Linda Thieman - Author Interview!

I am beyond thrilled to be able to share this wonderful interview with author Linda Thieman. If you are not familiar with that name, let me tell you, you are missing out in a HUGE way! I discovered Linda a while back when I had the honor to be on a tour stop for her, through Pump Up Your Book Promotion, for her first children's book, Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story. If you would like to see my review, please just click here. Linda has such an amazing talent for spinning unforgettable tales for young children (ages approx. 7 - 10). Her writing takes me back to my childhood love of reading of such titles as The Boxcar Children, Trixie Belden, Little House on the Prairie, etc. Through Linda's stories, a child's imagination will bloom and blossom into worlds known only to them and form a foundation for a love of reading.

Needless to say, Linda has become a favored author at our house, as well as someone that I consider a friend. Her second book in the series, titled Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish
is also an excellent book that not only shows the true bond of friendship, but also brings into focus the current "going green" theme that is so important to our world these days. (you can catch my review here)

Okay, without further jibber jabber, I am thrilled to share my interview with author, Linda Thieman!

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Can you tell us a bit about the Katie & Kimble series? How many books do you see coming out of the series?

LT: Sure! The Katie & Kimble series is aimed at kids from ages 7 to 10, but it’s not at all scary, and so younger kids have enjoyed it, too. It’s got a pretty sophisticated storyline, so it has also held the interest of older kids.

The first book in the series, Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, opens with almost-nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family moving into the old Laurence house. Katie soon discovers that Kimble Laurence, the ghost of a 10-year-old girl, is still living there. Kimble gently introduces herself to Katie through a series of gifts that Kimble leaves for her, the two make friends, and then Katie helps Kimble find out what happened to her mother. Each book in the series has some sort of growth for both Katie & Kimble. Katie grows in independence and Kimble becomes less and less a victim of circumstances.

In the second book, Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish, the girls find a coupon for a magic wish in a box of breakfast cereal. Their wish leads to all manner of complications, especially how to tell Katie’s dad about Kimble.

Thus far, I have seven books either finished or planned out, with an inkling of a plot for the eighth book coming through. The series starts in early June, so the first eight books take place over the summer. I suppose book nine would start the school year.


Who are your favorite characters in the story and why?

LT: Boy, that’s a hard one. It’s like choosing which of your children is your favorite! Of course, I adore both Katie and Kimble. Katie is so calm and practical. It really takes a lot to make her panic. And Kimble is just so literal that she’s funny and she doesn’t know it. For instance, if Kimble is sitting in a chair and you ask her what she is doing, she’ll say, “I’m sitting in a chair.”

I suppose I am very attached to Kimble’s late mother, Rachel Laurence. She actually doesn’t even appear in the first three books, but she strikes me as being something of a romantic figure. The longing for a mother is a theme that rather permeates the Katie & Kimble series, and she is the mother that Kimble has longed for for so long.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process and what writing means to you? Where do you come up with your characters, ideas, etc.?

LT: Now that I’m finishing up the third book, Katie & Kimble: The Golden Door, which I’ll be bringing out during the first part of 2010, my writing process has actually changed a bit. For instance, last week I was sort of stuck. I’d firmed up the first three chapters and the last four chapters. I needed to do a pretty good-sized revision of the middle four chapters, but I didn’t know what level of detail to include. So I sat down with my sister, who has been a wonderful content and continuity editor this time around, and just brainstormed the fourth book, Katie & Kimble: The Time Bubble. I needed to plan out in detail what was going to occur in the fourth book before I could finish up the third book. I have found that I can’t just rush through the writing of a book because new ideas and plot points need time to come alive.

Where I come up with my characters? It usually comes out of what I need to accomplish in the stories. I’m excited about the third book, The Golden Door, because it’s the first time that I am introducing a new character, a 10-year-old boy named Danny Garcia. He’s a bright kid and a real people person. What actually happens is that Danny falls from a tree and almost dies. Kimble overhears Katie’s parents talking about it and she decides she has to talk to Danny. So she enlists Katie’s help, yet this set of circumstances causes some unforeseen consequences, like the reaction of Katie’s parents when they figure out Kimble has been eavesdropping. If you are going to have a ghost living with you, then you really need to set some boundaries!

So, the progression of Kimble’s healing is really beginning to show in the third book. In the first book, Kimble’s perception of reality is very narrow. She is totally focused on what happened to her mother. With Katie’s help, much of that question is answered and Kimble is able to find closure by the end of Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story.

In the second book, Kimble re-learns what it means to be human, and her awareness expands beyond loneliness and into what it means to be loved and accepted by a family.

In the third book, Kimble really starts to explore the whole process of dying and what it means to be a ghost. She is beginning to achieve some measure of self-awareness and now that her longing for her own mother has been eased by the love shared with Katie and her parents, she is driven to explore who she is as a ghost — in that typical one-track-mind, Kimble sort of way!

What is a “day in the life of Linda” like? Can you share with readers a bit of the person behind the fascinating writing?

LT: Well, thanks for the compliment! I’d say my typical day is all about energy and food, but in a very practical way. I try to monitor the amount and kinds of energy I have throughout the day. It’s amazing how much of the writing life includes the marketing of what you’ve already written.

When doing marketing, I don’t need to use my best energy. There are so many different kinds of tasks involved that I’ll do what needs to be done based on how much energy I have for it. On the other hand, when I’m actually in the process of writing a Katie & Kimble book, I need a special kind of energy to do that. It usually is present first thing after I get up. Then, I start in with the writing. Right now, I’m finishing up the third book, and I’ve noticed that the writing of this book feels very different from any other writing I’ve ever done. I get into the flow and my body just starts buzzing. I can only sustain that for an hour or an hour and a half at a time because it’s rather an intense sensation! At the same time, I try to eat well—organic or grass-fed, low carb—whatever will sustain my productive energy level.

What types of books do you like to read and who are some of your favorite authors?

LT: I mostly read historical fiction. I am a particular fan of a good novel set in Regency England. Jane Austen, of course, and I love Georgette Heyer, an English author who lived in the first three quarters of the 20th century. The quality of her work, the accuracy of the detail, the character development, and the way she captured the language has never been matched, as far as I can see.

I recently read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It’s a fascinating look at the distaff side of the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, narrated by Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter. One of the overriding themes of this book was mothers who share children and children who share mothers. It reminded me very much of the connection I had with two American teachers and their children when I shared an office with these women for several years while teaching in Japan.

What books and authors did you enjoy reading as a child?

LT: Like you, April, I loved The Boxcar Children! I also liked Susie and the Ballet Family, which is out of print now. It’s about at that same level. I read all the Nancy Drew books, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and of course, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

Who inspires you?

