Press Release
Request a review copy | Author available for interview
Manipulators come in all forms and from all walks of life: business people, media, politicians, spouses, children and other family members … the list goes on and on. Some might call them con artists while others name them manipulators but whatever you call them they are dangerous and exploitive.
Author/Psychologist Dr. Ed Slack gives us a new term: Two Legged Snakes (TLS). He’s run head on into them not only professionally but in his personal life as well. In his book Two Legged Snakes: Understanding and Handling Manipulative People(Simple Truth Publishing), Slack points out the types of two legged snakes widespread in our society, their persuasive techniques and how to handle them successfully.
Questions // Talking Points for Dr. Ed Slack
1 – What is a Two Legged Snake?
2 – In your book you observe that manipulative behavior is at an all-time high, what has led to this phenomenon?
3 – Won’t manipulative people be able to read your book and learn to hide their manipulations more effectively and become better manipulators?
4 – Your book is written with a humorous tone and is heavily illustrated but the subject matter of dealing with manipulative people is serious, why did you choose this approach?
5 – Aren’t most people pretty good at recognizing manipulators?
6 – In your book you focus on personal relationships and family quite a bit, why is that?
7 – How can you tell if you’re in a manipulative relationship?
8 – What should someone do if they discover they’re in a relationship with a Two Legged Snake?
9 - What are some snaky manipulative techniques we may not know about?
10 – What are your top five tips to not get manipulated?
Interview Stories
These are stories Dr. Slack will typically tell if a good entrance point presents itself.
Origin: When I was just a little nipper of about 4 or 5 three ‘older’ kids came riding up on their sting-ray bikes with banana seats and high bars. I was in the drive-way of our house in Overland Park, Missouri, bouncing the super ball I had just gotten for my birthday. One of the boys held out his hand and asked if he could check out my super ball. I thought they were cool so I handed it to him. He looked me right in the eye and then bounced that ball as hard as he could. It flew way over the house, probably over several houses. It was gone for good. My brand new, super great super ball was no more. The three kids rode away laughing and hooting like they’d just seen the funniest thing in the world. I just stood there gobsmaked … it took a while to sink in; I’d just gotten snaked for the first time!
Type of person: I see the best in people as I’m sure a lot of the folks listening do, kinda like a default setting on the computer, unless I choose to take another approach this is what I naturally do. I think it’s a good thing because it tends to bring out the best in people. However, it does make it necessary for me to remind myself that there are Two Legged Snakes about and I’m well advised to keep an eye out. I actually reread the book every month or so to remind myself that I need to keep my eyes open and remind myself what to keep my eyes open for!
Family: My Dad, bless his soul, had many positive qualities but was also a Rhetorical Two Legged Snake with poor impulse control, particularly if he’d been drinking! He would become so argumentative that you’d have to leave and many a family gathering was ruined because of this. His voice and posture would change when he’d shift into snake mode. You could hear a collective groan from most everyone when he’d shift. Sometimes my cousins would go grab their coats and head for the door, it was that bad!
Confront: If you’re going to confront a BS do it in an environment supportive of the confrontation. If you think there’s even a small chance that they might get violent have an escape plan or be near other people. To use a ‘real snake’ analogy, a few years back I found a big ol’ timber rattler on the path to the dog run. I got a shovel and shoved that sucker in right behind the snakes head, all the way up to the hilt; I couldn’t push it in any further! I was sure his head was off but low and behold, when I pulled that shovel out of the ground a very pissed off timber rattler came up as well! He tried to strike me a few times but I batted him off with the shovel. I finally ended up trapping him in the dog house. It was easy to finish him off there because it had a wood floor that didn’t have the give in it the dirt did. I feel like I got lucky, it would have been easy to get hurt. Obviously dealing with the two legged variety of snakes is a lot different but the point I’m making is that it’s a very good idea to select the proper environment for the confrontation!
