A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 8 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day EIGHT of my Blog Party!

Lots of really super great stuff going on this week! Come back every day to see what I'm going to give away next! Tomorrow, I am giving away Kindlegraphed copies of Linda Leander's book INZARED Queen of the Elephant Riders. Come back to see how many we have available and how you can win one!

Make sure to enter this contest for two printed, signed books, this contest for a book on how to make money with your blog, and to get your free gift here.

Today, my contest goes like this: If you will comment on ANY post on my blogger blog with your twitter handle and go add Ms. Ashley Howland's book Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist to your Wish List on Amazon, I will enter you in a drawing to win a copy of the book. When the winner is chosen, I will order you a copy via your wishlist. Like always, I will use random.org and a numbering system (based on your order of comments) to choose the winner. You can enter more than once in this way. You have until 11:59pm ET on 7/25/2012 to enter. GOOD LUCK!

If you would like to purchase a copy on your own, please go here. Check out YouTube videos of Ms. Howland's books! Ghostnapped! and Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist. Very cool! Connect with Ashley on LinkedIN as well or like her FaceBook page.

Now, some information about Ms. Ashley Howland and Obi the Super Puppy!

Bio:
Ashley Howland lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She and her dogs, Obi and Stitch, work for Labs ‘n Life, a nonprofit organization that works with youth at risk to train Labradors as autism assistance dogs (www.labsnlife.com). She is inspired to write by her husband Ross, her daughters, Maddy and Aijay, and of course, Obi and Stitch. They are a constant, endless source of material and happiness. She is also the author of Ghostnapped! Her next two books are The Homework Goblin, for young children, and a novel for teenagers titled It’s What You Do Next That Counts.

Synopsis:
Obi is a yellow Labrador who loves adventure, helping people and solving mysteries. He also loves his kids, Maddy and Aijay. This is the story of his first adventure, his new family and how a mysterious red mist entered into his life. The evil red mist has many scary abilities, it can possess animals and toys, but who is behind it? Obi and some new friends must save the day before it is too late. Maddy and Aijay listen patiently as Obi relives this amazing tale and they learn how their faithful friend became a real super puppy.





On to our regularly scheduled list of AWESOME blogs. As always, I will begin with Ms. Howland, my promo for today:

Her blog is filled with great author interviews and great information about being published as well as how she came up with her ideas for her various books:

Ghostnapped blog  On Twitter: @AshleyHowland

Another couple of author blogs:

Bonnie R Paulson  On Twitter: @bonnierpaulson
Diapers, Bookmarks, and Pipe Dreams  On Twitter: @KirkusMacGowan
JD Stockholm  On Twitter: @JD_Stockholm
Beauty and Books  On Twitter: @LazenBeauty

And a blog about books. I love reading this blog because it's full of useful reader information for writers. Go check out their smuggling ways:

The Book Smugglers  On Twitter: @booksmugglers

That's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow for more great giveaways and blogs! Until then, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 7 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day SEVEN! I do hope you go check out yesterday's post and enter the rafflecopter drawing to win a Kindlegraphed copy of Dee Ankary's book How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog. Contest ends soon! There's still time to get a gift from Ms. Randi G Fine as well. Go check out Day 4 to see how. On to the excitement for today! Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see what else I'm giving away this week!

I'm going to give, to TWO lucky winners, a printed, signed copy of each of my books: The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two AND The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. Enter the rafflecopter drawing below for your chance and GOOD LUCK!! I'm running the contest through Sunday and you can enter EVERY day in one way or another.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Share this link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZTVkMTU4NjQ4Yzg3MWYwZDU0MWRjMTAwM2NlZWFjOjQ=/   To invite your friends to enter.

Today, I bring you inspiration from a great lady, Ms. Kebba Buckly Button before I get to our hot blogs to follow. Enjoy!!

