by Sarah Pelz, Nonfiction Editor

I’m an animal lover, so when the agent pitched me The Dog Who Healed a Family, a collection of true animal stories, it sounded right up my alley. But I wasn’t expecting what happened when I dipped into it.  I couldn’t have been five minutes into the manuscript when the tears started flowing.  OK, full disclosure: flowing may be the wrong word. Streaming would be more like it. Gushing? I had to close my office door! A couple stories (and a box of tissues) later, I just knew we had to publish this book.

Jo Coudert has written animal stories for a range of publications, and this collection is the best of her best.  The strength of her storytelling comes in the sheer honesty of it. Her clear description and insights let the story itself—and the extraordinary humans and animals in them—shine through. The stories are at times uplifting, endearing, hilarious and, above all, touching. Among my personal favorites: in “The Puppy Express,” volunteers band together across 1,500 miles to bring a beloved family dog back home when her family falls on hard times. (I admit, I’m tearing up again now as I think about it.) “The Deer Who Asked for Help” portrays a rare—and quite moving—connection with the animal kingdom, when a wild deer reaches out to a woman to help save her doe. And “The Dog Who Healed a Family”… well, maybe I’ll just let you read that one for yourself to see!

For animal lovers, this collection confirms what we’ve always known: sometimes it takes an animal to show us the meaning of true love. I encourage you to pick this one up and give it a read, or give a copy to the animal lover in your life.  I hope it moves you in the way it moved me. (Just be sure you’re not wearing any mascara when you read it.) And please let us know what you think!

Hey Harlequin readers! I have a special surprise for you: a sneak peek at some of the covers we’re really looking forward to in the next few months. Have a look and let us know which ones you like!

The Bikini Car Wash by Pamela Morsi, MIRA, July 2010

Burning Up by Susan Andersen, HQN Books, September 2010

Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner, Harlequin Teen, July 2010

The Dog Who Healed a Family edited by Jo Coudert, Harlequin Nonfiction, August 2010

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa, Harlequin Teen, August 2010

Gorgeous, am I right? I’ll be back in a few weeks with some more covers that we’re really looking forward to. See anything you like? (We hope so!)

by Johanna Kendel, Executive Director of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, 2008 Harlequin More Than Words award recipient and author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder (Harlequin Nonfiction, September 2010)

After a ten year battle with eating disorders, I made a pact with myself that I would everything in my power to raise awareness and education about eating disorders.  I founded The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness in October 2000 in an effort to spread the message that help is available and recovery is possible.  In the ten years since its inception, I have had the pleasure of speaking to more than 140,000 people throughout the nation, advocated for mental health legislation, and served as a mentor to many women on their journeys to recovery.

I am honored and humbled to be a finalist in the Major League Baseball/ People magazine’s “All-Stars Among Us Campaign,” which recognizes everyday people who have gone above and beyond in serving their communities.  Now that there are just three finalists left, it all comes down to votes. Which is why I ask for your help! The online voting process will last until June 20^th, and you can vote as many times as you can! Whoever gets the most votes will represent Florida at the 2010 All-Star Baseball Game in California and be featured in PEOPLE magazine!! This would be such a wonderful opportunity for The Alliance to be recognized and for the messages of positive body image and eating disorders awareness to be spread.

To vote:

1. Log on to www.peopleallstars.com

2. Click on Florida Marlins (right hand column)

3. Vote for me, Johanna Kandel (THANK YOU!!!!!!!)

So please, please vote!! Vote today, vote tomorrow, and vote again the day after that! You can even vote numerous times every day.  And please invite/encourage your friends and family to do the same! Again, thank you all for your help and support as we continue to spread the message that help for eating disorders is available and that recovery is possible.

by Olga Kwak, Queen of Her Own Life

If you missed Queens Cindy Ratzlaff and Kathy Kinney stopping by the Harlequin Blog in April, don’t fret! There’s still time to sign up for an exclusive teleseminar and Virtual Crowning Ceremony being held online tomorrow at 3pm EST/12 pm PST at SupremeQueenBook.com.