LT: Other writers, especially women, who commit to a vision against all odds really inspire me. Madeleine L’Engle did that, Louisa May Alcott did that. In the end, you have to write what you are called to write, and if the world is going to catch on to it, then even better.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Can you see yourself branching out into other genres?

LT: Well, I really think I started writing when I was 12. It’s not so much that I wanted to be a writer. It was more like it was just something I did. I had a newsletter with paid subscribers, over 60 of them, I seem to recall, that I put out every two months when I was a senior in high school. I suppose the signs were there.

I do have such a hankering to try my hand at a Regency novel. I’ve actually got one outlined. I would have to do a lot more research, but I’ve found some of the major sources I need already. However, I doubt I would get back to that for years unless I need a break from Katie & Kimble. But so far, getting Katie & Kimble out to the world is what drives me, and I enjoy it so much.

Ok, here are some fun questions:

What are some of your favorite foods?

LT: I seem to crave olives and I like to try all different kinds. Some are rather bitter, but I’ve found that if you soak them in salt water two or three times, it drains off the bitter taste. I also love a fresh, sweet orange! I also like a good, hard, tangy, raw mild cheddar. Can’t be beat! Yum! Okay, I’m going to go eat now.

What do you enjoy doing when you have free time?

LT: Oh, I’m a card player! I love a good three-handed game of pinochle. Used to play with my mom’s parents all the time when I was in college. Now my mom and I just taught my sister how to play, and she took to the strategies like a duck to water because she has such an analytical mind.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

LT: Good question. I see myself as healthy, happy, living a bit farther south, and working on Katie & Kimble to my hearts delight!

Do you have a favorite movie or TV show right now?

LT: Well, I canceled my cable TV recently because I just never watch it, but I do rent DVDs of current TV shows. Right now, my three favorites are In Treatment, Meerkat Manor, and Big Love.

Is there anything that you would like to add, Linda? Or anything that you would like readers to know about you and/or your writing?

LT: Yes, thank you. What I am trying to create with the Katie & Kimble series is a safe, cozy, comfortable world that kids can return to whenever they need a break from the sometimes unkind real world. It’s amazing how many story lines a person can come up with that don’t include some mean, nasty character. I don’t know why everyone thinks that you must have an antagonist in order for there to be some conflict in a story. It seems to me there is plenty of conflict in a story in which a group of characters have differing emotional needs. That’s the kind of thing that really interests me. Eventually, in The Golden Door, Katie’s parents must ask, are we going to allow ourselves to love Kimble and then risk the possibility of having to let her go? It’s heartbreaking and it’s emotionally real. And no bad guys! One thing I will promise the Katie & Kimble readers is that I will always provide a happy ending.

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Thank you so much, Linda, for taking the time to answer my questions. I had a blast reading your answers and finding out a bit more about the woman behind the words of such fantastic stories!

Again, if you haven't read any of the Katie & Kimble books, be sure to check them out - they are a great way to cozy up with your children and read together! Also, please be sure to visit the wonderful website that Linda has - it's packed full of great activities, info and fun!
http://www.katieandkimbleblog.com/blog

Author Guest Post - Douglas Carlton Abrams

Today, I welcome Douglas Carlton Abrams, author of Eye of the Whale, to Cafe of Dreams! I am very excited to share with everyone a delightful guest post by this most excellent author! Tomorrow, I will be sharing my review of Eye of the Whale, so please be sure to pop back by!

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As an author of fact-based wisdom fiction, I strive to use the power of fiction to transmit perennial wisdom and to address and explore the inevitable questions of being human, our lives and the world in which we live. In the days leading up to the publication of my new novel, Eye of the Whale, I am was glad delighted to see increasing public awareness being focused on some of the real life issues I have tried to dramatize with my storytelling.

A few Sundays ago, I read “Watching Whales Watching Us,” an amazing excellent article in the July 12 New York Times magazine, filled with stories about whale intelligence and communication similar to those that inspired my novel. What a marvelous piece, one whose facts and stories are similar to and yet far more unbelievable and fantastic than the fiction I have created.

Our impulse is usually to avoid anthropomorphism, to keep from putting our own expectations and characteristics onto the animal world. But the dangers of human exceptionalism are just as great. In addition to the language-enabling spindle neurons that we now know whales possess, we share with all mammals the limbic structures of the brain that control emotion. Killer whales and many other mammals mourn. Even rats laugh. Thinking that we are unique in our ability to feel is not just lonely; it is misguided. The more we understand the mysteries of “our mammalian seabound counterpart,” as Siebert rightly calls them, the more we understand ourselves.

Eye of the Whale is based on and dramatizes these facts about whale intelligence. In fact, some of the main characters in the novel are whales, and I tell their story and portray the hazards that face them every bit as much as I do the main character, a marine biologist named Elizabeth. In doing so, I have attempted to show through fiction that our intelligence and our fates are parallel. These are not just gentle, dumb giants; they are intelligent, expressive, empathetic animals with which we share a planet, and we should be deeply concerned with how our actions are affecting their well being. If we can save the whales, we might be able to save ourselves.

As with all my novels, in Eye of the Whale I have attempted to create a dramatic story that also conveys some of the ancient insights about how we can live on this planet with greater joy and wisdom. I humbly hope you will find that I have succeeded in doing so.

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About the Author:

Douglas Carlton Abrams is a former editor at the University of California Press and HarperSanFrancisco. Abrams writes fact-based fiction that tells an exciting story while at the same time changing the world we live in. His first book, The Lost Diary of Don Juan, has been published in thirty countries around the world and was recently optioned for film.

Doug is also the co-founder of Idea Architects, a book and media development agency that works with visionary scientists, scholars, and spiritual leaders to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. Abrams has collaborated with a number of the world’s great scholars, scientists, and moral leaders, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, best-selling author John Robbins, primatologist Frans De Waal, and astrophysicist Joel Primack. If you want to find out more about Doug, his life, and his literature, please visit www.douglascarltonabrams.com.

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About Eye of the Whale:

National bestseller Doug Abrams delivers a captivating ecological thriller about a marine biologist whose fate is altered after the unexpected appearance of a humpback whale sends her on a race to discover the meaning of its mysterious song and its implications for human survival.

Elizabeth McKay is a dedicated scientist who has spent almost a decade cracking the code of humpback whale communication. Their song, the most complex in nature, may in fact reveal secrets about the animal world that no one could have imagined. When a humpback whale swims up the Sacramento River with a strange and unprecedented song, Elizabeth must decipher its meaning in order to save the whale and ultimately much more.

