Interview with the Association for Natural Psychology, author of Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Guidebook for Parents and Teachers

Posted on May 14, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 5 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome the Association for Natural Psychology to the blog today! They are the authors of Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Guidebook for Parents and Teachers. He’s here to share some information about his book and if this sounds like the type of book that you would be interested in reading, please find buy links at the bottom of the post and pick up a copy for you and a friend!

IBP - Tell us about your new release?

Association for Natural Psychology - Overcoming ADHD Without Medication provides parents with practical ideas to help their children and teens to overcome ADHD symptoms. These ideas have proven to be effective, are field developed and tested, are based on clinical studies as well as from personal experiences of those who have overcome ADHD.

IBP – Tell me a little about yourself

Association for Natural Psychology - The AYCNP is a 501(c)3 New Jersey non-profit started by public school educators. It provides practical, evidence-based ideas in non-pharmaceutical self-help for mental health difficulties and disorders. It also recognizes and emphasizes the value of prevention. The AYCNP endeavors to reach out and give back to local communities and build greater awareness through education. The Association for Youth, Children and Natural Psychology (AYCNP), is also called the Association for Natural Psychology, when providing educational materials related to adult mental health.

The AYCNP has been providing information to the public on mental health since 2008 from many sources. Numerous professionals have contributed impetus to the development of its materials, including medical doctors, therapists, psychology professors and psychologists. Overcoming ADHD Without Medication was researched over a period of six or seven years. Some of the material in it represents the life-work of dedicated professionals who work daily with children.

IBP - Did you have support at the beginning and/or during your writing?

Association for Natural Psychology - In the beginning of the research of Overcoming ADHD Without Medication, Russell Barkley, PhD, the well know neurologist and ADHD expert, provide encouragement and guidance that sparked further research. Joel Nigg, PhD of associate professor of psychology Michigan State Universtiy also provided valuable support. Daniella Barroqueira, PhD of Illinois State University provided help, as did a number of school psychologists, teachers, special education teachers, preschool teachers as well as a professional reading coach. Iowa State University also contributed valuable information for use in this book. Another source of support and inspiration has been David Rabiner, PhD, chief scientific researcher on ADHD at Duke Univesrity, who provided valuable material published in Overcoming ADHD Without Medication, as well as personal communications and insights. His newsletter on ADHD provides a steady flow of well-developed analysis on current research and is of value and readable by both professionals and non-professionals, anyone interested in the subject.

IBP – Do you keep track or write reviews for books you read?

Association for Natural Psychology - The Association for Natural Psychology (AYCNP) reads and reviews psychology books on a regular basis, and tries to keep abreast of latest developments in mental health and ADHD in particular. Hundreds of books helpful to the reader on the subjec of ADHD, depression, and bipolar disorder self help are catalogued on its website, in addition to many detailed reviews. Additionally, the AYCNP provides a carefully selected list of over 200 books for children and teens, most of which have been personally reviewed by members of the AYCNP, gathered from field work in public schools, public libraries and school librarians and awards lists. This provides parents and teachers, as well as teens themselves, a rich supply of positive and character building books for preK through high school, for their children or students.

IBP – Do you have advice for unpublished authors?

Association for Natural Psychology - I would recommend that individuals who may have a unique story or experience, or a personal life experience concerning ADHD or other mental health disorder, that they feel can help others, to by all means put it in a book form for publishing or self-publishing. Someone will read it, and it can add to the pool of knowledge on the subject.

IBP – Why did you choose the genre you write in?

Association for Natural Psychology - The impetus for this book came from working with children in public schools and concern for the serious problems many of them were experiencing. Further inspiration came from interviewing a reading coach in Paterson, NJ who had worked with hundreds of children who had been charaterized as having ADHD. Some children were heavily medicated from as young as preschool, some in grade school, and certain pre-teens were deeply distressed by forced medication. Many pre-teens in public schools played as much as five hours of video games a day after school, and admitted that they were “addicted”. At the same time, there was often positive response from the same children to art, which helped them settle down and focus. This provided the foundation for Overcoming ADHD Without Medication.

Sandra Rief’s book is popular in public schools, How to Reach and Teach ADHD Children, and provided further impetus for approaching the topic from a different angle that wasn’t covered by Rief, a former special education teacher.

IBP - Your favorite books and author?

Association for Natural Psychology - There are a number of books on the subject of ADHD with value for parents and teachers. As mentioned, Sandra Rief’s How to Reach and Teach ADHD Children, is a good resource for teachers, with many practical ideas. Clinical (child) psychologist Susan Ashley, and her book, The ADD & ADHD Answer Book: Professional Answers to 275 of the Top Questions Parents Ask, is an excellent resource for parents and teachers. Rethinking ADHD: Integrated Approaches to Helping Children at Home and at School by Vicki Anderson and Tim Godber provides insight into children’s mental health issues and ADHD in particular, providing excellent research for parents and others interested in the topic. From a scientific point of view, Joel Nigg’s, What Causes ADHD?: Understanding What Goes Wrong and Why by Joel T. Nigg, PhD provides further insight from clinical studies on ADHD. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy, by Iowa State University researchers Craig A. Anderson, Douglas A. Gentile, Katherine E. Buckley, helps to prove that there is a link for some boys between playing violent video games and symptoms associated with ADHD.

