Book Tour: Learning How To Promote on Cyberspace with Karen Leland

Title – Ultimate Pinterest Guide for BusinessAuthor – Karen LelandAuthor's website link - http://www.karenleland.com/  Genre or category – Business Promotion, Online Marketing, Social Media MarketingISBN-10: 1-59918-5-083ISBN-13: 978-1-59918-508-8 

Ultimate Pinterest Guide for Business by Karen Leland

 

Pinterest is the third largest social media site after Facebook and Twitter. It gets 10 million unique views a month and has over 25 million members.  

Pinterest is a social bookmarking site that allows users to create a visual, online pinboard with images they love organized around topics of their choice by category. It’s the fastest growing social media site in history, the third-largest network after Facebook and Twitter and has over 25 million members and 10 million unique visitors a month. 

 

The most recent studies indicate that nearly 20 percent of women using the Internet are on Pinterest, 72 percent of Pinterest users are female, and 66 percent of those are age 35 or older, and the average amount of time visitors spend surfing the Pinterest site is an hour.

 

Karen Leland, author of the new book “Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business,” has created a comprehensive and easy-to-use guide to hitting the road running and quickly making Pinterest into a valuable source of prospects, promotion and profits. 

 

“Great business brands are about telling compelling, congruent stories, and Pinterest is at its core about storytelling in pictures,” says Leland. “Pinterest has tapped into this visceral lover of visuals, and no small business, entrepreneur or corporation can afford to miss the boat on bringing what they offer beyond words and into images.”

About Ultimate Pinterest Guide for Business

“The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business” is designed to help businesses use Pinterest to its maximum potential. The book provides both beginning users and seasoned veterans with the ability to find their specific area of interest “at a glance.” It uses step-by-step how-to, sidebars, examples, case studies, expert interviews and tip sheets to show how, from setup to strategy, to use Pinterest for promotional, branding and marketing objectives. 

 

The book explores the ins and outs of signing up and getting started on Pinterest and how to create boards that get noticed, drive traffic and convert fans into customers. Special chapters are devoted to creating a strong community and enthusiastic following through high-engagement activities, contests, social media outreach and smart pinning strategies.

 

In addition the book outlines specific marketing applications to small businesses, from architecture firms to theater companies.  

 

About Karen Leland

Karen Leland is the best-selling author of nine business books and the President of Sterling Marketing Group, where she works with entrepreneurs, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies around the globe on building stronger personal and business brands. Her clients have included AT&T, American Express, Marriott Hotels, Apple Computer and Johnson & Johnson, among others.  

 

She is a regular speaker for business groups and has spoken for the Young Presidents’ Organization, American Management Association and Direct Marketing Association, among others. Karen is a frequent guest of the media and has been interviewed on “The Today Show,” CNN, CNBC and “Oprah.”

 

She writes a regular branding and marketing column for Entrepreneur.com and has been published in Woman’s Day, Self, The Los Angeles Times and others. Her latest book is “Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business.”

 

What People Are Saying

Every small business should read this book — not only because it will show you exactly how to use Pinterest to promote your business but for the marketing and branding lessons Karen Leland has managed to weave throughout the book. Make Pinterest work as hard as you DO! -Berny Dohrmann, Founder, CEO Space, Bestselling Author, “Redemption: The Cooperation Revolution”

“Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business” provides the reader with a step-by-step approach and a clear path for maximizing communication in their business or profession. Karen's in-depth knowledge of social media, marketing and branding are a bonus for anyone wanting to integrate Pinterest into their marketing mix. -Michelle Patterson, Executive Director, California Women's Conference

 

Karen Leland's “Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business” is a gem! She has provided the must-have, must-read playbook for pinning in business. I've learned so many ideas, details and strategies that will impact and improve the Pinterest portion of my business and life.