You’ll get to chat with Cindy and Kathy and discover the secrets to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! If you’ve ever wanted the chance to make a clean sweep and find your Queen voice, here’s your chance now. There are great prizes to be won and (most importantly) you get to declare yourself Queen of Your Own Life! Plus, there are special bonuses available just for registering for the teleseminar. A special THANK YOU to the sponsors who contributed to these fabulous gifts.

Head over to SupremeQueenBook.com and sign up today!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

Wow!  How fabulous were the Coat of Arms and Mottos you posted?  Isn’t it inspiring to see such a loving, generous, honest and brave group of women sharing their powerful core values?  It sure makes us proud to be Queens.

You’ve asked yourself the key questions, decided what to banish and keep and have identified your guiding principals.  You’ve given yourself a strong motto to guide your decisions going forward.  Let’s stop and take a moment on the top of this mountain to see how far we’ve come.  Look back down the mountain and see how the path that lead you to this point was filled with twists and turns that caused you to zig and zag. Notice the many spots where you slipped and fell but got back up again and kept on climbing.  Pay particular attention to where that giant boulder quite suddenly blocked the path completely and you had to make an unwanted left turn, find a new path and continue up the mountain.  You’ve been working hard on this journey and doing a great job.  Take a moment to stand on top of this Windy Mountain and congratulate yourself on being an accomplished traveler.  Take a deep breath, feel the wind in your hair and shout out at the top of your lungs “I am an incredible woman.  Strong, brave, resilient and powerful.  I admire me.”

And now, because we say so, you are officially Queen of Your Own Life.  Here’s the secret.  You always were but sometimes we just need a good friend to hold a mirror up for us so that we can see what everyone else sees—the best of ourselves; the beauty, the grace, the love and the courage.  Let’s be that kind of friend to each other.  Let’s make sure that we hold the mirror up for other women so they may see the best of themselves and be reminded of their worth.

Now to complete your virtual Crowning Ceremony, we’d like you to fill in the blanks in this statement of power.  Then we’d like you to read it out loud and post it here to virtually share it with your new Ladies In Waiting, those agenda-free friends who want nothing for you except what’s best for you.

Statement of power:  I __________________ am Queen of My Own Life.  I will use my power to decide, each day, to live my life without judgment and to enjoy myself fully.  As my first official act, I choose to ______________________________________________________.

Our first official acts were very personal and meaningful to us.

Cindy:  My first official act was to choose to take a series of online classes that were so challenging they made my brain hurt.  I was afraid but I did it anyway and today I love the new skills I learned and I feel so proud of myself for having mastered a new skill.

Kathy:  My first official act was to do something everyday just for me.  To take the time each morning to say to myself, “What is one thing you can do for yourself today that will make you happy?”  By the end of the day I make sure I have given myself that gift.

So Queens, there’s one more thing we want you to know.  In order to stay Queen of Your Own Life you need to give it away.  Share what you’ve learned with other women.  Hold your own Crowning Ceremonies.  Feel free to make the ceremony your own.  If you want candles and fireworks, we applaud you.  If you want tea and soft music, we honor you.  If you want beer and bratwurst, we think we know you from college.  We just ask you one favor.  Please come back here or to our Facebook page or website and share your stories.  Help us inspire other women by giving generously of your honesty and talking about your journey.

Let’s raise a cyber glass of champagne and make a toast,  “Hail to the new Queens!  Long may you reign.”  We will be watching and listening to hear of the great and noble deeds you do.

Here’s a fun way to share the Queen message and spirit.  If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, go to GetYourCrown.com to add a virtual crown to your profile photo.

Throughout the next week, we’ll be on a secret give-away mission looking for Queens wearing this tiara.  We’ll be randomly selecting crown wearing Queens to win our fabulous Queen of Your Own Life boxed gift set of philosophy products worth $38.00 retail.  So place the crown on your head for a chance to win.

Editor’s Note: Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, May 2nd, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

 

You are incredible!  You’ve identified what you really love about yourself and learned to admire the woman you’ve become.  You’ve banished those things that no longer work for you and made room for new passions, adventures and surprises.  We were literally blown away by how brave you were in making your banish lists.  We want to personally thank you for taking the time to share those lists with us and with your fellow Queen’s in training.