Because art helps many children to focus and overcome some of the core symptoms of ADHD, the book Drawing Animals: 30th Anniversary Edition by Norman Adams and Joe Singer is recommended for children and teens, and the book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards, now in its 4th edition, is worth giving as a gift to teens. Art can help some teens and children to ovecome some of the symptoms of ADHD. There are many other excellent resources on the subject of ADHD, too many to mention here, and parents can gather good ideas from many different sources.

IBP – Where is your work available?

Association for Natural Psychology - Overcoming ADHD Without Medication is available in paperback from all major bookstores and online sources including Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, online and stores. It is also available in eBook format on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Overdrive (for libraries), EBSCO, and numerous other online sources.

The AYCNP Twitter page regularly posts articles on mental health, including ADHD, depression and bipolar disorder, that has much value.

IBP – What is in the works for you next?

Association for Natural Psychology - The AYCNP is planning to release the book, Meeting the Challenge of Bipolar Disorder, Self Help Strategies that Work! by the Association for Natural Psychology, main text edited by Gabrielle Woods, PhD and Foreword by Laura Pipoly, PC, EdD, in Fall, 2013 as a distributed eBook and self-published paperback. It is currently available on Kindle as a pre-release preview edition.

Purchase Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Guidebook for Parents and Teachers.

Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Guidebook for Parents and Teachers can be purchased online from the following locations (off-site links to actual book page):

Retail book and ebook: Amazon.com -Barnes & Noble – eBook: Kindle – Kobo

Wholesale book and ebook: Baker & Taylor – Ingram – Cardinal Publishers Group

eBook also available from Overdrive and EBSCO

Superar el Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad (TDAH) Sin Medicación: Guía para Padres y Educadores(Spanish Edition)

Amazon.com – e-Libro: Kindle – Barnes & Noble Nook – Kobo – Overdrive

For More Information follow:

Twitter * Facebook * Website * Pinterest * Publisher’s website

Filed Under: Interview, non-fiction

Interview with Kytka Hilmar-Jezek, author of Book Power: A Platform for Writing, Branding, Positioning and Publishing

Posted on May 8, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 9 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Kytka Hilmar-Jezek to the blog. She is a speaker and the author of Book Power: A Platform for Writing, Branding, Positioning and Publishing among many others. Kytka is here to share some information about her latest book which actually helps people to write their books. If this sounds like the sort of book you would be interested in reading, please use the buy links at the bottom of the post to pick up a copy or two.

IBP: How would you describe your book in 20 words or less without using the blurb?

Kytka: The book invites each person to the game of writing to express their unique voice and journey!

IBP: Tell us a little about yourself.

Kytka: I was born in Prague, Czech Republic and have always done a lot of travel. My parents are entrepreneurs who had many businesses and so I learned early on to cherish the freedom of working for oneself. Being a writer and speaker allow me to work from anywhere, though I do confess it feels much more like playing. I enjoy the freedom of not being tied to any 9 to 5 type of responsibility and that residual royalties continue to come, whether I am writing or not. So I travel a lot. There are so many incredible things to see and do, my children come with me and experiencing the world is their curriculum.

IBP: Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

Kytka: Many years ago I thought I had that place and then life shifted. I learned that home is not a place but a way of being. I am at home wherever I am with my children. There are so many beautiful places and even more beautiful people, it’s good to have the opportunity to move around and get to experience them. If I had to choose a specific place, it would need to be somewhere near where the mountains meet the sea.

IBP: What’s your current guilty pleasure?

Kytka: Theater. Wherever we go, we try to schedule things that we can see a performance. Music, dance, stage plays, opera even open mic night, we love to see people show their creative sides when performing. There is so much undiscovered talent in the world. It’s also a very intimate experience, to see someone completely become a character in a play or to sing from their heart and soul. I love that human connection. When I do my live events with authors, I see a part of that same spark in the attendees. People are beautiful when their passion is sparked and they are encouraged to show what’s inside of them.

IBP: What do you love about writing?

Kytka: I love telling it like it is. So many people in our culture are looking to do things a specific way, or the “right” way. When I write, I just allow my inner truth to come forth. I don’t worry about being judged or measured. I am grateful for the freedom to express and share my own experience and because it is my own experience, I like the powerful feeling of owning it. Life is too short to pretend to be someone else. I get a lot of letters, and when I receive them and people tell me that my work shifted their life, I know I’ve made a difference – that feels incredible.

IBP: What’s the hardest part of writing a book?

Kytka: Well, the last 8 years of my life have been spent teaching people how to create books, and how easy it can be. I like when people are authentic and speak in their own voice, so I encourage them to speak their books into being, and then have the audios transcribed. I know that this ruffles the feathers of some other writers, but to each his own. Most of my students are business people who are writing non fiction about how to do specific things, how they conduct their specific business or service. They do not think of themselves as writers and they get stuck sitting over the keyboard because in their minds they believe a writer writes a specific way. When I take away that barrier and allow them to speak about what they do, what they are passionate about – the content just flows and oftentimes it’s quite brilliant. I always carry a recorder and when I get into those moments of flow myself, I capture everything. I don’t believe there is anything hard about writing a book.

IBP: Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

Kytka: Of course, as most of my books are non-fiction – I share much of my journey. I’ve written a lot of parenting, homeschooling, alternative medicine and raw foods books – under my name and pen names. Every book has my experiences in it.

