Who’s That Indie Author? Grace Blair

Grace Blair

Author Name: Grace Blair

Genre: Teen & Young Adult Historical Fantasy, Self-Help Personal Development

Books: Einstein’s Compass a YA Time Traveler Adventure; Do You Have a Dream Workbook 5 Keys to Realize Your Dream; 5 Keys to Courage, Confidence and Creativity

Bio: Grace Blair is an award-winning self-help and motivational author, and a podcast host who has assisted thousands to find their spiritual wisdom to solve everyday challenges.

What got you started as a writer? I watched the television series Murder She Wrote. The main character, Jessica Fletcher was a writer who traveled and I thought I would also like to be a writer who traveled.

What is your writing routine? I write when my creative cup is full of the characters and stories who are ready for me to put on paper. When the cup is empty, I get up and do something else.

What route did you take to get your books published? Modern Mystic Media is my company where I self-publish. Bublish assists me to edit, publish, market, sell and track my sales.

What things do you do to promote your books? I launched Einstein’s Compass with a book blog and audiobook blog tours. I also submitted book listings on all on-line bookstores, including Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, and Google Play. I create promotions through Mailchimp and Bublish sends out tweets each weekend to 800,000 Twitter users. I use social media daily, specifically Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I also have a nationwide books distribution with Barnes & Noble through Bublish. In addition, editorial and book reviews for Amazon and Goodreads help spread the word. I participate in book signings in local bookstores and book fairs. I created a three-minute video to be shown on our local television station. I’m currently in a shopping agreement with a Hollywood producer who is assisting me with Einstein’s Compass to become a television series. Finally, I advertise twice a year on Kindle Daily Nation Kids Week book promotion.

What is your favorite genre to read and why? I love history. Through historical fiction I can be entertained and learn history.

Do you prefer to write dialogue or description? Both. I like writing descriptions as the background of story with dialogue to show the depth of the story and characters.

Have any of your characters ever surprised you? Yes, all the time

Did this change the plot of your book? Yes

What is the most difficult thing you have accomplished in your life? Overcoming an abusive early family environment

What three events or people have most influenced how you live your life? My spiritual teacher, John-Roger, my husband, John Blair and Kathy Meis of Bublish.

What would you tell your younger self? Go to college

Have you ever met up with a bear on a hike? If so, what did you do? If not, are you looking up what to do right now? No, I have never met a bear on a hike. If I did, I would growl bigger and chase the bear away.

You’re locked in your local library for the night with no dinner. Thank goodness you have water, but you only have enough change to buy one item from the vending machine. Choices are limited to: Fudge Pop Tarts, Snickers or Doritos. Which would you choose and why? None. I do not eat sugar so not Fudge Pop Tarts or Snickers. I am lactose intolerant so no Doritos.

What’s the largest number of people you’ve had in your kitchen at one time? Twenty

Closing thoughts: Einstein’s Compass received multiple awards in 2020, including the Best Sci-Fi Audiobook Review and the Indie Author Best Book Award and was awarded 1^st Place in the Royal Dragonfly Book Award for Historical Fiction.

Website and social media links:
Website:ModernMysticMedia
Book: EinsteinsCompassBook
Linktree: @gracethemystic

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Book Club Mom’s Author Update: Deborah A. Olson, RN, M.A. LPC

Deborah A. Olson

Author name: Deborah A. Olson, RN, M.A. LPC

Genre: Nonfiction/Self-help

Book: The Healing Power of Girlfriends: How to Create Your Best Life Through Female    Connection

News: In my work as a psychotherapist working with women’s mental health issues, I often get asked “How do I make new friends?” The desire to make new friends and nurture existing friendships is almost ubiquitous. Especially now during the pandemic when so many people feel alone, disconnected, isolated, a circle of friends to support us, encourage us, and share life with is vital.

My book, The Healing Power of Girlfriends: How to Create Your Best Life Through Female Connection, equips women with ideas and practical tips on how to make new friends and develop deeper bonds of friendship.

It’s very exciting to share the news that my book has won three awards since its release in March 2019!

• Gold award in Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards in the Nonfiction, Self-Help category
• Bronze award in the Nonfiction Book Awards
• Bronze award in the Living Now Book Awards in the Nonfiction, Self-Help category

It is my hope that many more women will benefit from the tips in the book and come together in an even stronger bond of friendship as we weather the storms of life.

