This book is called “A Girl’s Guide to the Body and Soul”. I really like that. I think all women remember those tough teenage years when we struggled with the changes of our bodies, dealing with hormones, moods, boys, school and so many other confusing and difficult things. I would’ve loved to have something that helped me think that I wasn’t crazy

Nikki Goldstein has put together a great guide for teens and she has wonderful information on one of her websites for the mothers of teen girls. I have a feeling my mother would’ve appreciated that information when I was a teen. We were both at a loss about how to deal with so many things that happened during those years.

This is the table of contents to give you an idea of what Goldstein covers in this book –

Chapter One – Who Are You?

Chapter Two – Create Your Own GirlForce Body Type Balancing Plan

Chapter Three – Eat Right for Your Body Type

Chapter Four – DIY Body Blast

Chapter Five – Celebrate Your Unique Beauty

Chapter Six – The Lowdown on Stress

Chapter Seven – Get In Touch With Your Inner Self

Chapter Eight – Talking about Relationships

Chapter Nine – Get it Together

Chapter Ten – Your GirlForce Questions Answered

I couldn’t find a topic that isn’t covered in this book. In addition to the invaluable information that helps teen girls – this book is gorgeous. The pages are all colorful, the illustrations are wonderful and you will simply love the appearance. There are various quizzes in the book to help teen girls determine their body type, and much more. Once you find your type — there is a wealth of information to help understand many other elements of your life.

I think any teen girl, any mother of a teen girl, any pre teen and any other family or friend who supports a teen or pre teen needs to read this book.

In June we did a virtual blog tour for GirlForce and we offered all blog hosts a wealth of information to post on their blogs. If you would like to take a peek inside this book, visit this summary page and you can take a look at a big list of ideas – http://virtualblogtour.ning.com/group/girlforce/forum/topics/download-page-for-girlforce-by

This content is by, Nikki Goldstein, author of the GirlForce series. Nikki Goldstein has worked as a beauty editor and writer for Marie Claire, Vogue, Elle, InStyle and Cosmopolitan. She regularly blogs on her two websites – www.mygirlforce.com and www.gettoknowyourdaughter.com which give further information about the power of GirlForce, as well as fun quizzes, activities and forums. You can also visit Nikki at http://www.facebook.com/pages/GirlForce/76740694436 or http://twitter.com/MyGirlForce. Learn more about the book at http://www.amazon.com/GirlForce-Nikki-Goldstein/dp/1599903547.

Testimonials

Testimonials for Nikki Goldstein & GirlForce

Pictures, Images, Posters, & Banners for GirlForce

GirlForce Posters – One Horizontal and One Vertical

Logos and Horizontal Banners for GirlForce

Excerpts/Images from the Book:

Table of Contents

Book Cover, Book Excerpt Images and Author Picture for Girl Force

Chapter 1 – Pages 1-4

Chapter 1 – Pages 5-8

Chapter 1 – Pages 9-12

Chapter 1 — Pages 13-16

Chapter 1 — Pages 17-20

Air, Fire and Earth Girl Pictures

Quizzes Exploring Topics in GirlForce:

Body Type Quiz – Which Body Type Are You

Air, Fire and Earth: The Awesome GirlForce Body Types

Air, Fire and Earth Girl Pictures

Quiz – How’s Your Body-Lurve?

Quiz – Unleash Your Creative Powers

Quiz – Tame Your Dark Side

Quiz – Discover Your Emotional Self

Quiz – Love or Loathe Clothes?

Quiz – Friend or Foe

Quiz – Get To Know Your Mum

Information for Young Women Discussed in Girl Force:

Ayurveda

Meditation and Affirmations

Yoga

Stress Management

Beauty and Style Tips

Romance

I have several friends from Greece and some other friends who have traveled to Greece – they have all said things that make me think I would enjoy a trip to a Greek Island. Of course, keep in mind I love any place near the water — so chances are good that I would enjoy the trip. However, I’ve seen my bank account and there is almost no chance I’ll get to Greece. This was one of the reasons I was eager to read Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island.

Barbara Bonfigli set this fictional memoir on a fictional island that is based somewhat on an island that she visits. Sarah is the main character and the narrator’s name. She  gives us her impression of the people, the places, the sites, the sounds, the food and much more as we make our way through Cafe Tempest. I enjoyed all these elements of Greece and enjoyed my trip to Pharos.

Sarah travels to Pharos to get away from a break up and for a holiday — her friend, who we find out is a former lover, travels with her to Pharos. They approach the island and the people in different ways. Its clear that Alexandra, Sarah’s friend, is not used to the quaint village and the way of life in Pharos. But, they make the best of their time on the island and Sarah is convinced to direct the locals in a play — this works out well and seems like a natural fit because of her experience in the theatre. However, she’s used to dealing with experienced, professional and talented actors — the locals do not fit that description at all. To make it even more interesting, she picked Shakespeare’s The Tempest as the play that they will perform.

The casting, the rehearsals, the locals, the limited access to transportation and communication are just a few of the colorful elements of this story. The Volvo that seems to disappear on a regular basis is just one of the fluky things that happens during the story.

The characters are colorful and perhaps too plentiful. I am a big fan of writing in first person and all my novels are written in this format. However, I noticed something while I was reading this book that I will be even more conscious of from now on. While first person gives you insights into the mind and thoughts of the narrator – there were times when I felt those thoughts were not being shared as much as they were being shoved on me. There were also times when I felt the the author was trying too hard — in these areas, the story didn’t flow as easily as it did in other areas. One other thing – and all authors struggle with this — there were times when the dialogue would’ve been more effective for me if it had been trimmed. These were just a few things that struck me as I was reading the book.

If you want to travel to a faraway place through the pages of a book — which is one of my favorite things about reading — this is a book that you will enjoy. If you want to get a comical and detailed view of a Greek island – you should definitely read this book. It was enjoyable, I often laughed out loud while I was reading it and I enjoyed the sights and sounds of Greece. It would be fun to read on the beach, by the pool, or inside on a snowy day when you would like to be on the beach.

To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.

Barbara Bonfigli’s website – www.cafetempest.com

Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher – http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313

To see the complete tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html

When I think of some of the biggest decisions we can make in our lives – I think of things like getting married, having children, starting a business, and buying a home – to name a few. These are major things we do in our lives and these things affect our lives for many years to come — so they are the kind of things that we should think about very carefully and thoroughly before we do them.

So why is it that so many people have no idea about the mortgage on their home? I could ask many questions about the other major decisions, but that would be different books.

How many people do you know that have a 30 years (or longer) mortgage on their home, but they don’t understand the terms or anything else about the loan? I admit that I’m incredibly careful about spending money and especially when it comes to a purchase of that magnitude — so I can tell you that I discussed the details with my loan officer – I asked so many questions, that I didn’t know if we would still be friends. But I understood what I was signing and I felt very good about the loan. Can you say the same about your mortgage?

If you have a mortgage and you don’t understand it, if you are looking for a mortgage or if you just want to understand the current mortgage market – The New Rules for Mortgages is for you. Dale Robyn Siegel is an insider – she is in the mortgage business and she has been for years. She understand what is needed to secure a loan, she knows the things you need to know long before you walk in to fill out that application and she know the dos and don’ts of getting the best mortgage for YOU. And, she knows what will keep you from getting the home of your dreams. These are all reasons why you need to read The New Rules for Mortgages.

I am not a financial guru and I admit that many of the terms my mortgage officer used were foreign to me – but Siegel walks you through the entire process. These are some of the chapters in this book — how many of these topics are things that you don’t understand?

The All-Important Credit Score

Income Yeah, You Need That!

Money Matters

A Good Look at the Property

What Mortgage Is Best for You?

Where to Get the Best Mortgage

The Loan Process

Interest Rates, Closing Costs, and the Closing

Types of Property

Protecting Your Homeownership: Divorce, Dispute and Death

You Are a Homeowner

Whether you are a first time home buyer, self employed, under employer, an investor or most any other home buyer – this book has the details you need to make educated decisions when it comes to buying a home. Let an industry insider give you the information you need to get the best possible mortgage for you.

You have been invited to share your promotional experience with others.

Your Name:  Dale Robyn Siegel

1. Where you are from and where are you now?

I was born and raised in New Jersey, moved around New England for college and back in New Jersey, just a short bike ride over the George Washington Bridge.
2. How did you get started writing?

I have taught seminars for the past ten years in real estate and finance. Teaching requires one to write course outlines and manuals. So, my book is an outcropping of ten years of course preparation; updated a hundred thousand times and rewritten into a reader friendly book. I enjoy writing so much that I have enrolled in several journalism classes at NYU.

3. What do you do when you are not writing?

I seem to be writing all the time now. I have two textbooks due in the first half of January and a book proposal in final stages. On a plane ride home from Aruba last weekend, I had to complete two guest blogs- which took me almost three hours or until my NetBook battery ran out. I felt like I was being punished while everybody was enjoying the movie (The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl). Ah, but I finished my work! For life’s enjoyment, I am a travel freak, and will go anywhere at any time. I call it travelling rather than vacations because; I typically tour cities and countries rather than relax (like in my annual trek to Aruba). I truly think of travelling as the best possible education and have begun writing short pieces as travelogues. When I am local, I am a huge bicyclist and try to clock in as many 30-50 mile rides as I can.
4. What would readers like to know about you?

They would be happy to hear that I do professionally what I write about every day for the past twenty years. I write and blog from current updates in the laws and regulations as well as from my every day experiences. My greatest teaching tool is from client and personal stories.  The book has many real world examples (of course the names have been changed to protect the innocent!)

5. What inspired your first book?

Every time I taught a class, inevitably people would approach me afterwards and say you should write a book! After the last crash in the real estate market, I was determined to reach out to a larger audience. What could be better than to get a book out through a national publisher! Lastly, I always give credit to my friend and colleague, Ellice Uffer, head of IBM Publishing. She begged me to finish the book and helped me move the draft into the right hands.
6. How many books have you written?

I am working on number two and three simultaneously. These are textbooks for The Mortgage Loan Officer Certification Courses, now required nationally and State specific. Needless to say, they take an enormous effort. The first book, The New Rules for Mortgages, has been an encouraging experience. It taught me to understand the process of publishing; which is ever changing due to technology.

7. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they?

My books are current all in the personal finance a real estate areas.

8. Why are you specially qualified to write about this topic?

I feel that being an active professional in the field allows me to have inside knowledge and continuous flow of new information. In addition, I have been teaching the subject manner for so long that I can present it well.
9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track when you’re writing a book?

Trust me; it took a while to get a system down. I set up a very comfortable work space in my home, I go to the local Border’s Bookstore and camp out in the café and I sometimes go to a friend’s home who has a huge dining room table for me the spread out on. I think the key is to free yourself from distractions and have some variety in environments.
10. Do you write to make money, for the love of writing or both?

