Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

I got up early, took my 8 mile walk, and reflected on my blessings over the last year.

I have so much to be grateful for this year like:

* having 3 wonderful children to love and support their choices in life
* being out of the hospital
* celebrating in Hawaii 10 years married to my husband
* enjoying the birth of my granddaughter
* discovering that the tumor in my son-in-law's brain was benign
* being with my grandson to celebrate his 2nd birthday
* the men and women who protect our borders here and across the world
* celebrating my 47th birthday
* getting the motivation back to write again
* finding and reconnecting with a dear friend after 15 years
* the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in 1st place
* we survived another hurricane season
* and for all my online friends who hold a special place in my heart.

What are you grateful for this year?

Friday, November 21, 2008

Red Hot Publicity

In October, I was at a Wizards of Words writers conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

How is that significant you ask?

Well, they held an auction and of several items, and I won one of the items.

So what, you say?

Well, shame on you, because one of those items was a one hour consultation with Penny Sansevieri the author of Red Hot Internet Publicity - An Insider's Guide to Marketing Your Book on the Internet and Jeniffer Thompson of monkeyCmedia designhaus.

That one hour was priceless. The advice and suggestions they gave me for my blog, my website, and my writers' forum were perfect. They narrowed in on spots like putting a "BUY BOOK" button on my front page instead of having the user negotiate the pages to find it on the BOOKS page.

They suggested I syndicate my articles which is something I never thought of before! Who knew I could recycle them and put them out on e-zine.com and let the world of syndication take hold of them.

Most of all they gave me suggestions about getting more traffic to my site. Which I sorely need. So, come on people, hit my site!! Look for some changes, because I'm going to be implementing their ideas. There may even be a chance to win a prize!

Most of their changes dealt with my home page because that's what the reader sees first. And that's where I want to hook them and draw them into buying my books. Who knew, right? It sounds so simple, but it took a professional to point it out to me.

I had one of those "slap my forehead" moments. Now, why didn't I think of that? I guess that's why I'm a writer and not a marketer. But, in this day of publishing, we have to be both, if we want to survive.

So, if you don't do anything else, do this. Hop over to Penny's Author Marketing Experts website and see what she has to offer. Join her newsletter. If you want to learn more about marketing your book on the Internet, you won't be sorry.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Interview with Lady Cerelli, author of "My Journey to Peace"



In her book, "My Journey to Peace with PTSD," Lady Cerelli shares how keeping trauma to yourself leads to behavior disorders. She learned how to be at peace with who she was and change those behaviors in order to grow into the individual she wished to become. A spiritual counselor for over forty years, Lady Cerelli never dreamed she would step on the same path her clients walked.

Her book explains why you can be a victim of: abuse, suicide attempts, alcohol or drug addiction. Lady also deals with workaholics, frequent insomnia, nightmares, and depression. She explains why you are always angry, finding yourself speeding, or engaging in road rage. These are just a few of the symptoms of a PTSD victim; someone who has been severely or repeatedly traumatized.

Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Lady Cerelli a few questions. I'd like to share them with you.

1.Lady Cerelli, why did you write this book?

It was a story that had to be told. It was my healing journey to help me understand why I had made my choices in my life and how I came to be victimized from a military rape. I also wanted to show people how affective my technique is. I, the counselor, had to walk the same path on which I place my clients. The reader follows in my footsteps through pain, self-discovery, and healing. They see how and when the disorders started after my incest experience and how it set me up to be a rape victim 12 years later.

2. Who does this book benefit?

The book benefits anyone who has been traumatized by sexual assault or incest. It also helps PTSD victims and their families. I know more books have been shared than purchased and every victim who has read the book has given it to their therapists. This book has helped everyone who has picked it up. What surprises everyone is that no matter the kind of abuse of how often, the behavior disorders in the adult are similar. A lot of readers have told me how the abuse may not have been the same, but the disorders were in their adult life.

3. What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?

I learned who I am and what I needed to do to change into the person I am today. It was truly devastating to discover that 40 years of my life had been built on a lie. I had suppressed the military rape for over 40 years and was not aware of why I had behaved the way I did until I was nearly 60 years old. The hardest part of this journey was sifting through the various aspects and parts of my life and my inner core to discern what I wanted to keep, what I wanted to change, and what I needed to let go. The biggest surprise was after carrying around the incest memory for over 50 years; I had to refer to the book for a piece of information that had faded. I knew this to be a major sign of healing. When you have dealt with what caused the inner anger, the trauma no longer retraumatizes. The trauma actually becomes just a memory that eventually fades away or can be put into a place in the brain where we can see it but it doesn't affect us. The biggest pleasure is after the anger I had carried around with me for over over 50 years, I discovered the love of self. Not only have I forgiven my abusers and all those who have have harmed me, I have learned to love them, including my rapist. I despise what they did to me and would not allow it today, but I now know they were hurting also. The impact of this revelation is even more phenomenal when I know that because I was pregnant at the time of the rape, it had caused me to psychologically abort 6 babies over 10-year period.

4. What are you working on for the future?

I have turned to another chapter in my life by letting go of the book and placing it into God's hands. The past few weeks have been spent reflecting on the new path that has opened up, or reopened. Essentially, I have gone back home, to coin a phrase. I have learned that sexual assault is a stigma to which no one wants to attach themselves by admitting they are a victim. Not everyone has the courage to look at and directly deal with their inner pains as I have. I won't be addressing the pain in others as much as I shall be teaching them to care for themselves; teaching them self-nurturing. I have enrolled into a college of natural medicine and will get recertified as an herbalist; go on to Master Herbalist, Nutritionist, Holistic Health Practitioner, then my Bachelor of Science. I am presently enrolled in beekeeping school and am working with our local Ag Office for grant money to start growing endangered herbs and obtaining beehives. Will eventually create gardens, tours, workshops, etc. This is similar to what I have done in the past. I used to lecture to large crowds as a C.H. Right now, I'm looking at specializing in natural remedies for trauma victims and teaching people to go back to the earth for their healing. I used to do this until my mother died; we moved; flashback; etc. It was all a journey in and of itself to get me to where I am today. The people who have come into my life just in the past 7 days are phenomenal and world-wide. What I will be doing for the rest of my life is based on everything I have learned in my life. In other words, the student now becomes the creator and teacher/healer using every skill learned. Everything has culminated to this point of my life. If nothing happens, know I am content with who I am and where I'm at. I also intend to get back in Fiber Art again but in a different way. I have art works in nearly every state and the Virgin Islands.


Thank you, Lady Cerelli, for your time and your heartfelt answers.

Friends, you can purchase your own copy of My Journey to Peace with PTSD

* Disclaimer: As always, the information provided herein this book should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition, or during any medical emergency. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.