Were you surprised to see that so many other Queens shared some of the same banish lists?  As we’ve traveled around the country attending Crowning Ceremony’s and hearing women talk about their banish and keep lists, it’s been enlightening and reassuring to see how many of us share the same fears, hopes and dreams.  We’re so much more alike than we are different and that’s a wonderful thing.

Today we’d like to talk about creating your personal Coat of Arms and Motto.  Every Queen needs a crest that tells the world who she is and what she stands for.  We created ours by writing down the names of women we admire ranging from Mother Teresa and Amelia Earhart to friends, family and neighbors.  We then made a list of virtues we most valued in these women such as hopeful, gentle, poised, and strong.  We read the list out loud and choose the four qualities that resonated most strongly for us.  Those four words became our Coat of Arms and the motto we chose is “Because We Say So.”  Mainly because it made us laugh but also as a reminder that we have power and it’s okay to use it.

Now it’s your turn.  You can download a blank Coat of Arms template at the Queen of Your Own Life Web site or you can make one up all on your own.  There are no rules.  Creativity counts, and you get extra bonus points for making yourself laugh.  Seriously, we think this little art project is extremely important in naming and claiming the attributes you most want to be a part of the second half of your life.

We’re looking forward to seeing your Coats of Arms.  Please share them with your fellow Queens in training by posting them here.  It’s almost time for the virtual Crowning Party, so grab your glitter pen and crafting supplies and get moving.  We’ll see you back here next week, same time, same place!

Now Queen Up!

Editor’s Note: Tune in next Wednesday for the next step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, April 18th, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

We are always absolutely humbled by the grace, honesty and openness of women.  Reading your answers to question number one was so inspiring and uplifting.  Some of you found it hard to say what you love about yourself and we understand.  That’s why such a deceptively simple question can have such a profound impact on you.  But by taking the time to reflect on your life so far and to choose something positive about yourself to take forward into the next half of your life, you took a big giant step toward learning to admire the woman you’ve become.  We salute you, thank you and want to give you a big virtual hug!

Now it’s time to take the next step.  Here’s today’s question.

What do you want to banish from the first half of your life that no longer works for you?  In other words, is there something that you’ve been doing or feeling or thinking that is taking up space in your thoughts that simply is no longer useful?  Let’s name it and ditch it and open up a lot of energy and emotional space for new, more positive thoughts, ideas and actions.

Remember that there is power in sharing your responses with other women.  So post you banish list here and consider it gone from your life.

Once again, it’s only fair that we get the ball rolling with our own personal banish list.

Cindy:  I want to banish letting my weight rule the way I feel about myself.  I kept a diary for years and recently I went back and took a look at it.  Every entry started like this:  “Today I weigh…”  I used the number on the scale to tell me whether or not to feel good about myself.  Now, as I stand on the precipice of being Queen of My Own Life, I banish hating my body.  I will say to myself “I’m perfect just the way I am.”

Kathy:  I banish fear of what other people think of me.   I finally really know that the only person I have to please is myself.  And the better friend I am to myself the better friend I will be to everyone. I banish the feeling that I am “less than.” I am so much more than enough.

 

Everyone has doubts, fears and anxieties.  Those negative emotions often hold us back from achieving our hopes and dreams.  What will you banish to make room for your hopes and dreams?  Saying it out loud has power.  Say it, ditch it and move forward with us to become Queen of Your Own Life.

Editor’s Note: Tune in next Wednesday for the next step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, April 18th, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

There are rituals, ceremonies and celebrations to mark every major transition in our lives; birth, turning 21, marriage, even death.  But there is no really good or positive ceremony to celebrate entering the second half of life.

Kathy: Back when I turned 40, my wonderful friends surprised me with the classic “over the hill” party complete with a gift basket of Depends, black balloons and a coffin shaped birthday cake.  I love that they wanted to make me laugh but I was only 40 – I felt like life was just getting started!  That’s when I began to think “Hmmm, shouldn’t we have a more upbeat and joyous celebration to mark the fact that we’re now women in full bloom.  I wanted to dance, sing and shout because I felt smarter, more confident and beautiful than I ever had as a younger woman.  And I was certain that even though the first half of my life had been pretty great the second half of my life was going to even be better.

