Romance, Riches, and Restrooms

Author Tim Phelan will be Yvonne Perry's guest on Writers in the Sky Podcast May 4, 2007

Tim Phelan is a confident, twenty-one-year-old college graduate who is determined to build his future on two solid pillars: meeting the woman of his dreams, and earning a financial fortune.

Three months after he lands a job that promises to put him on the fast track to luxury-home ownership and country-club living, Tim’s plans begin to unravel: his brain and digestive tract seem to have entered into a diabolical conspiracy, and they appear hell-bent on destroying his ambitious plans, his confidence, and so much more. But why are they suddenly betraying him at the most inopportune times—like dates and business meetings?

Set amid the rigid expectations of a polite society where mentioning bodily functions is taboo, Romance, Riches, and Restrooms– A Cautionary Tale of Ambitious Dreams and Irritable Bowels is a tragically hilarious memoir about one man’s desperate quest to conceal and conquer irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) before he becomes a penniless hermit. Follow the offbeat odyssey of this buttoned-down bachelor as he struggles to navigate the high-pressure world of investment banking and the image-conscious San Francisco dating scene while secretly experimenting with alternative treatments such as colonic hydrotherapy, hypnosis, building “dams,” and “avalanche blasting.”

Will this excessively “regular” guy find happiness? Find out when Tim joins Yvonne Perry for an interview on Writers in the Sky Podcast!

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Access archived shows by clicking on a link in the list on the right side bar of our blog http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com. Subscribe to Writers in the Sky RSS feed by entering your email address in the sign up box below the list of shows.

Some shows have multiple parts, which last about 15-20 minutes each. The short-length classes are a great way to learn about the craft and business of writing while driving to work or sweating at the gym!

May 2007 Podcast Schedule for Writers in the Sky

May 4, 2007—Tim Phelan

Tim Phelan is a confident, twenty-one-year-old college graduate who is determined to build his future on two solid pillars: meeting the woman of his dreams, and earning a financial fortune.
Three months after he lands a job that promises to put him on the fast track to luxury-home ownership and country-club living, Tim’s plans begin to unravel: his brain and digestive tract seem to have entered into a diabolical conspiracy, and they appear hell-bent on destroying his ambitious plans, his confidence, and so much more. But why are they suddenly betraying him at the most inopportune times—like dates and business meetings?

Set amid the rigid expectations of a polite society where mentioning bodily functions is taboo, Romance, Riches, and Restrooms– A Cautionary Tale of Ambitious Dreams and Irritable Bowels is a tragically hilarious memoir about one man’s desperate quest to conceal and conquer irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) before he becomes a penniless hermit. Follow the offbeat odyssey of this buttoned-down bachelor as he struggles to navigate the high-pressure world of investment banking and the image-conscious San Francisco dating scene while secretly experimenting with alternative treatments such as colonic hydrotherapy, hypnosis, building “dams,” and “avalanche blasting.”

Will this excessively “regular” guy find happiness? Find out when Tim joins Yvonne Perry for an interview on Writers in the Sky Podcast!

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May 11, 2007—Elva Anson

As a long time Marriage Family Therapist, Elva Anson has helped many couples transform deteriorating relationships into dynamic, deepening lifelong intimacy. After almost 50 years of marriage, Elva and her husband, Everett, continue to learn, grow, and bit-by-bit let go of fears and defenses that have transformed them into soul mates forever.

Elva is the author of Becoming Soul Mates -How To Create the Lifelong Relationships You Always Dreamed Of. In her book, you will discover:

• The power you have to make the relationship what you want it to be.
• How to create safety and let go of defenses.
• How to understand the language of sex.
• How to listen so your lover will talk and talk so your lover will listen.
• Twenty ways to have fun getting close.

Most people believe that out in the world somewhere their soul mate exists. The trick is to find that person. This book shows what to do to become soul mates for a lifetime and to create the relationship you have always wanted.

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May 18, 2007—Kathleen Ernst

Kathleen Ernst is a gifted author, educator, and social historian. She has published twelve novels and one nonfiction book, and served as project director/scriptwriter for several instructional television series. When she's not busy researching and writing, she can be found teaching or providing presentations and workshops.Kathleen lives in Middleton, Wisconsin, with her husband and cat. She grew up in Maryland, in a family that considered books as fundamental to life as food and water. She started writing as a child and never stopped! Today, she finds researching books as much fun as writing them.

Kathleen will join Yvonne Perry on Writers in the Sky to discuss her book Hearts of Stone.

Synopsis:
With her father gone to join the Yankee troops and her best friend, Ben, sympathizing with the Confederates, fifteen-year-old Hannah finds her world torn apart by the Civil War. Then her mother suddenly dies. Now responsible for holding the young family together, Hannah makes the difficult decision to leave her beloved Cumberland Mountain with her brother and sisters and set out on the long and dangerous journey to Nashville, in search of their only living relative. Their quest to reclaim their family leads them into the very heart of the Civil War, and could cost them their lives. www.kathleenernst.comHearts of Stone is widely available, and can be ordered on-line or through any bookstore.ISBN 978-0525476863

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May 25, 2007—Annie B. Kay

Annie B. Kay, MS, RD, LDN, RYT, is a unique voice as a writer, speaker, spokesperson and teacher. Her rare blend of scientific education in nutrition, practical training in yoga, and her personal health story bring unusual dimension to her endeavors in communicating the art and science of health. Annie is a graduate of Cornell University (nutritional biochemistry) and Boston University (nutrition communications) and has numerous scientific papers to her credit.
Annie will be sharing her book Every Bite is Divine. Join us to learn more about a balanced approach to enjoying eating, feeling healthy and happy, and getting to a weight that’s natural for you.

She has written for “Cooking Light” among other national magazines, and has appeared on CNN and in the national media on topics of health and wellness. Annie has integrated leading edge information on how the body works with her experience practicing and teaching yoga to develop an innovative approach to cultivating awareness, mind-body balance, and weight normalization. Annie lives on Nantucket Island, MA and the island of Kauai, HI. She lives with her surfer husband, Craig, and her crazy cat Rahu. In addition to writing, speaking and teaching, Annie is a home chef, gardener and poet dedicated to creativity, service and fun.

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Access archived shows by clicking on a link in the list on the right side bar of our blog http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com. Subscribe to Writers in the Sky RSS feed by entering your email address in the sign up box below the list of shows.

Some shows have multiple parts, which last about 15-20 minutes each. The short-length classes are a great way to learn about the craft and business of writing while driving to work or sweating at the gym!

DYING TO BE YOUNG Review from ForeWord Magazine

SAVE THESE TWO DATES:

MAY 8TH-- For anyone who wants to purchase DYING TO BE YOUNG (see review below), this will be the day we commence our Amazon campaign. If you or your friends buy a book on this date you will receive over $2100 in gifts from our sponsors. Watch this blog for a list of the gifts you may download that day.

MAY 10-- Bonnie and Eric Kaplan will be on Good Morning America.

Here is a review of the Kaplan's book by Joy Held of ForeWord Magazine:


Dying to be Young: From Botox to Botulism
Eric Kaplan
Nightengale Press
276 pages
Softcover $19.95
978-1-933449-40-1

Is the absence of a few wrinkles worth dying for? A couple in south Florida learned the answer the hard way. Kaplan and his wife Bonnie are upset with themselves, the government, and the doctors they trusted to make good choices, not choices that would cause them to fight for their lives. In his book Dying to be Young, From Botox to Botulism, Kaplan traces his family’s horrific journey through some bad choices to an understanding that everything happens for a reason.

