Join Us for a Conversation with Author Joy Frawley

It was a great pleasure to interview author Joy Frawley about her new novel, Two Worlds, Two Men. Joy has the soul of a writer and the heart of a romantic, and she clearly poured both into this exciting, passionate romance. The book's heroine, Jocelyn, is an ordinary woman whose plans for a vacation lead to an extraordinary journey of love, passion and suspense.   

Jocelyn, the book's heroine, wasn't expecting any excitement, just some time away from the daily grind. After browsing the various travel brochures, she settles on Scotland, figuring she'll do some sightseeing, have a pint or two, and regain some of her pep.  But her plane has no sooner landed when she experiences an overwhelming feeling of ...home.  How strange, when she has never even been to Scotland before? The thought is quickly forgotten, especially after meeting Neely, the handsome innkeeper where she is staying.  But as Jocelyn will discover, she has not only been to this land of rich traditions and history--she has lived there. She soon finds herself torn between two countries, two times, two worlds, and two men.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Two World, Two Men is available on Amazon and Resplendence Publishing


Joy is currently working on a nonfiction inspirational book, and we can surely expect more novels from her in the future. She is also  passionate about helping other authors achieve their dream of being published. To learn more about Joy's work, visit her website or Facebook page.

Creating Bestselling Book Ideas That Amazon Will Love

It’s one thing to write a book; it’s quite another to write a book that will sell. We all want to follow our passion, write our dream and dance creatively with our muse, but wouldn't it be fantastic if, amidst all of this creation, we also managed to produce a bestselling book? That is, after all, the dream.

Specifically we’d all like a high ranking on Amazon and though I've addressed that and reviews in other pieces, I thought it might be a good idea to take a step back to the beginning.

Finding Bestselling Book Ideas

I know this gal who fraternizes with a lot of SEO people; for those of you not familiar with the term, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. These are the folks who spend their life trying to get on the first page of Google. One day several years back, she and I were talking about how to create ideas that sell. She told me that many of her SEO buddies would write books literally just based on keywords. It had nothing to do with their passion or what they really wanted to write about; instead, they focused on saleable terms, meaning phrases that were getting a huge bounce in Google. Now this may not be how you would ever consider writing a book, but there are merits to this methodology:

• Book focus: Where will you focus your book? Don’t get too caught up in a set plan. Leave some room for flexibility and consider what’s “hot” to write about right now. What is an immediate need? You may still stick with your original plan, but slant it a bit more towards seeing what’s hot in search or in the media. Keep in mind that the speed of book production often allows us to jump on a trend or hot topic so take advantage of that when you can.

• Book title: If you have identified your best keywords for this market, then you can and should use them here. Keywords in a title can really help to boost your exposure, not just on Amazon but on Google as well.

• Book subtitle: If you already have your title set in stone, consider using keywords in your subtitle to help boost your exposure in search.

• Book topic: Let’s say you know your market, but you aren't sure what to write about. Sure, you could align this with “book focus", but consider that you’re an expert in consumer finance and want to write a book on this topic. Knowing what consumers are searching on (as it relates to finance) could be a great way to address the immediate needs of your reader. This is where keywords come into play but the research I share further in this article will help with this, too.

The other element here is to create a topic that’s narrower. Instead of focusing on one broad area, focus in more granularly. For example, I recently taught a class about this very topic and we brainstormed ideas on creating segmented topics within one broader umbrella. Consider the real estate gal who has a book on buying or selling your first home. I suggested that instead of trying to reach a big, broad and cluttered market, that she instead focus on isolated industries.

The ideas we brainstormed were: Buying Your First Home for Singles, Buying Your First Home for Seniors, Buying Your First Home for Domestic Partners. You get the idea, right? Create a series of books that sits under a broader market. This will net you better sales. Consumers like specialized topics that help solve a specific problem. And the books don’t have to be long, but we’ll cover that in more depth later. Once you find this market or niche, you’ll want to publish regularly to it. Amazon and the associated algorithms tend to trigger quicker when an author has multiple titles so consider that as well.

So, let’s assume that you've done some keyword research or are at least familiar with the keywords in your market. Let’s see how these searches relate to popular topics on Amazon.

Step-by-step, here is what you’ll need to do:

• On the Amazon page, search in the Kindle store tab. I want you to isolate your searches there for now.

• Plug in your search term and see what comes up. You’ll generally get 5-10 suggestions. Click on one of them.

• Look at the books that come up in search and click on the “customers also bought” section.

• Your focus should be on books that have a low sales rank. Depending on the category, it could be as low as 20,000 or as high as 50,000.

• You want to make sure there’s a variety of books in this segment, preferably more than five and they should all have this range of sales volume. If it’s lower than 20,000 that’s great, but when you get into the super saturated or unpopular categories, neither of those will help you.

• Some Amazon experts say that a 20,000 rank indicates that the book is selling five copies a day, but I find this hard to prove either way. Just know that given Amazon’s volume, it’s definitely not languishing. Regardless, this research will really help to expose hot topics and market segments within your area of expertise that are selling well.