Cindy: The more Kathy and I talked, the more we realized that we wanted to create our own ceremony.  We wanted it to give women permission to admire the person they had become; despite and because of all the trials, struggles and triumphs they’d experienced in the first half of their lives.  We wanted to come up with a celebration that was fulfilling, inspiring and plain old fun.

As we talked about how we felt entering the second half of our lives, we asked each other two simple but important questions that helped us focus on what was important to us as women now and how we wanted to live the second half of our lives. We’d like to share those questions with you and invite you to have your own coronation by joining us this week in our virtual Crowning Ceremony.  At the end of the week, we’ll crown you all Queen of Your Own Life and have a whopping great big virtual celebration.  Are you game?

Here’s today’s question:  What do you want to keep from the first half of your live, that still works for you?  In other words, what do you truly like about yourself?

Part of becoming Queen of Your Own Life is to share your thoughts out loud with a group of supportive women.  We believe that here on the Harlequin website, you’re safe and supported.  So write out your thoughts and share them here to inspire other women with your courage.

It’s only fair that we start first:

Cindy: I want to keep my sense of adventure.  As a young woman living in Minneapolis I sold my bike, accepted a ride to New York City from a friend and moved there with just $200 and a dream.  I didn’t even image that I could fail and so I didn’t.  I lived there for 20 glorious years and succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.  I want to keep my sense of adventure.

Kathy: I want to keep my sense of humor that has gotten me through good times and bad.  I’ve always been able to see something funny even at the lowest points in my life and that has served me well.  I think of myself as a woman standing with a HUGE pitcher of lemonade in my arms and the ground around me is littered with used up lemons.  I love to laugh and I love to make other people laugh.  I plan to always keep my sense of humor by my side in the second half of my life.

We think it’s time to say, out loud, what you truly love about yourself.  Not just that you’re a good mom, wife, sister or friend but what as a woman makes you good in these other roles.  Don’t be shy.  It’s time to toot your own horn.  If not now, when?

We’re looking forward to hearing your answers to this first important question and we applaud you for taking the first step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life.

Editor’s Note: Tune in next Wednesday for the next step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, April 11th, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

by Staness Jonekos, author of The Menopause Makeover from Harlequin Nonfiction

I have a confession – menopause is the best thing that ever happened to me!  Except for marrying my Prince Charming!

Ready for the shocking news?  Menopause and marrying the man of my dreams happened at the same time!

After 30 years of dating in Los Angeles, I was finally engaged for the first time.  My wedding day was about to be ruined by hourly hot flashes, itchy skin, crankiness, fuzzy thinking and monthly weight gain.  My poor fiancé proposed to one girl and was about to marry Bridezilla.

Depressed that everything normal in my life was changing, I focused on planning my wedding day.  Using a wedding planner book filled with checklists, calendars and to-do lists, I was able to plan the perfect wedding.

Then, something incredible happened during my wedding dress fitting.   The tailor was letting out the seams to accommodate my new fat, menopausal body, as I was chatting about how easy it was to plan the perfect wedding using a planner book. Then I asked myself, “Why isn’t there a planner for menopause?”  I just wanted someone to tell me what to do so I would feel and look good again.

There were no menopause planner books online or in bookstores.  It was months to my wedding day, so I created my own 12-week program.  It was during this process that I realized menopause was a gift.

Being angry that my uninvited wedding guest, menopause, had kidnapped my dream wedding, I discovered something that changed my life.  Menopause was more than fluctuating hormones, it was an opportunity to reinvent myself.  Once I navigated the confusing hormone options, I had to address my overall health and happiness.

Redefining how I ate and exercised improved my health.  Updating my beauty regimen boosted my self-esteem.  Addressing my emotions and relationships gave me the opportunity to find balance.  Embracing my spirituality held the key that opened the door to happiness.  This combination of changes resulted in the ultimate mid-life makeover.

Staness’s “before” and “after” shots! Doesn’t she look amazing?

