How important is social media to success selling on eBay and Amazon?That's a loaded questions.It's sort of like asking, are you a glass is half full, or a glass is half empty type of person. If you're a glass is half full type, you're going to scream "Damn right! You have to be on social media, because—that's where the people are." If you're a glass is half empty type you're going to whine and moan "what's the point? I'm selling my stuff on eBay, not on Fac...

Murder, madness, and the macabre in Iowa? You've got to be kidding!When most people think about Iowa, their minds conjure up pigs, cornfields, and crotchety old farmers. But ax murders, mass killings, and ghostly sightings. Those atrocities are reserved for big cities like Chicago or LA, not a little burg like Villisca, Iowa - population 2,000.People refuse to believe that a hundred years ago, every eye in the nation turned to Villisca, Iowa where eight peo...

True Stories of Western Badmen, Outlaws, Gunfighters, and Lawmen of the Old WestFor over 150 years, the image of western bad men has thrilled readers and filled movie screens. Who hasn't heard of Jesse James, the Dalton Brothers, Black Bart, or Belle Starr? They are as much a part of American folklore as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Something about the West has brought out the best and the worst in mankind. The funny thing is, a cult ...

Ever wonder what evil lurks in your hometown? Spine-Chilling Murders in the Northeast takes you behind the scenes of some old-time killings in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and more.Joseph Elwell, the Whist Wizard of Manhattan, was shot to death in his home overnight on June 11, 1920. Roy Harris, an aspiring novelist, confessed to the crime, but it soon turned out to be nothing more than a publicity st...

Think you know what started the Civil War?In hindsight, we can say no one man or event served as a catalyst for the Civil War. It was not the John Brown Raid, no matter how many historians say it was the pivotal event. It was not the election of Abraham Lincoln, and the war was not about slavery—not in the beginning anyway.The Civil War got its start seventy-three years earlier when the Founding Fathers set aside the hot potato that was slavery so they coul...

The Civil War hit Iowa like a fist. Then the shooting began.At Shiloh, the woods became a slaughterhouse, as Iowa regiments crashed into the storm. The 2nd Iowa fought until it nearly got swallowed. The 6th Iowa pushed forward through fire and smoke. Men bit cartridges, rammed loads, and fired until powder coated their tongues. Lines shattered, re-formed, and surged again because the choice stayed the same: hold or break.At Vicksburg, Iowa soldiers dug in under siege. The 2...

For over 150 years, Western badmen have filled dime novels, pulp magazines, and movie screens. Jesse James. The Dalton Brothers. Black Bart. Belle Starr. Their names have become a part of American folklore.Somewhere along the way, they stopped being criminals and became folk heroes.The legend says Joaquin Murietta came to California during the Gold Rush and was driven into outlawry by prejudice and the Foreign Miners Tax. The story says he robbed wealthy Americans and gave ...

History is an uncertain science, at best.Much of it is outright lies and balderdash. For example, Napoleon looked at history as "a set of lies agreed upon." Does it matter that he stole most of that line from Voltaire, who suggested, "History is a lie commonly agreed upon?"George Santayana harbored significant doubts about the entire field, telling friends, "History is a pack of lies about events that never happened told by people who weren't there."Too much of hist...

The Wild West wasn't won—it was stolen, one busted safe and broken promise at a time. For over 150 years, names like Jesse James, Belle Starr, and Black Bart have thundered through American legend like a posse in hot pursuit. They've been cast as rebels, heroes, even poets with pistols. But strip away the dime novels and Hollywood charm, and you're left with something rougher—and a whole lot meaner.This book drags the truth out from behind the smoke. Jesse James? He didn't give to ...

It's not the usual boring history read. It's a fast-paced, easy to read, behind the scenes look at the making of Iowa and Illinois focusing on Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. When you're done reading it, you might even scratch your head and think - Oh, yeah! That's what Mrs. So, and So tried to tell me back in seventh-grade history class.And, I tell you what. We're going to skip all the boring parts, like dates, politics, and founding fathers. We're going to go ...

One of the biggest concerns as the Civil War wrapped up was that Confederate troops might disappear into the Appalachian Mountains where they could conduct guerrilla raids with relative impunity. If they did, the war could have been extended for years, maybe even decades as the insurgents crept out of their strongholds to conduct hit-and-run raids.Fortunately, that didn't happen. Confederate leaders like Robert E. Lee and Pete Longstreet reminded Southerners they lost the war. It w...

If you grew up in the late 60s and 70s, you need to read this book.It follows the life of a Baby Boomer who was raised by hard-working World War II Era parents who are still not convinced he has learned to wipe himself. He has gone to college, dated, gotten jobs, gotten married, become a father, lost jobs, gotten divorced, learned how to use a computer, and tried to fulfill his civic responsibilities. Like many others in his generation, he followed the time-honored steps which were...