Renowned Author and Novelist, Jeffery Deaver, To Discuss Characterization of People with Disabilities in Literature on Online Talk Radio Show

(PRWEB) February 21, 2005

Renowned author and novelist, Jeffery Deaver, will discuss the characterization of people with disabilities in literature and popular culture. He will discuss how he has helped transform this perception in his book series featuring Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic who can move just one finger, a great mind strapped to his bed. On Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at 11AM Pacific (2PM Eastern) on the VoiceAmerica™ Network (http://www.voiceamerica.com/) he will be the featured guest on “Disability Matters”, hosted by Joyce Bender.

The author of twenty novels, Deaver has been nominated for four Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America, an Anthony award, and is a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year. In 2001 he won the W.H. Smith Thumping Good Read Award for his Lincoln Rhyme novel The Empty Chair. In 2004 he was awarded the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Garden Of Beasts. Translated into 25 languages, his novels have appeared on a number of bestseller lists around the world, including the New York Times, the London Times and the Los Angeles Times. Jeffery Deaver may be best known for his book, The Bone Collector, which was a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic protagonist.

“We are very excited to be able to have Jeffery Deaver on our show and share with our listeners his thoughts and experiences that caused him to create a series of novels with a quadriplegic protagonist,” said host Joyce Bender. “What I am committed to is enlightening and educating people about the disabled community. We discuss issues and policies while empowering those with disabilities to fully engage with their personal strengths and talents to further enrich our society as a whole.”

You can hear “Disability Matters” with Joyce Bender on VoiceAmerica.com live every Tuesday at 11:00am PST with re-broadcast 12 hours later. To access the show, listeners need to log on to http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/ Listeners with questions, comments or opinions are encouraged to call in live, toll-free at 1-888-335-5204. Archives of her past interviews are also available On Demand at http://www.voice.voiceamerica.com/

“Disability Matters” addresses topics related to the disabled community, with specific emphasis on competitive employment for people with disabilities. Each week host Joyce Bender presents to her show political leaders, advocacy groups, entertainment figures, champion organizations, and leaders in communities who are transforming the lives and perceptions of those with disabilities within our society. This show is broadcast live and captioned in real time for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

About Joyce Bender

The host of “Disability Matters”, Joyce A. Bender, is President and CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. (BCS) and its sister company, Bender Consulting Services of Canada, Inc. (BCSC). BCS provides competitive employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities in the areas of information technology, engineering, finance/accounting, human resources and general business. In 1985, Joyce had a life-threatening accident due to epilepsy, which caused an intracranial hemorrhage that required subsequent brain surgery. Against all odds, Joyce recovered from this accident that left her with a 60 percent hearing loss in one ear and a realization that she had epilepsy. As a result of her personal experience, she developed a passion for helping people with disabilities and founded both companies. Ms. Bender is the recipient of the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration, as well as the 1999 President’s Award from President Clinton.

About SurfNet Media Group, Inc.

SurfNet Media Group (OTCBB:SFNM) (http://www.surfnetmedia.com/) is an online media company and originator of the pioneering online VoiceAmerica™ Network (http://www.voiceamerica.com/) which produces and distributes over 100 programs weekly on its flagship, business and health/wellness channels. SurfNet’s objective is to capitalize upon the phenomenal growth of Internet online listening, personal mobile devices and advertising by becoming a leader in the creation, aggregation and delivery of online entertainment content via 21st century digital devices (laptops, MP3 players, PDAs, smart phones) to affinity groups and other targeted communities around the world. In addition to live broadcasts, all SurfNet Media Group will soon be adding services to enable the downloading and podcasting of shows onto MP3 players, PDAs, smart phones, and other portable digital devices.

For more information on Joyce A. Bender and her companies, Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Bender Consulting Services of Canada, Inc., visit, http://www.benderconsult.com/ or http://www.benderofcanada.com/

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