Writers in the Sky Podcast and Blog

Meet the Girl Reading in the South

2009-07-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Marlive Harris will be joining us on Writers in the Sky Podcast this Friday July 10th, 2009!

Marlive Harris is fondly known in literary circles as thegrits.com, an acronym for "the girl reading in the south.com" She is an online book marketer/promoter who has a fascination with technology (the Internet in particular) and a love of literature—especially African American Literature.Before becoming a full time online book marketer, Marlive was a classroom teacher and school librarian for eight years in North Texas. While working as a librarian, she launched The G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club, a leading online reading and book promotion community for adult readers and writers.

Her next endeavor came next in 2001 when she launched the award-winning G.R.I.T.S. Kidz Book Club, an online book club for kids, parents, and adult care-givers of children who desire to discuss and learn more about African American and other multicultural literature written for young people.

The success of those two online reading communities and her desire to meet the unique web publicity needs of authors and self-publishers is the reason she launched The GRITS COM Literary Service full-time in 2003. So, for the last eight years TheGRITS.com with its reading groups, online book campaigns, virtual book tours, and podcast network has become a place where books, readers, literary professionals, connect on the Internet!

You will find Marlive giving book promotion presentations (online and offline), participating and moderating readers' and writers' discussion panels, or you may see one of the reading organizations she moderates or facilitates featured in news and print publications!

You will want to check out On The Air with Marlive Harris. This is her radio show where she interviews authors and people in the book industry.

You can connect with Marlive Harris online at:

Facebook
MySpace
Utterli
FriendFeed

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Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Just click this link: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com and go to my blog.On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to the audio file.

Have you thought of hosting your own podcast? It's easy. Learn how at http://nashvillewriter.audioacrobat.com/

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to leave a comment on iTunes to help others find it.

Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza

2009-07-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today we welcome Cherie Burbach to our writing blog. She is discussing her book Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza.

YVONNE: Tell me something about yourself and your writing background.

CHERIE: I'm an author, blogger, poet, crocheter, (and most of all) geek. I've written six books, and I also blog and write full-time. My favorite hobby is following the Packers and reading about Tudor history.

YVONNE: What is the title of your book? Give us the basic story line so we’ll know what it’s about.

CHERIE: The title is Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza. It's a guidebook for online daters on how to write a profile, email their online match, set up coffee dates, and even move on when your relationship gets more serious. The book doesn't just give blank advice like "write a better profile" but shows daters exactly what to write (and not write) through concrete examples.

YVONNE: What inspired you to write this book?

CHERIE: A few years ago I did online dating, and met over 60 guys for coffee in just six months. It was a very positive experience for me, in part because I could convey my personality with the written word. I wanted to let daters know that anyone can have the same experience. (Oh, and one of those guys turned out to be the one I would marry!)

YVONNE: Is this the first book you have written?

CHERIE: No, I've written six.

YVONNE: How long did it take to write this book? Any interesting tidbits about your writing method or how the book developed?

CHERIE: I started outlining points for the book a few years ago, but once I sat down and wrote it, I believe it took about six months. The title actually came from my husband. I said that I wanted daters to know that they can't just order up a date like they do a book or shirt or a pizza! And he said, "I think you've got your title there."

YVONNE: How did you publish your book? Tell me about your publishing experience and what you learned from it.

CHERIE: A few years ago I started my own company, and it's been a wonderful experience. I've learned that no matters who publishes your book, you must be diligent about marketing.

YVONNE: Where is your book available? Do you have a Web site or blog where we can learn more about you or your book?

CHERIE: My book is available anywhere online where books are sold (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) The best place to find me is at my website: www.cherieburbach.com. I have links to my books and blogs there.

YVONNE: Tell me some ways you have promoted your book. Give examples and links to any sites you feel might help other authors.

CHERIE: I started a website specifically for the book (http://internetdatingpizza.homestead.com/) and place all the interviews, reviews, and news about the book there. I also did an online virtual tour in April, which was so much fun! Info (and stops) from the tour can be found here: http://internetdatingpizza.homestead.com/press.html.

YVONNE: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and learn about your book. I wish you well in your journey as an author.

CHERIE: Thank you so much for having me as a "guest." I feel writers should support one another and am happy you do so much to help promote writers!

One Dash or Two? Using En and Em Dashes in Writing

2009-07-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

En dashes (–) are used to show duration such as when writing the time 9:00–5:00, or range such a date April 15–31 or number 100–150. The en dash can also be used as a hyphen in compound adjectives in which one part consists of two words or a hyphenated word: pre–World War I era. En dashes do not have spaces in front or behind them.

En dashes are created on a Mac computer by simultaneously pressing option-hyphen. For Windows users, the en dash is created by holding down ALT while typing 0150 on the numeric keypad.

Em dashes (—) are used in place of a colon or parenthesis to show an abrupt change in thought or to separate clauses in a sentence. Em dashes may be also used to show an open range: Jane Smith, 1987—

Mac users press shift-option-hyphen to create an em dash. The em dash is created in Windows by holding down ALT and typing 0151 on the numeric keypad. Microsoft Word will automatically create an em dash whenever you type two hyphens without spaces between them and without spaces before or after the words connected by the hyphens: word--word will convert to word—word.

Hyphens are used to connect two words and to separate characters in a phone number (123-555-0123).

The 3-em dash uses six hyphens before and after a word ( ------ and ------ ) when a person’s name or some other word(s) is being omitted. You may want to start in the middle of a longer quote while indicating that other words actually preceded or followed the part of the quote you used. For example:

------ that religion is a matter that lies soley between man and his God ------ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Now you have the facts about dashes and it’s up to you whether you decided to dash or not to dash!

Yvonne Perry, is the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services—a team of highly qualified writers and editors with many years of experience in writing for articles, books, ad copy, media releases, PR kits, Web text, biographical sketches, and newsletters. Editing, proofreading, book review, and book evaluation services offered individually and as packages. Find us online at http://www.writersinthesky.com

Follow WITS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/writersinthesky
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it.

Janet Riehl to discuss the process of making her audio book.

2009-07-03T06:47:00.014-05:00

We have a special guest on Writers in the Sky Podcast today as Janet Riehl joins Yvonne Perry to talk about Janet's new audio book Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.

Have you ever wanted to create an audio version of your book? Janet did. In fact, it was a lifelong dream to share her poetry and her family's music. She combined both in a one-of-a-kind audio book that blends and portrays the songs her family wrote and performed. These songs would otherwise have been lost once her father passes. Instead, Janet now has a priceless audio filled with memories that she is sharing with others. See the video documentary series of how this audio book was created over a one-year time period. These You Tube videos were filmed and produced by Yvonne Perry's son-in-law, Scott Kidd.

The audio book Sightlines: A family Love Story in Poetry and Music is available on CD Baby at this link: http://cdbaby.com/cd/janetgraceriehl. There, readers can listen to as much as they wish online.

Janet Grace Riehl is a seasoned writer, artist, musician, and storyteller. Although Janet roamed the world and then came home to be near her family, she defies the stereotype of a down-home, heartland gal. Her travels and work have taken her across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With her father in his 90s, Janet returned to the Midwest to settle in St. Louis, not far from the home place her ancestors founded in the 1860s. In southwest Illinois, it sits high on a bluff above the Mississippi River. After returning to her roots, Janet embraced poetry, memoir, and short stories.

Click here to listen to the interview where Janet explains the process of making an audiobook. Learn more about copyrighting, distribution, and marketing!

Janet's first book Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary is a family love story narrated in story poems that bring together six generations of memories and history. In the words of one reviewer, the collection offers “village wisdom for the 21st century.” Janet's poetry book was recently expanded into an audiobook Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Song. This four-disc set includes not only 90 poems, but also music recorded in her father’s parlor along with his jokes and stories that anchor the original poems in their time and place.