Website/blog link: https://deborah-olson.com/

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Are you working on a new book? Have you won an award or a writing contest? Did you just update your website? Maybe you just want to tell readers about an experience you’ve had. Book Club Mom’s Author Update is a great way to share news and information about you and your books.

Email Book Club Mom at bvitelli2009@gmail.com for more information.

Open to all authors – self-published, indie, big-time and anything in between. Author submissions are limited to one per author in a six-month period.

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Book Review: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
by
Lori Gottlieb

Rating:

Lori Gottlieb, a writer and psychotherapist, felt crushed when the long-term relationship with her boyfriend ended abruptly. She was certain she’d been wronged and wanted to find a way out of her pain. So she found her own therapist (Wendell) and, while he was helping her, she was helping her patients with many of the same issues, all of which come from being human.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is the story of four of Gottlieb’s patients and of her own journey to better self-understanding. She explains the similarity and why she wrote the book: “Our training has taught us theories and tools and techniques, but whirring beneath our hard-earned expertise is the fact that we know just how hard it is to be a person.”

Gottlieb introduces us to her patients: John, a highly successful television writer who thinks everyone is an idiot; Charlotte, a twenty-five-year-old with anxiety and relationship issues; Julie, a thirty-something newlywed with a cancer diagnosis; and Rita, nearly seventy and considering suicide.

In chapters that connect Gottlieb’s progress with her patients’, we get to know them all. The author describes how it feels to be both patient and doctor. “Does my therapist like me?” she hopes. “Are my problems boring?” she worries. She talks about the relationships with her patients and how invested she becomes in their progress and happiness. And how they see her. What would they think if they knew that she, too, was in therapy?

As we learn more about them, we begin to see that the problems John, Charlotte, Julie, Rita and Lori have are variations of our own and based on a search for meaning in life.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is both anecdotally funny and informative about theories and methods. Gottlieb gives us insight into her own therapy by laughing at her initial awkwardness with Wendell. She shares her insecurities and obsessions over the “Boyfriend” who broke it off. And as a therapist, she describes the many professional decisions she must make, such as how to honor the confidentiality contract with patients when your paths cross, in person and through referrals. As she discusses their sessions, she shows what methods she uses to see what’s really underneath John’s anger, to show Charlotte how to break her self-destructive habits, to help Julie with a grim diagnosis and to teach Rita how to find a reason to live.

She encourages her patients to acknowledge their pain because “feeling your sadness or anxiety can also give you essential information about yourself and your world.” She emphasizes recognizing sadness and breaking free from “stepping in the same puddle,” pointing out that “most big transformations come about from the hundreds of tiny, almost imperceptible, steps we take along the way.” I like that.

I found this book highly readable and informative. By sharing her problems and relating them to her patients’, Gottlieb erases the stigma of going to therapy. Her message? We all need someone to talk to.

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Who’s That Indie Author? Michelle Burke and Lilamani de Silva

Author names:  Michelle Burke & Lilamani de Silva

Genre:  Non Fiction – Motivational, Self Help

Book:  15 Minute Pause, A Radical Reboot for Busy People

Bios:  Michelle Burke is a sought-after leadership and team coach, consultant and speaker. She is Founder of Energy Catalyst Group, devoting her 20-year career to helping organizations becoming thriving energized workplaces. A few clients include Sony PlayStation, Microsoft, Disney, HTC and Snap Inc. Lilamani de Silva and Michelle have created card games and educational products for over 17yrs. Lilamani’s eclectic career has included publicist at London Zoo, Assistant producer of natural history documentaries for Discovery and Animal Planet.

Favorite thing about being writers:  Inspiring people to have more joy and share insights

Biggest challenge as indie authors:  Spreading the word – promoting the book’s message

Favorite books:
Lilamani: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert
Michelle: Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Contact Information:  15minutepause.com, energycatalystgroup.com

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Who’s That Indie Author Recap: Mar/Apr 2016

Have you met these indie authors?

Here’s a recap for March and April 2016.  Be sure to click on the author’s name to view the full indie author profile.