-Susan RoAne, Author, “How to Work a Room” and “The Secrets of Savvy Networking”

 

WOW. This book is AMAZING! If you're ready to learn everything you need to know about successfully using Pinterest, then read and absorb the strategies in this brilliant book by Karen Leland! -James Malinchak, The World's #1 Big Money Speaker® Trainer & Coach featured on ABC's hit TV show, “Secret Millionaire,” Founder, BigMoneySpeaker

Can you make money using Pinterest? Absolutely! Karen Leland's new book shows you the exact steps to master the art of relationship marketing on Pinterest. Read this well-written, comprehensive book, and you'll be attracting and converting leads into paying customers in no time! -Mari Smith, Social Media Thought Leader, Author, “The New Relationship Marketing,” Co-author, “Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day”

Authoritative, accessible and specific — this guide is an invaluable resource. -Gretchen Rubin, Author, “The Happiness Project”

Karen Leland has one of the best grasps on branding I've seen. “Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business” is more than just a book on using Pinterest for marketing; it's a handbook for anyone who wants to understand how to approach branding and social media in today's complex online world.  - Olivia Fox Cabane, Author, “The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism”

Karen is the behind-the-scenes secret for the success of many small business brands. Her take on Pinterest makes this a fascinating book with a roadmap on how to use this popular platform to increase community engagement, brand visibility and sales. - Susan Harrow, Author, “Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul”

 
For much more information about Pinterest, Karen Leland and this book, visit http://bookpromotionservices.com/2013/04/05/pinterest-for-business-tour/

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Blog Tour and Foody Contest: Simple Sexy Foods to Stir Your Libido

Title – Simple Sexy Food - 101 Tasty Aphrodisiac Recipes and Sensual Tips to

Stir Your Libido and Feed Your Love
Author – Linda De Villers, PhD
Author's website link –  http://simplesexyfood.com/
Publisher - Aphrodite Media; 1st edition
Genre or category – Cookbooks, Food, Recipes, Relationship
ISBN-10: 097095655X
ISBN-13: 978-0970956552
Amazon Link - http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Sexy-Food-Linda-Villers/dp/097095655X
 

Do aphrodisiacs work? What exactly are they? How can I use them? We answer these questions and many more during the Simple Sexy Food virtual tour with clinical sex therapist and foodie – Linda De Villers, PhD. There are many ordinary foods that can have aphrodisiac effects – and we’re going to help you understand them.

A Message From Linda De Villers PhD

I created this book to help you enjoy the remarkable relationship between food and sex. These two themes run brightly through my own life both personally and professionally, and are inseparable from my sense of who I am. Having counseled and taught thousands of people on the loving arts, and having fed nearly as many in my kitchens over the years, I find myself in a state of barely contained excitement over the opportunity to share what I know with you. I am the only author in this field to be credentialed in both sexual health and food, having worked and presented internationally and conducted research on the joint topic over the course of my career.

Midwest Book Review –

Every culture has had its own ideas on the aphrodisiac qualities of certain foods. The abilities of some foods to enhance or stimulate human sexuality and sexual responses. Simple Sexy Food is a 247-page compendium showcasing 101 dishes to enhance the libido, spice up bedroom performance, and augment a healthy relations with a loved one. In addition to the recipes, Simple Sexy Food also provides a delineated history of aphrodisiacs, including their use and myths. Unique and thoroughly ‘user friendly’, Simple Sexy Food will prove to be a welcome addition to personal and family cookbook collections, and an ideal gift for newlyweds and the amorously adventurous!

About Simple Sexy Food –

Simple Sexy Food is an aphrodisiac cookbook like no other. Honest and direct, detailed and informative, it’s packed with exclusive recipes, food and sex tips, descriptions and histories of ingredients and even survey data about what food people find sexy. And it’s the only aphrodisiac cookbook written by a clinical sex therapist who also happens to be a foodie!

Cassanova relished the food and meals that accompanied and enhanced his love affairs: he recorded the sensual delight of special meals with his conquests; for him, food was the food of love. Why should it be different for the rest of us? Food and love, two things that sustain us physically and spiritually, have long been associated, and most of us, have a delicious memory or two of when the combination produced a moment that was nothing less than magical. With the right person, preparing and sharing a meal can be a turn-on: intimate, caring, and sensual. The rituals of cooking and dining together can cook up erotic possibilities and create intimacy and romance for all of us. Linda De Villers is a passionate cook who has traveled the world. In Simple Sexy Food, she combines her culinary knowledge with 20 years of experience as a sex and relationship expert to create a sensual self-help guide to help all couples have more magical moments in—and out—of the kitchen.

