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What’s Your Book? is an aspiring author’s go-to guide for getting from idea to publication. Brooke Warner is a publishing expert with thirteen years’ experience as an acquiring editor for major trade houses. In her book, she brings her unique understanding of book publishing (from the vantage point of coach, editor, and publisher) to each of the book’s five chapters, which include understanding the art of becoming an author, getting over common hurdles, challenging counterproductive mindsets, building an author platform, and ultimately getting published. Brooke is known for her straightforward delivery, honest assessments, and compassionate touch with authors. What’s Your Book? contains the inspiration and information every writer needs to publish their first or next book. Author: Brooke Warner Publication Date: September 18, 2014 -
London Book Festival: First Place Autobiography, December 2013 Independent Publishers: Bronze Award, May 2013 New York Book Festival: Honorable Mention, June 2014 Tasting Home is the history of a woman’s emotional education, the romantic tale of a marriage between a straight woman and a gay man, and an exploration of the ways that cooking can lay the groundwork for personal healing, intimate relation, and political community. Organized by decade and by the cookbooks that shaped author Judith Newton’s life, Tasting Home takes readers on an extraordinary journey through the cuisines, cultural spirit, and politics of the 1940s through 2011, complete with recipes. Author: Judith Newton Publication Date: March 1, 2013 -
“Memoir guru Linda Joy Myers packs a lot into this useful manual. This is more than a workbook full of exercises and prompts—it’s a guide from a veteran who understands the complexity of the memoir journey. If you’re writing a memoir, this workbook will become your new best friend.” —Brooke Warner, author of What’s Your Book? In Journey of Memoir you will find lessons on how to write a great scene; information on the difference between freewriting and outlining, and why you need both; timeline and turning point exercises to help create structure; and much more. This unique workbook gives you the tools you need to begin, develop, and complete your memoir. Author: Linda Joy Myers Publication Date: February 19, 2013 -
These forty-eight powerful stories and poems etch in vivid detail the breakthrough moments experienced by women during the life-changing era that was the ’60s and ’70s. These women rode the sexual revolution with newfound freedom, struggled for identity in divorce courts and boardrooms, and took political action in street marches. They pushed through boundaries, trampled taboos, and felt the pain and joy of new experiences. And finally, here, they tell it like it was. From Vietnam to France, from Chile to England, from the Haight-Ashbury to Greenwich Village, and to the Deep South and Midwest, Times They Were A-Changing recalls the cultural reverberations that reached into farm kitchens and city “pads” alike—and in doing so, it celebrates the women of the ’60s and ’70s, reminding them of the importance of their legacy. Author: Linda Joy Myers Publication Date: September 8, 2013 -
“Her Name is Kaur pushes past the boundaries of romance to illuminate the love at the very heart of faith. In this groundbreaking book, Meeta Kaur has gathered a diverse and fresh group of stories of growing up Sikh and redneck, Sikh and queer, Sikh and daydreaming, Sikh and heartbroken, Sikh and deeply beloved. Whether discussing the everyday (mother-in-law conflicts) or the taboo (mental illness), these women writers share colorful, intense, and engaging adventures that range from Los Altos to Toronto to Chandigarh. This collection deserves a place on the shelf of everyone interested in South Asian cultures, women of America, and just good storytelling.” —Minal Hajratwala, author of Leaving India: My Family’s Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents Sikh American women do the lion’s share of organizing and executing the business of the Sikh community, and they straddle multiple lives and worlds—cross-cultural, interreligious, intergenerational, occupational, and domestic—yet their experiences of faith, family, and community are virtually invisible in the North American milieu and have yet to be understood, documented, or shared. Until now. In Her Name is Kaur, Sikh American women explore the concept of love from many angles, offering rich, critical insight into the lives of Sikh women in America. Through a chorus of multi-generational voices—in essays ranging in tone from dramatic to humorous—they share stories of growing into and experiencing self-love, spiritual love, love within family, romantic love, the love they nurture for humanity and the world through their professional work, and more. Eye-opening and multifaceted, this collection of stories encourages its readers to take the feeling of love and turn it into action—practical action that will make the world a better place to be for everyone, regardless of their faith or creed. Author: Meeta Kaur Publication Date: June 17, 2014 -
