Join Us for Jog Blog Day!

I invite you to participate in the 2nd Blog Jog Day event sponsored by Carol Denbow on November 21, 2010. This fall season event has been deliberately scheduled just before the holidays so if you have products or books to promote you have a better chance of sales.

By participating you will get . . .

*More unique visitors to your blog
*More subscribers
*More comments
*More inbound links
*More followers
*More exposure and sales
*Grow your daily hits

All which look great to Google, Yahoo, Bing, and the other search engines! With popularity comes a higher page rank and greater exposure for your blog! If you want to include your blog in the job, please e-mail Carol at chipanugget@gmail.com

Read How Blog Jog Day Can Benefit Bloggers
How Blog Jog Day Works

Read FAQ about Blog Jog Day

Hope to see your blog on Blog Jog Day November 21!

He Blew Her a Kiss: a review by Vonnie Faroqui

This Week I would like to share my review of, He Blew Her a Kiss: Communications from loved ones who have passed, by authors Angie Pechak Printup and Kelley Stewart Dollar. This wonderful collection of real life accounts will touch your heart and be the opening for many a healing moment between friends and family.

Book Title: He Blew Her a Kiss: Communications from loved ones who have passed
Authored by: Angie Pechak Printup and Kelley Stewart Dollar
ISBN: 1432760920
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Link to purchase
Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui

He Blew Her a Kiss is a collection of inspirational stories relating experiences of communication from loved ones who have passed. The entire volume has been compiled, with sincere and gentle treatment by the authors, from email submissions by and personal conversations with ordinary people. Accounts of after death communication [ADC] are difficult to explain in terms of religion or dogma, but are not uncommon, regardless of cultural or ethnic background. However, acceptance of the phenomenon is not necessary for enjoyment of the book. Instead of being sad or depressing the stories are touching and within moments will draw the reader into empathic resonance. The book will be especially gratifying to those who have had similar mystical experiences. Readers who have second hand or no ADC experiences to share, but for who near death and after death experiences are of interest, will also be attracted to these life affirming stories.

The idea for the book came to Angie Printup after a dear friend related what might be called, an extraordinary coincident by some and by others, a tiny miracle of after death communication. Kelley Dollar, a long time friend of Printup, was asked to assist in transforming the rough first person stories into a third person narrative form that proves to be both thoughtful and effective. The authors show tremendous sensitivity and embrace the mystery of ADC experiences with loving acceptance. It is obvious from the care and treatment of the stories that helping others overcome devastating loss and grief is the primary purpose of this work and their book. They have been tremendously successful in compiling the stories tastefully, without unnecessarily adding to or sensationalizing the individual accounts.

Believing that our consciousness continues after death, or in the possibility of communication with loved ones who are in spirit, is unimportant next to the immeasurable comfort and relief sharing these experiences bring. It is hard to refute the validity of a mystical experience one has not shared and the authors waste no time in trying to win supporters. They simply and deftly offer the stories up as messages of hope and comfort. Those with similar accounts to share will immediately relate and waste no time in debating the validity of ADC. Others will look to these stories for inspiration and as an affirmation of faith guiding the way into an afterlife full of hope and continued purpose.

He Blew Her a Kiss is a beautiful volume of collected stories that you will want to share with others. Not all of the stories are dramatic examples of after death communication, relating instead simple and poignant moments which have brought healing in times of grief. Some of the accounts are quite extraordinary and impossible to explain; all are uplifting and demonstrate humanity’s capacity to love beyond any obstacle, even death. The book is slim, attractive and would make a wonderful gift for conversational reading and is suitable for those suffering loss as an aid through times of grief.


Be sure to join us this Friday for the WITS Podcast as Vonnie interviews co-authors Angie Pechak Printup and Kelley Stewart Dollar about the inspiration behind their healing work and this lovely collection of stories, He Blew Her a Kiss.

He Blew Her a Kiss Book Trailer . . .

Memoirs From The Asylum

I recently loaned my copy of this book to a friend who is attending nursing school. She was profoundly moved by the characters and depth of the story, in turn, she shared the title with her psych professor. Memoirs from the Asylum has now been brought forward as recommended reading for psychology students at her University.

