Books, Products and More!: Book Spotlight and Giveaway

Visit our other blog at Books, Products and More! to read about a giveaway for a copy of the motivational anthology, Life Choices: Pursuing Your Passion by Judi Moreo and friends. Deadline to enter is 11:59 PM Eastern on Sunday, April 17th.

Author Interview: Jeff Civillico, Contributing Author for Judi Moreo’s Life Choices: Pursuing Your Passion

Today's special guest is Jeff Civillico, contributing author for Judi Moreo’s Life Choices: Pursuing Your Passion. We'll talk to Jeff about his writing, his contribution to this collection, and what the future holds.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Jeff. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I market and perform a one-man physical comedy show called “Comedy in Action.” I perform at corporate events, colleges, and in several shows on the Las Vegas Strip.

When did you begin writing?
I have been taking little notes in a document on my laptop called “The Book” since college, not knowing exactly how it would all fit together. I began work in earnest on this chapter for Life Choices in the Fall of 2010.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
I find I am most productive in the morning when the rest of the world is sleeping, before the craziness of the day begins. When I can’t write in the morning, I write whenever I can squeeze a few moments in-– often I find that’s on planes, trains, and automobiles!

What is this book about?

This book is about inspiring people to live a life of passion. It profiles many people across many industries who have found careers that fuel them at their deepest level.
What inspired you to write the book?

I returned to my Georgetown University Homecoming to find that many of my classmates were unsatisfied in their professional lives. My career as a performer was all the buzz - ”You’re so LUCKY to be able to do what you love.” Lucky? Additional conversation revealed that although everyone agreed it was theoretically possible to imagine an enterprise based on your life’s passion, to most the undertaking seemed unrealistic and impractical. I saw a gap between knowing one’s true passion and defining its subsequent branding, marketing, and monetizing. I wrote this book to help bridge that gap.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Amazon.com, all major book stores, www.lifechoicesbook.com and of course, my website www.jeffonstage.com.  

What is up next for you?
I am in the process of forming a non-profit called “Win-Win Entertainment” to match professional entertainers willing to donate time and talent with eligible, approved charities nationwide. For more information, please visit http://win-winentertainment.org.

Thanks for spending time with us, Jeff. We wish you continued success.

Guest Blogger: Anne Dreyer, Contributor to Life Choices: Putting the Pieces Together

We welcome today, another of the contributors to the Life Choices: Putting The Pieces Together anthology to discuss her contribution.

If life didn’t challenge us,how could we know how strong we are?

How would we learn who we are capable of becoming?

There is no such thing as life without struggle. No one comes out of a struggle the same as he or she was when it began. Everyone has to make choices between giving up or growing stronger.

These authors hope that by sharing their stories, you will realize no matter how many pieces your life is in or what they look like, you can fit them together into a picture of wholeness and success.



Meet the Co-Authors of Life Choices: Putting the Pieces Together:

Andrea Chestnut

Jasmine Freeman

Anne Dreyer

Kathy Jo Pollack

Vickie Lane

Gregory Lay

Jo Wilkins

Charlotte Foust

Joan Peck

Ginette Osier Bedsaul

April Aimee Adams

Darlene Mahon

Joy Huntsman

Myriam Lazo

Bea Goodwin

Eric Culverson

Cindy Hallam

Deborah Clark

Ann Parenti

Lori La Bey

Becky Buckley

Mike Levin

Peggy Vasquez

Derick Poremba-Brumer

Lynette Chapell

Fix it! by Anne Dreyer

About my story:

Life is a big picture, and each of the choices we make and what we experience is a stroke of a brush on the huge canvas of our years. I believe that the secret of mastering life is like the stroke of the brush - one stroke at a time. Do as much as much as you can, during that specific season, and leave the rest to God. And it is this divine partnership that finally gets us through it all!

Continuing my story in the series Life Choices (Class is a Choice), which tells the story of my late father, Peter Welgemoed, who lost his entire fortune; his womanizing, perhaps being one of the primary factors. Although left penniless, he still left a legacy because of how he treated people; and even today he is still remembered as being a true gentleman!

Adding now, in the new book, Putting The Pieces Together, these ‘brush strokes’ that formed the canvas of his years, and mine, are about Ivy, his first wife, and my beloved late mother.

This poignant story tells my personal journey to forgiveness and living a new life of freedom.

