Fearless Books & Literary Services

Congratulations to Fearless Literary author Leonard Pitt on the release of his memoir of grand-parenting entitled I NEVER SAW THIS COMING: How My Grandson Changed My Life. Leonard is a lifelong performance artist, well-known to denizens of Berkeley CA and the greater Bay Area, who unexpectedly found himself in the situation of raising his grandson Miles. This full-color book is the episodic and often poignant chronicle of their relationship....

https://www.fearlessbooks.com/NeverSawThis.htm

Congratulations to Fearless Literary author Andrew W. Seefeld on the launch of his Assisted Publishing title THE FIRE I FED: From Ashes to Awareness. In this gripping memoir, Seefeld traces the hidden emotional architecture that shapes our lives long before we recognize it. Through an unflinching personal narrative, he examines how early wounds give rise to protective strategies – achievement, control, perfectionism, and emotional withdrawal – that help us survive and even succeed.

But what happens when the very strategies that once protected us begin to consume us?

From a near-fatal collapse to the slow work of rebuilding, Seefeld explores the descent into addiction not as a moral failure, but as one expression of a deeper attempt to regulate unbearable emotional pain. More than a story of recovery, this book becomes a testimony to reckoning, responsibility, and the courage to turn toward what we once tried to escape.

Ultimately, THE FIRE I FED is a meditation on healing, connection, and the possibility of returning to ourselves.

https://fearlessbooks.com/Fire.htm

In honor of yesterday's massive No Kings 3 Day protests, I have updated my essay THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR DONALD TRUMP. Writing this last year was a soul-scorching process that involved weeks of starts-and-stops, giving up and trying again, and generally wondering if I was losing my mind. (You can judge for yourself.) But the result has traveled far and wide, and if you find it inspiring or provocative, I hope you'll be moved to forward it as far and wide as you can. This is my investigation of how we might pursue a powerful inner politics at a time when the politics "out there" in the world is such a mess.

Since soul-scorching pays poorly, I've added some contribution channels to the bottom of the article. For a $50 boost I'll send a signed copy of my poetry volume INSTRUCTIONS OF THE SPIRIT -- which contains the sonnet "Perfect Happiness", dedicated to Donald Trump several decades ago, well before he became a public menace on a grand scale. For $100 support, I'll also share a sneak preview of my brand-new, unpublished essay THE GIFTS OF FOOLISH TEACHERS -- an autobiographical romp along my path of exploring dubious wisdom....

"thoughts & prayers for Donald Trump" by D. Patrick Miller An essay describing a method of inner activism in the face of the dangers represented by Donald Trump's second presidency

When I started out as a youthful investigative reporter, I thought my biggest story someday would be pinning the blame for something bad on some bad guys. That was before I found myself in a health and spiritual crisis in which the desperate search for a bad guy -- ANY bad guy -- ended with looking in the mirror.

After that, the big story of my life turned out to be one I have also lived: the growth of the "spiritual but not religious" consciousness in the West. In this updated summary article, I trace the beginnings of this change back to the 1980s, following it up to the present day, and make my best attempt to answer the question, "What does it mean to be 'spiritual', anyway?"

"The Rapid Dying of Religion (and the Rise of a Universal Spirituality)" A comprehensive report on the shrinking of traditional religion in the US, and the steady growth of the 'spiritual but not religious' minority

I check in on this story every six months or so, chiefly as a means of keeping myself honest. Even though I've been writing and publishing about the spiritual search for decades, I have yet to see any diamonds manifesting on my eyeglasses.

So far, so good, I guess....

Hiking My Spiritual Path (between the devil and the deep blue sea) A meditation on the real nature of a spiritual path

Congratulations to Fearless Literary author Ryan Cudahy on the Fearless Assisted Publishing launch of his first book, TRAIN RIGHT: Doctor's Orders for Healthy Fitness.

Sports medicine specialist Dr. Ryan Cudahy, a team physician for the San Francisco Giants, cuts through the noise of fitness myths and quick fixes to reveal what actually works. With clarity, humor, and clinical precision, he breaks down everything from VO₂Max and strength training to cholesterol, hydration, sleep, and injury recovery.

You’ll discover how small, intentional changes create amazing results — and why movement is the closest thing we have to a real-life fountain of youth. Whether you’re a complete beginner, a lifelong athlete, or someone finally ready to make a change, this book gives you a trustworthy, science-backed path to living longer, stronger, and happier. Stop guessing. Start training right.

Currently #1 New Release in Sports Health and Safety at Amazon...

https://www.fearlessbooks.com/TrainRight.htm

Recently an author wrote to me about independent publishing, and revealed that his online research caused him to be "flooded by thousands of companies offering the world, a few planets and a moon -- as well as a New York Times bestseller."

Here at Fearless Assisted Publishing, I offer no astronomical benefits. With experience as a 12-book author, independent publisher, and literary agent, I'm well aware that bookselling is a tough business. But I also know that writing is soul work, and for most new authors, a first book is a life-changing enterprise.

That's why I provide a customized, top-quality publishing service that respects an author's work and gives it a professional launch.
And right now, I'm giving a 10% discount on AP services (worth up to several hundred $$). I can do that because I don't invest in moon landings....

see https://fearlessbooks.com/AssistedPublishing.htm

Congratulations to art historian Ellen B. Cutler on the Fearless Assisted Publishing launch of her book FROM THE DEPTHS: Dyslexia, Bipolar Disorder, and the Triumph of Art, a biography of painter Gary Horn.

There are countless ways to approach an artist’s work: through society, politics, and the influence of the Masters. Then there is biography. For Gary Horn (aka G Gray THorn), learning disabilities and mental illness are both positive and negative forces that inspire his subjects and shape his imagery. His life — from a troubled home in America’s Heartland, to service in Vietnam, an unloving marriage, and fifteen complicated years in New York City — has been an effort to live fully in the only identity he has ever had: that of a painter.

This book is less about adversity vanquished and bliss attained than it is a narrative of creativity quixotic in ambition, forged in hardship, and triumphant in perseverance. Both biography and monograph, this book is the compelling personal story of a very human man and an introduction to the art of a gifted contemporary painter.
Read the Prologue and see sample paintings at https://fearlessbooks.com/FromDepths.htm

As we approach the annual celebration of ephemeral affections, it's worth asking if there's an alternative....

The secrets of Love sustained by D. Patrick Miller an essay on 'sustained compassionate attention' as a spiritual discipline

If a resolution for your new year includes getting that book written (or published), I've got 5 Keys to a Successful Manuscript for you... a nifty summary of experienced advice from a publishing industry insider. See the end of article for an opportunity for customized coaching...

5 Keys To A Successful Manuscript Essential advice on writing a successful manuscript for publication by publishing expert D. Patrick Miller