Congratulations Kenneth Weene, for your contribution in shaping the care givers of the future!


Book Title: Memoirs from the Asylum
Author: Kenneth Weene
ISBN: 978-0-9844219-5-4
Publisher: All Things that Matter Press, 2010
Link to purchase: Memoirs From The Asylum
Reviewer Byline: Vonnie Faroqui for WITS

Memoirs from the Asylum author Kenneth Weene has, with many twists and phobic turns, succeeded in writing a moving and fascinating exploration of the inner workings of the insane mind. Memoirs is set within the confines of a mental health institution and weaves its way through the lives and memories of the asylum’s patients, narrated from the internal perspective of two patients and their psychiatrist. The vision of life depicted within and around these three main characters makes a case for a larger societal madness, as the author explores the bureaucracy surrounding and encapsulating the insane, and their caregivers. As uncomfortable as some aspects of the book may be, these same passages hold illuminating power.

Well crafted, Memoirs from the Asylum has a developed plot line and believable story progression. The best aspect of the book is how the author has written from the perspective or inner thoughts of the characters. This is done with such realism, understanding, and truth that it is easy to relate to and understand the patient’s phobias, frustrations, joys, and triumphs. It is obvious that the author is writing from a deeper understanding of human motivation and psychosis. His treatment of his characters is compassionate, and without judgment, allowing the reader to formulate their own opinions and confront their own preconceptions and prejudices. Unlike so many other novels, Weene’s writing is not preachy or educational in tone, using well developed characters and originality that make for compelling reading.

At times the book is disturbing as it addresses and reveals many destructive societal attitudes and inhumanities. The author has skillfully lifted the veil of willful disinterest surrounding the mentally ill and shone a spot light on the role played by the greater culture in perpetuating and growing madness.
Full of memorable characters that are as tragic as they are comedic, this book proves itself in the great tradition of writing. Disturbingly honest and often graphic in nature, Memoirs from the Asylum is an entertaining and enlightening read for adults.

West to the Sun

This week our review focuses on childrens' fiction with a book about the pioneer experience on the Oregon Trail.

Book Title: West to the Sun
Author: Tom G. Good
ISBN: 978-1-4327-5162-3
Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc. 2010
Link to purchase: http://amzn.to/9vfQxZ
Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui for WITS

In West to the Sun, author Tom G. Good weaves a story of the Oregon Trail, and the pioneer experience of Jeremiah Symons, an 11-year-old boy and his family. Good skillfully narrates the world and history surrounding the characters in a way that captures the readers imagination and carries the journey into visions and vistas outside of the modern experience. In his writing, the author successfully relates the hazards and dangers faced by our pioneer forefathers, exploring concerns, customs, needs, and desires that lay buried in our nation’s past and yet which have so deeply influenced the modern psyche. Good unearths and presents with wonder, surprise and no little amount of awe a fictional and yet historically accurate telling of the journey west for the enrichment of future generations.

Having myself experienced, at the age of nine, being uprooted from my home in modern day America and moved to the wilderness of Northern Canada, I could relate to the daily urgencies, the depiction of life hardships and ever present dangers related by the author. The story teller does not however, focus on the burning resentments, deep fears and the kinds of spiritual challenges an experience like this engenders in a child or the family dynamic. The main characters remain constant and unchallenged in their love for each other, their faith and in their sense of self. The voice of the narrative is more the voice of a wise father than a youth and so on occasion comes across as being a little too good, but the writing is skillful and the history sound. The real story in West to the Sun is that of the Oregon Trail itself, with the characters of Jeremiah and his family being a lens to look through and means of delivery.

This book is an excellent teaching tool for parents and teachers wanting to share with children the history and experiences lived by the courageous men and women of frontier America. With excellent written delivery of the preparation for the journey itself, accurate skillful portrayal of the social interactions between travelers and wagon train life, the difficulties faced and chance encounters along the way, this book offers valuable perspective and insight. Few children today have a comparative experience through which they can empathize or intuit understanding for the hardships experienced, wonders beheld and the demands such a journey would make on early pioneers. Thankfully, we have Tom G. Good’s skillful pen and talented imagination to breathe life into the telling.