I was dealing with an unforgiving heart and so much brokenness, yet I was the only one that could fix it. This was a CHOICE I had to make..... I Chose to FIX IT –and now know that without God and His principles, there can be no true meaning to life......so by putting the pieces together, you can experience a life filled with rewards!

Anne Dreyer lives in the coastal resort Ballito Kwa Zulu South Africa and is a sought after motivational speaker, author and image coach, who lives and teaches Coco Chanel's dictum:


"You can be ravishing at 20, Charming at 40 ...or
IRRESISTIBLE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE."


With her warm and stylish personality, Anne infects her audiences as she trains and inspires them from her personal life’s experience as a successful business woman and entrepreneur.

Anne, nominated Business Women of the Year 2008, is the founder of Colourworks international, as well as the founder of Foreign Ambassador of APICSA, The Association of Professional Image Consultants in South Africa , the appointed External Examiner for IBICA Singapore, and a Professional Member Professional Speaker Association of South Africa, as well as Global Speakers International.


Anne, Master Image Consultant and Etiquette Expert, knows and believes that every person can blossom where they are planted and can be irresistible forever!


To contact Anne Dreyer
Email anne@annedreyer.com
Website www.annedreyer.com

Guest Blogger: Twelve Dollars – A Compulsive Gambler’s Journey in Recovery by Bea Goodwin, Co-Author of Life Choices

Our special guest today is Bea Goodwin, co-author of Life Choices: Putting The Pieces Together.

If life didn’t challenge us,how could we know how strong we are?

How would we learn who we are capable of becoming?

There is no such thing as life without struggle. No one comes out of a struggle the same as he or she was when it began. Everyone has to make choices between giving up or growing stronger.

These authors hope that by sharing their stories, you will realize nomatter how many pieces your life is in or what they look like, you can fit them together into a picture of wholeness and success.

Meet the Co-Authors of Life Choices: Putting the Pieces Together:

Andrea Chestnut
Jasmine Freeman
Anne Dreyer
Kathy Jo Pollack
Vickie Lane
Gregory Lay
Jo Wilkins
Charlotte Foust
Joan Peck
Ginette Osier Bedsaul
April Aimee Adams
Darlene Mahon
Joy Huntsman
Myriam Lazo
Bea Goodwin
Eric Culverson
Cindy Hallam
Deborah Clark
Ann Parenti
Lori La Bey
Becky Buckley
Mike Levin
Peggy Vasquez
Derick Poremba-Brumer
Lynette Chapell


Twelve Dollars – A Compulsive Gambler’s Journey in Recovery by Bea Goodwin

“Twelve Dollars” is an expression of JOY and ABUNDANCE that I use to express my circumstances when things look bleak or challenging. In fact, all of my closest friends have taken to saying, “No worries. I have Twelve Dollars!”

Why? Because that’s the exact amount of money I had left to my name after one year in the recovery program of Gambler’s Anonymous. And guess what…that Twelve Dollars represented the WORLD to me. Abundance, recovery, peace of mind, blessings and serenity!

So why did I write my story and why now?
I had always intended to keep my anonymity outside of the rooms of Gambler’s Anonymous; at least until I “retired.” I NEVER wanted my business associates to know my “sordid” past. And still I knew I had a gift to share with the world. The message of hope and serenity and life beyond addiction that is more beautiful than anything came before. I may have thought my message could “wait.”

God had other plans.

My sister Lanie, who was also a compulsive gambler in recovery, fell back into old patterns and was secretly gambling. No one knew her “secret” because that’s what compulsive gamblers do. We hide. We keep secrets. And the pain and shame builds. Lanie’s pain became overwhelming and, on June 2, 2008 I lost my dear sister to the disease of compulsive gambling. In my heart I don’t believe the overdose of antidepressants that ultimately took her life was a suicide. I believe she just didn’t want to feel the fear, the shame, and the anxiety. Intentional or accidental; Lanie died as a direct result of the DISEASE of compulsive gambling.

Still …I waited. Knowing that someday I would share my story. Just not quite yet.

God knocked again. Actually took a two-by –four and said, “Bea get moving on this NOW!”

In January of this year I was called to an emergency meeting of a professional board I sit on. At that meeting we were informed that our entire treasury had been depleted due to the immediate past president embezzling the funds. Why? This individual was a compulsive gambler.

