google.com, pub-4807045201008872, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Monday, January 28, 2013

GIVEAWAY AND INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHORS OF PROOF OF GUILT (CHARLES TODD)


I want to welcome Charles Todd to Books R Us. They are the authors of the Inspector Rutledge mystery Proof of Guilt. Thanks for stopping by.


 Interview

Can you tell me who or what was the inspiration for the book?

While on Madeira, we learned that the harbor in Funchal had been shelled by a German submarine during WW1.  Rutledge couldn’t come to Madeira—and so Madeira had to come to Rutledge.  And while there we had an opportunity to sample fine quality Madeira and Port, and that gave us the connection to England that we were looking for.  Visiting a wine shop was not only fascinating but terrific background material as you watch how the process is done. 


Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Writer’s block—in our experience at least—usually means there’s something we’ve missed somewhere, something that isn’t working out right.  So we go back to hunt for that spot, and sometimes it means cutting or revising a chapter or more to get back to the right track.  We see it more as a helpful warning than a “problem.”  Sometimes it’s a character, sometimes the way we have perceived the story’s direction, and sometimes it’s just missing where the action ought to be going. There’s another possible problem as well, one we’ve heard other writers talk about. You may think your idea is going to make a great novel, when really it’s better suited to a short story—the development just isn’t there.  


Can you tell me your experiences in finding a publisher for the book?

 We were just plain lucky. We sent the manuscript for the first Rutledge mystery to the late Ruth Cavin, a legend in mystery publishing and willing to look at un-agented manuscripts.  All we really expected was her opinion on how far we had to go to make it  as real writers, or if we should just quit and stay with the day job, so to speak.  To our utter surprise, she made us an offer for A TEST OF WILLS, and that was the miracle for Rutledge and for us. 


How long did it take you to write the book and how long did it take to get the book released?

We started TEST around 1994—and almost gave up a couple of times.  We sent it to Ruth in 1995, and it hit the bookstores as a hardcover in August of 1996.  It took a good year to write the book because there was so much research to be done to have it even close to accurate historically and as an English setting. 


Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Rutledge, of course—he’s always our guy.  But perhaps the most interesting person In PROOF OF GUILT to write about was one of the suspects, a woman who could have intrigued Rutledge—and probably did.  Sometimes you just have a feeling for a character that tells you you’re on the right track.  Then there are times when the character stays with you after the book is finished.  And she certainly did. 


What are your current / future projects? 
 

This was a busy year!THE CONFESSION, the 2012 Rutledge came out in January just as we were handing in the manuscript for PROOF OF GUILT, the 2013 Rutledge.  In June the fourth Bess, AN UNMARKED GRAVE, came out while we were in the process of finishing our holiday novella, THE WALNUT TREE, featuring a new set of characters and for the first time, a love story set against the backdrop of WW1. That came out on October 30, just as we were finishing the June 2013 Bess, A QUESTION OF HONOR.  With that safely in our editor’s hands, we’re starting the Rutledge for 2014, as yet untitled.  And the paperback of THE CONFESSION comes out at the end of November. A lot of writing, but when you’re enjoying what you do, it’s not as exhausting as it sounds.  Meanwhile, we just had a short story in Strand Magazine, another one in The Best American Short Stories of 2012, and Strand wants another one for the Winter Issue. 

Do you have any tips for a young writer just starting out?
 

First of all, read, read, read. If you want to write, you need to know what the market is doing, what’s being published, and how other writers move characters in and out of the room or set up a chase or whatever.  Next, be objective about what you’re writing.  Many authors develop a little editorial voice in their heads that says, “Hey, that was lovely prose, but it’s BOR-ing.”  Or “Now tell me, would that character really do—or say—that?” or  “In real life, would could someone climb down that wall? You’ll have to come up with a better idea than that!”  And don’t try to write the next blockbuster.  Nobody knows what that will be a year from now.  Just write the best novel you’re able to write. Let next year take care of itself.


If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you like the main character to be played by and why?

