Kudos to Laurel Wilczek, Grand Prize Winner of the inaugural Feast of Flash Thanksgiving Contest on the Not from here, are you? blog  with her story, Thanksgiving Day Pies. Laurel has chosen The Salvation Army of East Stroudsburg, PA to receive a $100.00 donation in her name. Her story was published on the blog on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, and you can read it here.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Laurel had this to say:

“I think this is a good example of how to pursue the community spirit that you  mentioned in [the Class to Ca$h] class. I’ve always liked the idea of giving back to the community, but your class helped me step out and actually do it. In taking your advice to heart, I’ve been able to help 14 teen writers in a six week prep/write for the National Novel Writing Month. And now, I’ve been able to help families right in my own backyard!

It’s a fantastic feeling. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. –Laurel”

Congratulations, Laurel, and thank you for sharing your inspirational work with all VIP Authors!

August is VIP Author Membership Month! To celebrate, we’re offering you these three (3)  great reasons to join or renew:

1. The VIP Author Talks teleseries with industry experts and monthly Coaching Call recordings for the months of January  through July 2009 are available for immediate download on the Members-only page. These mp3 files will be removed on September 1.  Joining now gives you access to 7 months of Inncr Circle  exclusive educational material in addition to the 12 months of benefits you will receive as part of your membership for a total of 19 Months of Benefits. Review all the Author Talks teleclass programs here.
2. Beginning September 1, 2009, live VIP Author Talks sessions and audio recordings will be free for members only. Non-members will pay a fee to listen or participate in the calls or to access the recordings. Review all the benefits of membership here>>
3. VIP Authors Inner Circle will be upgrading to association status Fall 2009, with increased benefits and increased membership fee. Current members will be grandfathered in at the lower rate for the duration of their memberships. So, by joining or renewing right now, members will enjoy the increased benefits for the lower price. Check out all the membership benefits here>>

The sooner you join, the sooner you can start enjoying the benefits. And, this opportunity is good only during August. September brings the Fall and with it, higher prices. Plus, all the retro benefits and opportunity to join or renew now at the lower price will disappear. Don’t delay! Join now or review the membership benefits here>>

Wouldn’t it be great if life were less stressful, more productive and prosperous?

Life can be that way, according to author Pat Heydlauff, when you implement the principles of Feng Shui. Her new book, Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do it, offers simple, easy-to-implement strategies for creating balance, increasing prosperity and instilling hope and joy.

According to Heydlauff, Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of improving the energy in your personal environment so you can create a better life.

Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do it, provides energy principles to be used daily. By providing step-by-step, actionable guidelines, readers can eliminate
stress, improve relationships and generate abundance.

Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do it is available at the publisher’s website, TheLotusCircle.com. The book is also available at Amazon and will soon be in bookstores.

Life coach Paula Holland De Long is offering a free Life Balance Assessment Teleseminar on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 from 7pm to 8pm EST.

How balanced is your life now? Take your own custom life balance assessment here>>>

During this seminar you’ll learn about what your balanced life will look and feel like in 2009.

You will:

• Gain clarity about what’s most important to you now
• Receive tips and expert advice you can use right away
• Ask your own specific questions
• Create a starting point for change

RSVP via email. Conference instructions will be emailed to you next week.

VIP Author Nancy Kaiser has taken a leap of faith (on some good advice) and started a blog to serve her clients and readers. Although many of her clients are cats, dogs and horses, she offers something for humans, too. Her book, LETTING GO: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of Healing & Transformation, showcases her talents as an animal communicator as she shares her story of personal discovery and empowerment. 

Just getting started is a big accomplishment and we applaud Nancy for her willingness to do new things and challenge old comfort zones. Visit Nancy at her website and blog Nancy Kaiser Animal Communicator for great insight and information. While you’re there, write a comment and offer your support as she begins a new journey in the blogosphere!

Open coaching calls with Shelley Lieber are scheduled the third Thursday of each month for VIP Authors Inner Circle members. This month’s call will be held January 15 at 2pm Eastern (1pm Central, 12 Noon Mountain, 11am Pacific). The session will last one hour. Call-in number and instructions are on the Members-Only Page. 

Members can call in with questions or email questions in advance if they are unable to attend the call. The session will be recorded and the audio file will be posted on on the Member-Only page for download after the call.

See all VIP Author Inner Circle member benefits here>>>

Barbara Dinerman has been invited to participate in th Delray Library’s 10th Annual Author’s Showcase, along with eight other authors with a book published this year. 

Her novel, “H,”  a comedy about the taboo but timely subject of herpes –yes, you heard right–was published by iUniverse and won the “Publisher’s Choice” designation. It was displayed on the “New in Paperback” table at the Barnes & Noble in Boca Raton. It sold out (14 copies), and  was then reordered. The term of the display was 8 weeks.

The showcase at Delray Library will be held on Sunday, 1/11, from 2 – 4 pm. Each author will give a brief presentation and then sign/sell books at his/her special table.

The Delray Beach Public Library is  located at 100 West Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach, FL. For more info, call 561-266-0194. Or visit the author’s website, www.barbaradinerman.com.

What’s Next for My Life? is the companion journal Coach for Living Paula Holland De Long has created for the newly-diagnosed cancer patients in her support program by the same name. The journal is latest in a string of exciting events for Paula, an 11-year breast cancer survivor. Her article “Prioritize Your Life After Cancer” was published in Coping, a national survivorship magazine and she was invited to join their National Cancer Survivor’s Day speakers’ bureau. In the past several months, Paula has been in interviewed for several national magazines, blogs and websites and readership for her ezine, Thrive!, has increased over 30 percent. Way to go and congratulations, Paula!!

Letting Go: An Ordinary Women’s Extraordinary Journey to Healing & Transformation by Nancy Kaiser is getting rave reviews at Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s online bookstores. The following are just a few. Read more here. 

 Excellent Book, September 10, 2008

Nancy has written an excellent book about her personal journey of transformation. She truly demonstrated how an unexpected negative and traumatic experience was her foundation for enormous spiritual growth. Nancy effectively demonstrates the balance between being fully human and honoring a higher truth. As I read the book, I could relate to her struggles and her commitment to overcome the struggles and move to a place of peace that came from within. I had a lot of ah ha moments as I read the book and learned a lot about myself in the process. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially anyone who has been cataputled into a period of radical change in their life.

 Letting Go, October 13, 2008

This book touches on many transitional aspects of our lives. The author was faced with many major life changes within a relatively short period of time and shares her personal journey through the dark shadows of old beliefs into the light of new awareness and perception. Her writing is as though she were sitting across the table and talking to you. You can almost see the expressions she would be making while speaking. I would recommend this book to everyone. It is about all of us.

Letting Go can be purchased at Nancy’s website, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Congratulations to Patricia Woeppel, Ed.D. Her book, Depraved Indifference: The Workers’ Compensation System, received the following 5-star review by Midwest Book Review on November 13, 2008.

Woeppel explains the problem and also lays out a solution

There are many deadly jobs in the country, but someone must do it. And compensation must be fitting to the task at hand. “Depraved Indifference: The Workers’ Compensation System” is a scholarly look at the American workers’ compensation laws and how they are unjust for today’s world filled with high risk jobs and deadly chemicals that many must work with almost daily. With a suggested reform model presented, Woeppel explains the problem and also lays out a solution, giving “Depraved Indifference” a critical recommendation.

The book can be ordered on Amazon.