In 2004, Kaplan, a successful chiropractor, author, and public speaker, and his wife Bonnie were living a dream-come-true life when they got caught up in the look-like-a-dream hype of Botox. The FDA-approved and licensed Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox) is derived from the waste of a bacterium that causes botulism food poisoning. The Kaplans received injections to paralyze facial wrinkles without any negative side effects. After all, everybody was doing it. But as the author remarks, “Cosmetic procedures gone wrong are the quiet epidemic sweeping America that no one in the drug industry wants you to know about.”

A routine health habit of the Kaplans was to visit Advanced Integrated Medical Center run by a longtime friend and associate who offered cutting edge practices that blurred the supposed divisions between traditional and complimentary medicines. Dr. Kaplan received a vitamin IV to ward off a bronchial infection and Bonnie received another round of Botox. “All I want to do is turn back the clock,” she told her son Michael and her husband in the waiting room. Kaplan ended up agreeing to Botox injections that day as well. “Little did we know we were about to hit the fast forward button,” he writes.

For reasons yet to be clearly defined through investigations and law suits, the Kaplans were injected not with the attenuated dilution of supposedly safe Botox, but with 2,800 times the amount of pure, raw botulinum toxin, “the most poisonous substance known to man.” What followed was a harrowing episode that left the couple teetering between life and death as the toxin paralyzed their entire bodies.

Without condemnation toward the reader, Kaplan tells of the horror he and his wife have known as a result of their choice. He details the frightening results and provides a laundry list of life rules. Even though he omits the word karma, he attributes his Uncle Herb to the adage, “A lesson in Life is repeated until learned.”

Kaplan believes he and his wife returned from the brink of death to warn others about the dangers of Botox injections. He explains that vanity is not a good reason to take even a calculated risk. They hope and pray that nobody has to learn the lessons of Botox the way they did. (February)

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TGIF April 27, 2007 Article Marketing Challenge

April 27, 2007 New Year’s Article Challenge Contestants

On February 1^st, twenty-four writers accepted Suzanne Lieurance and Kristin King’s New Year’s challenge to write 30 articles by March 31, 2007. The contest is over, but the benefits of the challenge are just beginning to show.

Join Yvonne Perry today on Writers in the Sky Podcast as she interviews the contestants in a group call. Discover what they learned from the experience and how this challenge is helping them improve as a writer and business owner.

The article challenge helped me focus every day, gave me numerous ideas (including the book I'm working on...I have 10 Chapters complete already), introduced me to other affiliations, and gave me confidence to start marketing. I picked up my first client, who was a childhood friend simply because I mentioned how powerful article marketing has been. I wrote an article for her custom jewelry business and now working on her newsletter which will be a small monthly project. Also, writing can be a little lonely. It helped me feel more connected to a group.

~Kate Garvey

Listen to Part One...

The challenge did several things for me. It was great fun. Meeting new writers and sharing information was very inspiring. It also help me get started on my new book; "Short Sleeves Insights: Live an Ordinary Life in An Non Ordinary Way," that will be released next year. Your daily tips and comments fueled a spark that reminded me I could reach for a better thought, and write. Yvonne's positive attitude and caring was a beacon that lit the path of friendship. I am grateful for the experience and look forward to the next challenge.

~Hal Manogue

Listen to Part Two...

Do you want to participate in the next article challenge? Contact Suzanne now...

Email Interviews Have Their Place:

6 Times for Writers to Use Email
By Melissa Barton

Many veteran journalists warn new freelancers and staff writers not to use email to interview sources. Email interviews can be stilted, awkward, confusing (if the subject isn't comfortable with writing), or even too polished. It's also harder to have a natural conversation through email, which can restrict the direction of an interview.

But there are times when an email interview is acceptable, or even a better option than a traditional phone or face-to-face interview.

1. Avoid time zone conflicts. For one article, I had to interview a Peace Corps member serving in Albania, while I was in Colorado. Trying to coordinate a phone conversation given the timeframe would have been difficult. Fortunately, my source was articulate in writing and could access email a few times a week. The interview and follow-up went well.

2. Confirm complex information. When interviewing scientists, lawyers, or other experts about complex topics, it can be helpful to conduct part of the interview by email. Seeing the explanation in writing can help you avoid errors. Email is also a good tool for confirming your understanding of a telephone or in person interview.

3. Get background. If you know your verbal interview will have a strict time limit, you can email the source a list of questions to answer first. This can be a good way to get background that will ensure the interview flows smoothly and you doesn't waste time covering basic questions.

4. Answer quick follow-up questions. Some sources are difficult to reach by phone after an interview. Email works well for quick follow-up questions and clarifications.

5. Interview writers. While many people are more articulate and "quotable" in person, some people--like bloggers and other writers--may interview better over email or an instant messaging program. Be careful using these interviews--these people can sometimes be too polished in writing.

6. Interview a deaf and/or mute source. I once received an assignment (later changed) to interview a deaf/mute priest who lived in another state--in cases like this, email is often the only practical way to get the interview done.

Telephone and face-to-face interviews offer gesture, tone, and flexibility email doesn't--but keep email in mind as an occasional tool in your interviewing kit.

Melissa Barton is a freelance writer and editor, specializing in science and travel writing. Her credits include Geotimes, Transitions Abroad, Student Health 101, and other publications. Visit her online at Rosetta Stones Freelancing (http://www.rosettastones.net).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Barton

Jump Start Your Career as a Freelance Writer

Are you trying to start your career as a freelance writer, or do you want to take your writing career to the next level?

Then, here's a great program for you. It's called Writers on Call—a subscription-based weekly teleclass for writers.

Every Thursday night at 7 p.m. Central Time, full-time freelance writers and hosts, Suzanne Lieurance and Yvonne Perry, offer a 55-minute group tele-coaching session. And you don't need any special equipment to take part in these weekly sessions - just a telephone. The classes are recorded so you don’t miss any vital information if you cannot make the call. If you want to participate in the weekly conference classes, go to Write On! Creative Writing Services and subscribe to Writers on Call.

If you want to make money on a program that helps freelance writers, go to The Working Writer's Coach blog and get your affiliate link for Writers on Call. On the Working Writer's Coach blog, scroll down until you see “affiliates - sign in here” in the right column of the homepage. Once you sign in, you should be able to grab your personal affiliate link to the program. However, if you have any problems, email Suzanne at suzanne@workingwriterscoach.com .

New Leadership Book Adapted from the Blockbuster Movie 300

Business expert, James Whitley, pens sensational new book on management and leadership using the blockbuster movie 300 for inspiration. Book is entitled, "Duty, Honor, & Glory - Leadership Secrets of King Leonidas". A sample chapter and information are available at www.dutyhonorglory.com.

PORTLAND, OR - 22 April 2007 - Management expert, James Whitley, has published a new book entitled Duty, Honor, & Glory - Leadership Secrets of King Leonidas. James captures the essence of the movie 300, by director Zack Snyder, and shows readers how to develop their personal leadership skills and boost career success.

Duty, Honor, & Glory is a rapid-paced guidebook to the skills required for great leadership - everything from creating a compelling vision to performing an unbiased personal self assessment. James explains what leadership is, what it is not, and how to become an effective leader. The stories, inspirational movie quotes, exercises, and tips are designed to provoke life-changing action.

"Surveys show that 50% of all managers are ineffectual and 25% of all employees would fire their supervisor if they could," says James Whitley. "We are in the midst of a national leadership crisis. I wrote Duty, Honor, and Glory for the millions of disenfranchised Americans who want to improve their workplace skills, and find personal success."