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Maighread MacKay

Genre:  Metaphysical, Visionary and Paranormal Fiction
Book:  Stone Cottage
Favorite Books:  I love the Harry Potter series, Dan Brown’s books. Norah Roberts.
Biggest Challenge:  The rewriting and editing to make the story the best it can be
Contact Information:  Website: Maighread MacKay, Author & Artist
Facebook: Author Maighread MacKay
Twitter: @maighreadmackay

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Sherry Mayes

Genre:  Young Adult
Book:  Stop the World
Favorite Book:  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Biggest Challenge:  Finding support to get your novel ‘seen’.
Contact Information:  Facebook:  Sherry Mayes Author; Goodreads:  Sherry Mayes  Amazon: amazon.co.uk

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Denise Greenwood

Genre:  Contemporary fiction and chilling thrillers
Books:  Temptation, Star Keeper, Crushed
Favorite Book:  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Biggest Challenge:  Making one’s narrative voice heard above the roar of millions of others within the book market.
Contact Information:  Website: denise-greenwood.com; Twitter: @deniseGauthor; Facebook: Denise Greenwood and Book Trailers: YouTube.com

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Jax Jillian

Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Books:  Larkin’s Letters, Ryan’s Letters
Favorite Book:  Suzanne’s Diary to Nicholas by James Patterson
Biggest Challenge:  Definitely marketing and just getting the book into people’s hands.
Contact Information:  Website:  jaxjillian.com  Blog:  jaxjill.wordpress.com   email:  jaxjillian@gmail.com

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B. Lynn Goodwin

Genre:  Fiction, Self-Help, Memoir
Books:  Talent ; You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers ; Her memoir, a work-in-progress, has a working title: Never Too Late.
Favorite Book:  Usually the one I’m reading. As long as I care about the characters or am learning from the content I usually have a favorite book du jour.
Biggest Challenge:  Getting the word out about my latest book, blog, or venture.
Contact Information:  Website:  writeradvice.com; Blog:  B. Lynn Goodwin; Facebook:  B. L. Goodwin; Twitter: @Lgood67334

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Mary Rowen

Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Books:  Leaving the Beach, Living by Ear, another to be published some time in 2016 (fingers crossed)
Favorite Book:  One? That might be impossible. But if John Irving wrote it, it’s probably on my list.
Biggest Challenge:  Like almost everyone else: marketing.
Contact Information:  Website:  maryrowen.com; Facebook:  Mary Rowen Author; Twitter:  @maryjrowen

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Thomas Whaley

Genre:  Literary Fiction
Book:  Leaving Montana
Favorite Book:  The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
Biggest Challenge:  Marketing – especially if writing is not your full-time job.
Contact Information:   Website: thomaswhaley.com, Goodreads Author Page; Twitter @AuthorTomWhaley

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Dorinda Balchin

Genre:  Historical Fiction
Books:  Heronfield; The Guardians
Favorite Book:  Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
Biggest Challenge:  Marketing.  I know that there are many readers out there who would love my work but as an indie author it is much harder to reach them without the resources and contacts of a traditional publisher.
Contact Information:  Author website:  dorindabalchin.com; Twitter:  @DorindaBalchin; Email: dorinda@dorindabalchin.com

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Why not get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author?

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details, and follow along on Book Club Mom to join the indie author community!

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Who’s That Indie Author Recap: Jan/Feb 2016

Have you met these indie authors?

Here’s a recap for January and February 2016.  Be sure to click on the author’s name to view the full indie author profile.

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Donna A. Ford

Genre:  History/Biography/Inspirational
Books:  Miracle of the Call – Twentieth Century Heroes and Heroines; Concord Sage – Ralph Waldo Emerson Life and Times
Favorite Book:  The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
Biggest Challenge:  Marketing
Contact Information: Website: donnaaford.com; Email: author@donnaaford.com

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David Olimpio

Genre:  Nonfiction/Memoir
Book:  This is Not a Confession
Favorite Book:  London Fields, by M. Amis
Biggest Challenge:  Finding an audience
Contact Information: You can find David Olimpio at his website and blog: davidolimpio.com, on Twitter @notsolinear, and on Facebook, Tumblr & Pinterest.

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Carrie Rubin

Genre:  Medical Thriller
Books:  Eating Bull  and The Seneca Scourge
Favorite Book:  A Fine Balance by R. Mistry
Biggest Challenge:  Promotion
Contact Information: You can find Carrie on her website, carrierubin.com,  Facebook, Twitter(@carrie_rubin) Goodreads: Carrie Rubin and Google+.

 

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A.B. Funkhauser

Genre:  Gonzo Mortuary Revenge Fiction
Books:  Heuer Lost and Found and
Scooter Nation
Favorite Book:  Child of the Morning
by P. Gedge
Biggest Challenge:  Sleeping.
Contact Information: Website: abfunkhauser.com;   Twitter: @iamfunkhauser; Facebook: A. B. Funkhauser Author.