Currently, I write to get the exposure as an expert in my field. I also find it a useful tool in broadening my own knowledge of the subject matter.
12. What are some unique methods of marketing you have used? Which were the most successful?

I am a technology freak, so we use the internet. I am big on guest posting and interviews on blogs. I find it interesting to be in someone else’s space. Lately, I find it more enjoyable than my own blogs. Book reviews and reaching out to other bloggers and writers helps get the word out also.
13. Do you sell through a website? If so, what’s the address? If not, why not?

Fortunately, the book was picked up by Penguin/Alpha. So, it is sold in brick and mortar stores as well as online sellers. I assume Amazon is the biggest outlet we have, but you can find it anywhere. The book’s own website www.thenewrulesformortgages.com directs buyers to Amazon via a link.
14. Where can people order your books?

www.amazon.com

15. What format are your books – e-book, print, audio etc?

The book is currently available in print, e-book and kindle formats. The publisher is working on an audio version.
16. Will you write more books?

Yes- I will. I really enjoy it and would like to consider it an important part of my future career.

17. What do you have in the works now?
18. What does the future hold for you and your books?

19. What was the most successful thing you did to promote your books?

Blogging

20. What was the least successful thing you did to promote your books?

Book signing
22. What makes this book special to you?

The first time is always the best.
23. What sort of comments have you gotten about the content of the book?
I am pleased to see I often get positive comments. I think that people like that this book is shorter than most how to books. The average can be 400 pages, with 200 pages of usable content. My book is only 200 pages, all usable. I think that people also like my writing style. It has humor in a very dry topic. You can also feel the New York sarcasm- which I was asked by the editor to tone down a bit!

24. What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?
It is current and will be current for a long while, it is easy and to the point, it is the basics. It will empower any person to go out and feel that that are in control of their own mortgage.

25. What people NEED to read this book and WHY?

Anyone that is going to go through the mortgage process after January, 2009 needs to know that the rules have completely changed. Anyone that is currently in the real estate, mortgage or personal finance industry should use this as a primer.  Any information prior to that is old news.
26. What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own
creativity?

Information sparks my creativity. Anything I need to understand, I assume my readers need to understand. It makes me want to read it, research it and rewrite it in a more palatable form for the average reader. The first source is typically legalese and a big yawn!
27. What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?

For me, it was a natural progression from teaching. A teacher is always trying to reach a larger audience. I do not want to get on Oprah’s couch, but I would like to be able to explain the new rules for mortgages on CNBC.
28. Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?

My business model in the mortgage industry is to market to those that are referral sources for me. In other words, we do not market to the consumer, but to the lawyers, accountants and realtors. They tell their clients about us. We follow the same model here. We market to the information sources that have large number of followers. We go to the authority.
29. If a potential reader thinks that your book wouldn’t interest them, what would you say to convince them to buy? I’m thinking something better than “Its the greatest book ever.” Give me something more specific
It’s my tag line: When getting a mortgage these days, it is not who you know but what you know! This book tells you what you need to know.

The Lincoln Highway will soon have a vintage bookmobile following the coast-to-coast road to promote and talk about books. “Behind the Wheel of the Bookmobile” is a multimedia and film project by Tom Corwin that follows the bookmobile on back roads with acclaimed authors taking turns at the wheel. At each stop the bookmobile will invite the public to take their choice of digital and analog titles in exchange for interviews about books that have changed their lives.

ABOVE: On June 16, 2009, Tom Corwin celebrated when he picked up the bookmobile in Gurnee, Illinois, and met those who had cared for her.

Behind the Wheel of the Bookmobile will begin its inaugural drive in spring 2010 by following the Lincoln Highway. Authors will take turns behind the wheel, stopping in small towns and conducting interviews on the books that have changed their lives in a meaningful way.

The vehicle was built by the last manufacturer in America producing bookmobiles from the ground up. The Maroney BF-240 holds 3,200 volumes on Appalachian kiln-dried oak shelves. It was recently decommissioned by the Warren-Newport Library after 15 years and 70,000 miles of  service in suburban Chicago.

Anyone can participate in the Buy-A-Mile-Campaign for a minimum donation of $35. To donate or learn more visit www.bookmobiletravels.com/.

We’ve all heard the saying that life is a jungle and that idea is a big part of The Fearless Factor by Jacqueline Wales.  She shares her story of what happened in her life, the trials and addictions that she went through and how she ultimately faced her fears and created the life that she wanted. This information is good for anyone facing  fears, but for women or men who want to own their own business – the content of this book can be invaluable in their journey to success personally and in business.

The Fear less Factor: Overcome the Fears, Doubts and Anxiety That Stop You From Being Your Best Self Now by Jacqueline Wales is for anyone who is facing any fear and obstacles in their life. Do you know anyone who needs to deal with fear or obstacles in their life? Maybe you need to deal with some fears. There are so many things that people need to handle in their lives and those are the people who need to read The Fearless Factor.

The Section Headers in the Fearless Factor set the stage for the content –

Part 1 – Enter the Jungle

Part 2 – Choose the Right Path

Part 3 – Arrive at the Clearing

Part 4 – Master the Jungle

In Part 1, Jacqueline Wales discussed identifying what fear is, why do we ignore fear, how much pain are you in, what are you willing to give up, what is your commitment to change, where do you want to go, what do you want to achieve, do you think change is easy, determine what you are grateful for, keep smiling, age and attitude and much more.  Part 1 sets the stage and lets you evaluate what you need to deal with and to begin evaluating yourself. Another element is – are you ready to make a change? That may sound funny, but not everyone is ready to make the commitment to make a real change.

When you’re ready to move to Part 2, you need to learn how to choose the right path. Jacqueline Wales hits on many points that are important and that will likely be hard to face. But, to move forward through the jungle of life – you must face these concerns and be honest with yourself. She starts by asking what stories you tell yourself. Then you evaluate when opinions and expectations influence your life. Are you avoiding issues? She tells you to stop second guessing yourself and to be honest about whether you are all right. Chapter 8 starts by asking are you ready to change your life. You must develop compassion and forgive yourself. She wants you to answer the lies you tell yourself and what motives you to do this. Part 2 is not light reading, but a very integral part of your journey.

Appropriately Part 3 is titles Arrive at the Clearing. After considering the elements of Part 2 – you will indeed reach a clearing mentally and emotionally. This is the time to start identifying your values, skills and experience. These will help you define who you are. Mistakes and failure are the next topics – and she wants you to understand the positive elements of “failure”. Its time to get rid of the negativity and to learn to love yourself. An entire chapter is dedicated to risks – where to take risks and where to avoid risks.

This has been a powerful journey and Jacqueline Wales says it is time to move onto a bigger game – so you need to understand what is holding you back. Evaluate where you give up the control in your life and get rid of the distractions. Chapter 18 helps you to define, refine and accept your dreams. Isn’t it amazing how a person can go from not understanding fear and then being able to realize their dreams? This is a huge step for many people and the trek that Jacqueline Wales lays out  in her book will enable you or someone you love to make this sort of change in your life.

I can tell you from personal experience that facing you r fears, learning to love yourself, understand your skills and values, understand its all right to fail sometimes and many of the other things that Wales talks about in The Fearless Factor – are wonderful steps to making great changes in your life. These are some of the things I did several years ago that helped me to lead a much happier, more fulfilling and successful life. I didn’t say it is easy, but I wish I’d had this guide to help me through my personal struggles. It is available for you – and the principles in this book can make a major difference in your life – to make it better.

For More Information –

Jacqueline Wales is known the world over as The Black Belt Millionaire. Her unique programs have helped women around the globe develop strong personal success, confident communication and clear visions of their goals. She is the author of five books including The Fearless Factor. The Fearless Factor. For information on how to get YOUR copy of The Fearless Factor visit http://www.thefearlessfactorbook.com/

During this week, we’ll be sharing a wide variety of interviews with the authors of the Overcomers Inc anthology. You will learn many things about these authors, overcoming and yourself. Feel free to come back often to read more, check the recent post list for other interviews, or simply subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog to get all the interviews. Once you read the interview, visit the link at the bottom of the page – for an incredible Overcomers offer which is only available for a limited time.

Amelie Chance

Amelie Chance provides relationship advice based on techniques of positive psychology. Find Amelie & Als’ 10 Step Process to Recovery From a Broken Heart at

www.HealMyBrokenHeart.com

Amelie Chance

Amelie Chance provides relationship advice based on techniques of positive psychology. Find Amelie & Als’ 10 Step Process to Recovery From a Broken Heart at www.HealMyBrokenHeart.com

1. How did you get started writing?
There has always been a part of me that has loved to write. In fact, during my career as a financial consultant I would often present my final client summary as a narrative style report. This didn’t get me very far with my supervisor or certain clients, but the writer in me was quite satisfied! I have since abandoned all left-brained professions to focus on my writing.

2. What do you do when you are not writing?
I’m a pathological minimalist. To that end, I am usually finding ways to donate clothes or dispose of furniture to keep things sparse in my typically undersized Manhattan apartment. I regularly practice Vinyasa yoga and love to bike. And, yes, since football season has started again, I have not been writing on Sundays – Go Giants!

3. What would readers like to know about you?
I would like readers to know that I believe that everyone has a higher purpose in life – a path. I believe when we stray far from that path the universe likes to tap us on the shoulder and say, “Hey, you’ve taken a wrong turn!” I believe if you ignore this tap you will get a stronger nudge. I believe that if you ignore this nudge, you may just get a kick in the gut. My chapter in Overcomer’s Inc. is about my kick in the gut and how, after falling, I found my way back toward my true purpose.

4. What inspired you to be a contributing author in Overcomers, Inc.
I have an aunt who is a world-class classical Indian dancer. She has danced for many heads of state including the Prime Minister of India and the President of the United States; she has choreographed dances for mega-stars such as Shakira. One day this powerful and amazing woman called me – crumbling. She explained, “People only see my dance success and they believe I am happy. You know what? I’m completely miserable. After 20 years of marriage, I haven’t had one happy day with my husband.”

I was shocked. What I had seen as a pillar of strength was now just a woman, as vulnerable in her heartache as any one of us could be, seeking advice. I searched around for the right words and for lack of better ones I told her my story of the perfect marriage ending in divorce. I explained how it was the best thing that has ever happened in my life.
Months later my aunt called me and said that she felt the energy from my courage and it had inspired her to find her own strength. It struck me, if my account told simply and truthfully could help one, maybe it could help many. I sought out a home for my story and found the Overcomer’s Inc. project. It was a perfect match.