The collection of essays in Flip-Flops After Fifty will immediately amuse, enlighten, and provoke the reader to think about the topics that affect all of us. This writer has experienced some of life’s painful jabs and has come through it all with strength, humor, and having learned a lesson or two. And she’s happy to share these lessons with others. Who hasn’t dealt with the emotions from family events, stress from lousy jobs, or the bittersweet feelings when the kids leave home? Not to mention body image, high school reunions, and parenting. It’s all covered here in this first collection of personal and insightful essays. Chapters include: “Family”, “The Holidays” and “Fifty.” Eastman’s conversational style and easy humor tackle the sublime and the ridiculous, the sacred and the profane. After a certain age, and it’s no secret that it’s fifty, Eastman’s essays argue that attitudes change for the better. Making decisions gets easier, although there’s no guarantee that life does. Even so, her writing allows us to take a look at our own issues with the reassuring handholding of a confidante. This is a collection that you will want to keep for yourself as well as give to a friend. Author: Cindy Eastman Publication Date: April 8, 2014 -
Three Minus One: Parents’ Stories of Love and Loss is a collection of intimate, soul-baring stories and artwork by parents who have lost a child to stillbirth, miscarriage, or neonatal death, inspired by the film Return to Zero. The loss of a child is unlike any other, and the impact that it has on the mother, the father, their family, and their friends is devastating—a shockwave of pain and guilt that spreads through their entire community. But the majority of those affected, especially mothers, often suffer their pain in silence, convinced that their grief and trauma is theirs to bear alone. This anthology of raw memoirs, heartbreaking stories, truthful poems, beautiful painting, and stunning photography from the parents who have suffered child loss offers insight into this unique, devastating and life-changing experience—breaking the silence and offering a ray of hope to the many parents out there in search of answers, understanding, and healing. Author: Sean Hanish Publication Date: April 19, 2014 -
This book is not new-age magic: no candles, incense, or sage were used in the production of this work. Nor is it a religious treatise: anyone can benefit from this book’s teachings, regardless of their faith, culture, or background. What this book is—what it has to offer—is a set of tools and techniques that readers can use to cultivate more creative thoughts, gain a new perspective on life, and realign their mindset to experience the things they truly desire. For those who struggle with the day-to-day and want something better; for those who want to achieve their desires with less effort and greater success; for those who yearn for more meaning, flow, and joy in their life—author Francine Huss has a simple message: Think Better. Live Better. Author: Francine Huss Publication Date: August 22, 2014 -
On November 5, 1917, Taylorville, Illinois native Clara Taylor stepped off a Trans-Siberian Railway train into a city then called Petrograd, Russia. Employed by the YWCA as an industrial expert, Clara had been sent to Russia to help establish Associations in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) and Moscow. Her main charge while in Russia was to survey and report on factory conditions, but Clara only spent a fraction of her stay in Russia visiting factories; due to the vagaries of the political, social, and economic revolution—the upheaval of an entire culture—Clara and her colleagues spent most of their first year in Russia teaching English, home economics, book keeping, literature, and basketball, and sponsoring lectures, dances and sing-alongs for Russian working women. Clara’s letters, collected in this book, tell of both the mundane and the extraordinary: what the YW staff ate for dinner; how the Bolshevik suppression of free speech impacted Americans’ ability to communicate with those at home; shootings in the streets; bartering for pounds of sugar; conversing with nobility, with intellectuals, and with workers; attending the opera; and sight-seeing at monasteries. Together, Clara’s letters to her family—her “dearest ones at home”—tell a compelling story of one American woman’s experiences in Revolutionary Russia. Author: Katrina Maloney and Patricia M. Maloney Publication Date: October 21, 2014 -
In Breaking Ground on Your Memoir, Linda Joy Myers (President of the National Association of Memoir Writers) and Brooke Warner (Publisher of She Writes Press) present from the ground up—from basic to advanced—the craft and skills memoirists can draw upon to write a powerful and moving story, as well as inspiration to write, finish, and polish their own story. Full of rich insights and practical advice and strategies, Breaking Ground on Your Memoir offers all the tools writers need to write a powerful, publishable memoir. In this book you will discover:- how to get focused on what your memoir is about—your themes.
- how to build the structure of your story.
- techniques to make your memoir come alive.
- the secrets of craft: how to write a great scene, colorful and memorable descriptions, narration, and flashback.
- how to connect with your reader using through-threads and takeaway so they’ll keep turning the pages, and learn something about their own lives by reading your book.