Oh, man, that’s been a question that people have asked in just about every talk we give, and suggestions range all over the place.  If your readers have any great ideas, let us know!  We are still arguing over it. Liam Neeson has the right voice for Hamish. Deep and flexible.  The young Colin Firth would have made a terrific Rutledge because he could feel the character, not just play him.  David Tarrant is the favorite of English friends. Someone even went as far as to say Daniel Craig has the intensity and the physical ability for Rutledge.  Maybe so, but now he’s Bond! 

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

Caroline:  I love to travel. It’s relaxing and inspiring. But it doesn’t have to be abroad. A new place to explore is just as exciting, learning about how people there live. I catch up on my reading. I enjoy finding new authors to try, because I have the time to do that. Having lunch with friends.  And finding time for my cats, who are ready to play, now that I’m no longer spending hours at my desk. .
Charles: I like to travel and to read. I’m also just as happy sitting in a lawn chair on a warm beach watching the waves roll in, a cold ice tea in one hand and a book in the other.  I like non-fiction as much as I do fiction. I like to drive and explore and talk to people about what they’re doing. And I’m a political junkie as well as a history junkie. 

Can you tell me where we can purchase your book?

Ask your independent bookseller for the latest Charles Todd—PROOF OF GUILT. They’ll have it. As will the big guns, Amazon and B&N—and it will also be out as an e-book. 


 About the Book:

London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While the signs point to murder, vital questions remain: Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?
One small clue leads Rutledge to a firm built by two families, famous for producing and selling the world's best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the English enterprise, is missing. But is he the dead man? And does either his fiancée or his jilted former lover have anything to do with his disappearance—or possible death? What about his sister? Or the London office clerk? Is Matthew Traynor, French's cousin and partner who heads the Madeira office, somehow involved?
The experienced Rutledge knows that suspicion and circumstantial evidence are not proof of guilt, and he's going to keep digging for answers. But that perseverance will pit him against his supervisor, the new acting chief superintendent. When Rutledge discovers a link to an incident in the French family's past, the superintendent dismisses it, claiming the information isn't vital. He's determined to place the blame on one of French's women despite Rutledge's objections. Alone in a no-man's-land rife with mystery and danger, Rutledge must tread very carefully, for someone has decided that he, too, must die so that cruel justice can take its course. 


About the Authors:


Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother and son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married (to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.

Charles and Caroline have a rich storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce. And a maternal grandmother told marvelous ghost stories. This tradition allows them to write with passion about events before their own time. And an uncle/great uncle who served as a flyer in WWI aroused an early interest in the Great War. 


CONTEST: Enter to win a copy of The Confession: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries) USA ONLY.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY OF THE DIET DROPOUT'S GUIDE TO NATURAL WEIGHT LOSS BY S. SPENCER

Many of us are always looking for ways to lose weight and make ourselves more fit. There are many different diet books out there and can provide you with information that may be confusing and inaccurate. The Diet Dropout's Guide to Natural Weight Loss: Find Your Easiest Path to Naturally Thin is packed with advice that will assist you in reaching your weight loss goals.

About the Book: 

This book isn't about the latest celebrity diet, wonder food, or miracle supplement. It's about creating a personalized weight loss plan—your own easiest path to naturally thin. While you can lose weight with almost any diet, keeping the weight off is much more difficult, requiring permanent changes in eating and exercise habits. This book provides a science-based approach for making those changes in a way that works best for you, without wasting time, money, or effort.
 
Dr. Spencer explains why we gain weight and why the fat lost by dieting almost always comes back. He then presents an array of practical weight loss tools for controlling emotional eating, calming cravings, boosting metabolism, and improving nutrition and exercise. In the final chapter he has you create a natural weight loss plan based on your unique set of needs, abilities, and preferences. Simple recipes are provided for weight loss foods that reduce cravings and prolong satisfaction.
 
What this book offers is a solid approach to weight loss—self-directed, gradual, and lasting—in contrast to the quick but fleeting weight loss offered by most one-size-fits-all diet plans. 


