THE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Peter Bowerman, author of the how to book on self-publishing, The Well-Fed Self Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full Time Living (Fanove Publishing), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in June on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Peter Bowerman, a veteran commercial freelancer and business coach, is the author of the 2000 award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection, The Well-Fed Writer, and its 2005 companion volume, TWFW: Back For Seconds (both self-published; www.wellfedwriter.com). His books have become how-to “standards” on starting a lucrative commercial freelancing business – writing for businesses, large and small, and for rates of $50-125+ an hour. He chronicled his self-publishing success (52,000 copies of his first two books in print and a full-time living for over five years) in his third book, the award-winning 2007 release, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. www.wellfedsp.com.

About the Book:

Landing a publisher has never been harder. Even when you do, count on anemic royalty rates, 18 to 24 months to publication, and giving up the rights to your book. And you’ll still be expected to do most of the marketing yourself! There’s a better way. Thanks to the Internet, self-publishing has become easier, more viable, and more potentially lucrative than ever before.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a step-by-step how-to guide to help authors successfully and profitably self-publish their titles. It is based directly on the successful self-publishing of my first two books (currently 52,000 copies in print). The subtitle of the book is not hype: my first book earned me a full-time living for over four years, and both books together, six-plus.

“Self-publishing” still carries a stigma, and sadly, in most cases, it’s earned and deserved. I’ve been successful largely because of my commitment to creating a superior product, both in form and content – all the “how-to” details of which I share in this book. With TWFSP, I help to raise the bar on self-publishing so that thousands of self-publishing authors don’t keep needlessly sabotaging themselves.

Comprehensive Scope

Far more than just a book about the self-publishing process, TWFSP also features an entire chapter (Two) on developing the crucial “marketing mindset” most creative types lack, plus chapters on virtually every aspect of book marketing and promotion, plus distribution, POD, and five appendices (including extensive resources, timeline, foreign rights, and more). Visit “Why This Book?” (page xix) to learn why this book stands out in its field, though, in a nutshell, there are five keys:

· Sales and Marketing Discussion (for non-salesy “Creatives”)

· A Radically Different Approach to Marketing (Internet, not media)

· Focus on Process and Profit (most books focus only on the first)

· Personal, Engaging Writing Style (making learning a blast!)

· One Big “Real-World” Case Study (totally non-theoretical)

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THE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Peter's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment on his blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of his tour! One lucky winner will be announced on June 30!
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Peter's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.
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virtual book tour, virtual blog tour, online book promotion, book tour, Peter Bowerman, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, self-published, publishing, self-publishing, profitable self-publishing, well-fed self publishing, POD publishing, book promotion, how to self-publish, self-publishing how to, full time self-publishing income, why self-publishing?
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MARIPOSA VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Candis C. Coffee, author of the literary fiction novel, Mariposa (Behler Publications), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in June on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Candis C. Coffee grew up in West Texas where her family has lived since 1848 when they immigrated from Ireland. The house in Mariposa is based on the 150-year-old home of her grandparents on the banks of the Concho River in San Angelo.

Candis spent nearly fifteen years in Santa Monica, California, where she was employed as a writer for various organizations. She later moved to New Orleans where she helped Chef Paul Prudhomme write the cookbook of his dreams and titled it Fork in the Road. Candis longed for the desert, however, which inspired a move to Santa Fe and graduate school at the University of New Mexico. She has since returned to her birthplace in West Texas where she currently resides.

After receiving a BA in Literature from the University of Texas, she pursued graduate studies in Creative Writing, Literature, and Spanish. She is presently at work on a children's book and is pursuing a doctoral degree in alternative health care and the healing arts.

You can visit her website at www.candiscoffee.com.

About the Book:

A spiritual, intellectual, brave young woman creates the life of her dreams, only to be deeply disappointed by its inability to sustain her.

The setting of Mariposa is 1920s and 1930s West Texas, Los Angeles, and Mexico. The theme is that of a spiritual quest – a young woman’s desire to feel the magic she believes exists in connections to nature, to people. Deep down, she feels that fulfillment of spiritual longing, the ultimate mystical experience, is found within a connection to the “other.” The other for Annarose – an Anglo woman from rural 1920s Texas – is a Mexican man. Along the way, the story illuminates the perils of prejudice as well as the intimate, yet treacherous bond that exists between Anglo and Mexican people who live side by side near the border.