Right then and there, I spoke the words “There are no accidents and my being on this board is obviously meant to be. I am a recovering compulsive gambler and I understand this disease. If you haven’t experienced a gambling related problem in your personal or business lives as yet, you will. And if I have the courage, which I believe I do, I will speak to our membership about this disease.”

That was it. It was my time. And along comes the opportunity to share my story in Life Choices: Putting the Pieces Together.

Writing this story has changed my life! I no longer hide “who I really am.” In a few short months, I closed my business, immersed myself in helping others in recovery and in need of recovery and have founded a non-profit in my sister’s honor called “Lanie’s Hope.”

What looked like a very skinny (and scary) branch became a launching pad that gave me the courage and the absolute certainty that sharing my message of experience, strength and hope is my Life’s Purpose!

Wow! Change happens in an instant! I am ever so grateful for the opportunity to be included in this compilation with so many other courageous and powerful authors. I humbly accept God’s knocking and intend to dedicate the rest of my life to serving the compulsive gambler who still suffers.

Bea Goodwin has been passionately committed to “helping the compulsive gambler who still suffers,” since her own recovery journey began years ago. In 2008 the loss of her beloved sister Lanie due to an accidental overdose related to her struggles with Pathological Gambling changed Bea’s life forever. She now dedicates herself fully to her mission of illuminating and humanizing the disease of pathological gambling; bridging the vast gap between the legal, medical and private sectors and the pathological gambler who still suffers.


She is the founder of Twelve-Dollars, and the non-profit Lanie’s Hope, dedicated to serving the needs of the pathological gambler and their families; providing education, resources, hope and treatment for the disease of pathological gambling. Bea’s personal story “Twelve Dollars” is featured in the book “Life Choices: Putting the Pieces Together” (Turning Point International, copyright 2010 http://www.lifechoicesbook.com/.)


Bea has been a frequent presenter at Gamblers Anonymous conferences at both the local and national levels, and addresses professional groups to enhance understanding of compulsive gambling. Just as Betty Ford’s work destigmatized the disease of Alcoholism, Lanie’s Hope envisions a world in which pathological gambling is understood to be a disease vs. a moral weakness; where the pathological gambler is treated with dignity and compassion; where resources and support are available to the pathological gambler and their loved ones and where State, Federal and Private funding is available for treatment of all pathological gamblers who are willing to commit to treatment, regardless of their ability to pay.


Bea Goodwin can be contacted at the following for consulting services, problem gambling and recovery workshops and keynote speaking engagements:
bea@lanieshope.org
bea@twelve-dollars.com
(702) 812-1922

Judi Moreo and Life Choices: Navigating Difficult Paths

If you feel “stuck” in a situation that appears to be beyond your control, these stories will show you how others have coped with crisis and uncertainty, made tough choices and positive changes in order to find deeper meaning and satisfaction in their relationships and learned to live with purpose every day. Rarely do we find a book that addresses so many different challenges. Life Choices does this in a powerful and inspiring way. This book is about experiences, the people who lived them, and how they created successful lives. From values and self-fulfillment to legacy, this book offers new resources for people who have tough choices to make every day.

Filled with wisdom and love, this book is a soothing companion for anyone searching for the courage to make a choice to change his or her circumstances. These authors and their stories prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that success belongs to everyone, no matter where they come from or what has happened to them. They are living proof that miracles can and do happen. You can be one of these people. You can navigate through difficult times and find your pathway to the life you choose to lead. Put the strength of others to work for you. Courage is not the absence of fear or pain. Courage is taking the steps to move through it.

Authors appearing in Life Choices: Navigating Difficult Paths include:

Aimmee Riley
Andrea Chestnut
Anne Abernathy
Anne Dreyer
Bob Walker
Charlotte Foust
Dan Roberts
Deborah Clark
Dr. Casey McNeal
Edie Raether
Elle Swan
Ginette Bedsaul
Jennifer Joseph
Jennifer Tarlin
Jesse Ferrell
Judi Moreo
Karen Phillips
Mary Monaghan
Nancy Todd
Rev. Cattel
Sandra Gore Nielsen
Sandy Kastel
Sherial Bratcher
Stephen Philpott
Susan Haller
Vickie Lane


Read Excerpts from Life Choices!

