Break through your fears and Blast Off to a new life

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Allison Maslan, author of "Blast Off!". All opinions are 100% mine.

“I can coach you to a brilliant new life, career or business.” We’ve often heard these words from motivational speakers or life coaches, but how many actually deliver with solid results?

Enter Allison Maslan. This strategist puts her personal imprint on her new book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality. For its readers, Blast Off! serves as a launching pad for life and business.

One of the first things I noticed about it is that it’s well-written. Secondly, Maslan doesn’t just tell her readers what to do – she shows them – and her “Energizer bunny” spirit is evident throughout her lessons. Maslan provides a road map for goal setting and planning, and leaves you with the impression that you can get from here to there.

Blast Off! carries a list price of $24.00 and is available on Amazon for even less. As I flipped through the beginning pages, I slowed down to read “Your Daily Launch Tools.” In this section, Maslan addresses negatives thoughts and how to get rid of them at the beginning of your day so that you can move forward.

Maslan also helps you to explore your passions. After all, your motivation has to come from within, not from a book. For me, Maslan’s writings remind me of the importance of always having a plan and staying focused.

Blast Off! launched January 19. In addition to Amazon.com, it’s available at Borders, Barnes and Noble, and other top booksellers.

Novel explores race, women's attitudes in the Deep South

A new novel examines racial tensions in the Deep South from three perspectives. The Help by Kathryn Stockett is generating some positive chatter. The story takes place in Jackson, Miss., in the early 1960s, during the civil rights movement.

Stockett writes in black and white voices. She said that she felt it was important to examine both sides of life in segregated Jackson.

She writes from the perspective of frustrated middle-class white women. She also attempts to explore Jackson from the vantage point of two black housekeepers - women who have put their personal lives second -- or even third -- in order to meet the needs of the families they serve.

The Help is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons/Amy Einhorn Books.

National Public Radio takes a closer look at Stockett and her debut novel. Read an excerpt, and share your thoughts.


Tags: The Help, Kathryn Stockett, Books, Civil Rights, Race, Media by Sistrunk

Studying the new black leadership

Gwen Ifill on the rise of Obama and other African-American politicians

In her new book, journalist Gwen Ifill explores black political power in the post-civil rights era. Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama will be released on Inaugural Day.

The men and women identified by Ifill as "breakthrough politicians” are the children of the civil rights movement. Born in the 1960s and ’70s, they grew up in “a world shaped by access instead of denial.” They often come from middle-class families and attend elite universities. Business tends to be their vehicle into politics rather than social activism.

Ifill is the managing editor and moderator for “Washington Week” on PBS and senior correspondent for “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer." In October, Breakthrough sparked some prepublication publicity and a flurry of angry blog posts, not because of its content but because Ifill was working on it when she was tapped to moderate one of the presidential debates. Now, to coincide with Tuesday’s inauguration, the work can be judged on what it says about the new generation of African-American politicians, which is breaking with the black leadership of the past. Read more.


Tags: Gwen Ifill, Politics, Books, Obama, Media by Sistrunk

Peering into the lives of the desperate man

So what really lurks in the male mind?

Desperate housewives get all the press, but what about suburban men? Are they bumbling and emotionally stunted? Three books offer a peek inside the elusive minds - and conflicted souls - of forlorn males. More from National Public Radio.

Tags: Books, Men, Culture, Media by Sistrunk

Attention-getters for aspiring authors

What you need to know before approaching a publisher

Are you in academia with a dream of writing that first book? Unsure how to get your writings noticed? A noted book editor, Dedi Feldman, offers some great tips, many of which fiction writers also will find valuable.

Via Light Within

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There are lot of web host companies offering cheap domain names and web site design for personal profile and search engine marketing.

Tags: Books, Publishing, Writing, Media by Sistrunk

Authors find alternative to traditional publishing

Publishing and podcasts - the connection

Writers struggling to find a publisher are taking the high-tech, grass-roots approach. Snubbed by traditional publishers, these authors are turning to podcasts to find new audiences.


tags: podcasts, podcasting, technology, books, publishing, writing, media by sistrunk