5/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
review and tour: the possibility of everything by hope edelman
Initially the imaginary friend of Hope Edelman’s three year old daughter was thought to be harmless. Edelman was concerned, but friends with children and the pediatrician assured her an imaginary friend was normal. Unfortunately, Edelman’s fears were soon proved to be warranted when Maya kept acting out and placing the blame on Dodo, who (horrifyingly) hated Edelman according to Maya. Despite this chaos, Edelman and her husband decided to keep their scheduled vacation to Belize, which included plans to take Maya to a shaman. Although they had some very trying moments and it was clear that the marriage was strained, the Belize trip turned out to be the best thing for the family. Although one cannot say for certain if the shaman visits “cured” Maya, something amazing definitely happened for the family while in Belize. I found Edelman’s story to be touching, remarkable, and incredibly well-written.
5/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
5/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
Monday, December 14, 2009
author interview: ingrid king
The author of Buckley's Story, Ingrid King, was kind enough to answer a few questions.
What inspired you to share Buckley’s Story?
I have always believed that animals are amazing teachers, and I’ve been fortunate to have a number of these animals in my life. First and foremost, animals teach us about unconditional love, but they also teach us to stretch and grow, to reach beyond our self-imposed limits, and to expand our consciousness. Buckley taught me all of that, and more. She changed my life in ways I never could have imagined, and I realized that some of the lessons she taught me were really universal lessons about opening the heart and living a joyful life.
I wanted to share her story, but it’s really more than just her story. There are three layers to the book:
It’s the story of how her presence in my life and the lessons she taught me led me to make some major changes in my own life.
It’s also my story of what it’s like living with a pet with a terminal illness - in Buckley’s case, it was heart disease – and all that comes with that: making treatment decisions, maintaining a positive outlook in the face of a poor prognosis, and ultimately, having to make end of life decisions, and coping with the loss of a beloved animal companion.
And finally, it’s a story about the deep connection between animals and humans – a connection that is eternal and transcends the physical dimension.
Your book is subtitled “Lessons From a Feline Master Teacher.” What do you feel was the most important lesson you learned from Buckley?
It's hard to pick just one, but if I had to, I'd say "Follow Your Bliss." Buckley was one of the most freedom loving little cats I ever encountered, and as I spent time with her, her freedom loving spirit started to rub off on me. I've always been an independent spirit, but that side of me wasn't being expressed in my work life yet. When I met Buckley, I was managing a veterinary hospital - a job I took after fifteen years in Corporate America. I loved my position at the animal hospital, and I had far more freedom to make and implement decisions than I did in my corporate jobs. Working in an environment where everything mattered to me - the animals, the clients, the staff - was very rewarding, but it still wasn't the same as working for myself - something I had been thinking about for quite some time. Buckley helped me develop and embrace that side of myself through her example. Eventually, I left my job at the animal hospital to start my own business. Now that I've had a chance to experience for the past few years what it's like to be completely in charge of my life, and to do work that I'm passionate about, I'd have to say that this was the most important lesson.
In Buckley’s Story you explain that you didn’t name her and don’t know how she got the name. Did you ever try to rename her?
Buckley came with her name, and when I first met her, I didn't like it at all. It seemed awfully masculine for such a small, female cat. But after she had been with me for a little while, I couldn't even think about changing her name. She was Buckley, and she would remain Buckley. She acquired a series of nicknames over the years, ranging from Miss B to Baby B to Buggsy to Bugselina.
How have your experiences working in an animal hospital shaped how you interact with your cat, Amber?
I think I may be a little more in tune with even subtle physical changes I notice in her than the average cat parent might be, simply because I have a good understanding of how certain conditions might present themselves in terms of symptoms. Unfortunately, this can be a very mixed blessing. On the one hand, it allows me to stay on top of her good health and determine whether something requires veterinary attention or not, but on the other hand, I can also get a little carried away. Sometimes, too much knowledge is a dangerous thing! Knowing all the things that can go wrong with a condition makes it that much harder to stay positive!
What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?
At this point, I'd have to say it's Buckley's Story. Writing and publishing it is the culmination of a life long dream of writing a book. It's also the realization of truly expressing my authentic self in the world in all aspects of my life. It has changed me in ways I never could have imagined when I first met my little cat.
