Books Make Great Holiday Gifts


Books make great gifts!

If you’re looking for holiday presents (for yourself or others,) I’d adore it if you gave one or both of my books, Depression Hates a Moving Target or You Should Be Writing.

But here are some other ideas as well:

POETRY

How to See the World: Poems – by Paula J. Lambert

In How to See the World, Lambert takes us deftly along as she examines the new reality in which we’ve all awakened in 2020. She peels back its complicated layers with adept use of metaphor, as well as a revelatory tone that will have readers doubling back to unfold new meanings in a line, a verse, or a poem. Real moments of brilliance sparkle calling us to look beyond surface and pattern to recognize something beyond ourselves, even while we languish in a groundswell of change.

Tell me moonlight can’t speak…she writes, then convinces us that it can. While pandemic is here and unavoidable, do not approach this collection as an outgassing of that reality. It is about much more–how interconnected we all are while teetering at the brink of change and that we must witness the miracle, not turn away.—Rose M. Smith, author of Unearthing Ida

MEMOIR, RELIGION & FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Nothing Bad Between Us: A Mennonite Missionary’s Daughter Finds Healing in Her Brokenness by Marlena Fiol

After being publicly humiliated in front of her entire close-knit Mennonite community, Marlena Fiol didn’t know how she would recover. Follow her journey from an abusive upbringing in Paraguay to escape, love, and loss in the United States and finally on to forgiveness and reconciliation.

Discover a story of healing and personal transformation. Marlena’s childhood was full of contradictions. Her father was both a heroic doctor for people with leprosy and an abusive parent. Her Mennonite missionary community was both a devoted tribe and a controlling society. And Marlena longed to both be accepted in Paraguay and escape to somewhere new. In Nothing Bad Between Us, follow Marlena’s journey as she takes control of her life and learns to be her authentic self, scars and imperfections included.

Read my interview with Marlena.

MEDITATION FOR FINANCIAL HEALING

The Gift of Crisis: How I Used Meditation to Go from Financial Failure to a Life of Purpose by Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley

Approach Crisis with Self-Love, Assertiveness and Courage—You are not alone: Since the start of the recession, 8.8 million jobs have been lost, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley was one of those 8.8 million people who lost their jobs. Between 2007 and 2014, she was also one of 7.3 million homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure. Some affected by job loss and foreclosure, due to the economic downturn, were able to bounce back relatively emotionally unscathed. Many, however, internalized the outer events as a negative reflection of their personal capacities without taking a deeper look at the crisis as a potential underlying catalyst. In The Gift of Crisis, Bridgitte shows you how to explore crisis as a tool for courageous change, regaining your self-esteem with self-love and self-compassion.

Read my interview with Bridgitte.

ECO-MINDFULNESS

Love Earth Now: The Power of Doing One Thing Every Day by Cheryl Leutjen

Silver Nautilus Book Award Winner! What can you do for the environment? Do you find yourself wondering what on Earth you can do about the serious environmental challenges we face today? Do you worry there’s nothing any one person can do that will make a difference? Most people say they would like to do something to make the world a better place, but they just don’t believe they have the time, energy, money or power to do anything that will make a real difference. Are you willing to devote 20 minutes a week to find out? Environmental activist Cheryl Leutjen has the planet’s back and is betting you do too. Her powerful book of inspired ideas and eco-mindfulness calls upon us all to Love Earth Now.

Read my interview with Cheryl.

SPIRITUAL LIVING

The Rules of Creation by Lynda Allen

The Rules of Creation is a handbook for living life from the pure essence of divinity from which we each sprang. They not only share wisdom, but encourage each of us to explore the depths of our own innate wisdom as well. It offers eight simple rules to live by, which help us not only remember our own divinity, but to live from there with joy and certainty.

GRIEF & SUDDEN LOSS

The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: Seven Essential Practices for Healing Grief by Chelsea Hanson

Restore Your Spirit after Sudden Loss—Healing after loss. When a loved one passes unexpectedly, the person left behind can lose their bearings. After the sudden loss of her mother, Chelsea Hanson, a nationally-recognized grief educator and founder of With Sympathy Gifts and Keepsakes, didn’t know where to turn for help, what to do next, or how to put the pieces of her life back together. Hanson’s The Sudden Loss Survival Guide gathers everything that she learned during her own recovery process and provides an indispensable road map to aid those who’ve experienced a life-changing loss.