Staying on the Short and Narrow

While full-length books will never go away, there’s a surge towards shorter, niche books—books that “own” a narrow market segment. When I first published How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon, I was surprised at how the sales out-paced my other books. While I know the title had a lot to do with this, it was also the fact that the book was shorter and focused on one particular area.

If you decide to do this (write shorter books), I wouldn't suggest just keeping the book short. While short is the new long, there’s still plenty of room for full-length books, too. So, in other words, if you can mix it up, that’s the best track for success. How short can short be? Ten thousand to seventeen thousand words is generally acceptable. Keep in mind that if you do short, you don’t have room for fluff. You’ll want to be as crystal clear as you can be on specific instructions, maybe even include step-by-step instructions or checklists, which readers love.

Other Ways to Develop Book Ideas

There’s an element of research that goes into every book you create, and I’m not just talking about the topic research, but content, too. When you’re developing your book idea and trying to decide what to include and exclude from the book, consider spending a bit of time doing a comparison with other, similar books in your market. Take a look at their book pages on Amazon, read through their reviews. In particular, the negative reviews that give constructive feedback about what the reader thought was missing, or things they wished had been expanded upon, will be particularly helpful. Readers will tell you what they want, and they’ll often do it in a review.

One Final Note on Shorter Books

On Amazon there is the “look inside the book” feature. This covers just a short section of your book, so be cautious when you’re preparing your final content. If your book is too short, the “look inside” feature will reveal most of the book, or enough of it that readers may glean what they want and not buy it. You want to fill the book with sufficient content so that you don’t end up with this problem. If you've finished the book and it seems a bit too short, consider adding things like checklists, free resources or bonus chapters from other books you've written that relate to this topic.

Keep in mind that this isn't meant to pump up your book page count just for the sake of doing that, but if the book looks too much like a white paper or report instead of a book, you may end up with a lot of window-shoppers who don’t end up buying. How short is too short? Anything under 50 pages is too short. Generally I’d recommend that you sit somewhere over 55 pages, ideally 65 pages to be safe. And again, don’t stuff your book with useless content. Make sure that if you need to add pages, you are adding helpful, useful information.

Doing some book research is not just a great idea to help develop some high-selling product, but a great idea overall. We invest so much of our time and effort into our books that the more we can make sure we’re on target, the less time we’ll spend languishing in obscurity. Given that there are 3,500 books published every day in the US, whatever you can do to stand out above the crowd can make all the difference.

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

Let Tom Swift Inform Your Writing

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Ever heard of Tom Swifties?

Maybe you're too young to be familiar with the classic Tom Swift adventures for boys. Or maybe you're a girl who never read a Tom Swift book nor cares to.

Tom Swifties are one-line jokes lampooning the style of Victor Appleton, the author of the original Tom Swift books. People started making jokes about his overuse of adverbs and the unnecessary taglines he wrote into his dialogue. Like the Polish jokes, they were so much fun that a whole series of them became available for the pun-loving. The author of these classics, of course, laughed all the way to the bank. But that's a lesson for one of my marketing seminars, not this article on writing.

Tom Swifties are something from America's literary past. This is now. I haven't dared to go to the new books in the series but I assume that this outdated writing has been eliminated from them.

You'll want to minimize tags and adverbs in your writing, too!

An example from one of the Swift books will suffice to let you know what to watch for. (Thank you to Roy Peter Clark for the example.)

"'Look!' suddenly exclaimed Ned. 'There's the agent now!...I'm going to speak to him!' impulsively declared Ned.'"

Even authors who swear that adverbs are always very, very good things to use and are reluctant to give up their clever taglines can see how, well . . . .awful this is. In fact, I have to reassure people the quotation is real! Some of the writing that comes to the desks of agents and editors looks almost as bad. Here's how you can make sure yours doesn't:

1. Use taglines only when one is necessary for the reader to know who is speaking.

2. Almost always choose "he said" or "she said" over anything too cute, exuberant or wordy like "declared" and "exclaimed."

3. Cut the "ly" words ruthlessly, not only in dialogue tags but everywhere. You will find specific techniques for strengthening your writing in the process of eliminating adverbs in The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. This book will also give you some computer tricks for making these edits easy.

You don't have to know the reasons or the techniques for making the "ly" and tagline edits easy, of course. You can follow Nike's advice and "Just do it!" But learning all you can about turning adverbs to your advantage is never a bad thing.

For more help with editing and all things related (like grammar, spelling, formatting) go to www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com or refer to your copy of The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller, now in its second edition as an e-book. It is available at http://budurl.com/FrugalEditorKindle.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) and The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor). Both books are winners of USA Book News "Best Professional Book" award the first in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers holds Book Publicists of Southern California's coveted Irwin Award. The Frugal Editor is also the winner of Reader Views Literary Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Award for Marketing. Carolyn is also the author of "The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less," the first in a series of inexpensive booklets for authors. www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

Join Us for a Conversation with Novelist D.J. Williams

There's only one thing better than a novel you can't put down, and that's a novel you can't put down and teaches you something. D.J. Williams' The Disillusioned is a such a story. It is at once a suspense thriller and a call to action to end the horrors of human trafficking. Tony Guerrero, the founder of F.A.C.T. Alliance (Fight Against Child Trafficking, calls it, "An engrossing tale ... makes you think about the world we live in and your place in it."

