Illustration from the book 'Check Mates'

OCD – Understanding, Not Just Awareness

It might sound like a surprising thing to say, but Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder affects pretty much everyone. Maybe you have it yourself. Or perhaps your partner has it, or your sibling, or an old childhood friend, or maybe your next-door neighbour. You might not even be aware of it, but the chances are high that you know someone who is obsessive-compulsive.

In recent years, OCD has become more publicly discussed, with celebrities coming forward and admitting they are afflicted by the condition. Yet when David Beckham went public with his diagnosis, much of the world made jokes and laughed. There was little consideration for his lifelong struggle with his own mind, or the difficulties it might pose for his family. There was even less acknowledgment that most people are at least a little obsessive-compulsive themselves.

Despite the growing awareness of such conditions, stereotypes persist…and an inspiring (and inspired) group of writers have boldly decided to do something about that. Together, they have compiled a groundbreaking new book Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD.

Check Mates, edited by Vrinda Pendred, is the first ever collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about OCD, by people with OCD – the real experts on the subject. It also marks the launch of Conditional Publications, the only dedicated publishing house for writers with any kind of neurological condition.

Divided between ‘Realism’ and the ‘Beyond’, this book drives the absurdity and horror of OCD straight home. It has been put together by writers and artists from around the world, and showcases a wide range of emotions, from love to hate, joy to rage, fear and sorrow to hope and optimism. There’s even a little bit of humour! I think everyone will find something to relate to.

What it doesn’t do is shy away from the truth. Every angle is covered, no matter how painful, which makes for a startling and moving read.

If you have OCD, you’re going to find yourself in this book and realise you’re definitely not alone. If you don’t have OCD…you’re probably going to find a little of yourself anyway, because that’s what this book does: it forces us to look at our own neuroses. I think this book is set to crack wide open a few stereotypes that have been flying around for far too long.

And what makes this book even more special, is that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every single copy of Check Mates will be donated to OCD charities.

Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD is coming to Amazon on 11 May 2010. To show my support of this inspirational new book,  to everyone who buys Check Mates on the day of the launch, I am giving away a FREE copy the “Making Friends With the Monsters Under Your Bed” mini-course to help anyone overcome anxieties, fears, insecurities and negative self-talk, whether OR not you have OCD.

AND… In addition to my gift, there are over 30 other wonderful gifts being offered by mind-body-spirit teachers, authors, coaches and healers from around the planet when you purchase Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD on May 11^th.

AND … Vrinda Pendred, editor and co-author of Check Mates, and a genuine artist of surreal fiction, is giving away an EXTRA special gift of her own: ‘The Passenger’, an unpublished short story about Tourette Syndrome. And yes, Vrinda herself has Tourette Syndrome, OCD and other neurological conditions.

AND… would it be just TOO unprofessional of me to mention that the lovely and talented Vrinda happens to be my very own daughter? I am more than just a little bit proud of what she is doing, and I have to say this book is absolutely gripping. Very impactful, it touches me on just so many levels.

To find out how you can buy this book on May 11^th, claim your free copy of ‘The Passenger’, and receive over 30 other gifts, just click HERE

Or copy and paste this link in your browser:

http://conditionalpublications.com/pages/check-mates-launch.html

I hope you will join me in celebrating the launch of this unique book, Check Mates, the first ever collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about OCD.

Be sure to sign up for a “launch reminder”, and then mark your diary for May 11^th!

The grand prize is a book contract from Hampton Roads Publishing, one of the top Body-Mind-Spirit publishers in the world, along with a promotional package worth over $50,000.

There are 3 rounds of voting. The first round starts MONDAY March 29, 2010, and ends May 3, 2010. I could REALLY use your vote to help me advance to Round 2.

Here’s the video I made for my contest entry. I poured my heart and soul into it! If you cannot see it on your screen, view it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8P92UVYwCQ.

If you think The Garden of the Soul deserves to go to a wider audience, please help me by:

1) Watching this video to help you decide whether you think I deserve the prize AND THEN
2) Voting for me at http://tinyurl.com/TopAuthorLynn between March 29 – May 3rd.
3) Help yourself to a THANK YOU GIFT on that page (it’s a collection of audio excerpts from my book)
4) SHARE the page via Twitter or Facebook (you’ll see the buttons right there on the page).

And there is NO pressure to choose only one author to win this contest! There are hundreds of great authors for you to consider, and you can vote for as many authors as you like (but you can only vote ONCE for each author per round).

I you can help me advance to Round 2 of this exciting competition, I will be EXTREMELY grateful!

My motivation is fuelled by your encouragement and comments. I’d love to hear what you have to say about the video, my book and whatever else, in the comments box below (if you are reading this in your email inbox, click HERE to leave a comment).

Thank you everyone!

Twitter changed my life. Let me tell you how.

AND I am going to attempt to tell this story in lines of 140 characters or less.