About the Author: 
Stan Spencer is a consulting biologist in Southern California, where he lives with his wife, Amy, and a varying number of their seven children. He earned a Ph.D. in botany at Claremont Graduate University and has conducted research in biochemistry at Brigham Young University, in adaptation and evolution at Claremont Graduate University, and in genetics at the Smithsonian Institution. Check out his informative guest post on making your weight loss a success.

My Thoughts:
I have read many books on diet and exercise that were either too complex or was unrealistic but this book was quite different. It is full of practical information that covers many topics including the physical and emotional reasons for overeating. The information was compiled from many different books and publications and written in a way that is concise and easy to understand. He not only encourages healthy eating and exercise but he takes a holistic view of weight loss and dieting. He includes numerous healthy recipes and worksheets to help you beat temptation and discusses the truth about common weight loss myths. So if you are tired of Yo Yo diets and want just the facts about weight loss then this is the book for you! 


CONTEST:
Thanks to the author I am able to give away a copy of the book (USA Only) Contest ends on 2/7/13 @ 11:59 PM EST. See Rafflecopter for rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book by the author for my honest opinion and I was not compensated for my review.

COLLEGE IS NOT CHEAP BY THE FRUGAL DAD


 
If you are in college or know anyone who is you know that the costs may be outrageous. Here are some information on the costs and how you can pay for college.

There are dozens of benefits that justify earning a higher education, including–but by no means limited to–better employment prospects, access to jobs with higher pay and the broadening of a college student’s social and mental horizons. Even so, approximately one in two high school graduates choose to forgo these potential benefits because they cannot reconcile the cost of the college experience with the bleak reality of the financial situation in which many new college grads find themselves.

There’s no denying that college is outrageously expensive. And, unfortunately, it is only getting worse; while the average family income in the United States grew 147% in the years between 1982 and 2007, the cost of college grew by a staggering 440% in that same period. What that means in terms of real numbers is that the average cost of a four-year degree from a state school is now $30,000. Most American families do not have that kind of money up front, which necessitates that they borrow it from private or government programs that issue student loans. Unfortunately, student loans leave college graduates an average of $20,000 in debt when they finish school. And approximately 10% of graduates will have twice that debt to repay. Collectively, American students owe more than one trillion dollars.

Figures like these, in combination with the fact that only half of all college graduate obtained a full-time job in 2011, are why more than six million graduates cannot pay back their student loans. The economic recession that began in 2008 has made it exceptionally difficult for college graduates to find jobs in their field. The upshot is that students take on lower-paying jobs that do not require degrees in order to make ends meet. Even so, that limited income is, in many cases, not enough to pay back their debt.

One in six default on their loans and a whopping 85% of 2011 college graduates were forced to move back in with their parents after school because they could not afford their own living space. To keep your children from contributing from that statistic, there are several ways to start saving well ahead of the day they move into the dorms:


  • Start when your kids are young
  • Contribute regularly to a savings account
  • Invest wisely in equities
  • Take advantage of 529 College Savings Plans
  • Utilize tax credits for parents of college students
Of course, parents do not have to shoulder the entire responsibility of their children’s education. There are many ways for students to help pay for their own education, including earning scholarships, applying to federal student aid programs and participating in work study opportunities. To make sure teenagers are contributing to their college funds, parents can encourage them to grow their own income by saving money from a part-time job. Remember, saving just $20 per week by making small sacrifices leads to $1,000 in savings over a year. And with college tuition rates steadily increasing, every dollar counts

College Isn't Cheap


College Isn’t Cheap by FrugalDad.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at  http://frugaldad.com/2013/01/04/college-isnt-cheap.

Monday, January 21, 2013

ENTER TO WIN AN ACER CHROMEBOOK (WW)

Welcome to the Chromebook Giveaway!


I’ve teamed up with some amazing blogs to give our readers the chance to win an Acer C7 Chromebook valued at $199! 


Chromebooks are simple to use and they update themselves. They boot-up in seconds, never slow down and require almost zero setup or maintenance.  Your favorite Google products built-in: Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Hangouts. So you can work, play, and do whatever you want, right out of the box. Choose from thousands of free apps and let Chromebook keep it all fresh with automatic updates. 


This giveaway is open worldwide and ends February 10th at 11:59 PM EST. Come back everyday for more chances to win by completing our daily entries! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

CHECK OUT EMMY ROSSUM'S ALBUM SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY TO BE RELEASED 1/29/13




I want to introduce you to a talented actress and singer Emmy Rossum. Emmy stars in the Showtime series Shameless with William H. Macy and her album Sentimental Journey will be released on January 29th. She has a fantastic and stellar voice and each song on the album represents a month of the year.

"Each song needed to either lyrically or emotionally reflect the corresponding month," Emmy explained. "Some songs were obvious fits, like Summer Wind for June, and Pretty Paper for December. Others songs were less literal fits. I chose Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out) for September because, to me, the plaintive melody and lyric emotionally reflect the cold weather creeping in and the sense of melancholy we can get in the fall months." 



Sentimental Journey Track Listing:

  1. “Sentimental Journey” (Les Brown, Ben Homer, Arthur Green)
  2. “The Object Of My Affection” (Pinky Tomlin)
  3. “I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover “(Mort Dixon, Harry M. Woods)
  4. “These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)” (Eric Maschwitz, Jack Strachey)
  5. “(I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time” (Albert Von Tilzer, Neville Fleeson)
  6. “Summer Wind” (Heinz Meier, Johnny Mercer)
  7. “Many Tears Ago” (Winfield Scott)
  8. “All I Do Is Dream Of You” (Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed)
  9. “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” (Jimmy Cox)
  10. “Autumn Leaves” (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert)
  11. “Things” (Bobby Darin)
  12. “Pretty Paper” (Willie Nelson)
 My Thoughts:


Emmy's voice is fantastic and many of the songs were familiar to me and is a collection of covers of classic songs from the 1920s-1960s. She is extremely talented and I could feel her emotions in every song on the album. I listened to the album while driving home from work and they are a big change from the songs presently on the radio. This is definitely not for the younger generation but my in laws would love and appreciate the songs on the album. My favorite song on the album was Pretty Paper witch was released around the holidays and was perfect for the season. So preorder a copy of the album on itunes or Amazon and take a break from everyday life.

TV Appearances:

  • Emmy will performing a track from Sentimental Journey on Access Hollywood Live on January 25th.
  • Emmy will also be appearing as a guest on Conan on January 28th, Chelsea Lately on January 29th, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on February 6th.







Disclaimer:
I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the CD to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.
 


 

REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY OF 20 MULE TEAM BORAX DETERGENT BOOSTER (USA)





I have always thought the Borax was more of a household cleaner and not a laundry booster but it is so much more. It is 100% natural mineral mineral and contains no phosphates, chlorine, or other chemicals. It is great for locations with hard water and is safer for the environment than bleach. It is also great for cleaning grout and tile in the bathroom.


My Thoughts:

I am always leery about using bleach in my laundry because of the effect it may have on my cesspool and septic tank. I am aware that using powder may cause a back up in the cesspool, so I decided to pre-dissolve the laundry booster before putting it in the washer. I had to use less detergent and I did not have to use any fabric softener. It got my whites whiter, softer and had a fresh smell. My family noiticed that their socks were whiter. Check out all of the uses that it can be used for:



Thanks to Borax I am able to give away 3 coupons so you can try the product for your self. Giveaway ends on 1/31/13 @11:59 PM EST

 


Disclaimer:
Borax provided me with a free sample of their product so I could review them. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

AUTHORS KINDLE FIRE HD GIVEAWAY (WW)


20 Amazing Authors plus more than 100 of the Best Bloggers have joined together to bring you 1 Amazing Giveaway!

The winner will have the option of receiving a Kindle Fire HD (US Only)


Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)


Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)