My life had fallen apart in front of my eyes. Our beautiful home with swimming pool and guest cottages was repossessed and I moved to a tumbledown house with rotting floorboards and broken windows with no money to fix it up. I had barely enough money to buy food, surviving on cheese and crackers. Things could not get any worse, or so I thought. I was wrong; it could definitely get worse…

Mary Monaghan
New Beginnings

If you have never been fired, you are missing out on one of life’s universal defining moments that has the potential to set great transformation and growth into motion. It can also be a devastating blow that serves up the dreaded crippling sucker-punch from your blind spot. Your attitude and how you respond to this defining moment will determine which paradigm becomes your reality…

Jesse Ferrell
Defining Moment: You Are Fired

I’m an intelligent person, with rights, and a caring mother ― and I don’t believe in “no choice.” I had read and learned all that I possibly could about leukemia, and my questions were on point, but the doctors had no answers, just the same protocol, no matter what effect or circumstances. Nor did the doctor look my child in the eye as he talked over him to a woman, who his tone indicated, would realize her place and unquestioningly follow his direction. He was incensed that I would question his judgment…

Nancy Todd
Playing the Hand You’re Dealt

This was my first encounter with ‘classes,’ the have’s and have not’s … and my brother and I were warned NOT to go beyond the barriers of Second Class. First Class was strictly forbidden!

Anne Dreyer
Class is A Choice

My purpose in this writing is not to tell you yet another story about how adversity ends in happiness. My purpose is to share with you the formula for creating your own successes. You are also a survivor. Everyone is a potential survivor. You may have a specific story (or stories) of survival, pain, loss, or love and heartbreak, or your story may be one of general survival ― the overall struggle associated with living in a troubled world, with loneliness, the search for the meaning and purpose of life, feeling overwhelmed and powerless, as though you don’t live your life, instead your life lives you!

Dr. Casey McNeal
The Circle of Influence

Walking across the hall to the family room, I sunk into the big sofa against the window. A feeling that everything was going to be alright came over me as I soaked up the warmth from the sun’s last rays, closed my eyes, and let my thoughts drift back to another time when a young woman made a decision that would change her life and mine forever…

Sandy Kastel
Detours

Great! Here I was by myself in this hospital room and I had no idea what to ask the neurologist. I felt like I needed to ask something intelligent at this point. Then I remembered watching Days of our Lives on television. Yep! I asked the only “intelligent” question I could think of … the one I had heard them ask on the show. “If it’s a tumor … is it operable?”

Karen Phillips
7 Keys 2 Success

During this time, I caught the manager and a couple of the other branch employees embezzling from the company. They were terminated and I became the manager. I proceeded to work all hours trying to figure out what was going on in the financial side of things and what we really did as a company. I started sleeping in the recliner in my father’s old office. This went on for about six months. Everything finally came to a head; was I going to run this part of the business or sell it and go to college?

Stephen Philpott
Life of Success on My Own Terms

Instead of achieving “normal,” I was learning to love my quirks and differences, and my life was becoming better and better. I was learning to embrace the feeling of being a stranger in the world. I was learning to be an observer experiencing life rather than being attached to it. I was learning to love where I came from and live life to its fullest, to understand we’re all one and on the same path to ultimate inner peace and happiness. I was learning forgiveness and understanding for myself and others. That released the chains of resentment and bitterness that were holding me and allowed me to have more love, compassion, and understanding of people. Even though I treasure my talent as a singer, I treasure these gifts of love, understanding, and compassion more…

Jennifer Joseph
Follow Your Heart

I am often asked the secret to our marriage. It’s no secret that good friends like to laugh, companions like to talk, and lovers like to love. It is helpful if you choose to smile, if you choose to listen, and if you choose to remember the good times, and not the hard times, when he reaches for you. Indeed, if you choose to remind yourself how lucky you are he still reaches…

Sandra Gore-Neilsen
A True Love Story

I was horrified. I gave a speech, a lecture on right and wrong, the rule of law, and the fairness of our situation. The audit was bogus, illegal, and strictly a grandstanding bureaucratic tactic. “We don’t need a politician,” I recall saying. “We need justice.”

To my everlasting regret, I refused to make that campaign contribution. It was the biggest mistake in my life…

Dan Roberts
George, Martha, and I

There were about twenty of us gathered beside the track. A luge coach standing up on the track wall asked anyone who wanted to try it to take a step forward. Immediately, eighteen people took a step back. There I stood, along with a lone fireman from Maryland. While we hadn’t taken a step back, we hadn’t actually stepped forward either. We slowly turned and looked at each other and said, “Why not?”