Bio:
Kebba Buckley Button is a corporate stress management trainer, holistic health educator, and pain-solutions therapist, who teaches people how to "trade in" their fatigue, stress, and pain for vitality. She sees stress as a sure route to illness, now or later, and energy- and stress management through personal balance as the primary key to wellness. Kebba is known as The LifeTools Ladysm. She gives people tools for feeling energized and wonderful instead of tired, tight, or in direct physical pain.   Kebba’s award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You, offers many ways for people to trade in their stress for energy.

Kebba works with groups and with individuals, teaching practical, memorable techniques for satisfied living: physical movements, breath techniques, emotional methods, mental processes, and spiritual approaches. She sees personal responsibility and choice of state as vital components of personal energy management.

Kebba has both Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees in sciences. She spent sixteen years in both government and consulting engineering. A workaholic manager during those years, she discovered a number of health issues that medical doctors had no answers for. She thus became an energetic researcher of methods for managing the stress/energy balance and its impact on health. A certified instructor of Jin Shin Jyutsu for self-help, Kebba has had a Jin Shin Jyutsu practice and has offered personal-growth seminars since 1985. She was ordained in 2000 and now teaches meditation and spiritual direction seminars.  Her latest book is Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core.

Kebba's columns, UpBeat Living and StressTips!, have appeared in One Planet magazine, ec Magazine, and Much Ado About Mensa. She is the creator of the Half-Minute Stress Management Methodsm, the UpBeat Living Energy Equationsm, and the RELF YourSelfsm technique. She has given seminars for such diverse groups as the American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys, American Mensa Ltd., American Business Women’s’ Association (ABWA), Business Networks International (BNI), Desert Christian Fellowship (Phoenix, AZ), IMPACT for Enterprising Women (Phoenix, AZ), Palo Cristi Presbyterian Church (Paradise Valley, AZ), Unity Business Network (Phoenix, AZ), Unity of Phoenix, and the law firm of Brobeck, Pfleger, and Harrison (San Francisco, CA). Connect with Ms. Button on LinkedIN here or on FaceBook here.

Her book Peace Within can be purchased here.

Synopsis:

This is the little carry-with-you book for people who want to grow their inner peace. If you have stress, it’s crucial to develop for yourself a solid core of Peace Within to go “home” to whenever you are stressed. Even if you have never found your peaceful inner core—yet—this book will help.  It’s full of inspirations, quotes, poems, song lyrics, and photographs that take you directly to Peace Within.  A deer nibbles snacks in Colorado.  A Presence floats across a frozen pond.  Waves play in Bermuda. Ripples of the Divine are everywhere, and so can be your Peace Within.

Peace Within, when you cultivate it inside yourself, has a dimension of connection to the Universal Divine, by whatever name you call it.  When you go to this level, not only will you feel relaxed, clear, and peaceful, you will also draw to yourself more of what you want in your life experience.  Your mind will be more and more clear, your blood pressure will balance, and those other nagging stress symptoms will fade.  Yes, you can feel true serenity!  Why not start the exploration NOW?

Like most of the authors I have spoken about on my blog, this one is also a blogger. On to today's AWESOME blogs to follow:

If you need daily inspiration and uplifting, visit Ms. Button's blog:

UpBeat Spiritual Living   Twitter: @kebbabutton
UpBeat Living

Ever been curious how a mom manages to write and write and still take care of her kids? Ever wonder what goes through our heads? Visit this blog for information:

Darci Cole Wife. Mommy. Writer.   Twitter: @darci_cole

Are you a Christian? Do you like following like-minded people? Give this blog a read:

Christian Writers Downunder   Twitter: @CWDownunder

This lady intrigued me so much, I couldn't help but follow her blog on musings, publishing, and writing:

Denise DeSio    Twitter: @TopBee

You'll get some great writing tips from this guy's blog. I love Grammar Friday posts and you will too!

Peter Faur    Twitter: @PeterFaur

Well, that's all for today, folks!! Until next time, WRITE ON!!

Jo

A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 6 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day SIX of the Blog Party!

First and foremost, the winner of the contest I ran on Friday 7/20/2012. I had three entries for a free signed, printed copy of The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book and the results are below.

Congratulations to: Jen!! Jen was commenter number 2. Now, on to our regularly scheduled program!!

I'm excited to announce some wonderful things that will happen this week. You have the chance to win many great books this week, some printed and some digital and Kindlegraphed! Today, Ms. Dee Ankary. Tomorrow, Ms. Kebba Buckly Button! Later stuff will be announced later. Bwahahhahhhaaaa! So, check back!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's talk now about Ms. Dee Ankary. The giveaway above is for a Kindlegraphed copy of How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog. If you prefer to purchase a copy, you may find one here. If you'd like to purchase Dee's other book Blog Transformation Secrets you may find it here. Each just $4.99 on Kindle.

I have read the book that's being given away today and, let me tell you, it's worth every penny of the $4.99. It has great information about blogging and being successful. Highly recommended! I'm an Ankary fan!

On to the information!!

Such a pretty lady!!

Bio:
My name is Dee Ankary, and I'm an author, online business coach, and slightly geeky blogger. As the founder of Moonpreneur, a product creation and marketing resources blog, I'm constantly seeking to morph life and business experiences into profitable digital assets in quick, and relatively, painless ways. 

After a lifetime in corporate technology solutions, I discovered that software for the brain is way more fascinating, and now use my tech, NLP and coaching experience to help myself and crazy busy individuals create a more interesting sequel to the 9-5, salary-junkie time of our lives.

    I write in English, dream in Italian and have an unwavering belief that enthusiasm will conquer all.

Synopsis:
The road to a profitable niche website is not as ridden with difficult obstacles as you might imagine. The right keywords, great content and some judicious promotion. The key is focus, both in terms of targeting a specific niche, and consistently moving forward until your site is thriving.   How To Build A Profitable Niche Blog will show you the way, step by step, right from picking the right keywords, to the most appropriate monetization strategy.








And now, on to today's list of GREAT blogs to follow. As usual, I will begin with my gracious guest!

Are you at a loss but you want to write a blog? Learn a lot about blogging as a business:

moonpreneur  On Twitter: @deeankary

Are you struggling to find ways to market your book? Do you need a professional editor? This lady does it all:

Marcie Brock, Book Marketing Maven  On Twitter: @phxazlaura

Do you have questions on how to build a better book? Visit this guy's page for practical advice:

The Book Designer  On Twitter: @JFbookman

Need some faith? Do you like hearing things people see that make them passionate enough to talk about it? Visit this blog:

Faith Develops in the Dark

Visit this blog for pure fun reading and interesting snippets:

Ellie's Blog  On Twitter: @EllieMendez

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 5 of The Blog Party

Hello everyone and welcome to day five of The Blog Party! Make sure you come back on Monday (day six) for yet another great giveaway! This time, from Ms. Dee Ankary. Dee is the author of How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog and Blog Transformation Secrets. Ms. Ankary has agreed to give away a digital copy of How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog that she will Kindlegraph for the winner!!

Please remember that the rafflecopter drawing for Ms. Lisa Cherry's book Soul Journey ends today. Go here to enter now.

Today's giveaway is going to work like this: Comment on my blogger blog (any post) today and I will give you an entry to win a printed, signed copy of my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. I will do this by spreadsheet. In the order of comments, you will be entered on the list and I will use random.org to choose a random winner. So, get to commenting and GOOD LUCK!

I am also giving a nod to a very wise lady today, Dorothy Ruppert. Here's a little bit about the lady and her book God Placed Her in My Path - Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder. You can purchase it here or on Dorothy's website here.

Isn't she just lovely?!

