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The Hallelujah Chorus

Sequel to The Maxim Chronicles, A Year with a Champion Poodle, this book continues the story of the Jordan family and their beloved dogs who gave so much richness to their lives. Follow Hallelujah, the beautiful white bitch, as she herself goes to ‘The Show’, wins armfuls of ribbons and prizes, then retires to making puppies. The journey repeats as Halle’s best black bitch, Valmara’s Highland Fling Bonnie Doon, also wins Best Puppy in Show, and thrills her family all over again. You’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know about Poodles, grooming, breeding, obedience training, encounters with vermin, and vets. But this is not just a book about dogs. It is also about people, families, and relationships, laced with irony and humour. Interspersed in all this dog lore the author explores ideas in philosophy, religion, consciousness and life. Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows already the truth of Will Rogers declaration: ‘If there are no dogs in heaven, I don’t want to go there.

The Maxim Chronicles

A Year With a Champion Poodle A story about a year in the life of a dog and his various families. Maxim was a Standard Poodle who lived for a time in Israel, only to return to Ottawa as a ‘teenager’ and learn to accept a whole new family. A memoir full of humour and information as Max and his family enter the world of conformation shows, and finally becoming a champion, in more ways than one. Clearly narrative therapy, it may also prove therapeutic to the reader as well.

The Dynamics of Management

Management is the art of influencing others to achieve organization goals, and in the bargain, achieve the manager’s, and the employee’s, personal goals. As the book makes clear, management is not for everybody, but if a career in management looks like the path you want to take to achieve life satisfaction then this book may help you understand what management – and leadership – really is, and what it takes to master the dynamics of influencing others.

“Doug captures both the technical elements of management while equally treating the human side of the equation. Great read, but even better as a continuous reference point”

John Sicard, President, Kinaxis Corporation

“I had to sit quietly with my thoughts prior to writing this review. The Hallelujah Chorus, while informative on a lot of topics besides Poodles, left me with a deeper appreciation for the written word. Author, Doug Jordan, invites you on a journey with him to such an extent, the reader feels that they too are in the story. So well done are the descriptive passages of what the “The Chorus” of characters are like and get up to, you feel you are living the moments and years alongside Mr. Jordan and his family. Moments of joy and sadness, awe, humour and lastly, love. If there is one undercurrent of themes in this memoir it is that of love: Love of family, friends and of course, love for those dogs. This is not a story solely for Poodle lovers, or even dog lovers. No, it is a novel with heart. And all of us could benefit from stories like these. A solid 5 stars.”

Shannon Christner

“As a professional and a friend Doug Jordan is a rational thinker, and a great conversationalist. Reading the Maxim Chronicles, one discovers the quality of his storytelling, with suspense, drama, and humour too. The book’s short chapters make it easy to pick up for quick reads – though I ended up reading it in one sitting! I am not a dog owner and wasn’t sure I would relate to a book about “a year with a Champion Poodle” at the outset. Doug’s retelling of his experiences with Maxim shows how animals help us connect – with them at first, and through them to other people in our lives, and most intimately, with our secret selves. When is the sequel?”

Amazon Reader

“Anybody can, indeed many do, accumulate the knowledge of management. It doesn’t make them good managers! This book is about what you do with that knowledge. It is both well written and pragmatic in its approach. It is also thought provoking. I’m not sure that those individuals, who assume they are now effective managers (because they have a business degree/MBA), will learn much. But for those who who have an open mind and a desire to continue their development, however experienced, this is a must read!”

Amazon Reader

What our readers think

“The Maxim Chronicles charmed me from the very moment I began reading it. I fell in love with this amazing dog and found the funny and insightful writing to keep me engaged. I would recommend this to anyone who loves dogs and would benefit from Doug’s deep insights about the psychology of a dog and the love we have for them…oh and how it changes US!”

CCS, Watsonville CA

About AFS Publishing

Self-publishing is not quite as easy as those printing houses make it out to be.

I am Doug Jordan, owner and publisher of AFS Publishing. I learned a lot in publishing my first book, The Dynamics of Management, and then learned a whole lot more when I re-published it as an e-Pub! Publishing The Maxim Chronicles was a slight improvement, print and e-Pub versions. I founded AFS Publishing to help others in this perilous journey.

I use lulu.com for rather obscure patriotic reasons. I’m sure other service providers are probably just as ‘helpful’. (Okay, since you asked: the founder/owner off lulu.com is Bob Young, a Hamilton Ontario boy who made a gazillion dollars when he sold Red Hat Software; he also owns The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and I am a devout CFL fan – Go RedBlacks!)

The mechanics of publishing are one thing but finding the inspiration to write is another. Having the discipline and stamina to edit, and edit and edit is another thing again. And finally, having the courage to face the public and publish is quite another thing again. To write, and to publish, requires a balance of hubris and humility. Then follows the even more demanding task of promoting your book.

Let me know if you could use a little help, and encouragement.

About the author

Doug Jordan is the Principal in his own firm, AFS Consulting, in Ottawa, Canada, and owner and contributor to AFS Publishing. He spent the first twenty years of his career in industry in Human Resources Management, and the next twenty as an Executive Coach and in Consulting in organization and management effectiveness. He has written three books on career and management effectiveness, and dozens of blogs on management, and life.

He has a B.A. in Politics and Economics and an MBA from Queen’s University, Kingston.

The Maxim Chronicles was his first foray into ‘non-professional’ writing; The Hallelujah Chorus is the sequel. We hope both too will serve to educate as well as entertain.

He has five other projects in the works and hopes to release some of them soon.