Lose the Diet:Transform Your Body By Connecting with Your Soul – Author Interview – Kathy Balland

Join Kathy Balland, author of the self-help book, Lose the Diet: Transform Your Body by Connecting with Your Soul (Blissful Publications), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in July and August on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

ABOUT THE AUTHORKathy Balland, an expert in the mind-body-soul connection, teaches people how to tap into their own inner power for success. Clinically certified in hypnotherapy, her publications and seminars provide deep insights into the true causes and their remedies that prevent people from achieving their goals. Balland is a graduate of the University of Phoenix and the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.

She is clinically certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners and certified by the American Board of Hypnotherapy. As president of Blissful Publications and author of “Lose the Diet: Transform Your Body by Connecting with Your Soul,” Balland provides information to enrich and empower people to achieve happiness and success.

ABOUT THE BOOKYou’ll discover your power to achieve and maintain a healthy weight naturally without diets. Food deprivation is uncomfortable and ultimately causes weight gain. Instead, enjoy the good health and joy that you deserve. Lose the Diet shows you how.

• Drop the diets and the weight in a healthy and natural way.
• Find out why deprivation doesn’t work.
• Learn about the mind-body-soul connection’s effect on weight.
• Discover that happiness leads to a healthy weight rather than the other way around.
• Insightful tools and information that help you to find balance — from the inside out!

Hi Kathy

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Q: Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?

A: I came up with the idea after having experienced yo-yo dieting over the years, and then subsequently studying mind-body wellness, which further helped me to understand the real answers to permanent weight management.

I then wanted to reach out to others with the information because obesity has become a crisis in the US. More than one third of US adults – over 72 million people in addition to 16% of US children are obese. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, since 1980 obesity rates for adults have doubled and rates for children have tripled. And obesity has led to other health issues. Even though we know everything there is to know about calories, carbs, fats, proteins and how much we “should” weigh, the problem keeps getting worse. I wanted to talk about why that is, and what we can do about it.

Q: Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time?

A: I guess it was building for a long time, and then suddenly I realized that I needed to put all of the information together in one book.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

A: I wanted a title that people would find if they are looking for diet and weight loss books. Lose the Diet was the perfect combination, because that is part of the message: Diets do not work. (It is now my trademark.) This is a healthier, happier and more effective way to lose weight.

Q: How did you find an agent and publisher?

A: I never looked for an agent or a publisher. I wanted to maintain control of the book myself. I wanted to be able to put it out in E-Books or whatever format I choose, and at whatever cost I choose. I can actually make it more affordable by publishing it myself. That is why I formed Blissful Publications, which is from the Joseph Campbell quote: “Follow your bliss, and the world will open doors for you where there were only walls.”

Q: Who reads your work in progress?

A: My editor was Carolyn Porter.

Q: Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

A: I worked with several people on the book, and particularly enjoyed working with cover designer George Foster. He does a great job.

Q: How long did it take you to complete the first draft?

A: Nine months.

Q: How long did it take from start to publication?

A: It took approximately a year and a half.

Q: Do you have any advice for new authors?

A: Write what you are passionate about. In other words, don’t force yourself to write about something just because you think you should. Follow your “bliss” and it will flow much easier, because it is what is in your heart.

Thank you, Kathy for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of you tour.

Thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure.

Kathy Balland
www.LosetheDiet.com
www.DietFreeMovie.com
www.Twitter.com/LosetheDiet

Kathy Balland’s LOSE THE DIET VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 will officially begin on July 6th and end on August 28th. You can visit Kathy’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the months of July and August to find out more about this great book and talented author!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

No Teachers Left Behind – Author Interview – HBF teacher

Paperback Writer is pleased to announce our author for today, Hopeful But Frustrated Teacher (HBF Teacher), author of the realistic fiction book, No Teachers Left Behind (2nd Avenue Publishing, 2009.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

HBF Teacher has been a public school Middle grades teacher for three years. Before that, HBF substitute taught for two years. HBF has also worked as a live-in nanny and an accounts payable representative.

Today when not nurturing young minds, HBF enjoys travel, photography, culinary arts, and the cinema. The Cohen Brothers and Tyler Perry are among her favorite artistic contributors.

You can find HBF Teacher online at http://www.noteachersleftbehind.info.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Explored through a series of poems, emails, and brief conversations, NO TEACHERS LEFT BEHIND is a fictional yet realistic look at the frustrations of middle school staff.

Hi HBF Teacher,

Welcome to Paperback Writer

PBW: Will you share with us how you came up with the idea for this book?

HBF: My own personal frustrations and disappointments as a middle school teacher led me to write this book.

PBW: Do you plan your stories first with an outline or does it come to you as write it?

HBF: Writing a story to me is like interacting with a force in which you have only minimal control. I always try to start with a plan in mind, but then the characters just become real. When this happens, they write their own stories, and I merely become a viewer in their lives.

PBW: Do you know the end of the story at the beginning?

HBF: I rarely know the ending of the story at the beginning. The characters decide their own endings.

PBW: Do you have a process for developing your characters?

HBF: There is no real process. For some weird reason, I tend to create names first, and then the characters develop. Sometimes they are huge exaggerations of people I have met in my lifetime, but not often.

PBW: It is said that authors write themselves into their characters. Is there any part of you in your characters and what they would be?

HBF: Yes I do believe that authors write themselves into their characters, and I am no exception to that. There is a part of me in most of my characters. In No Teachers Left Behind, I am definitely all of the teachers who want to make a difference yet feel that they can’t.

PBW: What is your most favorite part about this book?

HBF: I love all the humorous email conversations. Laughter is indeed the best medicine, and laughing helps me keep my job.

PBW: When in the process of writing your book did you begin to look for a publisher?

HBF: I always knew that I wanted to go with Createspace, a division of Amazon, because it was the quickest route to publication. No Teachers Left Behind is a story that I really feel people should read so I wanted to have my book published as quickly as possible.

PBW: What struggles have you had on the road to being published?

HBF: No struggles really because writing is one of my passions. The hardest parts, if any, are finding the time to write and then coming up with clever ideas to market the book. There are so many books published each day that you really have to find a way to make yours stand out, and this is necessary even before the book is actually published.

PBW: What has been the best part about being published?

HBF: The best part about being published is holding the first copy of your book in your hand. It means that you’ve completed what you’ve started, and that’s a wonderful feeling.

PBW: What do you want readers to remember and carry with them after reading your novel?

HBF: Remember that teachers are people too, and for the most part, we’re actually nice people who care about our students and want to see them become successful. No one has ever become a teacher because of greed and a desire to be adored by millions.

PBW: Do you have plans to write another book?

HBF: There’s always a story to tell, and I already have ideas for a sequel to No Teachers Left Behind. I also have plans to write a young adult novel.

PBW: Would you care to share with us how the virtual book tour experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion has been for you?

HBF: I am really enjoying my experience with Pump Up Your Book Promotion. The people are wonderful to work with, and my name and my book title – well they are popping up everywhere on the web.

PBW: Where can readers find a copy of your book?

HBF: Readers can purchase a copy of my book at Amazon.com.

PBW: Do you have a website for readers to go to?

HBF: Readers can learn more about me and No Teachers Left Behind at http://www.noteachersleftbehind.info

Thank you, HBF Teacher for sharing your book and characters with us today. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have had a successful virtual book tour.

THE NO TEACHERS LEFT BEHIND VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially begin on May 4th and will end on May 29th. You can visit HBF Teacher’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

On My Own Now: Straight Talk from Proverbs – Author Interview – Donna Lee Schillinger

Paperback Writer welcomes our author for today, Donna Lee Schillinger, author of the nonfiction Christian Living book, On My Own Now: Straight Talk from the Proverbs for Young Christian Women who Want to Remain Pure, Debt-free and Regret-free (Quilldriver, April 2009). Donna comes to us from Pump Up Your Book Promotion on her first virtual book tour.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Freedom! Finally, life on my own!”