After their mother's suicide, Sam and Daniel are forced to leave their comfortable worlds behind and search for a woman they believe can unlock the secrets to her death. When they travel from Los Angeles to the heart of the Zambezi, they enter a world where death is one breath away, where thousands of children are disappearing into the darkness, and where the woman they are searching for is on the hunt for revenge. They will even come face to face to with the Devil himself.

Click here to listen to the podcast:

The Disillusioned may be his first novel, but Williams is no stranger to storytelling He has produced and directed over 140 television episodes syndicated on NBC, ABC, FOX and various cable networks worldwide. To buy the Disillusioned or learn more about D.J. Williams' work, visit http://www.djwilliamsbooks.com/

Join Us For a Conversation with Writer Dan O'Brien

When I scheduled this interview with Dan O'Brien, I thought the conversation would primarily focus on his new Science Fiction novel, The Path of the Fallen. Little did I know that this fabulous book was only the tip of the iceberg, for O'Brien has written not only several novels, but screenplays as well.

Moreover, he doesn't just write Science Fiction, but everything from romance to philosophy. To realize how rare this is, you only have to ask a writing instructor. He/she will tell you that they advise their students to first: write what they know; and second: pick a genre that speaks to them and excel at it. Luckily for us, all genres speak to Dan.

We're also fortunate that his commitment to the craft of writing goes far beyond his own books. He has started a consulting business to help others get their stories to market. And given the scope of his own work--and the fact that he has been published both traditionally and independently--he is perfectly positioned to do so.

Click here to listen to the podcast

Like what you heard? Check out The Dan O'Brien Project, for information on all things writing. You can also buy The Path of the Fallen, read his other novels for free, or contact him about his consulting services. Dan is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Dan is also publishing the original unabridged version of  The Path of the Fallen! Click here to support his work or learn more.

This Week's Podcast Guest: Author and Writing Mentor Dara Beevas

Join us this Friday when author and self-publishing expert Dara Beevas discusses her new book, The Indie Author Revolution: An Insider's Guide to Self-Publishing. The book is both comprehensive yet easy to follow, and draws on Beevas'  experience as a writer, publisher and mentor.    

Self-publishing can be intimidating and difficult to navigate, especially for new authors. And Beevas would know. She has been writing since she was a child, when traditional publishing was an author's only option. But as anyone in the writing business knows, things have changed quite a bit since then, and Beevas found herself part of a fascinating new literary world.   

These days, she not only self-publishes her own work but mentors authors as Vice President of Beaver's Pond Press in Minneapolis. Created for the sole purpose of helping authors create books of the highest caliber, the Press takes them through every step of the process, from writing and editing to printing and marketing. The key, Beevas said, is to understand that there is more to creating a book than just writing it. Self-published authors must be willing to look at their book as a business.    

She even finds time to write her own blog, Wise Ink, which offers tips and tutorials on writing and publishing for the novice and expert alike. 

This Week's Podcast Guest: Sola Olu

One of the most wonderful things a couple can hear is that they are going to have a baby. With joyful anticipation (and a healthy amount of pre-baby jitters) they prepare for their child’s arrival by shopping for tiny clothes, a stroller and a crib. There is no way to prepare, however, for the news that something is wrong with the fetus. Sola Olu's new book, The Summer Called Angel, A Story of Hope on the Journey Through Prematurity chronicles the struggles that she and her husband faced after the premature births of not one, both both, of their children.

Sola's book, which began as her private journal, gives a real time account of the horrifying complications that occur when a baby is born before the 37^th week (a 40-week pregnancy is considered “normal”). These life-threatening issues include weak muscles, an underdeveloped brain, and heart and lung problems. As she and her husband nursed their tiny babies through one medical emergency after another, they drew on their faith in God and love for each to get them through.  

 

Join us on Friday when Sola Olu speaks about her mission to engage, educate and comfort other parents of premature babies.  

The Summer Called Angel is currently available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Who Can Benefit from This Book on Ascension?

This book is for those interested in spiritual awakening and rapid transformation. It will also help those who are fearful of our future due to having been indoctrinated into religions that teach a dreadful end of time. Many of these people are having experiences that religious dogma can’t explain. They are searching for answers. In this book, with a fresh approach to the ascension and immortality of Jesus Christ, I believe these dear ones will find a lot of the answers they are looking for.

The paperback version of Shifting into Purer Consciousness ~ Integrating Spiritual Transformation with the Human Experience is available in the US on Amazon.com as well as on CreateSpace.

You may order an autographed paperback copy of this book directly from the author using the PayPal button below.

$16.99 USD includes shipping within the US.




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Don't have an electronic book-reading device? This book is now available as a PDF ($8.99 USD). Click the "Add to Cart" button to pay with a credit card via PayPal and download to read it on your computer.