But as her work with the whale captures the media’s interest and the world’s imagination, many powerful forces emerge who do not want the whale’s secrets to be revealed. Soon, Elizabeth is forced to decide if her discoveries are worth losing her marriage, her career, and possibly her life.

As timely as today’s ecological challenges and as timeless as the whales themselves, this novel takes readers into the mysterious world of humpback whales and great white sharks. In writing Eye of the Whale, Abrams worked closely with leading scientists to uncover the shockingly true facts on which it is based. This powerful story will transform how readers see their relationship to other species and the fragile world in which we live.

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Win Prizes!

Douglas Carlton Abram's EYE OF THE WHALE VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on August 3 and end on August 28th. You can visit Douglas Carlton Abram's blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of 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.

Review - Undone by Karin Slaughter

Undone
By: Karin Slaughter

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press (July 14, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385341962
ISBN-13: 978-0385341967
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches

Intensely addictive and superbly suspenseful, Undone is a novel that grabbed me from the very beginning. The plot is excellently laid out and the characters are wonderful. Ms. Slaughter weaves together a story that will leave readers spiraling within it's depth and caring about it's characters. Though part of a series entitled Grant County, I feel that Undone is easily read and understood as a stand alone. The reason I say that is because I have not previously read the other books within this series, and never found the story lacking or wondering what was going on. However, after reading Undone, the others in the series are a high priority on my list, considering how much I enjoyed this chapter in the series!

Lovers of great suspense and thrillers, will settle right in with Undone and travel the roller coaster of emotions and intensity. I highly recommend this one and can't wait to read more!

*overall rating 4/5

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About Undone:

In the trauma center of Atlanta’s busiest hospital, Sara Linton treats the city’s poor, wounded, and unlucky—and finds refuge from the tragedy that rocked her life in rural Grant County. Then, in one instant, Sara is thrust into a frantic police investigation, coming face-to-face with a tall driven detective and his quiet female partner…. In Undone, three unforgettable characters from Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling novels Faithless and Fractured collide for the first time, entering an electrifying race against the clock—and a duel with unspeakable human evil.

In the backwoods of suburban Atlanta, where Sara’s patient was found, local police have set up their investigation. But Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Will Trent doesn’t wait for the go-ahead from his boss—he plunges through police lines, through the brooding woods, and single-handedly exposes a hidden house of horror buried beneath the earth. Then he finds another victim.…

Wresting the case away from the local police chief, Will and his partner, Faith Mitchell—a woman keeping explosive secrets of her own—are called into a related investigation. Another woman—a smart, upscale, independent young mother—has been snatched. For the two cops out on the hunt, for the doctor trying to bring her patient back to life, the truth hits like a hammer: the killer’s torture chamber has been found, but the killer is still at work.

In her latest suspense masterpiece, Karin Slaughter weaves together the moving, powerful human stories of characters as real as they are complex and unforgettable. At the same time she has crafted a work of dazzling storytelling and spine-tingling mystery—as three people, each with their own wounds and their own secrets, are all that stands between a madman and his next crime.

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Excerpt:

She squinted her eyes at the road ahead, deciding she should have her vision checked again. She was not so far from seventy herself, and her eyes seemed to be getting worse every year. Dusk was a particularly bad time for her, and her vision tended to blur on objects that were at a distance. So it was that she blinked several times before she was sure of what she was seeing, and only opened her mouth to warn Henry when the animal was right in front of them.

“Jude!” Henry yelled, one arm shooting out in front of Judith’s chest as he wrenched the steering wheel to the left, trying to avoid the poor creature. Judith thought, oddly, about how the movies were right. Everything slowed down, time inching by so that each second seemed to take an eternity. She felt Henry’s strong arm bolt across her breasts, the seatbelt biting into her hip bones. Her head jerked, slamming into the door as the car swerved. The windshield cracked as the animal bounced against the glass, then hit the roof of the car, then the trunk. It wasn’t until the car shuddered to a stop, spinning a full 180 degrees on the road, that the sounds caught up with Judith: the crack, thunk, thunk, all overlaid with a high-pitched screaming that she realized was coming from her own mouth. She must have been in shock, because Henry had to yell at her several times, “Judith! Judith!” before she stopped screaming.

Henry’s hand was tight on her arm, sending pain up her shoulder. She rubbed the back of his hand, saying, “I’m all right. I’m all right.” Her glasses were askew, her vision off-kilter. She put her fingers to the side of her head, feeling a sticky wetness. When she took away her hand, she saw blood.

“It must’ve been a deer or . . .” Henry put his hand to his mouth, stopping his words. He looked calm but for the telltale up and down of his chest as he tried to catch his breath. The air bag had deployed. A fine, white powder covered his face.

Her breath caught as she looked ahead. Blood had spattered the windshield like a sudden, violent rain.

Henry pushed open the door but did not get out. Judith took off her glasses to wipe her eyes. The lenses were both broken, the bottom part of her bifocal on the right side missing. She saw that the glasses were shaking, and realized that the tremor came from her own hands. Henry got out of the car, and she made herself put on her glasses and follow him.

The creature was on the road, legs moving. Judith’s head ached where it had smacked into the door. Blood was in her eyes. That was the only explanation she had for the fact that the animal–surely a deer–appeared to have the shapely white legs of a woman. “Oh, dear God,” Henry whispered. “It’s–Judith–it’s–”

Judith heard a car behind her. Wheels screeched against asphalt. Doors opened and closed. Two men joined them on the road, one running toward the animal.

He screamed, “Call 9-1-1!” kneeling down beside the body.

Judith stepped closer, then closer yet. The legs moved again–the perfect legs of a woman. She was completely nude. Bruises blackened her inner thighs–dark bruises. Old bruises. Dried blood caked around her legs. A burgundy film seemed to cover her torso, a rip at her side showing white bone. Judith glanced at her face. The nose was askew. The eyes were swollen, lips chapped and split. Blood matted the woman’s dark hair and pooled around her head as if in a halo. Judith stepped closer, unable to stop herself–suddenly a voyeur, after a lifetime of politely looking away. Glass crunched beneath her feet, and the woman’s eyes shot open in panic. She stared somewhere past Judith, a dull lifelessness to her gaze. Just as suddenly, her eyelids fluttered closed, but Judith could not suppress the shudder that went through her body. It was as if someone had walked over her grave. “Dear Lord,” Henry mumbled, almost in prayer. Judith turned to find her husband gripping his hand to his chest. His knuckles were white. He stared at the woman, looking as if he might be ill. “How did this happen?” he whispered, horror twisting his face. “How in God’s name did this happen?”