Go to http://www.riehlife.com to sign up for a 10-minute audio download of poetry and music from Janet's new audio book Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.

Sightlines: A Poet's Diary is available as a paperback book on Amazon with thirty-one 4- and 5-star reviews.

California Vacation ~ Our Trip to the Desert

2009-07-02T08:00:00.004-05:00

Yvonne Perry, an award-winning and best-selling author, has published a book on ebooKarma!

California Vacation ~ Our Trip to the Desert is a humorous e-book about a writer who struggles to leave her business behind long enough to take a two-week vacation. She offers insight into the changes made in air travel since 9/11, gives an account of a trip to the vineyards where she becomes inebriated, and shares her encounter with the blue hairs at a local bar.

You have got to check it out. Best of all, it is FREE!

Click on the book cover to take you to the download page! Or just click here.

Get to know Yvonne!

What Can Be Done to Avoid Piracy of e-books?

2009-07-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

Along with marketing and selling e-books online comes the issue of piracy—or folks passing them on to people who have not purchased them. If you market e-books, how can you be sure that the e-books aren't pirated?

If you want to sell e-books that others have written, be sure to deal with people you know. By establishing a network of people in your industry, you can help one another succeed. Your network will have or know of products and e-book you can sell; and because you have earned one another’s trust, you have peace of mind that you are offering quality content that is produced legally.

If you don’t have a network, you could choose products from an affiliate program that has a good reputation. Many e-books are now listed on Amazon.com and they have an affiliate program. If an e-book is listed there, it has been through a selection process that requires a registered ISBN. No ISBN; no listing on Amazon.

If you write and sell your own e-books online, you may be concerned about other people stealing your material. It’s certainly true that many copyrighted PDFs and e-books are passed around illegally. So, what can an author do? While you have a right to pursue legal representation to recover your losses, you may have a difficult time trying to locate all the places and people who are violating your copyright. In your e-book, you can request that the purchaser not forward your e-book to others who have not paid for a copy, but unfortunately this request can easily be ignored.

I recommend that you put your name, URL, or some type of identifying or marketing text throughout your book. That way, if someone does get your e-book by pirated means, they at least have a way to: 1.) report it to you, 2.) check out your site to see if you have other e-books or services they need. You never know, they may actually purchase your next e-book.

Do not offer the same e-book you sell as a give-away or prize in a contest or promotion. People may think that if your e-book is free, then people should not have to pay for it. Create other products to offer as freebies or as incentives, but let the e-books you sell be reserved only for that purpose.

Yvonne Perry, is the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services—a team of highly qualified writers and editors with many years of experience in writing for articles, books, ad copy, media releases, PR kits, Web text, biographical sketches, and newsletters. Editing, proofreading, book review, and book evaluation services offered individually and as packages. Find us online at http://www.writersinthesky.com

Follow WITS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/writersinthesky

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it.

Talk Radio Wants You: An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited

2009-06-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Talk Radio Wants You: An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited
Francine Silverman
ISBN - 9 780786 440337
Publisher - McFarland & Co
Pub Date: April 2009
314 pages
Price: $75
Reviewer's Name: Victor Volkman of Authors Access (5/09)

Imagine being able to sit down with a coffee and discuss with hundreds of radio hosts what their shows are about and what kind of guests they’d like to book. You can do just that with Francine Silverman’s new book Talk Radio Wants You: An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited. I have paid $300 or more for talk radio show databases that had far less information than Francine presents in her highly-competitively priced book.

Broken down into top-level categories, you can browse for shows in your genre, including politics, health & fitness, food, sports, self-help, women’s issues, and even authors. I would expect most people can find a dozen hot prospects for making their pitch in under half-an-hour, that is if you can stop yourself from endlessly browsing the fascinating entries! Francine doesn’t stop with AM/FM, also included are satellite radio and podcasts, which can reach thousands of interested listeners you would never get from terrestrial radio.

Each entry includes critical info such as desired guests, host bio, and full contact info so you can tailor your pitch perfectly I can’t recommend this book strongly enough for any author who wants to get into this high-profile, low-cost method of marketing. Only a couple of downsides to mention: if you’re looking for gay & lesbian, military/veteran, or science-fiction oriented shows you will not find enough listings to make it worthwhile. Also, I feel like the “What is your guest from hell?” entries were a bit repetitive. Everyone knows that hosts want an articulate, on-time, and well-spoken guest. If I know Francine, she will amend these in future editions.

Purchase on amazon.com

Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music

2009-06-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today we welcome Janet Grace Riehl to our writing blog. She is discussing her audio book Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.

This project expands upon her poetry book Sightlines: A Poet's Diary. We featured Janet on a Writers in the Sky Podcast shortly after her poetry book first came out: and we will be having her on the show July 3 to talk about how and why she created an audio book

YVONNE: Tell me something about yourself and your writing background.
JANET: I had an anachronistic childhood--easily lagging a generation behind the one of was born into. Our family lived on our ancestral home place in SW Illinois on the bluffs above the Mississippi River. Our family had lived there for generations (six now) since the 1860s. We worked constantly as a family helping extended family and living what now would be thought of as a "back to the land." But, for us, it was just a way of life to save money so each of us three kids could go to college without owing money. My biggest recreation as a child was reading and roaming the woods on our land, Evergreen Heights.

I read a lot as a child...mostly novels from the early 1900s: Girl of the Limberlost; Daddy Long Legs; Anne of Green Gables series; The Secret Garden. These shaped my values and coincided with our family history and values.

My father recently stumbled over my first published pieces in my Junior High School literary magazine, Kaleidoscope. I went on to be on the editorial team for my college literary magazine Sou'Wester...and to get an M.A. in English. I still consider myself to be recovering English major.

As an adult I published poems, short fiction, and personal essays in a dozen or so literary magazines such as The Harvard Review, and The Cream City Review.

Then, about six months after my sister's death, I began the book Sightlines: A Poet's Diary published in 2006. I've also published two books for my father and we're working on a third--a family and friends poetry anthology.

YVONNE: You have an audio book based on your poetry book Sightlines: A Poet's Diary. Now you have both a book and an audio book in the "Sightlines" family. What inspired you to create an audio from the book?
JANET: You did! During our podcast for Sightlines: A Poet's Diary you remarked how well I read and that having these on audio would be wonderful. This sentiment was echoed as I gave talks and readings around the country. Finally, in 2008 I'd arranged to meet you and Hal Manogue, my two blogging buddies in Nashville. It occurred to me that Nashville, Music City, was the natural place to produce my audio book. I asked you for a sound engineer referral and I lucked out! Your son-in-law Scott Kidd turned out to be an audio engineer living in Nashville. It' was a dream experience of collaboration.

YVONNE: Give us the basic story line so we’ll know what your audio book is about.
JANET: The purpose of the audio book was not to replicate the original book--that is, just read the 90 poems. Rather, I wanted to enhance the book and bring more context to it. We did that by including 40 songs--all recorded by my 93-year-old father and his music group in the Illinois parlor of our home place.

Hal Manogue described the Sightlines book as "a down home family love story beyond death." It is that, but much more. There are five sections in both the Sightlines book and audio book. These five sections trace the first year for my family and me after my sister's death; care-taking my mother, a stroke survivor; my father and our changing relationship as we care for mother; how it feels for me to return to the family home place after roaming the world; what it feels like to commute from Illinois back and forth to Lake County in Northern California.

The book and audio book are reflections on the sorrow of life's fragility (impermanence, mortality, aging, and change) and the joy at its tenderness (reconciliation and redemption). This sorrow and joy form the sightlines of this collection of 90 poems.

We chose the music that bookends the poems to deepen the sense of family history, broaden the context, create a mood, and give time to rest and take in each poem.