It all started when I launched my book “The Garden of the Soul” in April 2009.

After a year of mastering this “thing” called social networking, I created an Amazon book campaign.

I found many JVPs (joint venture partners), mainly from Twitter.

Some who helped were @InspiredSheila @SuzieCheel @KSchulweis @BrendaAdelman @RuthHegarty @JoeRumbolo @LolaFayemi (see next)

AND @HeidiRichards @AwakenedWisdom @LindaClariPuig @jenngivler @audaciouseditor @GailSussMill @Gloreebe @jessicamcgj @SpiritCoach #ff

Also ran a Virtual Blog Tour with peeps like @MoonPoppy @DuncanBrodie and many others.

Also ran a Twitter contest. @JulieAnnTurner won a signed copy of my book.

Anyway…

Long story short, my self-published book became an Amazon bestseller in #spirituality #mind-body-spirit and #self-help.

When “The Garden of the Soul” made bestseller, Tweets and RTs went viral. #gots

I think it was June when @SouthsideBroadc contacted me to be on their radio show. I soon became a regular guest.

Thru @SouthsideBroadc I met @SpiritusShelagh who has since become one of my closest friends.

July 2009: blogger/editor @BookEditorLM wrote me on Twitter wanting to do a blog piece on me: http://bit.ly/c8hbCa

Aug 2009: @BookEditorLM asked @tonyeldridge if he would repost that article. He asked me to write a new one.

Oct 2009: @tonyeldridge published my new article “Pre-Natal Care for Your Book” http://bit.ly/bWCmQA

Same month @AllisonMaslan (whom I didn’t know) read that article. Sent me DM asking me to coach her 4 Amazon launch.

I put together Amazon campaign for @AllisonMaslan ‘s new #book #BlastOff!

Nov 2009: I asked @writersinthesky (whom I had met on Ning) to come and help us put the campaign together.

We put together another great team of JVPs.

If I named all the Tweeple who helped us on #BlastOff! I think I’d need another day to write this.

Meanwhile lots of people were asking me for book advice. I decided to start a new site called Spirit Authors. http://spiritauthors.com

Dec 20 2009: I set up Twitter profile @SpiritAuthors and Facebook fan page. http://facebook.com/SpiritAuthors

Started Twitter/FB campaign to drive people to fan page. By Christmas day there were 100 fans.

Jan 2010: Did another campaign to get 500 fans by my 55th birthday end of Jan. I got 600+

Jan 19, 2010: Allison’s book launched. Twitter & FB went viral. “Blast Off” reached #1 in US/Canada. http://bit.ly/RXpQu

RT @AllisonMaslan’s “Blast Off” reached #1 in US/Canada. http://bit.ly/RXpQu

Jan 21, 2010: Success of launch attracted attention of @AllisonMaslan ’s literary agent @wgtwelve. He’s also @EckhartTolle ‘s agent

As an author, I am now represented by @wgtwelve.

More and more #mind-body-spirit #authors come to me to create campaigns for them.

New Amazon campaigns: @AwakenedWisdom (April 20), @NeuroBooks (May 11) and @wgtwelve (Nov).

From Twitter contacts, I quickly assembled team of 18 VIP experts for Spirit Authors Grand Opening http://bit.ly/9pfpJV

VIPS: @wordywoman @BookMarketer @CaronGoode @DayaDeviDoolin @inspiredwriter @docmarion @AlanSeale plus many already mentioned.

Nearly 500 people registered 4 the #Spirit #Authors Grand Opening http://bit.ly/9pfpJV

My good friend @SpiritusShelagh was my co-host for the event. What a source of strength she is.

Oz Tweep @charlyjl was a wellspring of technical support in getting the site ready. Couldn’t have done it without her.

March 2010: Spirit Authors is now open and I have long waiting list of book campaign clients.

On #Spirit #Authors I teach new authors how to set use #Twitter to build a promotional platform and Amazon launch… as well as many other things (Oops! That’s more than 140 characters!)

Ok… enough with the Twitterspeak!!!

I am quite serious when I say Twitter has changed my life. Yes, my own book would never have become a bestseller without Twitter. Yes, I could never have helped Allison become a number-1 seller. Yes, I would not have gotten some fab new clients and an amazing literary agent. And yes, I would never have thought to create Spirit Authors and now have a blossoming new business as a result.

But it isn’t REALLY about business at all.

Have a look at all the Twitter links above. These are not just links. These are all REAL people whom I have come to know, respect and care about over the past year. Even though some of us are separated by tens of thousands of miles, we have all shared many a heart-felt conversation over the phone, and have been there for each other through the highs and lows.

And really, there are just so many other wonderful people I have met from Twitter (as well as Facebook, Ning and LinkedIn, in that order), I cannot count them.

When many people first come to Twitter, they don’t “get it”. How can you possibly communicate in 140 characters? How can you possibly make friends with people? How can you possibly build a business from it? WHY would you WANT to do this????