A self-proclaimed business rebel and management heretic, James Whitley is a leadership consultant, educator, and author. To purchase copies ($22.50 US), or read sample pages, please go to www.dutyhonorglory.com. For review copies or interviews, please contact the author directly at 971-570-1722 or james@dutyhonorglory.com.

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Writers on Call this week - Publishing a Book

On this Thursday night's Writers on Call teleclass conference call, Yvonne Perry will be presenting class 8 of an 8-week progressive study on "How to Write a Book." Since this lesson is about getting a manuscript in front of a publisher, Yvonne will have publishing expert, Valerie Connelly, field questions about all types of publishing paths. Valerie Connelly, the president of Nightengale Press will help writers understand the publishing process and know what is expected of an author when a book is accepted by a publisher.

Click to hear more about this week's class...

If you are not subscribed to Writers on Call, you can still get in on the class this week by joining NOW!

Learn more about Writers on Call here....

King-Lieurance Article Challenge has ended

In February 2007 , 26 writers agreed to accept Kristin King and Suzanne Lieurance's challenge to write 30 articles in 60 days. The challenge came to a close on March 31, 2007 with three people reaching the goal. Yet, all the participants are winners because it challenged them to make an effort toward their goal of being a successful freelance writer.

Hal Manogue has written 30 articles and says:

The great part of this social event, is the challenge I put in front of myself. Each one of us is challenging ourselves for different reasons, different expectations, but all wanting to cross our own finish line with a feeling of accomplishment. That can not be measured in numbers, or words. Your thoughts create that finish line, which has not set place in time. I write every day, I know all of you do as well, that alone is reason to celebrate. Challenging ourselves is the definition of creativity, and each one of us deserve a naked statue.

With Chi,

Hal Manogue,

Poet And Author

Short Sleeves A Book For Friends

Short Sleeves Insights

www.shortsleeves.net

http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/

On Writers in the Sky Podcast Yvonne Perry will interview Suzanne Lieurance, the creator of the challenge, who will share tips on how to use article marketing to drive business to your Web site.

Mark your calendar for April 27 or sign up for the RSS feed of this blog so you don't miss the show.

Learn more about the King-Lieurance challenge or to be informed about the next article event here...

The Writing Life: Show, Don't Tell

The Writing Life by JJ Murphy is a Regular Column in Writers in the Sky Newsletter.

This month's article is: Show, Don't Tell.

When you are engaged, transported into the writer's world, emotionally reacting to the characters and images in the world around you - that's when the writer is showing, not telling.

Here's an example:
A brisk, wintry wind whistled along the South Carolina coast. It rattled the ice-tipped yellowed spartina grass and rolled a thick, steely grayed fog in from the sea.

In two sentences writer Mary Alice Monroe has me shivering and looking Skyward (the title of this novel) in my mind's eye.

Monroe could have written: Winters in coastal South Carolina are characterized by brisk winds and grey ocean fog.

Here are a few tips to invite your reader into your world.

1. Give the reader a reason to care. Compare these two examples:
Principal Bob Smith really cares about his students at Pinecone Elementary school.

As students enter the building, Principal Bob Smith bends down to make eye contact with the first graders at Pinecone Elementary. His brown eyes sparkle with pride as Casey shares a new word.

In the second example, we are in school making eye contact, feeling the connection. In the first example, we are told about the principal, but we are not involved.

This is true for both fiction and nonfiction.

2. Use dialogue effectively. Here's an example from THE BEAN TREES by Barbara Kingsolver:
"You from out of town?" he asked after a while, eyeing my car.
"No," I said, "I go to Kentucky every year to get my license plate."

Kingsolver didn't write: "No," I said sarcastically. She let her character speak. As a reader, I was there listening, not just hearing about it from someone else.

3. Use action verbs. Consider this example from Carl Hiaasen's SKINNY DIP:
Stranahan dragged the yellow kayak from the shed and pushed it into the water. He stripped off his shirt, kicked away his flip-flops and climbed in. He paddled through the light chop with short, hard strokes, ...

Notice how you or I could duplicate this action; in fact as readers we may be moving our bodies as we read this passage.

4. Use gestures and movements. Act out the scene, if necessary to capture details. Compare these two sentences:
Mary nibbled her fingernail, peeking out from under her eyelashes at the boy who stood next to her on line.

Mary was shy.

In the first sentence, Mary's movements tell readers about her feelings; in the second sentence we have no way to connect to Mary's feelings.

5. Make every word count. Here's an example from Barbara Kingsolver's PIGS IN HEAVEN:
Taylor is never sure when to argue with Barbie, who behaves like a tourist from another solar system who only read a toy catalog before arriving here. You can't argue with someone like that about family values.

Thirty-five words reveals each character's values.

Show, Don't Tell invites understanding; I cannot find a better way to say this.

If you are as captivated by what you read the tenth time you read it as you were the first time, then the author has succeeded in Show, Don't Tell.

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For a half-century, writer and passionate naturalist JJ Murphy, has been providing nature programs, original curricula, articles, product reviews, books and open discussion to children and eco-aware adults across the USA. She lives in Harriman, NY. http://www.writerbynature.com Creative Content for Your Nature Endeavors

TGIF April 20, 2007 Business Author Tricia Molloy

It's time to manifest the business you always dreamed of! Tricia Molloy is Yvonne Perry's guest on Writers in the Sky today.

Tricia Molloy is the author of the new book, Divine Wisdom at Work:™ 10 Universal Principles for Enlightened Entrepreneurs—a quick read and a life-long reference book for anyone who wants to use principles—like the Law of Attraction, visualization, affirmations and gratitude—for success in business and life. Through information, inspiration, real-life business anecdotes and enlightening exercises, the book shows how to tap into the wisdom of the universe and create, grow and manage an extraordinary business.

Click here to listen to Part 1...

Tricia is a seasoned entrepreneur and business consultant who knows how to work joyfully on purpose. Tricia started her own marketing and public relations firm in 1988 to support the success of other passionate small-business owners. She is also a freelance journalist who has written more than 100 business profiles and articles for newspapers and magazines.

Click here to listen to Part 2...

As a New Thought business leader, Tricia applies universal principles to run her company and counsel clients and colleagues. She coaches, speaks and conducts workshops on how to work with wisdom. As the founder of the Divine Wisdom at Work Council, Tricia brings enlightened entrepreneurs together to share ideas, discuss challenges and opportunities, celebrate successes, and support each other while putting these universal principles into practice. She is also a member of the Association for Spirit at Work, a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to the study and practice of spirituality in the workplace.

For more information, visit www.divinewisdomatwork.com.

Spring Article Challenge is coming May 1st!

Suzanne Lieurance and Kristen King are at it again! Together they are offering another challenge to anyone who wants to promote their business through article marketing.

What is article marketing?
Article Marketing is a creative way to drive business to your Web site or blog. It's fun, it's free, it's easy and it's effective.

Here's how it works:

• Write content-rich articles with 300-750 words each on any topic you choose
  
• Create a resource box that invites the reader back to your Web site or blog for more information
• Post the article in a free online article directory
• Then sit back and watch what happens
  

Don't know how to write? No worries, that's what the F*R*E*E* 21-day course is all about. Suzanne and Kristen will teach you how to write an appealing article, a powerful resource box and show you how to track the results of your efforts.

Sign up as a participant NOW!

Then, enjoy networking with other writers as you build your writing skills and promote your business or product.

The First Annual PJs Award

Writers have a Pajama Party to Celebrate their Success in Article Writing Contest

On Wednesday, April 4, 2007, The Working Writer’s Coach, Suzanne Lieurance presented Golden PJs awards to the participants and winners of the Lieurance/King 2007 New Year's Article Challenge. Since the participants do not live in close proximity to one another, the awards were presented virtually in a teleconference arranged through www.freeconference.com.

