This blog is moving

Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know that this blog will be moving to a new site. You will still be able to read archived posts here, but there are lots of new things in store for all my indie authors out there. So stay tuned. I will be posting the Self Publishing Success Stories over at the new blog, which I will be giving the link to as soon as it is complete. Hope you will join me. More info coming soon,

~Sandra~

Get Excited About Your Future

Hi everybody! Sandra, the Motivator is here! Today I just wanted to share a message with you to let you know that it's time to get excited about your future. Your past does not determine how far you can and will go in life. Your future is bright and something to look forward to.

This morning I was thinking about all of the things that I have gone through in my past, and how God brought me out of all of that mess. I am alive because he loved me so much! And for that I am so grateful because I realize that I am here for a bigger purpose. I am bigger than the things of my past!

I often think about Tyler Perry and how he says that however low you go, ask God to take you that much higher.

So, right now, you may be sharing a one bedroom apartment with your kids. Guess what, it doesn't have to stay that way. If you start to see yourself living in a bigger, better home, you can live in it!

We cannot base our future life on our past or present circumstances.

I know you probably here that a lot, but guess what, it's true.

If we want to have a brighter future, we have to quit focusing on the darkness of the past.

I just wanted to share that with you today.

Remember, Think Big. Dream Bigger.

~Dr. Sandra~

Should I Write A Book?

Many time we may ask ourselves the question, 'should I write a book?' We may have been told that our lives would make a really good story. We may have been told that putting our words down on paper will serve as a lasting memory of you for generations to come.
The truth is, everyone should write a book, but maybe not necessarily for mass distribution. And here's why:

Books help preserve memories. Perhaps some of the stories shared by our grandparents would be good heirlooms to pass down through the generations to help us learn our heritages.
Cookbooks are wonderful treasures for preserving the recipes that have now become traditions at our family table.
Nonfiction books have almost always been the genre of choice for those wanting to establish themselves as an expert or wanting to teach a valuable lesson from a real person's point of view. It seems as if others relate better with someone with whom they share common traits and similarities.

The question is not whether or not others agree to your writing a book, but rather if you are feeling like you have something you want to share that will possibly be of interest to someone. If you feel like you should write a book, what do you feel is the motivation behind this urge. Do you have something that you really want to share. An important lesson to teach or some principle you would like to make known to the world.

You should also write a book if you own a business. A book serves as a business card for the entrepreneur and automatically promotes you to expert status. Obviously you must know something about the line of work you're in, otherwise you would not have been able to write a book about it, right?

So, if you ask the question, should you write a book, the answer, hands down, would be yes.

That Quiet Time

You know, these past three weeks have been quite revealing to me. I have seen some things about myself that I didn't like. And, while I wasn't too pleased with what I saw, I wasn't too proud to understand that I had made a mistake. I had started to operate out of my own wisdom, my own knowledge, rather than that of the Holy Spirit. I was a ball of confusion because I was not spending that quiet time in the presence of the Lord.

What is 'that quiet time?'

That quiet time is the time when it is just you and God. It's that time when there are no distractions from everyday life, where you can hear his plans for you.
I was not giving the Lord 'that quiet time', and my life was showing it.
I was changing my positions within my organization so much that I was confusing myself.
I was trying to put a title on myself, put myself in a box, and follow the mold that everyone suggested I be in.
But after spending that much needed 'quiet time', I saw that I am not like anyone else.
I am unique. I can't be put in a box, or try to fit in with the mold.
I realize that my mission on this earth is not to please anyone but God.
And my purpose is the same as any one who believes in God and that he sent his only son to die for us on the cross, and that is to win souls.
So, if you read this, look within your self.
Do you need to spend some of 'that quiet time' with the Lord to discover where you have been lacking in your relationship with him? Do you need some direction in your life?
You will find it during 'that quiet time'.
I love you with the love of Christ,
~Dr. Sandra Peoples~

The Secret to Becoming A Millionaire Author: Never Give Up

I like to read stories of people who aspire to be something, and even in the face of adversity, they persevere. They keep striving towards their dreams and never give up.
As authors, many times, we are told that we can't make a ton of money from our books. And in all actuality, some authors won't. But if you possess the drive and determination to be a success, you will be able to make a pretty decent living as an author.
And there are some authors that have risen to the top of their game. Take for instance the young self-publishing sensation, Amanda Hocking. This young lady became a millionaire in a matter of months with her self-published titles, including My Blood Approves, Hollowland (The Hollows, #1), and Fate (My Blood Approves, Book 2). Ms. Hocking has gone on to secure a publishing deal with St. Martin's.
Her books are mainly sold as ebooks; however some books are available in paperback.
Another author that began as a self-published author and has gone on to make a modest living for herself as an author/publisher is Vickie Stringer of Triple Crown Publications. Her publishing empire began 26 rejection letters later with the self-publication of her book, Let That Be the Reason, which sold over 100,000 copies.
Self Publishing has been in existence for quite some time, launching many greats such as Kendra Norman-Bellamy and Karen E. Quinones Miller.

So, do you have dreams of becoming a millionaire author? It's within your reach. You've just got to work hard, keep the faith and never, ever give up.

One Dangerous Author

Dangerous Lee

This month's featured author is Dangerous Lee, author of  Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down. Dangerous Lee is an HIV Prevention Specialist and author who turned her book into "a brand with various projects in the fields of activism, writing, painting and internet radio. She is currently studying psychology and has an interest in working with at risk youth.


n 2008, her short erotic story, Til Death Do Us Part, was featured in the New York Times Best Selling anthology, Succulent: Chocolate Flava 2, edited by Zane. In March of 2010, Dangerous Lee self-published her first book titled, Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down, a book of six erotic stories with an emphasis on HIV education.
Dangerous Lee’s claim to fame is the humor advice column, Ask Dangerous Lee, where she dished out advice and opinions on love, relationships, pop culture, and celebrities. Ask Dangerous Lee was published monthly in the now defunct Uncommon Sense newspaper and syndicated in various independent magazines and websites nationwide.
Ask Dangerous Lee, the column, lead to the Ask Dangerous Lee Live radio show on the Blog Talk Radio online network. For more than two years Dangerous Lee, along with her co-host hip hop artist Hassahn Phenomenon, featured celebrities on all sides of the entertainment and media spectrum.
Working as her own marketing team, Dangerous has secured close to 50 media features over the course of a year. Dangerous is also a contributing writer for actress Monique Coleman’s official website, GimmeMo.com and is the co-founder of Book Bizarre, an annual event that highlights self-published authors in Flint, Michigan.

Book Dangerous Lee, HIV Prevention and Health Advocate to discuss…

• HIV
• Safe Sex
• Writing
• Erotic Fiction
• Acting
• Her book Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down

Dangerous Lee Guest Expert Interview Credentials

• Certified HIV Prevention Specialist
• HIV Testing Counselor
• Author of Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down
• Humor Advice Columnist

Guest Expert Availability

By telephone from Michigan- Eastern Time Zone

Interview Booking Contact

Dangerous Lee
Email Dangerous Lee at askdangerouslee @ hotmail.com

Guest Expert Web Sites

www.dangerouslee.biz

www.pantiesupskirtdown.com

The Story Behind My Book Foolish

The Story Behind My Book ‘Foolish’

I wrote the book "Foolish" for any woman who has ever been in love with a man, and even though you knew that man was bad for you, you still wanted to stick around to see if he would change. You believed that no matter what people said, your love could stand the test of time and that love can be found in some of the strangest places.  You see, in 2006, I became pen pals with a man that was incarcerated. It started out as an innocent thing. He saw a story about me that had been written in the local paper and started writing letters to me. I was doing my thing as an up and coming entrepreneur and was very happy in the place that I was in my life. At the time, I was a single mother and I had adjusted to that life. I was doing all kinds of interviews and working with people from across the country. Then the first letter came.

I had no intention on writing this man back. I was a woman who had high expectations for me and my daughter, which was part of the reason why I started my own business. I liked calling my own shots.

The first letter was just to introduce himself to me. I had a feeling in my gut that I shouldn’t have written him back. But I am the kind of person that saw nothing wrong with a friendly response. That’s where it would end, right?

Over the course of four months, I ended up falling for this man. Call it what you will, foolishness, blindness, whatever, I was that at the time. His letters were so sweet and convincing.

Falling for him was not even the crazy part.

He came home in June of 2006. That was the first time we saw each other face to face. I thought he was cute, he was built nice, his voice was addictive and this was the man who was going to be my husband. It was all we had talked about for the last few months in our letters. I was naïve enough to believe that you could find true love anywhere, even through the mail. Don’t get me wrong; love can be found anywhere. You just have to know if it’s really love you are feeling, or something totally opposite.

I didn’t care that my mom and dad begged me not to marry him. That my own daughter, my baby, begged me not to marry him and even told me that she didn’t like him. I just saw love and was naïve enough to believe that if I loved someone hard enough, they would change, or if I was a positive influence in his life, he would change, and everybody would love him and accept both him and his past the way that I had.

You can’t change a person. Only God can do that, and that person has to want to change. I learned the hard way.

In September of 2006, we were married in a courthouse ceremony. This was way against my dreams of having a big, huge, fairytale wedding, with my daughter as the flower girl, my nephew as the ring bearer (there was only one at that time) and my daddy walking me down the aisle in my beautiful, expensive wedding gown. A few of our family members attended, not because they were truly happy for us, but because they had accepted the fact that we were going to be together and there was no stopping that. His step mother told me it wasn’t too late to change my mind. My mother asked me if I was sure I really wanted to go through with this.

“Look at your daughter,” she told me. I turned to look at my baby, who had her eyes covered like she couldn’t bear to watch me dedicate my life to a man like him.

A man like him is the reason why I wrote this book. I am not alone in the "Foolish" society. You may not be married to an ex-con, but you may be in love with someone that is just wrong for you and you can’t see it, or you know he’s wrong but you refuse to let him go because that’s your man and you can’t live without him. That’s what happened to me. I couldn’t see that this man had come into my life to ruin it.

You may even be one of those women that have this belief that you can’t make it on your own and you just have to have a man, you need a man to complete you; to help you pay the bills and stuff like that. I know. My reason was I thought I needed a man to help me pay the rent, keep the car fixed and to take away that lonely feeling by being there to hold me at night.

Within six months, I had no business. No money. I ended up working in a group home for minimum wage, and paying all the bills because he couldn’t keep a job. Every time he would get a job, he would get in trouble and his parole officer would send him to a drug rehabilitation facility. He couldn’t stop smoking weed, popping pills and drinking himself into a coma.

In December 2006, we lost our home. The home we had picked out together. I couldn’t afford to pay the bills on my own because the few hours I was working were cut; and he was out of the facility but hadn’t started his job yet.

We ended up living in a family member’s basement against our better judgment just so that the two of us could stay together.

Did I mention I was pregnant?

It was almost as if overnight, I went from sitting on top of the world to being at the very bottom of the pit.

You have to be careful of the person you choose to spend your life with. If there are any red flags that signal trouble in paradise, heed to them. If I had done that, I would not have had to start all over from scratch.

It took him being returned to prison for a parole violation for my eyes to open up. I still made some foolish choices, but my eyes were opened before it was too late.

The man I had come to love, turned out to be abusive, a thief and just a cold hearted person. I knew I could not associate myself with that lifestyle any longer. Finally, I got up the courage to leave, for both me and my two little girls. There are so many women out here giving up things to be with a man. One thing you must realize is that a good man will never hurt you, and he will go out of his way to make you happy, no matter what. You deserve to be happy. You are worth it. Don’t let anybody tell you that you have set your standards too high. There will be plenty of men that will come your way, so take time and wait until the right one comes along. It will save you from a ton of hurt and heartbreak in the end.

Though my book is a work of fiction, I pulled things from my own life and placed them in this book.

It is my hope that after you read my book, you will take away the very lesson I have embedded within its pages: Don't be "Foolish"

Get The Truth About Self-Publishing

As a new author seeking to publish your own works, of course, you want to learn all the steps possible to do so without being taken advantage of. There are many companies out here that claim to help you self-publish, but most of these same companies are out to make a profit off of the dreams of unsuspecting authors.

It's best to know the truth.

Are you seriously thinking of self-publishing your own book? Grab my manual! Since 2004, I have assisted aspiring authors with achieving their dream of becoming published authors. My self-publishing classes and workshops are sought after, as is my manual, 'The Truth About Self Publishing', which walks you through the entire self-publishing process step-by-step.
This manual covers every step of the self-publishing process, from how to get your book sold on Amazon.com, to securing international fulfillment for your book with one of the world's largest distribution channels.