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Phyllis Edgerly Ring

Genre:  Historical fiction, romantic suspense, inspirational nonfiction.
Book:  The Munich Girl: A Novel of the Legacies that Outlast War.
Favorite Book:  Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Liz Gilbert
Biggest Challenge:  Finding creative ways to make a book discoverable.
Contact Information: You can find Phyllis at her website, Leaf of the Tree, on Twitter: @phyllisring, on her Amazon Author Page, and on her Goodreads Author Page.

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Shelley Wilson

Genre:  Young Adult Fiction; Adult Self-Help Nonfiction
Books:  How I Changed My Life in a Year; Meditation for Beginners, Vision Boards for Beginners; Guardians of the Dead; Guardians of the Sky; Guardians of the Lost Lands.
Favorite Book:  The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Biggest Challenge:  Promotion/marketing
Contact Information: Website: shelleywilsonauthor.co.uk; Writer Blog: shelleywilsonauthor.com; Twitter: @ShelleyWilson72.

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Linda K. Sienkiewicz

Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Books:  In the Context of Love
Favorite Book:  Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Biggest Challenge: Being published by a small press means not getting the big advance that another author might get from a big New York publisher.
Contact Information: Linda’s website – lindasienkiewicz.com; Twitter – @LindaKSienkwicz; Facebook – lindasienkiewicz.author

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Why not get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author?

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details, and follow along on Book Club Mom to join the indie author community!

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The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

Are you a perfectionist? Or do you always feel like you’re not quite enough? Learn how to be accomplished without being overwhelmed.

I tried to be perfect that day. I had practiced the music routine for weeks. At age fourteen, I desperately wanted to be a twirler for my school. On tryout day, the music played and I marched and twirled to “Feeling Groovy” by Simon and Garfunkel. I thought it was going pretty well and, at the start of the next move, I confidently grabbed the ball of the baton and prepared to throw it in the air. But at the moment I swung my arm, something went terribly wrong. The ball came off the end and, instead of going up, the baton went cartwheeling to the side, nearly taking out one of the judges. If the judges hadn’t been sure about me before this moment, seeing my baton hurtling toward them made their decision easy. So while many of my friends were selected for the twirling squad that day, I didn’t make the cut.

Although I was able to bounce back from the experience, not making the cut was the first time I was told I was not good enough to be a part of something I really wanted. Rejection is an unavoidable part of all our lives and can lead us to opportunities and careers that suit us better. But everyone processes it differently, and that’s the tricky part. Some people fuel comebacks with these feelings. They return stronger or they excel at something new. And hard work does pay off. Coaches successfully use this strategy to prod athletes into improving their game. Students study harder and get better grades. People work harder at their jobs, get promoted and recognized for their achievements. And while some are happy with the challenge, for others, this feeling of never being good enough, or worthy, becomes a debilitating trap. Always striving for perfection can permeate our thinking. It’s a mindset that can ruin relationships and prevent people from experiencing their imperfect, authentic, and happy selves. And in the end, no matter what successes we have achieved, it’s our happiness and our relationships that are most important.

Brené Brown has a solution. Brown has spent years researching and studying the damaging effects of what she calls “shame storms” and has written a guidebook to help people avoid the pitfalls of trying to be perfect. As a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, Brown writes and speaks regularly about her findings. In The Gifts of Imperfection – Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, and in her very popular TED Talks on The Power of Vulnerability and Listening to Shame, she shares her personal struggle for perfection in a warm and engaging style. She encourages readers and listeners to take an honest look at their own lives and examine how they can change their way of thinking to become successfully happy people.

Brown offers ten guideposts to what she terms “Wholehearted Living,” a lifetime practice of cultivating the positive things in life and letting go of the negative ones. She suggests the only way to true happiness is to get away from the feeling we have to “hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving.” Instead of worrying about being perfect, about what people think, and insisting on certainty, Brown suggests alternate strategies such as cultivating authenticity, self-compassion, a resilient spirit, and gratitude. Practicing these strategies is the key to feeling worthy.

Brown’s message is both powerful and freeing. It’s not about becoming a slacker. It’s about embracing who you are. She writes, “Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It’s about cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.”

I moved on from the twirling debacle years ago, but now I’ve found Brown’s book at just the right time. As I am learning to juggle a new job with my responsibilities at home, as a mother and director of all household activities, I will need to remember that perfect is not always necessary. My family will still love me if our dinners aren’t as exciting or if my kids are down to their last clean pair of socks. I accept Brown’s “invitation to join a Wholehearted revolution;” in a culture that places such value on achievement, this one is a win-win!