Anne Abernathy
Why Not?

I’ve always been involved in raising funds for breast cancer research. Both my aunt and younger cousin have lost their breasts to the disease, so I wanted to help in whatever way I could. Every fundraiser I saw for “the cause” I could be counted on to support. I knew there was a possibility that genetics might mean I needed to be careful, but I never really worried. I felt like I helped “the cause” so I was safe. I should have paid more attention to what the message was behind “the cause,” instead of just raising money for them.

“Yes, it’s cancer.” I heard those words come over the telephone on August 28, 2006…

Victoria Lane
Yes, It’s Cancer

I drove up the road and into the heart of downtown Seattle, wondering just how to find a shelter to go into. My daughter, seeing folks laughing on the street corner said, “People are laughing, Mom. I didn’t know people laughed in the city; I thought everybody just hurt each other.” My son’s observation about “life on the outside” was the number of signs telling people what to do and when to do it. “No Parking, No Stopping, No Walking.” A telling statement to the neurosis we had just abandoned. The lady at the “cheap” motel looked at us, our car full of stuff, and our eyes tired, and gave us an incredible deal on the room. I got out the phone book and started to make calls…

Susan Haller
Life Forced

Where was the beauty and the peace in me? Everything felt like war. Over the course of the next two years we had to let go of our home. Our life savings and retirement savings were gone. My time was spent in appointments with doctors, physical therapists and lawyers. I could not work and was in tremendous pain. My husband worked day and night taking care of me, Michael, handling the household chores and working to pay the bills. All the things we had built financially for twenty years together had disappeared. I felt quite lost and abandoned by many, and especially God…

Ginette Osier Bedsaul
An Enacted Miracle

I have been severely overweight my entire life. As an adult, doctors categorized me as morbidly obese, defined as being one hundred or more pounds overweight. Since early childhood, I have been on multiple diets. I tried everything, but was not successful in losing weight. Each year I grew heavier, I became more hopeless. Eventually my body began to break down from years of obesity, and I developed serious health problems, such as type II diabetes. I was hoping I would be able to lose this weight on my own…

Jennifer Tarlin
A New Life

I had to sleep on a pull-out couch with my two brothers. We hardly had anything to eat and life became even harder, because my mother had three more children. Moving there simply continued the nightmare I had already been living. I had no friends because we moved around so much, I was embarrassed because my clothing was so ragged, and I had a lot of health issues because of the lack of food.

One very clear memory was a time when I went to a new school, I was given a pencil. It was so special to me because it was one of the few gifts I ever received and it was brand new. I really treasured that pencil … it had an eraser that had never been used…

Sherial Bratcher
Creating My Dream Life

Everybody knew what was going on, but nobody spoke about it. Being female made me the center of attention for my father. Not in the loving, caring, protective sort of way little girls deserve to experience. My father was the one I needed protection from. When I was nine years old, I got up enough nerve to tell my mother what had been going on…

Andrea Chestnut
A Better Way to Live

Personal loss and tragedy creates an entirely different set of circumstances, completely changing the picture of your world. My mother’s death was such an event. Her death was the most devastating experience of my life. Of all the things I imagined about my life, I never thought she would not be here with me. I made the decision not to keep trying to kill myself after my mother died. I was not trying to slit my wrists, but I was participating in a series of events that had suicidal tendencies. I was developing a pattern of reckless behavior. I was making poor choices. I was so lost, I missed her so much, and I wanted to die…

Deborah Clark
There’s a Story for That

I had nowhere to go but back to my family who couldn’t provide for me before. Now I was coming back and bringing another mouth to feed as well. I can’t tell you how many times I was told I couldn’t make it. Most people around me told me to give my baby to my husband’s family. I refused as I knew no one could take better care of her than me. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I absolutely knew in my heart that I could…

Aimmee Kodachian
Finding My Purpose

When opportunity knocks, do you open the door ― or complain about the noise? Opportunity is often a matter of perception. Within our vision of the world is the image of ourselves. It may seem like some people have all the luck; they are randomly chosen. Yet, often luck is not random at all, but a time when preparation and opportunity come together…

Edie Raether
When Opportunity Knocks

No one would have thought such a minor incident would have had such a profound effect on a child. Some fifty-five years later, I can still see the sun reflecting off the new white paint. I can almost feel the breeze. In my darkest moments I can clearly hear the stern, commanding voice of the wrinkled old lady as she leaned into my face and said with a sneer, “You can’t go in. You’re much too small.”