As a child in West Texas, Annarose sees life and intelligence in everything. She finds herself in a relationship with an invisible “Presence,” which beckons to her spirit and with whom she feels most alive. A friendship with a Mexican boy and her love of the landscape also nurture this young girl who feels rejected by her Mother.

Annarose is deeply hurt when she is banished to Los Angeles at thirteen. She loses her connection to spirit, then begins to seek it again through intellectual pursuits. Here she finds herself in a waiting room between worlds, that of Texas and Mexico.

Her philosophical studies and supportive friendship with Estelle, a gifted musician, lead to an awakening for Annarose. She becomes a writer, and she travels to Mexico. She wants to feel life again. She meets Mexican muralist, Crisanto and chooses him as her lover. He is her connection to all that is beautiful, wild, free and happy because he is the “Other” and she feels that she can also find aspects of the maternal within him. She befriends the artist, Frida Kahlo. She embraces all that this man, his people and his country represent.

In the end, Annarose returns to West Texas alone, ready to give birth to their child. Over a period of three days, the “Now” of the story, she spends time with her family, and she recalls her experiences. She finds peace, and she finally comprehends the true nature of joy.

This is first person literary fiction – an experience of self-discovery for educated women, particularly ethnic minorities between the ages of 16 and 60. The book contains about 87,000 words.

Mariposa is divided into three stages of Annarose’s life. The first is her youth in 1923 West Texas. Here I tell the story of Annarose’s childhood, her relationship with the Presence, her family, and her friend, Ismael. I introduce a young girl in love with mystery. The second section is 1930s Los Angeles. In this part I write about Annarose’s life in LA, her inspiring friendship with Estelle, and her new spiritual quest, which now involves reading and thinking rather than direct experience. The third stage is 1930s Mexico, the story of Annarose’s connection with magic, her love affair with Mexican muralist, Crisanto, friendship with Frida Kahlo, and the understanding of her true motivations for being in Mexico, with these people. She acknowledges her need to find connection to Spirit and magic outside herself.

The idea is to bring to light passages in Annarose’s life, with the most important occurring at the age of 13, then again thirteen years later. At the beginning of the story we meet the adult Annarose, who at 26 must decide what to do with herself, now that she has begun to see that, though her quest and objectives were honorable, the path she chose toward them was misguided. We then meet the child Annarose at the age of 13. This is a significant period, due to her spiritual life, her feelings for her friend, Ismael, and her eventual exile to Los Angeles. I divided the story into 13 chapters, with the idea that each would describe meaningful events or themes in her life. I chose the title Mariposa because the story is about transformation.

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MARIPOSA VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Candis' tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment on their blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of their tour! One lucky winner will be announced on June 30!
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Candis' virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.
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THE MEMORY OF WATER V IRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Karen White, author of the fiction novel, The Memory of Water (NAL Accent, March '08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in June on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

After playing hooky from school one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, she grew up to pursue a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University.

"I have always been a voracious reader and was encouraged by my teachers to write ever since elementary school," she says. "Writing a book was always in the back of my mind, but definitely something I'd "do later when I have time.

One day in 1996 when my children were just babies, I decided it was time and started writing my first book. When I had a few chapters written, I sent it in to a writer's contest and by some miracle it won. The finalist judge was a New York literary agent and she offered to represent me. That first book, In the Shadow of the Moon, was sold and then published in 2000. It was a double finalist in Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award.

I have since published seven award-winning novels, and three more books are scheduled: The Memory of Water (March 2008), The House on Tradd Street (November 2008) and a third as yet untitled book set in Savannah, Georgia will be out in May 2009.

While growing up, I lived in London, England and am a graduate of the American School in London. I currently live in sunny Georgia with my husband and two children. When not writing, I spend my time reading, singing, scrapbooking, carpooling children and avoiding cooking."