Book Snobs: A neurologist friend of mine read TLS and said he liked it but he had a bit of that ‘real books don’t have pictures’ attitude when we were talking. A couple of weeks later he gave me a call and was very excited; after he read TLS he became less trustful of a person he was involved with in a real estate investment he was liquidating. He withdrew from the deal and later found out the person was a scam artist. I asked him what had alerted him that this might be a bad deal. He replied with a laugh, “He looked a lot like the picture of the Lifer type Two Legged Snake in your book, and he always smelled great!”
Manipulators come in all forms and from all walks of life: business people, media, politicians, spouses, children and other family members … the list goes on and on. Some might call them con artists while others name them manipulators but whatever you call them they are dangerous and exploitive.
Author/Psychologist Dr. Ed Slack gives us a new term: Two Legged Snakes (TLS). He’s run head on into them not only professionally but in his personal life as well. In his book Two Legged Snakes: Understanding and Handling Manipulative People(Simple Truth Publishing), Slack points out the types of two legged snakes widespread in our society, their persuasive techniques and how to handle them successfully.
Questions // Talking Points for Dr. Ed Slack
1 – What is a Two Legged Snake?
2 – In your book you observe that manipulative behavior is at an all-time high, what has led to this phenomenon?
3 – Won’t manipulative people be able to read your book and learn to hide their manipulations more effectively and become better manipulators?
4 – Your book is written with a humorous tone and is heavily illustrated but the subject matter of dealing with manipulative people is serious, why did you choose this approach?
5 – Aren’t most people pretty good at recognizing manipulators?
6 – In your book you focus on personal relationships and family quite a bit, why is that?
7 – How can you tell if you’re in a manipulative relationship?
8 – What should someone do if they discover they’re in a relationship with a Two Legged Snake?
9 - What are some snaky manipulative techniques we may not know about?
10 – What are your top five tips to not get manipulated?
Interview Stories
These are stories Dr. Slack will typically tell if a good entrance point presents itself.
Origin: When I was just a little nipper of about 4 or 5 three ‘older’ kids came riding up on their sting-ray bikes with banana seats and high bars. I was in the drive-way of our house in Overland Park, Missouri, bouncing the super ball I had just gotten for my birthday. One of the boys held out his hand and asked if he could check out my super ball. I thought they were cool so I handed it to him. He looked me right in the eye and then bounced that ball as hard as he could. It flew way over the house, probably over several houses. It was gone for good. My brand new, super great super ball was no more. The three kids rode away laughing and hooting like they’d just seen the funniest thing in the world. I just stood there gobsmaked … it took a while to sink in; I’d just gotten snaked for the first time!
Type of person: I see the best in people as I’m sure a lot of the folks listening do, kinda like a default setting on the computer, unless I choose to take another approach this is what I naturally do. I think it’s a good thing because it tends to bring out the best in people. However, it does make it necessary for me to remind myself that there are Two Legged Snakes about and I’m well advised to keep an eye out. I actually reread the book every month or so to remind myself that I need to keep my eyes open and remind myself what to keep my eyes open for!
Family: My Dad, bless his soul, had many positive qualities but was also a Rhetorical Two Legged Snake with poor impulse control, particularly if he’d been drinking! He would become so argumentative that you’d have to leave and many a family gathering was ruined because of this. His voice and posture would change when he’d shift into snake mode. You could hear a collective groan from most everyone when he’d shift. Sometimes my cousins would go grab their coats and head for the door, it was that bad!
Confront: If you’re going to confront a BS do it in an environment supportive of the confrontation. If you think there’s even a small chance that they might get violent have an escape plan or be near other people. To use a ‘real snake’ analogy, a few years back I found a big ol’ timber rattler on the path to the dog run. I got a shovel and shoved that sucker in right behind the snakes head, all the way up to the hilt; I couldn’t push it in any further! I was sure his head was off but low and behold, when I pulled that shovel out of the ground a very pissed off timber rattler came up as well! He tried to strike me a few times but I batted him off with the shovel. I finally ended up trapping him in the dog house. It was easy to finish him off there because it had a wood floor that didn’t have the give in it the dirt did. I feel like I got lucky, it would have been easy to get hurt. Obviously dealing with the two legged variety of snakes is a lot different but the point I’m making is that it’s a very good idea to select the proper environment for the confrontation!