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“The essays in Dumped are ferocious and loving, devastating and hopeful, insightful and perplexing. A savage, thorny look at friendship... and a rare, uncensored, sometimes terrifying glimpse into the female psyche.” —Neil White, author of In the Sanctuary of Outcasts and publisher There are 161 million women in America today, and our friendships are still as primary and universal as back when Ruth and Naomi, Elizabeth and Susan B., Lucy and Ethel, and Thelma and Louise made history. And that’s what makes being dumped by a woman friend so excruciating: you expect romantic relationships to break up eventually—but you don’t expect it from your friendships. And when it happens, you feel as though there should be an Adele song for you—but there isn’t. Dumped: Women Unfriending Women fills that void, exploring the universal experience of being discarded by those from whom you expected more. The essays in Dumped aren’t stories of friendship dying a mutually agreed upon death, or of falling out of touch and reconnecting years later to find you haven’t missed a beat. These are stories by established and emerging authors who, like you, may have found themselves erased, without context. These, like your own, are stories that stay with you, maybe for a lifetime. Author: Nina Gaby Publication Date: March 3, 2015 -
2015 International Book Awards: Finalist, Travel: Guides and Essays 2015 IPPY: Silver Medal, Autobiography/Memoir (coming of age/family legacy/travel) “With writing that’s as persuasive as a legal brief and as funny as your favorite relative’s best stories, Carol Merchasin captures the daily confusion of living in Mexico, a country filled with local characters reminiscent of Peter Mayle’s rustic French neighbors. Smart. Witty. Warm. Engaging and enlightening, this is a brilliant gem of a memoir.” —Mark Saunders, author of Nobody Knows the Spanish I Speak This is Mexico is a collection of essays on the often magical and mysterious—and sometimes heartrending—workings of everyday life in Mexico, written from the perspective of an American expatriate. By turns humorous and poignant, Merchasin’s stories provide an informed look at Mexican culture and history, exploring everything from healthcare, Mexican-style, to religious rituals, and from the educational role of the telenovela to the cultural subtleties of the Spanish language. Author: Carol M. Merchasin Publication Date: March 3, 2015 -
2015 International Book Awards Finalist in Self Help “If you want to take your life to the next level of thriving, fulfillment, inner peace, love, joy, and all the important things we want in life and still be more effective at work, read The Thriver's Edge. I promise you'll be glad you did.” —Jack Canfield, New York Times best-selling author of The Success Principles and co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series Are you more afraid of success than failure? Do you undervalue your worth? Are you unaware of the limitations that keep you from flourishing in your life, work, and relationships? A major reason why people don’t thrive is because we’re focusing on the wrong things―on keeping up rather than waking up to what matters most. In The Thriver’s Edge, master executive coach and transformational leadership expert Dr. Donna Stoneham uses her powerful THRIVER model to help readers uncover the beliefs and fears holding them back from more fully expressing their gifts. Page by page, Dr. Stoneham explores the many ways to develop and integrate the seven keys—trust, humility, resilience, inner direction, vision, expansiveness, and responsibility—that lead to thriving, illustrating her points with personal stories and inspirational examples of various people who have flourished in the midst of adversity. At the end of each chapter, powerful reflection questions and practices encourage readers to put these seven keys into practice. Practical, practicable, and transformative, The Thriver’s Edge is a “coach in a book” that teaches readers to unleash their potential, fulfill their dreams and offer their best to the world. Author: Dr. Donna Stoneham Publication Date: May 5, 2015 -
Numerous women in our culture have experienced shame, degradation, and despair as a result of having been sexually traumatized early in life. Some of these women end up in unhappy marriages or abusive relationships; some fall prey to a variety of addictions, silently or publicly; and some find themselves working in the sex industry. And for many survivors, their situations—and the situations that have brought them there—are secrets that have no voice. In Singing with the Sirens, experts Ellyn Bell and Stacey Bell address the long term complex trauma that results from the sexual abuse and exploitation of girls and young women, drawing on their personal and professional experiences to explore the link between the sexual abuse of children, issues of attachment and safety, and the commercial exploitation of young people. But this is not strictly a scholarly book or a memoir of personal experience; rather, the authors address this problem from a perspective of self-realization and transformation, taking the reader on a journey through mythological tales toward finding healing from within. Poetic, hopeful, and powerful, Singing with the Sirens is a call for wounded women everywhere to reclaim their own truth, spirit, and to sing with their authentic voice. Author: Ellyn Bell and Stacey Bell Publication Date: May 13, 2015 -