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About Karin Slaughter:

Karin Slaughter is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including Beyond Reach and A Faint Cold Fear, which was named an International Book of the Month selection; she contributed to and edited Like a Charm. She is a native of Georgia, where she currently lives and is working on her next novel, which Delacorte Press will publish in 2010.

You can visit Karin Slaughter’s website at http://www.karinslaughter.com/.

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Win Prizes!

Karin Slaughter's UNDONE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '09 will officially begin on August 3rd and end on August 28th. You can visit Karin's blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of 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.

WINNERS!

I'm finally playing catch up with picking the winners for several giveaways. Thanks for your patience. Congratulations to the following:

Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson

Mari
Sam
HChanMan

Ravens by George Dawes Green

Cheryl
Renee
Debsdesk

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

Scottsgal
Marjorie
Rebecca

The Blue Star by Tony Earley

paradox
cindy
rue
rebecca
renee

Killer Bunny Hill by Denise Robbins

Beth

Congratulations to all of the winners! Every one who's name was chosen at random has received an email requesting their mailing address.

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to stop by and enter! Many more contests and giveaways coming soon, so please check back often!

Book Spotlight - Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams by: Pat Williams

Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams
By: Pat Williams

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Center Street; 1 edition (July 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446407194
ISBN-13: 978-0446407199
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches


About Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams:

Human beings are designed for teamwork, and teamwork is the only way to make seemingly impossible dreams and bold visions come true. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, not by himself, but with the backing of his coaches, mechanic, and teammates. Charles Lindbergh may have been called “the Lone Eagle” because of his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic, but he assembled a first-rate team to make his dream possible.

In his new book, Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams (Center Street, July 22, 2009), Orlando Magic co-founder and Senior Vice President Pat Williams says that teamwork is the key to making extreme dreams a reality. Named one of the 50 most influential people in the NBA (National Basketball Association) after following his dream and helping to build the Orlando Magic from the ground up, Williams gives inspiring accounts of the power of teamwork—many of them personal—in a book that leadership guru Patrick Lencioni calls “the most comprehensive and interesting collection of wisdom on teamwork I have ever read.”

In Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams, Williams points out that extreme dreams are only fulfilled when teams are led with characteristics like respect, empowerment, commitment, trust and passion. “Once you put teamwork into practice in your organization, these principles will begin transforming everything. They will transform how you view the world, including our society and its problems, and the political and environmental issues we face…you’ll begin seeing the world through a lens of extreme dreams, extreme possibilities, and the power of teamwork,” says Williams.

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About Pat Williams:

Pat Williams is the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. He is a popular motivational speaker averaging over 150 appearances a year. Williams has spent 45 years in professional baseball and basketball as a player and executive. He served as general manager of the 1983 world champion Philadelphia 76ers and managed the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.

Williams is the author of 55 books. He and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of 19 children, including 14 adopted from four nations. He and his family have been featured in such diverse publications as Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Journal, and Focus on the Family as well as all the major TV networks. Pat and Ruth recently received an award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for their efforts in adoption. To learn more about Pat Williams, visit www.PatWilliamsMotivate.com.


Win Prizes!

Pat Williams' EXTREME DREAMS DEPEND ON TEAMS VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on August 3 and end on September 25. You can visit Pat's blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of August and September 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.

North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

North! or Be Eaten
By: Andrew Peterson

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (August 18, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400073871
ISBN-13: 978-1400073870
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches

Welcome to Kidz Book Buzz tour for North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson! This is the second book in The Wingfeather Saga (the first On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness) North! Or Be Eaten is a delightfully wonderful book geared toward young adults, though adults are sure to like it just as much, if not more! I am in the process of reading this book right now and find it highly engrossing. This is truly a story of fantasy and will get imaginations flying high! I wanted to do a spotlight on it and will provide my review at a later date.

Please be sure to visit the delightful website for The Wingfeather Saga http://wingfeathersaga.com/

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About North! Or Be Eaten:

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizardlike Fangs of Dang cannot follow. First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest,1 the thieving Stranders of the East Bend,2 and the dreaded Fork Factory.3
But even more dangerous are the jealousies and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart, and Janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.

1. All possessing very sharp teeth.
2. Murderous scoundrels, the lot.
3. Woe!

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About Andrew Peterson:

Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com.

Please be sure to visit these other great blogs, also on the tour!


The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, My Own Little Corner of the World, My utopia, Novel Teen, Olive Tree, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes

Review - Visions of America By: Joseph Sohm

Visions of America: Photographing Democracy
By: Joseph Sohm

Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Visions of America, LLC; First edition (January 25, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0970795718
ISBN-13: 978-0970795717
Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 12.1 x 1.5 inches

Within the pages of Visions of America, you will find many of life's most haunting moments, which speak through each and every photograph, beautifully captured by Joseph Sohm. Mr. Sohm has provided readers with a collection of snapshots, from every walk of life, displaying proof of the magic we, as Americans, are blessed with each and every day of our lives.

Visions of America is a glorious tome that will quickly become a beloved piece of permanent history, to treasure within your home. From photographs of average people, to heart touching photographs of our people of military, this book covers moments from the time of Native Americans, Presidential snapshots from past and present, iconic statues, our beautiful land which surrounds us, roads to freedom and everyday living which makes us who we are. This awe inspiring piece of work will bring smiles, tears, laughter and pride to each and every human heart.

Visions of America is a book that will enthrall people of all ages and open up venues of communication and lessons on our history, between children and adults. A perfect gift for loved ones, friends, schools, libraries and yourself, Visions of America is a delight that you will not want to miss! I absolutely loved it and will revel in looking through it often, both with my children and alone.

*overall rating 5/5

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About Visions of America:

Visions of America addresses a single question: How do you photograph democracy? After all, democracy is an idea; and not something one can easily wrap one's lens around. But photographing democracy is indeed what Joseph Sohm has done in this epic journey across the fifty states. To capture this country's incredible diversity, Sohm frames his national work as George Seurat might a pointillist painting. With each photograph, an individual dot was applied to his American canvas. Spanning three decades, tens of thousands of images were assembled in what becomes a compelling mosaic. With a foreword by legendary travel writer, Paul Theroux, and lyrics by two of America's most distinguished songwriters, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Visions of America is a work of historic value and significance. Visions of America is a perceptive work about both the photographer and the photographed. Reflecting on the wisdom of the founders, coupled with personal observations about American history, Sohm takes us on an insightful journey down the back roads and byways of the U.S, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of who we are as a nation and a people. Visions of America is a sweeping portrait of life in the American democracy, a portrait that shows us US, the United States. Edited by Rick Benzel and Patricia Emory.