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Top 20 Book Fairs for Summer and Fall 2012

By Scott Lorenz

Book fairs and festivals offer authors an excellent place to interact with fellow authors and publishers, network with book industry leaders, locate the help you need, such as a publicist or book editor, and learn what’s new in the marketplace. Here is a list of 20 book fairs and events that are worthy of your attendance.

Authors who want to sell books need to do what anyone else with a product needs to do – find the place in the marketplace where your buyers can be found. And, in the case of authors, readers will be found in largest numbers at book fairs, festivals and conferences.

Book fairs and festivals are held every season around the world so it’s a fairly easy task to locate one to promote your book. As an internet book marketing specialist, I am the first to impress on authors the new and powerful marketing avenues open to all authors on the Internet – from book websites to book trailers to social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. While these are fantastic tools when used properly, authors should never overlook opportunities to meet the reading public face-to-face.

Book fairs usually want speakers. By volunteering to speak, the author not only gains great exposure but can also add that appearance to their resume and press releases. But plan ahead; dates for panel participants, speakers and autograph sessions are arranged months in advance.

Book fairs are excellent places to interact with fellow authors, publishers, network with book industry leaders, locate the help you need such as a publicist or book editor, and learn what’s new in the marketplace. For more information about book marketing visit http://www.book-marketing-expert.com and for upcoming book events on C-SPAN2 visit: http://www.BookTV.org. Here’s a list of upcoming book fairs and events that are worthy of your attendance in 2012.

1. BookExpo America, June 4-7, 2012, Javits Center, NYC, the ‘Big Daddy’ of all book events. It worth a trip just to see what the book business is all about. There are plenty of great seminars to attend, book signings and events. I highly recommend all authors attend. http://www.bookexpoamerica.com

2. Printers Row Lit Fest, June 9-10, 2012 Chicago, Illinois on and around the area of Dearborn Street, from Congress to Polk. A large book fair attended by more than 125,000 book lovers. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/printersrowlitfest/

3. Millbrook Literary Festival, June 16, 2012, Millbrook Free Library on Franklin Street presents dozens of thought provoking authors. http://www.millbrookbookfestival.org/
4. American Library Association Annual Conference June 21-26, 2012, Anaheim, CA some 25,000 experts in the market who will help you advance your career. http://www.alaannual.org/

5. International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) July 15-18, 2012, Orlando, FL http://www.christianretailshow.com/ Considered the best show for Christian authors according to Sara Bolme, author of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace. http://www.marketingchristianbooks.com

6. Harlem Book Festival, July 22, 2012, Harlem, NYC http://www.qbr.com

7. Belfast Bound Book Festival, July 27-29, 2012, in Maine will offer 25,000 books and will celebrate reading, writing and publishing. http://www.belfastboundbookfestival.com/

8. Decatur Book Festival, Aug. 31- Sep. 2, 2012, Decatur, GA, largest independent book festival in the country. Since its launch, more than 900 authors and 260,000 attendees have attended this event in downtown Decatur. http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/Community/index.php

9. Brooklyn Book Festival, September 20-23, 2012 Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza, NY is the largest free literary event in New York City. http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org/BBF/Home

10. Sonoma County Book Festival, September 22, 2012, Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, CA. attended by thousands of book lovers. http://www.socobookfest.org

11. Fall For the Book Festival, Sept. 26-30, 2012, George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, Fairfax, VA., sponsored by George Mason University, Fairfax County Public Library and Barnes & Noble. Attended by more than 150 authors. http://www.fallforthebook.org

12. Baltimore Book Festival, Sept. 28-30, 2012, located at Mt. Vernon Place, The event attracts more than 100 authors. www.baltimorebookfestival.com/

13. South Dakota Festival of Books, September 28-30, 2012, Sioux Falls, attracts over 40 nationally well-known authors. http://www.sdbookfestival.com/

14. West Hollywood Book Fair, September 30, 2012, at West Hollywood Park, more than 130 exhibitors expected! http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org

15. West Virginia Book Festival, October 13-14, 2012 is destination for over 7,000 people whom go to network and hear from various authors in West Virginia. http://wvbookfestival.org/

16. Frankfurt Book Fair, October 10-14, 2012 in Frankfort, Germany. Considered the biggest book show in the world. www.book-fair.com

17. Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word October 14-16, 2012, Tennessee Legislative Plaza, Nashville, TN, attracts more than 200 authors from throughout the U.S. http://www.humanitiestennessee.org/festival/current.php

18. Texas Book Fair, October 27-28, 2012, State Capitol Building, Austin, TX, established in 1995 by First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian, more than 45,000 attend. www.texasbookfestival.org/

19. Kentucky Book Fair, Saturday, November 9-10, 2012, Frankfurt, Kentucky, attended by up to 5,000 people including 150 authors. http://kybookfair.org/

20. Miami Book Fair International, November 11-18, 2012, hosts over 350 authors to discuss their work and 250 publishers. http://www.miamibookfair.com/

The bottom line: Make it a priority to visit a book fair in the coming weeks and months. You’ll be glad you did!

About Scott Lorenz

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it's their first book or their 15th book. He's handled publicity for books by CEOs, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman's World, & Howard Stern to name a few. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at www.book-marketing-expert.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090.