And I’m telling you now—it’s because of the PEOPLE!

I have made more close friends from networking on Twitter than any other form of networking I have ever tried… even more than “live” networks in my home town! While I do love Facebook as well, there is nothing (yet) that can beat Twitter for ideas going viral, and for meeting lots of people who share your interests within a very short period of time.

But as I said, it’s not just about the business. The friends I have met through Twitter are some of the most inspiring, supportive, positive and powerful light-workers I have ever met. That is why I have linked to EVERY one of them above.

So, if you are on Twitter, you should follow them. These are wonderful, beautiful people—get to KNOW them.

As always, your comments below are MOST welcome!

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
@LynnSerafinn
@SpiritAuthors

P. S.: This article was inspired by a Twitter conversation I had a new friend on Twitter @WendyMWarden. Many thanks, Wendy. This was fun to write!

P. P. S.: Knowing HOW to make Twitter (and social networking in general) work for you, both on a business level and on a deeply fulfilling personal level, is something of an art form. This is why I teach it on the Spirit Authors course:

• In Module 2, I teach the fundamental principles of spirit-based promotion so you can create a fertile promotional platform for selling your book online using social networking.
• In Module 4, I teach the “how to’s” of creating an Amazon Book Launch.
• And, of course, there are 3 other modules on starting and writing your book, preparing for publication, and creating a brand and sustainable business from your book.

It’s my hope that by teaching authors (and authors-to-be) the techno-art of Twitter, they will not only find professional fulfilment, but they will also expand their world by connecting to others who understand them and wish to help them grow.

If this sounds like something you would like to explore, I offer a 14-day “Test Drive” on any Spirit Authors learning module for only $1. Visit the site at http://spiritauthors.com and check out the introductory audios and module overviews to see if there is something at Spirit Authors that can help you achieve your writing goals. And if you have any questions, please just fill out a contact form on the site and I promise I will reply personally.

SIDEBAR NOTE: If you haven’t yet gotten your copy of Allison Maslan’s Number-1 seller, check this page out before Friday 29 January: http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch to receive 20 free mind-body-spirit gifts when you buy the book, “Blast Off!”.

This is a true story of how one small thing can change your life.

Back in September 2009, a fellow named Tony Eldridge, whom I had met on Twitter, asked me to write an article for his book marketing blog, talking about the promotional strategies I had used that enabled my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers to unearth the Self to become a bestselling title. I was a first-time, self-published author. I wasn’t exactly rich, and I had next to nothing to spend on promotion, so I did just about all of it myself. But somehow, by dint of my having spent the previous two years attending dozens of live seminars and teleseminars and reading hundreds of articles and eBooks on the topic of book promotion and Amazon launches, I built my online platform, designed my campaign and found some truly wonderful joint venture partners to assist me. As a result, my book became a bestseller in the UK in spirituality and mind-body-spirit categories, as well as in self-help category in both the US and the UK. I couldn’t have been happier. At age 50-something, it really was the dream of a lifetime.

I knew that the success of my launch had come from building my platform at least a year before my book had come out. So when Tony approached me to write the article, I decided to call the article “Pre-Natal Care for your Book,” with the aim of encouraging authors to start building their platform months before they even finished writing their books. When he published my article on 6 October 2009, Tony announced it on Twitter, and continued to ReTweet the link to it throughout the month.

I was very pleased with the article, and very pleased Tony seemed to like it too. I had no idea, however, that this one small thing was very soon going to be the catalyst that would change my life.

A few days after the article was published, an author from California named Allison Maslan saw one of Tony’s ReTweets (bless your tweet heart, Tony), and clicked the link to read my article. She was intrigued with it and contacted me through my website, asking me if I would “coach” her to create a book promotion campaign, because she had just landed a book deal with Morgan James Publishers for her book Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality.

I asked, “What do you want me to do?”

She replied, “Exactly the same thing you did for your own book. I want to do all of it.”

Without thinking, I heard myself saying to her, “OK. Except it’s not enough. My book made it to Number 18, and that was great at the time. But I want your book to do better than that. I want it to go all the way to Number 1.”

Reaching Number 1 was something I had a difficult time imagining, but I really meant it when I said it. Over the months Allison and I worked together, I found myself saying, “I want your book to be a Number-1 bestseller,” again and again. The desire was so powerful I could feel it in my gut.

I have to admit, though, that somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear a voice chiding me, “Number 1, you say? Uh-huh. Well we’ll just see about that!” But in spite of my occasional self-doubt, my logical mind told me if I simply applied all the learning I had amassed from having completed my own launch several months earlier, I could avoid all the pitfalls I had encountered and easily surpass my previous achievement. It seemed perfectly “do-able”.

