May '08 Authors on Virtual Book Tour

Author Interview: Don Miles, Author of Cinco de Mayo

Don Miles has been News Director for radio stations in New York City, (WPAT,) Connecticut, Florida, Nebraska and finally Texas. He has won “Best Newscast” award from the Nebraska A.P. Broadcasters and his news teams in Florida and Nebraska have won numerous statewide awards. Don has served on the Board of Directors for Florida’s AP Broadcasters and has judged broadcast news contests for UPI Rhode Island. Don has taught at the Universities of Florida and Nebraska, at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and at elementary schools in New York, Connecticut, and Texas.

He is the author of two books in the field of broadcast news, (Broadcast News Handbook and Broadcast Newswriting Stylebook.) He has a Bachelors in Education from State University of New York and a Masters in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida.

Don’s inspiration for the book came mainly from his late wife, Dr. Minerva González-Angulo Miles. Minerva grew up in the neighborhood at the base of Chapultepec Hill in Mexico City, where the Emperor Maximilian’s castle still stands. She would often visit the castle and view the portrait of the emperor and empress whose story is featured in this book.

Don and Minerva traveled extensively throughout Mexico, and over the past few years visited many libraries and bookstores there in the research for this book. They also spent many hours in the stacks at the Benson Latin American Library at the University of Texas in Austin, which is widely recognized as the premier source for information on this topic. They also paid several visits to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. to photocopy various U.S. government documents pertaining to the Mexican situation during the 1860’s.

Don wrote and produced plays and slide shows about Cinco de Mayo for elementary students, teachers and parents.

You can visit his website at http://www.donmiles.com/.

Welcome to Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion, Don. Can we begin by having you tell us what Cinco de Mayo: What is Everybody Celebrating? is about and why you wrote it?

I wrote it to dispel misconceptions about the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo, which is its subject matter.

Cinco de Mayo is nonfiction. Why did you choose this genre to write?

Because the novel manuscript did not sell in NYC.

Did you choose it or did it choose you?

I chose it.

In regards to promotion, what have you been doing to promote your book online?

My website is updated frequently since I don't yet have a blog. My url is linked to the Artist Sala in San Miguel de Allende, and the book does well in Mexico. My publicist and I post to my page at BookTour.com.

Of all the promotional items (bookmarks, press kits, etc...) you have used to promote your book, which one was used most effectively?

I am the most effective tool for marketing my book - my physical presence and enthusiasm.

Do you feel that the Internet has opened doors for authors who never dreamed they'd ever see a publishing contract and how has it influenced you in regards to your own publishing company?

I wouldn't be published if it weren't for the Internet, which is where I found my publisher.

If you were on the street in the middle of Manhattan and you wanted to call attention to your book, what would you do and what would you say?

I would say something in Spanish and see who it drew in.

If you could trade places with any author just for a day, who would it be and why?

Perhaps Dagoberto Gilb. I have heard him speak.

Lastly, how do you determine your book's success?

By how many people I meet who are interested in the material.

Thank you for coming, Don. Can you tell us where everyone can pick up a copy of Cinco de Mayo: What is Everybody Celebrating?

www.donmiles.com

Author Talk Interview: Kresley Cole

Now this is an example of a great way to be interviewed...of course, I'm not sure whether Kresley Cole thinks so!

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART by Nancy Oelklaus

Nancy Oelklaus began her career as a high school English teacher in Marshall, Texas. She earned the B.A. in Communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, the M.A. in English from the University of North Texas and the doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University, Commerce. For nine years she served as assistant superintendent for instructional services in Marshall, followed by nine years as executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Since 2000 she has worked as an executive coach in Austin, serving entrepreneurial clients in education, social services, financial services, real estate, public relations, and city administration. Dr. Oelklaus has received numerous awards and honors for civic leadership, including the Vision to Action Award from the Visions of a Better World Foundation in Boston. She was named Leader of Leaders by Sam Houston State University’s Department of Educational Leadership and Woman of Achievement by the Business and Professional Women of Marshall, Texas. In 2007 she received the Profile in Excellence Award from Oklahoma Baptist University. Her articles have appeared in publications including The American School Board Journal, The Austin Business Journal, The Systems Thinker, and AustinWoman. Her first book, entitled Journey from Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically, will be published in March 2008 by Loving Healing Press of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Three coaching CD’s by Nancy are available through Amazon.

You can visit her website at http://www.headtoheart.info/.

Journey from Head to Heart Synopsis:

JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART: Living and Working Authentically is a toolkit for those who are exhausted from solving never-ending problems, working harder and harder and not arriving at the destination where they truly want to be. The tools and processes are designed for people who are a little wary of “touchy-feely” or “New Age” approaches. Journey from Head to Heart is exactly that, integrating logic, reason, emotion, spirituality, recovery, science, and ancient wisdom from a variety of sources to create a recipe for wholeness.