Twenty-four writers began the article writing challenge on February 1, 2007, with a goal to each write 30 articles before March 31, 2007. Other writers continued to join the race even after Yvonne Perry, owner of Nashville-based Write On! Creative Writing Services, had reached her goal having written 34 articles. Perry secured first place in the winner’s circle beside second and third runner-ups, Hal Manogue and Kate Garvey.

The award given to each winner was a statue of a pair of pajamas, signifying the freedom home-based freelance writers have in selecting their daily work attire. No power suits for Yvonne Perry pictured here in her pink poodle pajamas as the call was taking place.

Participants in this challenge live all over the globe. Some are professional freelance writers; others are hopeful writers trying to get their freelance writing careers started. A few participants joined the group only a week prior to the ending of the event, but still found the challenge beneficial because it forced them to set up their own blog or Web site and to stop procrastinating about their writing. And, even if contestants didn’t write a single article, they did gain knowledge from the 21-day course Tips for Effective Article Marketing offered by the co-hosts of the challenge.

Writer and Consultant, Terry L. Sanders, said, “When I heard of this Challenge I had just started to put together my business. I didn't have a website--I'm not positive I had business cards. Article marketing was something I was hearing faint echoes about, and I had no idea what good it would do me or how to start. Now I've started. I haven't gotten as far as I wanted, but I've started. You've given me that start. And, I thank you all.

On April 27, 2007, those who participated in the article challenge will have a second chance to discuss, in a recorded teleconference, the benefits they found in attempting to write 30 articles in 60 days. This call will be made available by Yvonne Perry as part of her weekly Writers in the Sky Podcasts. Anyone who wishes to know more about how article marketing can drive business to a Web site or blog may listen to the podcast on Yvonne's blog.

Those who wish to participate in the next article challenge planned for May 2007 may contact Ms. Lieurance at suzannelieurance@hotmail.com.

Writers in the Sky Podcast

In October 2005, I launched a weekly podcast called WRITERS IN THE SKY which covers a wide gamut of writing interests. Each week I interview magazine and book publishers, writers, book publicists as well as authors who want to share the storyline or information about their book. I also interview anyone who has writing, publishing and marketing tips to offer.

The information-rich show is available as audio on the list of archived shows in the sidebar of my blog http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com. It is also listed on iTunes.com.

If you are interested in being interviewed as a guest, please send the following digital information with a very short query letter to me via email:

• A bio on you
• A bio on your business
• A jpg of your book’s front cover. If you are not promoting a book, I can use your business logo to promote your work.
• A jpg photo of you
• Any questions you would like me to ask you during the interview
• Blurb from back cover or a synopsis of the book
• You book's ISBN
• The URL to your website or other place your book is available
• I would appreciate having a review copy of your book, if available. Please ask for the mailing address when you query.

If you would like to get an email whenever I upload a new show to Writers in the Sky Podcast, you may subscribe to this blog at http://feeds.feedburner.com/WritersInTheSky.

Yvonne Perry
www.yvonneperry.net

Are you grieving? Here's a blog to comfort you

Can there be joy in mourning the loss of a loved one?

By Yvonne Perry
www.yvonneperry.net

I know for certain that joy and laughter play a huge role in coping with any hardship.

I remember when my grandfather passed away in 1988. I was the first one to enter the house he and my grandmother had shared for 30 years. I had lived next door to them for five years. Daily, my children made several trips back and forth across the garden lot that separated our houses to visit Nanny and Pap. Naturally, my kids were close to their great-grandparents.

My grandmother and my mother had stayed all day and all night with Pap in the hospital for most of the prior week because we knew he was about to succumb to his 20-year battle with emphysema.

When I received the news that he had died in the hospital it was 5:30 a.m. I made a trip to the local donut shop and bought a couple dozen goodies for the family who would be arriving once the coroner had taken Pap’s body. I put on a pot of coffee and awaited that cold February sunrise.

Nanny has always been a go-getter who loves to travel. At ninety years old today, she still leads an active life. However, for several years prior to Pap’s passing she had not been able to go on a vacation with our family for fear that he might die while she was playing skee-ball in the arcades or walking the beach in Florida!

When our family arrived that grim morning, no one really knew what to say to one another. Our grief was mingled with relief. Our relief was tainted with guilt. We were sad, but we also felt a huge burden had been lifted now that the struggle we had all been facing was over and the inevitable had finally occurred.

My kindergarten-aged daughter broke the tension for all of us. She skipped in happily that morning and stopped short when she sensed the heavy atmosphere. Looking at each one of us sitting in our silent stew pot of remorse, she quipped, “Why is everyone so sad? Nanny can go to the beach with us now that Pap is gone!”

We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Her innocent five-year-old comment shocked us so much we didn’t realize the humor until Nanny burst into laughter. That gave us all permission to let out our own roar. Whether that roar was laughter or sorrow, doesn’t matter. The fact is whatever emotion we were repressing internally had to come out. And, the sooner, the better. Tears flowed and hugged followed the roll of toilet paper that was being passed around.

From there, each of us started sharing funny stories we remembered about Pap. The entire mood in the room and in our hearts changed. Soon it was just like our familiar Sunday dinners; women were stirring about in the kitchen and the men were watching TV while the kids traipsed back and forth across the garden in one house and out the other. Barbie dolls and footballs scattered between the mental anguish of our grief and the reality of the love we share as a family.

Linda Della Donna is a special member of this co-op who blogs about grief at http://www.griefcase.blogspot.com/. Each day she posts something humorous to assist women who have lost their husbands. Linda is a widow and she understands grief from all sides.

If you are grieving, do yourself a favor and pick up some mourning joy for your grief case.

Learn to Manifest the Business You Desire

Business Author Tricia Malloy will be Yvonne Perry's guest on Writers in the Sky Podcast April 20, 2007

Tricia Molloy is the author of the new book, Divine Wisdom at Work:™ 10 Universal Principles for Enlightened Entrepreneurs—a quick read and a life-long reference book for anyone who wants to use principles—like the Law of Attraction, visualization, affirmations and gratitude—for success in business and life. Through information, inspiration, real-life business anecdotes and enlightening exercises, the book shows how to tap into the wisdom of the universe and create, grow and manage an extraordinary business.

Tricia is a seasoned entrepreneur and business consultant who knows how to work joyfully on purpose. Tricia started her own marketing and public relations firm in 1988 to support the success of other passionate small-business owners. She is also a freelance journalist who has written more than 100 business profiles and articles for newspapers and magazines.

As a New Thought business leader, Tricia applies universal principles to run her company and counsel clients and colleagues. She coaches, speaks and conducts workshops on how to work with wisdom. As the founder of the Divine Wisdom at Work Council, Tricia brings enlightened entrepreneurs together to share ideas, discuss challenges and opportunities, celebrate successes, and support each other while putting these universal principles into practice. She is also a member of the Association for Spirit at Work, a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to the study and practice of spirituality in the workplace. See her article below!

For more information, visit http://www.divinewisdomatwork.com/.

How Raising Your Vibrations Helps Increase Your Success and Nine Other Universal Principles You Should Know
By Tricia Molloy

Whatever business we’re in, we all have something in common. We could benefit from the wise counsel of a trusted business partner.

The good news is that this partner is already here but has been sadly underused and neglected. Your business partner is a powerful force with all the wisdom of the universe and always has your best interests at heart. It’s your Higher Power or Higher Consciousness—the Divine Wisdom within you that you can access at any time for a wealth of information, ideas, support and guidance.