5. Why is the topic of Overcoming important to you?
Adversity is a life inevitability. As such, it is relevant to all of us. There is a duality in adversity that is often overlooked: challenge is always coupled with opportunity. The Overcomer’s project shines light on the flipside of a challenge and that is it is an opportunity to travel down a brighter, more authentic life path.

6. Why are you specially qualified to write about this topic?
I am a Certified Coach of Positive Psychology or what the mainstream refers to as the Science of Happiness. My personal experiences allow me to feel genuine empathy for someone facing adversity and my professional training gives me the insight to provide the best advice possible.

7. How many books have you written?
I’ve recently finished my first book and I am well into my second.

8. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they?
My first book is entitled Heal My Broken Heart: Using the Science of Happiness to Overcome Heartbreak and my second book is called Revolution Happy: How to Find Happiness in any Job. The genre is Self-Help.

9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track when you’re writing a book?
Routine, routine, routine!! I wake up around the same time each day and devote my mornings to writing, my afternoons to researching, and my evenings to planning out the next day. Writing can be a very singular task and this isolation and can be a true challenge. In my case, the secret to overcoming this issue has been to join local writing groups and forums. Even if you are not working on the same project, the energy of those you surround yourself by has the potential to provide tremendous motivation. Frankly, I think it’s the reason people join gyms – hard work loves company!

10. Do you write to make money, for the love of writing or both?
I read that the average writer makes $14,000 per year – hahaha! No, but to answer your question seriously, my father taught me a great lesson when I was young. He said, “Always chase the vision and the money will follow.” I write for my love of writing and for my passion of the subjects upon which I write.

11. What makes you proud about your involvement with Overcomers, Inc.?
The list is very long, but I’ll give you my top reason. I have worked on teams for most of my professional life and have found that the major obstacles which you encounter on a team are not lack of skill, but rather lack of a common intention. This project has 38 authors, an amazing publisher, marketing mentor, and dozens of behind the scenes partners that all carry one strong and powerful intention: Inspire people with stories of hope and courage. It’s been an amazing journey.

12. Will you write more books?
Absolutely. As long as I can write (well, let’s be honest – type), I will continue to publish more books.

13. What do you have in the works now?
I’m writing books guiding people to find their own holy grail – happiness. Everything we do including the jobs we find, the mates we seek, the lifestyle we lead is because at the end of the day, we hope these things will bring us more happiness. I’m writing books that short circuit these activities and increase your happiness no matter what your life circumstance. My next book is called Revolution Happy: How to find Happiness in any Job.

14. What does the future hold for you and your books?
The subject of my books is merely a by-product of dealing with the current times. The financial climate is grim, job losses are high, and the divorce rate has peaked; yet despite all of this, people can be happy. For me, the future includes educating and training people to find happiness and using every medium available including television, magazines, books, etc. to get my message across. I may even rent a propeller plane and fly ‘how to find happiness’ banners around major global cities!

15. What makes this a book that other people MUST read and WHY?
Einstein felt so strongly about the power of example that he once said, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” The stories in Overcomer’s Inc. are beautiful examples of the human strength, courage, and grace.

16. What people NEED to read this book and WHY?
More than those who need a pick me up or encouragement to hold faith in their dreams, this book is for the ordinary. This book shows us that there is extraordinary in everyone ordinary.

17. What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?
My creativity is sparked by activities that put me in flow. Positive Psychologists describe “flow” as the state in which we are so absorbed in a particular task that we barely notice the passage of time. It’s akin what some call being in the ‘zone’. Everyone has something that puts them in flow – painting, cooking, singing, programming websites, or whatever engages you to the point where the rest of the world falls out. Incorporate one of these activities in your life daily and you will find that your creativity spurs a momentum that cannot be contained.

18. What do you think motivates people to become authors? What motivated you to get into this unusual industry?
I believe everyone has a story. Whether that story is a true memoir of one’s life or a product of a wild imagination, the story resides within us all like a song that is dying to be sung. It was time for me to sing my song and that’s what motivated me to begin writing.

19. Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote any books?
With my book, Heal My Broken Heart, I have joined divorce support groups to tell my own story and to refute the myth that time heals all wounds. I generally get a following of people interested in what I have to say and I promote the book. I believe in the healing power of my book, so once I attend a meeting, it usually goes well from there. I hope that’s not too crazy – I am divorced, after all.

20. If a potential reader thinks that your book wouldn’t interest them, what would you say to convince them to buy? I’m thinking something better than “It’s the greatest book ever.” Give me something more specific

I’m a storyteller, so I would tell a story.

Dick Hoyt has run in over 1000 road races. Wait, that’s not the amazing part. 85 times he has run 26.2 miles in marathons. 212 times he has participated in triathlons. Wait, that’s not the amazing part. Dick is 67 years old. Nope, hold your awe – here it comes. Dick has done all this whilst pushing and pulling his disabled son across every finish line. [Pause] Oh, it’s ok to be amazed now.

Dick’s son, Rick, was born with his umbilical cord tied around his neck leaving him brain damaged and with four useless limbs. Rick has been in a wheelchair his entire life and communicates through a device rigged to his mouth and fed to a computer. Rick once typed out to his father that he wished he could participate in a charity run at his high school. Dick, a self-proclaimed porker at the time, decided to push his son’s wheelchair through the race. Afterward, Rick told his father that while they were running, it was the first time he felt like he wasn’t disabled!

From that point on, Dick decided it would be his mission to free his son from his disability by running every chance he got. Dick is an inspiration that has taught us all if you put your mind to something, nothing is impossible.
I tell people that I know even if they’ve heard that story before, they felt goose bumps after hearing it again because I feel goose bumps every time I tell it. Stories inspire. Examples empower. This is the essence of Overcomer’s Inc and why it is a must read.

21. What is your final message to our readers?
Stories inspire. Examples empower. Overcomer’s Inc. gives us both – get it, today.

To get your own copy of Overcomers, Inc.,True Stories of Hope, Courage and Inspiring AND enjoy dozens of wonderful gifts with your purchase go to http://overcomersinc.com/booklaunch

Today, as promised, I’ll give you a taste of Kenneth Weene’s new novel, Widow’s Walk. I’ll let the author introduce the book and the excerpt he’s chosen from it.

Ken: They came to Boston for many reasons: the Flanagans, the Rileys, the Hennesseys, the O’Briens – the characters who people Widow’s Walk. They left their native Ireland and set their course on a new world and a new life. They brought with them a willingness to work, a love of family, and an abiding faith. On that foundation the Irish-Americans built their place in Boston.

Widow’s Walk tells of a next step in the Irish-American experience; it explores the integration of the Irish community into the larger society. As is so often the case, it is love and the desire for emotional richness that move Mary Flanagan, the novel’s main character, into that outside world.

In the excerpt below Mary and Arnie meet for the first time. Mary, whose life is in upheaval, is for the first time looking outside the simple truths of her background. She has found her way to a large university, Northeastern, and approaches Arnie to ask directions.

Excerpt from Widow’s Walk by Kenneth Weene:

Mary starts to laugh. It is not her typical, self-controlled laughter. It is a laughter that has been stored in her soul in Ireland – filled with the beauty of a misty Irish morning and the unconscious happiness of seeing a herd of cows making their contented way home after a day of green grazing, their stomachs filled, their udders waiting for relief. Her laughter peels across the open space and seem to echo off the buildings. It is an infectious laugh, and the man starts to laugh with her. Various students stop to watch them and then walk on – some smiling and others even chuckling.

     “Why are we laughing?” he asks. He thinks to himself that he has never seen more beautiful eyes than those behind her thick glasses. “She has lovely hair, too,” he considers. “If she wanted to, this woman could be something special.”

      Once Mary’s hair had been the majestic red-brown of a fine hardwood, but age had grayed it enough to take away the magical edge of Irish defiance and turn it soft and inviting. Her body, too, is fine to see: shapely despite her years, well exercised by honest work, kept thin by her disinterest in corporal pleasures. Only her hands speak of something else. Their roughness tells of the years she has spent cleaning, cooking, taking care of others, and even, her one sometimes hobby, gardening. Those lovely flowerbeds seemed to always need tending, and Mary had spent so many hours of happy labor kneeling beside them.

     “I just realized how silly it all seems.” Her tone has a tinge of embarrassment.

     He looks at her questioningly. She seems like a nice person and is certainly attractive, but she sounds slightly mad. 

     “There’s an office that can answer my questions.” Mary starts laughing again. How ridiculously simple that sounded – how ridiculously untrue. 

About the Author:
A New Englander by upbringing and inclination, Ken Weene’s career – primarily in New York – included teaching, pastoral care, and psychology. Throughout his career Ken has also been devoted to writing. His poetry has appeared in a number of publications – both print and web. He authored a number of professional publications. His short stories and essays have also been published. One of his short plays was recently workshopped. An anthology of Ken’s work, Songs For My Father, was published 2002. His novel, Widow’s Walk, has been published in 2009.  Ken and his wife, Roz, now live in greater Phoenix where he spends much of his time writing.
 
He started writing, primarily poetry, in the 1980s. Regarding Widow’s Walk, Weene says, “Stepping away from full-time work was the best decision I ever made. Writing this story has given me tremendous personal satisfaction, and it has shown me an avenue for expression I will always treasure.”
 

If you’d like to find out more about Widow’s Walk and the author, check out these webpages:

Kenneth Weene’s Author Website - http://widows-walk.webs.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/kenneth.weene
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Ken_Weene

Barbara Bretton is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of more than 40 books. Her most recent title, Laced With Magic, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She currently has over ten million copies in print around the world. Her works have been translated into twelve languages in over twenty countries. Barbara lives in New Jersey with her husband but has many online homes.