AFFIRMATIONS

Your Life Is Your Prayer: Wake Up to the Spiritual Power in Everything You Do by Sam Beasley & B.J. Gallagher
Everything you do is prayer: You may not realize it–many people don’t–but the decisions you make throughout the day, the attitudes you adopt, the conversations you have, the way you respond to other people, and the thoughts you think are all prayers. The food you choose to eat is a prayer, the way you spend your money is a prayer–even the way you drive is a prayer! We are constantly communing with the Divine, even in our most mundane activities. And our prayers are always answered in the affirmative: “Yes.”

SELF-ESTEEM

Letters from a Better Me: How Becoming an Empowered Woman Transforms the World by Rachael Wolff

Self-esteem for empowerment. By practicing affirmations each day, you will become stronger emotionally and psychologically. Writing letters to yourself can be a powerful affirming process that will give you the courage to face adversity and help you develop resilience that can get you through anything. Become the very best and strongest you can be with the unique tools and practices in Letters from a Better Me.

GOAL-SETTING

Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals by Debra Eckerling

Start with a plan. One of the biggest reasons goals fail is that we often don’t put enough thought into what we really want before diving in. Your Goal Guide by Debra Eckerling starts with that first, crucial step: figuring out your goals and putting a plan in place. As a professional writer, communications specialist, and project catalyst with more than 20 years of experience, Eckerling is prepared to help you achieve success.

Read my interview with Debra.

SUCCESS

Habits for Success: Inspired Ideas to Help You Soar by G. Brian Benson

A self-help book for an authentic life: Habits for Success was written creatively, consciously and with heart. Using his own growth process, triumphs and hero’s journey, the author weaves authenticity and vulnerability into his habits, ideas and stories to entertain and inspire the reader.

STORYTELLING

Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories by Kate Farrell

Stories are everywhere. The art of storytelling has been around as long as humans have. And in today’s noisy, techy, automated world, storytelling is not only prevalent–it’s vital. Whether you’re interested in enlivening conversation, building your business brand, sharing family wisdom, or performing on stage, Story Power will show you how to make use of a good story. Learn from the experts and become an engaging storyteller.

Read my interview with Kate.

JOURNALING

Heart, Sass & Soul: Journal Your Way to Inspiration and Happiness by Greta Solomon

Discover the Life-Changing Power of Freewriting and Journaling—Discover who you are: Writing for yourself is an incredible way to heal your heart, find happiness, and reconnect with the things that matter most. Journaling and freewriting can bring you a deeper level of self-awareness, allowing you to truly know who you are. Heart, Sass & Soul will show you how to develop a writing practice that nurtures inner strength and promotes a rich, fulfilled life.

Read my interview with Greta.

LOVE & KINDNESS

Say It Now: 33 Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life by Sherry Ricart Belul

Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right way to say “I love you” to the people you appreciate the most in life. The emotions are there, but the words don’t come. Say It Now shows you how to put your feelings into words–and actions, too. From activities that take just a minute, to love letters, joy jars, tribute videos, surprise parties, and more, this book helps you celebrate the most important people in your life.

Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Days of Good Deeds, Inspired Ideas and Acts of Goodness by Brenda Knight & Becca Anderson

The Random Acts of Kindness movement is born. In 1995, a small group of people at Conari Press came together around the idea that small gestures and simple acts can make a difference in people’s lives. Thus, Random Acts of Kindness was born. But they had no idea how big this little idea would become.

POWERFUL WOMEN

The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes and Female Firsts by Becca Anderson

Sheroes. Women hold up half the sky and, most days, do even more of the heavy lifting including childbearing and child-rearing. All after a long day at the office. Women have always been strong, true sheroes, oftentimes unacknowledged. As we shake off the last traces of a major patriarchal hangover, women are coming into their own. In the 21st Century, all women can fully embrace their fiery fempower and celebrate their no-holds-barred individuality. It is time to acknowledge the successful women of the world.