YVONNE: How long did it take to produce this book? Any interesting tidbits about or how the audio book developed?
JANET: We worked seven months (from May to November) to produce the audio book. When we started, I didn't know how much it would cost, how long it would take, or what would be involved. I had the passion and vision to do it, and the persevering to complete it. I was extremely fortunate in working with a topnotch team of professionals...mainly Scott Kidd as audio engineer and Greg McNey who drove the licensing and copyrighting phase.
Over the course of working on the audio book, I felt I'd become friends with my collaborators. Our lives had changed during this time. Scott moved and was shortly expecting a baby. I'd gone of two trips to Africa, my long-held dream. After the Nashville recording days, all the work together was at a distance via email or phone.
In terms of the relationship between the two of us, it's been a continuing revelation since I first appeared on your podcast in 2006. Your readers may want to look at your post recalling our Nashville visit and pointing out the value of networking: http://tr.im/lTZh.

YVONNE: How did you produce your audio book? Tell me about your experience and what you learned from it.
JANET: There were five stages in producing the audio book: 1) Recording; 2) Editing; 3) Mastering the discs; 4) Licensing and Copyrighting; 5) Celebrating; 6) Promotion. For more detail on these five stages, you can read a post I wrote for Writers in the Sky [provide link] or, go to my ezine article on how to produce an audio book at http://tr.im/lTZ7.

Scott recorded me reading all 90 poems from the original poetry book during two days at his home studio. Before I came down we'd recorded a 4-hour session on mini-disc player with my father's Sunday music group. I also recorded my father reading his poems from the book and all the voice lines I'd written into my story poems. Scott took the mini-disc material, which was recorded in analog, and turned into digital format so he could work with it directly, interleaving it like a complex collage with the poems.

From the analog mini-disc recording he pulled not only the music clips from 40 songs, including 7 composed by my father over the years, but also Pop telling jokes, stories, and bantering with us during the music session.

Scott not only had the technical chops, but also was easy and fun to work with. He had a feeling for the strength of family, what our family had gone through, and for music. He was the ideal collaborator.

I learned so much about each how to make an audio book. I knew nothing going into the project. In addition, it was a joy every step of the way. There's not often any person can say that. One of the biggest rewards has been that I wanted to do this as a tribute to my father. He was a major collaborator on the project and is more than pleased with the result.

I believe that the audio book will reach folks that consider themselves as "not that into poetry." In fact, I tell my musician friends that they can skip the poetry and go straight to the music. Reaching a broader audience is exciting, because the poetry book has shown me that these poems (and now the music) can inspire and encourage people who are grieving, care-taking parents, and going through difficult transitions in mid-life.

YVONNE: How did you handle the licensing and copyrights to the songs you used? Why is licensing necessary and beneficial?
JANET: Perhaps one of the most dramatic junctures in the process was at the moment we moved into the copyright and licensing phase. At this point, Scott was my project manager and point person, not only my sound engineer. Scott and I are both good generalist, but we felt that licensing and copyrighting was too complex and specialized for us to take on and learn all at once. We also didn't want to pay lawyer lots of money for doing this. "There's gotta be a guy who does this for a living," we hypothesized.

We had our telephone conversation before I left in August for the first of my journeys back to Africa. Scott's goal was to find this guy by the time I returned in three weeks. I empowered Scott to engage him while I was gone so we wouldn't be stuck. Scott went into networking overdrive. When I got back, he'd found Greg McNey who was already hard at work. Empowering Scott to do this took complete trust between us.

We were using 40 songs on the four audio discs. Some of these were in the public domain and seven were Pop's compositions. These didn't require licensing.

Scott, my dad and I researched these songs extensively on the internet and through Pop's sheet music. After we'd gone as far as we could, we handed this over to Greg to complete. He continued to research through Harry Fox Agency, located the music composers, dates of composition, and publishers. He prepared all the forms and sent these to me with detailed instructions. All I had to do was print these out, sign where needed, and send these in to correct address with my check.

Licensing is necessary because we were making mechanical use (reproductions through our arrangement and performance) of these songs. Licensing is the right thing to do to avoid legal recourse....and to provide income to the artists and their heirs who originally created these songs. Our production company which physically produced the discs also required proof the songs had been licensed.

You can learn more about this stage at You Tube, chatting with Greg McNey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfP5eh-ZBKY&feature=channel.

By the way, Yvonne, towards the end of the interview with Greg (at 7:25 minutes) a fun interview with you at the Sportsman Grille starts.

YVONNE: I've seen that interview. I think I look like one of those "bobbing-head" dogs I used to see in the back window of cars. *smile* Where is your audio book available? Do you have a Web site or blog where we can learn more about you or your book?
JANET: The audio book Sightlines: A family Love Story in Poetry and Music is available on CD Baby at this link: http://cdbaby.com/cd/janetgraceriehl. There, your readers can listen to as much as they wish online.

To learn more about my work and the village that's grown up around me, go to my blog-magazine Riehl Life: Village Wisdom of the 21st Century at http://www.riehlife.com/. Readers can sign up there for a 10-minute audio clip from Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music. They can also sign up for updates I send to readers.

YVONNE: How are you promoting your audio book?
JANET: Mostly I'm using online promotion. As part of the online launch there are podcasts, a tel-call, internet radio shows, and then the blog stops for the blog tour. The tour continues to run from June through July 2009. We hope your readers will continue to follow it. We've posted video logs of the process of making an audio book http://www.youtube.com/user/daddytrailer.

There will also be a visit to Lake County in Northern California where I'll give a talk and appear on a local radio show about writers and writing.

YVONNE: Are there any sites you feel might help other authors?
JANET: When I was promoting my book, I collected many online resources for that. One of the ones I found most helpful was Irene Watson's Reader Views. You can see the review they did for my book here: http://www.youtube.com/user/daddytrailer and our interview here: http://www.readerviews.com/InterviewRiehl.html. Reader Views has a modestly priced package to promote self-published books.

Of course Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Frugal Book Promotion: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't is filled with great ideas.

The best resource by far for organizing a blog book tour is Dani Greer's Blog Book Tour.

YVONNE: We had a lovely time at the audio book launch dinner at The Sportsman Grille, didn't we?
JANET: Yes we did. It's important not to forget the last stage of the project which for us was celebrating the completion, and the beginning of the launch. Yvonne wrote a post right before the dinner that your readers would enjoy:

http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/2009/04/sightlines-family-love-story-in-poetry.html.
Thanks for hosting me once again on this amazing blog of yours which supports and connects so many authors.

YVONNE: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and learn about your book. I wish you well in your journey as an author. To follow Janet's audio book tour, go to http://beta.blogger.com/www.riehlife.com where you'll find a 10-minute clip from the audio book and the opportunity to sign up for regular updates on the tour.

--
Go to http://www.riehlife.com to sign up for a 10-minute audio download of poetry and music from our new audio book Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.

See the video documentary series of how this audio book was created over a one-year time period.

Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, The Employee Handbook That Your Employer Hasn’t Given

2009-06-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

Book Review

Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, The Employee Handbook That Your Employer Hasn’t Given

Author: Joe Lavelle

ISBN: 9781439240724

Publisher: Booksurge, July 2009

Link to purchase: Amazon.com

Reviewer: Yvonne Perry (5/09)

Understanding Your Role in Career Success

I’ve always been driven to succeed and achieve. I don’t know if it comes from my upbringing or if I learned it at school, or it if is in-born, but I am task-driven and love marking things off my to-do list. Even when I was a stay-at-home mom, I organized my daily activities to optimize my day and make sure I accomplished everything I wanted to do while the kids were in school. However, I have not always lived with the attitude that I could “act as if it were impossible to fail.” That would surely have changed things!