Charlotte Foust
Invisible

We always have choices. Do we imprison ourselves, creating shackles around our heart, mind, or bodies? What we do with our choices can lead to freedom or imprisonments. Whether we are speaking of political freedoms, attitudinal freedoms, physical freedoms, or most importantly our spiritual freedoms, each time I give out a penny, or pay with any Lincoln money, I send a silent prayer and intention…

Rev. Cattel
The Mystical Hand of Freedom

There were warning signs all along my fall into darkness. Like most people, I looked the other way. One of the first signs was the fact that I always made sure I had alcohol in my house. It was as necessary as toothpaste, paper towels, or laundry detergent. And the best part was I, like most people, could purchase all of my “necessities” from the same store. This was a very convenient way to lose control without ever noticing. Yet, losing control was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It expedited my demise and prevented me from dragging my self-destructive behavior into this decade…

Elle Swan
The Best of You

After what could have been no more than fifty feet, the tunnel narrowed dramatically until I could no longer swim. The tunnel had silted in and I had to crawl along the bottom. I moved slowly, searching ahead with the beam of my underwater light until the scuba tank on my back scraped the top of the tunnel and became tangled in rocks and sea plants…

Bob Walker
What Was I Thinking? Confessions of an Avid Adventurer

We were late arriving in Sun City and had missed most of the show. We made our way into the showroom in our traveling clothes, just in time to see Julio sing his last song. Marty was very upset. The tickets had cost her a lot of money and she had really wanted to see Julio’s show. Not knowing who he was, but being from Las Vegas, I said I was sure that we’d be able to go backstage and meet him. So we marched up to Stage Door 4 where a group of ladies were screaming and jumping up and down. I walked right to the front of the crowd with Marty in tow, presented my Las Vegas modeling agency business card to the security guard, and said, “Please tell Julio that I’m here.”

Judi Moreo
The Choice That Changed My Life Forever

Praise for Life Choices!


"This book is about ordinary people succeeding in extraordinary ways, turning tragedy into triumph, seizing the opportunity before it ceases to be one, getting up one more time than you fall. It is filled with creative ideas, strategy and inspiration in the form of life stories that just may strengthen your own resolve to follow the path of ‘Conquistador.’"

Doc Blakely, CSP, CPAE, Hall of Fame Professional Speaker


"Life Choices is a superb compilation of tales from people who overcame adversity and took control of their lives. The heartfelt stories prove once again what we can accomplish with prayer and a steadfast attitude to never give up."

Peter Fogel, Speaker, Copywriter, Author
If Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have Successfully Reinvented Themselves


"The choices you made and the choices you didn’t have brought you to this point. Since our lives truly are what our choices make them, we have a vital interest in making better choices. Let the compelling stories in this book expand your awareness and help you choose the right path for your life."

Jim Cathcart, Founder, host of www.Motivation.tv,
Author of fifteen books, including: The Acorn Principle


"These stories will fill a void of despair with the light of the lives that surround it. Stories of strength, courage and endless faith. Do not pass go; go directly to the cashier and buy it."

Manuel Diotte, Motivational Teacher and Author
Happiness Is A Pair of Shorts


"The choices we make along life’s journey can either strengthen or weaken our inner foundations in which all character is built. This book gives first hand accounts of how we are all capable of making those choices that fortify our inner foundations, making way for a fortress of character. I recommend it to all who want to know how to transform “every” life experience into the building tools for such worth while construction projects."

John Michael Stuart, MSW, Author, Perfect Circles: Redefining Perfection


"This book draws from human experience that is alternately beautiful, miraculous and uplifting ~ and often all three at once. If you have ever asked yourself can I do this ~ and doubted that you could ~ you must read this book. The people here are real; their stories will answer your question with clarity and force: yes you can!"

Gail Cohen, Author, Thinking Outside The Lines,
How To Reach Your Personal Best


WOW! What an awesome reminder of the unseen, quintessential power living inside us! Thank you for sharing your life changing stories with us—it is warm, true and inspirational. It has given me the courage to embrace my “weakness” and my story…for it has made me realize that actually it is my strength!! Life is a Gift! And we get to unwrap it every day—if we choose to…Please choose to!!"