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Who’s That Indie Author? B. Lynn Goodwin

Author name:  B. Lynn Goodwin

Genres:  Fiction, Self-Help, Memoir

Books:  Talent ; You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers ; Her memoir, a work-in-progress, has a working title: Never Too Late.

    

Bio:  B. Lynn Goodwin is the owner of Writer Advice, a comprehensive resource for writers.  Goodwin shares information about books, editing and coaching, as well as interviews and other twists and turns on her blog, B. Lynn Goodwin. Her stories and articles have been published in Voices of Caregivers; Hip Mama; Small Press Review; Dramatics Magazine; The Sun; Good Housekeeping.com and many other venues. She is currently working on a memoir about getting married for the first time at age 62.

Favorite thing about being a writer: Sometimes I think it is being able to coach other authors. Other times I know it’s the experience of having people read and respond to my work. Sometimes I’m sure it’s bringing characters into the world and breathing life into them. Sometimes it’s seeing how they cope with the obstacles I drop in front of them. Sometimes it’s the joy of knowing that my words work.

Biggest challenge as an indie author: Getting the word out about my latest book, blog, or venture.

Favorite book: Usually the one I’m reading. As long as I care about the characters or am learning from the content I usually have a favorite book du jour.

Contact Information:  Website:  writeradvice.com; Blog:  B. Lynn Goodwin; Facebook:  B. L. Goodwin; Twitter: @Lgood67334; Email: Lgood67334@comcast.net

HONORS and AWARDS:

• Honorable Mention—Writing It Real
• Judge–Pleasanton Poetry Festival, Tiny Lights, Redwood Writers, Writer Advice, the Other Side of Creativity’s “Warm Fuzzy Contest”
• Distinguished Service Award – California Writers Club
• Honorable Mention in the WELL’s Online Writing Contest
• Honorable Mention in the Inscriptions Book Review Award
• Service Award — Weekly Writer

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Why not get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author?

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details, and follow along on Book Club Mom to join the indie author community!

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!

Who’s That Indie Author? Shelley Wilson

Author name: Shelley Wilson

Genre: I divide my writing time between the fantasy worlds of my young adult fiction, which I write as S.L. Wilson, and my non-fiction self-help books for adults.

Books: Self-help: How I Changed My Life in a Year (Shortlisted for Best Self-Published Title 2014 by Writing Magazine, Best Seller in Women’s Biographies, Self-Help and Memoir 2014/2015), Meditation for Beginners, Vision Boards for Beginners.

YA: Guardians of the Dead (Book One in the Guardian Series, 2015), Guardians of the Sky (Book Two in the Guardian Series, 2016). Book 3, Guardians of the Lost Lands is due for release in December 2016.

Bio: Shelley began to create her own stories at a young age, weaving tales around faeries, witches and dragons. Her fantasy books blend a love of the supernatural with strong female protagonists.

Shelley’s non-fiction work is rooted in a passion for helping women to believe in themselves and become strong, motivated individuals. Can you spot the common thread between the two genres?

As well as writing, Shelley is an obsessive reader and book reviewer. She lives in Solihull in the West Midlands, UK, with her three teenage children, a kitten called Luna, and a fat fish. Shelley describes herself as a teetotal, pizza-loving, Facebook addict with a preoccupation with list writing. She would love to live in the Shire but fears that her five-foot-ten-inch height may cause problems.

Favorite thing about being a writer: Creating fantasy worlds and interesting characters is always fun. With my self-help titles I hope to inspire and motivate women to be the best they can be.

Biggest challenge as an indie author: That would be promotion/marketing. Fortunately, I love social media and have great fun with the followers on my YA Facebook page. I also interact with the amazing blogging and writing community on Twitter. Keeping up with the management of these platforms (add to this my accounts on Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn) can distract me from my writing – I need to find a balance between chatting and writing!

Favorite book: The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton (I still have my original copy)

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.shelleywilsonauthor.co.uk
Writer Blog: http://shelleywilsonauthor.com
Motivational Blog: http://myresolutionchallenge.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FantasyAuthorSLWilson
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ShelleyWilson72

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Why not get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author?

Email bvitelli2009@gmail.com for a bio template and other details, and follow along on Book Club Mom to join the indie author community!

Thanks for visiting – come back soon!