The Oneness Gospel: Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You

Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 2 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Charlene M. Proctor whose book, The Oneness Gospel: Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You, launches on Amazon on Tuesday April 24, 2012.

Charlene will join me on the new interactive format of We Are One in Spirit Podcast. It offers you, our listeners, the opportunity to call in and ask questions to me and my guests. This week's guest, Charlene Proctor, shares with us her new book.

Below is how you can call in and join the discussion. If you miss the event, don't worry. I will post the replay link after it is recorded:

Thursday, April 12 at 2:00 PM Central Time
Dial-in Number: 605-475-6350
Participant Access Code: 356172#

Thanks for reading! As usual, please feel free to share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. is an ordained Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and a "Deeksha" facilitator trained by the oneness guides from Fiji and India. She is the bestselling author of Let Your Goddess Grow! 7 Spiritual Lessons on Female Power and Positive Thinking and The Women's Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations That Change Everyday Problems Into Moments of Potential. Her Midwestern sensibility and spiritual approach to self-empowerment has helped thousands awaken to their Divine magnificence within.
Author Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. has written a new book that brings us back to the Essence of true spirituality. The book, entitled The Oneness Gospel: Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You, is a rich mix of science, spirituality and mysticism that transcends the boundaries of religion, and uplifts the reader to that place of Oneness. An ordained Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and a Deeksha facilitator trained by the oneness guides from Fiji and India, Charlene's mission in life is to help awaken to their Divine magnificence within all humanity.
Yesterday, Charlene visited Michael David Lawrience at http://www.emotionalhealthtips.com/the-oneness-gospel, where they talked about creating consciously, Divine Grace and Divine Human.

Today, I'd like to share with you a recent interview I had with Charlene when I got to ask her some questions on oneness movement, cutting cords and mass enlightenment. I hope you enjoy it.
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Yvonne Perry: What is ‘The Oneness Movement’?

Charlene M. Proctor: Oneness is not a religion, cult or faith that demands your conversion or change in your beliefs or practices. It is a system that helps you discover the truth of your own faith through a direct personal experience of the divine. It is not an alternative path but a natural fulfillment of your every spiritual aspiration.

The purpose of the Oneness Movement is to awaken the human family, offering a gift of grace of spiritual opening (flowering of the heart) to all people rather than a few selective seekers as in the past. It is meant to restore wholeness within humanity as well as with the world environment.

The Oneness Movement teachings are coming from India, and originated from a couple named Sri Amma and Sri Bhagavan. They consider themselves one unified, avataric consciousness. They are God-realized and were initiating the collective force of unified consciousness in the form of something called the Oneness Blessing. It’s actually Deeksha, but the difference between them and all who have gone before is that they are teaching everyone how to give it. They are interested in creating individual change through this neurobiological event and say it happens through grace, once you invite grace into your being. It’s available for everyone and is currently helping millions of people around the world awaken to a greater sense of self-worth and boundless joy.
Yvonne Perry: How do you cut the cords of past issues and old programming?
Charlene M. Proctor: Filtering life through “old programming” is a widespread experience that many people feel they are living life unconsciously. Their reaction to current day situations stems from past behaviors or experiences that prevent them from living a full life. Old programming is the carryover of emotional patterns. We inherit these patterns from culture and our families. Negative statements such as “women cannot do this” or “you are not good enough” are examples. Religion is responsible for a lot of societal conditioning, as well as old traumas, dramas, or stories. This becomes a ‘knee jerk reaction to living’ and results in a person living on autopilot where every experience is filtered through old programming.

A step toward personal growth is a willingness to release the past and chose the present moment, to a life that is filled with joy and awareness of what is.

Affirmations are positive present day statements that bring awareness of WHAT IS. Remember, all conditioning is negative because it takes away our awareness of what is. We resolve it by being aware, seeing, asking for grace. So, be willing to look at any conditioning that alters your view of reality.

In India, there is a process called Samskara Shuddhi. Shuddhi is a Sanskrit word that translates as "cleansing or purification." Indeed there are many types of purification. There is physical cleansing that can be achieved through techniques such as nadis shuddhi, alternate nostril breathing. Samskara Shuddhi is the practice of cleansing past impressions, experiences or relationships (samskaras).

You enter a fairly intense process of self-examination during which you are offered the opportunity to see yourself from many facets, including the deep, dark and ugly. You see and clear your emotional issues, your negative conditioning and childhood patterns, and let go of the fixed ideas that have held you in suffering for so long. You then move along into a process of emptying, through which you see "through" the self, and thereby free yourself from the self. From this new state of being, one is prepared for others phases of awakening.

Yvonne Perry: What is mass enlightenment? How can you change the world through it?

Charlene M. Proctor: The idea of mass enlightenment is based on natural law. Whether you call it the 'hundredth monkey phenomenon' or the law of 'entrainment', the idea is that when you have a certain number of people holding a 'higher' state of consciousness, what we call a 'critical mass', the mass consciousness automatically comes into resonance with it.