IBP: Where do you get your inspiration?

Kytka: I get my inspiration from the wonderful life I have been blessed to live. I love research and more often than not, I take the road less traveled I see myself as a pioneer and when I was younger, it was difficult because I lacked support and community. This was before social media, meetups and Facebook But now, some twenty years later. I get to see all of the choices I researched and made then becoming more mainstream. It’s a wonderful feeling to think that perhaps my bravery to walk the talk and then share it in writing may have forged a path for others now on a similar life journey. I’m most inspired when I get hand written letters from my readers, telling me how I have shifted their life experience. I save each and every one of them. It feels good to know I am making a difference.

IBP: What book is currently on your nightstand?

Kytka: I’m currently re-reading “The Hand” by Frank R. Wilson. It discusses how it’s uses actually shapes the brain, language and human culture. Actually, I often simultaneously read related books in groups, so next to The Hand I also have “The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image” by Leonard Shlain. Both fascinating in their subject matter about how our brains develop and work.

IBP: Where can your fans find you?

Kytka: My name is so unusual, they can just search my first name and I pop up everywhere! My main blog is BeMoreThanYouAre.com and my contact site is KytkaMedia.com. I’m on all the social media, again just look for me by my first name.

IBP: Vampires or werewolves?

Kytka: Not my favorite choice, but if I had to choose, vampires. I read interview with the Vampire in 1977 and I loved Anne Rice. At that time I only read fiction. I graduated from those types of books to non-fiction around 1982 and I never looked back though if you ask Lestat or Louis, definitely Louis. I loved his tragic life, perhaps the influence crossed over to my love of the theater and performing arts. Is the Phantom of the Opera a choice? He’d win.

IBP: Are you writing something else at the moment?

Kytka: Yes, I am writing a book on how children learn and how minds of entrepreneurs work in much the same way as children’s minds. I’m a strong advocate of alternative education and all three of my children were home and unschooled so it’s something I’m passionate about. I am also continuously writing new training materials for my Book Power students because the technology is shifting so fast, I need to keep up with the game!

Blurb:

The Time Is Now. In today’s social world, if you are not seen across numerous channels in a consistent and regular way, you may as well be invisible. In Book Power: A Platform for Writing, Branding, Positioning and Publishing, author Kytka Hilmar-Jezek takes you by the hand and walks you through from start to finish. Your book be written in a matter of days, you will know how to maximize the power of your book to attract clients, grow your business, create residual income streams, open doors and much more.

“In Book Power Kytka has broken this process down to an easy to understand and easy to apply complete system for anyone who has a burning desire to share their experience and insights with the world. Her information is comprehensive and applicable to this modern era of social media and online marketing…the leveling field for authors of all kinds. If you are ready to share your gifts with humanity start reading this book now!” ~ From Natalie Ledwell, Author of Never in Your Wildest Dreams, speaker and co-founder of MindMovies.com

Book Power: A Platform for Writing, Branding, Positioning & Publishing can be found on

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Goodreads * Author Central

Bio:

Kytka Hilmar-Jezek, is a Best Selling Author of Reiki for Children, Waldorf Community Exchange, Born To Learn, The Growing Entrepreneur and Book Power. She founded Waldorf Homeschoolers in 1996 and has been an active voice in alternative education since. Kytka is a mover and shaker who continuously challenges the status quo and introduces people to a New Paradigm way of being. She is an international speaker and an inspirational powerhouse. Her approachable personality tends to have people perceive her more as a Luminary than just a Leader, because she tends to light the path for others by being a living example of the subject matter she speaks and writes about.

Kytka can be found on

Twitter * Facebook * Google+ * Website

Filed Under: Author Promotion, bio/blurb feature, Book Promotion, Interview, non-fiction

Guest post with Rebecca T. Dickson, author of The Definitive Guide to Writing on Your Terms

Posted on April 15, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 10 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Rebecca T. Dickson to the blog. She is the author of The Definitive Guide to Writing on Your Terms, Using Your Own Honest-to-God, Gut-Wrenching Voice. She is here to share some information about her book. If this sounds like a book you would be interested in, use the orange buttons in this post to pick up a copy or two.

Fear is basically a combination of two things: not knowing the outcome and not believing in yourself. And that’s exactly why I launched RebeccaTDickson.com. To show you how to write on your terms and to boost your confidence.

Everything I have went into that site. I want you to break free of your self-doubt.

The one thing I haven’t yet given you is something tangible, a step-by-step guide if you will, to help you put your guts on the page.

Most of you are familiar with my screw-the-fear-I-can-do-this mantra. But now you need to move forward.

Enter my new badass project.

The Definitive Guide to Writing on Your Terms Using Your Own Honest-to-God, Gut-wrenching Voice

Because:
You don’t need anyone’s permission to write, or to write what you want.
You are the only one holding you back.
You have the power to change everything.

When this book is released on May 1st, it will go for $24.95.

Today ONLY, you can get it for just $12.
(Yes, that’s more than 50% off. You’re welcome.)
Click the orange button to order on my website.

What this book will do for you

• Nudge you (more like shove) to write passionately and meaningfully.
• Help you define exactly why you want to write and show you how.
• Guide you step-by-step through the fear and anxiety that is preventing you from writing. Because, let’s face it, if you weren’t afraid of something, you’d be writing already.
• Show you simple things you can do NOW – right this second – to get your writing unblocked and the words flowing.

This is NOT a book about:
• Author platform building
• Copywriting
• Social media
• Selling your books
• Offering your services
• Advertising
• Newsletters
• Developing online courses

If you don’t want to write, this is not for you.

If you don’t think swearing is funny, this is not for you.

If you want to learn how to diagram sentences á la 6th grade English, discuss verb-noun agreement or the merits of the Oxford comma, this is not for you.

On the other hand …

If you’ve had an idea for a story rattling around in your head for a decade and need help getting it out …
OR if you always wanted to write but convinced yourself you didn’t have the time, talent or wherewithal …
OR if you want to take what’s beating inside your chest and throw it onto the page with fury and passion …

This book will help you with that.

Those of you who have worked with me on your manuscripts or in private coaching know my mantra. Readers are starving for substance without the bullshit. They want honesty. When they get it, they’re thankful you haven’t wasted their time. You can give them all of that just by being yourself.

You keep them reading. You are the only person who can make them feel something – the unabashed goal of every writer.

You’re probably thinking one of the following:

But I’m scared I suck.
But I don’t have time to write.
But what if no one reads my stuff?

If you truly want to write, then BUT doesn’t belong in your vocabulary.

Those concerns are reasonable. Sometimes, writing is scary. So is making time for yourself. And so is doing nothing. Besides, aren’t you wasting more time and energy by NOT writing? I mean, not doing the thing you love, day in and day out, is exhausting.

Here’s a thought: Don’t. The only thing in your way is you.

Stressed to the max? I totally get it. Kids. Full time job. House. Spouse. You have a million responsibilities. You’re exhausted, yet there’s always more to do. It doesn’t end. I wish I could say it would.

You have to decide when to do something for yourself. You deserve it. Maybe you’ve dreamed about writing your whole life. For many people, that is exactly what writing will always be: Something they dream about, but are sure they could never accomplish.

Guess what? You can. And you will.

This book is for people serious about writing.

The ones who come alive thinking about putting pen to paper.

This book is not for the ordinary.

Don’t buy it unless you’re willing to wrap your arms around what is possible and give it a big, fat kiss.

The Definitive Guide to Writing on Your Terms Using Your Own Honest-to-God, Gut-wrenching Voice is a digital book that includes 150 pages of “F*@k yeah” content, exercises and samples of my own writing, as well as videos to inspire. It is for writers who need help figuring out their voice, how to develop it, what tools they need to make it happen, how to use those tools and then how to package it all up.

In sum: It’s information, challenge, inspiration, strategy, tips, and practical advice from moi – the chick who’s been there – on how to be genuine and clear. For $12 – today ONLY.

What’s it worth to you to do something you’ve dreamed about your whole life?

Just click the orange button to order on my website.

Bio:

Rebecca T. Dickson is a writing coach, published author, editor, mom, daughter, sister, soon-to-be aunt, and huge German Shepherd lover. (But call her Becky.)

She is a former reporter and editor for the #1 small daily in New England. She suffered from scary serious writer’s block, which almost ruined her career. Until she fought back with her own personal brand of screw-you-I’m-doing-this-anyway. It’s become a mantra. And the impetus for her successful writing coach business.

Rebecca can be found everywhere:

Website * Twitter * Facebook * LinkedIn

YouTube * Tumblr * Google+ * Pinterest

Filed Under: Annoucement, Author Promotion, Book Promotion, Editing, Guest Post, non-fiction

Book Feature-The Passion of the Christoph by Christoph Paul

Posted on April 2, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 11 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Christoph Paul to the blog today! He is the author of The Passion of the Christoph and is here to share some information about his book! If this sounds like the sort of book you would be interested in reading, please find some buy links at the bottom of this post and pick up a copy or two.

Blurb: With a biting sense of humor, sarcasm, and a unique worldview, Christoph Paul’s The Passion of the Christoph exposes readers to an unprecedented commentary on every topic. Paul’s take on sex, religion, politics, sports, to name a few, will leave you transformed as you absorb this insightful compilation of satiric and hysterical essays.
“Hysterically funny, honest and irreverent—The Passion Of The Christoph has all these elements and more! Paul draws you in quickly with his ‘male’ take on the world—sometimes full of bravado and ego, but truthfully, touching (in a good way) that reveals true heart. I enjoyed every second of this book!”

Rachel Thompson, three-time Kindle bestselling author

“Everything you were afraid to ask (or find out) about men and sex, toilet paper rolls, porn stores, post sex etiquette, being single, and karma. Best humor book out there to date.”

Loren Kleinman, Columnist, IndieReader.com

* * *

Excerpt:

KarmaSutraSensei

Age: 38
Height: 5’7
Education: AA Degree
Kids: No
Looking for: Greatness or Enlightenment
Drink: Only Saki
Married: To my Dojo..but you could be next
Body Type: Athletic
Religion: Zen & Tantric Master
Race: Caucasian
Favorite Quote: “Because sometimes, what heart know, head forget.” Mr. Miyagi The Karate Kid.
Smoke: No

Konischiwa beautiful ladies, you must be amazing because karma has blessed you with finding me. I already know you what are thinking–you are adjusting yourself because my words have caused an inner full moon forcing water to move in certain areas of your body. Yes, listen to your body, it is telling you that you’ve found your Yang Master.

Long nights of meditation have given me great empathy & knowledge of what women truly want–someone who can take them on a sexual journey but also makes you feel safe, knowing that when you walk the street with me I can Crane Kick a rude man’s nose into his skull silencing his brain. He would die but your love for me would only grow stronger.

Yes, it is true you want a killer; I know this because I read great books, like this one: ‘The Way of The Superior Man’.

I am superior and you shall be my Yin Princess, but know my love–I am at one with the tao of nature’s plans as children are my passion. After years of great study and hard work I am now a sensei with a dojo in Silver Spring, Maryland–it’s on south street next to the Chuck E. Cheese and the Dollar Tree. I am working with an undisciplined class of yellow belts; it is a tough but yet rewarding calling to make lambs into lions. It is also pays more than even the greatest sushi chefs make in all of Tokyo.

Now that I have achieved true success and all my personal goals are fulfilled, I am ready to find a special woman and karate chop the wooden board that guards her heart from love.

Are you that women? If you are, get ready because…

KEEYA!!!

That is the sound great ninja masters make before destroying all that blocks the flow of chi (it is Taoism for sexual energy). Even if you have stone around your heart I will break it with great conversation and even better sake.

* * *

Author Bio: Christoph Paul is a former porn store manager and singer/guitarist of the rock band The Only Prescription. He graduated from Wilkes University with an M.A. in Creative Writing. The Passion of the Christoph is his first book of non-fiction and satire now available on Amazon. Christoph is now working on a YA book called Joey ‘The Art Film’ Caldo, and the collection of poetry Buy This Poetry Book So I Can Afford Therapy.

Christoph can be found:

Blog * Twitter * Facebook

The Passion of the Christoph is available on Amazon

Filed Under: bio/blurb feature, non-fiction

Book Feature with Patricia Dorsey, author Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia and My Magnolia Memories & Musings

Posted on March 30, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 9 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Patricia Dorsey to the blog. She’s here to share some information on her books. If her books sound like something you would be interested in reading, please find buy links at the bottom of the post and pick up a copy or two!

Patricia can be found:

WEBSITE * BLOG

Patricia’s books can be purchased on Amazon

Reflections * Magnolia Memories

Filed Under: Book Promotion, non-fiction, Uncategorized

Interview with A.I. Metam, author of The Success Book: Goals & Dreams

Posted on March 28, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 7 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome A.I Metam to the blog! He is the author of The Success Book: Goals & Dreams and is here to answer some of our questions and to share some information about his book. If this book interests you, please find buy links at the bottom of this post and pick up a copy or two.

IBP – Try to describe your book in one sentence.

AI – I do not see THE SUCCESS SERIES as ‘self-help’ books but as a ‘self-rediscovery’ trek from what we were meant to be, through where we are now and on to what we were meant to be all along.

IBP – Who are your cheerleaders?

AI – My wife, my son’s and a few trusted friends; all widely read, with divergent interests, talents and training. However, they are not “cheerleaders” as the question asks. I do not need people to blindly ‘root’ me on to something they do not understand or participate in. I want people around me who understand where I want to go and help me refine myself, my vision and my tasks to stay focused on my goals. These folks are my accountability team! If you do not know what I mean by that, you will have to read my books!

IBP -Did you have support at the beginning and/or during your writing?

AI – Yes, all that is contained in these three books was talked about before and during the writing process with my accountability team.

IBP – Have you always wanted to be a writer?

AI – I have always been a ‘story teller.’ A student once asked me during a class if I could answer a question without telling a story. So, I told a story about how I could not do that! So, storytelling, whether via voice or ‘pen’ has been a part of my life since childhood.

IBP - Where can your fans find your book?

AI – Currently my books can be found at Amazon/Kindle.

IBP – Morning person or night owl?

AI – I am very much a morning person. I’m ALWAYS up between 3am and no later than 4am seven days a week. I start by reading and then writing. This is a habit I have cherished and have followed since childhood. I love the quiet of the early morning hours. I have always enjoyed the rising of the sun that begins a new day of discovery and wonderment.

IBP – If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be?

AI – Why would you settle for what you were not meant to be?

IBP - What do you love about writing?

AI – I love to try to paint word pictures in my story telling. It is always my hope that people will not only read the words but see the picture as well. True understanding comes when we activate all of what we are into the learning process. As I stated in my books, little children do this naturally – that is why I see young children as our only true scholars. Their passion to learn and succeed at their chosen goals are unmatched by most adults! What a tragedy that we so often train them to be less!

IBP – Did you know the title before you started writing?

AI – No. That is probably the hardest part for me. This is where I rely on my accountability team for help. To write in isolation, I believe, is a death trap to accomplishing the task. We are at our best when we work within a supportive community.

IBP - Where do you get your inspiration?

AI – I surround myself with motivated friends; inspiration becomes ‘contagious’ to all of us.

IBP - What genres do you prefer to read?”

AI – I love history and am always on the look for old history books and maps at estate and garage sales. I am an avid reader and have multiple books ongoing at all times

* * *

GOALS & DREAMS is designed for people who have come to a point in their life where they are fed up with the frustration of not reaching desired goals, feel that they cannot seem to stay focused on goals or find themselves chasing someone else’s “rainbow” dream – not their own. This book is about why you are where you are today regarding goals and what needs to happen to change that stagnation.