What are the essential ingredients for a romantic, sensual meal? Food that is luscious and that is especially appealing to all the senses is important; meals are truly “aphrodisiac” when they are experienced as a feast of sensual delights. But for many couples, time—not exotic ingredients—is the ultimate luxury. Getting in the mood for love requires relaxation and setting aside a moment when we can leave workday concerns aside; a little intention—whether it’s a saucy surprise or a seductive invitation—coupled with the pleasure of a special meal that appeals to all the senses can spark moments of intimacy that create all the excitement of spontaneous ones. For couples who have been together for some time, those moments can create even more intimacy, sensuality, and fun.

In its approach and philosophy, Simple Sexy Food is surprisingly simple: Eating together regularly is one factor that significantly contributes to the emotional closeness lovers experience with each other. And in today’s economy, romantic dining-out budgets are shrinking; there’s no better time to get couples in the kitchen, cooking up romance at home. In Simple Sexy Food, Dr. De Villers gives readers simple, fresh, modern recipes for seductive meals, small bites, and drinks, as well as fun, imaginative, and non-intimidating suggestions that will give even shy cooks and would-be seducers more confidence in the kitchen and the bedroom.

Simple Sexy Food redefines aphrodisiacs. In her work as a sex therapist and professor, Dr. De Villers has conducted extensive studies of current attitudes towards aphrodisiacs and the kinds of foods and meals that put modern readers in the mood. While classic aphrodisiac ingredients like oysters, pomegranates, and artichokes are provocative to the palate and the imagination, the most highly-rated romantic foods are simply delectable “passions”—luscious, suggestive foods for romance like chocolate-covered strawberries. Sushi and pasta rate highly, too, and for good reason: sushi may not be a traditional aphrodisiac, but it’s light, sensual, and undeniably sexy. In Simple Sexy Food, timeless aphrodisiac ingredients are highlighted and employed in modern recipes, but what sets Simple Sexy Food apart from other aphrodisiac cookbooks is an equal emphasis on simply delicious foods and meals that will please your partner.

Simple Sexy Food is a first: an aphrodisiac cookbook written by a relationship expert. It will provide ideas and recipes for both weeknight cooking and special occasions. On the recipe pages, it will serve up tantalizing anecdotes from her extensive surveys on how a sensual meal created a romantic moment between lovers and offer sexy serving suggestions. Because Dr. De Villers is a well-known sex therapist, it will also provide a little hand-holding—empowering advice from an expert on how to kick up your confidence a notch in the kitchen and the bedroom. Simple Sexy Food will educate and inspire readers by offering tips for making readers feel sexy before they begin, give serving tips for spicing things up romantically, and give inspiring scene and scenario setting ideas for creating truly delicious moments.

About Linda DeVillers PhD –

Linda De Villers, PhD is an internationally recognized authority on human sexuality and relationships with an emphasis on the role of exercise and diet in improving sexual function. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, and more. For a year, she wrote a monthly column in Health magazine; prior to that she was a weekly Q&A Columnist for Playboy.com. Dr. De Villers’ private practice helps individuals and couples replace sexual concerns with confidence in themselves for a richly satisfying sex life. She carries her sex-positive focus into her popular human sexuality courses offered at several major universities and colleges. A lifelong gourmet foodie and avid tennis player, she makes her home in coastal Los Angeles.

Recipe Photo Contest –

We are holding a recipe photo contest as part of the virtual tour. Details can be found at - http://www.lovecoachjourney.com/recipe-photo-contest/ . We supply the recipes, you prepare the aphrodisiac food and submit a picture of the finished recipe – for the contest. The grand prize winner will get a one-on-one aphrodisiac consultation and five runner ups will receive a digital copy of Love Skills by Linda De Villers.  Contact nikki@nikkileigh.com with questions. We show the ingredients - now show us what you can do.

