Cool Book Of The Day

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Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Friends, family, and caregivers of those so afflicted.

Q: What is the book about?
A: The heart of the book consists of thirteen, riveting, in-depth stories of people and their families who fought back with courage, humor, creativity and a positive attitude. In addition to telling these stories, the book contains valuable information on how to find and use the latest medical developments and other valuable coping information about specific medical problems. There are scores of footnotes to valuable reference works I used in researching the book.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: spent much of six years researching and writing it. Before that I had recovered from eight major operations, including two open-heart operations, so I have walked the walk. The book is in no way autobiographical, but I occasionally borrow from my first-hand experience to support important points.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: The thirteen stories are about real, courageous people and their caregivers. This guarantees its uniqueness.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: There is much self-help wisdom in this book. From self-help organizations to web sites, it brims with useful information. The people the book focuses on have a wide variety of afflictions; various types of cancer – some survive, some don’t. Lou Gehrig’s disease usually kills it’s victims within two to five years. The book leads off with the story of a man and wife who together have fought his disease for nearly 30 years, and they are far from giving up. Several of the stories concern people with varying degrees of paralysis from illness and injury.

For more information, visit www.booksbydirk.com

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Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Women who deal with anxiety, fear, or depression.

Q: What is the book about?
A: Life Without the Monsters is about my life with anxiety disorder and how I learned to manage my debilitating thoughts. When I was 11-years-old, my parents went through a rather difficult divorce. It was then that I developed my life of worry and began having panic attacks. Of course in 1975 there were no such things as “panic attacks,” but each night at sunset I would become filled with terror. I would feel as if I was out of my own body—out of control. Then I would hyperventilate and feel as if I was having a heart attack. This happened every night for several years.

The attacks subsided for a time, but the worry was still there. I worried about everything—especially if it had anything to do with what other people would think of me. My mind needed constant approval, so I strived for perfection in everything every area of my life—school, work, marriage, motherhood, housework—everything. And as long as I would hear comments like, “ Wow! You did a great job on that!” I was ok. It never occurred to me that this was not necessarily normal!

The panic attacks returned in 1993. At the time I was married with two children and one on the way. I was in graduate school, had two part-time jobs and was student teaching full-time. Two of the high school teachers working with me made negative comments during an evaluation. This had never happened before! The comments still haunted me when I interviewed for my first teaching job. I was sure I wouldn’t be good enough, and the panic worsened. This time I couldn’t “snap out of it,” and I was hospitalized. My official diagnoses were major anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and depression.

After the discharge I continued counseling for a time, and tried lots of different medications – Zoloft, Prozac, Xanax, and Klonopin. I thought all was well – whenever a twinge of fear would surface, Klonopin would take it away. It would put in a drowsy state of disengagement from life. The counseling didn’t seem to be helping, but life was still tolerable.

Finally in 1999 I turned to God for help and was able for the first time to understand something: I don’t have to live this life of fear. There was something bigger than me, something bigger than my problems. I found ways to rely on this, and a great burden was lifted. I want other women to know that they don’t have to live in fear either. This is the ultimate purpose of the book.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I am the best person to write this book for three reasons. First, I’ve lived through it. I certainly recommend getting counseling and reading material from doctors and preachers, etc. But for someone going through anxiety there’s nothing like getting advice from someone who’s lived it.

Second, I have two degrees—one in biology and one in education. This allowed me to research extensively when I wrote and to comprehend what I was reading. I was able to understand very well what happens in my body chemically when I worry. My degree in education gives me enough psychology and communication to be able to teach this science stuff to other people.

And finally, I’m a Christian woman who understands what it’s like to worry—and I’m not afraid to talk about it! I found during my research that many Christians consider worry a sin—end of story. There’s very little tolerance for worry because, in some minds, if you do then you really can’t believe in God like you say you do. And since women suffer from anxiety twice as often as men—even in the church—they need to hear that there’s more to it than sin.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: When I decided to write the book I first did a lot of research. My husband actually said, “You can’t write the book from a Christian perspective. People won’t read it!” I thought about that and began thinking of other ways to write it. But there was no other way. So I bought every book I could find on anxiety—books from diverse perspectives.

