Turn Your Hobby or Passion into a Business by Christy Strauch

Today's guest blogger is Christy Strauch, author of Passion, Plan, Profit: 12 Simple Steps to Turn Your Passion into a Solid Business.

In 1989, Christy Strauch, took a job as a sales representative for a small IT company with $50,000 a year in sales. Christy had an MBA in finance and marketing from UCLA and a dream of making a difference in business. Fifteen years and 3 mergers later, Strauch was a partner, took the company public, and sold it.

In 2005, with over 9 years experience working for nationally known companies such as IBM, Carnation International and Capitol Records, Christy decided that it was time to follow a lifetime calling to help small business owners learn to prosper doing the work they love. Considered an expert in small business, Christy has been interviewed by the Los Angeles Times and the Scottsdale Daily Progress, among others.

Throughout her career, Christy has received numerous honors. She won several regional managers awards during her tenure with IBM, has been honored by the Arizona Small Business Association, received the advanced Toastmasters Silver designation and earned her Certified Professional Co-Active Coaching (CPCC) certificate from the Coach Training Institute, as well as her Associate Certified Coach (ACC) certificate from the International Coach Federation.

In 2005, Christy formed Clarity To Business, a coaching and consulting practice. To date has worked with over 300 small business owners, from artists to real estate agents, helping them to both do what they are passionate about – and to make a profit.

In this hands-on workbook, Christy Strauch gives creative people and small business owners the tools they need to help them understand the purpose their business or skill serves in the world; serve their best clients even better; and get clear on "Number," the language their business speaks to them. Passion, Plan, Profit takes a light-hearted and semi-painless approach to helping readers create a useable, fun plan to run a successful business. No one is "too creative" to make money doing the work they love.

"Turn Your Hobby or Passion into a Business" by Christy Strauch

Want to start a business based on your hobby or passion? Here’s what you should do.

The first thing you have to know when you are evaluating whether or not to turn your passion into a business is your level of commitment.

Having a hobby is a lot like being single—you can work on your hobby (i.e. go out on a date) when you feel like it, or stay home in your pajamas and watch TV if you don’t. Hobbies don’t demand anything of you (just like that casual date you had last night). You can work on your hobby every free minute you have, or put it down for a year, or change your mind and forget about it completely, with few repercussions.

A business, on the other hand, can be very demanding. Deciding to cross the line from hobby to business is like committing to getting married. If you decide you want to make your hobby into a business, you have to commit yourself heart and soul. If you decide to turn your passion into a business, you’ll be making the decision to go from happy-go-lucky hobby kid, to grown-up business adult.

You know what making a commitment looks like. There will be days when you don’t feel like working on your business. But since it’s now a business instead of a hobby, you’ll have to do the work anyway, or figure out how to delegate it to someone else. Your commitment will force you to take actions that scare you; take risks that might frighten you, or do things you don’t enjoy.

But just like with a marriage, if you pick the right work, the work you love, turning it into a business can be deeply fulfilling, not to mention fun and profitable.

It boils down to one question. Are you ready, willing, and able to commit?

Do you have what it takes to turn your passion into profit?

The skill of successfully owning and running a business doesn’t require a specific genetic trait, or possessing the set of secret rules from a small business society that only allows five selected people into their membership every three years. What it does require is:

• A willingness to learn, at a deep level, who your perfect clients are and how to market to them.

• The perseverance to keep going when things are tough.

• The training to understand what your business numbers are telling you.

• The ability to flow with change.

If this all sounds too scary, then you should consider keeping your hobby a hobby.

But if you think these challenges sound interesting, stimulating and fun, you’re the right candidate to turn your Passion into Profit. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you love your hobby enough that you’d like to do it regularly, as work?

2. Would you like to become a professional at your hobby; to step up your level of skill at it so you would be considered one of the best in your field?

3. Would you be willing to spend time marketing your work?

4. Are you willing to work on it even on days you’re not in the mood?

5. Can you weather setbacks (a client firing you, someone not paying who promised to pay, a downturn in the economy, plus a host of other things that happen to every business owner).

6. Are you willing to learn new things; such as new ways to market, updated ways to do your work, etc.?


Christy Strauch is the author of Passion, Plan, Profit: 12 Simple Steps to Convert Your Passion into a Solid Business. In addition she is president of Clarity To Business and has worked with over 300 small business owners, from artists
to real estate agents, helping them do what they are passionate about – and
make a profit. Her book is available at Amazon.com. She is currently at work on You Hate to Market, and What To Do About It, which will be available Fall 2010.

Dr. Ava and The Loveologist Guide to Tantra

Love Guru, Media Therapist, Author and World Speaker, Dr. Ava is an accomplished author of seven books. When TV shows want ratings, they call Dr. Ava who has appeared on numerous national shows including Good Morning America, Extra, Montel, Geraldo, Anderson Cooper 360, Scarborough County, Fox News Live and a variety of shows for MTV, VH1, Discovery, Lifetime, TLC, ‘E’ and A & E.

Dr. Ava has a doctorate in human behavior from Newport University, CA and a doctorate of education in human sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. She is also a certified hypnotherapist, certified AASECT Sex Counselor, Continuing Education Provider for the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences and CA Board of Nursing.

Through her private practice in LA, she counsels people on personal issues that range from anger management, fear of intimacy, communication problems, performance anxiety, infidelity, love and sex addiction, lack of desire, power struggles, and parental concerns.



Her new workbook, The Loveologist Guide to Tantra is for couples, singles who date online, anyone who want to develop a solid loving relationship, people who want better sex lives, life coaches who want to become love coaches, nurses, students, massage therapists, counselors and newlyweds.

You can find out more about Dr. Ava and Loveology University at www.loveologyuniversity.com




Below you'll find Dr. Ava’s 10 Powerful Principles for a Lasting Relationship

Communication

Communicate your needs positively & politely.