You don’t have to know all the answers; you just need to know where to look. And often the place to look is inside to make better decisions, solve problems easier, be more creative and accomplish all your goals. By following these 10 universal principles, you can create, manage and grow a business that is meaningful, prosperous and full of joy.

1) Tap into Divine Wisdom: Your Inner Guidance is Calling. Are you looking for an innovative way to pursue new business or increase your productivity? Try these five strategies: meditation, intuition, dreams, prayer and “God Winks,” which is paying attention to coincidences or synchronicities.

2) Define Your Life Purpose: Setting Intentions. When your life purpose is in alignment with your life’s work, all the pieces seem to fall into place and your work becomes play. Look at what motivates you, your deepest values and your natural gifts to help you define your life purpose and set intentions to support it. My Life Purpose Statement is: Through support and by example, I inspire others to follow their dreams and live joyfully on purpose. That statement inspired me to write my book.

3) Embrace Prosperity: You Deserve Unlimited Abundance. Once you realize that abundance is your birthright, there is no lack and you need to circulate money for it to grow, you will begin to experience the effortless flow of prosperity in all aspects of your business.

4) Clean Out the Clutter: The Universe Will Fill the Vacuum. A cluttered workplace distracts us and drains our energy. Throw out the garbage and set up systems that will keep you organized. Put all your old client files in two piles: the clients you would like to work with again and those you don’t. Throw out the latter and clean up and organize the former. By clearing that space, you have created a vacuum that the universe will fill with clients and opportunities that serve your highest good.

5) Stay Present: That’s Where the Gifts Are. Resist the temptation to multitask all the time and instead focus your full attention and all your senses on the task at that moment. Use the “at this moment” approach while consulting with a client, analyzing an operational challenge or interviewing a new vendor. You can solve problems faster, show a deeper level of respect for those around you—thereby earning more respect—and reduce the stress you feel from juggling too many things.

6) Live Your Truth: Time for an Integrity Checkup. When our thoughts and actions conflict with the truth, we waste precious energy and tarnish our reputation. By increasing your level of integrity in thought, word and deed, you will transform all your relationships, including the one with yourself.

7) Engage the Law of Attraction: Your Thoughts Become Your Reality. The Law of Attraction states that energy attracts like energy. We are all energy beings and our vibrations are our thoughts and feelings. When your vibrational energy is high, light and constructive, which comes from love, trust and peace, you will attract successful clients, colleagues and associates that vibrate at that same positive level. Conversely, feelings of fear, doubt and shame will cause you to vibrate at a low, dark and destructive level and you will attract others who vibrate at that negative level. To reach and maintain a high level, participate in nurturing activities like eating and drinking healthy, exercising, playing, laughing, reading inspiring books, enjoying a hobby, and giving thanks. Think about what you want in your business—not what you don’t want—because what you focus on will expand.

8) See to Believe: The Power of Visualization. Follow the lead of every top athlete by visualizing success. What can you visualize in your business? It might be seeing yourself deliver a dynamic presentation that motivates your audience to buy, sign up, hire you or whatever intention you set. Engage all your senses and infuse it with the positive emotions you would feel as if it were true. Visualization creates a space for reality to unfold, just like you pictured it.

9) Affirm Success: Creating, Positive, Powerful Statements. Decide what you want to be true in your business and create a short, positive statement in the present, as if it was already so. Post it and say it regularly. Consider writing your affirmation each morning to keep it fresh in your mind.

10) Give Thanks Often: Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude. Keeping a gratitude journal is the first step to opening up to more blessings in your business. Go one step further and give thanks for perceived business failures or disappointments in anticipation of the gifts that will come from each experience.

Start with one principle and build from there. These tools for dealing with challenges and capitalizing on opportunities will serve you well in your business and your life.

Tricia Molloy is a seasoned entrepreneur, speaker, trainer and author of Divine Wisdom at Work:™ 10 Universal Principles for Enlightened Entrepreneurs (Aha! House, 2006). Visit www.divinewisdomatwork.com.

WHERE DO CHARACTERS COME FROM?

ARTICLE #2 My Imaginary Friends
by Mary E. Martin

Have you ever been haunted by a character, one who inhabits your imagination for days, months or years? Acquiring a life of his own, he leaps from the page and burrows inside us.

Think of Dickens’ Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge or Shakespeare’s King Lear or Macbeth? And then, of course, more recently, Hannibal Lector bursts from the mind of the novelist Thomas Harris and frightens us from the screen in the movie The Silence of the Lambs.

Where did these characters come from? And what makes them so vivid that we carry them in our psyches for years? It’s not enough to say that they arise from the imagination of their creators.

Maybe there is a clue in the thoughts of one of my favorite authors, Robertson Davies. [Deptford Trilogy, The Cornish Trilogy]

“Unless the writing rises from the only true fountain of inspiration—and the Unconscious has shown itself to be not timely, but timeless—it will not be first rate.”

HAPPY ALCHEMY, Jung and the Writer, Pg 349, McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1997

As writers, we may plot the life and actions of a character to our heart’s content. We may apply intellectual reason to the creation and birth of a character, but it will be to no avail. Because, when it comes right down to it, the only thing that matters is where that character comes from, within the writer. If we try to create him by rational thought alone, he is almost certain to fall flat and be easily forgotten.

So what’s so special about the unconscious mind? That’s where creative psychic energy resides. According to Carl Gustav Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, the artist [writer] has unusual access to the realms of the subconscious and all the creative energy it contains. Although we are usually unaware of it, our unconscious dream life continues even when we are going about our daily business. Those fantasies float up unbidden to the surface of the conscious mind of creative writers or artists. When he or she is doing some mundane task like shopping, one of those haunting characters may be born right in the aisle between the cereal and the detergent.

Does that writer rush home and write down everything that has emerged from the unconscious and then present it to the world as art? Hardly. That’s only the beginning. She may go deeper into the realms of the collective unconscious – a sort of vast and completely disorganized library, which contains all the images, thoughts and energies of all mankind from all ages. Plenty of material there to shape characters who live on in us! They stay with us because they are ‘made’ of ancient material we all share as human beings.

I’ve sometimes been asked how could you possibly create such a character as The Florist in Conduct in Question? Such a question is usually accompanied by an uneasy sidelong glance. Perhaps I’m still trying to justify myself.

In Conduct in Question, the first in the Osgoode Trilogy, we meet the Florist, a sadistic murderer with an artistic flair, who believes he is called to judge the worthiness of his victims. When I was out for a walk on a beautiful spring day, I asked myself, what sort of person do I fear most? After many twists and turns in my journey, I realized it was someone who took extreme pleasure in doing physical or mental harm to another. A joyful sadist if you like. But how to make him grow beyond a cardboard devil, who might be easily dismissed or laughed at?

To create a real devil, I think you must give him real human characteristics. Then we cannot deny he is a part of us. The Florist senses a lack of compassion within himself. Longing for it, he addresses his mother. I know what the word compassion means. But what does it feel like? Miraculously, even the Florist has a fleeting moment of redemption, when he does experience compassion. Loving art, The Florist labors to create the lyrical lines of the painter Matisse, as he carves human flesh. He takes his task of judging the worthiness of his victims with utmost seriousness. Sound mad enough a Devil for you? But with these human touches, he cannot be so easily dismissed.

Back to Robertson Davies who writes, “But I know that there is one thing he [the Devil] is: he is a personal element in everybody’s nature, and he may be defined as everything that a man or woman condemns, detests, and is certain that he or she is not.”