Goals & Dreams can be purchased at: Amazon

(note – this is the first book of a 3 part series)

* * *

A.I. Metam has over 40 years in the health field helping people face difficult situations in their lives prior to his retirement. He has a diverse background, having worked in both small and large health institutions as well as in his own private practice. He was involved in virtually every aspect of his profession both at the State and national level. He served on many boards over the years, both for his chosen profession as well as for non-profit organizations.

A.I. Metam also worked with many national and international organizations providing on site crisis intervention around the world. In addition, he has taught or lectured at several undergraduate and graduate programs both nationally and internationally.

Currently, A.I. Metam enjoys living in the high mountains of the Southwest United States surrounded by a beautiful ponderosa forest with his wife where he spends his time writing and corresponding with friends around the world.

AI can be found on his Amazon Author Page

Filed Under: Interview, non-fiction

Book Feature – Honest Sid: Memoir of a Gambling Man by Ronald Probstein

Posted on March 24, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 4 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Ronald Probstein to the blog! He’s the author of Honest Sid: Memoir of a Gambling Man and is here to share some information about his book. If this sound like the type of book you would enjoy reading, please find buy links at the bottom of the post and pick up a copy or two!

If you’re going to live outside the law, you’d better be honest. This seeming paradox was the operating principle of Sid Probstein’s life. Guileless and endlessly optimistic, he was known as Honest Sid around his stomping ground of New York’s Broadway. Sid wasn’t a tough guy, or even a bad guy. He just never had the patience for the “straight” life, grinding out a living at some monotonous desk job.

He was the quintessential American dreamer, always sure that the good life was just one big score away, a man who never stopped believing in his own good luck, even when the evidence said otherwise. He had all the tools, he was charming, good-looking, quick-witted and decent, but he had an obsession he couldn’t escape.

Honest Sid is the story of an American archetype as seen through the eyes of his son, Ronald, who loved him, and who almost lost him. It follows Sid’s adventures in the world of bookies and bettors, fighters and fixers, players and suckers set against the often-romanticized backdrop of Depression-era New York. It is also the passionate tale of the great and tempestuous love between Sid and his wife Sally, and of his son Ronald whom he idolized.

Excerpt:

“You remember what I told you a parlay was? You bet on one horse to win and you take those winnings and put it onto another horse to win.” “I know what a parlay is, Dad.” “Okay. You make a two-dollar win parlay bet on Sideline in the first race and Roadrunner in the second race. They both win. Sideline pays $8 and Roadrunner pays $6. How much do you get? Work it out so I can see what you’re thinkin’.” “That’s easy, Dad. It’s $24. Sideline wins $8, so I can put four bets on Roadrunner. Then Roadrunner pays $6 for each of my $2 bets. So I get $24. But I like the other way you taught me better.” “Okay, so do that, but let me hear what you’re thinkin’ again.” “Oh, Dad, I just multiply the winning price on both horses and divide by two.” My father stood silent, leaning against a car and waiting for me to continue. “Okay, so Sideline pays $6. Roadrunner pays $8. Six times eight is forty-eight. To get the answer I just go two into forty-eight. It’s twenty-four. Putting his arm around me, my father pulled me toward him and with a big smile said, “That was great, kid, but tomorrow I’m gonna see how you do when we start bettin’ across-the board.” With that he pulled a dime out of his pocket and gave it to me, adding, “You won it.”

Author Bio:

Ronald Probstein made it out of the Broadway street scene early in life. An eminent scientist, he is now Ford Professor of Engineering, Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of ten critically acclaimed professional books. He currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife, Irene.

Ronald can be found:

Blog * Twitter * Facebook

Honest Sid can be purchased:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Filed Under: bio/blurb feature, non-fiction

Life After the Disciple by Simon Hay, author of The Disciple

Posted on March 21, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 10 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Simon Hay to the blog. He is the author of The Disciple and is here to share his thoughts on Life After The Disciple and also share about his book. If this sounds like the sort of book that you would be interested in reading, please find buy links at the bottom of this post and pick up a copy or two.

Life After The Disciple

Mitch, from Oregon, is a US ranger who died in Iraq. For more than a year he materializes beside me every few weeks. He can’t go home, into the light, and he didn’t get to see his daughter’s, Cheyenne’s, birth. Mitch stands patiently beside me; no one else in my family can see him. He smells of dirt, oil, blood, and strawberry lip balm.

The lip balm is Cheyenne’s; she looks four years old, but her age is difficult to determine as the slide-show images of her keep changing. The strawberry scent is entangled in Mitch’s energy field—memory of frequent visits to his family. I close my eyes and see Mitch’s wife, Becky: slumped and crying in the shower, giving birth to Cheyenne, sexy in satin shorts, her bum cheeks wobble seductively when she walks.

Mitch and I, thinking about how warm Becky’s bum feels when she wakes and how cool it was during the day, sigh in unison.

After so many visits, I’m familiar with the sounds of war, but my body still jumps when Mitch is struck in the chest and neck by shards of metal. He rolls out of his falling body, alert and raising his weapon, surprised and disorientated to be standing beside his and Becky’s bed. She’s sleeping. He’s dead.