Marisa Wollheim, Director, Hospice in the West,
Krugersdorp, South Africa


"After reading the stories in “Life Choices” I was uplifted and encouraged. We all have challenges and circumstances in life that are overwhelming. However, we all have the ability to overcome the seemingly impossible of circumstances. By reading these stories you’ll be reminded of the inner strength we all possess and have the courage to evaluate your current situation and make a choice to follow the life you were meant to have."

Peggy S. Vasquez,
Certified Executive Administrative Professional (CEAP)
Executive Assistant to the Laboratory Director
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory


"At a time in our country when bleakness is prevalent, how uplifting to have a book which shares positive turning points in people’s lives. A most worthwhile read."

Jack Sheehan, Author
Quiet Kingmaker of Las Vegas; The Class of ’47; Skin City


"In strange and uncertain times, such as those we now live in, you will find hope and encouragement in this wonderful book."

Patricia Fripp, Past President, National Speakers Association
Author, Get What You Want


"So many of us have had situations that befall us and need to take comfort from the stories of others. Life Choices is a comfort and source of support for anyone facing a challenge."

Susan RoAne
Keynote speaker
Author of Face To Face: How To Reclaim The Personal Touch in A Digital World



Judi Moreo is the author of You Are More Than Enough: Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion, and Power, and it’s companion, Achievement Journal. She is also the co-author and compiler of Life Choices: Navigating Difficult Paths (Turning Point International).

Judi is an award-winning businesswoman and motivational speaker. Her superb talent for customizing programs to meet organizational needs has gained her a prestigious following around the world. Her passion for living an extraordinary life is mirrored in her zeal for helping others realize their potential and achieve their goals. With her dynamic personality and style, she is an unforgettable speaker, inspiring motivator, and an exceptional life coach.

If you would like to find out more about the woman behind Life Choices: Navigating Difficult Paths, visit www.judimoreo.com. If you would like to find out more about the book, visit www.lifechoicesbook.com.

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/

You Are More Than Enough Every Woman's Guide to Purpose, Passion & Power by Judi Moreo--Book Review

Phenomenal! Outstanding! Fascinating! You Are More Than Enough Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion and Power by Judi Moreo is the one book that every woman must read!

If you are tired of just making it in this world; if you have ever desired to achieve success; if you have ever wanted to feel good about yourself every day of your life, then you have to read this book.

Motivational speaker and life coach, Judi Moreo, has put together an amazing self-help book for women that can change their lives. Filled with motivational quotes, powerful affirmations, easy to follow exercises, and a tremendous amount of sound advice, You Are More Than Enough gives women the power to make the changes they have always wanted to make, but were too afraid to try. In this book, Moreo shows readers how they can choose their future by ridding themselves of negative feelings, fear of failure, and self-doubt.

I’ve never put much stock in self-help books. A few weeks before Moreo’s book arrived in my mailbox, a friend asked me if I could recommend any good self-help books for women and I scoffed at her. I don’t read that drivel.

But Judi Moreo has made a believer out of me. Within just a few weeks, I can already see the positive changes taking place in my life. By reciting daily affirmations and performing the exercises found after each chapter, I have a much happier view of my life, I am confident I have what it takes to be successful, and the way I see the world has changed dramatically.

If you could only afford to buy one book this year, it should be You Are More Than Enough Every Woman’s Guide to Power, Passion and Purpose. The power to change your life is in your hands. Let Judi Moreo be the one to show you how to make it happen.

To read my interview with Judi Moreo, go to http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2007/08/meet-motivational-speaker-and-author.html

Meet Motivational Speaker and Author Judi Moreo

Only seven days into August and we’re up to two great interviews here at The Book Connection. Today, motivational speaker and author Judi Moreo joins us to chat about her latest release, You Are More Than Enough Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion & Power. Judi is a leading authority in communications and motivation having conducted consulting assignments, training workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches in 26 countries on 4 continents. She is currently President of Turning Point International, Inc., an international performance improvement consulting firm in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Welcome to The Book Connection Judi. It is a thrill to have the opportunity to chat with you.