Excited about making your mark on the world, living life on your own terms and eating ice cream for dinner if you want? Being on your own is so great, but when the decisions get a little more difficult than “Do I wash a black-and-white striped shirt with whites or colors?”, this little book will be invaluable.

On My Own Now shows you how to apply biblical wisdom of the ages to choosing everything from friends to underwear; exercising and exorcising (ooh, creepy); juggling commitments and balancing bills; taking mom and dad for all they’re worth (er, uh, we mean like taking their advice and stuff); and waiting, dating and maybe someday mating.

On My Own Now is about strengthening young women’s faith and preventing the screw-ups that can brand us for life. Donna Lee Schillinger draws on her eclectic past as a rebellious youth, Peace Corps volunteer, social worker, single mother, court mediator and executive director of a home for single young mothers.

She uses gender-reversed Proverbs with real-life applications to wave the red flag of caution for young women, warning against the pitfalls of a post-modern, sexually casual, consumer-is-king society that is indelibly scarring youth with cynicism, sexually transmitted diseases and bad credit.

This compact collection of quirky vignettes is great for daily devotions, affirmations, confessions, benedictions and many other religious “tions,” all with the goal of keeping you on the yellow brick road. After all, you’re not in Kansas anymore – you’re on your own now (unless you live in Kansas, then you would still be in Kansas

INTERVIEW:

Hi Donna Schillinger,
Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?
I was 40 (just a few years ago) and I was reading Proverbs. When I was a teenager, I used to read Proverbs religiously (no pun intended). I latched on to some key verses, but to be honest, I didn’t really believe that most of the Proverbs applied to me and my life.

In retrospect, when I realized how much my errant youth could have benefited from some straight talk from the Proverbs, the first thing that occurred to me was that I needed to find a way to convey the importance of the Proverbs for a regret-free life to my own daughter, who at the time was 10. The idea grew from a sort of Proverbs scrapbook from mother to daughter in to On My Own Now, the book and the organization.

Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time? It was a light bulb moment for the original idea, but then it became a book idea over a period of months.

How did you come up with the title?
Very anticlimactic answer: I don’t remember!

How did you find an agent and publisher?
I didn’t even look for one. I already had a small publishing company (I have two other titles by another author), so it just made sense to me to publish the book myself. Authors have to do so much promotion, especially when they’re first-time unknown authors, that in my case, what a publisher could really do for me, the editing, proofing, typesetting, distribution, just didn’t seem like much compared to what I would have to do for myself in terms of marketing to make the title a success. I also like the idea of control over the project and keeping the profits.

Who reads your work in progress?
Whoever volunteers. I’m not terribly secretive about my work, but I don’t go out seeking reviewers either. If someone volunteers to read the book, I love to have their perspective.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?
My sister gave me some great feedback from the perspective of Christian women who might read the book and feel like, “It’s too late for me – I’ve already screwed up too much.” And Donna Partow, a Christian author, told me candidly that my cover looked home-grown. Yet, I kept hearing the same thing from all the young people I showed it to – I like it! I didn’t give up on the cover concept, but it caused the designer and me to take a hard look at how we could improve it. I came to terms with the front not appealing to 40 somethings and instead, we reworked the back cover so that it would appeal to Mom or Grandma who picks up the book as a possible gift for her special young woman.

How long did it take you to complete the first draft?
I worked on the manuscript five mornings a week, for an hour or two at a time for a period of about 18 months.

How long did it take from start to publication?
It took about another 18 months to reach the publication date – April Fool’s Day, 2009. Doing it through my own company, one would think I could have sped up that preparation time, but reality looked a little something like this: bread and butter job has a looming deadline, baby has a dirty diaper and wants attention, husband has homework to do for his master’s degree, daughter has a soccer game today, etc.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t wait on your publisher to make the splash. If you have a contract, start now to promote your book by setting up a Web site or blogging – even if your publisher says they are going to do that for you. Use social networking. Lastly, get over the pain of having to self-promote. You didn’t write this book to have it die in obscurity. Whether or not it does, it’s up to you, not the publisher.

Thank you, Donna, for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of your tour.

ON MY OWN NOW VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 officially begin on April 1 and end on April 30. You can visit Donna’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in March to find out more about this great book and talented author!

You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can’t Make Him Think – Author Interview – Ray Comfort

Paperback Writer welcomes author Ray Comfort, author of the Christian nonfiction book, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can’t Make Him Think (WND Books, Feb 09), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in February on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ray Comfort is the author of more than 60 books, including, God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists, How to Know God Exists, Evolution: The Fairy Tale for Grownups, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, but You Can’t Make Him Think, and The Evidence Bible. He was a platform speaker at the 2001 27th convention of “American Atheists,” and in 2007, he appeared on ABC’s Nightline (with actor Kirk Cameron) debating “The Existence of God.” He also co-hosts an award-winning television program, and has a daily blog called “Atheist Central.”

For more about Ray and his work, please visit www.livingwaters.com and Ray’s blog at http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK:

“To be an atheist is to play Russian roulette with all the chambers loaded…”

“An atheist just can’t win. Of course, he feels and acts like a big player, until the trigger is pulled. The issue isn’t the existence of God. If he is wrong and there is a Creator, then he was wrong. He gambled and he lost. No big deal. The real gamble is that there’s no Hell. That’s what makes the player sweat, just a little. “What if…?”

In this entertaining and enlightening new book, Pastor Ray Comfort, author of the million-selling The Atheist Test, “talks to the atheists” and reveals not just the weakness of their arguments but the solid foundation upon which the Christian stands.

Few books take the time to address the atheist’s conscience. This book not only gives empirical evidence for the existence of God, it shows atheists that they desperately need His forgiveness. Using a lively Q&A format, featuring actual questions from atheists sent to Pastor Comfort’s blog at Atheist Central, You Can Lead An Atheist to Evidence, But You Can’t Make Him Think shows that God’s existence can be proven, and that anyone can do it!

Hi Ray,

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?

I’m a Christian. I love God, and I also love atheists. I had dinner with 40 of them (at their request) early in 2008 and was treated with respect. I was flown across the country by American Atheists, Inc., to be a platform speaker at their 2001 Annual Convention. I was treated with respect there also. I have a blog called “Atheist Central” and it daily attracts a mass of atheists. Most of them are nice folks, who obey the rules that say “God” must have a capital “G.”
However, there are good and bad atheists, and in recent years we have seen an increase of bad atheists. These radicals go out of their way to try and censor the Bibles from being given to school children, and who sue Rick Warren because he was asked to pray at the Presidential Inauguration, or protest the presence of a nativity scene. Their agenda isn’t to promote atheism. It is the God-given right of every American to be an atheist if that’s what he chooses. But the new atheist’s agenda is to undermine the rights of those who have the freedom to worship the God who gave them life and liberty.
I wrote this book for the many fence-sitters who have been hoodwinked into thinking that a belief in God is just some sort of blind faith. There is a massive amount of credible evidence that proves God exists. There’s creation. You can’t have a creation without a Creator. It is scientifically impossible. That should be enough for us, but there is much more evidence. However, this will only be seen as evidence by those who have the ability to think. That’s why I called the book, You Can Lead a Atheist to Evidence But You Can’t Make Him Think.

Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time?
I thought about it for some time, and suddenly the light came on. However, I am continually thinking about how to reach the unconverted.

How did you come up with the title?
It came to me like the flash of a 150 watt bulb.

How did you find an agent and publisher?
I approached World Net Daily with a query email.

Who reads your work in progress?
My wife.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?
My editor and graphic artist helped greatly.

How long did it take you to complete the first draft?
About four months.

How long did it take from start to publication?
About six months.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never let perfectionism hold you back from writing. It is a subtle killer, and it’s probably rooted in pride. If I get a thought, I write like there is no tomorrow, and one thought then leads to another. The first draft of what I have then written is usually a mess. I wouldn’t let my dog read it. So I go back and refine it. I become an editor with the objectivity of a surgeon’s scalpel. If the writing doesn’t flow, I cut the offending portion out no matter how much I like it. Or to mix metaphors, it’s an egg-shell in the omelet. Then I go back and refine what I have refined. Then I refine it again. I leave it for a while, and see if you can guess what I do next. Yep. I refine it. I am aiming at perfection (in my mind) at the end, not at the beginning. If you try and make the first page perfect, you may never get passed it.

Thank you, Ray for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of you tour.

The YOU CAN LEAD AN ATHEIST TO EVIDENCE TOUR ’09 officially began on February 2nd and end on February 27th. You can visit Ray’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in February to find out more about this great book and talented author!

No Experts Needed – Author Interviews – Louise Lewis

Paperback Writer welcomes author Louise Lewis, author of the inspirational book, No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You! (iUniverse, Inc., May ’07), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in January on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

WIN PRIZES!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

About the book:
Losing a job always delivers a hard blow, but it was especially hard for forty-something author Louise Lewis, one of many victims of the technology industry’s dotcom implosion. No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You! tells the story of how she pulled herself together and discovered a new life of meaning.

Just minutes after being “set free”, Lewis, a single woman with a mortgage to pay, sits in the San Jose, California, airport panicking over her future. While toying with the option of giving into depression, she receives a powerful message from God that instantly releases the weight of her worries. “This is just a new chapter in your life. You hold the pen, I’ll guide your hand, and together we’ll write one hell of a chapter.” Through Spirit’s continued involvement, Lewis is inspired to ask normal, everyday people to answer Spirit’s question: what is the meaning of life?

No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You! weaves through a vast collection of spontaneous, thought-provoking answers and inspirational stories that demonstrate how the simple act of listening to Spirit can add meaning to every moment of your life.

Hi Louise,

Welcome to Paperback Writer.

Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book?

The idea of asking people to answer one question during my travels
around the world (and my own backyard) came from Oprah. One
particular show aired just a few weeks after I got “set free” (laid off)
from my job. …No accidents in life!

Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time?

More like a thunderbolt! While watching that Oprah episode, I got so
excited that my toes couldn’t stop wiggling in my shoes! Never before
watching that episode had I ever thought of doing a project like this.
And the even better story is when Spirit told me what question to ask.

How did you come up with the title?

I asked an ex-coworker to participate in the book. After asking
her the ‘meaning of life’ question, she replied: “If Plato and
Socrates and those guys couldn’t come up with an answer, “who
am I to even try?” In hearing her reply, the hair on the back of my neck stood on
end. “Oh, noooooo!” I thought, “You don’t need an expert to tell
you your own meaning of life!”

Now don’t get me wrong, reading about what the “experts” have
to say is okay. There are many great minds in our world (past
and present.) But I think to find contentment, peace in life, you
must learn to think for yourself…rely on yourself and trust the
Truth you hold in the silence of your heart.

How did you find an agent and publisher?

I tried for a bit the agent/publisher route. But when I received
enough “Dear Author” letters to wallpaper my office, I knew I
had two choices, to keep up the search, which may take
forever to never or publish it myself.

The driving force for me to self-publish was that I wanted my
Mom to see it in print before she would pass away. (Thank God,
the old girl is still with us!)

Who reads you work in progress?

Mostly my family and close friends.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

It was a joint effort with my relationship with the publisher.

How long did it take you to complete the first draft?

Forever!

How long did it take from start to publication?

About six years. Since No Experts Needed tells the story of
my Spirit-led adventure, I had to first live it and then write about it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Always follow your Spirit. It will answer all the how/what/when
questions that arise.

Thank you, Louise for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of you tour.

NO EXPERTS NEEDED VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ’09 will officially begin on January 5 and end on January 30. You can visit Louise’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in January to find out more about this talented lady!