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Maura Stone

Maura Stone

About

Maura Stone comes from a leading borscht belt entertainment family known as "Catskill Royalty" in comedy. She grew up in the lap of humor where famous American comedians sat at her kitchen table swapping jokes with her family; her father a sit-com writer and her cousin, Sam Levenson, known nationwide from the 1950's until his death in 1978. Today, most people recall Sam Levenson from his best-selling books, appearances on tv shows and for his poem that Audrey Hepburn loved.

No stranger to comedy as she was trained in the Stone/Levenson tradition of intellectual humor (both high and lowbrow), Maura pursued a different career path, commercial banking. Which gave rise to shock from colleagues when her first novel, Five-Star FLEECING, received rave reviews and won a national book award in 2011 for comedy. Although fictional in scope, the stories in the book are based upon true tales from the crypt of incidents formerly known to those involved in the high-end hospitality industry. 

More importantly, Five-Star FLEECING broke all the rules of traditional literature, making it the first novel in American literary history where the major protagonist, a woman, is NOT a victim of love, men or abuse. Five-Star FLEECING is also the first comedy about hospitality in over three decades as well as the first novel about corruption in that industry.

Since Five-Star FLEECING, Maura has published several mini ebooks, some of which have won awards, that are currently being compiled into a major edition. Her blog, KISS-keepitsimpleschmuck.blogspot.com is the top comedy blog on the planet, winning awards and acclaim.

For more reviews, feel free to check out goodreads.com

www.MauraStone.com
 

Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God

Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God

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Description

<p>“<em>We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”(</em>Teilhard de Chardin<em>)</em></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;"><em>Involution-An Odyssey Reconciling Science to God </em> is as layered as a French cassoulet, as diverting, satisfying and as rich. Each reader will spoon this book differently. On the surface it seems to be a simple and light-hearted poetic journey through the history of Western thought, dominantly scientific, but enriched with painting and music. Beneath that surface is the sauce of a new evolutionary idea, involution; the informing of all matter by consciousness, encoded and communicating throughout the natural world. A book about the cathedral of consciousness could have used any language to paint it, but science is perhaps most in need of new vision, and its chronology is already familiar.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">The author offers a bold alternative vision of both science and creation: she suggests that science has been incrementally the recovery of memory, the memory of evolution/involution</span><em style="line-height:1.6em;">.</em></p><p>“<em> Involution proposes that humans carry within them the history of the universe, which is (re)discovered by the individual genius when the time is ripe. All is stored within our DNA and awaits revelation. Such piecemeal revelations set our finite lives in an eternal chain of co-creation and these new leaps of discovery are compared to mystical experience</em>” (From a reviewer)</p><p>Each unique contributor served the collective and universal return to holism and unity. Thus the geniuses of the scientific journey, like the spiritual visionaries alongside, have threaded the rosary of science with the beads of inspiration, and through them returned Man to his spiritual nature and origin.</p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">The separation between experience and the rational intellect of science has, by modelling memory as theory, separated its understanding from the consciousness of all, and perceives mind and matter as separate, God and Man as distinct. This work is a dance towards their re-unification: Saints and scientists break the same bread.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">All of time and all the disciplines of science are needed for the evidence. Through swift (and sometimes sparring) Cantos of dialogue between Reason and Soul, Philippa Rees takes the reader on a monumental journey through the history of everything – with the evolution of man as one side of the coin and involution the other.  The poetic narrative is augmented by learned and extensive footnotes offering background knowledge which in themselves are fascinating. In effect there are two books, offering a right and left brain approach. The twin spirals of a DNA shaped book intertwine external and internal and find, between them, one journey, Man’s recovery of Himself., and (hopefully) the Creation’s recovery of a nobler Man.</span></p><p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">From the same review “</span><em style="line-height:1.6em;">The reader who finishes the book will not be the same as the one who began it. New ideas will expand the mind but more profoundly, the deep, moving power of the verse will affect the heart.</em></p><p><em>(Marianne Rankin: Director of Communications, Alister Hardy Trust)</em></p><p> </p>

Story Behind The Book

The raunchy and unsophisticated 2011 award-winning comedy, Five-Star FLEECING, is a delicious, fast-paced and satisfying romp through the hospitality industry. Loosely based on the true story of the demise of a 5-star luxury hotel in NYC, the hilarious Five-Star FLEECING proved so incendiary that a Bank placed a Cease & Desist order to prohibit publication! Come join the madness (yes, madness), the fun, the laughter & be party to the party behind the toppling of a luxury hotel! www.maurastone.com