It is a bigger thrill for me to be here.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What was your professional experience before becoming a motivational speaker? How did you make the move towards motivational speaking and writing?

For l7 years, I owned Universal Models Agency & Finishing School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our training programs were so popular, we had executive men and women, teenagers, housewives, and blue collar workers who took the programs to achieve better self-confidence and learn how to handle themselves in the situations that life presents. Over and over I was asked to present programs on how I built a successful business as well as the various subjects that we taught in the school. Then I moved to South Africa where I was the Group Promotions Manager for a media group of 24 newspapers, two radio stations, and a television station during the end of apartheid. Here I discovered that corporate people at all levels had the same problems….as well as the members of the community that I worked with on a daily basis. Once again, I was asked to speak at seminars and symposiums to explain my work and that of the media group. Speaking became a way of life. Then it started to make more sense that if I wanted to reach more people, I should write a book. I had written columns and articles for newspapers and magazines for years.

You also offer professional, personal, and executive coaching. When do people need a one-on-one coach and what can they expect to get out of your program?

People need a one-on-one coach when they need to hear the truth about themselves; when they need discipline to accomplish their goals; and when they need or want knowledge or expertise the coach has.

I want to move on to your fascinating new book, You Are More Than Enough Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Power & Passion. What can you tell us about it?

You Are More Than Enough is a powerful guide to discovering your purpose, unleashing your passion, and shaping your habits to realize the success you want in all the areas of your life...personal and professional relationships, career, finances, and security. In this book, I talk about recognizing and releasing the fears that hold you back; how to turn your thoughts, hopes and dreams into positive action; how to motivate yourself to set powerful goals and passionately achieve them; how to use your imagination to visualize and shape the future you desire as well as how to associate for success and build faith.

What inspired you to write this book? Why do you feel that there is a need for a book like this?

When I traveled around the world speaking to audiences of 50 to 3000 people, approximately 75% of the audience answered “Yes” to the questions, “Did you think you would be more successful by now?” and “Do you want something, but don’t know what it is?”

This book helps people decide what they want to achieve in order to accomplish that “something more” they know is their destiny. It will help you determine what you can change in order to live a more fulfilling life...a life of purpose, passion, and power.

I have shared tools and techniques with the readers ....things I used which immensely helped in my journey to becoming the person I knew I could be. It was my goal in writing this book and sharing my personal stories to make my readers lives a bit easier, more successful, and a great deal more satisfying. If it changes even one life for the better, it will have been worth the writing.

Chapter One opens with some powerful questions: “Why is having confidence in ourselves and our abilities so hard? Why do many of us have the tendency to overestimate other people’s abilities and power and underestimate our own? Why are we so concerned with what other people will think about us?” How does You Are More Than Enough answers those questions? What kinds of advice can people expect to receive from reading this book?

You Are More Than Enough spells out how we have come about many of the beliefs we have; what part our background and culture play in our belief systems; how other people have influenced us.

It seems like you are involved in so many things: motivational speaking, writing, coaching, not to mention your involvement with many organizations. How do you juggle it all? Is part of being able to handle so many things tied into some of the advice that people will read in your book?

Yes, it is in the book. I have learned how to prioritize and how to manage myself, because I have certainly realized you can’t manage time. Motivational speaking, coaching, and writing are how I make a living as well as hopefully making a difference in the world. I work at what I believe will make my life count. Being involved in community activities is how I give back for all that has been given to me. I’m not as active as many people. I just do what I can with the time I have. My first priority though is my family.

I could ask a hundred more questions because this book sounds like an excellent resource for women everywhere. But, I don’t want to be greedy with your time, so can you tell us what other projects you’re involved in? What’s up next for you?

Just this week, I approved the final galley on the Achievement Journal which is a companion to this book. The audio book is in final edit. And I will be video taping 12 five minute segments on the subject matter of the book which will be used by a national seminar company in their programs and webinars.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Faith is the confident assurance that something we believe is true or something we desire is going to happen. I am absolutely certain what you hope for is waiting for you…if you believe and take the necessary actions.

Thank you for joining us today, Judi. It has been a great pleasure to find out more about you and your book, You Are More Than Enough. I wish you continued success in all you do.

Thank you so much. It’s been my pleasure.

Note: Look for my review of You Are More Than Enough Every Woman's Guide to Purpose, Power and Passion - COMING SOON!

This Virtual Book Tour brought to you by: