If you like #contemporary #romance, check out this extract from Early Bird Cafe

Excerpt from the book 

Early Bird Cafe

by

Carrie Aulenbacher

I felt vindicated hearing that he knew he’d screwed things up between us. I tried to keep my anger in check.

“What’s done is done. We haven’t been . . . doing the best job, but what matters now is right now.” I hardly knew where the wisdom had come from.

“I don’t know what to say.” His voice was low and very sad.

“Say if you want me to go or not,” I suggested.

Walking over to the ashtray again, he grounded out his cigarette. After a minute of standing with his back to me again, I realized he was crying. I walked over to him and initiated a hug, knowing now wasn’t the time to hash out anything else. With our cheeks touching, we held each other. He was silent, but his breathing was jerky, and a tear touched my face. I tried not to think of my own parents’ mortality.

“My dad’s dead,” he said into my hair in a very small voice.

“I know, Jim.” I put a hand to his hair, to feel it, to comfort him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Come with me,” he whispered. I nodded against his cheek. He squeezed me harder.

~Early Bird Café excerpt, page 131

 Amazon

Paperback

When Jim takes the chance of writing a twist to the standard romance by writing about his best friend, Eve, he doesn’t expect the Fates to ‘throw the book’ back at him.

From a stint in the hospital to meeting with the promiscuous and free-spirited Kate, his writing intentions stall and his friendship is jeopardized by his choices.

For Eve, her days start at the Early Bird Café with Jim, and she can’t imagine life without him.  But, without knowing what his latest project is about, though seeing him and Kate get closer hurts – she would rather see him happy than anything else.  She knows she can’t compete and would rather stay Jim’s friend than lose him forever.  

When Jim’s father suddenly passes away, Jim and Eve are forced to confront their feelings about each other.  They see that their relationship isn’t one that can last with Kate in the picture. 

 But Kate has other plans…are Jim’s choices such that his true love will remain just a story in a book?  Or will he and Eve get their chance to find that happy ever after they’ve been waiting for?

About Carrie Aulenbache in her own words... 

I’m a logistics secretary and mom by day, author by night who has taken the leap into sending my book baby out into the world and have been ecstatic about the journey so far.  A sequel is being worked on and I’m pushing for a freebie romance “The Place Between Places” to be a Christmas giveaway to my newsletter subscribers.  I’m also a writer for Fridge Magazine and iUrban.org.

I feel this appeals to those who feel other parts of their life might have gotten too much priority…and they have missed their chance at real love.  I hope readers feel uplifted in believing that love, for them, might be no further away than right across the table.

Author links:
FB: facebook.com/carrieaulenbacher
TW: twitter.com/aully1
PN: pinterest.com/aulenbacher1
LN: linkedin.com/in/carrieaulenbacher
G+: google.com/+CarrieAulenbacher1
Tondo.is: tondo.is/carrieaulenbacher
Website: www.carrieaulenbacher.com
Fridge: fridgemagazine.com/author/aully1/
Newsletter: eepurl.com/3FcLv

Join my Indie library on Pinterest

Book Junkies

on

Has anyone seen the potential of marketing via Pinterest? I have. It's visual and it's taking off very quickly. I can go anywhere on the web and "Pin It" (grab) a picture and stick it to a board, along with a short description, then I can Tweet, FB, LinkedIn the link as normal and when people click on the picture they are taken STRAIGHT TO THE PURCHASE PAGE of your book.

Never more is a book cover so important.

Want to be included? Email me your book's purchase link and its genre. Here's the Book Junkies link in full: http://pinterest.com/BookJunkies/

Open to small-press/indies only.

Update: Success! Authors have informed me sales have picked up since they've added their book on Book Junkies, and that to me, is success. It may have happened anyway, who knows? But it's good to know there is a library for our growing niche community and it's being viewed!

Peripheral Vision – Why ‘Distractions’ Can Actually Let Your Creativity Flow

by

Christine Agro

In 50 Ways To Live Life Consciously, Metaphysical Expert Christine Agro offers the simplest, yet most life-changing answer to the question “Why Are We Here?”

My husband is an artist and for many years he has talked to me about his painting process. He talks about working on a piece and then hanging it on the wall of his studio and then moving on to work on something else, even though the first piece isn’t finished. He hangs the painting in a place where he can still see it out of the corner of his eye. He says to me ‘I’m looking at it with my peripheral vision. It helps me to see something I didn’t see.’

‘How cool,’ I think, ‘to have that ability to look out of the corner of one’s eye.’

I write, not because I am a writer, but because I am an explorer of Conscious Living and I love to share what I discover. As my own work has evolved I’ve found my own sort-of ‘peripheral vision’ developing. True to form, I don’t just want to have the experience of this peripheral vision, I want to understand it. When we can understand why something works, or how it works, or why it benefits us, then we can really start to create change in our lives. Our knowing allows us to consciously access and utilize the information, rather than it being a haphazard happening.