Unborn Cheyenne senses her father and wriggles. Becky’s stomach moves and Mitch bursts into a thousand tiny stars. My hands feel wet and sticky. I don’t need to look down to know they’re covered with blood and are pressed against a chest wound on a dying ranger. Dying and Crying. The DC comic where heroes turn into angels and strawberry lip balm is kryptonite to ghosts who walk.

The chaos in Mitch’s energy field subsides, and, telepathically, he speaks to me, “Help them.”

Mitch brings spirits, combatants and civilians, to me to pass into the light. The first time he visited, I don’t know how he knew to contact me, or how he knew my name. He’s a hero.

The spirits of US rangers, Taliban, Marines and Islamic militants stand together with civilians. They can see me, but I don’t know what they see. Mitch says, “Hope.” I feel like crying every time he’s near. I don’t want to die again. I don’t want the taste of blood and vomit in my mouth. I don’t want to smell strawberry lip balm, taste Becky’s kisses, or watch Cheyenne sleep.

Mitch touches my shoulder and angels, shape-shifting humanoid shapes, envelop the waiting spirits. Mitch’s forehead rests against mine. His eyes look wet. The splinters of greens and browns in his iris are more vibrant than the colors in my world. “Our world, Simon. Thank you.”

“Mitch, you look tired. Go home.”

“Not yet.”

My son laughs and chases his sister outside to play with the dogs. Blood drips down my arm, but no one else can see it, and Mitch from Oregon disappears.

* * *

The Disciple is a compelling biography about Jesus’ birth, childhood and death. Simon Hay, after a life-altering encounter with spirit, revisits and remembers his past life as the disciple, Judas, and his role in Jesus’ life. Simon’s story will amaze and challenge 2000 years of belief.

Bio

Simon, previously a plumber, is now a healer, a medical intuitive and a medium. Simon travels throughout Australia, and the world, undertaking healings and connecting people to spirit. Consistently, amazing health responses occur during healings, and he’s well respected in the field of energy healing.

Discover more about his amazing life and work here: http://www.simonhay.com/

Simon can also be found on Facebook and Twitter

The Disciple can be purchased on Amazon

Filed Under: Guest Post, non-fiction

Book Feature with Majeed Ahmad, author of Smartphone and Nokia’s Smartphone Problem

Posted on March 14, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 8 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Majeed Ahmad to the blog! He is the author of two books that we will be learning about today, Nokia’s Smartphone Problem and Smartphone. If these books sound like something you would be interested in reading, please find buy links at the bottom of the post and pick up a copy or two!

Blurb:

Nokia’s Smartphone Problem

Nokia’s Smartphone Problem: The End of an Icon?

What happened to one of the most celebrated corporate champions from tiny Finland? Is Nokia the next Kodak? How the Finnish mobile phone giant reached at this crossroads? The book chronicles Nokia’s lost decade in which the venerable handset champion found itself in the clutches of a vicious cycle. Nokia’s Smartphone Problem delves into one strategic blunder after another to provide a detailed account of this tale of management indecision. It provides a detailed account of how this comedy of errors took one of the world’s most global companies to a near-death experience.

Next, will there be a triumphant comeback after this existential crisis? This is the recurrent question that the book tries to answer after having a microscopic look at the seemingly shaken Nokia’s product and strategy roadmaps. Nokia’s Smartphone Problem is a must-read for managers tasked with formulating a mobile strategy for their businesses. It’s a groundbreaking book that delves in the past, present, and future of Nokia and smartphone business at large to find all the pertinent answers regarding smartphone product development cycle. Nokia’s Smartphone Problem is a book written to educate and inform managers in the IT, wireless, and consumer electronic industries. The book provides a detailed treatment of smartphone industry’s basic building blocks like hardware, operating systems, apps and ecosystems.

The Nokia story is engulfed in a plethora of misconceptions. A lot of information about the flailing handset maker is cluttered and a number of facts are not in place. Nokia’s Smartphone Problem aspires to clear the air, develop a comprehensible picture, and thus set the record straight. Nokia is no more the master of the mobile game, but it is still an important company. The book digs deep into Nokia’s heritage, strategy blunders, major stumbling blocks, and bailout efforts. That way, it attempts to recollect notes from this epic moment in Nokia’s life and create an authentic document that not only recounts Nokia’s breathtaking transformation, but also provides a discourse on the Finnish company’s turnaround plan.

* * *

Smartphone

A smartphone technology and business guide for IT/telecom managers and app developers

Forget all those ‘dummies guide to…’ Think smart. Think thorough. Here comes a book specifically written to educate and inform managers on smartphone technology and business.

Technology and trade media is filled with coverage of the smartphone and hardly a day goes by when we don’t see a story on it. But where is the complete understanding? Smartphone is a multi-dimensional subject, so the smartphone story is scattered across thousand islands.

The new book Smartphone provides you with the whole context to the smartphone story and saves you from learning in bits and pieces. It’s the first authoritative account on smartphones that provides wearing details on all major aspects of the first disruptive technology of the 21^st century. Smartphone covers all aspects of ecosystem – hardware, software, apps, advertising, content, etc. – and offers technology content in a transparent way that non-technical readers will be able to follow conveniently.

* * *

Author bio:

Majeed Ahmad is former Editor-in-Chief of EE Times Asia, a sister publication of EE Times. While being the Editor-in-Chief at Global Sources, a Hong Kong-based publishing house, he also spearheaded magazines relating to electronic components, consumer electronics, and computer, security and telecom products.