Contentment

Share your contentment and gratitude for what you have together.

Collaboration

Collaborate together to form a stronger bond and create lasting memories.

Compliments

Compliments are the bedrock of romance so give them daily.

Contribution

Find as many ways as you can to contribute to each other's lives.

Courage

Forgive mistakes; have the courage to say “I’m sorry” first.

Consideration

Always be kind and considerate of your partner’s feelings.

Curiosity

Show curiosity in your partner’s daily life, goals, and dreams.

Commitment

Build trust by reviewing and renewing your commitment together

Celebration

Celebrate your love and life by laughing every day.

Angus Munro and A Full House - But Empty

Today's guest blogger is Angus Munro. Angus is the author of A Full House - But Empty: A Memoir with a Message! Here, Angus discusses the challenges of publishing a memoir in the post James Frey's A Million Little Pieces world.

My book has been self-published through iUniverse and it represents my Memoirs. As a non-celebrity this was my best vehicle as traditional publishing companies and literary agents have little interest in accepting material from those of us who are unknown.

In terms of book promotional services, the onus lies with the writers to seek the best available avenues open to promote their book. Needless to say, as a total novice in this field, it has been a very challenging experience. However, in the process I have received some excellent book reviews and I have been working with some wonderful people whose services are readily available to persons such as myself. The key has been to find the right ones. And I believe that I have been fortunate in seeking some of those fine and talented individuals. Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book Promotion is one of the aforementioned and she has led me to The Book Connection.

Seemingly, the question as been posed to me, “ What have been the challenges of writing a memoir after the James Frey fiasco?” My first response – A very good question! However, one must furnish a little background before expressing one’s opinion. In other words, who is Angus Munro who has written a book with a contradictory title such as, A Full House – But Empty? I was raised by a single parent, my father, since the age of three, along with my two sisters. This occurred during the Great Depression and we were living in Vancouver, Canada.

Prior to those events, my father was a farm boy from a very wealthy family in Saskatchewan. When he married, his father leased separate farmland to get him started. When he received the proceeds from his first wheat crop, a wild poker game was ensuing at the local grain elevator. The end result was my father returning home with one can of strawberry jam to present to my mother. One can only imagine the thoughts that occurred during that exchange. Shortly thereafter, my father threw up his hands on farming and moved to Vancouver.

My grandfather died not too long after that incident and left his total estate to his other son. As the Depression deepened, my father went back to Saskatchewan to seek some financial help from his inherited brother. He returned to Vancouver failing to obtain any financial assistance from him. When he arrived at our apartment unexpectedly, he found my mother in bed with some cheater. The cheater jumped out of the nearest window and my father pointed the front door for my mother to exit. To complete this tragic picture, the following day, I was rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis and was hospitalized for seven weeks. My poor financially and otherwise father.

At age thirteen I was in the seventh grade and wrongly accused of an incident which took place. I was extremely upset and refused to study. I played sick at every opportunity to avoid attending classes. I failed and had to repeat the seventh grade and I dropped out thereafter.

At age seventeen, I was working in a sawmill tossing lumber ends off of a conveyor belt – a total dead-end position. At that time, my father was an outside foreman for a large oil and coal company. He worked hard and was highly respected at work and in the community. However, he had that penchant for poker games and/or parties of which occurred in our home frequently on weekends and either one lasting all night.

On Saturday evening, a group from my father’s pub club arrived bringing a young theological student from the University of British Columbia. George, apart from studying theology, was very active in working civic pursuits – such as teen town organizations, etc. He and I became good friends. One quiet evening, during the week he stopped by and delivered a Dutch uncle speech to me. He informed me that I had above average intelligence and wondered why I was working in a dead-end job that had no future options. I informed him that I was a total failure and an uneducated grade-school dropout with no skills.

His response was, “You need to get off of your ass and get moving!” He further challenged my comments by saying he wanted to discuss my potential not the unfortunate circumstances relating to leaving school. He further stated that I needed to enroll at a local high school taking evening classes in typing and accounting to acquire some basic skills. Additionally, I needed to immediately seek a white-collar job at an entrance level that would have future promotional opportunities. His rhetoric was so compelling – I did exactly what he suggested.

To summarize, I eventually spent nine years in the petroleum industry in both Canada and the USA and I was being groomed for a junior executive position. I decided to change fields and spent thirty-nine years in hospital administration in both California and Alaska. As a director, my staffing complements were from fifty-five to seventy employees.

Comments re: James Frey Fiasco

Getting back to the James Frey situation it brings forth to me a lot of mixed thoughts. Based on my limited background, I became very successful – but in terms of my exposure – I revealed nothing to anyone regarding my limited educational background. On one hand I was a very successful and well-respected articulate person and on the other hand background wise – I felt as if I were a mole with a deep dark secret – a fraud. Upon retirement, I had both the independence and the maturity that afforded me the ability and fortitude to tell all – and the end result was – who the hell cares! And nobody did – they knew who I was as a person. Ironically, the writing and revisiting of my past was so cathartic and a great positive and productive journey.

Frankly, writing my own story has actually been a piece of cake. I am simply doing a review of my life and fortunately I have been blessed with a very good memory. And in taking that journey I am simply expressing my individual thoughts, perceptions and interpretations. Recently, a couple of my contemporaries, recalling the poker games and parties held at our house those many years ago – from their perspective thought we lived in the ‘in place’ all fun and games. They didn't do the cleanup – I did!

Currently, in this political scene and along with the cast of characters, books are being hailed and/or challenged regarding factual or nonfactual comments and/or segments. During the manuscript gathering sources, it is difficult to decipher, rumors, innuendo, half-truths, falsehoods, interpretations, whatever. In terms of researching a subject, there could be a natural tendency in some circles to seek dramatic events pro or con having a window for possible embellishments. If one is seeking it on their behalf, I believe this to be a half-baked story and of course, lacking both credibility and credence.