My book is different because I found advice in the Bible that I haven’t seen presented before. There aren’t just the typical verses that tell you not to worry. I found that there are specific techniques on how to feel more peace. For example I learned that you can use all of your senses, even your sense of smell, to relax and calm your mind.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: There is “homework”. I spent most of my life wanting the answer—one thing that would give me the life I envied in so many other women. There’s not one. It requires commitment, effort, and time. I still struggle with worry. The difference is I now have tools to help me, and I grow with each new challenge. I want every woman out there to also live their lives without monsters.

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1. What is the title of the book?
Getting in the Christmas Spirit: Inspiration for the Holiday Season, By Tian Dayton

2. Who is the intended audience?
This is a gift book that literally has no audience limitations except age. It would appeal to anyone from 9-99 years of age.

The idea was to create an inspiring little present for all of those occasions when you want to give something special, something of high quality and design and something that carries a deep meaning and message without being corny or overly dramatic. A perfectly pitched little gift.

This is the first book of a line of gift books published by my new company Sweet Symbols sweetsymbolsgiftbooks.com.

3. What is the book about?
This is a book of inspiring affirmations, quotes and readings.

The affirmations are written to help, heal and inspire. They are a subtle way to lift the spirits and reaffirm what the holidays are all about, connection, deepening bonds and re-igniting the spirit.

The quotes in this book are time tested truths, they are bits of wisdom that have been selected by millions of hands and minds because they strike a true and helpful chord.

The readings are from all walks of life. Drawn from spiritual literature, books, letters, poems and famous speeches, they capture the imagination and motivate the reader to make the most out of the holidays, the most out of life.

The affirmations are also written to guide the reader through the natural stresses and challenges of the holidays. Christmas is a heightened reality, feelings run high and gatherings can sometimes feel intense or overwhelming. The reader can find identification and solace in the pages of this book. The affirmations, because they are written in the first person, feel as if they are an inner voice, sustaining and nurturing.

4. Why are you the best person to write this book?
For several reasons. I am a psychologist and I deal with people’s dreams, aspirations and problems each and every day and have had three decades of experience in helping them to solve them.

Additionally, I am a best selling author of affirmations having sold over three hundred thousand affirmations books. I have been writing affirmations for twenty years, I use them as a form of self healing, journaling and daily inspiration.

Affirmation writing is a part of my spiritual journey and my emotional healing. I have also written fifteen books so I understand the ins and outs of book writing and publishing…I have made my mistakes elsewhere….I corrected them all here!

5. How is this book different from other books on this topic?
I wrote this book to correct my frustrations with my other books. Publishing with a large company means that I have to live with their choices in format and design. This book, I did on my own. I hired one of the top designers in New York City and asked her to create something truly beautiful, something that looked like a wrapped present.

She is a top designer who has been unusually well educated in her profession and has worked for all of the top New York companies and celebrities. She is also an expert in branding and identifying trends.

To this end she has created an elegant Matisse-like design that is inviting and enlivening.

The interior of the book is elegant and the design supports the message and, in fact, the pace of affirmation reading. It is inviting and lovely to look at. The paper is heavy and shiny.

Unlike a large company, we spared no expense in making it an elegant and tasteful gift that any one would feel proud to give. Lastly, we created a gold foil seal on the cover of each book to give it that fresh from the gift shop feeling.

6. Is there anything else we should know about this book?
You should know that it contains all of my favorite readings, the ones that bring tears to my eyes and make my heart flutter or take my breath away.

The quotes are thoughts to live by. The content that I have created is informed by years of experience, education and research. The design makes it sing.

This series represents the coming to fruition of a long held dream of mine to create gift books that have real substance and beauty.