And while such logic is a wonderful thing, the greater thing I have learned is that when you set a sincere intention, the Universe conspires to ensure it comes to fruition. So honey, let me warn you—before you open your mouth and speak loudly enough for the Universe to hear, you’d better be sure you are ready for outrageous success. But when you say it, you really have to mean it. Don’t just wish it. Don’t just say to yourself, “That would be really nice.” Feel the desire so powerfully that you will not accept anything less, and then commit to doing the work that will make it come true.

Over the following months, I worked closely with Allison to design, coordinate and deliver her campaign. First we tightened up her platform by building a strong online infrastructure and integrating all her social networks. Then, I showed her how to operate many new software programmes. She got to be a real pro at them in no time and soon she was off and running and gathering new followers every day. She was a natural at it, and because she was such a nice person, people simply WANTED to be connected to her.

Then I introduced her to an excellent communications coordinator, Yvonne Perry from Writers in the Sky, whom I had met on my Garden of the Soul Ning group. Together, we three assembled a truly vibrant team of spirit-based joint venture partners. We then designed all the timetables, promotional copy, strategies, sales pages and so many other things. As the day of the launch approached, we worked out tracking systems and a rota for watching the sales. There were some pretty hair-raising last minute “tweaks” behind the scenes and Ali, Yvonne and I were writing emails to each other so rapidly, it was almost like talking in real time.

The day of the big launch finally came Tuesday 19 January 2010. As I live in the UK, I was up hours before Allison or Yvonne. Soon, Britain woke up and started shopping online. I found my heart pounding when I first saw Allison’s book get into the Top-20 bestseller lists in the UK, alongside and even AHEAD of celebrities from Britain’s show “Dragon’s Den”. I frantically started sending out blogs and newsletters and tweets to tell people about this great news. Then, as North America woke up (Allison amongst them), and I started to see her book climb the US and Canadian charts, I could feel my heart pounding even louder. Heck I think I could even hear Allison’s heart pounding all the way from San Diego! Wow! Suddenly Blast Off! was soaring up the charts into the Top-10. Unbelievable. She had indeed passed my own book’s rank, just as I had said I truly wanted.

Behind the scenes was a FRENZY of emails, Tweets, Skypes and on-the-fly blog posts. We analysed. We strategised. It was total madness! I think if I could pick one thing I am most proud of about the campaign, it would be when Allison got to the Number-4 ranking, just behind Gary Vaynerchuk and Michael Gerber—two monumental names in the charts. We looked at the sales figures and estimated that we were very close to the Number-3 position, and all we needed to get over the “hump” was another 15 book sales. At that point, I sent out an appeal to all our members on Spirit Authors fan page on Facebook, as well as my blogs, and Allison sent out emails to her lists, telling them exactly what was going on. Yvonne started Tweeting like crazy. Within minutes, people responded with messages of support, telling us they had just bought the book.

I watched as an amazing truth became evident—people WANTED Allison reach Number-1. Their desire was just as strong as ours… except now there were hundreds of people all desiring the same thing.

And do you know what? With all that passionate desire being sent into the cosmos, the Universe could not help but fulfil our collective wishes. It was like an ocean of desire flowing into cyberspace.

In less than an hour, the book Blast Off! by my wonderful client (and now dear friend) Allison Maslan not only moved into the Number-3 rank, but within the next couple of hours, it also rose in both US and Canada to become Number-1 bestseller in entrepreneurship and was dubbed Number-1 “Hot New Seller”. It also made the top 5 in several other categories including “motivational” and “self-help”.

As you might imagine, Allison is over the moon and she is getting a lot of media attention. I spoke to her this evening and she has FOURTEEN radio interviews tomorrow! I can’t imagine that many interviews in one day. And I have to say, it couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

As for me, I’ve been living on not much more than adrenaline all week. But I really wanted to come back down to earth to tell you about the exciting things that have been happening in my life since the success as Allison’s campaign.

My first big announcement is that “Lynn the author” is now being represented by Waterside Literary Agency in Los Angeles, who also represent an array of illustrious spirit-based authors such as Eckhart Tolle, Neal Donald Walsch, Barbara Marx Hubbard, and of course my own client, Allison Maslan, amongst many others whose names you would undoubtedly recognise. Together, we are getting ready to approach publishers with a proposal for a NEW book I am writing. I’ll be telling you more about it over the coming months.

The second bit of news (and this will probably come as no surprise) is that, ever since the launch, I have been approached by a steady stream of authors requesting I help them with their book campaigns. Some of these are truly BIG and exciting projects. I’ll be telling you all about these wonderful books over the coming months.

All of this truly takes my breath away and, of course, I am absolutely thrilled so many people are approaching me about managing their spirit-based book campaigns. But there is a flip side to all this that also needs to be considered:

a) There’s only one of me and there are hundreds of authors who need help with their book projects and

b) Private campaign managers are simply not a financial option for everyone.

