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One of the original reality TV shows, Big Brother, is back for an all new Season 20. With it’s new cast in place, one of them is a life coach and this could be must see TV.

Life coaches are notorious for making people feel uncomfortable in the same way therapists do because they have the ability to deeply psychoanalyze individuals and see through their facade.

Some of the other contestants include a life guard, stay at home mom, a medical sales rep, a female football player, a former undercover police man, a fitness model, a Vegas entertainer, and a substitute teacher.

These reality shows are all about mixing personalities that cause friction where everyone gets on each others nerves to create havoc for our entertainment. The life coach selection is the one that seems like an interesting ingredient in the mix.

Will she try to fix everyone’s life?

Or will she just observe and commentate as everyone else implodes on each other?

Will she be the antagonist or the protagonist?

Only time will tell.

But the one thing that is certain is that she will make the show more interesting to watch since she will provide an analytical lens into the dynamics displayed by the others.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the show, Big Brother is a television reality game show based on an originally Dutch TV series of the same name created by producer John de Mol in 1997. The series follows a diverse group of contestants, known as HouseGuests, who are living together in a custom-built home under constant surveillance. The HouseGuests are completely isolated from the outside world and can have no communication with those not in the house. The contestants are competing for a $500,000 grand prize, with weekly competitions and evictions determining who will win the show.

This show came out before the other hit reality TV show Survivor and its premise was based upon Big Brother.

A Chat with Laurie Finkelstein, Author of Next Therapist Please

Next Therapist Please was inspired by author Laurie Finkelstein’s real-life events and struggles. Laurie weaves her personal experiences with mental illness into her hilarious, sidesplitting story. Grab a cocktail and enjoy this one-on-one chat with Laurie.

The novel tells the story of Janie, a free spirit and endearing main character who marches to the beat of her own drum. Janie has passed through so many therapist offices she cannot keep track, so she has started referring to each therapist by number. While some have helped Janie, others were duds. Janie recalls her experiences with a cocktail in one hand and a paint brush in the other.

Awesome fact about Laurie: She is so passionate about bringing awareness to mental illness, that she donates 10% of each book sale to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Q: If you could give your book to one celebrity, who would it be and why?

A: Ellen DeGeneres. She would love the book and want to bring me on as a guest to talk about breaking the stigma of mental health one laugh at a time. All audience members would receive the book, and Ellen would bring out a big check donation to NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Illness. I donate 10% of my sales of Next Therapist Please to NAMI. With the rash of celebrity suicides it is essential we reach as many people as possible to give a message of hope.

Q: What advice would you give to Janie in your book and why?

A: Embrace and love herself for who she is despite her challenges. To be gentle and kind with her when depression or anxiety intrudes her day. Janie needs to know her mental illness does not make her less of a person. Learn and practice mindfulness, which will help manage her illnesses more effectively. I need to take that advice LOL!

Q: If your book were turned into a film/TV show, whom would you tap to play Janie? Why?

A: Leslie Mann is my ideal Janie. She has great comedic timing and plays tragedy really well. Love her voice and look.

Q: What three books are on your To Be Read list this summer?

A: LOL – that’s like choosing your three favorite Jelly Belly combinations. Checked by Jennifer Jamelli, Hypnotic Seduction by L.L. Kellogg, and Baker’s Dozen by Autumn Doerr are three of many.

Q: What is the core message you want to deliver to the world through your writing/books/stories?

A: I want to champion the underdogs, the leftovers. I want to be an example of successful living with mental illness in all its messy roadblocks and detours. I want to help people talk about mental illness openly and freely. I want to raise awareness and money for research and treatment of the mentally ill.

Rapid Fire Questions and Answers

Q: Guardians of the Galaxy or XMen?

A: XMen

Q: Meat or Veggies?

A: Veggies

Q: The beach or the mountains?

A: Beach

Q: Kittens or puppies?

A: Kittens

Q: Ninja or pirates?

A: Pirates

Q: Selfie or group photo?

A: Group Photo

Q: E.L. James or J.K. Rowling?

A: J.K. Rowling

Q: London or Istanbul?

A: London

Q: Hippies or hipsters?

A: Hippies

Q: Miley or Selena?

A: Selena

Want more? Grab the novel on Amazon!

A Look Inside the Mind Behind the Break-Out Cozy Summer Mystery: Baker’s Dozen

Autumn Doerr is the author of the must-read summer mystery novel, Baker’s Dozen: A Lexi Fagan Mystery. The book was inspired by a real fire she witnessed in San Francisco in the 80s. That experience evolved into the first book in the series. It makes for the idea summer book.