THRILLING FICTION

Extreme by Joan Gelfand

Hope Ellson is from the wrong side of the tracks, but her genius transcends class. When Hope joins FearToShred, a Silicon Valley extreme gaming startup, Hope’s mission is to groom the scrappy company for prime time. Enter Doug Wiser, her very married ex. While the two work in tandem, nefarious forces are at work behind the scenes. Adding to the excitement of this thriller are the stars and heroes of surfing and skateboarding. With a keen eye on women in tech, business ethics and dangerous stunts, “Extreme” will leave you breathless.

Read my interview with Joan.

QUIRKY MYSTERY

Dead Pelican by Lisa Haneberg

Honeymooners hoping to find a quiet spot for a romantic picnic instead discover the dead body of Forrest Yates, a top birding guide and bottom dweller human. The murder rattles the local birding association as they prepare for the yearly influx of Sandhill Cranes and the wanna-be ornithologists who flock to the island to watch them. With Ned “The Pelican Man” Quinn as their sidekick, Xena and her team explore the dark side of birding and the tenuous relationship between commerce and nature to solve the case.

HORROR

Rose by Rami Ungar

Rose Taggert awakens in a greenhouse with no clear memory of the past two years and, to her horror, finds her body transformed into an unrecognizable form. Paris Kuyper has convinced Rose that they are lovers and as Paris could not bear for her to die, he has used an ancient and dark magic to save her from certain death. But the dark magic Paris has used comes at a price. A price which a terrible demon is determined to extract from Rose.

HISTORICAL FICTION

Glorious Boy by Aimee Liu

What will it take to save Ty? This is the question that haunts Claire and Shep Durant in the wake of their four-year-old’s disappearance. Until this moment, Port Blair’s British surgeon and his young wife, a promising anthropologist, have led a charmed life in the colonial backwaters of India’s Andaman Islands–thanks in part to Naila, a local girl who shares their mysteriously mute son’s silent language.

But with the war closing in and mandatory evacuation underway, the Durants don’t realize until too late that Naila and Ty have vanished. While Claire sails for Calcutta, Shep stays to search for the children. Days later, the Japanese invade the Andamans, cutting off all communication. Fueled by guilt and anguish, Claire uses her unique knowledge of the islands’ tribes to make herself indispensable to an all-male reconnaissance team headed back behind enemy lines. Her secret plan: rescue Shep and Ty. Through the brutal odyssey that follows, she’ll discover truths about sacrifice that both shatter and transcend her understanding of devotion.


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Author Interview – Debra Eckerling

Author Interview – Debra Eckerling

Author Interview – Debra Eckerling

In this new Bum Glue series, I interview other authors. Much gratitude to Debra Eckerling, author of Your Goal Guide and founder of Write On Online‚ and The D*E*B METHOD for being my first willing participant.

Nita Sweeney (NS): When and how did your writing journey begin?

Debra Eckerling (DE): I have been writing ever since I was a kid – I loved making up stories. Growing up and through high school, I was really drawn to fiction. I studied journalism in college, and have been focused on non-fiction for my professional career.

My high school creative writing teacher who altered the way I looked at journaling. We were required to write at least 5 pages a week. I usually did about 20. Most classmates did the bare minimum, but some filled entire books. He never looked at what we wrote. He just wanted us to get what was in our head onto the page. Who knew journaling would be the basis for so much of what I do today.

NS: Plotter or pantser?

DE: I am a pantser who plots. I like to write outlines – or brainstorms – on a legal pad before I jump into any new projects, writing or other.

As a goal coach, I often talk about the importance of having a plan: you need to find the happy medium between over-thinking and under-thinking your goals and projects. Before jumping in, it’s helpful to have an idea of what you are writing. However, the level of detail will vary, depending on the topic, medium, and ideal outcome.

That being said, I also enjoy writing in the zone. So much awesome can happen when you put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard, you start writing, and see where it goes!

NS: What’s your biggest writing struggle and how do you handle it?

DE: Finding time for my own writing projects is sometimes a challenge. This is common among writers, creative, and entrepreneurs, who make up my clients and communities. But, I practice what I teach, which means scheduling time for long-term or passion projects, even if that means calendaring appointments to write … and keeping them! Even spending a little bit of time each week on those passion projects adds up.