But here’s the beauty of the situation. The Universe is so incredibly wise and clever, it has been orchestrating a solution to this dilemma for the past two months, long before any of these events had occurred.

What is the solution? My new Spirit Authors site, of course!

For the past two months, I’ve been very excited about my new project Spirit Authors, which is a membership site that allows me to combine my professional experience as a teacher, coach, author, online promotion expert, WordPress “techie” and non-stop talker (!) in one place. I call it a “Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience” for mind-body-spirit authors—including those who simply have a dream to write and be a published author in the future. What Spirit Authors will offer authors is the opportunity to learn from myself and a range of other industry professionals about writing, social network-based promotion, self-publishing, Amazon launch campaigns, and making the most of your success, while always retaining your spirit-based focus, and being true to your personal values. It is also an online community, offering you the opportunity to make close personal and professional connections with others of like mind, for friendship, support, ideas sharing and business partnerships.

I originally set up this project because it resonated with my own values and interests. It also fulfils a long-term dream for me, because I have an MA in adult education and distance learning, and for many years I wanted to create a really fabulous online course, using all the principles I have learned in my many years as an educator.

But what I now understand is that the real importance of the project is that it will be able to help HUNDREDS of authors get the information and support they want and need for their projects. I couldn’t possibly do that as a one-to-one coach.

I have arranged a Grand Opening Webinar Week, Monday 22 through Friday 26 February. I’ve got over a dozen industry professionals from authors, marketing specialists, publishers, editors, etc., coming along to share their wisdom and experience on the air. And, yes, Allison Maslan will be amongst the guest line up to tell us what life has been like since becoming a Number-1 bestselling author. It’s all going to be FREE in celebration of the Grand Opening of the new Spirit Authors site.

The sign-up page for the Grand Opening won’t be available until NEXT week, so for now, if you’d like to make sure you receive a VIP invitation to the FREE Grand Opening Webinar Week, just got to http://spiritauthors.com and enter your email address in the right-hand side of this screen. Then, you’ll receive all updates about the event.

So there you have it. It all started by someone asking me to write a simple little blog article. Less than six months later, so many things I wanted to achieve in life are all joining together. It has truly been a dance of synchronicity, desire and manifestation.

If you follow my work, you know that one of my key messages is that there is great learning to be found in every story of our lives. So for this story, let me offer you these two “thoughts for the day:”

a) Never underestimate the power of an opportunity you are given, even if it seems very small. You simply do not know how far it will take you.

b) The more you desire to fulfil the dreams of others, the more your own dreams become fulfilled.

Thanks for reading. I really needed to share this story with you. Just by reading these words, you have become a part of my journey. Even if we have never spoken in person, I know on a subtle level that your presence in the world is impacting my life in ways I cannot yet measure. Similarly, I truly hope my presence in the world is impacting you in some small but positive way.

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
Transformation Coach, Book Promotion Coach,
Author, Teacher, Talk Radio Host
Spirit Authors Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience
http://spiritauthors.com

P.S.: If you haven’t already, have a look at http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch. You still have time to receive 20 free mind-body-spirit gifts if you buy Allison Maslan’s (Number-1 selling!) book Blast Off! before the end of Friday 29 January. I’m also offering over 1 hour of audio book excerpts from The Garden of the Soul as a gift, along with other great gifts from coaches, authors, marketing pros and holistic practitioners. Have a look and see what’s on offer.

P.P.S.: I’m celebrating my 55^th birthday this Thursday 28 January. If you are on Facebook, come join my “Virtual Birthday Party” on my Spirit Authors fan page. I’m giving away a gift to all fans on Thursday, so come along and invite your friends. http://facebook.com/SpiritAuthors.

As most of you know by now, amongst other things, I am a book promotion coach for spirit-based authors. For the past 5 months, I’ve been working with a VERY wonderful woman named Allison Maslan. Allison came to me wanting me to design a book launch campaign for her book “Blast Off”, which is a motivational book where she shows you an actual system for achieving your “dream life”, whether it is creating a business, finding the love of your life, achieving optimum health, having fun, or connecting to your spirituality.

Anyway, here’s the situation.

Allison’s book launched today and she’s done FANTASTICALLY well. About 2 hours ago, she PASSED one of the BIGGEST selling books of the past few months, Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It!” and took the Number 3 position in the entrepreneurship category.

Wow! That is truly an amazing feat.

AND… our next hurdle is to get to Number 1.

To get there, we have to pass two MEGA books in the field, one of which is Michael Gerber’s CLASSIC book “E-Myth Revisited.” No small feat. That book has been a top seller for years!

But it’s not impossible. I estimate that all Allison needs right now is about 15 more books to get sold via the Amazon dot com (US customers) in the next few hours to get her from Number 3 up to Number 2 (or higher?).

It’s not that we are not looking for sales in other countries, but it’s the US that is currently holding steady at the Number 3 rank. Canada has been dancing between Number 4 and 5, and the UK is coming up from behind around Number 14-15 (of course, it’s almost 3am here, and only people like me are awake at this hour!).