In my younger years, I was afraid of failure and rejection. It kept me from being honest with myself and others because I did not want to be seen as a failure. I suppose that is why Joe Lavelle’s book, Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, The Employee Handbook That Your Employer Hasn’t Given You, appeals so much to me.

In it, he says, “Yes, failure is a fact of life; however, you can learn to view failure as an important lesson rather than feeling disappointment and resignation.” Part of being successful is being able to recover from your mistakes and not allowing animosity, doubt, and negativity to creep in.

Joe gives pertinent examples using everyday comparisons such as how making mayonnaise is a lot like your boss’s job. You’ll have to read the book to understand what he means by that, but it makes a lot of sense.

Once I started my own business, I had to believe in myself and my abilities, or else I would have given up. Somehow, through trial and error, I kept going even when things didn’t turn out how I had hoped. Miraculously, I learned from the mistakes I made. Can that skill be taught? Yes, what I learned on the fly can be learned in Joe’s book. He teaches how to clearly define your role in your first 90 days on a job by setting clear and realistic goals. Beyond making a good first impression, a new employee should actively communicate his or her style and expectations. This could apply to anything in life—not just a career.

Have you ever heard of greenspace in an office environment? I hadn’t. When I read this in the table of contents, I thought Joe was either talking about getting some outdoor exercise in a space known as a greenway, or maybe he was referring to recycling and reusing office resources such as paper. According to Joe, greenspace consists of all the necessary tasks in the office that are not assigned to anyone specifically. He says that by taking on additional duties and responsibilities, you show leadership and determination that will improve your chances of advancing your career more quickly.

Another case Joe makes is for a better understanding of the role of human resources department and how mentoring programs and succession planning play an important role in long-term career success as well as the long-term success of a company. There’s an entire chapter on effective networking, and another chapter that defines how and why return on investment (ROI) is so important to a company and how to use it to your advantage as an employee. Communication, education, and play—yes, play!—are an important part of a successful corporate environment.

Each chapter ends with a summary that makes finding key facts easier. Each chapter also has “Act As If Success Steps” that give you examples of things you can do to apply what you read in the text. What I learned from Joe’s book is that our beliefs become our reality, and our expectations have a direct result on the outcome of any given situation.

Joe writes, “When you act as if failure were impossible, your actions make that belief a reality.” With that mantra and the lessons modeled in this book, the world—and especially corporate America—would be a much different and nicer place!

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

2009-06-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab
Author: Fiona Ingram
ISBN: Paperback 978-0-595-45716-8
Cloth 978-0-595-71977-8
E-book 978-0-595-90017-6
Publisher: iUniverse, 2008
Pages: 258
Reviewed by: Barbara Milbourn for Writers in the Sky (5/09)

Author Fiona Ingram understands that young readers have no patience for long, drawn-out prologues. At the first sentence—a one-word exclamation—of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, she jettisons readers off on an adventure to a far-away land with two young cousins.

Justin and Adam are leaving the comforts of home and the family dog for a one-week adventure in Egypt with ace writer/researcher Aunt Isabel and their loveable and zany Gran. In exchange for missing school, their assignment is to keep a daily record of things they’ve seen and learned along the way. It so happens that their aunt’s current project and the boys’ recent history lessons coincide and set the reader on firm footing before they even lift off.

Aunt Isabel has guaranteed their maximum travel experience and personal safety by booking them on a tour with a host of entertaining fellow sojourners and a tour-guide who is suspected of knowing far more than she shares with the group. Safety vanishes early in the hot, still air of a marketplace when the boys are encountered by a ragged peddler who bestows upon them four scarabs; one of which is particularly ancient and coveted.

The story flies forward from there as the boys put together fortuitous pieces of a puzzle in quest of a legendary tomb of an ancient Egyptian ruler and a missing archeologist. Ingram writes the landscape and the legend vividly and keeps the boys barely one step ahead of death and dismemberment at the hands of men in black, the fangs of a giant cobra, and all manner of danger that lurks in caves, shifting sands, and things hidden in deep, dark places.

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is entertainment for readers up to around age fourteen and for those who wish they were fourteen again. It is at once adventure and history, art and architecture, humor and redemption, travel writing and social studies, and great fun. Fiona Ingram presents this as her first of seven in a series titled Chronicles of the Stone.

What is Minggl?

2009-06-26T23:55:00.000-05:00

Minggl http://www.minggl.com/ is a Firefox add-on (also works on IE) that lets you connect to your social sites and view all of the updates. You can also use the sidebar feature to update all of your sites at once.

Come in from the Summer Heat and Enjoy Some Wonderful Podcast Interviews

2009-06-26T14:14:00.003-05:00

Writers in the Sky July Podcasts Offer Information on Author Services and Conversations with Writers Who Create with Emotion

Nashville, TN, June 26, 2009—The Writers in the Sky podcasts for July will feature interviews that provide information about services that may prove helpful to both new and experienced authors, as well as conversations with authors who have new thought-provoking releases that will leave the listeners thinking. The month begins with a poet who has developed her printed work into audio book format and incorporated wonderful family music and memories in the process. The next week features a business owner who develops internet marketing plans for authors and who can share great ways to take advantage of online opportunities. The following Friday will bring an interview with the “Book Marketing Maven” who works with authors, bookstores, and small publishing companies in promoting non-fiction publications. The focus of the interviews changes when WITS talks with a veteran poet, whose work has been published in multiple languages and been taught in high school and college classrooms, about his new collection of work. Finally, July comes to a close with a controversial and timely book in which an experienced missionary discusses how one conversation with a jihadist changed his perspective on religion and global conflicts.

The July series of podcasts will begin on July 3, with WITS owner Yvonne Perry interviewing Janet Riehl about her audio book Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry & Music. This four-CD compilation is a follow-up to her book Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary, which was published in 2006. Through these new CDs, Janet shares her works of poetry in her own voice. There is great personal meaning to the pieces, as they were all written about family members or places that are close to her heart. Intertwined with the poetry are musical selections performed by her father and others. Together, the components of Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry & Music come together to form a beautiful testimony to the love of family. Janet will be discussing the inspirations behind her work as well as the reason that she decided to create this audio book. For more information about Janet Riehl or to purchase Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry & Music, please visit CD Baby.

The podcasts continue on July 10 when Yvonne Perry interviews Marlive Harris. Marlive is the owner of GRITS.COM Literary Service, is a company that offers online promotional campaigns for authors. Her website also features reading communities for adults and children. As a former teacher and school librarian, Marlive brings a wonderful perspective to the literary world. Over the six years in which GRITS.COM has been in existence, Marlive has helped many authors through book clubs, podcasts, virtual book tours, and other outlets. During this interview, Marlive will discuss what her company can offer to authors, bookstores, and small presses. To learn more about Marlive Harris and her services, please visit http://www.thegrits.com/.

Take a mid-month break and tune into the interview that Yvonne Perry will be conducting with Dana Smith. Dana is the “Book Marketing Maven” who specializes in book marketing for nonfiction publications. She has published a series of ebooks that together form the Savvy Book Marketer Guides. The featured topics are Selling Your Book to Libraries, Successful Social Marketing, and Promoting Your Book Launch. Dana brings fifteen years in the publishing industry and a degree in marketing to her writing and consulting. Therefore, she has the experience to help authors cater a book marketing plan to their specific publishing, marketing, and distributing. Dana and Yvonne will discuss how the Book Marketing Maven may be of help to you! To learn more about Dana Smith and her business, please visit her website.