The Protected: Book One in the Spirian Series

As a reviewer, I have read a wide variety of genres and some incredible books. Like everyone else, I also have a favorite genre. Unfortunately, I don't often have the pleasure of reviewing and reading books that fall into it. I was recently given that opportunity. It is my pleasure to recommend a fabulous paranormal romance, The Protected, book one in author Rowena Portch's Spirian Series.

I will be sharing a sneak peek into book two, The Union, in a future post. The Union is set for publishing in September this year and author Rowena Portch is blowing me away with this series!





Book Title: The Protected
Author: Rowena Portch
ISBN: 1432758667
Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc.
Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui for WITS


Fantasy and romance fiction lovers alike are in for a delightful and surprising read as author Rowena Portch presents The Protected, book one of the Spirian Series. Portch successfully gifts the reader with a heroine and a story that will capture as well as excite the imagination, deeply satisfying the avid reader’s hunger for freshness with a style and plot line all her own.
Skye is a blind massage therapist with special gifts and a bright spirit that has attracted the wrong attention. Skye’s power to heal has been noticed, making her the coveted target of those who would steal her freedom and manipulate her gifts. The fate of her race rests on choices she must make. Poised in the balance point of shifting powers, Skye must choose her loyalties well. One wrong choice will tip the balance between redemption and destruction. If she falters, she dooms not only her race but all of humanity. Vulnerable in ways that would terrify and immobilize lesser spirits, Skye transcends the circumstances of her blindness to wage a battle for Spirit and for all of us.
Portch has drawn from her own life and history to write Sky’s character and world, sharing in a way that only a skilled and talented writer can—the very personal experience of blindness. Not only has Portch succeeded to write a blind character in a sighted world, she has done so in such a way as to create a world paradigm, characters, and circumstances that elevate this book from the ranks of a good story to that of a great read. The Protected is full of rich descriptions, breath catching tension, humor, and desire, with characters that come to life and walk off the page to live in you. With a voice and experience uniquely her own, author Rowena Portch will make you believe the world she writes and you will seek it inside yourself.



Learn more about Rowena Portch and the Spirian Series from her website at http://rowenaportch.com/ or by following her on http://twitter.com/RowenaPortch and at http://bit.ly/Facebook-RowenaPortch. The author will meet and sign books for the public with events to be announced through BookTour.com.

Social Media - Why?

There are a lot of people that don't understand how or why using social media is an important business strategy. When you mention Twitter or Facebook their faces screw up and they look at you like you have just laid an egg.

"Isn't Twitter that site where people text about what they are doing? . . . I'm in the car on the way to grandma's house . . . just checking out that new movie . . ." they say.

Well, yes and no. Twitter is much more than that. And Facebook? Facebook is more than just a site to connect with your old school chums. They are networking tools that if used well can help you generate traffic to your Web page, attract readers and generate book sales.

What about YouTube? Oh boy, get me started please!

Businesses use social networking to drive traffic to their sites and to interest people in their products and so can you, using many of the same techniques.

Authors that are looking to self promote can't afford to neglect any opportunity to get their name and their titles in front of potential readers. Having a Twitter account, using Facebook to network and using You Tube to post videos, and audio clips, sharing content and information is vitally important in promoting your work.
Why? Because people, that read books are using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Your readers are surfing these sites and you want your presence and your book to be where they can find you.
If they can't find you, they aren't going to read your book.

If you aren't already sold on social media or don't know how to use it to promote your book there are some quick tips that you need to know.

To promote yourself and your book you need to master utilization of several avenues of social media:
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube and
BlogSpot or one of the other blogging tools available free on the web.

Social media integration is KEY to making money using social media networking for marketing your book.
If you don’t have time to master the use of these tools yourself, hire someone to do it for you. The cost of hiring it out is less than the expense of not doing it at all or of doing it poorly.