I REALLY want Allison to get to Number 2, and ultimately to Number 1, with your help.

So I am asking all of you to have a look at Allison’s book at http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch. On the LEFT hand side of the screen, you will find out all about the book itself. On the RIGHT hand side of the screen, you will see buttons to purchase, if you’re ready to buy.

AND… further down the screen, you’ll see about 20 free bonus gifts that a bunch of us (many of us here on Spirit Authors) are giving away when you buy Allison’s book before the end of the launch. I’m giving away 4 audio book excerpts from The Garden of the Soul, but there are SO many great gifts there from many Spirit Authors members (like Steph Gunning, Dana Lynn Smith, Brenda Adelman, Joe Rumbolo, Tracy Latz, Marion Ross, Yvonne Perry, Shelagh Jones, Sheila Bakely Finkelstein, Amethyst Wyldfyre… good grief, have I forgotten anyone?). Plus, so many other wonderful people like Callie Carling, Shannon Jackson Arnold and Gaylena Nia Collins helped with Tweeting, blogging, etc.

PLEASE help us “Blast Off!” Allison’s book and get it to number 1. She’s a brand new spirit-based author, and this is the dream of a lifetime for her.

And frankly, it’s a dream for me too. I would LOVE to say that I was the campaign manager for a Number 1 selling spirit-based book!

Watch out, of course. If we do reach Number 1, you’ve gotta know that I’m going to “milk it” baby, lol! After all, this is my most successful book launch to date and I see this as the beginning of my helping ALL my Spirit Author friends reach Number 1 in the coming years through the new Spirit Authors site.

Again, PLEASE buy Allison’s book right away if possible at http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch and receive all those beautiful gifts instantly.

Thank you sooooooooo much, everyone. I hope some day I can help some of YOU become a number 1 seller too.

Warm wishes,
Lynn

Yesterday I told you all about the launch of the book Blast Off! by my good friend and client, and fellow Spirit Author, Allison Maslan.

Well I am pleased to announce that her book came out early this morning and has already been dancing around the top 25 list in “Entrepreneurship” category all morning here in the UK, reaching as high as number 14 so far. I find myself smiling as I see her title on the same list as Michael Gerber’s classic E-Myth Revisited, Gary Vaynerchuk’s recent smash hit Crush It, and several books by UK “Dragons Den” icons, Peter Jones, Theo Paphitis and Duncan Bannatyne. She’s even been AHEAD of several of the “Dragons” over the past couple of hours… giving them a real run for their money… a lot of fun to watch, actually.

Now what’s so great about this is that Allison’s book is a radical shift from many other entrepreneurial approaches. She takes a spirit-based approach, where she helps you connect with your passions, and she actually gives you a step-by-step method to work towards anything from building an entrepreneurial enterprise, to finding a soul mate.

But what I like best about Allison as a person, and a writer, is that she keeps it “real.” She doesn’t talk “over your head” when it comes to talking about business, like so many other books I have read. As a coach and a homeopath, she speaks to you like a real person because her first interest and sole focus (or soul focus?) is people.

If you haven’t yet picked up your copy of Allison’s book, try to do so before the end of the day because when you do, you’ll also be able to pick up 20 great bonus gifts from some of the nicest mind-body-spirit and business professionals on the planet. I’m giving away over 1 hour of free audio book excerpts to help celebrate with her.

To find out how to get the book and the gifts, just visit http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch.

What a great start to have her be in the top 20 in the UK, right from the starting gate. I can’t wait to see how far Blast Off will go, especially when readers in the US start buying the book later today.

This is why I LOVE being a book promotion coach!

Enjoy the rest of your day,
Lynn Serafinn
Author, transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host
Author of mind-body-spirit bestseller The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self

http://lynnserafinn.com
http://spiritauthors.com
http://create-a-life.co.uk

Happy Monday to you. I just HAD to put this blog post up today because tomorrow, Tuesday 19 January, is a day I’ve been looking forward to for the past 5 months.

Tomorrow is the day that my very good friend and client, Allison Maslan, is launching her new self-help book Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality.

I’ve been working closely with Allison since the autumn to plan the launch of this book. Although I’ve been working with many authors over the past year, this is definitely the biggest and most exciting book campaign (other than my own!) I have coached so far. It’s been a BIG job for us, along with the help of many others including Yvonne Perry from Writers in the Sky, to coordinate all the events, create all the materials, and communicate with the dozens of people who have been involved. It’s been a LOT of work, but also a lot of fun.

As you can probably guess, even though I am not the author of this book, I feel a very strong connection to it, and I SERIOUSLY want to be able to say I helped one of my clients reach the Number-1 rank in Amazon Self-Help books tomorrow! But that’s not just because I have a natural “bias” here; I honestly believe Allison’s book deserves to be a top selling title.