Linda De Viller, PhD, Clinical Sex Therapist and Foodie, shares her knowledge about the myths and truth about aphrodisiacs. She also share over 80 recipes and a wealth of love and sex tips. Get your copy at - http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Sexy-Food-Linda-Villers/dp/097095655X/. We invite you to participate in the Simple Sexy Food Recipe Photo Contest - http://www.lovecoachjourney.com/recipe-photo-contest - the grand prize winner will get a one on one aphrodisiac consultation and five runner ups will receive a digital copy of Love Skills by Linda De Villers.

Submitted by Blog Tour Specialist Nikki Leigh:

 

Visit my new Website - http://www.nikkileighauthor.com 
Social Media Promotional Services - www.bookpromotionservices.com
Follow My Love Coaching Journey - http://lovecoachjourney.com

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

New Novella in DragonEye Series Online Launch

Greater Treasures
Part of the DragonEye Series of novel and stories
By Karina Fabian
Genre: Fantasy/Noir/Mystery/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Pages 130

ISBN-13: 978-1484848296
ISBN-10: 1484848292 ASIN B00CEH934G
Video Trailer
Available on Amazon

 

Synopsis:

 Being a private detective in the border town of the Faerie and Mundane worlds isn’t easy, even for a dragon like Vern.   Still, finding the wayward brother of a teary damsel in distress shouldn’t have gotten so dangerous.  When his partner, Sister Grace, gets poisoned by a dart meant for him, Vern offers to find an artifact in exchange for a cure.  However, this is no ordinary trinket—with a little magic power, it could control all of mankind.  Can Vern find the artifact, and will he sacrifice the fate of two worlds for the life of his best friend?

Excerpt:

Given the day I was having, it came as no surprise that when I got home, I found the dogs sprawled in a drugged sleep and the sounds of things being overturned from within the warehouse. I decided not to bother with subtlety, but I did resist the urge to burst in with flames going full-blast. I had questions first.

Naturally, I walked straight in to find an automatic weapon—yep, a bona fide black-market AK-47—and I thought only Faerie lived their clichés—and six other weapons of various types pointed at me. I didn't stop, just closed the door with my tail while I strolled in slow and placid-like. My visitors had shaved heads, faces painted white with clown paint, and black t-shirts with swastikas in white circles.

"If you're the housekeeping service, you're fired."

"You stay right there, or we gonna fire you!" said one guy from the sidelines as he held his nunchucks at the ready.

What'd he think he would do—whack me on the nose? I turned to the one holding the assault rifle. "Scraping the bottom of the barrel with that one, weren't you?"

"He's right. You just stay still while we search the place."

"The place" was a ten-thousand square foot warehouse with offices on the upper floor. Boxes I still hadn't opened line the walls and made a maze in the second warehouse room. I settled myself on the floor and rested my head on my crossed arms. "Go ahead. I get half of anything you find."

They stared at me, unbelieving. I smiled back. Mr. Cooperation, that's me. Finally, Big Gun snarled for the others to get to work. As he turned his back on me, Nunchucks muttered, "I got your half. Don't think I don't." Guess he learned such witty repartee in Hitler Youth Summer Camp.

I watched and listened and waited. With eight teenage skinheads trashing my place, it was only a matter of time.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," I suggested as Nunchucks made a grab for the doorknob to Grace's workshop.

"You gonna stop me?" He turned the knob.

"Nope," I said as I closed my ears and my eyes. Even so, I saw the otherworldly light and heard the harmonious roar of Divine Vengeance followed by Mundane screams.

"The Heavenly Host on the other hand…"

I waited until the screams died down to whimpers before opening my eyes and rising.

Four of the skinheads were unconscious. Three may as well have been; they were curled up in the fetal position, whimpering. Nunchucks was actually crying for his mommy. Big Guns had collapsed to the floor as well, the gun thrown away from him. He was sitting and rocking and making high-pitched keening through the roof of his mouth.

I'd tell Grace to tone down her wards some, except that the effect is directly proportional to the evilness of the intent. Suddenly, I was feeling a little shaky about my earlier entrance.