You can visit Karen's website at www.karen-white.com.

About the Book:

On the night their mother drowns trying to ride out a storm in a sailboat, sisters Marnie and Diana Maitland discover there is more than one kind of death. There is the death of innocence, of love, and of hope. Each sister harbors a secret about what really happened that night—secrets that will erode their lives as they grow into adulthood.

After ten years of silence between the sisters, Marnie is called back to the South Carolina Lowcountry by Diana’s ex-husband, Quinn. His son has returned from a sailing trip with his emotionally unstable mother, and he is deeply disturbed and refusing to speak. In order to help the traumatized boy, Marnie must reopen old wounds and bring the darkest memories of their past to the surface. While resisting her growing attraction to Quinn, she must also confront Diana, before they all go under…

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THE MEMORY OF WATER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Karen's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment on their blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of their tour! One lucky winner will be announced on June 30!
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Karen's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.
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FROM CRAYONS TO CONDOMS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Steven Baldwin and Karen Holgate, authors of the non-fiction current events book, From Crayons to Condoms: The Ugly Truth About America's Public Schools (WND Books, May '08), as they virtually tour the blogosphere in June on their first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

As Chairman of the California State Assembly Education Committee, Steven Baldwin initiated a series of hearings that demonstrated how fads, failed methodologies and political correctness have devastated the California public school system, the nation's largest - and one of the worst.

The co-author of "The Real Secret War," Mr. Baldwin has appeared on numerous talk shows including Larry King Live, and has written articles published in the Regent University Law Review, Washington Times and Human Events. Mr. Baldwin is currently the Executive Director of the Council for National Policy (CNP).

Karen Holgate became an educational activist after joining the fight against hardcore pornography. During public speaking engagements, she began hearing from parents concerned about the sex education curricula being promoted in the public school system.

Mrs. Holgate's articles and policy reports have appeared in publications including the Congressional Quarterly, Investors Business Daily, the Washington Times, and Insight Magazine. She has been interviewed by local and national radio shows, and has appeared on CBS, NBC and Fox news shows.

From Crayons to Condoms synopsis:

The American public school system, once the envy of the world, is now a sinkhole of political correctness, ineptitude and violence, yet its administrators demand - and receive - far more funding per child than do higher performing private and religious schools.

In From Crayons to Condoms: The Ugly Truth About America's Public Schools, you'll experience today's public schools as never before, through the voices of parents, students and dedicated teachers left stranded in the system, the same voices that school administrators are determined to stifle.

Lavishly armed with your tax dollars, government at every level encourages mass social experimentation on our kids - success optional. In From Crayons to Condoms, you'll discover...

* The lesbian gym teacher who hands out a paper called "101 Ways To Do It Without Going All The Way" in every class.
* The "Inventive Spelling" curriculum which demands of parents that they "avoid giving in to our natural desire to correct the mistakes" because it's "harmful to the children"
* The required courses in "death education" that actually encourage teen depression and suicide.
* The math classes in which students are told to write down how they "feel" about math problems...as opposed to learning fractions, algebra and multiplication tables.

Today's public schools are not just rife with bizarre, inaccurate textbooks and failed teaching practices - they encourage classroom activities that produce dangerous, even deadly, results.

Can our schools be saved? Yes, say the authors, but only if parents are ready to fight for their children every step of the way. The stories in From Crayons to Condoms: The Ugly Truth About America's Public Schools are sure to horrify and energize anyone concerned about today's kids, and our nation's future.

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FROM CRAYONS TO CONDOMS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Steven's and Karen's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment on their blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of their tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on June 30!
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Steven's and Karen's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.
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LOVE'S MAGIC VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Traci E. Hall, author of the paranormal romance novel, Love's Magic (Medallion Press, June '08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in June on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

A proud member of RWA, Traci Hall is active in multiple chapters. She has three medieval paranormal romances coming out with Medallion Press – Love’s Magic, June 2008, and Beauty’s Curse, June, 2009 and Boadicea's Legacy in 2010.

She is also published with Samhain Publishing, and has two ebooks for young adults coming out in 2008. Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways and Something Wiccan This Way Comes are the first two books in the Rhiannon Godfrey series.