Website: www.barbarabretton.com

Personal Blog: http://bmafb.blogspot.com

Knitting Blog: http://romancingtheyarn.blogspot.com

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/BarbaraBretton

Facebook: BarbaraBretton

Ravelry: wickedsplitty

1. Where do you live (city, country)? Central New Jersey, a few miles north of Princeton. Our area is a cross between farmland and horse country with a touch of suburban sprawl beginning to creep in.
2. What is the weather like? Dark and warm and humid. I’m not a fan.
3. Have you lived there very long? We moved here in late August 1986, back when some of the local roads were still unpaved.
4. Would you rather live somewhere else? Absolutely not. Somewhere along the way I turned into a Jersey girl and I love it.
5. Are you married or single? Very married. Extremely married. Practically married since birth.  I was 18, he was 19 and they said it wouldn’t last. (It’s been 40 years . . . )
6. Do you have kids? No, we don’t.
7. Where were you born? New York City, the borough of Queens, town of Elmhurst. Right across the street from the railroad and down the block from a dye company and a diaper factory.
8. What was your childhood like? Despite the railroad and the dye company and the diaper factory, I’d say my childhood was close to idyllic. I was loved, encouraged, and cherished every step of the way. Both of my parents came from wildly dysfunctional backgrounds and how they managed to create an oasis of their own is a mystery to me, but they did. My husband often refers to my childhood as Disney World Queens and in many ways it was.
9. What was it like growing up as a teen? What did you do for fun? I was thirteen when the Beatles first came to America in 1964, the perfect age for a full-blown case of Beatlemania. My friends and I were there at JFK Airport (I think it was still Idlewild then) when they landed and we were lucky enough to see them in concert later that summer. I spent most weekends roaming around the city with my friend Pat Durkin, hoping for random sightings of Beatles or Searchers or Rolling Stones. It was an innocent time, maybe a little bit crazy, but that was to be expected. President Kennedy’s assassination the previous November had marked the end of our childhood. Bad things happened to good people and they often happened without reason or warning. For a few happy months, John and Paul and George and Ringo helped us to forget.
10. Back to the present, what’s your favorite room in your house? We live in a ten room house but we all seem to gravitate to the great room in the back.
11. Do you have an outside job? I haven’t worked an outside job since 1982. I made the classic new author mistake of quitting my day job five minutes after signing my first contract. Fortunately for me it all worked out and I’m a full-time working writer who is grateful for my good fortune.
12. What is your favorite thing to do on your day off? I love to drive down the Shore with my husband. I knit. He drives. We talk and laugh and plot  my books. It’s a great life!
13. What’s your most favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Rye toast with peanut butter and sliced jalapenos.
14. Do you have any pets? Three brilliant parrots of varying ages. Walter is a handsome Double Yellow Head Amazon of 35 years. Groucho is an equally handsome Amazon Yellow Nape of 22. Squirt is an adorable sociopathic Timneh African Grey of 15.
15. Do you know your neighbors? Not very well. I’m a writer. I don’t get out much.
16. Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi.
17. Favorite time of year? Autumn. No contest.
18. Favorite color? Sunshine yellow.
19. Favorite book? Moving On by Larry McMurtry is tied with Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin.
20. Does your car look better than your house? My car is definitely neater, that’s for sure.
21. What’s on your mousepad? Dust. Lots of dust.
22. How many times do you let the phone ring before you answer it? Infinity. I decided long ago that phones are there for my convenience and I choose whether or not to answer accordingly.
23. What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Maybe this will be the day . . .
24. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla, preferably in the form of Crème Brulee.
25. Do you like to drive too fast? I’ll take the Fifth on that one.
26. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? I used to sleep with a stuffed cocker spaniel who was named after Mickey Mantle. (And yes, I still have him.)
27. If you could meet one person dead or alive, who would it be? John and Abigail Adams. They were so close I think of them as a single unit.
28. What’s your favorite alcoholic drink? Now this is embarrassing. I’m not much of a drinker but I’ll admit to a weakness for pina coladas served from a giant pineapple complete with paper umbrellas and maraschino cherries.
29. What is your zodiac sign? I’m a classic, stereotypical Cancer: home-loving, sensitive, thin-skinned, loyal, moody, emotional.
30. If you could have any job that you wanted, what would it be? Oh, that’s easy. The one that I have: full-time writer. I’m living my dream.
31. What’s under your bed? A stack of Interweave Knits, one pink and yellow bunny slipper, and a copy of last year’s Mary Higgins Clark.
32. Is the glass half empty or half full? Full to overflowing!

Time is a rare commodity for most business people, entrepreneurs, working moms, authors and many others. So, learning to manage time better is something that most people need to do. This book is a quick read (which will save you time) and is packed with 60 time management techniques. Which tips will be right for you? If you are a business owner – how much could you save in payroll costs if your employees learned to manage their time better?

We all know there are only 60 minutes in every hour and 24 hours in a day – so why do some people accomplish so much more with their 24 hours? That’s because they have learned to manage their time better. That’s why I’m sharing my review for Time Management in an Instant by Karen Leland and Keith Bailey. Look ago I learned that my jobs keep me very busy, so learning to manage my time was a necessity. I could get half my work done, or I could learn to get organized and get all the work done.

This book shares 60 Ways to Make the Most of Your Day – below are some of the topics.

• Assess Your Time Management Skills.
• Get Out of Time Denial.
• Achieve Your Goals Every Day.
• Beware the Stop-Goal.
• Set Solid and Stretch Goals.
• Plan Your Daily To-Do’s.
• Cultivate Time-Efficient Conversations.
• Break the Rules That Hold You Back.
• Determine What to Delegate.
• Give Yourself A Procrastination Inoculation.
• Take a Real Vacation.
• Clean Out Your File Drawer.
• Reorganize Your Filing System.
• Manage Incoming Calls.
• Streamline Your Email.
• Save Time For Your Personal Life.

These are just a sample of the tips in this book. Did you notice how many of these things require time? Some people may feel that using tips that take time would be wasting time. But, to manage your time, you need to change the way you work, how you file, how you manage your email and phone calls and much more. These tips will let you get organized and that helps you work smarter – not harder.

For example, if you don’t use an organized filing system, how long does it take you to find a specific memo for Mr Jones? Once you organize your file cabinet and put all correspondence for Mr Jones in one folder – you will be able to find that memo much faster. Filing doesn’t take much time and it allows you to find items much quicker. This is just one simple example of how organize is part of managing your time.

You will find a wide variety of tips, suggestions, questionnaires, and much more in this time management book. I highly recommend this for any busy person that needs to organize their personal and business life in order to manage their time and their life.

Author: Alan Furst
Title: The Spies of Warsaw
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Fiction
Language: English
ISBN: 0812977378
Purchase at Amazon

An autumn evening in 1937. A German engineer arrives at the Warsaw railway station. Tonight, he will be with his Polish mistress; tomorrow, at a workers’ bar in the city’s factory district, he will meet with the military attaché from the French embassy. Information will be exchanged for money. So begins The Spies of Warsaw, the brilliant new novel by Alan Furst, lauded by The New York Times as “America’s preeminent spy novelist.”

War is coming to Europe. French and German intelligence operatives are locked in a life-and-death struggle on the espionage battlefield. At the French embassy, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier, a decorated hero of the 1914 war, is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal, and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat finds himself in a passionate love affair with a Parisian woman of Polish heritage, a lawyer for the League of Nations.

Colonel Mercier must work in the shadows, amid an extraordinary cast of venal and dangerous characters–Colonel Anton Vyborg of Polish military intelligence; the mysterious and sophisticated Dr. Lapp, senior German Abwehr officer in Warsaw; Malka and Viktor Rozen, at work for the Russian secret service; and Mercier’s brutal and vindictive opponent, Major August Voss of SS counterintelligence. And there are many more, some known to Mercier as spies, some never to be revealed.

About the Author:

Alan Furst is widely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel. Now translated into seventeen languages, he is the bestselling author of Night Soldiers, Dark Star, The Polish Officer, The World at Night, Red Gold, Kingdom of Shadows, Blood of Victory, Dark Voyage, and The Foreign Correspondent. Born in New York, he now lives in Paris and on Long Island.

Visit author’s website here
Read excerpt here
Purchase at Amazon
Purchase at Barnes & Noble here
Read about Alan in The New York Times

I’m pleased to welcome Barbara Bonfigli to Ascroft, eh? today. I recently received a review copy of her novel, Café Tempest.  The soft blue cover put me in a relaxed holiday mood, sending my thoughts to lounge on a Mediterranean beach. My mind refuses to leave it as I follow the adventures of the main character, Sarah – laughing and loving with her.

Barbara, will you introduce us to the excerpt from the book?

“Welcome to Pharos. Laugh and dance in the hammock—not the cradle—of Western civilization. I’ve been falling in love with Greece since I was old enough to drink retsina. But if Sarah hadn’t captured my imagination you’d never know how I feel about friendship, feta, and the abundance of grace that turns friends into lovers and fishermen into kings.”

From Chapter 19.

[Sarah, the novel’s main character, is an American theater producer spending several weeks on Pharos, a rustic idyllic Greek island. She’s accompanied by her friend Alexandra (Alex.) Theo, the island’s doctor and impresario, has asked Sarah to direct the islanders in their summer play. She picks Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Theo’s office is the site of the audition.]

We arrive at Theo’s office to find the doctor arranging cheese pies and taramosalata on a table under his open-heart poster.

            “Welcome, welcome.”

“Hi Theo. Have I got the wrong night?”

He looks puzzled.

 “We’re having auditions tonight,” Alex says.

“I know!”

I’m about to say this isn’t a social event when I remember I’m in Greece.

“Thanks, Theo.”

The hopefuls begin to arrive. A lot of them—excited, nervous, hungry. Each one tries to strangle me while dropping an impassioned plea in my ear. Except for Stephanos, the chief of police, who drops a chocolate bar in my pocket. (Clearly he knows the criminal heart.) Theo produces a case of Sprite and starts pouring. The only no-show is Omiros, my translator.

“Theo, have you seen Omiros?”

“He drives Tino’s cab. After Tino he comes. I help you before.”

“But what if Tino’s in the play? Who’s going to drive his cab?”

“Oh, you can’t have Tino; he never loses the business.”

“Then why is he here?” Do you have to be Greek to follow this?

“Look around, Saraki. He will hate it to be left out.”

“Alex, let’s hand out the parts.”

The excitement increases. It’s a challenge to gossip drink eat and read at the same time.

“Good evening. I’m very happy to see you. I’ll call you in to read, one at a time. There are lots of you so please be patient.”

The butcher, the hairdresser, the ferry ticket seller, several cab drivers, the gorgeous sponge diver, the chief of police: one by one my heart sinks. In the beginning I look to Theo for guidance: the Pharos Players . . . was he kidding? But no, he seems enthralled. Whereas Alex can see that my spirit’s drifting back to London. And that I’m chewing on my nail.

            “I’ll get Priftis,” says Alex.

The butcher has taken off his bloody apron, which does nothing to disguise his profession. It’s not so much the blood under his nails as he rattles the script, as the bits of . . . what . . . entrails? in his lively beard. Which makes it hard to concentrate on his performance. But slowly his rich unbridled voice and infectious energy clear my brain and grip my imagination.

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on,” Priftis announces with a butcher’s unflinching certainty. “And our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

I can’t help picturing his massive cleaver separating a goat from its head.

“Thank you, Priftis, you’re our Prospero.” I jump up and grab his hand. “Please send in the chief of police.”

When Stephanos, the first prince of Naples to simultaneously pick his teeth and dig in his ear, finishes his soliloquy, we wonder why Prospero decides to spare his life.

“Thank you, Stephano. I’m afraid you aren’t right for the part.”

He glares at me from a rolling prairie of chins.

“The part isn’t right for you, actually. But I’ll find one that is. I do have one question. Would you have time to rehearse?”