Tips when using social media to promote your book:

- Keep your personal and business accounts separate.
Create Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube accounts that are devoted to your work, your book and related activities. Do not post personal details and pictures of the family in these accounts.
- Create an Author site that gives information about you, your book, and your public speaking and signing events. Make sure that this site includes a blog or links to a blog; where you can post information, articles and excerpts of written work such as poetry or share intriguing new character and story development details for current projects.
- When blogging, don't crowd your readers. Make your book available but don't burden visitors with aggressive sales tactics. Win their interest and their trust.
- Give your blogs visitors something that will engage their interest. If they like your blog they will seek out your book.
- Be a host for Author Virtual Tours; network with other others. By hosting and promoting others you create relationships and expand your visibility.


Use Twitter, Facebook and You Tube to drive traffic to your blog and your main "author" site.
Visit other authors' sites and leave comments or become a fan, doing this creates back links to your site and accounts, potentially attracting visitors who may then buy your book.

For more about using video and audio clips to promote your book through YouTube come back next week!

Artist Studio Declutter

Please join me in welcoming the virtual tour group following 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home author Tisha Morris.


Yesterday, June 5, the tour was hosted by Yvonne Perry who published her book review for 27 Things on her writing blog at http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/

Today I have the distinct pleasure of presenting Tisha Morris's expert advice on how to handle an artist studio declutter.  Take it away Tisha . . .

How Does an Artist Keep Her Studio Decluttered?

One of my readers posed this question: What does an artist do to keep her studio clear? After all, the lives of artists, writers, and other creative people collect all types of “special flotsam & jetsam in the name of the creative process.” According to this reader, there are so many items that need to be kept that are a record of process. How do we decide if our ephemera is worthy of that?

Great question and being a former Interior Design student and one who paints as a hobby, I can totally relate!

In my blog article, What Your Home Says About You, I note that artists tend to be more right-brained – the non-organizing part of the brain. And as I pointed out, is having your home, or especially your art studio, a little messy such a bad thing? Of course not. It’s all part of the creative process, right? Or is it?

We all have a different standard as to what is too messy or too much clutter. You know when your home or studio has gotten out of control. You feel scattered, cloudy, weighed down, or creatively stuck. That’s when you know it’s time to take action.

First off, the size of your studio space will ultimately dictate how much art and supplies you can have on hand. When it comes to art, you can fill a warehouse space just as easy as you could fill a small corner of the kitchen. For example, when I decided that I wanted to convert my art studio space from a whole room to a corner in order to do yoga, I had to downsize the amount of art materials I kept. So designating how much space you are willing and wanting to take up is the first step.

Next, organizing units are essential. If you don’t already have proper storage, then these can be purchased from any art supply store. Have proper storage and organization in your studio so that you will at least have a standard for organization and have a place for everything. That way, when you know your space has gotten too messy for even your right-brain, you have bins and drawers to put stuff in.

If you then have too much stuff to fit into your organizing units, then it’s time to downsize. This is where the emotional aspects come into play – what to keep and what not to keep. If you keep items for inspiration, such as photos, cards, images, etc., then go through them to see what still resonates with you. You may be surprised how different you may feel about some of the items. Discard any items that you don’t absolutely love or that no longer inspire you.

What about your own past work? This can be very difficult. It took me several different clearings to finally dispose of my interior design projects. I had kept what I needed for purposes of including in a portfolio. For boards that I knew I would never need or use again, I took pictures of them before eventually disposing of them. It was difficult knowing how much time had gone into them. But honestly, I haven’t missed them since. In fact, I feel much lighter once I got rid of them. Every time I would see them in the closet, I was subconsciously reminded of the long hours I spent on them. I still keep a small portfolio of photos I took of my projects for nostalgia.

When your designated space for past projects gets too full, then it’s time to go through them to determine what needs to go. For me, I periodically dispose of my pieces of art that aren’t that great, meaning that I’ve improved since then. For pieces of art or art supplies that you no longer want, consider listing them on freecycle.org or craigslist.com. Taking pictures of your work is a great way to track your progress without being overloaded with projects. Clearing out old projects will also make room for new ideas and creativity. So don’t get too weighed down in your past projects. Instead, let creativity flow through you and your studio.