Journey from Head to Heart Excerpt:

It’s an exciting adventure to discover that we can, in the words of poet, author, consultant, and Director of the LBJ Library, Betty Sue Flowers, “tell a different story” about our experiences, processing through the negative emotions surrounding them. We can replace resentment with forgiveness and understanding. We can replace self-censorship with self-acceptance. Once begun, this is a recursive process. We keep coming back to it any time a negative emotion or experience arises or a situation reminds us of an earlier trauma. Instead of staying trapped in the memory, we process through and replace it with one that brings us peace.

*****

Listen to track one of Journey from Head to Heart here!

You can purchase Head to Heart at Amazon or other fine retail outlets.

Motivational Speaker Robin Jay on Blog Talk Radio Today!

Motivational speaker and author Robin Jay appeared live on Ronda Del Boccio's radio show The Storylady - Innerspace LIVE! Author Interviews on Blog Talk Radio Today! Robin is the author of The Art of the Business Lunch and is often called "The Queen of the Business Lunch." Listen to Robin's interview here!

You can visit Robin's website at http://www.robinjay.com/.

This promotional ad has been brought to you by the fine folks of Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit their website at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.

Virtual Book Tour Workshop

This Friday, April 18th, Cheryl Malandrinos of Pump Up Your Book Promotion will be Dennis Griffin's guest on Blog Talk Radio for a Virtual Book Tour workshop. They will talk about virtual book tours and also answer questions from callers.
The link to Dennis' show is www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. The show will be archived on the site shortly after its completion and can be played backor downloaded. The number to call in is (646) 478-0982.

I hope you'll join them on Friday, April 18th at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern for this Virtual Book Tour workshop!

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Jackson Visits Book Marketing Buzz

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson visits Book Marketing Buzz today to share her book promotion secrets! Lisa's novels include the upcoming LOST SOULS and the best sellers Absolute Fear, which will be published in paperback for the first time in March, Hot Blooded, Cold Blooded, The Night Before, The Morning After, Deep Freeze, Fatal Burn, and Almost Dead. Last year, Most Likely to Die, written by Lisa, Beverly Barton and Wendy Corsi Staub was published and became a number three New York Times paperback bestseller. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers and the Romance Writers of America.

Book Marketing Buzz: Book Promotion & Publicity Tips: How to Promote Your Books is a continuing series to help authors learn how to promote their books. If you would like to be a guest blogger for our book promotion and publicity series, click here.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART by Nancy Oelklaus

Journey From Head to Heart

Nancy Oelklaus

Self-Help

Loving Healing Press

JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART: Living and Working Authentically by Nancy Oelklaus and published by Loving Healing Press is a toolkit for those who are exhausted from solving never-ending problems, working harder and harder and not arriving at the destination where they truly want to be. The tools and processes are designed for people who are a little wary of “touchy-feely” or “New Age” approaches. Journey from Head to Heart is exactly that, integrating logic, reason, emotion, spirituality, recovery, science, and ancient wisdom from a variety of sources to create a recipe for wholeness.

Journey from Head to Heart Excerpt:

It’s an exciting adventure to discover that we can, in the words of poet, author, consultant, and Director of the LBJ Library, Betty Sue Flowers, “tell a different story” about our experiences, processing through the negative emotions surrounding them. We can replace resentment with forgiveness and understanding. We can replace self-censorship with self-acceptance. Once begun, this is a recursive process. We keep coming back to it any time a negative emotion or experience arises or a situation reminds us of an earlier trauma. Instead of staying trapped in the memory, we process through and replace it with one that brings us peace.

About the Author:

Nancy Oelklaus began her career as a high school English teacher in Marshall, Texas. She earned the B.A. in Communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, the M.A. in English from the University of North Texas and the doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University, Commerce. For nine years she served as assistant superintendent for instructional services in Marshall, followed by nine years as executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Since 2000 she has worked as an executive coach in Austin, serving entrepreneurial clients in education, social services, financial services, real estate, public relations, and city administration. Dr. Oelklaus has received numerous awards and honors for civic leadership, including the Vision to Action Award from the Visions of a Better World Foundation in Boston. She was named Leader of Leaders by Sam Houston State University’s Department of Educational Leadership and Woman of Achievement by the Business and Professional Women of Marshall, Texas. In 2007 she received the Profile in Excellence Award from Oklahoma Baptist University. Her articles have appeared in publications including The American School Board Journal, The Austin Business Journal, The Systems Thinker, and AustinWoman. Her first book, entitled Journey from Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically, will be published in March 2008 by Loving Healing Press of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Three coaching CD’s by Nancy are available through Amazon.

You can visit her website at http://www.headtoheart.info/ or her blog at http://www.headtoheartblog.s/.

*****

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join chick lit author Lisa Daily, author of Fifteen Minutes of Shame (Plume/Penguin, March '08) as she virtually tours the blogosphere in April on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Lisa Daily can tell you why he didn’t call, the color you should never wear on a first date, and even where to snoop for evidence if you think your guy’s been fooling around. Millions read her dating advice column or tune in to see her every week on Daytime, and the early buzz on her debut novel Fifteen Minutes of Shame says it pops with the same signature quirky humor and fresh, irreverent voice that made her dating advice book, Stop Getting Dumped! a bestseller.