Knights out of the armor now. I went around, collecting weapons in the office trash can and poking through pockets. I found the usual stuff—driver's licenses, credit cards, petty cash… One kid had a condom; wishful thinking on his part, I knew. Another had a report card. MLK High. Wonder if he was the one beating up Faerie kids? Honor roll grades, too. Of all the years I've battled evil, there were still some things I didn't understand.

As I was returning Big Guns' (aka Rick Matherston's) wallet back into his jacket pocket, he blinked and focused on me.

"What was that?"

"Angels, kid." Actually a kind of magical shadow of the real thing, but close enough.
          "But I thought angels were—"

"There's a reason why their first words are usually 'Fear not!' whenever they meet a human."

His eyes returned to their unfocused stare. I almost felt sorry for him. Then I noticed the letters FARISLAR tattooed on his knuckles. Faerie slayer.

About Greater Treasures

Most people associate the DragonEye stories with high humor ranging from puns to slapstick, and in fact, the first stories and the novels have certainly been crazy fun.  But the life of a cynical dragon PI isn’t all laughs, and Vern has had a few chilling stories to tell me.  Some of these, I’ve sold to anthologies, but some are too long for that.  Thus, I’ve decided to start publishing them on my own. 

From the Author

One thing I like to do for DragonEye stories is watch old noir films.  Greater Treasures came to me while watching the Maltese Falcon.  If you’ve never seen it, I recommend it.  (Then, reread the story to see if you catch the in jokes.)  I needed something with more “oomph” than a bird statue, and since Vern has some history with the Lance of Longinus, it made a good fit.  I enjoyed looking up all the conspiracy theories about the use of the Lance by Hitler, which is where the neo-Nazi angle came in.  To say more would be spoilers, so please, enjoy the story. And if you do, be sure to check out Vern’s other tales at http://dragoneyepi.net.

About the Author

 Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem), Karina Fabian has imagination that takes quirky twists that keep her--and her fans--amused. Nuns working in space, a down-and-out Faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George, zombie exterminators—there’s always a surprise in Fabian’s worlds. Mrs. Fabian teaches writing and book marketing seminars, but mostly is concerned with supporting her husband, Rob Fabian as he makes the exciting leap from military officer to civilian executive, getting her kids through high school and college, and surviving daily circuit torture…er, circuit training.  Read about her adventures at http://fabianspace.com. Find Karina at:

Website: http://fabianspace.com, http://dragoneyepi.net
Blog:  http://fabianspace.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karina.fabian
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/KarinaFabian
Google +:  https://plus.google.com/103660024891826015212

Here are some other fun links she suggests:
Lance of Longinus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Lance
Maltese Falcon: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/
Live and Let Fly: http://dragoneyepi.blogspot.com/p/live-and-let-fly.html
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Dr. Eileen Brennan Reviews Literary Novel

Title:  Orange Peels and Cobblestones

Author:   Rose Marie Dunphy

Author Website link:  http://rosemariedunphy.blogspot.com

                                http://www.facebook.com/authorrosedunphy  

Genre or Category:  Fiction, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

ISBN:    978-0-615-69671-3

 

Reviewer:  Dr. Eileen Brennan, Licensed Psychoanalyst in Private Practice   originally for Amazon

 

 

"Orange Peels and Cobblestones is a great read that provokes our interest and satisfies our soul. While Brooklyn has long been home to churches and immigrants, it is Marietta's journey that dramatizes the intimate joys and cold challenges nurtured within this transitional community. This young girl's hunger for family and friendship, emerging in the1950's and maturing in the `60's, dances life-filled into the new millennium.

Personally, through this novel, I treasure joining Marietta revisiting my own immigrant, isolating and tender school days housed in a multi-generational, downtown brownstone. Psychoanalytically, in reading, and re-reading portions of, Orange Peels and Cobblestones I experience Marietta's deep creative instincts driving her birthing of self and of family.