Material based on celebrity and/or prominent persons present or past, is always subject to be accepted, disputed, refuted or considered questionable, particularly if the subject has a somewhat controversial background. In a lot of situations, it is simply give or take. As an individual, I can only speak for myself. I was not proud of the fact that I left school early – regardless of the circumstances. Most of my colleagues and friends are very well educated persons and I wasn't about to freely tell all that I was merely a grade-school dropout. It certainly was not a badge of honor for me, even though I worked very hard, was well respected and successfully held good positions.

In writing my book, it was to be a very positive experience, overcoming some difficult periods, I was not looking for the ‘poor me syndrome.’ To begin with, I personally could never write fiction. I have absolutely and unequivocally no imagination. One of my physician friends, upon reading my book, suggested that I write another book – using my childhood cast of characters and dramatize it – finding a haunted house with ghosts or a similar scenario. This would be an unthinkable project for me, again no imagination. And I am personally and exclusively a nonfiction reader.

In the case of those that deliberately embellish their personal life experiences are probably looking for fame and fortune. Suggestively, it would be better spent in the world of fiction – in that case, who cares!

In this world, everything and anything is up for question. From a broader sense, we do not know where we came from and where we are going. Living in this very nebulous world my religious teaching is where I seek my comfort. Let it be!

Angus Munro


The A FULL HOUSE BUT EMPTY VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on September 2, '08 and end on September 26, '08. You can visit Angus' tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about him and his new book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away one FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Financial Security for Your Teen with The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth by James Burns

My son graduated from high school three years ago, and I found that while we did a fair job of saving for his college education, he wasn't prepared to begin making sound financial decisions to secure his future. I'm not even sure where I would have begun to teach him what he needed to know. So, when I heard tax attorney and author, James Burns was on tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion, I knew this is the topic I wanted him to cover with our our readers.

Here's what James had to say when I asked him to draft a guest article on ways that high school students could (with parental assistance) begin implementing the strategies found within his book, The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth, to allow them to be more financially secure by the age of 25:



All students in high school should get a thorough understanding of how leverage, arbitrage and cash flow works. Cash flow is essential from both a family perspective and running a business as we will see an amazing surge of entrepreneurism. I find so many people do not understand how a mortgage works which may be the biggest debt they take on in their lives and they have to understand all the choices and how they work. Debt management is essential because children will model their family and may pick up improper habits that will get them in financial trouble. Millions of people do not understand how interest on credit cards compound and they can literally pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars in interest charges when they use it. Credit cards were designed originally for travelling salesmen who had business expenses; it was not a passage to ownership on things that you could presently not afford.

At the end of the day, we can give them all those tools and without a formula for success that gets installed in them like a hard drive it may all go for naught. I make it perfectly clear in my book that accumulating wealth is as much a mental state as acting upon that state with any particular asset or strategy. If they practice the Super-5 each day and imbed it like a habit they can reach higher levels of success. The Super-5 starts with:

1. Visualize your wealth,
2. Meditate
3. Affirmations that you deserve and can receive
4. Join a mastermind group (like-minded people)
5. Accountability partner

First they visualize themselves with the wealth in a specific way and uproot negative associations to money. Then meditate on what abundance and gratitude looks like and that they deserve to receive giving up any guilt. They should then use affirmation to continue to plug this into the sub-conscious, join a mastermind group for support with people who are likeminded and then you need your accountability partner, and they can even use this person to form positive study habits. This starts by meeting weekly with the partner and then discussing with one another what you plan to commit to for the week and then get together the following week to check on each other and serve a feedback sandwich.

Here's more about The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth:

The evidence is now clear that the old formula of go to school, get a job, buy a house and retire no longer works. Retirees need more reliance in a ruthless and unpredictable future with many new curves in the road to retirement. The US Department of Health and Human Services says that 36% percent of sixty-five year olds are still working, 54% are dependent (require family or government assistance), five percent are deceased, 4% are financially dependent (with at least $3,000 per month to live on) and one percent are wealthy.


In answer to the statistics of only 1% of retirees achieving wealth upon retirement, the book The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth has come to the aid of concerned retirees. The author cautions readers that we are facing financial times unlike anything we've seen before and we cannot afford to make mistakes or be taken advantage of.


The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth is a virtual survivor’s manual for the investor informing them of what they face in the future that is new and unpredictable and how much investing is costing them with traditional investment vehicles. Forward-thinking financial planners will avail themselves of the technical information outlined in The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth, while the average investor will have a roadmap that guides them to financial success. One of many recent books to go against the grain and inform the public how much investing is costing them and how they are in a losing battle where executives of the big investment firms take $52 million dollar Christmas bonuses. The book is ultimately written for entrepreneurs and investors who are busy with life or lack financial education and are defenseless targets by opportunists abusing the financial planning system because of the compensation grids unique to the U.S.

Go to the 3 Pillars of Wealth website to find out more.

THE 3 SECRET PILLARS OF WEALTH VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month long. If you would like to follow James's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment at any of his blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of his tour! One lucky winner will be announced on his tour page on June 30!

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher by Peter Bowerman--Book Review

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living by Peter Bowerman is a writer's best friend. Whether you're just getting ready to consider your publishing options or you've been published in the past, this book will provide you with helpful information, tips, and links to move your career forward.

Follow Bowerman's experience as he shares everything you need to know about self-publishing; the differences between self-publishing, POD, and traditional publishing; how to develop a "marketing mindset"; and how to parlay one book into multiple income streams.

This and so much more is awaiting you in The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to turn One Book into a Full-Time Living!

I could not believe the amount of information that Bowerman packed into this book. In less than 300 pages I feel I have what it takes to make a move towards publication. Not only has Bowerman put together a strong argument for choosing self-publishing over traditional publishing, he puts the reader in control by providing her with the options--including links to his recommended resources--that she needs to create a book that turns heads; ways to effectively market that book; and ideas on how to use the book as a springboard for other lucrative business ventures.