“Malista”– of course.

“Well, that’s good. I’ll let you know.”

He winks at me and exits.

“Why did you ask him that?” says Theo.

“Because he’s the chief of police. Doesn’t that keep him busy?”

“Doing what?”

“Doing what . . . ,” I echo.

Thanks Barbara for the glimpse into life on Pharos. Now, let’s continue with a few questions about the novel and your writing life.

You use dashes of minute, arresting detail to describe the place and people of Pharos. Was it difficult to capture the essence of a Greek island (even a mythical one) and its people so succinctly?

‘Succintly’ is always more difficult; that’s why there are so few great Haiku poets. But besides the challenge, it’s also great fun for a writer to capture a personality or place in just a few words.

Each of your characters has a distinct, memorable personality. Who was your favourite character to write?

No fair! I love them all, even Stephanos the pompous Chief of Police. I think of him every time I get into an elevator and am knocked over by some guy’s aftershave. The question is…who is your favorite character?

 Did you worry that friends and family might see themselves (or think they do) in your characters? If so, how did you overcome your inhibition and write the story you wanted to?

 I call it a ‘fictional memoir’. Because it is. Some of the characters are similar in many ways to people I know, but all of them are more than 50% fantasy, and none of them are caricatures.

Having said that, I do have a brother who has begun calling himself Stephen.

Were there any parts of the book (eg. a scene or character) that you found difficult to write?

Love scenes are the most challenging to write because it’s easy to

1) fall into romantic clichés, and

2) turn off a reader who, for any reason, doesn’t like your choice of mate. And it can be a high wire act to write on the very narrow edge that separates the seductive from the salacious.

You use lots of humour in your writing. Do you find humour easy to write? Is your writing style influenced by any particular author?

Humour is easy for me. I walk around seeing the absurd, the funny, the plainly hilarious in everyday life. My brain and my ear are naturally tuned to that. Not always a good thing; such as when a fly alights on a holy statue during a very somber church sermon. Every good writer I’ve read probably influenced my writing style but no particular one stands out. Though, I did cry when Gary Larson stopped turning in regular cartoons.

Do you have a writing regimen or do you write when the ideas flow?

No regimen. I once thought I’d imitate Thomas Mann and Marcel Proust, but I soon realized it was hopeless. For that you need a writing studio and plenty of household help. The moment I sit down to write ideas flow. The problem is sitting down to write. Life has so many distractions, some delicious, some harrowing, all calling out “Me First”!

Thanks for stopping by, Barbara. Since I’ve been enjoying the novel so much, I’m delighted to have hosted a stop on your tour. Now I’m off to find out how Sarah’s faring and how it all turns out. I’m glad I saved the last couple chapters – I’m not quite ready to leave the island yet. 

To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.

Barbara Bonfigli’s website – www.cafetempest.com

Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher – http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313

To see the complete tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html

Author: Nancy Thayer
Title: Summer House
Paperback: 368 pp
Publisher: Ballantine
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Language: English
ISBN: 1419654705

PURCHASE HERE

Artfully written and set on the glorious island of Nantucket, Nancy Thayer’s Summer House is a vibrant and stirring novel about family, love, and daily choices that affect entire lives. New York Times calls it “a Nantucket family-reunion story…well-wrought, appealing book will come as a pleasant surprise…packed with literally down-to-earth charm, what with a central character who escapes her family of starchy bankers by lovingly tending her vegetable garden.”

Charlotte had already picked the lettuces and set them, along with the bunches of asparagus tied with twine and the mason jars of fresh-faced pansies, out on the table in a shaded spot at the end of the drive. In July, she would have to pay someone to man the farm stand, but in June not so many customers were around, and those who did come by found a table holding a wicker basket with a small whiteboard propped next to the basket. In colored chalk, the prices for the day’s offerings were listed, and a note: Everything picked fresh today. Please leave the money in the basket. Thanks and blessings from Beach Grass Garden. She hadn’t been cheated yet. She knew the customers thought this way of doing business was quaint, harkening back to a simpler time, and they appreciated it.

Perhaps it helped them believe the world was still a safe and honest place. The day was overcast but hoeing was hot work and she had been up since four-thirty. Charlotte collapsed against the trunk of an apple tree, uncapped her water bottle, and took a long delicious drink. Nantucket had the best water on the planet: sweet, pure, and clear. It was shady in this overgrown spot, so she lifted off the floppy straw hat she wore, in addition to a heavy slathering of sunblock, and sighed in appreciation as a light breeze stirred her hair.

She couldn’t linger, she had too much to do. She took another long drink of water, listened to her stomach rumble, and considered returning to the house for an early lunch.

When she heard the voices, she almost jumped.

People were talking on Bill Cooper’s side of the fence, just behind the green tangle of wild grapevines. Hunky Bill Cooper and his gorgeous girlfriend. From the tense rumble of Coop’s voice and Miranda’s shrill whine, they weren’t happy.

“Come on, Mir, don’t be that way.” Bill’s tone was placating but rimmed with an edge of exasperation.

“What way would that be?” A sob caught in Miranda’s throat. “Truthful?”

The moment had definitely passed, Charlotte decided, when she could clear her throat, jump up, and call out a cheerful hello. Vague snuffling sounds informed her that Bill’s dogs, Rex and Regina, were nearby, nosing through the undergrowth. She thought about the layout of Bill’s land: along the other side of the fence grew his everlasting raspberry bushes. The berries wouldn’t be ripe yet, so Bill and Miranda must be taking the dogs for a walk as they often did.

She was glad the berry bushes grew next to the fence, their prickly canes forming a barrier between Bill’s land and Nona’s. A tangle of grasses massed around barberry bushes was wedged against the fence, and then there were the tree trunks. They would pass by any moment now. She would keep very quiet. Otherwise it would be too embarrassing, even though she had a right and a reason to be here.

“I never lied to you, Miranda. I told you I wasn’t ready for a long-term commitment, especially not when you’re in New York all winter.”

“You could come visit me.”

“I don’t like cities,” Bill argued mildly.

“Well, that’s pathetic. And sleeping with that—that slut—is pathetic.” Miranda was striding ahead of Bill. She cried out, “Rex, you stupid, stupid dog! You almost tripped me.”

“Mir, simmer down.” Bill sounded irritable, at the end of his patience.

Miranda didn’t reply but hurried into the orchard of ancient apple trees. Bill followed, crashing through the brush. Charlotte could hear a few more words—I’m not kidding! It’s over, Bill!—then she heard the hum of their voices but no words, and then they were gone.

“Gosh,” Charlotte whispered to herself.

Charlotte had had a crush on Bill Cooper for years. Coop was a hunk, but so easygoing and funny that when you talked with him you could almost forget how handsome he was. She seldom saw him, even though he lived right next door. Of course, “right next door” was a general term.

Nona’s property consisted of ten acres with fifty feet of waterfront on Polpis Harbor, and the Coopers’ land was about the same size. With all the plantings, you couldn’t see one house from the other, even in winter when all the leaves had fallen.

Like the Wheelwrights, the Coopers mostly summered on the island, the Wheelwrights coming from Boston, the Coopers from New York. Eons ago, when they were all little kids, Coop had played a lot with Charlotte’s brother Oliver, even though Oliver was younger, because Coop was an only child, and the two families got together several times over the summer for cocktails or barbecues. Then came the years when they rarely saw each other, everyone off in college and backpacking in summer instead of coming to the island.

Coop lived in California for a while, but three years ago his parents moved to Florida and Coop moved into the island house, telling everyone he wanted to live here permanently. He ran a computer software business from his nineteen-sixties wandering ranch house, mixed his plasma TV and Bose CD player in with his family’s summery bamboo and teak furniture, and was content. Mostly he allowed his land to grow wild, except for a small crop of butter-andsugar corn famous for its sweetness. At the end of the summer, he held a party outdoors, a clambake with fresh corn, cold beer, and icy champagne.

Charlotte had seen Coop and Miranda about town now and then, when she went in to catch a movie or pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. It was obvious why any man would fall in love with Miranda Fellows. She was a dark-eyed beauty hired to run Luxe et Volupté, an upscale clothing shop on Centre Street. She was British, and her accent thrilled the young, beautiful, rich, social-climbing set, men as well as women. She was such a snob, and Coop was such a genuine good guy, they seemed like an odd pair, but Charlotte hadn’t allowed herself romantic thoughts about Coop.

She hadn’t allowed herself romantic thoughts about any man for quite a long while.

Her own move to Nantucket had not been a lighthearted, impulsive act. She’d thought about it a lot. She’d searched her soul. She came to Nantucket to get away from men—at least from one particular man—and to somehow balance with good acts the wrong she’d done. Her organic garden was her own self-imposed penance and repentance, and she’d been diligent and hardworking and nunlike for three years. She didn’t know when her penance would be over . . . but she knew she would find out when the time came. Until then, she forced herself to work hard, every day.

Nancy Thayer is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Hot Flash Club, The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again, Hot Flash Holidays, The Hot Flash Club Chills Out, and Moon Shell Beach. She is also the author of a new June release, Summer House. She is the mother of Samantha Wilde, whose debut novel, This Little Mommy Stayed Home, comes out on June 23. Nancy lives on Nantucket. You can visit her website at www.nancythayer.com.

Welcome to Day Three of Pump Up Your Book Promotion’s July Authors on Virtual Book Tour! Follow along as these talented authors travel the blogosphere all month long to talk about their books, their lives and their future projects. Leave a comment at their blog stops and you could win a FREE virtual book tour if you’re a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate if you are not published. So, pick your favorites, follow their tours, and make sure you leave them a note to tell them you stopped by!

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Kathy Balland, author of the self-help book, Lose the Diet: Transform Your Body by Connecting with Your Soul (Blissful Publications), will be stopping off at The Book Connection! Kathy Balland is clinically certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners and certified by the American Board of Hypnotherapy. As president of Blissful Publications and author of Lose the Diet: Transform Your Body by Connecting with Your Soul, Balland provides information to enrich and empower people to achieve happiness and success.  You can visit her website at www.blissfulrenewal.com/kathy-balland.html.

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Etta K. Brown, author of the nonfiction book, Understanding Learning Disabilities: Understanding the Problem and Managing the Challenges (Langdon Street Press), will be stopping off at The Writer’s Life! This work, while written by an academician, is an uncomplicated resource of information addressed to parents who have been introduced to the concept of Special Education for the first time. Overall, this work is a road map of how-to activities which will be of assistance from the beginning to end of the special education process. You can visit her website at www.understanding-learning-disabilities.com.