You’ve continued to write The Conscious Cat blog. Do you plan to write more books?
Currently, I'm focusing on writing and editing The Conscious Cat. I love providing reliable and well-researched information on pet health and other topics related to conscious living and holistic health to my readers. In addition, The Conscious Cat is also a great site for cat lovers and others interested in animal-themed books, interviews with authors, and the feline lifestyle
That being said, yes, there will be more books. I have several ideas, but nothing that is fully formed yet, so it's a little too soon to talk about them.
What inspired you to share Buckley’s Story?
I have always believed that animals are amazing teachers, and I’ve been fortunate to have a number of these animals in my life. First and foremost, animals teach us about unconditional love, but they also teach us to stretch and grow, to reach beyond our self-imposed limits, and to expand our consciousness. Buckley taught me all of that, and more. She changed my life in ways I never could have imagined, and I realized that some of the lessons she taught me were really universal lessons about opening the heart and living a joyful life.
I wanted to share her story, but it’s really more than just her story. There are three layers to the book:It’s the story of how her presence in my life and the lessons she taught me led me to make some major changes in my own life.
It’s also my story of what it’s like living with a pet with a terminal illness - in Buckley’s case, it was heart disease – and all that comes with that: making treatment decisions, maintaining a positive outlook in the face of a poor prognosis, and ultimately, having to make end of life decisions, and coping with the loss of a beloved animal companion.
And finally, it’s a story about the deep connection between animals and humans – a connection that is eternal and transcends the physical dimension.
Your book is subtitled “Lessons From a Feline Master Teacher.” What do you feel was the most important lesson you learned from Buckley?
It's hard to pick just one, but if I had to, I'd say "Follow Your Bliss." Buckley was one of the most freedom loving little cats I ever encountered, and as I spent time with her, her freedom loving spirit started to rub off on me. I've always been an independent spirit, but that side of me wasn't being expressed in my work life yet. When I met Buckley, I was managing a veterinary hospital - a job I took after fifteen years in Corporate America. I loved my position at the animal hospital, and I had far more freedom to make and implement decisions than I did in my corporate jobs. Working in an environment where everything mattered to me - the animals, the clients, the staff - was very rewarding, but it still wasn't the same as working for myself - something I had been thinking about for quite some time. Buckley helped me develop and embrace that side of myself through her example. Eventually, I left my job at the animal hospital to start my own business. Now that I've had a chance to experience for the past few years what it's like to be completely in charge of my life, and to do work that I'm passionate about, I'd have to say that this was the most important lesson.
In Buckley’s Story you explain that you didn’t name her and don’t know how she got the name. Did you ever try to rename her?
Buckley came with her name, and when I first met her, I didn't like it at all. It seemed awfully masculine for such a small, female cat. But after she had been with me for a little while, I couldn't even think about changing her name. She was Buckley, and she would remain Buckley. She acquired a series of nicknames over the years, ranging from Miss B to Baby B to Buggsy to Bugselina.
How have your experiences working in an animal hospital shaped how you interact with your cat, Amber?
I think I may be a little more in tune with even subtle physical changes I notice in her than the average cat parent might be, simply because I have a good understanding of how certain conditions might present themselves in terms of symptoms. Unfortunately, this can be a very mixed blessing. On the one hand, it allows me to stay on top of her good health and determine whether something requires veterinary attention or not, but on the other hand, I can also get a little carried away. Sometimes, too much knowledge is a dangerous thing! Knowing all the things that can go wrong with a condition makes it that much harder to stay positive!
What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?
At this point, I'd have to say it's Buckley's Story. Writing and publishing it is the culmination of a life long dream of writing a book. It's also the realization of truly expressing my authentic self in the world in all aspects of my life. It has changed me in ways I never could have imagined when I first met my little cat.
You’ve continued to write The Conscious Cat blog. Do you plan to write more books?