If you have a desire to succeed as a full-time writer, then you must read The Well-Fed Self-Publisher!


Title: The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to turn One Book into a Full-Time Living
Author: Peter Bowerman
Publisher: Fanove Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-0-9670598-6-0
ISBN-10: 0-9670598-6-0
U.S. Price: $19.95

This virtual book tour has bben brought to you by:

Honor Due by D.H. Brown

In HONOR DUE, the Major is an ex-Special Forces 'Nam Vet who worked covertly until by the 90's, diabetic and bone-tired of the life, knowing his handlers weren't taking terrorism seriously, he walked away into the Pacific Northwest and lost himself.

As a young SpecOps shark puts him in the crosshairs, the Major is forced to resume hunting in the old way. Then he finds his old Montagnard War Brother, tortured and killed, and his friend's daughter hiding in his forest. The Major's new mission is to unearth what happened 35 years ago, as South Vietnam was falling, that has triggered the current pursuit, and take the vengeance owed his fallen brother and family. Along the way, healing comes, romance blooms and the old warrior finds life is still worth living.

HONOR DUE speaks for the soul of our citizen warriors, appealing to readers of both genders interested in the way soldiers view the world. Without glamorizing violence, HONOR DUE offers insights into the warrior's code, and the necessity of keeping fang and claw sharp.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

2230 hours — Saturday

It was a typical Saturday night at the Spring Tavern. Lots of locals playing pool, dancing to the jukebox, smoking and drinking beer. Jimmy poured a lot of it on weekends, and little during the week. Men who use axes and chainsaws don't do much drinking on work nights. Most of them start in the woods before 0400, so early to bed is the norm.

Except for a knot of local Indians at one of the pool tables, it was a pretty white crowd. There were four fresh Coasties from the Coast Guard station up at Neah Bay, and other than that, I knew or had seen everyone else before. That's why the little wannabe shark slipping into my small pool stood out. When the door swung open and the kid sidled through, I knew I was going to have to kill him. How did I know? Why? Instinct and almost forty years experience. The why? He might look like a minnow now, but little fish grow up fast and are harder to swallow when they're full grown and think they're Great Whites.

This was my isolated pond he'd swum into and I didn't intend to become the main course at anyone's table. Since I'm a carnivore, I tend to eat first and ask questions later. I may not have a high school diploma, but I've earned several doctorates in the killing arts. I prefer to be the predator than the prey.

The kid was around twenty-five, six feet plus a bit, and maybe a slim 180, in a worked-out kind of way. His dark hair hadn't grown out enough to hide what had been a military buzz. He wore a supple, thigh-length black leather coat, unbuttoned, and by the way it was cut, I figured he was packing. Probably a large auto-loader of some type with a suppressor in a custom rig in the left armpit. He didn't look exactly comfortable wearing civvies.

The way he moved told me this was someone who didn't feel threatened, and thought he could eat anyone in this puddle. I've been around somewhat longer and knew there were several in this crowd I wouldn't want to tangle with, on my best day. Guys who work with axes and chainsaws in the deep woods are very tough nuts, and will break your teeth if you bite on 'em wrong.

I watched the kid's eyes travel slowly around the room and pass me by without a flicker of recognition. There was no reason he should know me on sight, although for him to be here, I knew an advance team had swept the area and put together a package on the lay of the land. That's the way it worked, so now I had to figure out if he was solo, or had backup out in the dark.

He was giving off a nervous kind of energy. Not fear. Just a twitchiness. The way he put money on the bar and kept kind of shrugging his shoulders. Frustrated would be one way of putting it. Maybe a bit worried. I wondered what might cause a reaction like that from someone who probably wouldn't duck when the lead was flying. Interesting.

I watched Jimmy behind the bar, wiping glasses. He wasn't acting any different. He was, however, two feet closer to the register than where the glasses were racked. That meant he was standing directly in front of the Government model .45 Auto he kept cocked and locked under the bar. Jimmy, I'd learned, knew when trouble walked into his place of business.

I also knew I'd be taking my dinner out, as I never eat where I'm known. And know me, everyone there did. Not by name maybe, but by the way the herd recognizes a predator. They keep their distance.

Back to the big question: How did I know someone was hunting me, you ask? Part of my protective cover here is the smallness of the community. I know, at least by sight, most all of the local color. Even the tourists have certain vibes they give off. Dress and mannerisms. In like manner all predators do the same, and in humans those in tune with those vibes know when something wants you for lunch. All that and those little tingles of fear spiking along my nerves, bringing me to an alertness I hadn't felt in a long time.

I'd faced no real threats to my safety in twelve years. You see, fear is what keeps your soul in the body you're born in. No fear, no caution. No caution, no survival. I'm all about survival. That's why I'm still alive after nearly twenty-five years in the killing fields. I didn't intend to cut that short by being over confident. No, this hunter was young and full of all kinds of piss and vinegar. Old bulls get to be old by never underestimating young bulls. I would be taking no chances when it came time to put him down.

When the youngster had settled himself at the bar with a long-neck brew and was checking out the other side of the room, I stubbed out my smoke and slipped out of my corner booth behind the pool table. The back door, down the hall from the little boys' room, was always propped open on late autumn nights like this for the folks who like to sneak out back and smoke a little homegrown weed. It's also a shortcut to the parking lot on the west side of the building. I figured it would take him a while to work the room, matching faces and maybe a description, to the crowd. That would let me take a look-see at the cars in the lot. If he wasn't wound too tight, then any partner he might have, would probably feel the same.

The Spring Tavern sits right on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a little out from Clallam Bay, west along state Highway 112. At 2330 there wasn't much traffic in either direction. The parking lot was quiet as most people by now were either home or settled into where they would drink. Parking was a single line of cars, mostly nose in, along the front of the building, except to the west where latecomers have to find a place to double-up without blocking anyone. That's where he'd have had to park. Bessy, my old rusted beater of a '73 GMC pickup was backed in very close to the rear door.