Majeed studied electronics and telecommunications at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. He has worked with blue-chip companies like AT&T, Motorola and Nortel before heading to publishing industry. Majeed has been a technology and trade journalist for more than 17 years.

Majeed has authored three books: Smartphone, Business Untethered and Nokia’s Smartphone Problem. He is fascinated with technology history and how technology is transforming businesses and society at large.

Excerpts:

Smartphone

“Majeed has produced a must-read book that is deeply engaging and, most importantly, is full of ideas to help readers craft winning strategies for the companies.”

Paul Miller, CEO, UBM Electronics and UBM Cannon (Publishing)

“This lively, thoroughly researched, lovingly written book is nothing less than the definitive guide to the smartphone world. What delights me most about Smartphone is its David Halberstam-like detailed rendering.”

Richard Wallace, Publisher and Founding Editor, The Next Silicon Valley

Majeed can be found:

Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Blog

Buy links:

Nokia’s Smartphone Problem

Amazon Kindle * Smashwords

Smartphone

Amazon * Createspace * Barnes & Noble * Indiebound

Filed Under: bio/blurb feature, non-fiction

Book Feature with Stan Spencer, author of The Diet Dropout’s Guide to Natural Weight Loss

Posted on March 9, 2013 Written by Indiebookpromo 2 Comments

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Stan Spencer to the blog. He is the author of The Diet Dropout’s Guide to Natural Weight Loss and is here to share some information about her book. If this sound like a book that you would be interested in reading, please pick up a copy using the buy links at the bottom of the post.

Blurb:

This book isn’t about the latest celebrity diet, wonder food, or miracle supplement. It’s about creating a personalized weight loss plan—your own easiest path to naturally thin. While you can lose weight with almost any diet, keeping the weight off is much more difficult, requiring permanent changes in eating and exercise habits. This book provides a science-based approach for making those changes in a way that works best for you, without wasting time, money, or effort.

Dr. Spencer explains why we gain weight and why the fat lost by dieting almost always comes back. He then presents an array of practical weight loss tools for controlling emotional eating, calming cravings, boosting metabolism, and improving nutrition and exercise. In the final chapter he has you create a natural weight loss plan based on your unique set of needs, abilities, and preferences. Simple recipes are provided for weight loss foods that reduce cravings and prolong satisfaction.

What this book offers is a solid approach to weight loss—self-directed, gradual, and lasting—in contrast to the quick but fleeting weight loss offered by most one-size-fits-all diet plans.

“A slim volume that has the basics of behavior change, and includes all the ones people really struggle with.”
—Madelyn Fernstrom, PHD, Diet and Nutrition editor for NBC’sTODAY show (1/18/2013)

“In order to make a permanent change in the obesity statistics in the United States, every dieter must read this book.”
—Cascia Talbert, The Healthy Moms Magazine

Excerpt:

Beat Temptation (with minimal willpower)

See the Food in a Different Light

Advertisers often use imagery to manipulate your perception of foods and induce cravings. You turn the page of a magazine and see a picture of a chocolate-glazed doughnut bathed in soft light, over a white tablecloth, poised next to a pair of luscious red lips. You can almost taste the glistening icing. You suddenly crave doughnuts.

You can use your own mental imagery to see the doughnut in a different, less flattering light, so it no longer seems so desirable. Try this. In your imagination, replace the red lips with a pair of doughnut-devouring maggots. (I’m making this up, and so can you.) Imagine a spot of green mold on the side of the doughnut. Replace the white tablecloth with a dirty sidewalk, the doughnut surrounded by flattened, blackened pieces of discarded chewing gum. Now imagine taking a bite of it. Taste the bitter mold. Keep this up for about a minute, or until the craving is gone.

Take a Brisk Walk

Scientists at the University of Exeter conducted a pair of experiments that demonstrated a brisk walk can make chocolate less tempting. In one experiment, they instructed a group of chocolate lovers to either take a brisk walk or rest for fifteen minutes before beginning work. The chocolate lovers were then allowed to snack on as much chocolate as they wanted while working. Those who had taken the walk ate only half as much chocolate as those who had rested instead. In the other experiment, a fifteen-minute walk was found to significantly reduce chocolate cravings. If it works for chocolate, it should work for just about anything!

At the first sign of a craving, stand up and head for the door. If brisk walking isn’t convenient, try a different exercise. Be sure to exercise with enough intensity that your heart rate increases. If you can’t spare fifteen minutes for exercise, do ten minutes or even just five. When you finish, focus your mind on something else.

Also try this technique as a preventive measure. Take a brisk fifteen-minute walk before your usual craving time.

This technique not only calms your cravings, but also gives you the added benefit of burning calories and improving your emotional well-being. Using it four times a day would give you a well-spent hour of fat-burning, mood-enhancing, craving-reducing exercise. What tool can beat that?

The Diet Dropout’s Guide to Natural Weight Loss can be purchased on

Amazon US * Amazon UK * Barnes&Noble

Bio:

Stan Spencer, PhD, is a biological consultant and former research scientist. He has conducted laboratory studies in biochemistry at Brigham Young University, in botany and evolution at Claremont Graduate University, and in genetics at the Smithsonian Institution. Stan lives in southern California and blogs on natural weight loss techniques at http://fatlossscience.org.

Stan can be found on

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Pinterest