A 'morphogenetic field' is a term coined by biologist Rupert Sheldrake to represent a field of consciousness specific to a given species. The more members of a species that exhibit a certain trait, or vibrate to a certain consciousness, the easier it becomes for all the other members of that species to 'entrain' with that trait or consciousness!

One thing the Oneness University teaches is enlightenment is not earned, it is freely given. Enlightenment is simply the shift from ego to essence. It is the place we live from our heart center.

© Charlene M. Proctor Ph.D. The Oneness Gospel: Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You. All Rights Reserved.

Be sure to follow Charlene tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Gill Potter, who will be interviewing Charlene on biggest diseases, enlightenment and "The dark night of the soul." To visit that "stop" on the tour, go to http://yoursacredpurposeblog.com/2012/04/virtual-interview-with-charlene-m-proctor/.

Oneness: A Global View of Spirituality

Author Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. brings humanity together in her new book.  She will be coming to We Are One in Spirit Podcast on April 12th!

Religion and spirituality have been part of the human experience since the beginning of time. But as technology has brought cultures together that may have been isolated in the past, many of us citizens of the world have found true spirituality to be elusive. And ironically, we find it can often be blurred by the foundations of religion itself. In our quest for peace, harmony and eternal joy, many people find themselves clashing with the language, metaphysical symbols and religious practices with others.

Deep inside, we all know we are all of the same Essence. We know we come from the same Source. We know we are One. But on a practical level, we only need to look around us to see how often we forget these simple, but vital, truths. Walking along any number of religious paths, we can sometimes forget that true spirituality is that which brings us to that place of Unity—of Oneness.

Author Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. has written a book that brings us back to the Essence of true spirituality. The book, entitled The Oneness Gospel: Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You, is a rich mix of science, spirituality and mysticism that transcends the boundaries of religion, and uplifts the reader to that place of Oneness. An ordained Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and a Deeksha facilitator trained by the oneness guides from Fiji and India, Charlene's mission in life is to help awaken to their Divine magnificence within all humanity.

The Oneness Gospel provides us with a reframing of traditional religious symbolism, helping us to understand the greater, more universal meaning. In her book, she explains the meaning of the term "Christ Consciousness" like so:

The begotten Son is you. The "only begotten Son" does not refer to Jesus' body, but to his Christ consciousness. The "only begotten" is the spiritual human, the principle of the divinity residing in all humankind (The Oneness Gospel, page 27).

But The Oneness Gospel is not just a reframing of Christian theology, but also many of the spiritual wisdoms of the world, especially the rich teachings of ancient India. In a style that is both accessible and inspirational, Charlene expertly weaves together philosophy and practice, ultimately bringing us an understanding that, no matter what path we choose to follow, there is ultimately only one purpose in life—to achieve Oneness with the Divine. And the "good news" of this "Gospel" is that Oneness already lies within the heart of all human beings.

The Oneness Gospel:

Birthing the Christ Consciousness and Divine Human in You

by Charlene M. Proctor

is celebrating its Amazon launch on Tuesday April 24th, 2012.

Sign up for a "launch reminder" at

http://onenessgospel.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

When you sign up for a reminder, you'll receive:

• A FREE pass to Charlene's inspiring "Your Journey to Joy Webinar" taught by Charlene and presented by best-selling author Lynn Serafinn. On this uplifting and informative webinar, Charlene will talk about how we develop our belief in separation and suffering, how those beliefs get stored as trauma in the body, and how to change you inner reality so you can experience JOY in every aspect of your life. The webinar will take place on Monday April 23rd, 2012 at 7 pm EST. If you cannot attend the live broadcast, you will receive a link to listen to the audio replay.
THEN…When you buy The Oneness Gospel on Tuesday April 24th, 2012, you'll also receive:

• The MP3 downloads from the "Your Journey to Joy Webinar" AND

• An invitation to "Twelve Principles for Becoming a Divine Human", a special online discussion with Charlene AND
• A complete library of beautiful, downloadable gifts from authors, speakers, coaches and other enlightened professionals from around the globe.

To request a launch reminder so you'll remember to pick up
The Oneness Gospel on Tuesday April 24th,
and receive all these beautiful gifts, go to:
http://onenessgospel.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Could There Be More to Reality Than What We Can See?

Angels & Higher Dimensional Healing with Author Gaetano Vivo & Leading Experts

Could wise and wonderful beings speak to us from beyond this world to help reveal our true potential?


That's one of the questions author and Reiki Master Gaetano Vivo asked, when he was just a child. When Gaetano was a little boy growing up in Italy, he had visions of Angels who offered him support and guidance. Their gentle words helped him answer many of the questions he had about life. These Angels told him about higher dimensional realms, about healing, and about consciousness in ways his young mind was able to comprehend. But whenever he tried to speak about these things with adults, especially in Gaetano's ultra-conservative social environment, they usually became upset. As a result, his connection to the Angels was put aside as he tried to play by the rules of "normal" society.

But when he grew up and became able to make his own decisions, he had a powerful desire to find out more about what the Angels had taught when he was little. He studied as much as he could about higher dimensions. He learned many healing modalities, and became a Reiki Master. He taught others all he learned.