Once clear of the indirect light spilling from the doorway, I stopped to get a feel for the night. After a few moments of hearing nothing except the soft swish of the distant surf against the shore to my right, I moved on. Keeping to the edge of the brush and trees growing above the shoreline, I slowly made my way around the parking lot and stopped again. Jimmy had long since quit trying to keep the back lit during business hours as he didn't want prying eyes watching the rear area too closely.

Waiting for my eyes to acquire some night vision and get used to the occasional car going by, I reconnoitered the vehicles under the trees, letting myself settle deeper into the grooves of my past life. Nothing moved. It used to be watching for the smoke of a stakeout was a sure sign. In these oh-so-correct PC days of fitness, it wasn't something I could rely on. The fall nights were getting decidedly chillier, and a heavy fog was moving in off the Strait, so a heater would be nice for someone waiting. Nothing. A slight onshore breeze brought the kiss of marine mist to my right cheek. All the twenty or so vehicles in sight were showing the glitter of moisture in the reflected light from the bar.

I slowly moved around the verge of the parking area to the first of the last three cars. I recognized Jimmy's old '72 El Dorado Caddie and Tammy's almost new VW Bug, both pulled in head first, and I knew the kid was trained enough not to make that mistake. It had to be the new-looking dark blue Ford Explorer closest to the highway, facing east, nose out, a little away from the rest. Just enough to stick out to the trained eye. I waited. From the lights of the intermittent passing cars I could see no one inside.

Moving slowly, I quietly stepped up to within a few feet of its left rear and waited again. Nothing. Keeping an eye on the front door of Jimmy's, and a watch on my back trail, I moved alongside and peered into the back then the driver's window. Empty. Good. Squatting, I duck walked forward, reached in over the left front tire and checked the inside of the fender well. Sure enough, still warm to the touch.

Now, all I had to do was separate the baby bull from the herd and see what came of it. I quickly eased back into the bar, and my booth. The kid was leaning forward, trying to engage Jimmy. I could imagine how that was going. He finally gave up and turned toward the east side of the room. Jimmy's eyes flicked in my direction, and went back to the beer he was drawing.

I'm particular about my friends, and Jimmy's one I'd helped out in the past. He was solid. An old 'Nam Vet who wasn't particularly enamored with anything government. His mouth didn't flap. No problem there.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Vietnam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Book Reviewer; Webmaster and Web Designer. He writes about what he knows. He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor R. J. Brown and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.

You can visit his website at http://www.dhbrownbooks.com/.

HONOR DUE can be purchased at Amazon.com


This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Travel Across Time with Linda Kay Silva

Joining us today is author Linda K. Silva whose paranormal/urban fantasy novel Across Time was recently released by Spinsters Ink Books. Linda has a Masters in English and has been a teacher for twenty years. She is a multi-published author in a variety of genres. We’ll talk about some of this today and also how her fascination with past lives and soul mates plays a part in Across Time.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Linda. It’s great to have you with us.

It’s great to be here…and so much fun!

Let’s get started by finding out more about you. What came first, the teaching or the writing? What’s the first story you remember writing and what did you do with it?

The writing. I started writing when I was 21, and I wrote 4 horrid novels, wasting paper along the way. I was a cop for two years, until I decided that I really liked living, so I quit and went into teaching…which I love.

Do any of your teaching experiences or other interests work their way into your novels?

My first 6 novels were the Delta Stevens Mystery series. Delta was a cop who had a very colorful group of women friends who helped her in and out of trouble, so I’d say, “Yes, that work experience created my first series.” The only difference is that Delta was a much better cop than I was. I was not suited to that role at all, so I preferred writing about it instead of living it.

For my latest, Across Time, I had my past lives read twice, and the readings were too close to be considered coincidental. I knew that some day, I would write a book about time travel, but not in the physical sense. I taught history for 15 years and just love dabbling in it!

You’ve written novels in several genres. Do you prefer one over the other?

That’s like asking which kid do you love most! Still...the truth is, I am torn between Jessie, in the Across Time series, and Echo, who is the protagonist is a paranormal series I’m already 4 books deep in. I love the supernatural…and those two characters allow me to play in their worlds.

Where did the idea for Across Time come from?

I have always been fascinated by past lives. Past lives fascinate me. Love at first sight, five year olds who can play Beethoven, people who come out of comas fluent in a foreign language…past lives at work. What other explanation is there when we meet someone for the first time, yet they feel so familiar, so comfortable to us? Where do our phobias come from? How is it we know some of the things we know, yet have never learned?

I pondered these questions as I delved deeper into Druidry and the mystical arts, and the deeper I dug, the more I could hear Cate, a Druid Priestess from the first century, calling.

She wasn’t calling me. She was calling Jessie. And so, hearing this, I knew the novel needed to be written…that it was time to create a series and a character who manages to find herself only when she steps through the portal and into a hostile world where Druids are being hunted, their way of life destroyed. Jessie (and the rest of us) can only know where we’re going when we know and understand where we have been.

Cate needs her to save the Druids from annihilation, Jessie needs Cate to help her on her true path, and I needed them both to tell their story.

Tell us about Jessie Ferguson. How will readers relate to her? Why will they care what happens to her?

Great questions! Women readers will relate on so many levels because we all hear that inner voice from time to time. Call it instinct, call it women’s intuition, the fact is, we’ve all heard it. Some of us truly listen to it, while others don’t at all. This voice comes from our past…our past knowledge and wisdom returns to us through residual memories. Readers will want to see how revisiting her own past saves her present life; a life that has no goal, no ambition, nothing but a great big void. Many of us of feel or have felt that void and have no idea where it comes from. I believe it comes from not understanding our purpose here in this life. We think love will fill it, or a career, or children…and then we are disappointed when, even with full lives, that dull ache still exists. That ache means we are not living according to our purpose, and that purpose can be found by understanding what our purpose was in the past. What did we DO in our other lives to make an impact on the world? Once Jessie discovers that purpose, it changes EVERYTHING about her life.

