates Havana inside of the dying embers of its 57 year relationship with orthodox communism. But now with its feet firmly planted in the pre-post Castro dance of modernity and change, bets are on that Havana is set to change and in a big way. The author is not sure how much change is in the cards. Nor how quickly it will manifest. Havana will reinvent itself regardless of change, rates of change, confluences or conflicts of influences he says. The shots presented here cut through the politics and the gossip of endless predictions spun by the international and local rumor mills. They portray a timeless face of Havana. A captivating and repeating humanity. "Generational Generalities" as he likes to say. Devoid of its powerful tropical flavors via his cancelation of color, landscapes and seascapes, Havana is stripped bare and reveals its inner city urban pulse. The metronome of its Habaneros.