Guest Blogger: Tisha Morris, author of 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home.

Photo credit

Tomorrow June 7 sees the tour with The Shift Guru, Barbara Joye, featuring her Q and A interview with Tisha on http://shiftguru.wordpress.com/ . Follow Barbara Joye at @theshiftguru.

Don't forget to purchase your copy of 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home, by author, Tisha Morris, available now at Amazon.com

ISBN: 978-1-59652-567-2

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company 2010

Price: $9.99

Also available with Barnes&Noble book sellers, Borders and Indie Bound.

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For even more information about marketing your book online, read Book Marketing in the Digital Age, Online Promotion Made Easy.










Purchase Now!

27 Things Book Review

Today I would like to give a warm welcome to Tisha Morris and our friends following the virtual tour for
27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home, Tisha's new book.

This is Tisha's first virtual tour and with 36 stops to make between May 11 and June 11, 2010, the tour is winding it's way across oceans. Yesterday, May 27, the tour was a guest on The Wheel of Life Podcast with Shelagh Jones http://www.thewheeloflife.org/.

Ours will be stop 21 in the tour and by all accounts 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home, is a real winner.

First time author Tisha Morris offers the reader a modern and practical approach to using the ancient tradition of feng shui. From introduction to final page Tisha approaches her topic without the affectation or rhetoric commonly found in books on feng shui. She doesn’t oversell the concepts but instead walks you through 27 Things with the assumption that having picked the book up you inherently know the principles behind feng shui are sound.

Tisha brings her education as an interior designer and her experience as a certified life coach into play as she clearly relates the art of feng shui to the reader. She offers solid advice on clearing clutter and with each subsequent chapter clear, practical advice on how to implement the feng shui principles to make improvements, change the flow of energy and ultimately manifest desires. Tisha echoes centuries of mothers by telling us to clean out the closet and keep doorways clear but, more importantly, she explains why these actions are necessary in relation to how energy flows in our homes, lives and in order for energy shifts and healing to occur. This is a strong practical guide book. The author has a pleasant writing style, presents the material in an easy manner and speaks to our core issues in a non threatening way. 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home includes a chapter about creating a vision board, information on the Bagua map, easy to follow advice on using feng shui “cures,” and closes with a plan to implement the 27 Things.

For those readers unfamiliar with feng shui practices Tisha explains just enough about the concepts to allow a lay practitioner to receive solid reward for their time investment when applying the techniques, without planting confusion about the ins and outs of feng shui itself. For readers who have already been exposed to the art and mystery of feng shui, the author assists by leaving out confusing or contradictory information and the superstitions which often impede implementation of an action plan and the needed changes. She writes with confidence that following the feng shui principles and applying these techniques will have a powerful healing impact and her confidence is transferred to the reader.

After reviewing this book I am confident that I will be able to bring about some significant changes in my own life by following the 27 things that Tisha Morris recommends. I am also convinced that I could do so without spending a dime, simply using my current possessions in new ways or by letting go of things I no longer need. I recommend 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home to anyone who wants to employ feng shui without becoming mired in research to do so. Tisha has done the home work for us and lays out the most important pieces in an easy to understand and follow format.

This is one feng shui book you will pull off the shelf time and again. You are going to want to follow this tour on to the next stop where Douglas H. Melloy will air an interview with Tisha on Aware Talk Radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aware

Don't forget to purchase your copy of 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home, by author, Tisha Morris, available now at Amazon.com

ISBN: 978-1-59652-567-2

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company 2010

Price: $9.99

Also available with Barnes&Noble book sellers, Borders and Indie Bound.

Those of you that are following, looking for more great feng shui information from our guest will enjoy her new iPhone App, Feng Shui Bagua Map, By Tisha Morris already has a 5 star rating with iPhone users.

I've got it and it is the perfect companion to go with Tisha's book!