You’ve drawn on the emotions of loneliness and emptiness in this novel. How difficult is that to write? Did you ever find yourself becoming overwhelmed by the emotions your character was experiencing?

Oh my…yes. I seldom feel lonely or empty…my head is too busy working on the next book for me to really take a breath, but I could really relate to Jessie’s feeling of “Why in the hell am I here?”

I killed a major character in Tory’s Tuesday, and I couldn’t write for three days. I just grieved. I know it sounds silly, but I care about my characters and their emotional well-being. I’ve been fortunate in my life to have experienced many different kinds of successes; athletic, academic, career, and now writing, so it discombobulates me when I have to write about someone being to incredibly lost. Let’s just say, I sighed with relief when Jessie finally realizes her calling.

When Jessie moves into a Victorian Bed and Breakfast her life takes an interesting change. She gets a call from her life two thousand years in the past. What do you believe about past lives?

We cannot understand where we’re going until we know, and remember where we’ve been. There’s a reason why a 10 year old child prodigy has the ability to grasp courses as difficult as med school courses and it has nothing to do with miracles or genetics; it has to do with memory…soul memories…residual memories. These memories account for things like déjà vu, love at first sight, and unexplainable phobias. Ask almost anyone you know if they have a phobia they don’t know the origin of, and 9 times out 10, they will tell you about something that frightens them and they have no idea why.

How can a ten year old who is not developmentally ready for anything greater than long division go to med school? She isn’t just brilliant. She remembers more about past knowledge that the rest of us do. She is capable of accessing past knowledge, experience, and memories that enable her to do things far outside the realm of other children. We all have those memories, but we pass them off as something else for fear of being labeled crazy. We can’t explain how it is we know something. We can’t explain away the time we met someone for the first time and after ten minutes, felt like we’d known them our whole lives. We can’t even explain why some of our dreams just feel so real.

They feel real because once upon a time, they were.

I know I might sound like a loon, but I had my past lives read twice by two different women in two different states and their readings were too close to be coincidental. One said I had lived 83 lives, the other said 82. One commented on feeling some sort of warrior spirit from my past, and I have a large women warrior tattoo on my back. Apparently, I spent many of those lives (by BOTH accounts) in Germany…which is so strange considering I was taking college German as a sophomore in high school because it came so easily to me. (And don’t ask me why I hate the circus, even though I have never been!)

What type of research did you perform to create the life that Jessie lived many years ago?

I taught history for 15 years, so I already had the textbooks necessary for the verisimilitude of the ages Jessie travels in. I read up on Einstein’s and Hawkings’ concepts of time, before realizing that time is the final frontier and I can play in that playground any way I want. I have almost every book on Druidry imaginable, and so I read through those to see where the wiggle room was. Jessie cannot change the future…she can only become a part of the past that actually created the future in the first place. We must remember one thing about history…and Jessie learns this down the road: History is written by the victors, not the vanquished…those “eyewitness accounts” are subjective, and often, erroneous. There are also gaping holes in history, and it’s those hole I get to manipulate. It was written that Queen Boudicca turned her chariot around for some inexplicable reason. Why can’t Jessie be that reason?

See? How much fun is that? And trust me…it becomes even more fun when she becomes a 16th century pirate facing off against Queen Elizabeth, an Egyptian priestess facing the pharaoh Akhenaten, and a soldier facing hourly death in the Viet Nam War.

Let’s talk about soul mates. Soul mates play a significant role in Across Time. How deeply do you believe in the power of soul mates? Do you believe a person can have more than one soul mate in their lifetime?

I believe soul mates exist, but the idea of there being only one doesn’t set well with me. We travel through our lifetimes with many others…sometimes, our soul mate is our lover in one life, our best friend in the next, our brother of sister after that. What Cate and Maeve attempt to do is stay connected throughout the ages by remembering, for, “It is by remembering the past that we create a better future.” A soul mate doesn’t have anything to do with sex or gender. It’s someone who knows us and understands us in a way unlike anyone else. We are drawn to these people for reasons we might not understand. Many of us are friends with people who are so different from us, so polar opposites, and yet, they are in our inner circle. Why? What’s the draw to be so close to someone who is the antithesis of ourselves unless there is a deeper connection?

This novel is the first in a series of books about Jessie’s travels across time. Can you tell us a little bit about your plans for the next book or books?

In a nutshell….here’s where Jessie is going after Across Time

Second Time Around

Jessie goes back to Elizabethan England as pirate Captain Spencer Morgan. Spencer is trolling the seas looking for a box that Francis Drake is also after. This box, as we discover later in the book, was once buried by Lachlan and contains the recipe for the transmutation of lead into gold. Jessie deals with Queen Elizabeth, Francis Drake, and we see Cate and Maeve again.

Third Time’s a Charm

Jessie is called to the past where it all began…ancient Egypt, when pharaoh Akhenaten ruled and tried to change the religion in Egypt. There, Jessie is Sakura, a priestess of Isis, who is trying to save the religion. Jessie’s attentions are split because Daniel, her little brother is being haunted by spirits living in the Inn. These ghosts in Daniel’s room are from a family that was killed in the Inn long ago…a family whose father was an Egyptologist. Jessie must uncover the mystery of the ghosts before she can help Sakura save the life of Queen Nefertiti.

Just Killing Time

Jessie is called back to the 16th century and finds that it’s 15 years since she last saw Spencer. He has called her because Duncan’s son has gone to help Mary, Queen of Scots escape from prison and Queen Elizabeth has put a warrant out for his arrest. On the open seas, Spencer /Jessie run afoul of one of the most famous female pirates in history, Grace O’Malley. With Grace’s help, they are able to find Barclay, and help ease the pain of the death of one of history’s greatest Queens.