“An insightful guide to navigating life's complexities.” —Melody Beattie, bestselling author of Codependent No More, The Language of Letting Go. Being caring and compassionate is important—but too many women allow the weight of others’ needs to press so hard on them that they find they often fail to speak up for what they want and need. And women do this all the time. It’s time for these women to stop worrying quite so much about everyone else—and start taking care of themselves. In Stop Giving It Away, therapist Cherilynn Veland utilizes her twenty-plus years of counseling experience to untangle what binds so many women to other people’s needs, wants, and expectations, and to build a case for what these women can do to make changes that will help them live more fulfilling personal and professional lives. Illustrating her points with real-life stories of women who—to the detriment of their relationships and personal happiness—have given away too much at home and at work, Veland provides readers with a toolkit for recognizing and analyzing unhealthy behaviors, developing healthy relationship strategies, and setting good personal boundaries. Accessible, entertaining, and illuminating, Stop Giving It Away is a book for every woman who tends to put everyone else first—and herself last. Author: Cherilynn Veland Publication Date: May 17, 2015 -
2016 International Book Award Finalist in Health: Death & Dying and Finalist in Memoir/Autobiography/Biography 2017 Eric Hoffer Award Finalist in Memoir “This tenderly rendered addition to the literature on hospice care deserves the widest possible audience.” —Kirkus Reviews Twenty-one people of different ages have one thing in common; they’re within six months of their deaths. They’ve endured the battle of the medical system as they sought cures for their illnesses, and are now settling in to die. Some reconcile, some don’t. Some are gracious, some not. As Nina Angela McKissock, a highly experienced hospice nurse, goes from home to home and within the residential hospice, she shares her journey of deep joy, humorous events, precious stories, and heartbreaking love. Free of religiosity, dogma, or fear, From Sun to Sun brings readers into McKissock’s world—and imparts the profound lessons she learns as she guides her beloved patients on their final journey. Author: Nina Angela McKissock Publication Date: August 4, 2015 -
2016 International Book Award Finalist in Cookbooks: International 2016 Best book Award Finalist in Cookbooks: International Recipes for Redemption: A Companion Cookbook for A Cup of Redemption provides the promised recipes—both French and American—culled from the pages, the times, and the regional influences found in the historical novel A Cup of Redemption. Told through the voices of the three main characters—Marcelle, Sophie and Kate—the recipes are carefully taught in the way these women learned them: at the knees of their mothers or grandmothers. Whether “cuisine pauvre” (peasant cooking), “war food” from WWII, American fare, or simply a family favorite, each recipe is carefully described and footnoted with interesting, often amusing culinary notes. Flavored with witty repartee and slathered with common sense, this cookbook is filled with heart, soul, humor, and delectable delight. Author: Carole Bumpus Publication Date: August 18, 2015 -
“A beautifully written, challenging, and thought-provoking book, one that truly leads us to insights and recognitions that make it possible to contemplate a world that works for all. I haven’t seen anything like it. Trenshaw’s book contributes to helping us see the world at the margins with clarity.” —Margaret J. Wheatley, author of So Far From Home, Perseverance, Turning to One Another, and Leadership and the New Science When Cynthia Trenshaw, recently widowed, moves to Berkeley, she thinks the reason she has transplanted herself is to earn her master’s degree in theology. But when, step by unexpected step, she is drawn into the cultural borderlands where society’s “invisible people” reside, she encounters dispossessed and demanding teachers not listed on any academic roster—and becomes immersed in a heady curriculum of helplessness and joy, wisdom and pain. A book that encourages readers to receive the generosity and reciprocity of the margins, Meeting in the Margins offers guidance for how we can all, as individuals, begin to repair the rift between the margins and the mainstream of society—simply by being profoundly present. Author: Cynthia Trenshaw Publication Date: October 6, 2015 -
2016 IndieFab Finalist in Anthologies Approximately 1 in 7 women suffer from postpartum depression after having a baby. Many more may experience depression during pregnancy, postpartum anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders. Postpartum depression is, in fact, the most common pregnancy-related complication—yet confusion and misinformation about this disorder are still widespread. And these aren’t harmless myths: the lack of clarity surrounding mothers’ mental health challenges can have devastating effects on their well-being and their identities as mothers, which too often leads to shame and inadequate treatment. In this one-of-a-kind anthology, thirty mothers break the silence to dispel myths about postpartum mental health issues and explore the diversity of women’s experiences. Powerful and inspiring, Mothering Through the Darkness will comfort every mother who’s ever felt alone, ashamed, and hopeless—and, hopefully, inspire her to speak out. Author: Stephanie Sprenger and Jessica Smock Publication Date: November 3, 2015 -
2016 IndieFab Finalist in Women’s Studies and Finalist in Anthologies 2016 Next Gen Winner in Women’s Issues 2016 IPPY Bronze Medal Winner in Women’s Issues Hillary Clinton’s name is on everyone’s lips as we head into the 2016 presidential election. But as we know from the 2008 presidential campaign, and its outcome, Clinton evokes extreme and varied emotions among voters in a way no other candidate in recent memory has. But why? Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox delves into the nuances of our complicated feelings about one of the most powerful women ever in American politics. In this timely collection, editor Joanne Bamberger gathers a unique and diverse group of writers of all ages, walks of life, and political affiliations, while also providing the narrative framework through which to view the history that’s led us to this moment in time—the moment when voters must decide whether they can forgive Hillary Clinton for not being the perfect candidate or the perfect woman and finally elect our first woman president. Timely and fresh, Love Her, Love Her Not will provoke new conversations and push political and cultural dialogue in the US to a new level. Author: Joanne Bamberger Publication Date: November 3, 2015 -
