I Wanted to Check out of this Hotel Called Earth

I will be changing the format on my author site. I need to get back to sharing with you about my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.

In about two weeks the book will be officially in the marketplace.

It has been a hard, long road I have traveled to get to this point. I started writing, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, almost ten years ago. It will be ten years next March.

Why did I start writing the book? I am glad you asked.

I was at the end of my rope. I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I felt the ship sinking and I didn’t have a life jacket.

I was having weekly pity parties, and no one was showing up to help me celebrate.  I was fighting self-doubt, anxiety, fear, failure, depression, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

I was ready to check out of the hotel called earth.

I was in a school parking lot on March 31st 2001 sitting in my Ford Explorer considering suicide. I didn’t want to face the trails of life any more.

I had retired from teacher, and was going from one job after another searching for something that I could feel good about after retirement. Nothing was working for me. I failed at each job I partook in. I even started my own business of find funds for businesses when they needed some while waiting for their invoices from costumers to come in. That failed because I couldn’t see taking money from them when they desperately needed cash at that time.

Every job I tried I needed to try to convince people of getting something they may not need. I worked at a department store in the housewares department. I sold pots and pans, coffeemakers, knifes, etc. I was pretty good at it. I even earned a seven day free trip to a health spa for me and my wife because of my efforts.

One Christmas Eve, I was working the late shift. I noticed that there weren’t any women shopping in my area. It was all guys desperately looking for something for their wives at the last minute. I had a field day. I came up to a guy and asked him if I could help him, and he said, Yes! please find something for my wife for christmas. I can’t think of anything! I saw dollar signs in my head, and directed him to the sets of pans. I convinced him his wife would love a $500.00 set of new pans.

There were several men just like him wandering around, lost in my section. I sold something to eveyone of them. I set a record for sales that night. They bought from me because I was  a man and they trusted me.

I went home that night and wondered, What have I done? I sold a bunch of men something their wives probably didn’t need just so I could make another sale. I was very upset with myself, and quite the job a couple of weeks later.

( Men…never buy your wife something for the kitchen at Christmas. Go down to the jewelry department. You will be rewarded much more if you do that.)

So I went on like this, going from one job after another in sales. The last sales job I had was in leasing, and the same nightmare was forming while doing that. I was trying to have someone lease something when it may be better to buy it outright.

I hit rock bottom on March 31st. I drove to that parking lot I told you about. I was sobbing so much I could hardly see out the window of the rig. I stopped and parked, and was on verge of doing something very drastic.

I finally cried out to God, “I can’t take this anymore!” There was a sudden calmness inside my rig, and in me. The air even seemed different. It was as if God was saying, “It is about time you came back to me. Now let me carry you the rest of the way.”

The rest is history. I started writing Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, a couple of weeks later.

It took me almost ten years to get my thoughts down, and organized. There were doubts along they way. Satan did every he could to stop me, but I prevailed, and now you have to chance to read my story and learn for yourself how to survive in a not so friendly world.

I hope you will read it and let me know what you think of it. I have been blessed with some very impressive endorsements written in the book. I have had many authors and important people in the publishing world recommend the book.

You can preorder Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, and save 27% by going to www.winepresspublishing.com. Go to the top and click on “bookstore.” Write in the search area, “Signs of Hope.” That will take you right to my book page. The book will only cost $14.59 there for a short time, and then it will be $19.99 once it is public. Take advantage of that now.

God bless you nad NEVER give up. Fight back the attacks of Satan and turn to God to supply you with all the armor you need to survive.

 

Social Networking Can Change Your Future in Writing

Facebook is an Outstanding way for Authors to get Known.

Social networking wasn’t very will known as few as five years ago, as far as authors using it to promote their books.

Now there are thousands of authors using this approach to reaching out to readers.

My Space, Twitter, You Tube, Friendster, Linkedin, etc, have become an important part of an author’s publicity kit.

On Facebook you can show videos, pictures, images, audio, and media, that will give the “friends,” plenty of information  on the author’s book.

On Twitter, you reach millions of people with one push of a key.  You can also promote your book there, but many use it more for social contact, and then “lure,” the contacts into their websites, or onto Facebook.

If you can build each of your Facebook, Twitter, Blog subscribers, My Space lists to over 2,000, you will do very well when your book finally comes out.

Having these many “followers” on each of these avenues, will also impress agents and publishers.

If you haven’t started working with these promotional techniques, I strongly suggest you look into each of these channels and see if they are for you.

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There are six more days left on the latest book give away, of the book, Moments This Good: The Softer Side of Alzheimer’s, Written by Bonnie Nester. Bonnie wrote about her mother Ruth.

Here is a review about the book:

“Nester offers the reader a path to gentle acceptance, and even moments of playfulness and joy-and always, always models profound love and respect for her mother.”

                                                                                                        Ellen Waterson

                                                                                           Author of the award-winning memoir, Then There was No Mountain and I am Madagascar.

Bonnie has many examples for caregivers on how to be loving, and understanding at the same time.

I know the need for that as I have a 92 year old mother that battles dementia.

I highly recommend her book, and Bonnie has autographed it along with a personal note to the reader.

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To have a chance to win this book, go to the right side bar and click on the icon that talks about subscribing to my free newsletter, Signs of Hope Press. Notice that it also says that you will be able to download a free eBook I have written called, The Top 25 Ways to Survive in a Troubled World. You can down load it when you receive the first newsletter.

So you get a free newsletter with several pages of good information. A free eBook with ways to cope, and chances to win free top selling books with many them having the author’s autograph, and personal note in them.

Go ahead and try. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

OUT!