In the Nick of Time

As the Guardian of the Gate, it’s Jessie’s job to protect the portal, but the one person she did not expect to use it, gets lost in time: her brother, Daniel. To save him, Jessie must deal with the Sidhe of the Otherworld and make a deal with them. They want her to protect Merlin’s daughter from Queen Mab, and if she does that, they will tell her where in time Daniel is: Viet Nam during the Viet Nam War. Jessie must find a way to save Daniel before he is killed in Viet Nam, and she must save Merlin’s daughter or lose more than just her brother.

I just finished In the Nick of Time and am now going back over the last four in order to tie things together and make sure the Easter eggs pay off from one novel to the next. It’s my understanding that you want to bring Second Time Around out in 2009, so I’ll need to know who to send the latest revision to. I am having a book launch party next weekend, and people from all over the country are flying in for it. I am so fortunate to have that kind of support…so hopefully, they’ll do all they can to help sell the book as well.

Where can readers purchase Across Time?

Spinstersink.com(I make more money if you order from the publisher!)
Amazon.com
You can also order it from Borders.

What’s up next for you? Will you be concentrating on anything other than continuing this series?

I have a second series I am working on involving the paranormal community of empaths, telepaths, and telekinetics living and training out in the bayous of Louisiana. I just finished the 4th of that series and will be sending that manuscript off to see if I can’t procure an agent.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes. Whether or not readers believe in past lives or time travel won’t play a role in their enjoyment of the book. The characters really carry this story and I believe that most of us have been in Jessie’s shoes at one time or another in our lives. She tries everything from drugs and alcohol, to sex in an effort to fill that yawning chasm in her spirit. Most of us have felt that throbbing, dark void in our hearts, and so we’ll root for Jessie as she discovers that there is so much more to her than just being alive. There is so much more to every one of us…if only we could dig deep enough (or far enough in time) to find it.

Thanks for sharing so much of your time and talents with us today, Linda. I look forward to hearing more about this series as it progresses. Best of luck in all you do.

Thank you so much. I have really enjoyed these questions and hope your readers will feel free to come by my blog and say hi or ask any questions I haven’t answered here.

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Tom Kuiper and I've Always Been a Yankees Fan

I've Always Been a Yankees Fan: Hillary Clinton in Her Own Words by Tom Kuiper is the biggest collection of Hillary quotes ever, put into witty, sometimes illustrated, and often hilarious context.

Tom Kuiper is a political activist who has followed Hillary Clinton's career for many years. Even with that being the case, I thought something must have surprised him during the writing of this book. Here's what he had to say:

"The most surprising thing I found out about Hillary is her long tactic of attacking her perceived enemies whenever something bad happens to her, or both she and Bill Clinton.

We all remember how she went on the offensive during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, blaming Bill's troubles on a 'vast, right-wing conspiracy.' She'd been doing that for a long time. Back in 1988, Bill gave a disastrous 'introduction' speech for Michael Dukakis at that years' Democratic convention. Bill's speech went on and on for over 35 minutes, and it was widely panned by everyone who saw it. Hillary blamed it all on her perceived enemies, namely the Dukakis people. She told a friend, "they set Bill up," meaning Dukakis and his advisors wanted Bill to look bad.

Same thing happened in 1996, when President Bill Clinton was heckled during a speech by some far-left people who objected to him signing the welfare reform bill. Hillary actually thought they were Republican spies. She told an advisor she wanted a background check done on all people who were going to attend the upcoming Democratic convention, to make sure there would be no Republican 'spies' there.

There are many more examples in "Yankees Fan" of Hillary blaming her political enemies whenever things go against the Clintons."


I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A YANKEES FAN VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on Jan 2, 2008 and continues all month.If you would like to follow Tom's tour, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.

ATTENTION!!! Buy one of Tom's books at AMAZON, send US an online copy of the receipt before January 31st and he will send you a personalized thank you letter, PLUS other incentives including free ebooks from Pump Up Your Book Promotion! Go to http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/authorsontour.html to see what else you could receive!

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Carole Whang Schutter Writes about Troubled Love in September Dawn

We are starting off the month of January with an amazing screenwriter and author who has traveled a unique journey to success. Carole Schutter wrote the screenplay for September Dawn--a Romeo and Juliet type romance which takes place during the events leading up to the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857. The movie stars Jon Voight, Trent Ford, and Tamara Hope; and one of my favorite actors, Dean Cain, played the part of Joseph Smith. The DVD is due to be released this month and Carole wrote a book based upon the movie, also titled September Dawn, which she is promoting during her month-long virtual book tour.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Carole. I’m honored to have you with us. Before we get to September Dawn, can you tell us a bit about yourself? How long have you been writing? Do you concentrate on a particular genre? Has a particular person or event influenced your writing in any way?

Thank you. I’ve been writing since I was five. I always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way. I’ve always been fascinated by history. I almost majored in it. I like historical fiction and romance is always a part of my writing. I also tend to put females in the lead. Not in September Dawn, but it was the idea of a girl going to the California Gold Rush that was my original idea for the movie/book. I love historical writers like James Michener, James Clavell, and Ken Follett.

You’re not shy about sharing your faith in God. How well received is that in the entertainment industry? Did your faith create obstacles in getting your screenplay accepted or the movie promoted?

There has been more openness to movies with Christian content because of The Passion of Christ. However, the window could close just as fast if movies perceived as Christian don’t do well. I was talking to someone in marketing who has promoted many movies. Generally, the movie world is very disappointed with Christian oriented movies because they feel that unlike the Passion, the large Christian groups they approach are either unsupportive or back pedal after expressing their support. Unless this changes, you will find the doors closing to more Christian based movies. Movies have to make money or they won’t get made. That is why children’s movies, horror movies, and action flicks are way up there.