Debra Eckerling, goal coach

NS: What is one thing about writing you wish you’d learned earlier?

DE: Patience. Things happen in their own timeframe, not in the time you want them to happen.

I have been writing, speaking, and leading goal-setting and productivity groups (Write On Online) for many years. I’ve helped entrepreneurs and consultants develop their books for either self- or traditional publishing, and self-published two of my own ebooks – one on kids writing prompts and the other on blogging.

A little over two years ago, I rebranded my goal-coaching to The D*E*B Method, my system for helping people figure out what they want and how to get it. “DEB” stands for Determine Your Mission, Explore Your Options, Brainstorm Your Path. I planned to self-publish it as a workbook, when I met an agent who asked for my book proposal. I wrote a book proposal, which found its way Brenda Knight at Mango Publishing toward the end of 2018. Mango published Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals in January 2020.

Since we are living in a time where everyone needs to rethink their path and reboot their goals, the timing couldn’t be better to introduce Your Goal Guide to the world. I am thrilled my book landed at Mango and that it was released this year.

NS: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?

DE: Early in my career, when I was doing events for Barnes & Noble in Schaumberg, IL, I was invited to attend a Romance Writers of America meeting. A woman, who was reading her first chapter, was getting feedback from all over the place. People in the meeting were telling her everything from changing her characters to altering the plot. I just kept thinking, “Leave that poor woman alone.”

They had a rule about letting new guests offer critiques, so I had to seek her out after the meeting and tell her to ignore everything! Especially when you are first starting a project, you need to take the time to explore your vision for your book, before opening your work up to critique. That way, you can objectively examine any feedback, so you know what to ignore and what to embrace.

NS: Do you write by hand or on a computer?

DE: Mostly on computer, but I do like to write outlines, jot notes, and sometimes start drafts on paper.

NS: What advice would you give writers starting out?

DE: Start journaling regularly. It’s great for idea development, problem solving, and keeping track of what you see, feel, hear, experience, etc.

Journaling is also one of the best ways to develop your style and tone. When you already have content to write about – your ideas, feelings, activities, and observations, you can spend your writing time getting better at the craft of writing, while exploring who you are as a writer.

NS: Has your writing life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?

DE: YES. When I was a teenager, I planned to write the great American novel. What young writer doesn’t? In my early 20s, I thought I might end up a successful screenwriter. Then I got my freelance writing break – for a national college-centric magazine – about a week after I finished the first draft of my first screenplay. Lifestyle and non-fiction writing really came naturally to me, so I followed that path. I am so glad I did.

NS: What’s next for you writing wise?

DE: I recently started writing more column-like articles for The D*E*B Method blog, which has been a lot of fun. I am also working on a creative semi-non-fiction project that keeps getting put on the back-burner, as well as a new podcast, called #ChangeHappens, in progress.

And finally:

NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?

DE: Goddesses

NS: Toast or bagels?

DE: Bagels

NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?

DE: Ocean

NS: Leggings or jeans?

DE: Jeans

NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?

DE: Dogs

 

BIOGRAPHY:

Your Goal Guide by Debra Eckerling

Debra Eckerling is the author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD®. DEB stands for Determine Your Mission, Explore Your Options, Brainstorm Your Path.

A communications specialist and project catalyst, she works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. Eckerling is also the founder of Write On Online, a website and community for writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, as well as host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat (Sundays at 7pm PT), and #GoalChatLive (Mondays at 4pm on the Mango Publishing Facebook Page). She lives in Los Angeles.

Reach out to Debra at these outlets:

TheDEBMethod.com
WriteOnOnline.com
YourGoalGuideBook.com or YourGoalGuideRoadmap.com
TheDEBMethod@gmail.com:

Find Debra on social media:

LinkedIn.com/in/Coastbunny
http://Facebook.com/TheDEBMethod
http://Twitter.com/TheDEBMethod
http://Instagram.com/TheDEBMethod
http://Facebook.com/WriteOnOnline
http://Facebook.com/groups/WriteOnOnline
http://Facebook.com/groups/YourGoalGuide

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