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Susan Chodakiewitz, author of the children’s picture book, Too Many Visitors for One Little House (Booksicals),will be stopping off at Divine Caroline! The crabby neighbors of El Camino can’t bear all the music, fun and laughter at the house of the new family on the block as aunts, uncles, cousins and grannies arrive for a big noisy reunion. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is a joyful story about the importance of being included…You can visit Susan’s website at www.booksicals.com.

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Dave Esler and Myra Kruger, authors of the business/leadership/business ethics book, The Pursuit of Something Better: How an Underdog Company Defied the Odds, Won Customers’ Hearts, and Grew It’s Employees into Better People (Esler Kruger Associates, Inc.), will be stopping off at Paperback Writer! The Pursuit of Something Better tells the story of the transformation of U.S. Cellular from a thoroughly ordinary company—ranked eighth in its industry and in danger of extinction—into an organization that is loved by employees and customers alike, and a proven winner by every measure. You can visit their website at www.eslerkruger.com.

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Alan Furst, author of the fiction novel, The Spies of Warsaw (Random House),will be stopping off at Review From Here!  Alan Furst is widely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel. Now translated into seventeen languages, he is the bestselling author of Night Soldiers, Dark Star, The Polish Officer, The World at Night, Red Gold, Kingdom of Shadows, Blood of Victory, Dark Voyage, and The Foreign Correspondent. Born in New York, he now lives in Paris and on Long Island. You can visit his website at www.alanfurst.net.

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J.R. Hauptman, author of the murder mystery, The Target: Love, Death and Airline Deregulation (Caddis Publishing),will be stopping off at The Story Behind the Book! The Target: Love, Death and Airline Deregulation by J.R. Hauptman, is set in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West, and tells the tale of the tumultuous first years of airline deregulation and the effects it had on that industry and the people who worked there. There are many people today who believe it was, in large part, the rush to overall deregulation back then, that led directly to the economic chaos that threatens to overwhelm our entire economy today. You can visit his website at www.caddispublishing.com.

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T. Katz, author of the children’s chapter book, Miss L’eau (Windstorm Creative, Inc.), will be stopping off at Brimful Curiosities! Two young boys in a coastal town discover a secret about their mysterious elementary school teacher, Miss L’eau. James and David had always known there was something unusual about her, but they could never quite put their finger on it. David discovered their first clue had been there all along, in her eyes. You can visit her website at www.TKatz.com.

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Sheryl Keen, author of the self-discovery spiritual novel, Journal According to John (iUniverse, November 2008), will be stopping off at Scribe Vibe! Following a nasty bar brawl, John, a twenty-eight-year-old man, follows a close friend’s advice and begins keeping a journal. He’s recently divorced from his wife, Debbie, and he hopes the journal will provide a tool with which to make sense of his brief, failed marriage and to determine why he is so emotionally challenged. Will John discover the reasons for his dysfunctional situation? Can keeping a journal help him improve his life? You can visit Sheryl’s website at www.sherylkeen.com.

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Valerie Kent, author of the retirement memoir/self-help book, Gracious Living on Social Security (Tree Farm Books), will be stopping off at Saving to Pay Down My Home! Gracious Living is an easy-to-read decade-long journey that offers tips and suggestions on how senior citizens can stretch their dollar and get the most for their money. Eleven chapters cover every important aspect of living together, from the wedding preparations to where to live. Key considerations follow each chapter for quick reference: considerations like where and when to buy clothing, choosing a place to live and juggling your finances. Artist Jeff Nitzberg adds his unique touch with original drawings introducing each chapter.

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Jason Kays, author of the new technology crime novel, Virtual Vice (BookSurge), will be stopping off at The  First Page. In Virtual Vice by Jason Kays, readers follow disillusioned entertainment attorney Ian McKenzie as his professional life takes a decided turn for the questionable when he is hired by the charismatic and dangerous Scott White to represent Scott’s interests in his cutting edge Internet startup, Metropoleis Multimedia. Unfortunately for Ian, Scott has more in common with Scarface’s Tony Montana than Apple’s Steve Jobs, and things go from questionable to deadly in no time flat. As Scott’s confidant and consigliore, Ian soon finds himself caught between the Feds, La Cosa Nostra, and the Cali Cartel in a fatal game of corporate winner-take-all. You can visit Jason’s website at www.virtualvice.net.

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David Liss, author of the historical thriller, The Devil’s Company (Random House), will be stopping off at As the Pages Turn! From the acclaimed author of The Whiskey Rebels and A Conspiracy of Paper comes a superb new historical thriller set in the splendor and squalor of eighteenth-century London. In Benjamin Weaver, David Liss has created one of fiction’s most enthralling characters. With the explosive action and scrupulous period research that are David Liss’ trademarks, The Devil’s Company, depicting the birth of the modern corporation, is the most impressive achievement yet from an author who continues to set ever higher standards for historical suspense. You can visit David’s website at www.davidliss.com.

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Pat McDermott, author of the alternate history adventure novel A Band of Roses (Red Rose Publishing, LLC, February 2009), will be stopping off at The Book Stacks. A Band of Roses is an alternate history adventure set in modern day Ireland. The “what if” premise of the story supposes that Irish High King Brian Boru survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 A.D. and founded a dynasty that rules Ireland to this day. You can visit Pat’s website at www.patmcdermott.com.

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Jon Meacham, author of the biography, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House (Random House), will be stopping off at Cafe of Dreams! New York Times Bestseller and 2009 Pulitzer Prizewinner for Biography, AMERICAN LION by Jon Meacham is a deeply insightful and eminently readable narrative biography of Andrew Jackson (often called “America’s second founding father”) and his pivotal years in the White House that shaped the modern presidency. You can visit Jon’s website at www.johnmeacham.com.

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Angus Munro, author of the memoir, A Full House – But Empty (iUniverse), will be stopping off at A Book Lover! Filled with anecdotes, lessons learned, and an inspirational message for everyone who believes that hard work breeds success, this moving autobiography shares the remarkable story of Angus Munro. Through a potpourri of chronological and heartfelt tales, Munro reveals how he learned to view incidents in life in terms of responsibility, recognition, personal conduct, and consideration of others. Despite dropping out of school at a young age, Munro perseveres, eventually attaining professional success. Munro’s memoir is a wonderful tribute to his father’s legacy and the greatest lesson of all – whatever you do, follow through. You can visit Angus’ website at www.angusrmunro.com.

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Elle Newmark, author of the Renaissance mystery novel, The Book of Unholy Mischief (Atria, December 2008) will be stopping off at In Bed with Books! It is 1498, the dawn of the Renaissance and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that hold the secrets of unimaginable power. Rich and poor alike speculate abouthe the long buried secred tht might be scrawled in its pages and where the book might be hidden in the labyrinthine city. While those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it. You can visit Elle’s website at www.ellenewmark.com.

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F.W. Vom Scheidt, author of the literary fiction novel, Coming for Money (Blue Butterfly Book Publishing), will be stopping off at Bookworm with a View! How much money is too much? And how fast is too fast in life? International investment firm director and author F. W. vom Scheidt, writes from his first hand-hand experience of the world of global money spinning with candor and authenticity in his remarkable literary novel Coming for Money.

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Kim Smith, author of the romance novel, A Will to Love (Red Rose Publishing), will be stopping off at A Book Blogger’s Diary! Benton Jessup wants his bed and breakfast to be successful. He will go to no lengths to insure that it does. But when Kitty Beebe, a famous romance author, arrives at The Inn, his desire for success becomes a struggle of wills with love. You can visit Kim’s website at www.mkimsmith.com.

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Nancy Thayer, author of the women’s fiction novel, Summer House (Ballantine Books), will be stopping off at American Chronicle! Artfully written and set on the glorious island of Nantucket, Nancy Thayer’s Summer House is a vibrant and stirring novel about family, love, and daily choices that affect entire lives. New York Times calls it “a Nantucket family-reunion story…well-wrought, appealing book will come as a pleasant surprise…packed with literally down-to-earth charm, what with a central character who escapes her family of starchy bankers by lovingly tending her vegetable garden.” You can visit Nancy’s website at www.nancythayer.com.

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Carolyn Wada, author of the family saga fantasy novel, For Cory’s Sake (Outskirts Press Inc., February 2009), will be stopping off at Beyond the Books! The planet of Cory has been enslaved by Fear, by the threat of an end to their world. Roci’s outward life typifies the plight of the Coryan people: he has no family; he has been forced into slavery; people are attempting to control him with both the threat and reality of physical violence. Roci is distinct, though, in that he has decided to live in a place he can control—in vivid imaginary lives and worlds which he has created within the untouchable space of his mind. He believes in families though he has never had one, and he believes in compassionate people willing to make sacrifices to save those who cannot save themselves. Find out more on the publisher’s website.

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Silvia Weber, author of the fantasy magic mystery novel, The Wolves’ Keeper Legend (Vanguard Press, March 2009), will be stopping off at Zensanity! “…. From the beginning of time, it seemed that rivalry between man and wolf was at the root of man’s dislike for the animal, discovered only too well by Sealgair. Was his fate forever to be condemned to isolation, to see terror and hate in the eyes of the once he once loved? All he could see in his mind was the last pictures of Awena’s beloved face, which he carried in his heart for all his life. You can visit Silvia’s website at www.wolveskeeperlegend.com.

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Tom Weston, author of the young adult novel, First Night (Tom Weston Media), will be stopping off at The Book Stacks! Alexandra O’Rourke, aged 16, is not a happy camper. It’s New Year’s Eve. She should be partying in San Diego with her friends, but instead she is stuck in Boston, with just her younger sister, Jackie, for company. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she is being haunted by Sarah, the ghost of a seventeenth century Puritan. Oh, and there is the small matter of the charge of witchcraft to be sorted out.

Ever wish you could get away to a remote island? Brilliant sun, silky sand and refreshing water – I’ve been slipping away to such a place, every chance I get, the past couple weeks. I’m enjoying a fictional memoir, Café Tempest, by Barbara Bonfigli. Since I opened the book it’s kept me laughing and dreaming of moving to an island paradise.

The author describes this fictional island, Pharos, as “a small Greek island with no airport but plenty of means of escape. It’s a sparkling necklace of turquoise bays and sun-laced platias, where ice trays are still being test-marketed and donkeys have the right of way.”

Join me at Ascroft, eh? on Friday, 10^th July when I will post an excerpt from the novel and the author, Barbara Bonfigli, will drop by to answer a few questions.

Hope you can join us on Friday!

Today the Women of Wisdom virtual book tour is visiting Ascroft, eh? I’d like to welcome them and I’m looking forward to hearing their ideas about unleashing women’s potential.  Let’s start with an excerpt from the book.

Have You Put Your Dreams On Hold? by Angeles Arrien

Each one of us has a great dream and a great calling. Many of us have put our dreams on the back burner. We say, “Someday when I have enough time, when I have enough money; then I’ll do what I really want to do, what has fire for me.” At this time there is such a wonderful opening in history, in evolution, if we will just come and take our place.

What I’ve found among many of the indigenous peoples of the world is that they know how important it is to bring our medicine and our dreams to this world. If we want the earth to get better we need to show up and take our place, not with our shrouds of insufficiency, but with our long tall bodies and our deep, deep roots. The warrior’s way or the leader’s way is to show up. And then I can pay attention to what has heart and meaning, which is the healer’s way. I can’t know what has heart or meaning until I choose to show up, until I choose to be present.

Among the shamanic traditions of the world, if you go to a shaman or a medicine person, and you are dispirited, disheartened, or depressed, many of them will ask you one of four questions: “When in your life did you stop singing? When in your life did you stop dancing? When in your life did you stop being enchanted by stories, and particularly your own life story? And when in your life did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?”

Wherever we stop singing, dancing, being enchanted by stories or deeply comforted by silence, we begin to experience soul loss. There’s not a culture in the world that does not have song, or dance, or story, or doesn’t recognize that in the sweet territory of silence we connect to the mystery in our contemplative and reflective practices.

I know I’m not at home when I’m in appeasement, weak-heartedness, seduction, drama or exaggeration. I know I’m not at home when I am playing the martyr or the victim and wanting someone else to be responsible for my life and therefore guilt induce others. I’m not at home when I’m controlling, because the opposite of control is trust.

I am at home when I have fire; when I am deeply connected to what has heart and meaning, the heart’s fire; when I’m seized by a vision that I want to manifest and bring to the sweet face of Mother Earth. I know I’m on fire when I’ve lost time through some creativity, and when I’ve experienced a moment of tender sweetness and intimacy in a relationship that has substance and depth. I know I’m on fire when I’ve connected to something numinous and extraordinarily beautiful that can only be found when trusting in an unshakable part of myself, in a sacred refuge that I can find in my deep interior.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Women of Wisdom: Empowering the Dreams and Spirit of Women

2008 Award winning finalist for Best New Non-Fiction from USA Book News
2009 Bronze award winner for Body-Mind-Spirit from Independent Publishers.

This is a unique book with inspiring stories, art and poetry combined with strong voices of best selling women authors and leaders in their fields. Throughout the book they share thought provoking ideas that explore the hidden potentials and gifts that reside in the depths of the feminine spirit. Women who are seeking for meaning in their lives will find this book a powerful tool to guide and inspire them.
For seventeen years women have been attending the Women of Wisdom gatherings to uncover and celebrate the power of feminine spirit. In this compilation of spiritual, academic, and artistic contributions from professionals and lay people, poetry mixes with history, visual art with the inner spirit, and the intellect with soulful longing, creating an inspiring kaleidoscope of feminine reverence. This book offers practical and moving guidance that speaks to the divine within us all.

Key aspects of the book:
      Thought provoking essays from some of the greatest women thinkers and writers of our time from the Women of Wisdom Conference.
      Exercises to explore the topics in each chapter gives the reader an experience of their own personal journey towards self-awareness.
      Personal stories sharing life changes from their WOW experience
      Women of Wisdom’s story and development of key aspects of the conference – art, music, ritual theater, and circle leadership.

The reader is taken on a journey through the conference with empowering presentations, workshops, ceremonies, art, poetry, stories, and circles.
Art and poetry displayed throughout the book add a visual element that moves the reader to experience the creative feminine. Many of the poems are songs from well-known musicians from the women’s music movement such as Holly Near, Rhiannon, Cris Williamson, Ferron and Libby Roderick.
Diversity of more than sixty contributors sharing their experience of the power of the feminine voice.

The ten key women presenters discuss many current problems facing women and our society today and offer words of hope and wisdom to help women tackle these problems that relate to their personal life.

Thank you for visiting Ascroft, eh? The excerpt from Women of Wisdom presents some thought provoking ideas. To wrap up, will you tell readers who would like to continue reading, how they can get your book and about your special offer this week?

WOW:  We invite you to go to this page – www.wisewomanpublishing.com/womenofwisdom.html – to access the order page and then go back to this page and enter your order confirmation code and your email address. That will take you to the sign up page for the Women of Wisdom enewsletter, once you join the WOW book group you will be sent an email with a link to the bonus gifts that are available to people who buy the book today. You can later opt out of being on the Women of Wisdom newsletter list if you choose.

I’d like to welcome author Toni Andrews to A Working Title. She has been kind enough to make a stop here on her blog tour. Please watch as Toni Andrews talks about her newest book, Cry Mercy. You can find a review of Cry Mercy below this post.

You may also visit Toni at her website, or follow her on Twitter @toniandrews

Cry Mercy by Toni Andrews
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Mira (June 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0778326489

In the newest addition to the Mercy Hollings series, Toni Andrews goes all out. Mercy and her strange power or curse, called the press, are unceremoniously thrust into a world of gang violence and dangerous players, thanks to Tino, Mercy’s Chicano friend and a full time gang boss. Tino is determined to break himself and his little brother out of the gang peacefully, but outside and inside forces have other ideas. When Tino asks for Mercy’s help, Mercy is bound by friendship and past history to aid in his plan.

Soon, things go horribly awry, and Mercy must make one of the most dangerous choices she’s ever been faced with. On top of Tino’s problems, Mercy is also dealing with the discovery that her adoptive parents may not have had a choice when they abandoned her at eleven years old. She also hopes that they might hold the key to her biological parents and perhaps the first step on the path to the true nature of herself. Maybe the answer to that terrifying question: Is she even human?

According to Andrews, this story is misclassified in romance, and I couldn’t agree more. There are no love scenes or heated moments, and the serious turns these books have begun to take reach far beyond the realm of simple paranormal romance. These are thrillers, with Cry Mercy the most thrilling of all to date. A fast paced book, Andrews still manages to imbue the pages with the rhythms of the barrio and the flavor of Chicano people, and the gangs that are all too common in those ethnic ghettos.

Tino is a complex and charming character, a product of machismo but also striving to be more than his roots, trying to make a better life for himself and his family. The pressures he faced as a boy to join a gang, and the bonds he feels as a man and the leader of the gang, are harshly true to life and an fascinating window into that dark world. I liked Tino a lot, for his sometimes amoral attitude and for the devotion he shows to his brother and mother. Andrews has managed to portray a Chicano character worthy of both respect and fear, love and amusement.

The women represented are smart, strong, and beautiful. Mercy is full of surprises in this book. She continues to struggle with her emotions and their relation to the press, and the search for her birth parents becomes ever more urgent as she comes to believe they are the only ones who can help her control this strange power. The mistakes she makes with her power become more frightening and more serious as the story goes on, until the final climax and a shocking twist.

The simultaneous development of Sukey’s abilities is a stark contrast. Where Mercy is bleak and brooding, Sukey revels in her abilities and truly enjoys learning to master them. The friendship between the two women becomes even more important as the story goes on, and I truly loved Sukey’s enthusiasm and her desire to become a P.I.

Mercy’s conflict with Sam Falls is still ongoing. I do feel that Sam was shortchanged in this book, although I really did enjoy the more action filled parts as a replacement. I’m interested to see the development of their relationship or lack thereof in the next book.

This is a great read, heart-stopping, laugh out loud, and even cry a little. Andrews continually improves, and although I think she still has some trouble carrying multiple plot lines, these rougher edges and seams are being smoothed out rapidly. I’m excited to see where Mercy and her friends go next, to hear the truth about her parents and herself, and hopefully hook up with a certain sexy sailor. I highly recommend this series. Up next: An interview with Toni Andrews.

Angel of Mercy by Toni Andrews
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Mira (May 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0778325474

In this second installment of the Mercy Hollings series, the subject matter starts becoming very serious. Mercy dealt with drugs and drug dealers in her first adventure, but not the real the people affected by the dealers, more directly with the bad guys themselves. In Angel of Mercy, she learns by accident that one of her hypnotherapy clients is being abused, and this leads our heroine to Rosalee Jackson, the director for a battered women’s shelter. Rose eventually asks Mercy to volunteer free therapy sessions at the shelter, and Mercy first sees this as a great opportunity to help people.

Things begin to get out of hand, though, when Mercy starts dabbling with a very damaged mother and daughter. The daughter’s terrible secret leads Mercy down a road she might be better off staying away from, and the consequences of Mercy’s use of her mysterious psychic power, the press, are life changing. While dealing with all her emotions about the women she meets at the shelter, Mercy must also deal with her friend’s investigation into Mercy’s biological origins, and her deteriorating relationship with Sam Falls.

The subject material that Andrews chooses to write about is an area that most paranormal romance writers would never dare venture, but Andrews manages it with style and tact. The idea of someone using her superpowers to help battered and abused women and children is unique and interesting, as well as captivating. Mercy comes from the foster care system herself, and can relate to some of the feelings and doubts these women have. Again, the romantic relationship is not the focus of the book. Rather, the personal relationships of all the characters are looked at and discussed, and friendships are just as, if not more important than Mercy’s main squeeze.

Another point in her favor is the absolute fallibility of her characters. They make mistakes, sometimes big ones, just like normal people. But they also continue to learn from them. Mercy has been denying, hiding, or randomly using her strange mind control talent her whole life, and even though it sounds like a great ability, it is rarely the perfect solution to all her problems. The choices she makes regarding “the press” aren’t always the best ones, and I liked that the other characters, especially Rose, don’t give her a pass just because she’s “special” or the main character. Rose genuinely becomes angry with Mercy, and it takes work and time to earn her forgiveness, something Mercy acknowledges and is contrite about.

The focus of this book leaned more towards female relationships and building the confidence of Mercy’s friends and herself, something I feel is very worthwhile and not often seen in romance. They’re learning self-worth through their own abilities and strengths, rather than being paired up with a romantic partner who supposedly saves and/or completes them. Those who do end up in relationships do so with open eyes and a clear head, and they talk about the up and down sides of their relationships or past experiences in a candid and believable manner. My favorite addition to this book is definitely Rose Jackson, though.

Rosalee is a strong black woman in charge of her own life, as well as committed to helping those in tough situations or those trying to break cycles of abuse and violence. She’s smart and stands up for herself, and she’s not afraid to tell Mercy or anyone else when they’re wrong. She can do forgiveness, too, something that comes into play quite a few times during the story. Rose also has a chance to let down her hair a little and be found attractive, but it’s done in a way that is respectful and amusing, rather than objectifying. The gentleman that finds interest in her likes her as much, or more, for her mind than her looks. They also don’t immediately fall in love, a device I’ve seen all too often in romance of any kind. I love the inclusion of a black woman in the story, and I truly hope we see more of Rose.

The other characters didn’t get as much face time this book, which I found a little disappointing. I hope as Andrews continues to write about Mercy, she gets the pages she needs to develop her stories more. An additional hundred pages or so wouldn’t have felt too long with this book. I can definitely see the improvement from Beg for Mercy, and I can’t wait to read Cry for Mercy, Toni Andrew’s newest release in the series. Stay tuned for that review tomorrow, and an interview with the author herself.

Beg for Mercy by Toni Andrews
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Mira (September 1, 2007)
ISBN-10: 077832365X

Mercy Hollings is a woman with a curse. She has the ability to force others to do anything she tells them to with only the power of her mind. She calls it “the press” and it’s been her bane since she was a child. A foster kid, she was constantly moved from home to home, her curse often causing her problems and unintentional accidents. As a consequence, Mercy has become a loner, a woman afraid to make friends, afraid to take chances on people, afraid she’ll hurt someone or herself with a careless comment.

When her only friend, Sukey, gets in trouble with the wrong kind of guy, Mercy breaks her own rules and presses him to leave town post haste. But what she couldn’t have known was that his drug dealer, a man named Dominic, would come looking for the shipment that disappeared along with him. Dominic isn’t just a drug dealer, though, he may hold the secrets to Mercy’s origins, and perhaps even who her real parents are. As Mercy tries to balance the press with her new forming friendships, her new love, and the machinations of Dominic, she’ll find whole new depths to herself and her powers.

This is a paranormal romance, but the great thing about it is the focus on the characters, not just the couple. It’s a little rough, but not at all bad for a first book, and Toni Andrew’s potential shines through brightly. Mercy is a smart and conflicted character. Her relationship problems are real and understandable, and her learning experiences actually lead to personal growth and good character development. Too often, writers become stuck on a character’s fatal flaw, relying on it over and over again until it becomes a cliché plot device instead of an interesting premise. Andrews doesn’t make this mistake.

Her characters consistently change and develop throughout the book, and Mercy acknowledges her own mistakes and vows to change them, instead of merely going full speed ahead and never looking back. The powers mentioned in the book are interesting without being over the top, and the characters struggle with their ethics just as a real person would. I also like the fact that the sex scenes were kept to a minimum, but used where applicable. They were tastefully placed without detracting from the story, making them a fun read rather than something to slog through. The writing was a little rough, some descriptions and terms seemed jarring rather than titillating, but it wasn’t a total scene killer. I imagine she’ll get better with more writing practice.

The female characters in the book were well done, and as the story progressed you learned more about them, making them deeper and more interesting. I would have liked to see a few more women for Mercy to befriend, most of the characters she encounters are men and I hope this doesn’t hold true for the rest of the series. The one main character of color seems slightly stereotypical, but Latino characters are so rarely included in paranormal romance or speculative fiction in general that it’s still a positive sign, and it’s a character that I think we’ll continue to see. Andrews is deft at growing her characters, so I’m hoping this one sees some changes, too. There is also a gay couple as part of Mercy’s crew of new friends which I hope to hear more about in future books, as there just wasn’t time to learn much about them in the first round.

Over all, this is a good start to what looks to be an interesting series. I like Mercy and I like her friends, and I’m rooting for her and Sam all the way. I can’t wait to learn more about her past and where she may have come from, and I’m interested to see how Andrews develops as a writer.

I’m looking forward to diving into Angel of Mercy next. Look for that review tomorrow. Cry for Mercy will be reviewed Tuesday, along with a featured interview with Toni Andrews herself. Please check back.

Not comfortable using hard sell sales tactics? Me neither. As a writer and a person, that’s not the way I want to conduct any business transaction. That’s why I was intrigued by a book called The Heart of Marketing and am looking forward to learning more about it.

On Wednesday, 13^th May Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski will drop by Ascroft, eh? to talk about their book, The Heart of Marketing. Here’s their brief description of the book:

“This book is about marketing. But more important, this is a book about you, the soft sell marketer, and your desire to market and sell your products and services online or off without compromising your values or what you believe about how people should be treated.

In short, it’s about putting your heart into marketing.

If you relate to what we’re saying, The Heart of Marketing is written to you and for you.”

David Riklan, founder of www.SelfGrowth.com, says about the book:

“I really like the message embodied in The Heart of Marketing. Part marketing, part self growth, part spiritual expansion, this book opens the way for your much larger future while changing the way we’ve all thought about business and making money.”

If you are interested in hearing about how to market a product while still retaining your integrity, drop by Ascroft, eh? on Wednesday to learn more about The Heart of Marketing. Judith and Jim will welcome your comments about their advice.

A fellow emailed in yesterday, calling it a “missed opportunity” for an author to be speaking at only one event in a city, when he could be speaking at five or six.  But what this reader calls a missed opportunity is what book publicists might call avoiding disaster: unless you happen to be touring J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer, more events in a city aren’t necessarily better.  Here are a few reasons why:

– Geography.  Some cities are pretty spread out — most notably San Francisco and Los Angeles — and can easily support more than one event.  In other cities, it’s possible to do an event in the city proper (in Boston or in DC, for example) and another in a suburb (in Cambridge or in Arlington) since urban and suburban audiences tend not to overlap for the most part.  In many cities, however, it’s standard practice to hold only one event, since venues tend not to be far apart and multiple venues only cannibalize each others’ audiences.  Some lecture venues even have authors sign contracts stating they will not give other public talks in the city in the same time period for this reason.

– Genre.  All chain stores and most independent bookstores carry a wide variety of genres.  This does not mean they sell a wide variety of titles equally well.  When it comes to author events, many stores find that certain genres are more successful than others in drawing crowds.

– Author availability.  Authors have a myriad of commitments and many simply don’t have the time to spend multiple days in multiple cities.  So an author who gives us two weeks for a book tour isn’t going to spend five days each in two cities; they’re going to spend one or two nights each in eight or 10 cities.

– Media interest.  To make the best use of the author’s time and our money, we try to schedule as many media interviews as possible when an author is in town for an event.  Depending on the author, we can fill one day with interviews (although realistically, sometimes an author may only do one interview — or none — in a city).  If five events are scheduled over several days, that leaves a lot of thumb-twiddling time.

– Logistics.  Five events take five times as much time to schedule as one.  Five nights at a hotel cost five times as much as one.  We need to weigh the potential audience and sales of multiple events against the time and money it takes to schedule them.  Sometimes it’s worth it; sometimes not.

***

This post deals specifically with the issue of scheduling multiple author talks in a city.  For more information in general about how and why author events are scheduled, click here.

And for some happy news about bookstore events across the country, check out this story in The Boston Globe  tweeted by Wendy Hudson of Nantucket Bookworks and this one in the The Seattle Times sent along by media escort Joy Delf.

  
I am very happy to be hosting Salt author, Shaindel Beers, on the first leg of her virtual book tour, “On the hood of a Cutlass Supreme”.
 
On Wednesday, 4 March, I’ll be chatting to Shaindel about her family origins, growing up in a farming town in rural America, writing influences and favourite books.  We would love you to join us on the road for a scenic drive under the Midwestern sky.
 
Shaindel’s tour stops include a wonderfully eclectic range of blogs:
 
Julius Speaks (Brandon Wallace)
 
me~tronome (Larry Sawyer)
 
Michael Kimball
 
Blogalicious (Diane Lockward)
 
gravity and light (Chella Courington)
 
The Man with the Blue Guitar (Vince Gotera)
 
What to Wear During an Orange Alert? (Jason Behrends)
 
Blue Moon Northeast (Meg Harris)
 
The Tao, Ow and Wow of Jesus Crisis (John Burroughs)
 
Holy Land (Rauan Klassnik)
 
Zinta Aistars Prose and Poetry
 
Being and Writing (Kate Evans)
 
 
For tour dates, please revert to Shaindel’s Cyclone tour page here.
 
We look forward to seeing you on 4 March to kick off the Cutlass Supreme Queen’s road trip!

Jennifer Fallon will be doing a book signing at Book City in Yeperenye tonight from 6pm to 8pm.

Things you could ask her (based on last night’s online chat): Will there be a sequel to the Tide Lords quartet? What are you working on next? Who is your favourite character? Why didn’t xxxxx die? How do you kill an immortal? Why did you – oh no, I’d better stop before I spoil The Chaos Crystal for someone!

Join Marcus Dino, author of the young adult fantasy novel, Diary of a Mad Gen Y er, as he virtually tours the blogosphere in August and September on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Marcus Dino has had an interesting professional career, first as an Aerospace engineer, next as a passionate math teacher teaching in urban Los Angeles which he currently still does, and finally, as a part time literary fiction author. It is Mr Dino’s being a die hard movie buff that led him to writing Diary of a Mad Gen Yer in addition to his first novel, Fifi, Anything goes in the Double Os, first published in 2003. Mr Dino is a graduate of Chapman University and he also has Masters Degrees in both Education and Electrical Engineering. Diary of a Mad Gen Yer and Fifi can be found at www.smashwords.com and www.summertimproductions.net. Mr Dino’s personal website which includes numerous blogs, short stories, and poems involving his central character Fifi Larouche, which helped inspire him to write his anthology, Diary, can be found at www.authorsden.com/marcusdino.

Perhaps more of a prequel than a sequel to Marcus Dino’s electrifying Hollywood novel, Fifi Anything Goes in the Doubles Os (Iuniverse 2003, Airleaf 2005) Diary of a Mad Gen Yer focuses on the hilarious adventures of 21st century actress/heroine Fifi Larouche; her silly poems, her silly stories, her silly blogs, during her days working as a waitress while pursuing her dreams of Hollywood fame.

‘Gen Yer’ also introduces colorful new characters such as Alocki, the alien from the planet Zatoris and ‘the smartest person Fifi ever met,’ Flifi, Fifi’s’ ‘fairy alter ego’ from the ‘Alternate Earth’ who gives people advice but has a little stinger on her tail and stings people who do wrong (they feel itchy) and throws pixie dust on people who do right, and dick, an evolutionary scientist who enjoys arguing religion with Fifi and is a ‘proud atheist.’

Of course many of the major characters in Fifi such as Biff, Fifi’s bohemian actor/software engineer boyfriend and Charles, Fifi’s domineering college professor father who thinks Fifi is ‘wasting her time in ‘ala land ‘and needs to come back to her hometown of Des Moines Iowa to work as a banker, are back in ‘Gen Yer.’

While Fifi tended at times to focus on Fifi’s serious side, ‘Gen Yer’ almost exclusively focuses on Fifi’s comical adventures and her ’silly thoughts’ and will keep readers laughing from beginning to end.

Marcus Dino’s DIARY OF A MAD GEN Y ER VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 will officially begin on August 3 and end on September 25. You can visit Marcus’ blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of August and September to find out more about this great book and talented author!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.