On July 24, Sarah Moore will discuss the book New and Selected Poems with poet John Yamrus. This collection includes work that dates back to 1985, as well as sixteen pieces that are being published for the first time. Over his forty year career as a poet, John Yamrus has had over 1000 poems published. He also has produced sixteen books of poetry and two novels prior to the release of New and Selected Poems. This year marks his second consecutive nomination for the Pushcart Prize for Poetry. His poetry has been discussed in classrooms at both the high school and college level. Please join this conversation as John Yamrus shares some insight into his poetry, which takes an honest look at the world in which we live and challenges other writers to think outside their comfort zone. To learn more about New and Selected Poems, please visit the Amazon website.

The month of podcasts ends on July 31 with a conversation between Sarah Moore and author Aaron Taylor. Aaron will be sharing information about his book Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War. This book stems from a meeting that Aaron had in London with a jihadist named Khalid. For Aaron, who had been raised in charismatic church and was already an experienced missionary, this one encounter transformed his perspective on religion and world affairs. Aaron uses Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War to share his belief that Christians are taught by Christ to follow a path of pacifism when dealing with earthly disputes. During the interview, Aaron will discuss his ideas in more details as well as share the work he is doing to put this theory into practice. Alone with a Jihadist: A Biblical Response to Holy War will be available for purchase in August 2009. Please visit Aaron’s website at http://www.aarondtaylor.com/ to learn more.

“There are so many great services out there for authors who are looking for new ways to market their work and the podcasts this month will provide insight into a couple of these businesses,” shares Yvonne Perry, owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services, which produces the podcast. “I also think the conversations we have with the featured authors will let our listeners in on some new books that are emotional and lasting in their impact.”

About Writers in the Sky: Writers in the Sky blog, podcast, and newsletter is a three-fold production filled with information about writing, publishing, and book publicity created by Yvonne Perry as part of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (http://writersinthesky.com) Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Go to http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com. On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to the audio file.

Author Leo Abrami Shares on WITS Podcast

2009-06-26T07:20:00.002-05:00

Today, Barbara Milbourn shares her discussion with Leo Abrami, author of the new book Evading the Nazis.

Mr. Abrami was taken by his mother to hide with farmers in Normandy, France during World War II to avoid the inevitable persecution by the Nazis. Although Jewish, he pretended to be Catholic and lived safely with his adoptive family until France finally was liberated by the Allies. Evading the Nazis tells Mr. Abrami’s story of survival during the war and his determination to investigate his family and cultural history once he was free. Tune into this discussion to learn more about one boy’s amazing experience during war, and the man’s later determination to speak for others who could not. Please visit www.outskirtspress.com/evadingthenazis to purchase the book.

Click here to listen to the interview...

Meet Author Barbara Techel and her Paralyzed Dog, Frankie

2009-06-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today we welcome Barbara Techel and her daschund, Frankie, to our writing blog. Barbara and I have been friends ever since she was interviewed on our podcast when the first Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog book was released. Now she has an activity book and is working on a second book about Frankie; I had the honor of editing both of these books. It’s always a pleasure to work with returning clients—especially when they are friends as dear as Barbara and Frankie.

YVONNE: Tell our readers something about yourself and your writing background.

BARBARA: My writing really just started about four years ago. During that time I was searching my soul to do something more meaningful with my life, while my chocolate lab, Cassie Jo was living with terminal bone cancer. I adored her, and realized during my coaching sessions with a life coach that my love for dogs is very deep. It was at that time I decided to pursue writing about what I love best, which is animals, and particularly dogs.
I became a contributing writer for our local paper in 2005. I am still writing for them today. My first story was about living with a pet with cancer and went to publication one week after Cassie Jo passed away. It was a fitting tribute. While at the same time, having something in print for the first time was quite scary. I realized by sharing my feelings through my writing, everyone knew how I felt. It turned out to be the best form of healing. Many people thanked me for writing the article, and told me I helped them. I knew I was on my way to doing that something meaningful I had been searching for.

When I am around animals, and especially my own dogs, I am truly me. They bring something out in me that I find hard to explain. I love watching them, and seeing the world through their eyes... and especially their soul. Every day I strive to be more and more like them. To live in the moment, and to really appreciate all the simple pleasures of life.

YVONNE: Give us the basic story line of your book so we’ll know what it’s about.

BARBARA: Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog is the true, inspirational story of my dachshund, Frankie. On Easter Sunday 2006, she suffered a spinal injury which caused paralysis. After three months of physical therapy she was custom-fitted for a doggie wheelchair. The rest is history! The book starts by sharing Frankie's life for the first six years of her life, and how she could walk like a regular dog on all four paws. Then I write about her accident, her physical therapy and her recovery.

YVONNE: What inspired you to write this book?

BARBARA: I had so many inspirations! I believe everything happens for a reason, and there is no doubt I was meant to write Frankie's story. Absolutely and unequivocally, Frankie inspired me! Her amazing resilience, and will to go on, was so inspiring. I marveled at how she quickly adapted, and continued to be the same sweet dog she has always been.
Children also inspired me. When I first started taking Frankie out in public kids would come running up to us eager to know why Frankie was in a wheelchair. I saw the compassion on their faces and felt the kindness in their words. I just knew Frankie could make a positive difference in the lives of children struggling with challenges.

My mom, my husband, and my life coach also inspired me. They believed in me and knew I could do this. When you have a strong support team in place it makes things so much easier.

YVONNE: Is this the first book you have written?

BARBARA: Yes, this is the first, but it won't be the last! A new Frankie book will be released early in 2010. It is called Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby's House. This book is about Frankie's work as a therapy dog and the senior assisted facility we visit once a month. Most of the patients suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's. Through Frankie's eyes, I hope to help children understand the elderly, and to not be afraid of them.

Frankie also has a NEW 28-page activity book that is available appropriately titled, Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog Activity Book. It is filled with crossword puzzles, word searches, mazes, coloring pages, and more. All to reinforce the message from her book about compassion, kindness, and overcoming adversity.

YVONNE: How long did it take to write this book? Any interesting tidbits about your writing method or how the book developed?

BARBARA: Writing, editing, and illustrations took a total of eleven months. At the time I was writing this book I belonged to a Women's Writing Circle. They gave me the courage and confidence to pursue writing Frankie's story. I set up a schedule and would write for one hour three days a week. As the story came together, and especially during the editing process, I was so hooked on getting the story written. It was magical during the editing process to see the book come to life. I thought I would not like the editing process, but I came to love it.

The illustration process was another magical time. Words are powerful, but when you pair them with illustrations, you see your life being played out in front of your eyes. It was fascinating! Watching the book come together from typed pages, to illustrations, to a book layout was one of the most beautiful times of my life.

YVONNE: How did you publish your book? Tell me about your publishing experience and what you learned from it.

BARBARA: I decided to self-publish (SP). I created a publishing company called Joyful Paw Prints. I researched SP and going the traditional publishing route. From what I learned, I felt it could be years before (and if) a publisher would accept my story. It was just too important to wait. I had an intense knowing that I needed to get this story out, and I believed if it was meant to be, then God and the universe would guide me. Also, Frankie is almost ten years old, and to have waited might have meant her not being here if I had to wait for a publisher. I was eager and ready to have my book in hand, and start visiting our local schools with Frankie.

I knew SP would be a lot of work, though I didn't realize how much work! Ha! But I wouldn't change a thing. I once heard an author say if you decide to SP you better be passionate about your book to keep you going through the low times. It is so true. Another true statement is that publishing a book and getting it out into the world is a day-by-day venture. Each day you must do something to promote your book. Getting your name out there does not happen overnight. You have to stick with it.

I think you have to determine what your goals are and then decide what is best for you as far as what publishing route you will take. SP for me has been a big learning curve, but it has also been some of the most exhilarating learning of my life.

YVONNE: Where is your book available? Do you have a Web site or blog where we can learn more about you or your book?