The book tells the story of Lexi after she moves to San Francisco and lands a job working at a local bakery. Tragedy strikes when her lover, who is also a firefighter, turns up dead in a devastating fire. Suddenly, she’s caught up in the murder investigation and begins to uncover secrets that could get her killed.

Q: What makes your book a must-read?

A: If you enjoy a good mystery, can appreciate an old-fashioned bakery and get a kick out of San Francisco, or have always wanted to visit, “Baker’s Dozen” is for you.

Q: What is something interesting/cool/unbelievable you discovered while researching your book?

A: For opera buffs, before the 1983 Fall season, there were no English supertitles at the San Francisco Opera. La Traviata, the opera that’s in the book, was the opera that popularized the practice. (Hint: there are supertitles at the La Traviata, in “Baker’s Dozen”.)

And for those of you into more gruesome research: The inciting event in my mystery book is a fire at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco. I witnessed this fire in 1983 and, over 20 years later, it sparked the idea for my mystery book. Through research, I discovered that the December 18th fire had taken two people’s lives and prompted Mayor Diane Feinstein to require sprinklers be installed, along with smoke alarms, in all hotels to bring them up to code. At the time, I didn’t even know two people had been killed as a result of the fire.

Q: If your book was turned into a film/TV show, who would you tap to play the lead(s)? Why?

A: For some reason, Rooney Mara comes to mind for the main character, Lexi Fagan. She has such a range and looks very young. She can play naive and smart, not a combination you see too often. Denzel Washington for Detective Robert Reiger, of course; though he doesn’t have a big part in Book 1, he does play a larger role in the second book that I hope to publish later this year. In case Mr. Washington is busy, hem hem, I also think Donald Faison from Scrubs or Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911 and Speechless) would also be smashing.

Q: Tell us something about you that no one else knows.

A: I can tap dance (barely) and love to cut a rug on the dance floor to early disco.

Q: Recommend a book that is similar to yours. If people like X, then they’ll love your book because…

A: If you like Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series, you’ll like “Baker’s Dozen.” Grafton’s novels are known for their interesting, and often older, characters. Her descriptions of the fictional town of Santa Teresa ground her stories so you feel as if you’re there. I tried to do the same thing with descriptions of my beloved San Francisco. And, finally, Grafton protagonist, Kinsey Millhone, gets caught up in a lot of hairy situations; something that Lexi Fagan has a habit of doing.

Rapid Fire Questions and Answers

Q: Meat or Veggies?

A: Meat

Q: Kanye West or Taylor Swift?

A: Taylor

Q: Coachella or Broadway?

A: Broadway

Q: Selfie or group photo?

A: Group photo

Q: Hardcover book or Kindle?

A: Hardcover

Q: Chess or Candy Crush?

A: Chess

Q: Cookies or cake?

A: Cake

Q: Firefighters or cowboys?

A: Firefighters

Q: E.L. James or J.K. Rowling?

A: J.K. Rowling

Q: Kittens or puppies?

A: Kittens AND puppies!

Ready to unravel this tasty mystery for yourself? Find the book on Amazon.

A Conversation with the Creators of XX v XY: The Final World War

XX v XY: The Final World War is a dystopian novel that feels like it is coming true. As tensions flare between women and men, women’s voices are being heard louder than ever before thanks to #MeToo, #TimesUp and #BeattheOdds.

We’re digging into the heads of the creative team who produced the book everyone is reading this summer. Bobby Goldstein is the idea guy. The executive producer and creator of the hit TV show Cheaters, he has an insider’s perspective of what triggers women and men.

Christina Cigala is the author. By day, she’s a TV writer and producer — by night, she’s a must-watch author who bled words into a book that is downright creepy in the way it depicts characters who match many of today’s players. For example, the book features a maniacal President X who, just like our current POTUS Donald Trump, runs a beauty pageant. The correlations between this made-up world and our own has people wondering if we truly are on the edge of an all-out battle between the sexes.

Q: Your book’s genre is popular right now, why is that?

A: Goldstein — The subject matter/genre of XX v XY speaks to a shifting paradigm at this moment.  Humanity is made up of groups and subgroups, all of which are rising up from history and tradition to take a stand against prior poor treatment of yesteryear. The ascent du jour happens to be women now who have been under-appreciated and under-rewarded for centuries by patriarchal societies. If one is not part of the spewing lava, then at least one likes to watch the spewing lava because it is a train wreck, which people like to watch.