Women from 16-60 flock to Lisa’s popular Dream Girl Academy at the Learning Annex in New York City and events across the US. Lisa is a dating coach, speaker and popular media guest -- she has done more than 2000 interviews on top radio and television shows, including iVillage Live, MTV Live, Entertainment Tonight and top UK national morning show, This Morning, and she appears as a real-life dating expert on the HITCH movie DVD starring Will Smith. A frequent source for reporters, Lisa has been quoted in hundreds of publications, from the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune to Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Men’s Health, Christian Science Monitor and US Weekly Magazine.

You can visit her website at http://www.lisadaily.com/ or her blog at http://www.thedebutanteball.com/.

Fifteen Minutes of Shame Synopsis:

Darby Vaughn, a small-town girl turned dating guru, has finally landed the life she’s always dreamed of: A handsome, charming husband she’s crazy about, a fabulous home in an exclusive neighborhood, a bestselling dating book, and tax-deductible pedicures.

Thousands of women have attended Darby’s famous Dreamgirl Academy and followed her man-snagging advice, in hopes that their lives will turn out just like hers. But when she finds out her husband is cheating, her publicity-perfect world spins out of control.

Not only is the most humiliating moment in her life splashed across every supermarket tabloid and celebrity gossip show, but her reputation as America’s favorite love expert is shot. Her book sales have tanked, her publisher has canceled the rest of her tour, and her love life has become fodder for late-night TV. To make matters worse, the ex-wife Gigi keeps feeding the media frenzy in hopes of furthering her own reality TV career.

If Darby takes her philandering husband back, she will be breaking her own most cardinal law of relationships (Never stay with a cheater!), and her career will be over. If she sticks to her own rules, she’ll lose the only man she has ever truly loved. As her marriage and career fall apart, Darby learns that even dating experts get their hearts broken, and that when it comes to matters of the heart, none of us are in complete control.

To read an excerpt, click here!

*****
FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on April 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Lisa's complete tour, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in April. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on on her personal tour page at http://virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/2008/04/fifteen-minutes-of-shame-virtual-book.html on April 30!
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Lisa Daily's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.

JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join self-help author Nancy Oelklaus, author of Journey from Head to Heart (Loving Healing Pess, March '08) as she virtually tours the blogosphere in April on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Nancy Oelklaus began her career as a high school English teacher in Marshall, Texas. She earned the B.A. in Communications from Oklahoma Baptist University, the M.A. in English from the University of North Texas and the doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University, Commerce. For nine years she served as assistant superintendent for instructional services in Marshall, followed by nine years as executive director for the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Since 2000 she has worked as an executive coach in Austin, serving entrepreneurial clients in education, social services, financial services, real estate, public relations, and city administration. Dr. Oelklaus has received numerous awards and honors for civic leadership, including the Vision to Action Award from the Visions of a Better World Foundation in Boston. She was named Leader of Leaders by Sam Houston State University’s Department of Educational Leadership and Woman of Achievement by the Business and Professional Women of Marshall, Texas. In 2007 she received the Profile in Excellence Award from Oklahoma Baptist University. Her articles have appeared in publications including The American School Board Journal, The Austin Business Journal, The Systems Thinker, and AustinWoman. Her first book, entitled Journey from Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically, will be published in March 2008 by Loving Healing Press of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Three coaching CD’s by Nancy are available through Amazon.

You can visit her website at http://www.headtoheart.info/ or her blog at http://www.headtoheartblog.s/.

Journey from Head to Heart Synopsis:

JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART: Living and Working Authentically is a toolkit for those who are exhausted from solving never-ending problems, working harder and harder and not arriving at the destination where they truly want to be. The tools and processes are designed for people who are a little wary of “touchy-feely” or “New Age” approaches. Journey from Head to Heart is exactly that, integrating logic, reason, emotion, spirituality, recovery, science, and ancient wisdom from a variety of sources to create a recipe for wholeness.

Journey from Head to Heart Excerpt:

It’s an exciting adventure to discover that we can, in the words of poet, author, consultant, and Director of the LBJ Library, Betty Sue Flowers, “tell a different story” about our experiences, processing through the negative emotions surrounding them. We can replace resentment with forgiveness and understanding. We can replace self-censorship with self-acceptance. Once begun, this is a recursive process. We keep coming back to it any time a negative emotion or experience arises or a situation reminds us of an earlier trauma. Instead of staying trapped in the memory, we process through and replace it with one that brings us peace.

*****

Visit Nancy's first week of tour stops!

April 1 - Nancy kicks her tour off at Families.com!

April 2 - Visit Nancy on the second day of her tour at YouTube!

April 3 - Third day of tours finds Nancy at Divine Caroline!

April 4 - Week one wraps up with a stop at Paperback Writer!

Be sure to comment to have a chance to win one of Nancy's books!

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JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on April 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Nancy's complete tour, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in April. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on her personal tour page at http://virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/2008/03/journey-from-head-to-heart-virtual-book.html on April 30!

*******

Nancy Oelklaus' virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.