Orange Peels provokes our hunger for life that emerges in the innocent manipulations of play and matures in the risks that scaffold the joys of other-centered adulthood. Cobblestones supports our vision of life grounded passionately in the security of family and open to the vast potential of a shared future.

Thank you Rose Marie Dunphy for a novel gift of life."

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. 

Today Is Earth Day: Poetry Book to Honor the Day Released

Sublime Planet

Authors: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
Authors' Web sites:
Carolyn: http://howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm
Magdalena: http://magdalenaball.com
Photos: Ann Howley  
ISBN: 978-1482054705

 

Reviewed by Karen Cioffi

 

Gearing up for Earth Day, Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball are releasing a brand new collection of poems titled Sublime Planet. The collection features relevant poems by Carolyn and Magdalena that demonstrate the interconnections of the world around us, including life, family, and love, along with the growing concern for the earth’s preservation.

This is a beautifully written collection that allows the reader to pause and take note of the world around her.

One of my favorite poems in the collection is one by Carolyn titled “The Giraffe:”

 

A tongue generous

as my head he reaches

for me, barriers no match

for his long neck, sniffs

my hair, kisses my face.

He unaware

he is endangered.

I unaware he might

be dangerous.

 

This poem is a powerful, yet simple tribute to a majestic creature that is now an endangered species. Can you imagine a planet without the giraffe?

Another poem in the collection that struck me is “Tipping Point” by Magdalena Ball: “[. . .] you eat and eat through four billion years of evolution now held loosely by one thread. [. . .] The future waits impatiently your decision.”

Again, powerful, and revealing.

 

Sublime Planet offers moving insight into the world around us and into a world that is in need of attention, and it certainly honors Earth Day. I highly recommend it.

 

For those who aren’t aware of what Earth Day is, Senator Gaylord Nelson created this special day in the spring of 1970. The purpose behind it was to make everyone aware of all the toxins being spewed into the air and dumped in nearby streams or other waterways by manufacturing companies.

At that time, there were no regulatory or legal safety nets to protect our planet, our environment. Senator Nelson took a stand and his cause quickly caught on.

The earth is our planet, our home, our responsibility, and we’re not doing such a good job protecting it.

Sublime Planet celebrates Earth Day (April 22nd).

The poems "Giraffe" and “Tipping Point” are from Sublime Planet, a book of poetry in the Celebration Series coauthored by Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball. It will be released before Earth Day.  In the meantime learn more about Carolyn's poetry books (including that Celebration Series!) at http://howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm. And, learn more about Magdalena’s poetry and fiction at http://magdalenaball.com

About the reviewer:

Karen Cioffi is a multi-award-winning author, freelance/ghostwriter, and author online presence instructor. Give your writing and marketing efforts a boost with The Writing World newsletter. Get weekly tips and guidance, plus updates on free webinars, and TWO ebooks! Go to http://thewritingworld.com and sign-up today.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Authors, Reviewers, Readers! How To Submit Your Fave Review

I post and edit this The New Book Review blog  at no charge and I do it by myself. I don't even ask for donations. And I love it! Lucky you! 

I outline the submission guidelines in the left column of the blog, but I still get all kinds of unusual submissions that require me to send the author, reviewer, or reader back to the drawing board. The thing is, my guidelines are not an isolated requirement. They are standard throughout the publishing industry and authors who don’t know how to follow them are at a disadvantage with everything from entering a contest to getting a agent.

I, like everyone else, do ask that the submission guidelines be followed exactly. In other words, your favorite review--whether you're an author, a reader, or a reviewer--must be all submitted all in one place--by you--so it's pretty much copy and paste for me. (Though I always have some details to attend to). Dan Poynter actually uses the term “copy and paste ready” in his guidelines for submissions.

I cover tips for submissions to editors, etc. (among hundreds of other tips)  in The Frugal Book Promoter as a way to assure that more of your marketing efforts get used by editors.  I consider these guidelines a bit of a training ground for authors. Find The Frugal Book Promoter at http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo.  

So....your submission to this blog should come all in one e-mail window.

It should be formatted as outlined in the submission guidelines right here at http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com  in the left column. 