She has a non-fiction book being released in March 09, co written with author Rhonda Pollero, titled Adoption is Forever.

After many ups and downs, she continues to pursue writing with a maniacal vengeance, and has often lamented that her mom didn’t raise a quitter. Terrified of failure, Traci has overcome her knocking knees and tackled workshops, online courses and how-to books in her quest to break into print. You can visit her at http://www.traciehall.com , or http://www.tracihall.com or http://tracihall.blogspot.com - as well as myspace and facebook.

Love's Magic synopsis:

Celestia Montehue has inherited special healing powers from the maternal line of her family. It comes with a glitch. The year is 1192, witch hunting abounds in England and she can only marry for love or risk losing her gifts.

Nicholas Le Blanc is a soul-sick Crusader who escapes from his captivity in Tripoli. He wants redemption and forgiveness from God for losing the sacred relic of Saint James the Apostle. And the other matter of murder, as well.

Forced to marry and move to Falcon Keep, which is haunted by Nicholas’ mother, they must learn to love one another before their family’s curses doom them for eternity.

Read an excerpt!

Her eyes widened and she swallowed, her breaths coming faster beneath his stare. “We agreed to an annulment,” she said on a ragged whisper.

“I know.” But he couldn’t think of all the reasons they should not be together; instead he stared pointedly, envisioning the kiss they’d shared that afternoon. The pull of lust alluring for the first time in a long while, he thought of all the ways he could teach her to kiss him, to hold him. She flicked her pink tongue over her full lower lip, her eyelids heavy. He was aware that she had no idea how heavenly she looked. The heat between them ratcheted another notch until he could stand it no more.

“Angel.” Nicholas reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her to him until her mouth was beneath his. He kissed her as if his life depended on it, and if she did not return his passion he would fall into a spineless puddle at her tiny feet.

His surprise was great when he felt the push of her warm tongue against his lips. Her hands rubbed the sleeves of his tunic, as if she would strip him of it. Up, down, the fabric slid against his flesh until the heat of her fingers bumped against the ropy scars on his wrists.

A zing so hot it felt cold made him pull back and she cried out, as if in agony.

“What?” Nicholas panted. “What was that? What is the matter with you? You’ve seen my scars, I thought that you didn’t mind them, I-”

“It hurt,” she said, her face pale, her eyes without the familiar sparkle.

“It didn’t.” The realization of what she’d said came slow.

“It was hot, dark, you were hurting terribly.”

Nicholas’s desire ebbed, but the intensity was replaced by fear. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes filled with tears that sparkled like gems upon her lashes. “You were hurting. You were being made to feel the highest level of pain, on purpose. I’m sorry, I am so sorry, Nicholas.” Tears tracked down her cheeks.

Horrified, Nicholas lashed out, “You know nothing about my life, pain or otherwise.” His basic instinct was to protect himself, and his secrets. He put his hands out, symbolically pushing her away. “Close the neck of your gown. If you want to act the whore, I am happy to oblige, my lady. But if you wish to return to this house as pure as when you left it, then I suggest you keep your hands to yourself.”

She dried her eyes, but refused to adjust her gown. Her shoulders were proudly set. “My heart is breaking for you. Can you not trust me?”

“You’ve already lied to me once!”

“I didn’t lie, exactly. I saved your life.”

Cold spread through his body. “And I’ve saved yours. We shall see who made the better bargain.”

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LOVE'S MAGIC VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on June 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Traci's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on June 30!
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Traci E. Hall's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.
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Technorati Tags:
virtual book tour, virtual blog tour, online book promotion, Love's Magic, Traci E. Hall, paranormal romance, paranormal romance author, paranormal romance book
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THE 3 SECRET PILLARS OF WEALTH VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join James Burns, author of the financial nonfiction book, The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth (White Diamond Press/Arbor Books, Feb. '08), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in June on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

James is a tax attorney who served honorably in the United States Marine Corps’ Force Reconnaissance (akin to Navy SEAL program). James brings the same commitment and loyalty to his clients that he exhibited when he served our country. He is also CEO of White Diamond Properties, Inc. a real property investment acquisition firm and is on the Advisory Board of Wave Uranium Holdings (WAVU.OB), a development stage company that engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of uranium properties in the United States.