Author Bio:

Dorothy Ruppert has spent 43 years advocating for the mentally ill and their families. She is a retired Chief Executive Officer of a non-profit organization and the former owner of three small businesses. Dorothy now spends her time as a writer and an inspirational speaker. She is currently working on her second book, a collection of short readings to inspire people who cope with situations that are beyond their control.






Synopsis:

God Placed Her in My Path - Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder by Dorothy Ruppert is an inspirational, heart-wrenching true story of a mother advocating for her daughter during a time when doctors did not believe a child could suffer from bipolar disorder. This book will speak truth and bring hope to those who experience a brain disorder and to those who walk alongside them. It serves to educate and break the stigma of mental illness, which is rapidly increasing in the world today.
God Placed Her in My Path is strongly recommended for all who want to learn more, but especially for educators, social workers, and extended family members of persons coping with a brain disorder.



Now, on to the blog party and our regularly scheduled post of blogs you'll love!

You can read daily bits and pieces from Ms. Dorothy on her blog:

God Placed Her in My Path

Here's a blog that discusses writing and the process:

Caro Ayre

A couple more blogs that talk books (you can never get enough of those):

Danielle. Wife. Author. Mother.  On Twitter: @danielle_lise
Heather's Book Chatter  On Twitter: @woodtop255

A blog by a mother/daughter team who wrote a book together (I know, I know, I couldn't do it):

Depression Cookies  On Twitter: @Tia_Bach_Author

A blog by a designer and writer:

Helz-Design  On Twitter: @HelzDesign

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 4 of The Blog Party

Today on my blog party, I'm happy to talk about Ms. Randi G. Fine, author of Awaken From Life: Lessons for Discovering Your Personal Truths and happy to announce yet another giveaway for all you loyal readers! It just keeps getting better and better, huh?

Pssssssst: Check back tomorrow for information about Ms. Dorothy Ruppert's book, God Placed Her in My Path - Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bi-Polar Disorder and I may be giving away something super cool to go with it!! Just because I like you all so much, of course. If you haven't already, go enter the rafflecopter drawing for Lisa Cherry's book Soul Journey. Winner will be announced Saturday morning! Now, onward!!

Ms. Fine has also agreed to give readers the following: If you like her Randi G. Fine Facebook page from your personal page, you'll receive an inspirational picture quote exclusively designed for this promotion.  Send her a message referring to the promotion, include your email address, and she will email you the gift. How freaking awesome is she? 

Now, a little about the author and the book:

She is just gorgeous, isn't she?

  
Biography:

Randi G. Fine is an accomplished Ft. Lauderdale writer, radio show host, and published author. She tells the spellbinding story of her life in her 2010 memoir, Fine…ly: My Story of Hope, Love, and Destiny, inspiring others with messages of courage and hope. Her inspiring new spiritual/self-help book, Awaken from Life: Lessons for Discovering Your Personal Truths, was published in June 2012. As the producer and host of her provocative podcast radio show, A Fine Time for Healing, Randi revives the emotional and spiritual well-being of world-wide audiences.

Synopsis:

In this evocative, illuminating book, Randi Fine encourages you to free yourself from the inhibiting obstacles in your life, embrace the conscious power of your intent, and awaken your unrealized potential. Travel on an introspective journey into the heart of your personal realities where your perceptions, truths, and desires lie. Distinguish the thought processes that enhance your life experience from those that stand in the way of achieving all you desire. Reflect on perspectives never before considered. Experience the powerful impact of revelations brought on by your newfound self-awareness.
The path to greater fulfillment awaits your discovery. The only thing required is your deliberate choice to “Awaken from Life.”

You may find her book for purchase here.

Now, on to our regular post!  I will, of course, begin with my guest for today.

Randi G. Fine's blog is about getting the most out of life. It's inspirational and heartfelt. If you need a pick-me-up, check it out. But wait! There's more! She also has a radio show! Be sure and give her a listen.