BARBARA: I have a Web site and a blog, and Frankie also has her own blog.
http://www.joyfulpaws.com/
http://www.joyfulpaws.typepad.com/
http://www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com/
My book is also available through Amazon.

YVONNE: Tell me some ways you have promoted your book. Give examples and links to any sites you feel might help other authors.

BARBARA: I promote through Facebook and Frankie has her own group page, which is: http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=93350378942
I use Twitter also with an account for myself and one for Frankie which are http://www.twitter.com/joyfulpaws and http://www.twitter.com/walknrolldog
To learn about using the internet I have two resources that are really helpful to me:
Book Marketing in the Digital Age by Yvonne Perry (and I'm not just promoting this book because Yvonne is hosting me on her blog. I truly believe in everything Yvonne teaches and shares).
The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing by Dana Lynn Smith is another great resource.

I have found book marketing guru John Kremer to be helpful too. His Web site is loaded with information on helping you market your book.

For the month of June I did a Virtual Blog Tour with Nikki Leigh, marketing extraordinaire. Nikki and her assistant have been fantastic in lining up blogs for me to visit and share Frankie's story.

I have also used Skype to do a Q & A with a school in Canada and I hope to do more in the future.

Another great promotional thing to do is to create a book trailer for your book. I had Tayrn Simpson do my video and then posted it on You Tube, as well as Teacher Tube.

Locally, I promote the book by sending flyers to area schools offering to share my presentations and bring Frankie to visit. I have done very well with those. I have also done speaking engagements for women's organizations, churches, libraries, and book stores.

I've also done radio shows focusing on animals shows. And have also done some local TV.

YVONNE: Any other comment you would like to share?

BARBARA: I would like to encourage anyone who has a story in them to tell it. I think too often we keep our stories inside, afraid a publisher may never publish our story. I truly believe there are so many wonderful messages and stories to be shared. Personally, I think we are living in a great time as authors with the Internet as such a viable tool for getting our story into the world. And, I also believe if you have the passion and the drive to write your story, you too, can self-publish.

When I set out on this journey it wasn't about being a New York Times bestseller. It was about touching the lives God meant for me to touch with Frankie's story. It has been all that and more. Don't let your story die inside of you. Write it, share it, and see where it will take you. For me, I may never be rich in monetary value from sharing Frankie's story, but I am rich in friends I have met along the way and the things I have learned. I have experienced such joy during the whole process of my first book, and I'm so grateful for every moment of this journey.

My best to each of you on this amazing journey called life! Thank you so much, Yvonne, for hosting me on your blog!!

YVONNE: Thank you, Barbara, for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and learn about your book. I wish you well in your journey as an author.

Thank you for reading about Barbara Techel and Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog. To learn more, and to order a copy of this multi-award winning picture book, please visit http://www.joyfulpaws.com/

Other Sites to Check Out:

Barbara's Blog: http://joyfulpaws.typepad.com/
Frankie's Blog: http://frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com/
To See the Tour Schedule:
http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/frankie-walk-n-roll-dog-virtual-book.html

There will be a SPECIAL OFFER FOR VISITORS TO THE VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR. Each guest who comments on a post in Barbara and Frankie's tour (that's right here on this blog) will be entered in a drawing for some fun, unique gifts that will especially appeal to Frankie fans and other dog lovers. We will give away several items from Frankie's store: http://www.cafepress.com/Joyfulpaws. These include two Frankie t-shirts and two Frankie tote bags.

About Barbara Techel

Barbara is a writer and animal lover. Her column, "For the Love of Animals" has appeared in the Depot Dispatch. Frankie the Walk 'n Roll dog, her first children's book, was awarded the 2008 National Best Book Award (children’s picture book soft cover) by USA Book News, the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award by Dog Writer’s Association of America, and the Editor’s Choice Award by Allbooks Review. It was also a finalist in the 2008 Indie Excellence Awards. Frankie herself was inducted into the 2009 Wisconsin Pet Hall of Fame.

About Frankie the Walk 'n Roll Dog

Frankie is a dachshund, and this story is told from her point of view. She survives the normal challenges of puppyhood, including a struggle with house training, after Barbara and John adopt her. After a spinal injury, her human family nurtures her through a long period of rehabilitation and buys her a custom-fitted wheelchair. It takes a while to adapt to her new wheels, but soon she is joyfully rolling and playing.Barbara wrote this book to offer hope and inspiration to people who face challenges. A lifelong animal lover, she realized Frankie's paralysis was an opportunity to spread a positive message.

Setting a Google alert to determine who is using your articles

2009-06-24T08:00:00.004-05:00

I set a Google alert for each of my articles by going to http://www.google.com/alerts and typing in the full name of my article. Google then sends me an email with a link to the site(s) that have my article posted. Be sure to spell and punctuate the title of your article exactly as you posted it on the article directory. Also be sure to use quotation marks around the title to refine the search criteria and avoid getting email alerts that are not related to your article.

Google alerts are also a great way to be sure that those who are picking up your articles are including your resource box on their site. It also works for your book title, company name, or topic of your book. You can get a notice on things that are pertinent to you.

Yvonne Perry, is the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services—a team of highly qualified writers and editors with many years of experience in writing for articles, books, ad copy, media releases, PR kits, Web text, biographical sketches, and newsletters. Editing, proofreading, book review, and book evaluation services offered individually and as packages. Find us online at http://www.writersinthesky.com

Follow WITS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/writersinthesky

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it.

What is WITS?

2009-06-23T06:27:00.000-05:00

Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS). She and her team of ghostwriters are ready to assist you with writing and editing for books, Web text, business documents, resumes, bios, articles, and media releases.

For more information about writing, networking, publishing, and book promotion, or to sign up for free email delivery of WITS newsletter, please visit http://www.writersinthesky.com New subscribers receive a free e-book Tips for Freelance Writing.

Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai'i-Her Epic Journey

2009-06-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i-Her Epic Journey
Star PublishLLC, $17.95
ISBN10:1-932993-88-6
ISBN13:978-1-932993-88-2
Reviewed by Leslie Forbes Owen
Sherman Oaks*Studio City News, California

“Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i” is, Studio City-based author, Linda Ballou’s layered vision of ancient Hawai’i in historical fiction.

Wai-nani’s character is based on the life of Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of King Kamehameha the Great, and the novel illustrates ancient Hawaiian culture, customs, and taboos through her eyes.

Combining Hawaiian vocabulary and vivid imagery, Ballou transports her readers to the islands, where the surf, sand and mountains come alive. (Even though Ballou employs a considerable Hawaiian vocabulary, the author thoughtfully includes a glossary of terms as well as historic citations, affirming her reverence for detail and accuracy.)

Mixing history, mythology and places familiar to Hawaiian travelers, the novel chronicles the development of Wai-nani from an athletic, tomboyish, teenage girl into a wahine (woman), her travels, and the male barriers she encountered and broke.

For those who have visited the Hawaiian Islands familiar places are picturesquely drawn. Ballou’s writing is intense and colorful. Like the waves of the Pacific, the intensity of her images come pounding at every turn, at times at the point of distraction.

If traveling to Hawai’i is not within reach this summer, “Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i" affords an opportunity to visit a land where fragrant plumeria flowers bloom, dancing dolphins play offshore, and a lost echo of sacred culture once more comes alive.

Advice for a New Author

2009-06-21T06:54:00.000-05:00

I am often asked, "What advice would you give a budding author?"

My advice to newbie authors is to read a lot, research the mechanics of the craft of writing, learn about publishing and marketing, and write something every day.

I offer hourly consulting for writing, publishing, and book marketing. Coaching for writers includes full and partial book edits and help with your path to publishing. I tailor my fees to your needs and budget.