Media Links

Howard Stern Show

🔗 http://www.maurastone.com/purchase.htm

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Wall Street And The Hospitality Industry Receive A Five-Star Fleecing

🔗 http://www.qgazette.com/news/2010-06-02/Features/Wall_Street_And_The_Hospitality_Industry_Receive_A.html

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FIVE-STAR FLEECING

🔗 http://www.manhattanstyle.com/news/five–star-fleecing-a-novel-by-maura-stone/

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Five-Star FLEECING

🔗 http://www.manhattanstyle.com/news/five–star-fleecing-a-novel-by-maura-stone/

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Manhattan Style

🔗 http://www.manhattanstyle.com/arts-entertainment/celebrities/novelist-maura-stone-is-honored-by-national-indie-excellence-awards/

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Indie Excellence

🔗 http://www.indieexcellence.com/indie-results-2011.htm

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Reviews

<span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;color:#2f2f2f;"></span><ol style="margin-top:15px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;list-style-type:none;"><li style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:25px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><a href="http://www.indiependentbooks.com/shop/index.php/review/product/view/id/51/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:#000000;text-decoration:underline;"><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;">A humorous delve into the underworld of class, highly recommended</strong></a> Review by 5 Star Review from Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI)<table class="ratings-list" cellspacing="0" style="margin-top:4px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:4px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><tbody style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><tr style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><td class="label" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:3px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:top;font-weight:bold;font-size:.95em;line-height:1em;"><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;">Overall Rating (5 stars)</strong></td><td style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:3px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:top;"><div class="rating-box" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:5px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;float:left;width:69px;height:13px;background-image:url(http://www.indiependentbooks.com/shop/skin/frontend/default/default/images/product_rating_blank_star.gif);background-repeat:repeat-x;"><div class="rating" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;height:13px;background-image:url(http://www.indiependentbooks.com/shop/skin/frontend/default/default/images/product_rating_full_star.gif);background-repeat:repeat-x;width:69px;"></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:.8em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;clear:both;">Even the classiest isn't immune from the lowest common denominator. &quot;Five-Star Fleecing&quot; looks into the life of Linda Lane, as she embraces her new career as manager of the Supreme Superior, a five star New York City hotel. But her classy career is not what it's cracked up to be as she soon finds herself again associating with criminals. Presented as a dark comedy, &quot;Five-Star Fleecing&quot; is a humorous delve into the underworld of class, highly recommended. (April 2010)</p></li> <li> </li> <li style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:25px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><a href="http://www.indiependentbooks.com/shop/index.php/review/product/view/id/50/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;color:#000000;text-decoration:underline;"><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;">This is a superb scathing satire of the hospitality business</strong></a> Review by 5 Star Review from Harriet Klausner, #1 book reviewer:<table class="ratings-list" cellspacing="0" style="margin-top:4px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:4px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><tbody style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><tr style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;"><td class="label" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:3px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:top;font-weight:bold;font-size:.95em;line-height:1em;"><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;">Overall Rating (5 stars)</strong></td><td style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:3px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:3px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:top;"><div class="rating-box" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:5px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;float:left;width:69px;height:13px;background-image:url(http://www.indiependentbooks.com/shop/skin/frontend/default/default/images/product_rating_blank_star.gif);background-repeat:repeat-x;"><div class="rating" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;height:13px;background-image:url(http://www.indiependentbooks.com/shop/skin/frontend/default/default/images/product_rating_full_star.gif);background-repeat:repeat-x;width:69px;"></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:.8em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;clear:both;">Posted February 8, 2010, 4:50 PM EST: In 1995 after losing her legal position at a firm doing questionable practices, Linda Lane obtains a job as assistant resident manager at the Manhattan luxurious Supreme Superior Hotel. Her boss Herr Ganiff explains the rules of working at a five-star hotel and assigns her to work up a plan on how to keep their high rollers happy while also bringing in some middle income. However, Linda observes all sorts of questionable practices at the hotel owned in absentia by a Japanese trio. In fact, she sees theft, poor handling of guests and a management team that takes care of itself exclusively. As she tries to ignore what she observes, Linda thinks of her father who told her to never back down from an ethics scenario as she did as a lawyer. This is a superb scathing satire of the hospitality business at a time when Wall St. is in the news with Too Big To Fail bonuses to many of those who failed. The cast is eccentric and over the top of the Empire State Building with me-me attitudes that stun idealistic newcomer Linda Lane who cannot understand the philosophy that the guest must not get in the way of bonuses. Maura Stone provides a well written tale of avarice, American style of capitalism.<br /><br />Harriet Klausner (February 2010)</p></li> </ol>