Reviewed by Vonne Faroqui

A Haunting Glimpse of Forever

Book Title: Forever With You
Author: Ivzi Cipuri
ISBN: 978-1-4327-4257-7
Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc., 2010
Price: $16.95
Pages: 138 pages
Reviewer Byline: Vonnie Faroqui for Writers In The Sky

A Haunting Glimpse of Forever

When I first received the book, Forever With You, by author Ivzi Cipuri, I was struck silent by the faded photograph on its cover. I have been haunted by that lovely face; the way her eyes shy away from the camera’s lens, as if hiding the soul within, forever denying the reader’s gaze and foreshadowing the author’s torment.
Lovingly dedicated, “To my unforgettable beloved wife Aije . . .” this volume of poetry is an autobiographical journey of love, life, and loss. Through it, the author seeks to immortalize his beloved wife and to share their story with the reader. The book is divided into three sections or moods of poetry. In the beginning, Ivzi offers the reader beauty and hope as he and his bride enter into a new life through marriage. His poetry describes glimpses of life well lived, of health and happiness. Then, the poems take a turn down darker paths, into clouds of fear, illness, battles waged, and ultimately death. The author completes his offerings by opening his chest, and in words, he gifts the reader with grasping, choking, ugly, angry anguish, and grief.

“You beauty, you ugly, I hate you all!
You give me pain, I cry, I toll;
You pinch my soul, you break my heart,
I want to throw, to crash you apart . . .”

I cannot tell whether it is the story of a woman’s courage, and love’s fight for life . . . or instead, if it is the story of a man’s love and anguish revealed in the poetry that I find more compelling.
This book is haunting in its humanity. The verse is rough, but true to the voice of the author and in its aching realism, more potently alive than prettier words or a more skillful pen could convey. Forever With You effectively sings a song of life and courage; its melody revealing depths of love and painful loss more poignantly because it is roughly sung.
I recommend this book for readers who have suffered loss due to illness or for those and their families who are fighting to recover health. An excellent example of the healing power and transformative impact words and art can have on the grieving process and a ringing testament to a love and fidelity that knows no barriers, not even death.
This book is available through Amazon.com

Nashville faces the "Thousand year flood" of 2010: Disaster Recovery Efforts

Yesterday I spent time with my brother at his home in Bellevue along the Harpeth River, one of the worst hit areas in the flood.

The first picture, below, he sent to me while trying to evacuate his wife, who is pregnant with their first child, due in June.

The second picture was taken from his canoe the following day.

I drove down the streets, winding through neighborhoods, around streets blocked and cordoned off to prevent unnecessary traffic flow and looting.  It was strange to behold a landscape which just days before had been completely submerged in muddy water, appearing deceptively lush, green and flowering.

My path wound into areas where evidence of the disaster took the form of huge piles of debris. Each home I passed pulled apart in an effort to salvage the structural integrity of the dwelling. People, some resolute, others with the frenetic energy carried carpet, soggy pink insulation, appliances and destroyed belongings from their homes to heaps for disposal. The air was rank. Who knows what poisons the waters churned up out of drains, sewers and homes to dissolve and leave as a toxic film covering everything.

I was deeply moved by the truck of volunteers which wove through the streets ahead of me, passing out food and water from a local eatery, The Alley Pub, to the many residents.

I reached my mud covered brother as he and his tribe of friends hauled kenneling fence out of the back yard to be moved and put together at a rental home he and his pregnant wife will be moving into. Their two Doberman Pinschers are being housed with one of the local animal rescue shelters for 3 days of free boarding, while the family makes a new home.

Neighbors assisted neighbors with clean up. A young man from Bellemeade roamed from home to home offering the strength of his arms, throwing himself in where needed. Women carrying buckets of cleaning supplies down the streets offered to anyone who needed them. Friends, carrying food and necessities stopping to offer support and shelter for those left without homes. Loved ones and strangers bound together out of necessity trying to rebuild lives and salvage hope from the mud and stench of decay.

With disaster comes renewal and compassion. As Nashvillians are making sense of the devastation, helping one another clean up and restore their lives, they will also be clearing away the debris of old patterns, and attitudes. In purchasing new furnishings, remodeling and caring for each other, not only are they repairing the damage left by the flood, they are shifting the course of the lives which remain and embracing the opportunity to make a fresh start energetically.