I gather information by observing what’s happening with others and also by sitting in my meditation space and looking at the energy. I call it ‘picking it apart.’ I visualize what I want to explore; it could be a person, a situation or even energy; and then I pick it apart like a cotton ball to see what comes out. The information unfolds for me like a movie.

I’ve been looking at this notion of ‘peripheral vision’ for a while now. Personally, I find the busier I am, the more I get done. I also find that information flows when I’m in the shower or I’m driving.  These are my own sorts of ‘peripheral vision’. But I’m not happy with the fact that they work, I want to understand why these experiences let my creativity flow.

After looking at it and exploring it, what I’ve found is that we can get so focused on what we are creating that our mind and sometimes our ego create blocks (writer’s block falls into this category). I get the picture of standing in front of a brick wall and we just keep trying to run through it, when in fact if we step back and take a look, we can actually walk around it, or easily climb over it.  In the process of shifting our focus to something else we open the door for the information, the insight, the clarity or the inspiration to resume flowing.

Interestingly in a book I recently read (iDisorder by Dr. Larry Rosen) there was a discussion about how the brain operates. One thing I took from it is that our brain doesn’t reset or calm down unless it receives different signals to do so. Simply turning off the computer doesn’t work; we need to change our environment, like go for a walk on the beach. So in the case of blocks, I believe, but I don’t know scientifically, that could be why ‘peripheral vision’ works. It allows our mind to receive a different signal and to release the block. Don’t quote me on that though, I’m just surmising from what I read. What I do know, however, is that energetically, shifting your focus works.

Next time you feel stuck, or you think you’ve lost your inspiration, consider looking with your own form of ‘peripheral vision’.

© 2012 Christine Agro

"Life is a journey. Spiritual evolution is a spiral. Living a conscious life puts you in the driver’s seat of your own magnificently spiraling journey." 

Does life seem complicated? 

Are you always trying to get to the next ‘something’? 

Are your relationships confusing and overwhelming? 

Christine Agro, Clairvoyant and Metaphysical Expert, shares her unique insight that will help you create a graceful, ease and flowing life. 

Christine’s information is so simple yet so powerful that you may actually feel yourself shifting as you read. With insight into the how, why and what-for of life, Christine helps you get off the mental and emotional wheels and helps you get your ego in check creating a natural balance with the one aspect of yourself that really does have all the answers, your Spirit. 

50 Ways to Live Life Consciously is a treasure box that answers the question “why are we here” and offers 8 tools and 42 concepts to help you make the shift into conscious living.

Christine Agro is an internationally recognized Clairvoyant, Inspirational Teacher, Metaphysical Expert and author of 50 Ways To Live Life Consciously: 8 Tools and 42 Concepts to Help You Wake-Up And Live (Haldi Press March 3, 2012).

She has helped numerous artists, writers, dancers, actors and designers through her Creative Vision Mentor Process. 

To find out more about Christine please visit her at: www.christineagro.com

or at www.TheConsciousLivingGuide.com

Blog  or drop her a line  by Email she'd love to hear from you.

Short excerpt - 50 Ways To Live Life Consciously

When we live consciously we begin to see that all things are interconnected and there is both magic and power in this awareness.

When we live consciously we are truly living. The blinders come off and a whole new way of seeing the world and living in the world spring to life

When we live consciously we wake-up to all the many ways in which our lives are put together and our destiny becomes ours to consciously create. Some people spend their entire life living unconsciously, unaware of why their life unfolds the way it does and allowing their unconsciousness to drag them along. Life is only ‘by chance’ if we are unconscious to it. There is so much richness and reward that comes when we live with awareness.

As you take this step toward conscious living, from this day on, each step you take must be made as a conscious choice.

We are no longer able to sit and wait for something greater than ourselves – God, The Universe, The One - to tell us what to do. Our learning, our healing, our growth will only happen when we say ‘yes’ to the steps along the way.

Flaming June

Well, the beginning of May was a washout weather wise, I wonder what June will bring? Hot sunshine? Sizzling barbecues? Barmy evenings?

We can all but hope.

Here on Wise Words the theme for June is Sock Puppets. If you don't know what they are, stay tuned because among those authors spotlighting their books and blogs, we have some fabulous guest-posts coming up revealing all the naughty things that authors get up to in their pursuit of success.

Ooh, I can hardly wait!

My line-up for June is:

Chrisso Courtis  Cancelled, so you have me instead!

Reginald Gray

Deidre Havrelock

Keira Michelle Telford
Marie Alesbury

M.K McClintock

Cindy McDonald

Elizabeth Nelson

Roll on June!

A book signing tip from the authors of Launch Out Into the Deep

by

Aaron L. Slaton and Acacia Beumer

The first edition of Launch Out Into The Deep! was completed around 2006. My sister set up a lot of local book signings in the local metro Atlanta area, with hopes of getting the book noticed and selling a good amount of copies.