James is on the Advisory Board of Sognari International www.sognari.com/james which is an entrepreneur platform that has famed Michael Gerber involved and they are creating opportunities that are discussed in the book.

You can visit his website at www.3pillarsofwealth.com.

The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth synopsis:

The evidence is now clear that the old formula of go to school, get a job, buy a house and retire no longer works. Retirees need more reliance in a ruthless and unpredictable future with many new curves in the road to retirement. The US Department of Health and Human Services says that 36% percent of sixty-five year olds are still working, 54% are dependent (require family or government assistance), five percent are deceased, 4% are financially dependent (with at least $3,000 per month to live on) and one percent are wealthy.

In answer to the statistics of only 1% of retirees achieving wealth upon retirement, the book "The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth" has come to the aid of concerned retirees. The author cautions readers that we are facing financial times unlike anything we've seen before and we cannot afford to make mistakes or be taken advantage of.

The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth is a virtual survivor’s manual for the investor informing them of what they face in the future that is new and unpredictable and how much investing is costing them with traditional investment vehicles. Forward-thinking financial planners will avail themselves of the technical information outlined in The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth, while the average investor will have a roadmap that guides them to financial success. One of many recent books to go against the grain and inform the public how much investing is costing them and how they are in a losing battle where executives of the big investment firms take $52 million dollar Christmas bonuses. The book is ultimately written for entrepreneurs and investors who are busy with life or lack financial education and are defenseless targets by opportunists abusing the financial planning system because of the compensation grids unique to the U.S.

Read the excerpt!

Are You Really Prepared for Retirement?

You cannot teach a man anything. You can only

help him discover it within himself.

—Galileo

Hope is not an investment strategy. If you’re like most people, you hope for a comfortable retirement doing what you like to do, free from financial worry. But have you asked yourself the tough questions that need answering before you can begin attaining your retirement goals? Do you even know, in specific detail, what your goals are? Do you want to live in the lap of luxury or merely continue living the lifestyle you currently enjoy? And do you know what it’s going to take to be able to do those things?

Most people have never really taken a hard look at where they are financially and what it would take to reach their goals. That’s because financial decisions are emotional and difficult, and change often involves risk. But change is what’s needed if you want to start thinking and acting like someone in control of his or her finances. Investors think differently than non-investors and I need you start thinking like an investor if we’re going to get your money to start working for you.

Before we get started, though, I want you to understand a few things about my approach to wealth building. While I believe that you can amass great wealth by sticking to these pillars of wealth, I don’t want you thinking that this is a get-rich-quick book or that I expect you to immediately understand everything about wealth building just because you’ve read my book. This is going to take work and patience and planning, and maybe even help from a financial professional.

I believe in planning for the entire length of your lifetime, and that your plan will need updating and adjustment to survive as long as you do. Financially successful people understand that amassing wealth isn’t about gimmicks or following the crowd. In order to create wealth you have to take a serious look at what’s best for you and your family. There is no one-size-fits-all financial plan.

I’m going to ask you to think like a corporation and honestly look at your personal cash flow. Would you buy your family business as it is today, based on your personal balance sheet? Are you running the family finances to the best of your abilities, and are you using the Three Secret Pillars of Wealth? Recently, three of the richest men in the world were asked by Forbes magazine what the best investment advice that they’d ever heard was. Together, these three men identified the three pillars of wealth, and I want you to learn how to use them to the same great effect as these billionaires.

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THE 3 SECRET PILLARS OF WEALTH VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow James' tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in June. Leave a comment on his blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of his tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on June 30!
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James Burns' virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.

ONE FOOT OUTSIDE THE DOOR VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Vina St. Fran, author of the fiction novel, One Foot Outside the Door (Zam Publishing), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in May on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

(Bio coming soon)

One Foot Outside the Door Synopsis:

A scorned, yet beautiful black woman finds love again after being rejected by her Iraqi-American high school sweetheart.

