At some point in our lives, we have a battle. Mine most recently was Lyme Disease, which I beat with a lot of hard work and prayer. This marathon was my celebration of a completely healthy and balanced body. Before the gun was shot at o-dark-thirty in the morning, I had already won!

So remember this: “Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins is the fellow who thinks he can.”

It’s all in the state of mind…

The weather did not change nor did it become less sporadic. She simply “chose” to stop complaining about it and move on.

How simple a principle. Try applying it to life…not as easy. BUT, it can make a big difference in our perspective, thereby changing “us,” which is all we have control over.

So, I will attempt to embrace our 80 mph winds when they come and see the beauty in snow that falls in May. The wind blows the weather out or new weather in, and the snow brings well-needed moisture to the Rocky Mountains so that we may not thirst.

The weather did not change nor did it become less sporadic. She simply “chose” to stop complaining about it and move on.

How simple a principle. Try applying it to life…not as easy. BUT, it can make a big difference in our perspective, thereby changing “us,” which is all we have control over.

So, I will attempt to embrace our 80 mph winds when they come and see the beauty in snow that falls in May. The wind blows the weather out or new weather in, and the snow brings well-needed moisture to the Rocky Mountains so that we may not thirst.

At some point in our lives, we have a battle. Mine most recently was Lyme Disease, which I beat with a lot of hard work and prayer. This marathon was my celebration of a completely healthy and balanced body. Before the gun was shot at o-dark-thirty in the morning, I had already won!

So remember this: “Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins is the fellow who thinks he can.”

It’s all in the state of mind…

1. Shallow but smothering. These weeds are easily pulled out because their roots do not go deep. The challenge is finding the entire weed! They spread out and grow over the healthy plants. Left alone, they begin smothering the plant from the top down.
2. Beautiful but overbearing. These weeds are deceiving because their bright-colored blossoms appear to be lovely. But take a closer look, and they are taking over large areas of your garden. If left unattended, they will overpower your garden, and eventually healthy plants will be unable to grow.
3. Wide and wicked. These weeds are big and bad. They cover the ground and spread about until they dominate the plants around them. Their roots are even thick, embedding them firmly into the soil. They are a pain to extract.
4. Deep and deadly. These weeds may not be seen on the surface. They tend to be small and unobtrusive, but don’t let them fool you. Their roots go literally a foot or more down into the tough, solid ground, preventing complete extraction. They are stubborn, strong and difficult to kill.

Weeding is definitely not for wimps. It will indeed be hard work, but you won’t regret the beautiful green, lush garden that will flourish. You have to be prepared to yank, pull, tug, dig, pry, spray, stomp and destroy those unwanted weeds. So grab your gloves and slap on some sunscreen…let’s weed!

I need to tell you something: I would prefer that you not attend my funeral when I die, unless of course you need the closure. I don’t much care to know how many people acknowledged my death as that won’t really matter at that point. No, I much rather have my friends celebrate and live life with me while I am alive.

Please be a part of my life!

I know funeral attendance is supposed to show how much impact a person made in the world, but I would prefer knowing today that I made a difference in your life this very moment. I want to share in the joys and sorrows of life together by talking on the telephone, a device often forgotten these days. My phone is often silent, lacking any ring, especially on holidays. Our busy lives do not always allow us to meet face to face, but perhaps we could Skype once in a while to catch up? I miss seeing you. I desire to hear your laugh, see the sparkle in your eye and welcome the opportunity to dry a tear when you need. I would love to feel appreciated and loved while I am still on this earth and know that I have a friend whom I can count on to walk the journey of life with me.

Let’s walk the journey of life together!

I also need you to know something else: I don’t give things to get anything in return, but I would like to know that my efforts of time, money, energy, and thoughtfulness were appreciated. When thank you’s are skipped, the opportunity to be grateful is lost because the recipient may lose site of the fact that someone cared enough to give to them, and the giver may forget that they have someone to love. Personally, I miss hand-written notes where I can see your personality on the paper and almost imagine your expression as you wrote it. Those hand-written notes and cards are like receiving a little piece of you in the mail. Again, I know we are all really busy, but I pray we do not forget to simply acknowledge kindness and the desire to return in kind.