Yvonne Perry
Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services
http://writersinthesky.com/
615-884-1224

New Book Provides the Strategies Needed to Advance Your Career

2009-06-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Strategic business advisor Joe Lavelle releases new book intended for professionals who would like to be promoted and increase their pay.

Nashville, TN, June 15, 2009—Joseph R. Lavelle has dedicated his career as a strategic business advisor to ensuring that his clients achieve maximum performance while insisting that the members of his consulting teams experience accelerated personal growth. This executive, who has started and/or run several national healthcare consulting practices, has found his calling in helping others become more successful in their careers. His new book, Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, The Employee Handbook That Your Employer Hasn’t Given You (ISBN 9781439240724), is an extension of the collection of strategies he has created for those interested in achieving maximum job performance.

Joe’s desire to positively affect as many people as he can led him to share the expertise he gained from thousands of hours coaching and mentoring business teams and clients. His aspiration to impact even more people has recently led him to brand his mantra “Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail” and to start blogging and write his first book.

Mr. Lavelle will be discussing his new book and business strategies when he appears as Yvonne Perry’s guest on Writers in the Sky (WITS) Podcast on June 19. Writers in the Sky Podcast is a talk show about writing, publishing, and book marketing. The format features interviews with authors on the topics of their books. WITS Podcast may be found on iTunes. Archived shows are listed on the right sidebar on WITS blog: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/.

Lavelle’s goal for Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail is to get the book into the hands of professionals who want to get promoted faster and have more successful careers.

“I don’t think of myself so much as a writer,” says Joe, “but as someone with many things to share. Writing is a way for me to reach far more people than those who work for me.”

Why a book for career-oriented professionals who want to accelerate their career growth and find strategies, knowledge, and tools to get promotions and raises faster? Because it is more important than ever to know how to stand out from the crowd and move up the ladder. Just like buying stocks at a low price during a recession, this book can give you inside tips for climbing the corporate ladder when others are struggling to hold on.

“The tools outlined in my book provide the strategies needed to advance your career. These have not been taught in college, and you won’t learn them from your employer,” says Joe. “I developed these practical strategies through observation and nurtured these ideas through many years of experience and research. They are applicable in every economic climate, especially in the current recession.”

Yvonne Perry, host of WITS podcast, says, “In our current economy, many people hope to simply be able to keep the job they already have. Not many are thinking of ways they can advance their career. But, while others are being laid off, Joe Lavelle has come through with a book that gives people the tools needed to actually advance their careers. This is important information for our listeners and I believe Joe offers something people really need.” Ms. Perry is the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services, which produces the podcast.

Act As If it Were Impossible to Fail will be available on Amazon.com and on http://www.actasifsite.com/ July 1, 2009.

Contact
VIP PARTNERS: Joseph R. Lavelle
Phone: (791)898-3109
Email: jrl@resultsfirstconsulting.com

Act As If Joe Lavelle Were Coming!

2009-06-19T07:32:00.006-05:00

Because he is here today!

I met Joe Lavelle on Twitter, and then we connected on LinkedIn. The next thing I knew, he were friends and he was having me help him promote his wonderful new book Accelerate Your Career Success, The Employee Handbook that Your Employer Hasn’t Given You. This book is from his Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail
series.

Part of his promotion plan includes today's fantastic interview in which he discusses how to accelerate your career even during the current economy--even if you are out of work and actively looking for a job. Whether or not you have a plan to secure your next position and get on with your career, you should read and incorporate Joe's Top 5 Priorities to accelerate your job search so you can get back on track quicker.

Click here to listen to Joe's interview with Yvonne...

You will find Joe on his blog or you may read more about his services on his Web site. You may even follow Joe on Twitter.

Military Book Author Needs Your Help

2009-06-18T01:54:00.000-05:00

I’m co-writing a book with an author who needs teen or adult children of military parents to take her survey about being raised in a military family.

Typical questions include: How many times did you move as a child? Did you live on a military base as a child? What was the highest rank your military parent achieved? Were you/your parent injured during conflict?

We especially need feedback from teenagers whose parents are currently in the military and women who are now serving.

If your parent was in the armed services, or if you are a parent serving in any branch of the military for any country, please go to http://tr.im/gA79 and answer a few questions. Feel free to share the survey link with other military people and encourage them to take the survey.

For more information about the author I'm working with, see childrenofbipolar.com.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Yvonne Perry

Interview with Author Michael Presutti

2009-06-16T12:30:00.001-05:00

Michael Presutti, author of the novel Last Words, joined Yvonne Perry on the WITS podcast last month. Just recently, he had a conversation with WITS team member Sarah Moore to discuss his story of horror and apocalyptic events in more detail.

Sarah: Please begin by sharing something about yourself and your writing background.

Mike: Well I’m 55 years old and just beginning to publish my work, though I’ve been writing since the age of nineteen. There are lots of novels and manuscripts piled up and maybe one day I’ll get them dusted off and published.

Sarah: Share the premise and format of Last Words so that we will know the genre and storyline of your book.

Mike: Last Words is a novel about bio-terrorism and horror. The act of terrorism re-creates the world in which we live and through a pathogen alters human DNA. It creates monsters that want to hunt down any and all those not affected by the virus. The book focuses on the survivors and does so through the short story format. By the end of the novel, each tale comes together to form one complete story. It is a story about good and evil and one I hope people will not forget.

Sarah: Where did your interest in horror and science fiction originate?

Mike: I grew up appreciating sci-fi and horror at a very young age and never stopped watching movies or reading books in that genre. From that point I grew to love authors such as Richard Matheson, Stephen King, Lovecraft, and so many others. The apocalyptic horror scenario was always my favorite.

Sarah: What inspired you to write this particular book?

Mike: Actually it was an author who really has nothing to do with that genre. It was Louis Lamour. He wrote a book called Bendigo Shafter. There was a quote in it that inspired me to create the world of Last Words. He said, “Civilization is a flimsy cloak, and just outside are hunger, thirst and cold waiting.” What Lamour was talking about were the hardships awaiting those who traveled into the Wild West. They encountered bandits, Indians, and wild beasts. There was no law out there. In fact, you were the law. In the very first chapter of Last Words, a character by the name of Einer Jacobson is talking with his father, who tells him some of the same things Lamour mentioned in Bendigo Shafter. He says, “Son, there’s a very thin veneer between being human and being an animal. Take away something that humans need and want, and the animal comes out.” In Last Words, the virus takes away humanity, in its place are mutated humans bend on the destruction of all normal humankind. So Louis Lamour was my muse in the initial creation of Last Words.

Sarah: Your book examines how quickly the thin layer of a civilized society can disappear when we are faced with a destructive force, be it manmade or natural. Can you expand on that concept and how you think Last Words may cause us to reflect on this frightening idea?

Mike: There is no doubt that society has the propensity to break down once all the normal everyday functions disappear. Take away electricity for a week and people will be fighting each other over their neighbor’s generator or fuel. I’ll give you a for instance. I lived in New York City during the famous 1977 blackout that took out the entire state. Within 24 hours, the city was in chaos. 1600 stores looted, over 1000 fires started, over 4000 people arrested, 500 plus policemen hurt. They closed the airports and tunnels leading into and out of the city and over 4000 people had to be rescued from the subway system, all this in less than 24 hours. All I did was add some horrifying creatures and you’ve got Last Words.

Sarah: You employ both physical and psychological horror in developing the story of Last Words. How does each of these components contribute to the overall message of the book?

Mike: I don’t want the reader to think that Last Words leaves little hope for the survivors, but to be realistic, it is a horror novel and I wanted the reader to experience hope, loss, terror, revenge, love, and especially horror to a great degree. This is only the introduction to the world of Last Words. The sequel will give a broader stroke to all the characters in the story line. You will get to know them better. The horror will remain.

Sarah: How did you develop the personalities for the primary characters in Last Words?