Love Your Life!  On Twitter: @RandiGFine
A Fine Time for Healing radio show

Looking for a hip way to stick it to the mass produced man? Look no further. Get honesty and straight-forward opinions on everything:

throwing up in an IKEA bag  On Twitter: @jenchatwrites

A very cool blog that helps with all those annoying e-book formatting issues and gives some great tips on tools to help you build your platform (author or otherwise). As a bonus, this company does e-book formatting as well:

Writer's Block Admin Services  On Twitter: @JoHarris0n

This next blog is all about success and how you put your know-how and knowledge of the world to work. She doesn't preach at you, and she uses a lot of humor and real-world examples to get her message across:

the art of possibility... discovering new pathways to success  On Twitter: @klaughman

A wonderful blog that covers darn near everything you can imagine. Handy for writers and a fun read too!

You Are What You Write  On Twitter: @rachelhwrites

Well, that's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow for more! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 3 of The Blog Party

Today, I'm excited to bring you news of a wonderful kind. My blog party is going to run for two weeks! This is my birthday present to myself!

I have a lot of great giveaways still to come so follow me and stay in the loop! Also, Ms. Lisa Cherry has generously offered a copy of her book Soul Journey for a rafflecopter drawing. Everyone say thank you to Ms. Lisa. You can find the book for purchase here for you folks in the UK or here for you folks in the US. You can find her on FaceBook here and LinkedIN here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's a bit about the author and the book:

Isn't she super pretty?!

Author Bio:

Who is Lisa Cherry? To those who meet her, it’s impossible to define her in a single sentence. At first glance, she’s a successful business woman running an holistic massage practice. However, if you spoke to her clients you would discover that she doesn’t merely relieve stress or pain, but empowers women to make positive lifelong changes.

Lisa herself has overcome adversity despite facing many challenging life experiences. Her teenage years were symbolised by hurtling from one foster home to the next seeking stability and love. School exclusions, care homes, alcoholism and homelessness made their mark, before Lisa found the inner strength to break free from a spiral of self-destruction and chose life instead.

After getting sober at the age of 20, steely determination drove her through a university degree, after which she devoted 18 years to the social services sector helping children and families through difficult times – whilst still battling her own inner demons.

It was though pursuing an holistic approach to life that Lisa found the roots of her true recovery. With a holistic massage diploma in the bag, her thirst for life was unleashed. Far from being a mere survivor, Lisa’s passion for life, change and personal development now inspire others to follow their dreams.

In fact, upon discovering blogging, she rapidly connected with an audience hungry to listen and, like Lisa, confront tough challenges in their own past. Through her encouragement, many women embarked on their own journey of discovery, sharing their achievements with Lisa on her blog.

What makes Lisa so compelling is her selfless ability to openly share her soul, reflecting upon life with complete honesty and integrity. Imbuing others with a vision for change, she empowers others in their own healing. Such is the affect that Lisa’s boundless energy and incredible positivity have on all those whose lives she touches. In this her first book, Lisa reveals her own mantra for living and shares other women’s celebratory journeys over adversity.

Synopsis:

When it seems impossible to free yourself from a life spinning out of control or from a cycle of emotional pain, it’s incredible to imagine how words on a page can change your life completely…
They can. Such is the power behind Soul Journey.
Soul Journey draws together a unique collection of real-life stories featuring extraordinary everyday women. I share their journey through life’s challenges and how personal discovery led to profound change.

Unlike other self-help books, the different journeys combine to show how connecting with your own healing can have an astonishing impact on how you bond with the world beyond. That need to feel part of others’ lives is something we all crave. As you explore the book, you can find new ways to feel part of life’s bigger picture.
The book is shaped from real life – a tapestry of poignant and enlightened moments. Weaving my own personal insight gained through being in care, homeless and a recovering alcoholic – to my holistic therapy work – every shared experience is rooted in naked truth… in honesty. Find the courage you need to take the first step…

Finally, this book is about you – and what connects us together. Seize the chance to reflect on you, your life, your aspirations. Learn to share pain, share the journey and share the celebration of self-recovery. By walking this pathway together, you can truly thrive – and be the person you want to be.