As she prepares for her upcoming nuptials, her former lover comes back to claim the love they once shared.

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ONE FOOT OUTSIDE THE DOOR VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Vina's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!
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Vina St. Fran's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Cheryl Malandrinos.

BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Heidi Hess Saxton, author of the nonfiction christian, Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert (Bezalel Books, Feb. '08) as she virtually tours the blogosphere in May on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Heidi Hess Saxton is author of Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert and Raising Up Mommy: Virtues for Difficult Mothering Moments. She is the editor of “Canticle” magazine and adoptive parent columnist at CatholicMom.com and CatholicExchange.com. She and her husband Craig adopted their two foster children in 2005, and the family resides in southern Michigan.

You can visit her website at www.christianword.com.

Behold Your Mother Synopsis:

Have you ever wondered why Catholics are “wild about Mary”? Do you find it easy to accept Church teachings about Mary … but find it hard to get close to the woman behind the dogma? Do you wonder what it would have been like to live next door to the Holy Family? Or why some people pray to a women who lived two thousand years ago … and get their prayers answered? Most importantly, how is the veneration Catholics give to Mary different from the worship that belongs to God alone?

In Behold Your Mother, someone who has lived on both sides of the Christian “ecclesial divide” explores these issues as well as others, and explains how she came to understand Mary’s spiritual motherhood after becoming an adoptive mother herself. She draws from her own experiences as well as images from Scripture to paint a memorable portrait of the Woman closest to Jesus Christ. And she explains how all true devotion to Mary only leads us closer to her Son.

Melanie Rigney, former editor of Writer’s Digest, says this is “…a charmingly readable book that belongs on the shelf of every Catholic, be he or she cradle, revert or convert."

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BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Heidi's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!
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Behold Your Mother's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Cheryl Malandrinos.

SEASON OF SACRIFICE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08

Join Tristi Pinkston, author of the LDS historical fiction novel, Season of Sacrifice (Golden Wings, March '08), as she virtually tours the blogosphere in May on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Tristi Pinkston is the author of two published LDS novels, Nothing to Regret and Strength to Endure, both set during World War II. She has been critically acclaimed for the realism of her novels, which uplift without being preachy. Tristi has been married to Matt Pinkston for twelve years, and together they have four children: Caryn, Ammon, Joseph, and Benjamin. She home-schools these children and considers it a joy to watch them learn and grow. Tristi enjoys reading, watching good movies, scrapbooking, and taking long naps. She writes reviews for Families.com and also maintains her own personal blog, in addition to owning and operating her own bath-and-beauty supply company. Tristi has been a member of LDStorymakers for over five years. She is a regular presenter at the LDStorymakers Writers Conferences, has presented at the League of Utah Writers monthly meeting as well as the Spring Workshop, was featured at the ANWA yearly conference, and gives presentations regularly to promote the cause of literacy. She also hides her laundry in strange places and enjoys trying recipes no one will eat.

You can visit her website at www.tristipinkston.com.

Season of Sacrifice synopsis:

When Benjamin Perkins left behind the coal mines of Wales to come to Utah to be with the Mormons, he thought his days of using blasting powder were over. But when he and his wife were called to colonize the San Juan area of Utah, going with fifty other families to create a new community, he discovered that his skills would be needed again. The only way to get down a rock cliff and to the Colorado River was through a narrow slit, which would be widened through the use of blasting powder. Benjamin taught the men how to set off the charges and engineered a road to hang in midair to take the wagons where they needed to belong.

After settling in their new home, Benjamin faces an even more difficult task—he’s been asked to enter into the practice of polygamy, taking his wife’s sister as his second wife. He loves his wife dearly and does not want to hurt her, but he believes in the things he’s being asked to do.

Author Tristi Pinkston takes a sensitive look at the emotions and heartbreak that went in to living the practice of polygamy, as well as the strength that came from faithful obedience in this true story based on the incredible life of Benjamin Perkins, her great-great-grandfather.

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SEASON OF SACRIFICE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Tristi's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment on her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!
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Tristi Pinkston's virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ and choreographed by Jaime McDougall.