Mike: Will Dobbs is the central character of the book. He is a Marine on leave from Iraq who finds himself in the middle of something much more horrifying than the war he knew. He is our hero, the wanderer of the dead lands, and one we will see gain in the sequel. There are others, Mary Signer, a soldier who left the underground bunkers to try and survive the world created by the virus, Jordan a young sixteen-year-old boy who is now alone and fighting off infected creatures in his house, John the young man who barricades himself in a grocery store that is being invaded and so many more. The characters stand on their own, to survive on their own and to be part of the larger picture, as each story weaves into the next. Dobbs is fearless, Mary a determined fighter, Jordan is naïve and finding out the cost of survival and John is afraid, hiding from what he knows he must do to live. You get to know them all and invest yourself emotionally.

Sarah: How long did it take to write this book? How did the storyline develop for you?

Mike: It took me six months to write the book. It was difficult between a job and other responsibilities. But it got done and I was happy with the results. The storyline developed in a linear fashion. I knew what I wanted. I pictured it in my mind, just like looking at a movie. I wanted every sequence to register hard with the reader. I wanted to imprint each story on their minds, make it easy for them to imagine.

Sarah: Have you worked with an agent or publicist? If so, how has that experience been? If not, what challenges or benefits have you found to handling the process yourself?

Mike: The publisher helped in a number of ways. I did the marketing and promotional work. I can say that it’s been very hard work. I try to put in an hour a day on promoting the novel, though right now I’m concentrating on finishing the sequel, Shadows and Dust. If I had it to do all over again, I believe I would hire an agent, someone to market and promote the novel. That way I would have more time to write.

Sarah: Do you have a Web site or blog, or another online presence, where we can learn more about you or your book?

Mike: My website is: www.outskirtspress.com/lastwords. Of course you can find me on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and most on-line book stores.

Sarah: Any other comments you would like to share about your novel Last Words?

Mike: Go out and buy it. Read it, and then send it to me to sign for you. I would love that. You can e-mail from the website. Love to hear from all of you.

Sarah: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn more about you and your new book, Last Words.

How to Write a Great Query Letter

2009-06-16T08:30:00.004-05:00

I found a free download on Amazon.com by Noah Lukeman rightfully titled How to Write a Great Query Letter. It's an excellent read filled with solid information, and I highly recommend it to any author who wants to try for conventional publishing.

Get the download here: http://tr.im/neAU or let Writers in the Sky (WITS) help you write your one-page query letter using the same principles and advice given in Mr. Lukeman's book.

Yvonne Perry

Owner, WITS

Act As If It Were So!

2009-06-15T07:20:00.002-05:00

Yvonne Perry welcomes Author Joe Lavelle to Writers in the Sky Podcast this Friday, June 19.

Accelerate Your Career Success The Employee Handbook That Your Employer Hasn’t Given You is for career-oriented professionals who want to accelerate their career growth and find strategies, knowledge, and tools to get promotions and raises faster.

In this book, personal and business coach Joe Lavelle teaches how to:

Determine your role, set goals, and implement a plan to define your style and make a great first impression within the first 90 days
Build high-powered teams that are fanatical about customer satisfaction and continuously increase employee growth and customer satisfaction
Effectively and purposefully use social networking groups and grow your career in the green space
How to use ROI to your advantage
Partner with human resources to demystify recruiting, performance management, evaluations, firing, coaching, and mentoring
Recover and learn from mistakes
Use heartfelt communication and make your message matter
Avoid burnout and being overworked
Get promoted faster

Joseph R Lavelle (Joe) is an accomplished management consulting executive and business coach assisting with the technology challenges of diverse organizations including health delivery networks, health plans, healthcare software vendors, and several Fortune 500 companies. Joe has dedicated his career as a strategic business advisor to ensure that his clients achieve maximum performance.

As the president of Results First Consulting, LLC, Joe has developed a collection of strategies that anyone interested in achieving maximum performance must have in their toolbox. Joe’s desire to positively affect as many people as he can led him to a public speaking career that allows him to share the expertise he gained from thousands of hours coaching and mentoring his teams and clients. His aspiration to impact even more people has led him to brand “Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail” and to write his first book.
Joe is living the American dream and acting as if it were impossible to fail with his wife and son in Wellesley Hills, MA.

Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

2009-06-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

President Barack Obama’s Dreams From His Father
Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Author: Barack Obama
Publisher: Three Rivers Press, 2004
ISBN: 9781400082773
Reviewed by Maryanne Raphael (05/2009)
Link at Amazon.com

In Dreams From My Father, Obama wrote of his efforts to understand his family, the leaps through time and the collision of cultures hoping to shine light on the question of identity and race in the America experience.

He described the “underlying struggle between worlds of plenty and worlds of want, between modern and ancient cultures.” He admired those “who embrace our teeming, colliding irksome diversity while insisting on values that bind us together”. And he feared “those who seek, under whatever flag or slogan or sacred text, to justify cruelty towards those not like us.”

The book shows how powerlessness twists children’s lives in Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way it does on Chicago’s south side and how quickly despair slips into violence. It discusses how the powerful respond with a dull complacency until violence threatens them and they then use force, (longer prison sentences and more sophisticated hardware) inadequate to the task.

He struggles constantly to understand this problem and his place in it. He is now professionally engaged in a broader public debate that will shape our lives and the lives of our children for many years to come.

If he had known his mother was dying so young, he would have written a different book, less a meditation of the absent parent and more a celebration of the one who was the single constant in his life. He shares some of the stories his mother and her parents told him when he was a child. ”

Obama feels we have all seen too much to take his parents’ brief union, a black man and a white woman an African and an American at face value. He says when black or white people who don’t know him well, discover his background they no longer know who he is.

This is the record of a personal interior journey, a boy’s search for his father and a workable meaning for his life as a black American.

Obama says, “I can embrace my black brothers and sisters whether in this country or in Africa and affirm a common destiny without pretending to speak for all our various struggles.”

Much of this book is based on journals of oral histories of his family. Obama says he tried to write an honest account of a particular province of his life.’

Without the love and support of his family, his mother, his grandparents and his siblings, stretched across oceans and continents he could never have finished it.

He was born in Hawaii, lived several years in Indonesia then lived in New York City where he went to Columbia University. In1983, he was a Chicago community organizer and a civil rights lawyer.

His Aunt Jane, whom he had never met, called him from Kenya to say his father was killed in an auto accident. His parents had divorced when he was two years old and he had only seen his father for one month when he came to visit Obama and his mother in Hawaii.

When he went to Kenya his half sister Auma and his Auntie Zeitumi met him.

They took him to meet Aunt Jane and other African family members. Family seemed to be everywhere in Kenya and Obama found himself meditating on just what is a family He sat on his father’s grave and spoke with him through Africa ’s red soil.

When he returned to America he met Michelle, who had been raised in Chicago. After their engagement he took her to Kenya to meet his family there they returned to the United States and married.

This is an absorbing and moving tale of a man who takes a journey to his father ‘s home, where he lived much of his life and died. Obama re-evaluates his relationship with the myth of his father and the meaning of his own life. It is a quiet but intense examination of a man’s past and his son’s attempt to understand it.

Examining his family’s life and thinking about his own, Obama finds a certain relief reliving times and behavior that had slipped into the undifferentiated past and finally arrives at some kind of understanding.

The writing style is exciting, a well written blend of memoir and history. The rich narrative and interesting characters keep the reader turning pages. Obama’s sensual descriptions made the reader feel he is visiting south side of Chicago, Harlem, Indonesia or Kenya. You see the people, hear their voices, taste and smell the food, feel the breeze and smell the ocean.

This is a book I would have enjoyed even if had not been written by a well-known, fascinating man beginning to put his mark on the world.