I invite you to check out Allison’s excellent self-help book Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality TOMORROW, Tuesday 19 January.

Why buy the book on the day of the launch?

Because whole gaggle of Allison’s friends and colleagues (including me) are giving away over 20 inspirational gifts to EVERYONE who buys the book on launch day. Gifts include audio books, eBooks, free memberships, meditations, photography, prosperity building, business help, personal growth, spiritual growth… all sorts of interesting stuff by some of top mind-body-spirit and business professionals. I myself am offering 4 audio book excerpts from my book The Garden of the Soul when you buy Allison’s book tomorrow.

Just go to http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch and you can read all about Allison’s book, and the bonus gifts. You can sign up for a launch reminder AND buy the book directly from that page TOMORROW. The page will go “live” from midnight Pacific time tonight.

Ok, so that’s my Monday news. I’ve got a lot more I will be telling you about in another week or so, when I finally start taking bookings for my new Spirit Authors Grand Opening. Spirit Authors is a new Virtual Coaching site where I’ll be helping mind-body-spirit authors just like Allison (and others who may be aspiring to become authors) to write their books, develop their promotional campaigns, and learn all they need to know about self-publishing in the mind-body-spirit genre. But more about Spirit Authors next time.

Until then, PLEASE be sure you get your copy of Allison’s book tomorrow at http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch. Hopefully while you’re downloading all your free bonus gifts, I’ll be celebrating the fact that Allison has hit number 1 on Amazon! I’ll be so happy for her when that happens.

Hope you are staying warm and happy this winter, and that 2010 is the year all your dreams come true.

Warm wishes,

Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Author, transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host

http://spiritauthors.com

Meditation 28: Aesthetic Awareness
from “Lessons from the Iris: the Principle of Receiving”

Aesthetics are the subtle qualities of beauty, originality, ingenuity and artistry that surround us at every moment in the world. They are not things that can be defined or quantified with any kind of measurement. They speak to us at an intuitive level, and can be found both in nature, as well as in the creations of humankind. After all, humankind is also a vital part of the Natural World, even if we sometimes lose sight of our connection to it.

Aesthetics surround us at every moment. When we feel moved by a sunset or other natural wonder, cry when we hear a particular song, feel a lump in our throat over a work of art of any kind, or find ourselves affected in an inexplicable way by the poignancy, perfection, or uniqueness of anything we witness or experience, we are in touch with the subtle realm of Aesthetics. There is something undeniable about our experience that touches us at the deepest level, but to try to pinpoint what precisely makes it so powerful is as impossible as trying to capture the substance of a rainbow. The magic of an Aesthetic experience lies within its ephemeral nature, and the fact that we are experiencing a unique moment in time and space, and feel connected to it at the heart and soul level. And while many people enjoy the intellectual pursuit of analysing artistic merit, it is important to understand that if we attempt to connect to our aesthetic experiences purely from an intellectual platform, we are apt to lose the essence of their magic, and we deny ourselves the full experience of connection to them.

In The Garden of the Soul, the Iris is the mentor of Aesthetic Awareness. She teaches us how to be inwardly silent, and fill up completely with the moment. Together, we stand with her, appreciating fully the unlikelihood of a triple rainbow, and the fact that we have come together at that particular point in time and space to witness it together. She models for us how to become receptive to the Aesthetics that surround us at any given moment, and thus develop our Aesthetic Awareness, which is an attribute of the Principle of Receiving. In order to Receive, we must first empty ourselves of any intellectual or emotional obstructions. We must become like an empty pitcher ready and waiting to be filled with nectar, or a flower bud that simply allows the rays of the sun to bathe it before it can blossom. If we are full of our own mind-games, judgements or limiting beliefs, very little of the nectar or the sunlight is likely to fill us. When we become empty and ready to receive, we become able to see and taste fully all the subtle qualities of the world around us at any given moment. This is the essence of Aesthetic Awareness.

When we develop this Awareness, a sense of Awe, Gratitude and Appreciation became almost uncontainable inside of us. Aesthetic Awareness, therefore, is the doorway to many other Attributes of the Principle of Receiving. In other words, only when we become truly empty, do we become truly full. When we master the art of true emptiness, we finally become able to taste the nectarean pleasure of Divine Aesthetics.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What kinds of things would I love to empty from my heart and mind?

2. What subtle beauty, wonder and uniqueness do I become aware of when I am empty?

3. What would be the best thing about life if I were truly Aesthetically Aware at every moment?

Many thanks to Andrew Mondia, a Canadian actor currently living in London, and a Facebook fan, for selecting the magic number 28 for this week’s meditation. This meditation was read on the air on “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul Radio Show” on Wed 11 Nov 2009. If you would like to help me write my upcoming book “The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul” and possibly have your name listed in the acknowledgements of the book, and announced on my weekly radio broadcast, just select a number from 1-80 and post it in the comments below.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT GIVEAWAY!