HAPPY ALCHEMY, Jung and the Writer, Pg 337, McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1997

Is that the answer? The Devil is in all of us to one degree or another. Most of us succeed in keeping him under wraps in the unconscious depths. But we cannot deny he is there. Have a look at Conduct in Question and see the results of one writer’s attempt to capture him from down below and put him on the page.

Mary E. Martin, a Toronto lawyer, is the author of the Osgoode Trilogy which is comprised of Conduct in Question, Final Paradox and A Trial of One, all legal suspense novels. To learn more please visit www.maryemartin.com and www.authorsden.com/maryemartin

Be sure to listen to Mary’s interview with Yvonne Perry on March 30, 2007. You may sign up for the RSS feed to this blog so you don't miss any of our shows on writing, publishing and book marketing.

Nightengale Press Authors in the News!

Dr. Eric Kaplan, author of DYING TO BE YOUNG --- from Botox to Botulism, A True Story of Survival, will be featured on GOOD MORNING AMERICA May 10th. Tune in!

Author FRANK SOBO's new book DNA STEW is up for the BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD sponsoered by ForeWord Magazine. Good luck to Frank!

Author Dr. Eric Kapan's book DYING TO BE YOUNG is reviewed in FOREWORD MAGAZINE's May/June issue. At last a Nightengale Press author has made it into ForeWord!

Publisher Valerie Connelly gave a Keynote address for Women's History Month on March 29th at the Waukegan Illinois Recreational Center.

Three authors, Jodi Pliszka, Zara Griswold and Yvonne Perry will be represented by Bob Erdmann at the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Foreign Rights program. Their titles, BALD IS BEAUTIFUL, SURROGACY WAS THE WAY, and RIGHT TO RECOVER may be picked up for foreign distribution. Good luck to all three authors!

TGIF April 13, 2007 Children's Writing Coach is here!

Children's Writing Coach Suzanne Lieurance

Suzanne Lieurance is a professional writer who has a desire to help other freelance writers reach their dreams and goals. Suzanne is known as the working writer’s coach. She is a successful freelance writer whose focus is on assisting writers and authors with the mechanics of writing and the art of networking. Suzanne is Yvonne Perry's guest on Writers in the Sky podcast today!

Suzanne and Yvonne have partnered on several events such as the 40-article challenge and the New Year’s article challenge. Their strategic alliance has proven beneficial to each of them. Their latest endeavor is Writers on Call—subscription-based teleclasses where they teach other writers how to start and operate a freelance writing business.

Click here to listen to the show...

Suzanne has written many books for children which have been published by major publishing houses. During Yvonne's interview with Suzanne, they will talk about Suzanne's coaching programs - both for children's writers and for those who write for adults.

Read more about Suzanne’s children’s coaching program and learn how you can participate at http://www.writingforchildrencenter.com.

Sign up here to receive Suzanne’s two free ebooks - Get Your Freelance Writing Career Off the Ground and Tricks of the Trade: Learn to Write for Children. Every weekday morning you'll also receive The Morning Nudge, a few words to inspire and motivate you to get a little writing done.

Poetry Corner April 2007

Poetry Corner is a regular feature in Writers in the Sky Newsletter published by Write On Creative Writing Services in Nashville, TN.

Poets are welcome to submit poems and a hyperlinked bio for each monthly issue of the eZine.

Here are the poems from April 2007 WITS Newsletter.

Glean

Waves spraying our faces for we don't walk the walk.
The beaches edge, which ever changes, is where we, Sky, earth, moon and sea meet.

Breezing through the strong breeze, the
Fuller our lungs, the lighter we'd run,
It was to be; with ease.

As reality, she and I stalked ourselves
In those shells silences, like when
We leaped from a slip on a rock to the next; well.
Then sitting still, we glistened, the sun splashing
Through us; as the ocean's and our salt were one.

Her thoughts and mine flowed,
Our feelings were its ebb and flow.
Nature, true, would not be unsung.

That blue gray cloudy day found us in the end.
Finding it by moon's ray, our ears to waves did lend.
It was as our footprints,
Truly there 'til tide did gently lift.
For, if it were that we held it,
Like sand grasped, it wouldn't be a gift.


James M. Nordlund is a mental health counseling supervisor by profession, into poetic revelation and workshop as individual and group therapeutic milieu. He is involved with A.A.P., I.A.W.A., A.P.R., Teacher's and Writer's Collaborative, I.W.W.G., Univ. of the Sts., Lummox, Nomad's Choir, Poet's House, St. Mark's Poetry Project, Beans About It, P.E.N. Friend, NAFPT. James is featured on his multi-art show, "Matutinally Watered Poetree" on Manh, cable, and other T.V. and radio shows. He has been a co-editor, assistant editor, written columns amd published over 400 works and is currently a regional editor for Poet To Poet, out of N.Y.C.. Submission, twigs of poetree.
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Passion

Ragged, worn hands
Soft, curved lips
Trailing passion devours
Clashing at the hips

Fire engulfed touch
Blazing wild heat
Passion quenches flavor
Dancing to the beat

Hearts strum together
Hunger breaks free
Two souls unite
Flowing passionately

Passion fades from eager
To one spent night
Bodies clenched as one
Basking in love’s bright light

Shadows of Life

As I lie in the still of night
and gaze at a hollow sky,
I reflect on the story of my life.
Like the star that has been
singled out of a cloudy mist,
I dare shine and be heard
in a voiceless universe.
Like the bitter piercing breeze,
my feelings froze in the grasp of time.
Character and emotion cast
into the mere shell of what is.
Like the lonely owl’s cry,
I longed for my soul’s companion.
Like the fresh scent of a spring rain,
I yearn to be pure.
Life is but a dark universe
and I enlighten it’s shadows.

Danielle Sharp is a twenty-four year old aspiring author. She has been writing poems since the early 1990’s—many of them based on her true encounters. Danielle lives in Michigan with her wonderful husband of three years.
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Block

What to write, the block has come.
Where did ideas go, they were here yesterday.
Look to the sky, the ground, a building just to get hint.
There goes a car , a bird , a bug, nothing is coming.
There is a wall, big and unmovable.
There seems to be a crack but will it break.
It is small can bearly be seen.
Keep on looking and searching for a way in.
There it is, it is so close.
It's so hard to see but is it getting bigger.
Can't stop, must keep serching for it.
Can feel it, here it comes.
Its here, it was worth the search.
The block is gone.

Blank Paper

The pen goes down and it moves.
Not with guidance but by force.
Passion flows from the unknown.
Thoughts are private but must come out.
Whispers become shouts for all to hear.
Once passive, now agressive and sure.
They will know and hear.
Thoughts will be heard or be lost
Blank paper has been coloured.
All ears will be filled.
As the pen goes down and moves.

A Writer

Ideas are flowing in the mind.
Will there be the time?
So much to say, write it down.
So much to do , write it down.
Make a list, a story or two.
Will there be time?
Got to work, got to pay.
Got to come, got to go.
Round and round the same way.
Will there be time?
It's what I am and have to be.
It won't stand in front of me.
There will be time.

