Highlighting the best independent publications in fiction and non-fiction. Your new favorite author is right here.

Gino Arcaro

UntitledGino Arcaro’s writing career has taken a winding path, from best-selling academic textbooks to a unique kind of non-fiction he calls “friction.” His passion for writing started at a police station as a young officer writing reports – the heart and soul of policing. Years later, as a rookie college professor, he noticed a literary void – no Canadian college-level law enforcement textbooks. So Gino wrote his first policing textbook. Criminal Investigation became a bestseller, leading to 21
editions of 5 more textbooks being used in colleges across Ontario.

In 2001, after opening his 24-hour gym, X Fitness Welland Inc., Gino started writing a fitness book but after 2 chapters, realized the book sounded too conventional. He changed it to an unconventional non-fiction novel. This first attempt at writing outside academics gave him the challenge of competing on a new stage. He called the book, Soul of a Lifter. Afterwards, he finished his workout book, eXplode: the X Fitness System.

Throughout his professional careers, Gino coached many football teams. His one-of-a-kind offense and defense schemes, detailed in his SWAT football books and fir st published in Scholastic Coach Magazine, generated countless emails from coaches around the world. His gift as a storyteller is evident to many who have heard first-hand Gino’s “David and Golliath” tales describing the competition his Canadian collegiate football teams faced in the USA. His book, 4th and Hell, keeps readers in suspense as the story of the last play of the last game of their first season unfolds throughout the book.

Gino continues to write full-time. He believes we all have the soul of a lifter, capable of lifting ourselves and others. Through his work he hopes to change the world, one lifter at a time.

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Soul of a Lifter (Non-fiction/Spirituality/Sports/Family & Relationships)

soul of a lifter newGino Arcaro’s journey from childhood obesity to natural health and strength was not made alone; he relied on the Soul of a Lifter. In telling this tale, Arcaro draws on life lessons learned from his careers as a football coach, police officer and college teacher to inspire and lead the reader in a soul-searching quest to reach his/her own potential. This is not your run-of-the-mill motivational book. Discover insights about what drives the soul… what happens when you listen and when you don’t!

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Selling H.E.L.L. in Hell (Non-fiction/Business/Entrepreneurship/Small Business)

selling hell in hellYou may be starting out in business or just contemplating making the big decision. Gino Arcaro knows what you’re thinking and wants to make sure you know what you’re not thinking. His thought-bending tales, while entertaining and steeped in reality, will make the would-be business owner take a second and third look at the situation before jumping in. And, for those already “self-employed,” Arcaro offers a unique slant on dealing with day-to-day customer and employee challenges.

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4th and Hell: Season 1 (Non-fiction/Sports/Football)

4th and hell“We were David with a Canadian passport, failing miserably at winning just one football game against stars-and-stripes-draped Goliaths.” It came down to ourth and hell – a face-to-face showdown. No disguises, no masks, no secret weapons. No one huddled on the sideline. No one huddled on the field. Both sides knew what to expect. No surprises, no guess-work, no mind
games. Making the call was a formality. All that mattered was running the play to see what would pass. Someone would execute; someone would be executed.

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True Confessions: How to get the truth (Non-fiction/Reference & Language/Law)

true confessionsGino Arcaro relates and upholds a simple fact: “Everyone has a conscience. No exceptions. If you’re alive, you have a conscience. The myth of ‘no conscience’ actually means ‘weak or dysfunctional’ conscience.” Therefore, a truth-seeker must appeal to the conscience, meaning, “make the conscience work out, make it work right, and make it do all the work.” True confessions is a manual for anyone whose job it is to get the truth. For example, Human Resources personnel during the job interview process or Law Enforcement interviewers who can use Arcaro’s theories to open a window into the psyche of a suspect under interrogation.

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eXplode: X Fitness Training System (Non-fiction/Health & Well being/Fitness)

eXplodeSought after his entire adult life to help others achieve their workout goals, Arcaro put his weight lifting theories and routines into this manual. His “Case Studies,” true stories from his 40+ years of working out (completely natural) bring a sense of reality to the average gym-goer who just wants to get in shape, stay in shape, and most-importantly, not quit. No gimmicks, just discussion and formulas that can be tailored to any situation regardless of how long or how intensely one has been working out.

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Beauty of a Dream (Non-fiction/Children’s)

the beauty of a dreamInspired by the birth of his first grandchild, Arcaro wrote this colour picture-infused booklet to encourage the reader to dream, dream big and never stop dreaming. “No one can break into your dream and rob you of it, unless you let them.” His message, in this book as in all his works, is a challenge for the reader to strive to reach his/her potential and make an impact in this world. A perfect gift for someone in your life who needs to be “lifted” or reminded that dreaming is important!

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SWAT Offense (Non-fiction/Sports/Football/Coaching/Reference)

SWAT OffenseBy connecting partial concepts that can build any formation, any pass play and any running play to fit the situation, at the line of scrimmage, Arcaro has designed a system that eliminates the need for a conventional playbook that has to be memorized. Memorization is replaced by translation of a simple language. He designed the SWAT offense as a solution to a nightmarish reality of limitations – poor talent and poor resources, a one-man coaching staff, open-admission players, and on top of it all, out-matched opponents…willingly sought out! David constantly calling out Goliath. Arcaro’s SWAT offense is the most unique offensive system you’ll ever see because it has limitless offense capacity but no playbook. A unique feature of the SWAT Offense is its ties to SWAT Defense.

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SWAT Defense(Non-fiction/Sports/Football/Coaching/Reference)

SWAT DefenseMaking the defensive call has never been harder. Coordinators have the greatest challenges in football history. Spread no-huddle offenses, extreme passing, clock-changing rules. More to defend, less time to think. Arcaro’s SWAT Defense shows how to beat the spread by forcing the offense to go deep and crack under pressure. “A stress-filled workplace for quarterbacks and receivers leads to an explosion.” Central to Arcaro’s system is his decision-making model that teaches defensive coordinators and players to make the right calls – those split-second decisions that have to be made about 60 times per game. Making the right call is not easy. Like any skill, defensive decision-makers need guidelines and experience to develop into full potential. A unique feature of the SWAT Defense is its ties to Arcaro’s SWAT Offense.

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Fat Losing: The psychology of fat fighting (Non-fiction/Health & Well being)

fat losing“Waste Mis-management leads to Waist Mis-management”

This is not a diet book. This 40-page eBook explains the most important truth about fighting fat: it begins at the top – literally. Without a proper mindset, no amount of dieting or counting calories will workout. Digesting Fat Losing is the first step to understanding how to change your habits and thinking for once and for all. It contains practical discussions that engage the reader in re-thinking the obstacles that stand in the way of becoming a healthier person. Gino Arcaro, a self-proclaimed “dysfunctional 12-year-old, trying to overcome my obesity,” is an expert on the subject. He’s written Fat Losing to share what he has learned and practiced for over 40 years.

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Be Fit Don’t Quit (Non-fiction/Children’s)

be fit don't quitFull of exercise ideas young children can try on their own or with a parent, this book will rekindle in any adult a love for the simple act of playing. Gino Arcaro has spent his life working out and teaching young adults about the importance of “being fit.” He wrote Be Fit Don’t Quit to express a tried-and-true message: Exercising is natural and fun. Never quit!

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