The above excerpt is from my upcoming book The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul. Have you picked up your copy of the original book The Garden of the Soul yet? It’s an Amazon bestseller in spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Check it out on Amazon or on the official book website.

AND…if you are reading this before the end of December 2009, I have something extra special for you.  In the spirit of giving and receiving this holiday season, I am giving away over 1 hour in audio book excerpts as a special holiday GIFTS to everyone who purchases the Garden of the Soul during the month of December 2009. So when you buy it as a gift for someone you love (even if that someone is you), YOU get 4 free gifts for yourself.

To check out my Garden of the Soul Holiday
Gift Giveaway CLICK HERE.

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
“Turning up the volume of the music in your heart!”
lynn [at] lynnserafinn [dot] com

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Meditation 61: Serernity
from “Lessons from the Lily: the Principle of Being”

Serenity is that state of Being in which we feel most balanced and connected to Self. When we are serene, the ups and downs of life do not disturb the flow of our lives. Some people believe Serenity to be that quality of not being upset by loss or sadness, but actually it is equally true that the serene person is also not imbalanced by what appears to be gain or happiness. When we are full of Serenity, we become able to hold the entire World within our arms, carry everything with equal strength and inner satisfaction. And when we are able to carry all there is, without a view to whether it is positive or negative, we become both inwardly quiet, and outwardly invincible…

In The Garden of the Soul,  the Lily is the perfect example of Serenity, which is an attribute of the Principle of Being. She stands without need for shelter, companion or status, in a continual state of song and praise for the Universe around her. She stands in the exact middle of the Garden, showing a complete balance of Self, reminding us that when we stand in our centre, the path to any destination in life is equidistant. In other words, when we are perfectly serene within our own centre, any differences between what we once thought was joy and sorrow, or positive and negative, vanish completely. When we become experts at returning to our centre, regardless of time or circumstances, we have mastered Divine Serenity.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What people, circumstances or thoughts do I allow to knock me off centre?

2. When in the past have I been fully centred and serene?

3. What would my life be like if I were to step fully into my Divine Serenity?

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The above excerpt is from my upcoming book The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul. Have you picked up your copy of the original book The Garden of the Soul yet? It’s an Amazon bestseller in spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Check it out on Amazon or on the official book website.

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
“Turning up the volume of the music in your heart!”

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Meditation 4: Love
from “Lessons from the Rose: the Principle of Giving”

Love is the energy that enables us to connect to Self, other and the Universe. Like any energy, Love can propel both motion and action. And also like any energy, it creates heat. It is this heat of Love that attracts us; it is also what generates Life itself. But heat and energy alone do not create Love. For energy to be Love, it must be free-flowing, easy and without force. Consider this: when we release the energy of a deposit of oil and natural gas from the depths of the Earth, it results in a massive quantity heat and of energy. But because these deposits are under so much natural pressure, the process requires an enormous amount of force. The force results in an explosion of pressure so great, that it can easily go out of control and even become dangerous.

Many of us have experienced so-called “love” in much the same way. We might believe we have fallen in love with someone or some idea. But we soon find the object of our love to be difficult to capture, and we resort to some sort of force to acquire it by all means. That force could be as simple as silently wishing for the object of our affections to be something other than it is by nature. Just like the oil well that requires great pressure to release its energy in such an unnatural way, when we similarly try to force Love to come unnaturally, our relationships and personal endeavours can become volatile and even heartbreaking. Thus, the key to mastering the energy of Love is to understanding that it must, at all times, flow freely and unconditionally from the heat of one’s heart. And the secret to knowing how to allow love to flow unconditionally is this—that Love has nothing whatsoever to do with the object of your affections; it only has to do with you.

In The Garden of the Soul, the Rose is the mentor of Love. She teaches us that Love is an attribute of the Principle of Giving, and therefore it is not something that you can “find”, for you already possess it. True Love, she teaches us, is the uncensored expression of who we truly are. To look for Love is futile, for True Love is simply a matter of allowing your true Self to blossom fully, thorns and all. As long as we maintain some judgement about ourselves, and continue to try to force ourselves to be what we are not, we will also set these same kinds of conditions upon others. But when we fall fully and unconditionally in love with Self, we become able to Love the rest of the World, because we know that everything—both Self and other—is Divine. When we see all around us with Divine Eyes, we finally become able to harness the enormous energy of Divine Love, and create Love in all we meet.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. How have I tried to force Love in my life?
2. What about myself have I yet to learn to love?
3. What will my life be like when I feel Divine Love for everyone, including myself?

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The above excerpt is from my upcoming book The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul. Have you picked up your copy of the original book The Garden of the Soul yet? It’s an Amazon bestseller in spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Check it out on Amazon or on the official book website.

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
“Turning up the volume of the music in your heart!”