Book Snobs: A neurologist friend of mine read TLS and said he liked it but he had a bit of that ‘real books don’t have pictures’ attitude when we were talking. A couple of weeks later he gave me a call and was very excited; after he read TLS he became less trustful of a person he was involved with in a real estate investment he was liquidating. He withdrew from the deal and later found out the person was a scam artist. I asked him what had alerted him that this might be a bad deal. He replied with a laugh, “He looked a lot like the picture of the Lifer type Two Legged Snake in your book, and he always smelled great!”
Author
Meet Dr. Ed Slack
Dr. Ed Slack is a psychologist and author who currently resides in Nashville Tennessee. In private practice for over twenty-five years, Dr. Slack has helped thousands of people change their lives for the better.
Now a best selling author, Dr. Slack is helping others decipher the false from the true and gain the skills to recognize when they’re being exploited. Believing that learning should be fun he's designed Two Legged Snakes: Understanding and Handling Manipulative People to be just that; enjoyable.
Dr. Slack holds a PhD in clinical psychology from Sierra University, Sacramento. He is member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Talk shows Dr. Slack has appeared on include:
- The Nina Del Rio Show - WLTW - NY
- Sallie Felton 'A Fresh Start' - Contact Talk Radio
- On The Couch with Dr Michelle - LA Talk Radio
- The John Davita Show - WJJG - Chicago
- The Danny Lee Show - WFKX - Jackson TN
- -Conversations Live! Cyrus Web - Blogtalk Radio
dredslack@twoleggedsnakes.com
Dr. Ed Slack is a psychologist and author who currently resides in Nashville Tennessee. In private practice for over twenty-five years, Dr. Slack has helped thousands of people change their lives for the better.
Now a best selling author, Dr. Slack is helping others decipher the false from the true and gain the skills to recognize when they’re being exploited. Believing that learning should be fun he's designed Two Legged Snakes: Understanding and Handling Manipulative People to be just that; enjoyable.
Dr. Slack holds a PhD in clinical psychology from Sierra University, Sacramento. He is member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Talk shows Dr. Slack has appeared on include:
- The Nina Del Rio Show - WLTW - NY
- Sallie Felton 'A Fresh Start' - Contact Talk Radio
- On The Couch with Dr Michelle - LA Talk Radio
- The John Davita Show - WJJG - Chicago
- The Danny Lee Show - WFKX - Jackson TN
- -Conversations Live! Cyrus Web - Blogtalk Radio
dredslack@twoleggedsnakes.com
| ed_slack_photos.zip |
Fact Sheet
Two Legged Snakes: Understanding and Handling Manipulative People
Author: Dr. Ed Slack
Category: Self-Help/Personal Growth/Humor/Graphic
Title: Two Legged Snakes
Author: Dr. Ed Slack
Publisher: Simple Truth Publishing
Format: 5.5 x 8.5 Pages: 140
Price: $12.95
Binding: Trade paperback
ISBN 13: 978-0-9825514-1-7
Pub Date: May 2010
Publisher: Simple Truth Publishing
P.O. Box 292828
Nashville, TN 37229
615-584-6288
www.simpletruthpublishing.net
Media Contact: Rebecca Baumbach
rbaumbach@simpletruthpublishing.net
Author: Dr. Ed Slack
Category: Self-Help/Personal Growth/Humor/Graphic
Title: Two Legged Snakes
Author: Dr. Ed Slack
Publisher: Simple Truth Publishing
Format: 5.5 x 8.5 Pages: 140
Price: $12.95
Binding: Trade paperback
ISBN 13: 978-0-9825514-1-7
Pub Date: May 2010
Publisher: Simple Truth Publishing
P.O. Box 292828
Nashville, TN 37229
615-584-6288
www.simpletruthpublishing.net
Media Contact: Rebecca Baumbach
rbaumbach@simpletruthpublishing.net
| factsheet.pdf |
© Copyright 2010, Dr. Ed Slack & Simple Truth Publishing. All Rights Reserved. www.facebook.com/#!/TwoLeggedSnakes