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About Joseph Sohm:

Joseph Sohm is an American history teacher turned photo-historian. Over the course of 30 years, he has traveled throughout the United States and across the world, photographing people, celebrations, monuments, sports, cities, small towns and presidential campaigns. His photos have been published more than 50,000 times in such publications as National Geographic, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and in hundreds of textbooks, as well as on media including CNN, ABC, The History Channel and MSNBC. His work is featured in President Clinton's book My Life and in his Presidential Library. Sohm's images are featured in Frederick J. Ryan's portrait of Ronald Reagan, The Great Communicator; on Bill Maher's Real Time; in Al Gore's Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth; in NBC's memorial for 9/11, Concert for America; on the Today Show, and on the cover of John Grisham's novel King of Torts. His photograph was chosen for both the covers of Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report for the contested 2000 Presidential Election. The U.S. Department of State displays his work in more than ten embassies worldwide. Sohm produced the official 1993 Presidential Inaugural music-video for MTV, which aired worldwide. He has been a keynote speaker at more than 100 colleges, universities and trade associations across America. Both he and his work have been profiled in Esquire magazine, USA Today, the LA Times, The New York Times, The San Francisco Examiner, C-Span, Lexus magazine and the NEWSEUM Museum in Washington, DC. Sohm also serves on the boards of The Museum of Democracy in New York City and the New West Symphony in Southern California.

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* A special thanks to Lisa at Online Publicist for allowing me the opportunity to review this unforgettable book!

Author Interview - Amanda Grange + Giveaway

I am so thrilled to be able to host Amanda Grange, author of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre as she tours around the blogosphere! I am also greatly appreciative and delighted to offer readers a fun interview that Ms. Grange took the time to do for Cafe of Dreams! I will be posting my review of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre later on this month, so please be on the lookout for that!

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Now, see what Ms. Grange has to say about her writing and a glimpse into her life.

Can you tell us a bit about Mr. Darcy, Vampyre?

AG: It which begins where Pride and Prejudice ends, on Lizzy and Darcy’s wedding day, and it follows them on their wedding tour through Europe. Strange things start to happen and Lizzy gradually realises that Darcy has a terrible secret.

If you could sum up Mr. Darcy, Vampyre in 10 words, what would they be?

AG: An atmospheric, brooding, paranormal sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

When is your next book coming out?

AG: Good question! I’ll let you know when I’ve finished it!

Who are your favorite characters in the story and why?

AG: That’s a difficult one. I love Lizzy and Darcy, of course, but of the others, I like Katrine very much. She’s a friend of Darcy’s, and Lizzy meets her when they go to Paris. I also like Frederique and Clothilde, two of the characters Lizzy and Darcy meet in the Alps. They are very good humoured but there is something lurking beneath the surface.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process and what writing means to you? Where do you come up with your characters, ideas, etc.?

AG: The process varies from day to day and book to book, but generally I think a lot about the characters and the plot as I’m doing other things throughout the day, and then when my ideas have simmered enough, I go to the computer and start typing. I don’t really stop then until I’ve finished a scene or sometimes a chapter, depending on how well it’s going. As for the characters etc, it’s hard to say. Sometimes I sit down and think about what kind of character I want in the book at a particular point, and sometimes they come fully formed. They start as walk-on parts and then something they say or do catches my interest and I develop them further, asking myself, Why did they do / say that?

What is a “day in the life Amanda” like? Can you share with readers a bit of the person behind the writing?

AG: Very normal. I do the shopping and the cooking and the gardening, all that kind of thing. And whilst I’m doing it, I daydream. Then at some point the dreams want to come out and so I go to the computer and write.

What types of books do you like to read and who are some of your favorite authors?

AG: I read all sorts of books. Favourite authors include Austen (of course), the Brontes, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Sue Townsend, Helen Fielding and Tolkien.

Who inspires you?

AG: Other authors. I know quite a lot of them through my writers’ groups, and their creativity and hard work is always an inspiration. It motivates me and keeps me going.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Can you see yourself branching out into other genres? When did you first begin pursuing writing as a career?

AG: I’ve always written, and I suppose I’ve wanted to be a writer since I knew it was an actual job! I started trying to get my books published when I was in my thirties. I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association and I had a lot of encouragement and support from the other members. I think I might branch out into other genres at some point, I like to try new things, it keeps things fresh.

Ok, here are some fun questions:

What are some of your favorite foods?

AG: Chocolate cake, meringues, strawberries and cream. I have a sweet tooth!

What do you enjoy doing when you have free time?

AG: I like cooking and I also like painting in watercolours, although I am hopeless at it.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

AG: Sitting at my computer and writing another novel!

Do you have a favorite movie or t.v. right now?

AG: I think my favorite would have to be Ugly Betty.

Is there anything that you would like to add, Amanda? Or anything that you would like readers to know about you and/or your writing?

AG: I’d just like to say Thanks for having me here, it’s been fun, and that I hope your readers enjoy Mr Darcy, Vampyre.

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About Mr. Darcy, Vampyre:

Amanda Grange, bestselling author of Mr. Darcy's Diary, gives us something completely new—a delightfully thrilling, paranormal Pride and Prejudice sequel, full of danger, darkness and deep romantic love…

Amanda Grange's style and wit bring readers back to Jane Austen's timeless storytelling, but always from a very unique and unusual perspective, and now Grange is back with an exciting and completely new take on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre starts where Pride and Prejudice ends and introduces a dark family curse so perfectly that the result is a delightfully thrilling, spine-chilling, breathtaking read. A dark, poignant and visionary continuation of Austen's beloved story, this tale is full of danger, darkness and immortal love.

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Excerpt:

PROLOGUE | December 1802

My dearest Jane,

My hand is trembling as I write this letter. My nerves are in tatters and I am so altered that I believe you would not recognise me. The past two months have been a nightmarish whirl of strange and disturbing circumstances, and the future…

Jane, I am afraid.

If anything happens to me, remember that I love you and that my spirit will always be with you, though we may never see each other again. The world is a cold and frightening place where nothing is as it seems.

It was all so different a few short months ago. When I awoke on my wedding morning, I thought myself the happiest woman alive…

CHAPTER 1 | October 1802

Elizabeth Bennet's wedding morning was one of soft mists and mellow sunshine. She drew back her bedroom curtains to see the dreaming English landscape lying serene and beautiful beneath a soft white quilt. The mist was at its thickest by the river, lying voluptuously over the water, then thinning out as it spread over the fields and pastures before disappearing, wisp-like, into the trees.