Currently, I'm focusing on writing and editing The Conscious Cat. I love providing reliable and well-researched information on pet health and other topics related to conscious living and holistic health to my readers. In addition, The Conscious Cat is also a great site for cat lovers and others interested in animal-themed books, interviews with authors, and the feline lifestyle
That being said, yes, there will be more books. I have several ideas, but nothing that is fully formed yet, so it's a little too soon to talk about them.
review and tour: buckley's story by ingrid king
Buckley’s Story is Ingrid King’s touching and heart-breaking experience with a tortoiseshell cat with a deformed leg who was brought to the veterinary clinic where King worked. Although it is Buckley’s Story, it is also King’s story. King decided to embark upon a new career after meeting Buckley. This new venture, in turn, led to Buckley going from “office cat” to living with King and her other cat, Amber. King discusses the difficulty in getting the two cats to accept the new living situation, which I’m sure anyone who’s ever tried to introduce a new pet to another can appreciate. While her focus is on the cat, King shares personal experiences about her work, friends, and life in general. The ending brings tears, but even Buckley’s illness can’t keep a sweet cat from showing love for others.
3/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
3/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
giveaway winners: cheating death
Stacie, graceunderfire, and enyl are the lucky winners of Cheating Death. Congratulations!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
author guest post: barbora knobova
As part of her promotional tour for Tales for Delicious Girls, Barbora Knobova shares her thoughts on writing the book. 
I believe that good things come to those who wait and also to those who don't plan too much. Tales for Delicious Girls is not my first book but I didn't plan to write it! And when I finally started writing it, I had no idea that I would end up creating a book full of support and encouragement that women would keep getting back to when they faced life and relationship trouble.
The first story that I wrote was Beautiful Maxim. Writing about a man who compares women to desserts and forgets to mention to his girlfriend that he's getting married in a week (to another woman, of course) was hilarious. When I was done with Beautiful Maxim (in real life and on paper) I realized that there were many relationship and dating stories in my head and that they were not just funny but also uplifting and encouraging. I thought: "There are many humorous books but there are few books that would make women laugh and at the same time make them think about themselves and their relationships."
I decided to write a truly Delicious Book that would become every woman's best friend, regardless of her age, life circumstances and experience. A book that would be supportive, that would express the power of female loyalty and friendship, that would encourage women to love themselves and that would help them deal with toxic relationships and harmful patterns.
At the time I started working as a relationship coach and my first readers, before Tales for Delicious Girls was even published, were the wonderful women I worked with. Seeing how my book changed their lives literally overnight, what a wonderful effe
ct it had on their self-esteem and how it empowered them was so fulfilling and rewarding. At that moment I knew that I had written a unique book about women and for women, a book that women could identify with and use it in everyday life, a book that they could even come back to when they faced new relationship challenges and dilemmas.
The word DELICIOUS in the title of my book is actually an acronym that stands for: Daring, Enchanting, Loving, Inspiring, Captivating, Intriguing, Outgoing, Unique, Sophisticated. I'm proud to be a women and I'm even prouder to be a Delicious woman. I believe in myself, I believe in every woman in this world and I believe in you. Because we all are Delicious. That's the message of my book and the reason I wrote it.
Barbora Knobova is a writer, love coach and expert in Delicious Life. A world traveler, she is one of those rare world citizens who live everywhere and nowhere. Barbora is a firm believer in female friendship, loyalty and bonding. She writes hilarious, sharp-witted, caustically apt, ironic, moving, true books for strong, independent, smart, fearless women. Barbora has also written several self-improvement books and teaches women about the importance of self-love in relationships and life in general. Barbora speaks eight languages and has found her home away from home in New York, London and Milan. She is always on the move, accompanied by her beagle Brinkley, the nasty dog from her new book Tales for Delicious Girls.
A Truly Delicious Book To Write
I believe that good things come to those who wait and also to those who don't plan too much. Tales for Delicious Girls is not my first book but I didn't plan to write it! And when I finally started writing it, I had no idea that I would end up creating a book full of support and encouragement that women would keep getting back to when they faced life and relationship trouble.
The first story that I wrote was Beautiful Maxim. Writing about a man who compares women to desserts and forgets to mention to his girlfriend that he's getting married in a week (to another woman, of course) was hilarious. When I was done with Beautiful Maxim (in real life and on paper) I realized that there were many relationship and dating stories in my head and that they were not just funny but also uplifting and encouraging. I thought: "There are many humorous books but there are few books that would make women laugh and at the same time make them think about themselves and their relationships."