You will also learn:

• How to typeset your own book in Microsoft Word (and save yourself thousands in typesetting fees)
• The best place to find a professional proofreader/editor (and cut your editing costs in half)
• How to get a professionally designed book cover for pennies on the dollar
• The reason why you MUST purchase your own ISBN number (and why not doing so could cost you the rights to your book)
• ...and so much more.

You will literally save yourself thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses when you purchase The Truth About Self-Publishing Manual. 
To purchase your own copy of 'The Truth About Self-Publishing Manual' today for an investment of just $27.00 click the button below. The manual ships in 24 hours. Get your copy now!

How to Add 'Bestselling Author' to your Resume`

As authors, this is the ultimate goal: to be able to add the words, 'bestselling author' to our resume`'s. Well, while it's not impossible, it does take much effort from you as the author. You have to believe in yourself enough to know that earning this title is well within your reach. Here are three things you need to consider doing to help you achieve the status of, 'bestselling author'.

1. Study other authors that have become bestsellers. What are their habits? What do you see them doing on a consistent basis that you are not?
2. Revamp your marketing plan. What are you doing to get the word out about your book? Perhaps a simple tweak to your plan could help you find an untapped audience.
3. Explore all the sales channels. Your book is your product. You have to look at your book as a product that must be sold and look at all the areas of which you could do so.

You as the author have the power to take your book to a totally different level. You simply have to make the decision on just how successful you want your book to be.

Until next time,

~Sandra~

P.S. Would you like to use this post in your blog or on your website? You can, as long as you add this little blurb with it:

Dr. Sandra Peoples is a self-publishing expert. Having been in the field since 2005 she has learned the ups and downs of publishing your own books. Sandra has created a course for authors called, 'The Successful Author 2.0', a writing course for beginning authors called, 'Write the Book' and an ebook and audiobook called 'The Truth About Self-Publishing'. Visit her website at www.motivateu.info.

Need a Dose of Inspiration? Deborah Clark Has It For You.

This Month's Success Story is a True Inspiration. Allow me to introduce you,

Prophetess Deborah Clark

BIO:
God began to speak to me on a daily basis and I was inspired by the Holy Spirit to search the scriptures and transcribe His words into letters. Originally, I thought these letters were just for me, but I quickly realized they were meant for others too. As I shared them, not only did they change my life, but others were encouraged, uplifted, and received hope in the midst of despair. Every word that you read is prophetic and can be confirmed through the scriptures. God expressed to me that these letters will be used to inform, inspire, encourage, elevate and illuminate His people. These letters are also used for correction, direction and motivation. No matter where you are in your journey, I am confident that these letters possess the power to change and rearrange your situation.
God promises that if you will listen with your heart and begin to do what He says, you will soon see that God and His Word are one and where the Word is -- so is the Spirit of the Lord. Since I began writing in June of 2010, I have shared these letters with many groups and I have been asked to read the letters at future speaking engagements. I have been invited to read His letters on a weekly basis to Pastors and church leaders and also for a prominent prayer line. God has ensured me that these letters will minister to millions around the world. He has a message for the nations and I am one of the vessels that He is using for such a time as this.
There is no coincidence that my name is Deborah. The Prophetess, Deborah in the Bible, had a remarkable relationship with God. Like Deborah, my insight and confidence has given me a unique position to inspire God's people. My purpose is to serve God and to be available to others. Deborah, the Prophetess, accomplished great things because she was willing to be led by God and so am I.



EXCERPT:
As far as God is concerned there are no "coincidences". The fact that you are here and reading this text this very moment should serve as a clear indication that your life's journey has meaning and purpose.  To assist you on this journey, God sent a Prophetess, Deborah Clark and who by the power of the Holy Spirit, she has written love letters just for you.  Letters have been used over centuries to do many things. Letters are used to inform and inspire; to encourage, elevate and illuminate. Letters are used for correction, direction and motivation. No matter where you are in your journey the effects of a love letter can be long lasting and serve to bring hope in the midst of despair.  Please enjoy Letters From God with Prophetess Deborah Clark and may your soul be refreshed.
Please visit www.lettersfromalmightygod.com to listen to a letter from God.

Very Sincerely,
Deborah L. Clark