The birds were silent, but there was a sense of expectancy in the air. It was as though the world were waiting for the sun to rise and burn away the gauzy veil, revealing the true
colours of the countryside, not muted white and grey, but green and blue and gold.
Elizabeth sank onto the window seat and pulled her knees up in front of her. She wrapped her arms around them and her thoughts drifted to the ceremony that was to come. Images floated through her mind: she and her father walking down the aisle, Darcy waiting for her, the ring slipping onto her finger…

She was not the only one to have risen early. Her mother was already awake, complaining to anyone who would listen to her about her nerves, and Mary was playing the piano.

Kitty was calling out, 'Has anyone seen my ribbon?' and Mr Bennet was adding a full stop to his dry reply by closing the library door.

Beside her, Jane was still sleeping.

As she watched the world waking outside the window, Elizabeth thought of the past year and of how lucky she and her sister had been. They had both met men they loved and now, after many trials and difficulties, they were to marry them.

Elizabeth could not remember whose idea it had been to have a joint ceremony but she was glad to know that her sister was to share the happiest day of her life—no, not the happiest, for she was sure that was yet to come—but the happiest day of her life thus far.

As the sun rose and the mists began to lift, Jane stirred. She blinked and then lifted herself on one elbow, pushing her fair hair out of her eyes and smiling her slow, beautiful smile.

'You're awake early,' she said to Lizzy.
'And so are you.'
'Here.' Jane climbed out of bed and took a wrapper from its peg behind the door, then draped it over her sister's shoulders. 'You don't want to catch cold.'

Lizzy took the wrapper and put it on, then she caught her sister's hand impulsively and said, 'Only think, in a few more hours we will be married. I will be on the way to the Lake District for my wedding tour, and you will be on your way to London, to visit Bingley's relations there.'

Jane sat down on the window seat opposite Elizabeth and Elizabeth made herself smaller, to give her sister more room. Jane raised one knee and let her other leg dangle over the edge of the seat, with her foot swinging idly an inch or two from the floor. She looked absently out of the window and twirled one fair curl idly round her finger, then she turned to face her sister and she said, 'Do you wish we were going on our wedding tours together?'
'Yes,' said Lizzy. 'And no.'
Jane nodded thoughtfully.
'I will miss you, Jane, but we need some time alone with our husbands,' said Lizzy, 'especially to begin with. You will write to me, though, won't you?'
'Of course. And you will write to me?'
'Every day. Well, perhaps not every day,' said Lizzy with a sudden smile, 'and perhaps not at all just at first, but I will write often and tell you what I am doing, and you must do the same.'

They heard the sound of footsteps on the stair and they knew it was their mother, who was coming to hurry them into dressing, even though the ceremony would not begin for another three hours. They greeted her with affection, being too happy to worry about anything this morning, and listened to all her anxieties, both real and imagined. They reassured her that Kitty would not cough in the ceremony and that Mrs Long would not steal Mr Bingley for her niece at the last moment—'for I am sure she would be capable of trying,' said Mrs Bennet.
'Mr Bingley loves Jane,' said Lizzy.
Mrs Bennet smiled complacently.
'I cannot wonder at it. I knew she could not be so beautiful for nothing. Now, girls, you must come downstairs.

Breakfast is ready in the dining-room.'
Elizabeth and Jane exchanged glances. They could not face the thought of a family breakfast, with their mother fussing and Mary moralizing.
'I am not hungry,' said Elizabeth.
'Nor I,' said Jane.
Their mother protested, but they would not be persuaded and at last Mrs Bennet went downstairs, calling, 'Kitty! Kitty, my love! I want to speak to you…'

Elizabeth and Jane breathed a sigh of relief when they were left alone again.
'We should eat something, though, even if we don't really want it,' said Jane.
'I couldn't eat a thing,' said Lizzy. 'I'm too excited.'
'You should try,' said Jane, standing up and looking at her sister with affection. 'It will be a long morning and you don't want to faint in the church.'

'All right,' said Lizzy, 'for you, I'll eat something, but only if we don't have to go downstairs.'

Jane swirled her own wrapper from the peg and let it fall round her shoulders, then she drifted out of the room. Elizabeth leaned back against the window and her eyes looked towards Netherfield. She imagined Darcy rising, too, and preparing himself for the wedding.

Her thoughts were recalled by Jane, who returned with a tray of delicacies, and together the two of them managed to make a passable breakfast. They broke off small pieces of hot rolls and ate them slowly, in between sipping hot chocolate.
'What do you think it will be like?' asked Elizabeth.
'I don't know,' said Jane. 'Different.'
'You will still be here, at Netherfield,' said Elizabeth, 'but
I will be living in Derbyshire.'
'With Mr Darcy,' said Jane.
'Yes, with my beloved Darcy,' she said with a long smile.

Now for an exciting giveaway! Sourcebooks is offering 1 lucky winner their very own copy of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre! All that you have to do to enter is leave a comment below, along with your email address. U.S. and Canadian addresses only please. Contest ends Sept. 1st!

Review - Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton

Laced with Magic
By: Barbara Bretton

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 4, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425227529
ISBN-13: 978-0425227527
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches

I want to start by saying that Barbara Bretton is a favorite author of mine. I love her writing style and storytelling techniques. Another favorite of mine if paranormal romance, so put those two together and you have an explosively delightful and unforgettable combination! That combination, lucky for everyone involved, has a title: Laced with Magic! If you love the supernatural, vampires, werewolves, faes, and spirits, this is a perfect "get lost within it's pages" book. I can say this without a doubt, simply because once I started reading, I was transcended into the world of Sugar Maple, Vermont and didn't emerge until I was over 80 pages in.

Chloe Hobbs is half human, half sorceress-in-training and if she doesn't get things figured out and quickly, the entire town of Sugar Maple is in danger of exposure. As it stands, female descendants of Chloe's lineage are the only ones that can put a protective spell upon the magical town, so that their little haven appears completely normal to the "outside, human" world and it's visitors. To make matters worse, Chloe must have a daughter to carry on and protect.

Chief of Police, Luke (and a full blooded human, nonetheless) seems the perfect candidate to carry on the legacy with Chloe - despite several of the townspeople's dislike for the fact that he is human. Luke and Chloe literally set off sparks with their romance and things seem to be settling in nicely for them, that is until the fateful accident which brings Luke's ex-wife, Karen, dropping nearly upon their laps.

Karen is in search of her and Luke's dead young daughter, Steffie, after her spirit repeatedly makes itself known to her. Luke blames himself for the death of his beloved young daughter and refuses to accept the idea that her spirit is in limbo. Then something happens to make it very known that Steffie's spirit is indeed among the living and worse yet, is captured by the horrific banished Fae leader, Isadora. Isadora promises the worst possible afterlife for Steffie, unless Chloe relents and frees her from her banishment. However, if Chloe frees Isadora, that will mean the end of Sugar Maple and the freedom of all those who life there.