I remember the first book signing was at Barnes and Nobles. If I remember correctly, I think we almost sold all of our books that day. We were unknown authors with a self-published book, which makes the odds of any success with a traditional book signing very slim. It’s hard to get anyone to look your way as they walk into the bookstore, let alone sell any books. So what did we do that was so special on our first book signing?

A tip for Indie Authors from the book Go Publish Yourself!

 by

Katie Salidas

I like to tell authors to avoid reading reviews about their book(s). That will prevent them from being tempted to respond. However, we’re all human, and we want to know when someone talks about our work. I can safely assume that 99% of authors will ignore this advice completely.

So, let’s just assume you’re one of the 99%. Once you’ve read a review on your work, you might be tempted to respond. The best advice I can give you for that is, no matter if they are good or bad, leave your book reviews alone. 

Firstly, reviews are not written for you, the author. They are the reader’s personal interpretation of your story. They need to feel free to share their thoughts, good or bad, without fear of harassment.

What I wish I had known about reviews before I got a bad one

by 

M.C.V. Egan

 

I come from a huge family and married into another large one. I have (or would like to think I have) many friends. My book came out on June 9^th 2011 and many of my friends and family read it.

I got beautiful cards and e-mails with ‘review-like’ comments. One or two actually posted them on my facebook page.  So I found that as an author I had the wrong kind of friends and relatives. Perhaps not the wrong kind, but not review friendly friends and relatives.

I had a publicist last summer and through that PR the book was requested for reviews, but that meant I had to sit, wait, hope, fear, wonder. What if my first review was a bad review? What if all my reviews were bad reviews? What if my friends and family were trying to spare my feelings? Should I start smoking again? Should I take up drinking? I opted for massive amounts of chocolate; I am still trying to lose the weight acquired during the waiting period!

I wonder what April will bring?

April is soon approaching and for this month I have asked my guest bloggers to concentrate on REVIEWS, and I'm sure we'll be in for a treat with the line up of authors I have coming over to share their delights, woes, tips and funny stories.


We have the honour of M.C.V Egan author of The Bridge of Deaths, Katie Salidas with her non-fic novel Go Publish Yourself.


Then David Kubicek author of Friend of the Family, and David Grant author of Blood: The New Red. 


Rod L. Predergast is spotlighting his excellent book called Dinner with Lisa, and we can look forward to Cait Lavender's top ten sharp and short reviews of her favourite authors. She is the author of Hunter Moon.


Who else wants to join the line up?


http://bit.ly/GMqQRe

The End… or Just the Beginning?

Vampires and Witches and Myths, oh my! 

by 

Lola James

When I first started writing, I wanted to be done quickly so that I could be published and actually become an author. Well, I wrote the story found a critique partner, and an editor. The whole process took about a month, and I am somewhat of a fast writer. Happily, I published my book on KDP, Pub-it, and Smashwords. I then sat back and waited for my good reviews and acclaims to roll-in. Boy was I wrong… Nothing happened, well something did happen I joined a writing group a few months too late, actually the day after I published, and joining that group forever changed my life.

The group consisted of less than 100 people but it was about 10 people in that group that really helped me out. It was nice to be among my peers, I mean my friends were supportive but they couldn’t relate; hell half the time they didn’t know what I was talking about!

Meet Cora Parks: Your IRS Refund

My Foray into the Blogosphere

by

Cora Parks

I first learned of blogging in 2007 as a way to make money.  Unfortunately, I promptly forgot about it until 2009.  What precipitated my going into blogging was a desire to disseminate tax information to a larger audience than I would be able to reach as a sometime tax instructor at work.

So in August 2009, I commenced my first blog post.  It was nothing special, just a “hey I’m here” type of post. 

All I wanted to do was to talk about taxes in plain English so that no one’s eyes would glaze over.   Although, others make money off their blogs, I don’t make a penny.  In fact, I lose money in that I must pay hosting fees every month out of my own pocket. 

Do I wish that I could make money?  Yes.  Do I want more readers?  Of course I do.  But my writing was and is not predicated upon the number of readers or how much money I make.  I do it because I love it. 

The only caveat is producing fresh material.  Except for a couple of guest posts, I write and edit all the material on my blog.   This year, I made changes to the blog template, the size of posts, and frequency of posts in an effort to attract more readers. 

Right now, I take things day by day, hoping that my posts make “taxes a little less taxing” in the lives of my readers. 

I would love to have you join us at blog.taxtoday.info. 

Cora Parks is a lifelong Atlantan whose vision is to bring proactive tax counsel and personal responsibility to the masses in the area of taxation.

She is the author and editor of the financial blog Tax Today, a blog that provides readers with information on an array of federal tax topics. She is currently collaborating with PYPTW Inc, a nonprofit organization to start a low income tax clinic in metro Atlanta.

Website

Email
Genre – Non-Fiction, Tax
Purchase Links: Amazon

In this book you will find all the information you need about an IRS refund, from the options that you have to get your refund, to getting a bigger refund, and getting it faster. In addition, we include little known IRS refund topics, like what to do when you have an expired refund, what to do if you get an unexpected IRS refund and much more.