The Essence (The Pledge, #2)Alaina Claiborne (British Agent Novel #1)Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped OutUncontrollable (#2, Nature of Grace series)Hunted (The Guardian Legacy, #3)Cliffhanger (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book 1)I Was Here—Before You CameEverlostBlood OathReaper's Novice (Soul Collector  #1)BulletproofLancaster HouseTwo HalvesMurder on Potrero Hill (A Peyton Brooks' Mystery, #1)Bellyache: A Delicious TaleKill ShotSkid Out (Heavy Influence Trilogy, #0.5)Between (Crossroads Saga, #2)Dragon Stones: Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga (Dragon Stone Saga, #1)Rapunzel Untangled

The Essence by Kimberly Derting
Alaina Claiborne by MK McClintock
Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out by Pandora Poikilos
Uncontrollable by S.R. Johannes
Hunted by Ednah Walters
Cliffhanger by Amy Saunders
I Was Here - Before You Came by Camelia Miron Skiba
Everlost by Brenda Pandos
Blood Oath by T.L. Clarke
Reaper's Novice by Cecilia Robert
Bulletproof by Jeff LaFerney
Lancaster House by Taylor Dean
Two Halves by Marta Szemik
Murder on Potrero Hill by M.L. Hamilton
Bellyache by Crystal Marcos
Kill Shot by Anne Patrick
Skid Out by Ann Marie Frohoff
Between by Mary Ting
Dragon Stones Saga by Kristian Alva
Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett


*Authors & Bloggers - Sign Up to take part in my next event:
http://www.iamareader.com/2012/12/february-authors-only-kindle-fire.html

Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International).
Ends 1/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY SEEING ALL OF THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRIES ON THE PAGE PLEASE REFRESH THE PAGE OR ACCESS THE PAGE THROUGH THE HOME PAGE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ENTER TO WIN A $50 WALMART GIFT CARD SPONSORED BY DISCOUNT QUEENS




Welcome to the Walmart Gift Card Giveaway sponsored by Discount Queens!
One lucky reader will win a $50 Walmart gift card - will it be you?
Giveaway is open US only  and ends January 28th at 11:59 PM EST.
Discount Queens  is responsible for prize fulfillment. 


Saturday, January 19, 2013

GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY OF FINISHED BEING FAT BY B. SCHOW (USA)


I would like to welcome Betsy Schow to Books R Us. She is the author of the book Finished Being Fat: An Accidental Adventure in Losing Weight and Learning How to Finish published by Cedar Fort (Jan 8, 2013). Thanks for stopping by.


Guest Post

After many years of being fat and miserable, with a few years of being average and less miserable mixed in, I finally had a light bulb moment. The reason I was unhappy, was not just the extra 75 pounds of pudge I was carrying. It was the weight of all the things unfinished that hung around my neck. I was always having grand ideas. I'd get excited about this diet, or that workout routine. Or starting a new hobby or project. Problem was, within a few weeks the excitement would fade and that little voice would kick in. You know the one I'm talking about.
 
"You're no good at this. You'll never keep the weight off. Why are you even bothering?" And every time I quit, my wall of failures would get a little higher -- making success that much harder to see. The straw that broke the camel's back, was actually the 10 pounds added in a month that broke the scale one morning. Drastic measures had to be taken, I couldn't keep doing this myself.
 
What started out as yet another attempt to get rid of the weight around my middle, snowballed into a year of changing my life, my marriage  and the way I raise my kids. Without meaning to I went on an accidental adventure, learning things that fixed the holes in my life, not just the holes in my eating habits. Now I know how to give myself credit for what I do, I can finish what I start, and I've reached impossible dreams. And once you've done the impossible, anything can happen.

Whether your goal is losing weight, running a marathon, cleaning out the basement, or all of the above, this book will teach you how to achieve more than you ever thought possible without sacrificing your sanity or sense of humor.
 
Buy the book wherever books are sold, or online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Visit me at www.betsyschow.com


Excerpt from Finished Being Fat:

YOU’LL KNOW YOU’VE HIT THE BOTTOM WHEN YOU HEAR THE THUD

Daily routine: Wake up, feed kids, entertain kids, keep kids from killing each other, put kids to bed, put kids back to bed thirty minutes
later, and then collapse into my own bed and fade into unconsciousness.
 