If I had to put a title on the genre of Laced with Magic, I would have to categorize it as paranormal romance/cozy mystery. There is a fun aspect to the story, as well as a bit of darkness, which makes for a perfectly engrossing read. Ms. Bretton does a marvelous job bringing her characters to life and giving them each wonderful personalities. I was especially drawn to the dialog used within the story - the humor, the emotion and the feeling. Barbara Bretton has an enormous talent for weaving a tale which draws the reader in and hanging on tight until the very end.

I also wanted to mention that the theme of knitting is very strong throughout Laced with Magic and if you read the author's note at the end, the connection to this is made even more powerful. If you are not familiar with author Barbara Bretton, you are truly missing out on a unique and wonderful talent. Laced with Magic is actually the second in a series, the first being Casting Spells, which introduces the main characters of Chloe and Luke. I have not yet read Casting Spells (not because I haven't wanted to, just the piles of review books have taken over my reading time), but I had absolutely no trouble following along with the characters and happenings in Laced with Magic. Therefore, you could start with the first in the series, Casting Spells, or easily jump right in with Laced with Magic. I will mention that the end of Laced with Magic is one that will leave the reader wanting more! An excellent cliff hanging ending!

*overall rating 4.5/5

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About Laced with Magic:

Knit shop owner and sorcerer's daughter Chloe Hobbs felt the Fates finally got it right when she met Luke MacKenzie. And no one could have convinced her otherwise—including the trolls, selkies, or spirits who also call Sugar Maple, Vermont, home. But then out of nowhere Luke's ex-wife suddenly shows up, claiming to see the spirit of their daughter, Steffie—a daughter Chloe knows nothing about.

Steffie's spirit is being held hostage by a certain Fae leader. And if Chloe weaves a spell to free her spirit, her nemesis will also be free—free to destroy her yarn shop and all of Sugar Maple. But if she doesn't, Steffie won't be the only one spending eternity in hell. Chloe'll be joining her, cursed with a broken heart.

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Excerpt:

Chloe

Did you ever have the feeling that you were exactly where you were meant to be, that the Fates had finally got it right and the rest of your life was going to be clear sailing? That was how I felt the first time Luke MacKenzie and I kissed: like I was seeing the world through new eyes.

The first time our hands touched over a basket of alpaca roving, sparks flew. Bright silver-white sparks that shot from our fingertips and lit up the night. It was every love story I had ever read, every romantic movie I had ever wept over, all of my hopes and dreams wrapped up into one tall, dark, and handsome package. It didn't even matter that he was one hundred percent human and I was the daughter of a sorceress. I believed that now that I had finally found love, the rest would fall into place like magick.

Crazy? I wouldn't bet against it. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, I still believed I was on my way to the storybook happy ending none of the women in my family had ever managed to achieve.

I mean, I even made a sweater for him and every knitter on the planet knows you never knit a sweater for the one you love until you had the ring on your finger.

What was I thinking?

I guess the truth is I wasn't thinking at all. All those romantic movies and novels I had devoured over the years hadn't prepared me for the real thing. Luke and I had gone from zero to sixty in a nanosecond, from strangers to lovers to living together in less time than it took most people to shake hands.

But then this wasn't the real world. It just looked like it.

By the way, I'm Chloe Hobbs, knit shop owner and de facto mayor of Sugar Maple, a tiny little town tucked between two mountains in the northwest corner of Vermont. We're a classic New England hamlet, famous for scenic views and great shopping but, trust me, there's more going on in Sugar Maple than meets the eye.

Up until Luke, a former police detective from Boston, showed up in early December to investigate the drowning death of his friend Suzanne Marsden, I had been the only resident human. Well, half human to be precise but without magick the sorceress side of my lineage hardly mattered.

Remember the old TV show The Munsters? Marilyn was the all-American blonde who stuck out like a sore thumb in her family of irregulars. I guess you could say that was the part I played here in Sugar Maple. When the real world came calling, I was the one who answered.

And even I had to admit I was the logical choice.

A tenth generation witch owns the Cut & Curl across the street from my knit shop. The hardware store is run by the sweetest family of werewolves you'll ever meet. The Sugar Maple Arts Playhouse is under the direction of shape shifters who serve as their own repertory company. Faeries keep the Inn's restaurant fully booked and I guess it wouldn't surprise you to learn that the town funeral parlor belongs to a happily married couple who happen to be vampire.

And that doesn't count the trolls, selkies, goblins, sprites, spirits, and mountain giants who call our town home.

The unexpected success of my yarn shop had brought even more attention to Sugar Maple than our white picket fences and picturesque village green. My shop had been rated New England's number one knitting destination two years running and if the blogosphere had anything to do with it, we were about to make it three for three. A protective spell cast over our town by one of my ancestors made it possible for us to hide in plain sight but when that spell started wearing down last year—well, that was when the troubles really started.

My ancestor Aerynn had fled Salem during the infamous witch hunts and found sanctuary here with other outcasts in search of a home. Aerynn was a sorceress, and she expressed her gratitude by casting a protective charm over Sugar Maple designed to keep the village safe from the sharp eyes of the real world as long as one of her female descendants walked the earth.

I was the last descendant of Aerynn and, in the eyes of almost everyone in town, pretty much of a loser. Oh, they loved me but I don't think even my closest friends believed I would ever come through for Sugar Maple. I mean, I was almost thirty years old with no husband, no kid, and no magic. Even worse, I had no prospects of any kind. The only thing I had going for me was the ability to knit and spin like my foremothers, but even I didn't think I could stockinette my way out of the mess the town was in.

And then Luke showed up and everything changed.

Who would have guessed that love would trigger my inner sorceress and awaken powers I didn't know existed. Suddenly I had everything I had ever dreamed about: magick and love and enough yarn to last ten lifetimes.

And who would have guessed it wouldn't be close to enough to save us.

*Continue reading more of this great excerpt by (clicking here)

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About Barbara Bretton:

Barbara Bretton is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of more than 40 books. Her most recent title, Laced With Magic, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She currently has over ten million copies in print around the world and have been translated into twelve languages in over twenty countries.

Barbara has been featured in articles in The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Romantic Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Herald News, Home News, Somerset Gazette,among others, and has been interviewed by Independent Network News Television, appeared on the Susan Stamberg Show on NPR, and been featured in an interview with Charles Osgood of WCBS, among others.

Her awards include both Reviewer's Choice and Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times; Gold and Silver certificates from Affaire de Coeur; the RWA Region 1 Golden Leaf; and several sales awards from Bookrak. Ms. Bretton was included in a recent edition of Contemporary Authors.