Let’s stay in touch

In a world of technology, I fear we are becoming more isolated and alone. Postings on social media sites intended to reach the masses are not intimate nor do they connect any of us together; they merely give us information that is flat, emotionless and void of human contact. Text messages that may be convenient for someone can appear abrupt and heartless on the receiving end. Relationships are meant to be valued and treasured. Let’s not short cut the important parts of life in the name of efficiency. Relationships are a bit messy and inconvenient. But oh the rewards and joys that come from investing in one another!

Let’s make the time!

What I am asking is that you give to our friendship what you can, and I will continue to do the same by sending cards, praying for you, calling, Emailing…reaching out in love. Anyone can do more than nothing. Thoughtful gestures and cards can brighten a person’s day and remind them that they aren’t alone. How ironic in an age where people can have thousands of so-called friends that many feel isolated and alone. I hope and pray that social media loses its foothold grasp on much of the population or that we learn to balance old-fashioned communication with it before we lose our connection with one another, our community and our compassion.

Let’s be REAL friends!

As for me, if you are a person who considers me a true friend, then I shall repeat my request: BE my friend while I am living rather than a funeral participant upon my death. Friendship and life are a gift; let us not take either for granted.

I’ve been in the publishing industry for over 20 years. During that time, I have handled just about every aspect from acquisition of authors to product development, marketing and PR as well as sales. In 2004, however, I was introduced to the role of author. I decided that since I had published so many others and helped them become successful that I wanted my “day in the sun.” I now have seven published books out in the market. Here’s my story and how YOU can get published.
Just because I had contacts and knew the right people didn’t guarantee me as a “shoe in.” I still had to work the system and submit manuscripts, receiving a ton of rejection letters before finally being accepted after four years of work. My first word of advice to you: Toughen up! You will need to handle rejection and criticism and become VERY patient. So do you want to get published? Why? You must hold on to your why in order to sustain the process. And your why will determine which route you take: traditional publishing, self-publishing or hybrid models.
Traditional Publishing
If you are a speaker and want to have books for the back of the room, you desire to spread a message out to the masses, you have limited financial resources or you are a writer but not a marketer, then the traditional route is for you. The publisher takes all the risk and pays you a “fee” or advance to write the project. You are given a deadline and a set amount of words to provide to the publisher on the agreed topic, of which they can edit and change. You are the author, but they own the product. They will create a nice cover and hopefully market and sell your book to the masses. They have the contacts and staff, in theory. You aren’t responsible for selling the book but can buy books at a discount to re-sell. You are not permitted to sell to their accounts. Remember, a traditional publisher is in it for the money! This is an investment that they hope will pay off.
Traditional publishing has changed dramatically through the years, and the budgets are even smaller. Manage your expectations and realize that unless you are a BIG name, you will not be given much exposure or attention. Be thankful for your published book and do what you can to promote it.
The best way to get a traditional publisher is A) Get an agent, which many want to only work with published authors, thus the Catch 22 scenario. But, get a copy of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents, and you will have a wealth of information on who you can contact that is looking for new, fresh blood. Ten years ago, you didn’t need an agent, but any more, publishers prefer agents. I am seeing another shift taking place, so don’t give up if you don’t have one. Publishing are still looking for long-term, solid relationships with good writers. B) Self-agent and submit query letters. Most publishers will not accept unsolicited manuscripts, but start establishing a relationship and pitch yourself and your idea quickly and effectively. For a phenomenal way of pitching your book, contact me for a Book Proposal form and coaching through the process. I guarantee that this process will be more difficult than writing the book itself, but you will be equipped to sell yourself and your idea to a publisher with a good chance of at least getting considered.
If you get to the next level, non-fiction book publishers will need to see some sample chapters. Don’t write any more than three because they could change the direction on you. Save your energy. But, if you have a fiction book, then you will need to submit most of the manuscript for review.