Years ago when my only monthly concerns were PMS and an occasional pimple, I would hear people joke about hot flashes and women going through “the change.”   I have news for them – those women are busy making changes that will make their life and YOUR life better.

Menopause was a wake up call to ME.  I wrote The Menopause Makeover so YOU would have a map to find and celebrate the new you!

Editor’s Note: Still not convinced by Staness? Check out the book trailer for The Menopause Makeover below then head over to the Harlequin Community to follow Community Manager Jayne and community members as they go through their own 12 week count down to Fit and Fabulous!

by Elizabeth Somer, M.A.,R.D., author of Eat Your Way to Happiness (Harlequin Nonfiction)

If you’re like me, you have had a bit of experience with New Year’s resolutions – they come and go. We have great hopes and intentions to head off to the gym, start a new diet, lose weight, be healthier. By February, the gym shoes are at the back of the closet, the diet plan is history, and the weight is still haunting us. Well, I have a solution to that.

Over the years, I’ve honed a few painless, super easy steps to a better diet, slimmer waistline, and more fit body. Here are five fool-proof resolutions from my latest book, Eat Your Way to Happiness.

1. Eat breakfast: No excuses! Hey, it takes no more than 5 minutes to fix and eat a good breakfast, yet the benefits will last you lifetime. Breakfast eaters have more energy, think more clearly, perform better at school and work, and are less vulnerable to cravings throughout the day, therefore, they are more successful at weight loss and maintaining the loss over time. The 1,2,3 Breakfast I discuss in the book is your mainstay: 1) a whole grain, 2) a protein, and 3) one to two colorful fruits and vegetables. My favorite is a bowl of whole grain cereal (shredded wheat, Kashi, Grapenuts, etc), low-fat milk or soymilk, and a handful of blueberries. Smoothies also fit the criteria, as does whole-grain waffles with peanut butter and a glass of OJ.

2. Start lunch (or dinner) with a bowl of soup: It’s the volume or weight of food that fills us up. If it takes a pound of food to feel satisfied, you can gobble a pound of French fries for a zillion calories or a pound of carrots for 50 calories. The best way I’ve found to boost volume is to eat foods that have water and fiber in them. Vegetable soup is a perfect example. When people have a bowl of soup before a meal they consumed 200 calories less and still feel full and satisfied. So, add a bowl of chicken noodle or cream of tomato to your sandwich for lunch every day and you could lose up to two pounds a month. That’s 24 pounds by the end of 2010!!

3. Cook in cast iron: If you are a premenopausal woman and you are tired, more than likely you are one of the up to 80% of women during the childbearing years who is iron deficient. You probably aren’t so deficient that you are anemic, but the symptoms are the same: You are tired, more susceptible to colds and infections, can’t think clearly, and might even have trouble sleeping. Years ago, I tossed the fancy cookware and went back to my mom’s cast iron pots. The iron leaches out of the pot into the food, boosting iron content several fold, especially in acidic foods, such as spaghetti sauce.

4. Chew gum: Do you taste test while cooking? Pop food scraps in your mouth as you load the dishwasher? Take a bite of the leftover lasagna while rummaging through the fridge for tonight’s dinner? That is called mindless eating, and it could be at the root of your weight problems, since every bite averages about 25 calories. Four mindless bites in a day and you’ve gained a pound in a month. Instead, chew sugarless gum when cooking or in the kitchen to discourage putting anything else in your mouth.

5. Move more: OK, I’m an exercise junkie and most people think I’m nuts to bike when it is raining outside! But, I also know most people aren’t as addicted to sweat. If the likelihood of sticking with an hour vigorous workout at the gym is slim, you can boost activity and shed pounds by just adding more movement to your daily routine. Walk up the escalator – it drives me nuts when people stand like a statue as the escalator works for them! Park at the end of the lot, rather than drive around for 15 minutes looking for a closer parking spot. Throw out the remote control and get up every time you want to change the TV station. Studies show that adding little 10 minute bursts of activity to your day add up to significant health benefits and even a few inches off the waistline.

Editor’s note: Best of luck with all of your resolutions in the new year from Elizabeth and the whole team at Harlequin!