About
Khyiah is an Australian Author living in Sydney, New South Wales. She began her career as a teacher before moving on to other things. She worked for a Teacher’s Union and then the Australian Federal Government as a Senior Education Advisor in the Cybersafety Unit.
All along she yearned to write, but apart from Education articles and research papers, didn’t really get the opportunity. Life got in the way, as it often does. One day she woke up, got dressed, and was waiting at the bus stop to go to work, as she did every day, when suddenly, she had an epiphany: she was halfway through her life and had yet to realise her dream. Upon her arrival at work that day, she quit her job, put her house up for sale, and wrote. Just wrote. The result is her first novelFake Profile, about social media and cyberbullying. Fake Profile was awarded an Australian Society of Authors Mentorship in 2010 and has recently been released as an ebook.
Khyiah is nearly finished her second novel, a Young Adult Crime Fiction, and also blogs at City Observationist.
Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness
Description
<p><b>The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon.</b><br /> <br />One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, <i>Learning to Breathe Fire </i>combines vivid sports writing with a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be human. In the book, veteran journalist J.C. Herz explains the science of maximum effort, why the modern gym fails an obese society, and the psychic rewards of ending up on the floor feeling as though you're about to die. <br /> <br />The story traces CrossFit’s rise, from a single underground gym in Santa Cruz to its adoption as the workout of choice for elite special forces, firefighters and cops, to its popularity as the go-to fitness routine for regular Joes and Janes. Especially riveting is Herz’s description of The CrossFit Games, which begin as an informal throw-down on a California ranch and evolve into a televised global proving ground for the fittest men and women on Earth, as well as hundreds of thousands of lesser mortals. <br /> <br />In her portrayal of the sport's star athletes, its passionate coaches and its “chief armorer,” Rogue Fitness, Herz powerfully evokes the uniqueness of a fitness culture that cultivates primal fierceness in average people. And in the shared ordeal of an all-consuming workout, she unearths the ritual intensity that's been with us since humans invented sports, showing us how, on a deep level, we're all tribal hunters and first responders, waiting for the signal to go all-out. </p>
Story Behind The Book
I've always wanted to write, but apart from Education articles and research papers, didn’t really get the opportunity. Life got in the way, as it often does. One day I woke up, got dressed, and was waiting at the bus stop to go to work, as I did every day, when I had a sudden epiphany: I was halfway through my life and had yet to realise my dream. So when I got to work that day, I quit my job, put my house up for sale, and wrote. Just wrote. Fake Profile, about social media and cyberbullying, is the result.
Reviews
"Unputdownable! I laughed, I cried, I was shocked and horrified. Well
written, fast paced - I kept forgetting to breathe I was so involved in
the story! A must-read for teenagers, parents, teachers. Thoroughly and
highly recommend it to all." Sarah Bourne<br /><br />"A fast-paced novel filled with characters that remind you of the cliques
at school that can haunt you for years after. It has you wondering what
more can happen but something does - a devastating, unexpected final
twist. This book describes the potential dangers of social networking on
the internet and mobile phones which have become standard modes of
communication these days. A must-read. Exciting to the finish!" Helena Ameisen