Tell us about September Dawn. Where did the idea for this movie and book come from?

I believe it came from God. I was driving in Colorado when this random idea about a pioneer woman on her way to the California Gold Rush when Mormons dressed as Indians ambushed the wagon train. Imagine my surprise when I began researching wagon trails and found the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I couldn’t believe that a history buff like me had never heard of it.

What type of research did you perform to write the screenplay?

Two years, thousands of pages on the Internet, almost 50 different resources, books, newspapers, depositions, congressional records, etc.

How much influence did you have in the production of the movie, if any?

I only acted in a supportive role helping mainly with miscellaneous historical aspects of the film.

Is the book very different from the movie?

Since the book was written after the movie, the answer is no. However, the book is more in depth.

Tell us more about Jonathan Samuelson and Emily Hudson. Why will readers care about them? What is it about this young couple that will make readers want them to be together?

Jonathan and Emily are two young people that have had life experiences that have made them think outside the box. In their own way, for that day and age, they are rebels. Jonathan is a romantic, haunted by his mother’s fate. But he also is a free thinker like Emily. Both young people do not accept ideas just because they were told things should be a certain way. They question, guided by their humanity and their spirit. They think, they feel, and they are passionate human beings with a moral compass. Although they come from different worlds and have different experiences, they are suited to each other because of these characteristics. Their passion and innate goodness, their spirit and sweetness, will make the reader eager for them to be with each other forever.

With historical fiction, the challenge seems to be how to combine a fictional story into actual events. How did you meet this challenge? What was most difficult about this process?

It actually wasn’t very difficult. My writing flows best when I am connected to God’s Spirit. Sometimes it almost feels like automatic writing. The most difficult thing for me is to remain subjective. I become emotionally involved with my characters and I don’t want to “kill” them.

Now that we have a feel for September Dawn, can you tell us where readers can purchase a copy of the book?

Amazon, Authorhouse, Barnes and Noble, Booksamillion, cdgospel.com, most book websites. It is also available at Borders and Walden Book stores.

What is up next for you? Are there new projects you wish to share with our readers?

I have optioned a romantic family movie about a real historical character. She is a wonderful character and I write about her as a young girl and teenager. She is Granuaile O’Malley, otherwise known as the pirate queen of Ireland. She is my Pirate Princess. We hope to begin production sometime next year.

I am also redoing a historical family saga I started years ago called “The Ohana,” which means family in Hawaii. It covers three generations of three immigrant families to Hawaii. A Korean family, a Japanese family, and an Irish family. It is the story of how their lives merge against the backdrop of Hawaiian history, the Great Depression, World War II and the Vietnam War. Quite a project.

I am also working on other screenplays. One is directly from the Bible. I will be collaborating with another writer on the books created from the screenplays as I need the help! I have too many projects.

Is there anything you would like to add?

September Dawn has not received the attention it should have. It is a good movie, our first reviews from the “big” magazine and newspaper critics were, as the marketing director said, “the kind of reviews everyone dreams of having.” Criticism of our being historically incorrect and ham fisted were interesting. What took us two years of intense study, reviewers were experts on immediately. Unfortunately, massacres are ham-fisted acts, and it was a blot on our history. But we only learn from history by knowing the truth. The truth, the Bible says, will set us free.

Thank you for joining us today, Carole. I’m glad we got to hear more about September Dawn. Good luck with the book and the DVD release. I wish you continued success.


Readers, if you click on the title of this post you'll be directed to September Dawn's Amazon.com page where you can purchase a copy of this historical romance novel.


This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Judi Moreo and the Achieve Your Dreams Virtual Book Tour '08

With 2007 behind us and 2008 on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on how we want the rest of our journey here on earth to go. Do we settle for letting life happen or do we take steps toward achieving our dreams? Do we think about it or do we DO it?

If you have watched the movie, “The Secret”, then you understand the power of affirmative thinking = affirmative action. Are you taking those steps in the right direction to enjoy life at its fullest whether it’s through financial success, relationship bliss or perfect health?

On January 1, 2008, Judi Moreo, author of the You Are More Than Enough Achievement Journal (Stephens Press, Dec. '07), will embark on a virtual book tour throughout the blogosphere, but it will involve YOU. She wants YOU to be the star in a campaign to let the world know how you are taking those steps in realizing your dreams.

If you would like to become involved in her ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08, here is how it works:

1. Repeat this passage from her book: “Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams” until you understand its powerful message.

2. Think about what steps you are taking to achieve your dreams and write about it. Your entry can be as long or as short as you’d like.

3. Post your message on your blog and give us the link so that we can post it on Judi's tour page at http://www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/ (her tour page goes live tomorrow). Email us with your link at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com.

4. When we receive your link, we will put it on our daily rounds of promotions, thus bringing you instant traffic, so get those links to us soon!

5. We only ask that you include the passage above before your blog post so that people will understand what you are doing.

6. We also ask that you include a jpeg copy of Judi’s book, “You Are More Than Enough Achievement Journal”, in your blog post. You can find her book cover at http://tinyurl.com/3cqa46 and link it to http://tinyurl.com/ywf67x

7. All participants will be listed at Judi’s tour page at http://www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/ when they come in, stating the date on which their blog post will appear and will remain there indefinitely.

That’s all there is to it! Hurry before time runs out. Become involved in a nationwide campaign to bring in 2008 with a bang and help others realize that dreams are not something that happens; dreams are something that YOU make happen. Let's make 2008 the year when you realize your dreams and make them happen. Share your stories and become involved in Judi Moreo's "Achieving Your Dreams Virtual Book Tour '08" where YOU are the star!

Judi's virtual book tour will be highly publicized including press releases and other promotions. Let us know what steps you are taking to achieve success and be read by thousands of Internet users!

Thank you,

Cheryl C. Malandrinos, Tour Coordinator
Pump Up Your Book Promotion
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/