Barbara loves to spend as much time as possible in Maine with her husband, walking the rocky beaches and dreaming up plots for upcoming books.

You can visit Barbara’s website at www.barbarabretton.com, her blog at http://bmafb.blogspot.com or connect with her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/barbarbretton.com.

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Win Prizes!

Barbara Bretton's LACED WITH MAGIC VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on August 3 and end on September 25. You can visit Barbara's blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of August and September 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.

Author Guest Post - Phyllis Zimbler Miller + Giveaway

Today it is my pleasure to welcome Phyllis Zimbler Miller, author of Anatomy of an Information Product Launch, to Cafe of Dreams!

Thank you, Phyllis, for taking the time to give readers an informative filled guest post!

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I Wrote This Ebook to Save You From Going Through What I Had to Do

My business partner Yael K. Miller and I sweated through the frustration of all the different things that have to be considered, decided on and implemented before the launch of an online information product.

After we’d spent a month doing this, I decided to release an ebook to save others from having to struggle so much.

The result is the ebook What You Should Know About the Launch of an Online Information Product – http://budurl.com/productlaunchebook – that can help you launch your own online information product or simply provide you with a great deal of information on how Internet marketing works.

One of the main tenets of the Miller Mosaic Internet marketing program www.WeTeachWebMarketing.com is NOT to overwhelm people but instead to make things easy to understand.

And this is why it was very important to make the immediate experience after paying for the membership program a pleasant experience and NOT a frustrating one.

Yet as Yael and I were trying to do this, we ran into a problem with “machine think.” Simply put, the software was doing what it was designed to do but it was not user-friendly.

Yael and I had to come up with a solution to work around this problem in order to deliver on our promise of not overwhelming people. And this is only one of the things we had to work around to provide a pleasant experience for our program members.

If you want to find out more about all the “little” things you need to consider when launching an online information product, get the ebook What You Should Know About the Launch of an Online Information Product – http://budurl.com/productlaunchebook – now.

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About Phyllis Zimbler Miller:

Phyllis Zimbler Miller started Miller Mosaic, LLC to provide the services she wanted for herself for online marketing. The publication of Phyllis’ MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL in April 2008 launched Phyllis into internet marketing, including using social networking such as Twitter and Facebook to market her book.

Phyllis hired her daughter Yael K. Miller – now the chief technology officer for Miller Mosaic, LLC — and together they have created the internet marketing company Miller Mosaic, LLC that helps people promote their brand, book or business.

In April Phyllis became a National Internet Business Examiner at ww.InternetBizBlogger.com, writing articles several times a week on effective internet businesses and internet marketing. Then in June Phyllis wrote a month-long series on the steps of an information product launch in anticipation of the July 1st launch of the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.

This article series forms the basis of the just-released ebook “ANATOMY OF AN INFORMATION PRODUCT LAUNCH: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF AN ONLINE INFORMATION PRODUCT.” In this ebook Phyllis has shared the trials and triumphs of launching an online information product.

Phyllis has a B.A in journalism from Michigan State University and worked as a journalist for several years. She also studied advertising design at the Philadelphia College of Art before earning an M.B.A. at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and working in marketing and web design in Los Angeles.

You can visit her website at www.MillerMosaicLLC.com to learn more about the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program and you can read her Examiner.com articles at www.InternetBizBlogger.com.

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About the book:

If you had a great idea today for an online information product – something for which you’ve identified a definite niche market – would you know the steps to take to get the product launched online? Steps such as the right software, shopping cart, copywriting, and online promotion needed?

If there’s a possible online information product in your future – or if you simply want to learn more about internet marketing – come along with National Internet Business Examiner Phyllis Zimbler Miller as she explains in details the steps she took in a one-month pre-launch for an online information product.

Phyllis pulls back the curtain to reveal everything she knew and everything she had to learn to fulfill her goal. And after reading this ebook ANATOMY OF AN ONLINE PRODUCT LAUNCH, you’ll be able to use this accumulated knowledge for yourself.

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Excerpt:

Beware of Software Programs That Think Like Machines and Not Like People: Day 19

When you are setting up an information product launch that requires different software programs to work together, it’s important to remember that you are dealing with what I call “machine think.”

As you may recall, in my article of June 9th I talked about the bundled offer I had decided to create:

People signing up in July for the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program would get for free an ebook of this entire month’s articles on launching an information product. Then starting August 1st the ebook would sell for $19.95 on the MillerMosaicLLC.com site.

Now here’s how the integration of our shopping cart software and our membership software works:

As soon as a person makes the payment through the shopping cart software, the person is suppose to be taken to the registration page for the membership site.

But because I had bundled a digital download product – the ebook – with the membership fee, the shopping cart software did what it was programmed to do. It inserted a step into the process and first took a person who had just paid to a new page to download the ebook.

In small letters below that ebook download link appeared the sentence: Once you have completed your downloads, please click here to complete your order.

I realized that this was totally unacceptable because people would download the ebook and then miss the link to the registration page. Then this would cause lots of emails asking where was the registration page.

Employing “people think,” I thought about how the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program is a membership program. This means that getting to the registration page after paying is the most important action for the new member. The download can wait a minute or two.

Thus I went back into the shopping cart software and removed the bundled offer, leaving the membership product by itself. This then automatically removed the ebook download page from the process and took a new member directly to the registration page.

Plus to make sure we don’t disappoint anyone, even for a minute or two, we added the information at the top of the registration page that, as soon as the registration is filled out, the person would get access to the ebook download.

Why have I gone into such detail on what it appears to be a minor detail?

Because it is not a minor detail. If I had left the bundled offer in the shopping cart I would have risked confusing many people.

One of the main tenets of the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program is NOT to overwhelm people but instead to make things easy to understand. And this is why it was very important to make the immediate experience after paying for the membership program a pleasant experience and NOT a frustrating one.

The moral of this story? Whenever you create a process for customers/clients, put yourself in their point of view. Realize that they don’t know what you know – and figure out what they need to know/do to smoothly accomplish the “next steps.”

Sometimes focusing on the customer’s/client’s point of view will require finding a way around “machine think” – and your customers/clients will appreciate the “people think” process.

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Win Prizes!

Phyllis Zimbler Miller's ANATOMY OF AN INFORMATION PRODUCT LAUNCH VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on August 3 and end on August 28. You can visit Phyllis' blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of 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.


Along with this great guest post, I have the honor of giving one lucky winner their very own copy of this ebook: “ANATOMY OF AN INFORMATION PRODUCT LAUNCH: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF AN ONLINE INFORMATION PRODUCT.”

To enter, simply leave a comment below along with your email address. Contest will be open until Aug. 31st!

Good Luck, Everyone!