Repeat.
My life was a lot like running on a treadmill, a whole lot of effort to get absolutely nowhere. Not that I had much experience with treadmills, mind you, but you get my drift. One morning, I woke up depressed and berated myself for all the things that I wasn’t. Wasn’t skinny, wasn’t accomplished, wasn’t happy. In a fit of masochism, I decided it would be a good time to take on my mortal enemy, the digital scale. The scale and I have always had a hate/more hate relationship. I’ve tried sweet talking it, I’ve tried yelling at it, and I’ve even tried approaching it with cautious optimism. Power of positive thinking and all. Recently, I had given it the silent treatment, refusing to acknowledge its existence. But apparently, I felt the need to punish myself, because there I was again, at seven in the morning, before the children were awake, naked and oh so- carefully avoiding the adjacent mirror (because let’s be honest, who wants to see themselves naked first thing in the morning?) and ever so lightly (because it might make a difference) stepping on the scale. While I waited for the scale to stop blinking 0.00 and pronounce judgment, I began to pray.

“Please, God. Just let it be the same as last month. I’m not asking for it be lower, just . . . please, let it be the same.” God was apparently out of miracles. The scale read 216.4 pounds—ten pounds more than the last month. I looked around just to be sure my fourteen-month-old hadn’t sneaked up behind me, adding her sixteen pounds to the total. Nope, I was alone. So I hopped off and tried again, just in case. Maybe the scale had changed its mind, had a technical error, or something. But no, the evil scale seemed to take joy in my misery and now said 216.6. Ahhhh! I had gained a fifth of a pound in less than a minute. Scenes from my future played out in my mind. I would gain a pound every hour.

Within a week, none of my clothes would fit. By the end of the month, I would have to order everything from an online specialty store, Blobbos. In a year, my husband would need to physically roll me out of the bed and onto a Jazzy scooter because I had gotten so big that my legs wouldn’t support my girth. I was going to be like that woman from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. When I died, they would have to cut a hole in my house just to get me out. Then I’d have to be buried in a packing crate because surely no one would make a coffin large enough to fit me. I back pedaled off the scale so fast that I tripped. That’s when I heard the thud of my life hitting rock bottom. It was so loud it even woke my husband, Jarom. Well, it was either that or the crash from the scale reverberating off the travertine. I imagine he ran into the bathroom, expecting to find that I had slipped in the shower. He probably did not expect to see his naked, overweight wife sprawled on the floor, trying to beat the scale into submission.
 
“Betsy, what the heck are you doing?”
“I’m fat!” I wailed
My husband, always a man of few words, wisely said nothing and offered me a hand up. For a few minutes, we stood there, him patting my back and me sobbing onto his shoulder. After I had quieted down some, Jarom grabbed a pack of tissues and herded me back into the bedroom.  He sat me down on the bed and wiped the tears and snot off my face, then did the same for his shoulder.
“Now start over and tell me what’s wrong.”

For more information about me, the book, or to get a free personalized daily calorie budget - visit me at www.betsyschow.com

Finished being Fat is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Deseret Book and Seagull Books.



About the Book:

Not everyone can win the race, but everyone can finish it. In her quest to wish away an extra 75 pounds, Betsy changed her life for good. Using her Philosophy of Finishing, she snowballed her efforts from weight loss into a bucket list of seemingly impossible dreams. This inspiring account of one woman's journey will help you find the strength to conquer your most daunting goals and unfinished projects.

 

 About the Author: 

 After many years of unhappiness and being unpleasantly plump, Betsy Schow found her way to weight loss success and a better life through the Philosophy of Finishing. She shares it all in her first book, Finished being Fat – available January 2013 from Cedar Fort Inc. Her adventure inspired her certify in yoga and fitness so she could help others achieve their goals. You can find her running around the mountains of Utah, chained to her laptop, or wrangling two small children.


Check out the other stops on the TOUR!

Enter to win a Print Copy of the book: USA Only. See Rafflecopter for rules Contest ends on 1/30/13 @ 11:59pm EST

a Rafflecopter giveaway