I decided to write a truly Delicious Book that would become every woman's best friend, regardless of her age, life circumstances and experience. A book that would be supportive, that would express the power of female loyalty and friendship, that would encourage women to love themselves and that would help them deal with toxic relationships and harmful patterns.
At the time I started working as a relationship coach and my first readers, before Tales for Delicious Girls was even published, were the wonderful women I worked with. Seeing how my book changed their lives literally overnight, what a wonderful effe
ct it had on their self-esteem and how it empowered them was so fulfilling and rewarding. At that moment I knew that I had written a unique book about women and for women, a book that women could identify with and use it in everyday life, a book that they could even come back to when they faced new relationship challenges and dilemmas. The word DELICIOUS in the title of my book is actually an acronym that stands for: Daring, Enchanting, Loving, Inspiring, Captivating, Intriguing, Outgoing, Unique, Sophisticated. I'm proud to be a women and I'm even prouder to be a Delicious woman. I believe in myself, I believe in every woman in this world and I believe in you. Because we all are Delicious. That's the message of my book and the reason I wrote it.
Barbora Knobova is a writer, love coach and expert in Delicious Life. A world traveler, she is one of those rare world citizens who live everywhere and nowhere. Barbora is a firm believer in female friendship, loyalty and bonding. She writes hilarious, sharp-witted, caustically apt, ironic, moving, true books for strong, independent, smart, fearless women. Barbora has also written several self-improvement books and teaches women about the importance of self-love in relationships and life in general. Barbora speaks eight languages and has found her home away from home in New York, London and Milan. She is always on the move, accompanied by her beagle Brinkley, the nasty dog from her new book Tales for Delicious Girls.
review and tour: tales for delicious girls by barbora knobova
Tales for Delicious Girls is a collection of short stories about Barbora Knobova’s life (especially regarding dating) that are written in a style similar to magazine articles. Just about each one provides an interesting perspective on life. The stories, as a whole, are amusing though some of them struck me as “ouch, but that’s life.” I particularly enjoyed reading Knobova’s thoughts on turning 30 in Why Scarecrows Don’t Scare Me. I found that selection as well as many of the others to be very relatable. Adding to the pleasure of the reading the stories are the illustrations that go along with each one; some of the illustrations tell a story all of their own.
4/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
4/5
Review copy provided as part of a Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
giveaway: 7th heaven
Thanks to Hachette, I can offer up five copies of 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. 7th Heaven is part of the Women's Murder Club series.
Here's the publisher description:
"The Women's Murder Club faces not one-but two-terrifying cases that may tear it apart. The teenage son of California's ex-governor has mysteriously vanished-and the pressure on Detective Lindsay Boxer to find him is overwhelming. When she finally does get a lead, it's devastating. At the same time, Lindsay and her partner, Rich Conklin, must investigate mysterious fires that are destroying some of San Francisco's most beautiful homes-and leaving their owners dead in the debris. But when Lindsay enlists her friends in the Women's Murder Club to help uncover the arsonist, the blazes suddenly rage much too close to home."
The rules: Enter by leaving a comment to this post with your email (if I can't contact you, you can't win). You can gain additional entries by leaving separate comments letting me know that you're a follower or have posted a link to the giveaway on your site. The deadline to enter is 11:59pm Pacific on December 19. Winners will be selected at random. Since this is from Hachette the winners must have mailing addresses in the US or Canada; no PO Boxes.
Here's the publisher description:
"The Women's Murder Club faces not one-but two-terrifying cases that may tear it apart. The teenage son of California's ex-governor has mysteriously vanished-and the pressure on Detective Lindsay Boxer to find him is overwhelming. When she finally does get a lead, it's devastating. At the same time, Lindsay and her partner, Rich Conklin, must investigate mysterious fires that are destroying some of San Francisco's most beautiful homes-and leaving their owners dead in the debris. But when Lindsay enlists her friends in the Women's Murder Club to help uncover the arsonist, the blazes suddenly rage much too close to home."
The rules: Enter by leaving a comment to this post with your email (if I can't contact you, you can't win). You can gain additional entries by leaving separate comments letting me know that you're a follower or have posted a link to the giveaway on your site. The deadline to enter is 11:59pm Pacific on December 19. Winners will be selected at random. Since this is from Hachette the winners must have mailing addresses in the US or Canada; no PO Boxes.
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