Lisa-Marie Mertineit lives in Brampton, Ontario Canada. She is new to the writing industry, but has always enjoyed writing and finds that ideas come easy. Mertineit has been working on short stories and different types of poetry and she loves to play on words.
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Rest In Peace

Life is just too short
To play like it’s some kind of game
Once you play with death
Things will never be the same
The hand of death can come very sudden
Unexpectedly knocking at your door
It may take you off the road you are taking
And it may never let you come back to travel anymore
So you want to play around with guns
And risk losing your own life
You want to quote, give them what they deserve
And stab them in the back with a knife
Doing drugs, dying a slow death
Just so you can get high
Selling drugs, killing innocent people
Just for money so you can get by
To much anger, hate, and rage
To let it go and just be friends
But if we don’t stop the hurt and pain
When will all this killing end
Stop the killing among us
Or the death rate will continue to increase
To all my family and friends I’ve lost
May you all Rest in Peace

Jimmetta Carpenter is the Editor and Creator of the Free Fall Literary E-Zine. She has dedicated herself to the power of the words and given into her passion for writing and has been writing poetry officially since the age of ten. She has two books of poetry self-published through lulu.com under the Pen name Gemini; one is titled “The Art of Love” and the other “Inside a Gemini’s Heart”. www.freefalllit.com

Galley copies coming soon!

RIGHT TO RECOVER Winning the Political and Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research in America by Yvonne Perry deals with one of the hottest topics facing our country this presidential campaign season, if not this century.

Much more than a basic overview of stem cell research, RIGHT TO RECOVER will answer the questions and define the issues facing international research and U.S. research, legal issues regarding funding for blastocystic (known as embryonic) stem cell research all the while breaking down the misconceptions and myths such as: What about the Prentice List that says adult stem cells are able to treat as many as 72 illnesses? This book will clarify the separation of Church and State, the Constitution and founding fathers' intention regarding religion and government, and show how a minority of people known as the U.S. religious right is preventing recovery through ignorance.

With first hand stories of success and with interviews of those hopeful of a cure, this book will answer the most asked question regarding stem cell research: Is there really hope that stem cells derived from leftover in-vitro fertilization procedures can cure disease? Doctors in the field and politicians battling to open the legislative doors bring their expertise and vision to us throughout this well-researched book.

Galley copies will soon be available. If you are interested in providing a review for this book, please let Valerie Connelly of Nightengale Press know.

Book with a View April 2007

BOOK WITH A VIEW is a regular feature of Writers in the Sky (WITS) Newsletter published by Yvonne Perry and Write On Creative Writing Services.

This month Reader Views is featuring two books dealing with substance abuse – alcohol. Each author shares his own personal story and how recovery took place.

An Uncommon Drunk: Revelations of a High-Functioning Alcoholic
Jeff Herten, MD
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 059537994X
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (11/06)

The author, Dr. Jeff Herten, writes “An Uncommon Drunk” from two main perspectives. The first is based upon his own experience as a functioning alcoholic. The second is based upon his experience and knowledge as a medical doctor. The amount of medical information that he provides about the damage that alcohol causes to our bodies is incredible. I have a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and I learned more in this book about the physiologically damaging effects of alcohol than I did during my entire program. The alcohol industry does a lot to make alcohol appear benign, but really it is a dangerous poison for our bodies.

Complete review and live interview with author...

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My Swim with the Sharks
Richard Taylor
PublishAmerica (2005)
ISBN 1413782698
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/06)

“My Swim with the Sharks” is a story about a personal battle with a drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction is an insidious disease; it destroys people’s health, families and breaks down our society. Richard knew this, yet he found himself unable to stop drinking or doing drugs. In spite of everything that he was experiencing, Richard knew it was wrong, he knew it was destroying him and his friends, and he battled hard to overcome it.

Complete review and live interview with author...

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Waking Spirit: Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings
by Shirley Cheng; foreword by New York Times bestselling author, Cynthia Brian
ISBN: 9780615136806 paperback; 9780615138930 hardback
To be released in May 2007.
Pre-order autographed copies from: http://www.shirleycheng.com

Kirkus Discoveries wrote:
An inspirational miscellany from one of the braver souls on the planet. The author of a number of works in genres ranging from memoir to short fiction to poetry, this motivational speaker is seldom at a loss for words to celebrate life and promote her indefatigable character. Here, Cheng collects a menagerie of lyrics, haiku, short personal essays and even briefer aphoristic words to live by--all on the theme of leaping over seemingly insurmountable hurdles, a subject with which this author is well-acquainted. Though plagued from infancy with near-fatal juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and then blindness as a teenager, Cheng continues to tackle on the page all life has to offer, enlisting but her two index fingers, the aid of a screen-reader program that reads back what she's composed and her indomitable will.

Cheng's prose statements detail a few of her tribulations, offering philosophical insights on suffering, though never with a hint of self-pity; her poems, particularly the vivid haiku, turn more to objects of the natural world that delight her. For those ready to be eased of their burdens, Cheng provides a lift.

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Dance with Your Heart! Inspirational and Fantasy Books and Poems
by Shirley Cheng

Be empowered, inspired, and motivated through the inspirational writings, radio interviews, and life story of miracle survivor Shirley Cheng, a blind and physically disabled motivational speaker, poet, author and contributing author of twelve books by age twenty-three. Despite her multiple physical disabilities, she's living the life she loves and she empowers others to do the same. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, Inspiration from a Blind, to receive words of inspiration, news and updates on her books.

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Cagney & Lacey and Me, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blond
by Barney Rosenzweig

This week, Fox announced the long-awaited release of the Cagney & Lacey DVD set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the popular TV show. The show's producer, Barney Rosenzweig, is also releasing his book on the trials and tribulations of getting this show on the air.

When Cagney & Lacey first aired on CBS, nothing like it had ever been seen before. Not only did the groundbreaking series feature two smart, capable women cops (this in The Love Boat era), it also tackled such taboo subjects as date rape, breast cancer, and a woman's right to choose. It was their gritty, honest take on real-life situations that gave the women's movement a jump start that forever changed the face of television drama.

It's been twenty five years since the breakthrough television series was first broadcast on CBS, and all the fighting and passion that went into creatingand keepingthe award-winning series alive will soon be revealed in Cagney & LaceyŠ and MeAn Inside Hollywood Story or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blond, written by the show's executive producer, Barney Rosenzweig.

(In case you're wondering about the "love the blond" part - - Rosenzweig later married Sharon Gless, who played Christine Cagney).

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Alan Siegel on Branding and Clear Communication
by Louis J. Solvinsky

Over the past three decades, Alan Siegel has become one of the best known figures in the branding business and a champion of clear communications. He has achieved the stature of both pillar of the establishment and provocative iconoclast, while building a leading brand consultancy, Siegel & Gale.

Siegel's influence extends to advising organizations such as Xerox, American Express, The Girl Scouts, and The National Basketball Association. This biography tells the story of a man who became a success and leader in an area of human endeavor that neither he nor his friends expected.

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Rich by Choice
by Erland Peterson

Successful money and wealth management. Rich By Choice gives you, with stories, facts and figures, the investment advice you need to build your investments and retirement income successfully.

Rich by Choice is the only book you will ever need to build your riches and manage your wealth. This is the process; these are the steps to make you rich. The choice is yours.

• MAKE YOUR CHOICES
• Investing money safely, for profit
• Insurance, benefits and protection
• Tax advice and planning
• The facts and figures you need
• Financial planners' strategies that work
• Real people's stories of success
• Stop saving, start investing; that's wealth management
• Wealth comes from ownership

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Ricochet
by p.m. Terrell

The night before Sheila Carpenter begins her career as an FBI Agent a bomb is detonated sending Sheilas best friend to the hospital in a fight for her life. Then Sheila discovers clues her mother left in the days before her parents deaths leading Sheila to believe their deaths were not accidental.

Now Sheila is on the trail of her mother’s killers while the bombers are closing in on Sheila. She’s swept into the dark underbelly of illegal immigration, identity theft, and terrorism. And now she's on a collision course with terrorists intent on sending the United States into chaos. And for Sheila, now it’s personal.

Ricochet has been nominated for the 2007 IPPY Awards!

We want you to use us for free!

Do you Need Articles for your Blog or Web site?

Here's the perfect solution and it's offered to you at no cost from Yvonne Perry, the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services and a group of writers who participated in a 40-article challenge.

Unite to Write is a collection of reprintable articles on a variety of topics such as:

• Herbs and plants
• Grief and widowhood
• Writing for Children
• Coping with Insomnia
• Freelance writing business know-how
• Do it yourself Home Repair
• Dealing with Coworkers
• Medical Articles
• Marketing and Networking

What's the catch?

There is no catch. In fact, we want you to use the articles for content in your newsletter, or on your blog or Web site. You can even give separate articles or the entire eBook to others. All we ask is that you keep the resource box at the end of each article intact when you use or share them.

Like what you see, but still want more?

If you need more content than this eBook contains, click the hyperlink inside the resource box and find more material from each writer.

What are you waiting for?

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREEBIE NOW!

Simply click here or on the book cover and get Unite to Write!

Success Stories: Authors Podcast

Shabana from the Penguin Group (book publishers) would like to announce podcast shows with two of their authors.

Cal Ripken, Jr. shares some rousing advice with us from his new book, Get in the Game. Margaret Heffernan, author of How She Does It, explains why there are so many successful female entrepreneurs, and shares some of their inspiring stories.

Access the podcast here...

NETWORK WITH US April 2007

Add your announcement or brag about your writing accomplishment. Tell us about your book or business. Share information and ideas or send articles or advertorial for the next issue to writer@yvonneperry.net. Remember, you may post a comment on my blog http:yvonneperry.blogspot.com anytime.

These are the E-nouncements from our readers this month:

The Book Project by Bookhitch
Give back to the community through your words:
Write the next chapter of a book and see your name in print when the book is brought to market. We have three chapters of our community book written by different authors:

Anne K. Edwards
Brian Rouff
Shirley Cheng

The project is a great opportunity to promote yourself and your writing. It is also a great writing exercise for many of you who need to take short breaks, and may even spark that creative edge you are looking for when writing your next manuscript.

Do your part for this project:
We have now closed submissions for Chapter 4, and voting will begin soon...so VOTE. If you are not familiar with the project then take a look, pass the word along, and outline your project submission for chapter 5!

Visit the Project Page for more information about how you can participate.

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Unless you missed my last update, the book we’ve all been waiting for, Tempered Fire, is available NOW from your local bookstore or online sources such as amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and BAMM.com.

Tempered Joy will be released sometime this year. Meanwhile, please celebrate with me the acceptance of my single title novel, The Inheritance by The Wild Rose Press for their White Rose Line! The Inheritance is about the chance we all long for, the chance to start over.

Widowed at age thirty-nine and suffering from empty nest syndrome, Rebecca Sinclair is overshadowed by grief and loneliness. Orphaned as a young child and suffering the endless cycle of foster homes, she has only known true love as that of her husband and children. Alas, her husband is deceased, her oldest child is pursuing an acting career in New York and her youngest child is attending college in France. Rebecca longs to shed her grief and start anew, to once again feel useful and needed, but she has no idea what God has in store for her future. Will an unexpected inheritance in the wine country of New York bring meaning and purpose to her life and give her the courage to love again?

US Postal worker Raymond Jacobey has been in love with the little widow since he first set eyes on her. A wanderer in search of the ever-illusive soul mate, Ray has never stayed in one place too long. Raised by self-centered, high-powered executives, he’s longed for the idyllic life of residing in a cozy house in a small town with the love of his life. Will their dreams come true together? Find out as we follow them from the mountainous splendor of Washington State to the vast, vibrant beauty of the Finger Lakes region of New York.

The Inheritance is tentatively set for release this summer, first as an Ebook, then in print!
For status and updates, check The Wild Rose Press website and/or my website.

Until later...Take care, stay in touch, God Bless and may your heart be on fire with the light and love of Christ! And as usual, THANK YOU for your continued support of my writing career.

Sincerely,
Pamela S Thibodeaux
Inspirational with an Edge!

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CONTESTS:

Those who enjoy a contest will want to know about the $100 cash prize Yvonne Perry is giving as the Write On! Award for the Best Creative Writing of the Year. She has joined Irene Watson with Reader Views for her annual literary awards and encourages you to submit your work.

Criteria: Must have original, imaginative and creative use of words that create vivid mental pictures of scenes and characters.

See a complete list of contests being offered by Reader Views...

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On April 15 at 3:00 p.m., Shirley Cheng, a blind and physically disabled poet and author of five books by age 23, will participate in New Voices Bookstore's grand opening by giving an inspirational talk and holding a book signing. The store is located at 424 E. 9th Street in New York City. For more information or to contact Shirley, visit http://www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to swap links with ShirleyCheng.com? Contact Shirley via her site.

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Get lots of no cost Time Management articles and tips now at http://www.balancetime.com to give you more hours in every day. Reduce your stress and create more balance in your life now.

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Mabel Ngu would like for us to know about a fantastic user-friendly E-Book Wizard Maker that could help create an e-book fast and at no charge! Upload your file and create a secure ebook at http://magmaker.spotbit.com. Sell your e-Book or e-Magazine on spotbit.com. There are tons of F*REE ones for download at www.spotbit.com

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About Purple Snowflake Marketing

Purple Snowflake Marketing - How To Make Your Book Stand Out In A Crowd, by Dave and Lillian Brummet is currently being published by Twilight Times Books. This e-book is a reference guide for self-marketing authors who want to stand out in the crowd. With over 500 direct links to resources, a holiday/event calendar and images of sample promotion materials, the e-book creates a way for authors to design an effective marketing plan and utilize frugal promotional tools with the click of their mouse. Release date: June 30 2007.

"...Online, offline, in person, in taxi cabs, by mail, at events, anywhere and everywhere, their marketing reach tries to touch every potential reader. Indeed, Purple Snowflake Marketing - How To Make Your Book Stand Out In a Crowd, could easily add hundreds if not thousands of orders to any book published today..." ~ Frank Hilliard, Author of Deeley - Motorcycle Millionaire; former television journalist, video producer, magazine editor, security consultant and currently a semi-retired web-database developer.

"...Your questions about how to get reviews, what to do in internet marketing, making media kits and writing press releases will all be answered. This book is a Godsend to new authors..." ~ Betty Fasig, Author of Wooffer: Stories You Can Read To Your Dog (And Other Children)

"...one of the best guidebooks any writer could have on the journey of guiding their work to its final destination. ...sound knowledge of how the market works and what it takes to reach the reader. Their advice is invaluable. The information you'll find here is exhaustive. The range of materials and resources in the appendices is truly mind-boggling." ~ Lois J. Peterson, Author of 101 - and more - Writing Exercises to Get You Started & Keep You Going (Metta Publications). She operates the writing, editing, consulting, and workshop business LPwordsolutions.

BOOK EXPO AMERICA is only 51 days away!

BOOK EXPO AMERICA is the largest trade show for the entire publishing industry in North America – booksellers, publishers, agents, authors, journalists, distributors, librarians, rights professionals and more.

Nightengale Press and Yvonne Perry's book Right to Recover, Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America will be represented by the publisher's president, Valerie Connelly.

For authors who want to get their book reviewed, distributed and sold in North America the BEA is where you want to be. Over 2,000 publishers and 3,000 librarians will be in attendance as well as bookstore owners from across the country.

Read how to become an exhibitor at BEA.