On to our regularly scheduled post for today! Such exciting things happening, I almost can't sit still!

First and foremost, Ms. Lisa Cherry's blog. She has a great book group on her blog as well, that just makes it more interesting!

Passionate Ramblings  On Twitter: @_LisaCherry
Passionate Ramblings Book Group

If you are sci-fi passionate, you'll love this guy's blog:

Doug Turnbull  On Twitter: @dturnbull2

Are you battling depression? Do you have a family member who's battling depression? This blog is from a woman who's dealt with it all, and it's a hub of information on the topic:

God Placed Her in My Path

Would you like to know how to get the best marketing ideas to build your platform? Check out this blog written by a woman who has the know-how:

Judith Cassis C.Ht.  On Twitter: @telesuccess

Now, the lady I'm about to mention doesn't just write a blog, she also has a radio show. She is:

An Average Woman in a Superwoman World  On Twitter: @AverageWomanSJ

Don't forget to enter my Goodreads giveaway for your chance at a copy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two! If you have young readers, you NEED the series. Go enter!

Well, that's all for today, folks!! Come back tomorrow for more great blog reads and more great gifts! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 2 of The Blog Party

Today on my blog party I have some exciting news to share!! Tomorrow, I will be hosting a giveaway of the book Soul Journey by a fellow writer and blogger named Lisa Cherry. Check back here to enter the Rafflecopter drawing!

Thursday, I'll be talking about a book written by Ms. Randi Fine titled Awaken From Life: Lessons for Discovering Your Personal Truths (don't miss that). You can read a little about it or buy it here.

A surprise for you all today, I am happy to tell you about a great FREE book by Mr. Robert Chazz Chute titled The Dangerous Kind & Other Stories. Get it at Amazon before tomorrow night! I've read his book titled Bigger Than Jesus and am a huge fan of his work. I am delighted to help him announce his giveaway.

A brief synopsis:
Small-town claustrophobia and the psychological horror of living with other people at its best.This is a real deal with all these stories now in one package: two brothers must decide if murder is the answer to all of their problems; a psycho psychologist directs a serial killer who to kill; a crazy young woman insists she stay on as the psychologist's patient; a divorced dad learns to deal with loss through the power of hypochondria; a starlet meets her high school lover again for one last conversation about dire secrets; and a DJ argues against God only to discover that there are some arguments you definitely don't want to win.

Revamped and reloaded, my novella, The Dangerous Kind is available again, but now it's bundled with six short stories that are the precursors to the (coming!) Poeticule Bay series of novels. Two new stories are in this collection, including The Sum of Me, a story anyone with credit card debt will appreciate. I read The Sum of Me at a writing conference to thunderous applause and it won an honourable mention from a Writer's Digest competition.

Now, on to our regular post! Aren't you all excited? What a great week this will be! Welcome to a few more of my favorite blogs.

Here's a blog by a literary agent that asks thought-provoking questions for authors of all kinds:

Rachelle Gardner  On Twitter: @RachelleGardner

Do you like ramblings? How about ramblings that have a purpose? Follow this blog for great photos and discussion:

Ramblin' with AM  On Twitter: @ RamblinGarden

Get some wonderful marketing advice and some helpful tips about setting up FaceBook or branding your own blog with Liberty:

Libertys Yarn  On Twitter: @LibertysYarn

A couple of blogs for all you children's chapter book lovers:

Imagine! Create! Write!  and
Chapter Book Challenge  On Twitter: @moonduster
Ghostnapped!  On Twitter: @AshleyHowland

If you're interested in poetry, thought-provoking posts, or to see the world through someone else's eyes, check out this guy's blog:

The Arkside of Thought  On Twitter: @SahmAtaineKing

That's all for today, folks! More great blogs and that awesome giveaway tomorrow! Until then, WRITE ON!

Jo