Then, a few years ago, new Angels returned to Gaetano, bringing him deeper insights that would take him to the next stage of his understanding of higher dimensional realms and our relationship with them. These insights became the foundation of his book Messages from the Angels of Transparency: powerful words from gentle souls. Originally published in Italian, this brand new English translation of Message from the Angels of Transparency published by O-Books is having its official Amazon launch on Tuesday March 20th, 2012.

To celebrate the launch of this new translation, Gaetano is presenting an uplifting 3-day telesummit with a panel of world-renowned experts on the subject of higher dimensional realms, consciousness and healing. It's FR*EE to attend:

Accessing Higher Dimensions

March 13th, 14th and 15th, 2012

12noon Pacific, 3pm Eastern, 8pm UK

Register FR*EE at

http://bit.ly/AngelsTelesummit

Here's the line-up of guest panellists for this event:

• Gaetano Vivo - Reiki Master, channeler, author of Messages from the Angels of Transparency: Powerful Words from Gentle Souls
• Lynn Serafinn - Coach; marketer; author of The 7 Graces of Marketing and The Garden of the Soul
• Wayne Kealohi Powell - holistic health educator, speaker, minister, author
• Dr Jude Currivan, Ph.D. - cosmologist, planetary healer, author, futurist
• Asia Voight - intuitive counsellor, animal communicator, teacher, author
• Barbara Meiklejohn-Free - shaman, author, custodian of ancestral wisdoms
• Lorraine Recchia - angel communicator, angel reader, television host
• Eva-Maria Mora - medical intuitive, author, founder Quantum Angel Healing
• Susie Anthony - spiritual mentor, super-luminal guide channeler
• E.Dee Conrad - channeler, bestselling author of A New Dawn Awaits
• Celia Fenn - Channel for Archangel Michael, spiritual facilitator, writer, speaker

When you register for the telesummit, you'll also find out how you can receive a collection of beautiful free gifts from dozens of Gaetano's friends and colleagues when you buy Gaetano's book Messages from the Angels of Transparency on March 20th.

To register for this uplifting, FR*EE telesummit, and to find out about the book and the gifts, just fill in the form at http://bit.ly/AngelsTelesummit.

You can also submit questions for Gaetano or any of our special guest panellists on that page.

If you cannot attend the live event, register anyway so you can access the audio replay.

I do hope you'll join us on the Accessing Higher Dimensions Telesummit on March 13th-15th, and that you'll check out Gaetano wise and wonderful book Messages from the Angels of Transparency.

What are the 7 Graces of Marketing and Life?

A sneak peek into author Lynn Serafinn's new paradigm

If you want to dive more deeply into the topic below, please join Lynn and 23 other guest speakers at "The 7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit" on December 6th-9th. Register FR*EE at http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/free-telesummit

My friend and colleague, Lynn Serafinn, has just published her new book The 7 Graces of Marketing: how to heal humanity and the planet by changing the way we sell. The ideas she presents in this 400+ page book are a call to action, not only to business owners and marketers, but to everyone one of us as a consumer. I'm very excited about her book, and about her new paradigm "The 7 Graces of Marketing". Today, I asked Lynn to give us a short overview of "The 7 Graces", and how they pertain not only to business and marketing, but also to life in general. This will be a whirlwind tour of these ideas (after all, the book is over 400 pages long), but I think you will get a taste for what they're about, and hopefully think of ways to apply them in your own business and life.

Listen to my interview with Lynn Serafinn: 

*  *  *  *  *

Lynn's sneak peek into the 7 Graces paradigm:

Grace #1: Connection

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Disconnection". Connection is at the foundation of everything in life—Connection to Self, Source, others, our businesses, and our audience—determine how effectively and authentically we communicate and conduct our lives. When business owners are disconnected from Self, their businesses cannot be genuine representations of who they are. And the problem is, as businesses get bigger and bigger, that Connection becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. When business owners are not connected to Source and others, it opens to door to exploitation of both natural resources and people. Connection is the first of the 7 Graces, because without it the other Graces cannot manifest.

Grace #2: Inspiration

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Persuasion". The literal meaning of the word "Inspiration" means "to breathe life into". As business owners, we have a choice to be "life giving" to our audience or "life robbing". Persuasion, wherein we will do anything and everything to make a sale/profit, is life robbing. As business owners, it is our responsibility to "feed" society, and thus ensure not only that our products and services are life-giving, but also that our communications (marketing) is life-giving. For marketing to be filled with the "Grace of Inspiration", it should never incite fear, anxiety or feelings of inadequacy.

Grace #3: Invitation

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Invasion". Nearly every form of marketing we see today is invasive. Our attention span is continually interrupted, whether it is through television/radio adverts, pop up messages, uninvited email adverts, cold-calling or billboards. As business owners and marketers, we need to bring back the "Grace of Invitation" into our communications. This means that when visitors come into our "space" (our website, our office/shop), we treat them like respected guests, offering them hospitality and generosity. Conversely, when we come into our customers' space (as when we send out emails), we must do so with courtesy and care, ensuring we never become the dreaded "houseguest from hell".