Q: What was the hardest part of writing XX v XY: The Final World War?

A: Cigala — Sitting down and writing. I was on set most of the time I was writing this, and it was really hard to find the time.

Q: What was the most rewarding part of writing XX v XY: The Final World War?

A: Cigala — Gaining the confidence that comes from writing a book — no one can take that away from you.

Q: If XX v XY: The Final World War was turned into a film/TV show, who would you tap to play the lead(s)? Why?

A: Goldstein — Charlize Theron, Amy Adams, Halle Berry, Julianne Moore — these are my rolling stones; I love them all. Why? Because they give off so much power with their eyes. They all just make me want to say, “Yes ma’am” and “No ma’am”.  But I’d like to kick back and watch it with Jennifer Aniston because she was a big fan of Cheaters.  

Q: What makes XX v XY: The Final World War a must-read?

A: Cigala — I’m a really creative writer and it’s weird and fun and short.

Q: If you could give your book to one world leader, who would it be and why?

A: Goldstein — The crown prince of Saudi Arabia.  He’s just now allowing women to drive. Imagine if he got caught up on the set of 9 to 5.  Where would those women have sent him?  

Q: If you could give your book to one celebrity, who would it be and why?

A: Cigala — Amy Sedaris because I love her so much.

Rapid Fire Questions

Q: The beach or the mountains?

A: Goldstein — Beach for sure

Q: Cats or dogs?

A: Goldstein — OMG, get them all away from me. They smell and would eat your food without regard.  

Q: Ninja or pirates?

A: Goldstein — Pirates

Q: Alice in Wonderland or Lord of the Flies?

A: Goldstein — Lord of the Flies. It has come true.  

Q: Sponge Bob Square Pants or Bugs Bunny?

A: Goldstein — Bugs Bunny. I was called the rabbit at the courthouse because nobody could catch me.  

Q: Thor or Hulk?

A: Cigala — Alex Mack

Q: Miley or Selena?

A: Cigala — Miley does a great Dolly cover.

Q: Game of Thrones or The Sopranos?

A: Cigala — Mother of Dragons or bust.

Q: Hardcover or Kindle?

A: Cigala — I love an audio book!

Q: Formal attire or yoga pants and a hoodie?

A: Cigala — Girls in tuxes are the best thing.

XX v XY: The Final World War is shocking statement about our times. Find the book on Amazon and from bookstores and retailers everywhere.

Khloé Kardashian has fans going crazy after she recently posted a photo of her slim waist with a waist-trainer on. The 32-year-old has been open and public about her change in lifestyle and how she has decided to go from the “fat sister,” to someone who goes to the gym and works out religiously, and changed her diet. After her divorce and split from ex-husband, Lamar Odom in 2013, Khloé had turned over a new leaf and wanted to reinvent herself.

Recently, she has been looking better than ever, showing off her workout routines with sister Kourtney Kardashian on her Snapchat and Instagram profiles, but, after sharing a new photo of her slim waist, fans are worried the reality TV star has gone too far.

Khloé posted this photo of her slim waistline sporting a festive waist-trainer that she uses to synch her waist to appear smaller. But, while many women use these devises, they are not always safe. Some fans reached negatively in comments thinking that Khloé has gone “too far” and looks “unhealthy.”

According to a source close to the family, Angelina is having a hard time keeping her children happy after the filing, especially because they’re getting a little “homesick.”

“It’s been weeks since the kids moved out of their home and they are getting homesick,” the source said. “The children are sad, miss the huge house they grew up in, and have been complaining to Angelina that they want to go home. The older children are not happy with the situation while the younger ones are having trouble understanding why they can’t just go home.”

The divorce was based on irreconcilable differences, but news quickly turned to Brad’s questionable parenting skills. The FBI ended up investigating Brad’s parenting style, specifically with his oldest son, Maddox.

The father and son allegedly had a physical altercation on the family’s private jet a while back, which sparked the decision to open up an investigation into child abuse. However, the case came back negative, and Brad was given permission to see the children periodically and with a counselor present.

The whole family underwent counseling, both together and separately, and Brad and Angelina are reportedly being as mature and civil as possible during this transition. Obviously, no divorce is easy for the children—especially when there’s six all under the age of 16—but if the parents are as civil as they claim, maybe they can return to their California home soon.