And no attachments, please. Many universities, newspapers, etc will NEVER open attachments. In fact, their servers may not even let e-mail with attachments through but send them instead directly to cyberspace--bypassing even the spam folder. 

I hope to hear from you soon! Should you decide to take on this marketing opportunity, let's make it fun, easy, and a wonderful marketing (and learning) experience. (-:

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

The Stuff of Great Story: The Ocean. Sailing. Family.

Title: The Other Side of The Ice

Author: Sprague Theobald
Web Site: http://SpragueTheobald.com
Genre: Nonfiction: Family / Adventure
ISNB: 78-1-61608-623-7

 

Originally reviewed by The Alpha Wife

I am always looking for a good book to read and although my reading time is limited these days, it seems I am always able to make time for a new book (my family probably wishes I made time for things like cooking or cleaning!).
The last book I read was The Other Side of the Ice, by Sprague Theobald, and let me tell you – it was not what I expected, in the best way possible.

I don’t really know anything about sailing, and I can’t say it’s an interest of mine (aside from lounging around on a sail boat in the British Virgin Islands…that I am interested in) – and as this book was about a family’s attempt to cross The Northwest Passage, which is an incredibly dangerous piece of the ocean that is littered with icebergs and infamous for its horrendous weather, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to, ahem, get on board.

Honestly, I expected a book detailing the technical aspects of the crossing, and although I knew from the summary that it also told the story of a family reunited, I was still pretty sure I’d mostly be reading a book about boats and polar bears.

Turns out I was wrong on several levels.

This is a story about one man’s physical and emotional journey through some of the world’s most dangerous (and largely uncharted!) territory.  Sprague is a talented writer and draws the reader in from the first page – and almost immediately, it’s clear that this story is about more than the ocean.  Sprague decides he wants to fulfill a lifelong dream to sail through the Northwest Passage, but maybe even more importantly, he wants to repair the relationships he has with his three children (stepchildren Dominique and Chauncey and son Sefton), who are all competent sailors.  He hires the bunch – along with a captain (Dominique’s boyfriend) and a cameraman to record the journey for a future documentary, and sets off on the kind of adventure that you might see in the movies.  Only, it’s real.  And includes his children, who as adults are still healing from the wounds of divorce years after the divorce was finalized.

Sprague paints a vivid and honest picture of his relationship with his kids.  He doesn’t shirk from responsibility or blame the kids’ mother – he steps up and owns his mistakes and says, more than once, that he wishes he’d been around more.  As a parent, these stories pull at my heartstrings – there are some things that you just cannot undo, and Sprague realizes this,  making a point of living in the moment and fixing what he can and moving forward.  Much of the story almost reads as an apology to his children, yet remains hopeful about what the future may hold.  There is a lot of history and many back stories, and somehow these all seem to come together seamlessly.  The crew are a vibrant and multi-dimensional nunch, and I felt that Sprague managed to tell their stories without bias – these are real people, and I didn’t feel like the author was trying to make me like, or dislike, anyone.

I was cheering for everyone to reconnect as a family, to be sure…but I couldn’t get enough of the actual sailing trip, either!  I had *no* idea what went into something of this magnitude and it was fascinating to me to read about the technical details (which I thought would quickly bore me).  Sprague talks just enough about the boat’s engine/weather/onboard systems to educate the reader and set the stage for the story – it’s a fine line to walk, as too much boat stuff and I’d be yawning myself to sleep, but not enough and I might be confused (and I’m sure experienced sailors and adventurers relished the technical side of this book).
The book ended as I’d hoped (that’s not a spoiler!).  I was rooting for the whole crew and the hearty little Bagan (I kind of loved their boat by the end of this book, and felt like she was one of the main players in this story).

The only thing that disappointed me?  The editing was poor.  There were some typos, and some of these came early on in the book…which had me wondering if I wanted to keep reading.  But the story was so compelling and well-told, I kept reading (and was happy I did).  And for the record, I looked this book up on Amazon and noticed that the author addressed the typos and said they were being corrected (thank goodness – this story deserves to be typo-free).

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