Grace #4: Directness

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Distraction". So much modern advertising depends upon Distraction to seize and maintain our attention. Nearly every advert you see will utilise random brand identity triggers and humour to get us to pay attention. What is wrong with this is that people end up buying products simply because they remember the advert, and not necessarily because they have been given direct, clear information about the product or service. Directness is simple: we marketers need to get back to "telling it like it is" instead of hyping up our businesses. The public need to be informed and empowered. The Grace of Directness allows that to happen.

Grace #5: Transparency

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Deception". Deception in marketing is rife, but is sometimes extremely subtle. In the book, I give many examples of how language and imagery are often used in a deceptive way in marketing, where technically (and legally) the message is "true", but the unconscious message we perceive is untrue. Transparency literally means "to shine light through". When we are Transparent in marketing and in life, we are not merely being honest, but we are also allowing the true intention behind our thoughts, words and deeds to be seen and heard clearly. When we walk in Transparency, both in business and in life, we are walking in the Essence of who we really are.

Grace #6: Abundance

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Scarcity". The chapter on Scarcity in the book is one of the biggest, because it's simply such a massive topic. Scarcity marketing is all around us, and it appears in so many forms, from limited-time offers to the various kinds of "obsolescence" used to incite us to buy beyond our needs or means. Abundance, on the other hand, is the fundamental belief that there is enough for all—when we are living in rhythm with the planet. It is our natural state of being. If we operate our business from the fundamental belief in lack or Scarcity, we will always bring Scarcity strategies into our marketing. The irony is that Scarcity begets Scarcity. In other words, if we operate from a Scarcity mentality, we are likely to create the very Scarcity we most fear because the end result will be overconsumption. Overconsumption is destroying both our economy and the ecological balance of our natural world. But if we operate from a fundamental belief in Abundance, we will not bring such fear and anxiety into our marketing, and overconsumption will be a thing of the past.

Grace #7: Collaboration

This is the "antidote" to the "Deadly Sin of Competition". Many people have the false notion that competition is necessary to create healthy economies and stronger societies. But this is largely a myth and has no foundation in Nature whatsoever. While I believe in "free enterprise", this is not the same thing as Competition. In the book, I cite many studies that have proved how Competition diminishes creativity and innovation. When we conduct our businesses or our lives with a competitive mindset, we not only reduce our own performance, but we also reduce the support we receive from others. On the other hand, Collaboration always results in something greater than the sum of its parts. Every single marketing campaign I have produced is based upon Collaboration. The permaculture of the world is actually one giant, interdependent Collaboration. We've been brought up in a competitive world, but the more connected we become via technologies like social media, the more we see that Collaboration is the way we perform best.

*  *  *  *  *

I hope you enjoyed this overview of The 7 Graces of Marketing from author Lynn Serafinn. If you want to dive more deeply into this paradigm, I do invite you to join Lynn and 23 other world-class guest speakers at…

"The 7 Graces of Marketing Telesummit"

December 6th-9th, 2011

7 Dynamic Sessions with 24 Guest Speakers

Register FR*EE at

http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/free-telesummit

On this 7-part online event, Lynn and her guests will be exploring

the "7 Graces" and "7 Deadly Sins" in detail.

And then… do check out Lynn's book The 7 Graces of Marketing on December 13th. When you do, there are dozens of wonderful gifts for you, including the audio download of all 7 sessions from the telesummit, and many other goodies. Check out the gifts, and request a launch reminder so you don't forget to pick up your copy (in paperback or Kindle) at: http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

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Restor-A-Book

My cousin, James Jackson, has more than 20 years experience as a book restorer. He learned the trade from his father and took over the family bindery business, Restor-A-Book, in the early part of this century when James Jackson Sr. died.

I accidentally left a book outside and of course it rained that night and it got soaked. It wasn’t an expensive book, just one that I love and use a lot. It has great photos of native flowers and was published by the Audubon Society in 1986. I searched online but didn’t find it available in print. Naturally, I turned to my cousin for advice on the best way to dry out the book so the pages wouldn’t stick together or curl up. I wasn’t sure if I should try to iron it dry.

Here is what James advised:

If the pages are enamel paper, they will more than likely stick together regardless of what you do, but to start with, you need to try to get most of the water out of the book. Using a dry towel, pat each page to absorb the excess water. You might even put paper towels between the pages to draw the water out of the paper.

However, remove the paper towels as soon as they absorb water or they may stick and cause a worse mess. When you get as much of the water out as you can, put the book in a frost free freezer and leave it for a month or two. The freezer will continue to draw moisture out of the book.

Even if you iron the pages, the spine will still be wet. It’s best to take the book apart and iron each page, but the iron only needs to be lukewarm. If it sizzles, it is too hot and may burn the paper. When the pages are dry, send it to us and we will put it back together (rebind it) for you.

If you have books, Bibles, church hymnals, genealogy papers, newspapers, tabloids, or courthouse record books that you want to preserve, give James a call at (318) 995-6800. See before and after photos of some miraculous transformations at http://www.restor-a-book.com/.