Self-Publishing
If you just want to publish a book to say you did, need back of room products for speaking, are looking to gain some credibility in a field you know, are a marketing machine and have some money to spend, then you can self-publish. Self-publishing has come a long way and has gained respect through the years. It used to be that you could tell that a book was self-published, and many key accounts (Barnes & Nobles and the like) wouldn’t stock them. Today, however, books are done well enough to see shelves in national chains. Be warned that with self-publishing, you are taking the risk and the one responsible for marketing, promoting AND selling your book. If you only want them for your garage and BOR sales, then you are set. You can print on demand at a reasonable rate. If, though, you desire market penetration, then you will need to pick up a copy of Guerilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Larsen. You can’t be shy about marketing and promoting your own book if you want to get it out there.
It is relatively easy to find a printer. Check out the World-wide Web. Shop and compare to find the best deal: price per book, turn around time, etc. One important factor to consider is availability for key accounts. In order for them to agree to sell your book, they will require special terms. You will need to give them a steep discount with the ability to return books. You will also need to ship books to them in a hurry if they order more. Make sure you or your printer can fulfill the demands. Each key account has a requirement sheet you can obtain from their buyer. Manage your expectations by knowing this is a hard road to travel. But, once in a while, someone does an incredible job of selling their self-published book to the point that a big publishing house contracts them for more books. You never know! Always keep a positive attitude.
Hybrid Model Publishers
If you are a marketing machine, high energy, have time to dedicate to promoting, want BOR sales and desire market penetration, then the hybrid model will be a great option for you. This model did not even exist 10 years ago, but self-publishing led the way. People found themselves able to print their books but didn’t know what to do with them once they had them, thus the “I’ve got a garage full of books” syndrome. A hybrid publisher will not only print your books (again, you are taking the risk and paying for them) but they will off Ala Carte services such as marketing, PR and sales. You basically buy what you need. If you are better with a checkbook than sales, you can purchase a team to support your project. It will cost you, but you will get key account representation and book promotion.
Check references on your hybrid publisher and ensure that they do have the contacts you seek. If your book is in the health and fitness genre but your publisher has contacts in the automobile industry, that isn’t a fit. Matching your product with your publishing will be key. Another option that I have offered to authors is self-publishing and then hiring an industry veteran like myself to sell and promote. The beauty with the hybrid model is you can be creative! Work with your strengths and hire out the rest.
Once you select the route you will take, no matter who you are, here are my suggestions to you:
 Want to write? Read! Read all kinds of books, different genres and different styles. The more you see, the more you can develop your own style
 Keep writing!
 Stay positive and surround yourself with positive people
 Join a writers group at your local B&N
 Hire a consultant like myself to coach you through
 Hire an editor to help review manuscripts, which I can also assist you with. I always have someone edit my work before I submit it to my editor at the publishing house
 Keep a Thesaurus handy
 Learn the Chicago Manual of Style, which most publishers use
 Don’t lose sight of everything else…you must still balance the other things of life. Dedicate time to write and block out time for promoting, but do not give more than 10 to 20% of your day to it or it can eat you alive!
 Manage your expectations. We can’t all be Stephen Kings.

On that note, I would say that if I had the money, I would go the hybrid route. Currently, I have used the traditional model of publishing but have been disappointed with their service and efforts. But, they did produce awesome covers and got my books national exposure. Every option has its pros and cons.
I believe everyone has a book in them, but not every one can write a book. Further, not everyone who even writes a book can get published. Give it some thought and sleep on it. If you find yourself thinking of writing when you aren’t writing, then you should pursue it. Writing a book isn’t as romantic as the movies make it to be, but it is THE most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, especially when a reader contacts you to say you changed their life for the better. My best to you in your endeavors, and I hope my story helped!