2017 Independent Reader Discovery Awards: Winner - Health/Medicine 2016 Reader's Favorite Award: Gold Medal Winner (Non-Fiction - Health - Medical) 2016 The Beverly Hills Book Awards: Winner - Health Are you confused about vitamins? Unsure of which ones you need for optimal health, and what levels are safe? You’re not alone. Many people’s health issues could be improved with vitamins—if they only knew how to use them. In this award-winning book, The Vitamin Solution, Drs. Romy Block and Arielle Levitan provide a common-sense, medically sound approach to using vitamins to improve your diet, exercise plan, and overall health. In clear, accessible, language, they explain which vitamins and supplements can be helpful, which can be harmful, and which are altogether unnecessary; explore health topics including migraine, hair loss, fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hot flashes, and more; and address preventive care, providing insights on topics such as screening tests, weight loss, and preserving memory. Illuminating and accessible, The Vitamin Solution is an indispensable guide to safely incorporating vitamins and supplements into any lifestyle—one that will leave readers educated, informed, and armed with simple, everyday strategies for bettering their health. Author: Romy Block and Arielle Miller Levitan Publication Date: November 17, 2015 -
2016 Best Book Award Finalist in Self Help: General 2016 Next Generation Finalist in Inspiration 2016 Next Generation Finalist in Motivational 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Awards Director's Choice Award Winner for Outstanding 'Life Adjustment Book' 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Awards Silver Winner in Self-Help and Wellness 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Awards Silver Winner in Motivational 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Awards Silver Winner in Life Challenges 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Awards Silver Winner in Life Journey There are times in life that shake us to our very foundations. We wish for things to get better, fast. But the truth is that moments of “falling apart” are also our most powerful catalysts for growth and change. In Falling Together, Donna Cardillo, a registered nurse, Dr. Oz blogger, and beloved public speaker, reflects on the overwhelming challenges that fall into every life, and the renewal that comes when we are able to meet them with courage. A funny, big-hearted self-help memoir that takes on issues like divorce, caregiving, and burnout—and many women’s biggest enemies of all, fear, insecurity, and self-doubt—Falling Together shows how to turn the challenges that threaten to knock us to the ground into the building blocks we need to become more successful, more joyful, and ultimately, more alive. Author: Donna Wilk Cardillo Publication Date: April 5, 2016 -
2016 Nautilus Book Awards: Gold Winner, Women’s Category 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist, Women’s Issues 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist, Self-Help What if you knew that limiting beliefs—feeling that who you are is not enough, that your real value is based only on what you do, or that you’ll never make a real difference in the world—were holding your innate potential hostage? In The Way of The Mysterial Woman, women’s leadership development pioneers Suzanne Anderson and Dr. Susan Cannon use their five-step source code—The Mysterial Sequence—along with complementary tools and practices, to help readers liberate their natural genius. Using nine case studies of women drawn from fifteen years of running university certificate leadership programs, Anderson and Cannon show how Empowered Radiant Presence, Joyful True Authority, and Alchemical Authenticity can be cultivated to ignite a profound ‘internal operating system’ upgrade. They also reveal how the Mysterial Sequence predicts the essence of the six major cultural stages that have emerged throughout history, and, in a fascinating twist, make some grounded predictions for a postmodern future—one far friendlier to, and more influenced by, women. Inspiring, groundbreaking, and evocatively written, The Way of The Mysterial Woman offers women an elegant, comprehensive map to unlock their greatest potential. Author: Susan Cannon and Suzanne Anderson Publication Date: April 12, 2016 -
Winner of the Gold Medal in the 2016 Living Now Book Awards 2016 Best Book Award Finalist in Social Change 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner in Motivational In the course of their lifetime, one out of two men and one out of three women will be diagnosed with cancer. Many of us watch in desperation as our friends and loved ones fight for their lives. But after seeing several of her patients and her dearest aunt engage in a battle with cancer, Dr. Christine Meyer decided to embark on a quest for hope—and through happenstance and love, a team of runners emerged that empowered a community to make a difference, not only in the lives of cancer patients, but in one another’s lives. Along the way, Meyer learned that the true measure of a doctor’s success is not the number of lives saved but the number of lives touched. Author: Christine Meyer Publication Date: April 12, 2017
