Sat, 17 Feb 2018 22:10:49 +0000 For those of you who have read my second novel, AIR, you may recognize this painting. After reading the second novel in the Elemental Journey Series, Massachusetts' artist Gay Tracy (gaytracy.com), felt compelled to paint Usui, the Jesuit missionary who becomes a friend and a mentor to Pearl, the protagonist. In this scene, the homeless Usui is living under a bridge in a Tokyo park.…

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:41:16 +0000 I was a journalist in London in the 1990s, when I felt the call to give it all up and follow my soul's path to find my voice. I remember walking like a zombie around the Financial Times, where I worked as a sub-editor, asking myself, "What am I doing here? What does this job have to do with who I really am? Why am…

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 00:24:37 +0000An increasing number of life coaches, motivational speakers and healers are writing books. The process, though, is much more than a marketing tool. Writing is as much about honing your purpose and healing yourself as it is about attracting clients. Let’s first look at the practical marketing benefits coaches and others have when they publish a book. Entrepreneur.com did a good job of describing these in a…

Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:43:53 +0000 I've been a book coach for two decades. I've worked with expats on novels, lawyers on self-help books, and acupuncturists on memoir, and I've written three novels myself. People often ask, "What is the biggest issue new writers face when writing books?" There are many, like: Writers need to learn to let go of perfectionism to write the rough draft (rough means rough, people). They…

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:16:38 +0000

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:02:07 +0000 Long before the current kerfuffle around Tony Robbins' dismissal of the #MeToo movement, I’d been talking to friends about how the self-development movement in its current incarnation is doing us all a disservice. For those who haven’t been following the news, Tony Robbins was at his "Unleash the Power Within" event in San Jose, CA, when he spoke about how the #MeToo movement is about…

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 16:18:28 +0000 You're a coach, speaker, novelist, or other agent of change, and you're feeling the call to write a book. Where do you begin? No longer can the global narrative be held in the hands of a few. It's time to step up, and help shift the story to one of healing. Now more than ever, we need books "of the people, by the people, and…

Mon, 07 Aug 2017 01:22:25 +0000I’ve never felt I fit. Anywhere. I grew up in rural Missouri, and as a young girl would obsess, “Where do I fit? Where do I fit? Where do I fit?” The phrase would ricochet around my skull like a pinball. I left Missouri as fast as I could; surely there were other places where a girl like me would fit. I moved to Tokyo, for…

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 17:41:03 +0000Raise your voice for peace! Today in Portland, OR. Join us! Register by calling New Ren Books at 503-224-4929, $45  

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:03:12 +0000 Thursday, September 21, 2017 is International Day of Peace. How do we find and remain centered in an internal place of peace in a world fraught with emergencies and difficulties? These are difficult times. There is no way around it. As a coach, I've been working with people all over the world who are having trouble staying centered. How do we keep our footing when…